Just like the two years prior, nine Eagles will be inducted into the Boston College Varsity Club Hall of Fame this coming September—only this time, the entire class will be represented by former student-athletes.
Director of Athletics Martin Jarmond revealed the newest members of the school’s Hall of Fame on Tuesday. The Class of 2018 includes Paul Schilling, BC ’70 (men’s hockey); Peter Keller, BC ’92 (men’s golf); Matt Hasselbeck, BC ’97 (football); Marc Colombo, BC ’02 (football); Andrew Alberts, BC ’05 (men’s hockey); Brittany Thompson Mills, BC ’07 (softball); Molly Schaus, BC ’11 (women’s hockey); Caroline King, BC ’12 (women’s track); and Jillian King, BC ’13 (women’s track).
Schilling—who started his career on the Heights back in 1967—was this year’s veterans committee selection. The Clinton, N.Y. native racked up 20 goals and 37 points during the 1968-69 campaign, leading the Eagles in scoring. Despite only playing three years at BC, Schilling is still ranked among the program’s top 75 scorers. After playing for Team U.S.A. and having a brief stint in minor league hockey, he picked up the clipboard and served as the head coach for both Babson College (1973-75) and Brown University (1978-81).
Back in 1990, Keller played his way to the top of the field in the New England Championship, becoming the first BC golfer to win the tournament in about 40 years. That same year, he shot a 71 and a 77 in back-to-back rounds to win the Big East Tournament—something that no other Eagle had ever done before. Naturally, Keller earned All-New England First Team honors at the end of the season. Throughout his career, he qualified for a number of USGA Amateur Championships and even played in the British Amateur in 1992.
Before establishing himself as one of the most iconic Seattle Seahawks quarterback in franchise history, Hasselbeck was a three-year starter at BC. Although the signal caller never put up eye-catching numbers in the Big East, he cracked the school’s top-10 rankings in career passing yards, completions, and completion percentage. Hasselbeck was selected by the Green Bay Packers in the sixth round of the 1998 NFL Draft. After spending two years on the bench, he signed with Seattle and immediately made an impact in the NFC West. Now the Seahawks’ record holder for completions, yards, touchdowns, and games played, Hasselbeck guided Seattle to the postseason on six separate occasions, booking his trip to three Pro Bowls along the way. He never won a ring, but came close when leading the Seahawks to Super Bowl XL in 2006. Hasselbeck rounded out his 17-year career in Tennessee and Indianapolis.
Shortly after the quarterback’s departure, Colombo made a name for himself on the offensive line. A three-time captain, the tackle was at the forefront of a rushing attack that, in his junior season, ranked 18th in the nation. Not to mention that, as a sophomore, Colombo and Co. allowed just six sacks all year. When all was said and done, the Bridgewater, Mass. native was selected by the Chicago Bears with the 29th overall pick of the 2002 NFL Draft. Even though he suffered a handful of injuries, Colombo strung together a 10-year career in the league with not only the Bears, but also the Dallas Cowboys and Miami Dolphins.
As far as BC hockey’s concerned, it doesn’t get much better than Alberts. The two-time All-American remains one of the top defensemen in program history. He recorded a career-high 22 points in the 2003-04 season, en route to a share of the Hockey East’s Best Defensemen Award. Right after wrapping up his time at Kelley Rink, Alberts kicked off his 10-year NHL career. Initially he bounced around the league with the Boston Bruins, Philadelphia Flyers, and Carolina Hurricanes, but he ended up playing the final five years in Vancouver, advancing to the Stanley Cup in just his second year with the team.
Toward the end of Thompson Mills’s collegiate career, BC softball was mediocre at best, but she always provided head coach Jen Finley with a security blanket of sorts. In addition to shutting down batters in the circle, she etched her name into the program record books as one of the school’s premier hitters. In fact, Thompson Mills graduated with the second-highest batting average (.321), fifth-most hits (154), third-most RBIs (111), and most home runs (37) in Eagles history. Pitching-wise, she stacks up comparably to the greats. Finishing in the top 10 in wins, saves, shutouts, strikeouts, appearances, starts, and innings pitched, Thompson Mills will undoubtedly go down as one of BC’s best ever do-it-all players.
Schaus was both a two-time All-American and a two-time Patty Kazmaier Top-10 Finalist. Before Katie Burt came along, the Natick, Mass. native was the school’s most prestigious goaltender, logging—at the time—the most wins (80), saves (3,428), and shutouts (21) in program history, all while posting the best save percentage (.934) and goals against average (1.81) of every BC goalie to have ever stepped on the ice. To top it all off, Schaus played her way onto a pair of Silver Medal Winning U.S.A. Olympic Teams in 2010 and 2014.
The final two members of this year’s class are nearly identical—after all, they are siblings. Quite simply, Caroline and Jillian King are two of the most decorated runners in school history. Caroline was the first-ever Eagle to qualify for three championship meets in one academic year and holds the program record for the indoor 1000-meter run (2:44.60). It’s also important to remember that the three-time All-American won the 2011 ACC Indoor and Outdoor 800-meter Championship. Her sister, Jillian—who was named Eagle of the Year in 2013—was a five-time All-ACC honoree and claimed a pair of New England Team Cross Country Championships. She broke the school record for the indoor mile (4:34.19)—one that Caroline originally set—and qualified for the NCAA Track and Field Regional twice. Fittingly, both of them share the record for the fastest indoor Distance Medley Relay and outdoor 4×1500-meter relay.
The Class of 2018 will be honored on campus on Sept. 7 and former baseball coach Richard Maloney will receive the Donlon Award—an accolade created in 1999 with the intent of applauding those who have exemplified commitment and service to BC Athletics. One day later, the members will be recognized at Alumni Stadium during the football team’s Week Two matchup against Holy Cross to conclude the celebratory festivities.
Featured Image Courtesy of David Schaus
