CHESTNUT HILL — Former Boston College quarterback Matt Ryan returned to Chestnut Hill Wednesday morning, a day after the announcement his jersey would be retired by the BC Football program this fall.
“As I come back up here, it’s a little bit nostalgic to be up here,” said Ryan. “It’s amazing how quickly that time goes. I feel like just yesterday we were playing Miami and it was my last day here and we were just celebrating a big win against them. Here we are nine years later and I’m back here.”
Ryan was named All-American by the American Football Coaches Association and Pro Football Weekly during his senior season, when he led the Eagles to an 11-3 record and Champs Bowl victory over Michigan State. The Eagles also soared to #2 in the country and played in the ACC Championship Game thanks to a dramatic win over Virginia Tech in a memorable Thursday night game.
“I don’t think I ever would have anticipated coming back for an event like this back in 2001 or 2002,” said Ryan as he reflected on his days being recruited out of Penn Charter High School in Pennsylvania. “It took incredible foresight on their part to be able to project me as a person who would be able to play up here, but I’m thankful to have been given the opportunity to come here, to have a scholarship at Boston College, get the education that I got here.”
Ryan reflected on his time at BC and his first head coach, Tom O’Brien, who instilled qualities considered intangibly unique on the football field.
“He was always at his best when things were the worst,” said Ryan. “That’s a true sign of a great leader and I’ve tried to emulate that throughout my entire career in Atlanta.”
Before Ryan’s senior season, O’Brien was replaced by Jeff Jagodzinski, who brought in Steve Logan as offensive coordinator. The duo helped mold Ryan into one of the nation’s top quarterbacks.
Ryan described Logan as the coach that took his play at quarterback to a new level.
“He kind of challenged me to be aggressive and to see how tight a window you could fit the ball into,” said Ryan. “He challenged me to be a stronger leader and I think pushed me to be an even better player than I thought I could be. And he gave me so much confidence and really boosted my ego and made me feel really good about who I was as a player, who I was as a teammate and who I was as a leader and I think that really propelled me into my senior year.”
Ryan’s jersey will be retired November 19 during BC’s game against Connecticut at Alumni Stadium.
After meeting with the media, Ryan addressed the current BC team, along with two of his former teammates.
Gosder Cherilus, a first-round choice of the Detroit Lions in the 2008 draft and currently a member of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, talked about the responsibility of being a Boston College football player.
Jamie Silva, an All-American safety on the 2007 BC team who played professionally with the Indianapolis Colts, urged the current Eagles to seize every opportunity and leave campus with no regrets.