BC EXTENDS DEFILIPPO AS ATHLETIC DIRECTOR

After presiding over one of the more bizarre coaching controversies of the past few years, Boston College has decided to extend the contract of athletic director Gene DeFilippo. The new contract will extend through May 2014."Gene DeFilippo has provided tremendous leadership and vision to Boston College’s athletics program, and he is also a great ambassador for our University,” said Fr. William P. Leahy, the university president. “I am pleased that he will be with us for at least another five years."While DeFilippo has been credited for strengthening the facilities, fundraising, and graduation rates, it is interesting timing that he’s being extended now, before we can judge his handling of coach Jeff Jagodzinski and his unwillingness to let the coach interview for an NFL head coaching position. DeFilippo has watched former head coach Tom O’Brien make what many thought was a lateral move to North Carolina State after feeling like he had a better chance to win there as well, an indictment on the lack of support and limited facilities in Chestnut Hill.We won’t know how good of a job DeFilippo has done until we see how Frank Spaziani does as the new head coach of the Eagles. Yet it’s foolhardy to applaud DeFilippo for things like graduation rate and fundraising at Boston College, a proud academic institution with incredibly strong alumni ties, while not at least looking in his direction for the constant turn-around and state of flux in the football program.While BC has won its fair share of bowl games, and has appeared in back-to-back ACC championship games, the argument can still be made that Boston College is still underachieving in college football, especially with traditional ACC powers like Florida State and Miami rebuilding.