By now, everyone knows that Boston College coach Jerry York set the record for all-time winningest coach with his 925th victory against Alabama-Huntsville on December 29.
But what if the Eagles had lost that night? (Yes, I know that BC is 13-3-2 and the Chargers are 3-17-1 so the premise seems far-fetched, but work with me here.)
That means that if the Eagles’ subsequent results (a loss and a tie) didn’t change, last night’s game against New Hampshire would have been the potential record-breaker.
York, however, was back at home, recuperating from eye surgery to correct a detached retina. Even so, the game counted toward his record. If a coach is on leave, then a team’s wins and losses don’t accrue to his totals; but if he’s merely missing a game due to illness (or eye surgery), the results belong to him.
As a result, Boston College’s 5-2 win over New Hampshire could have given York the prestigious record… while he rested at home.
Mindful of this, associate coach Mike Cavanaugh opened his post-game remarks to the media by saying, “This would be a really awkward press conference if we didn’t beat Alabama-Huntsville.”
File that one in the irony folder.
