Behind the scenes with Boston College football coach Bill O’Brien at ACC media day
O'Brien met up with his former boss, Bill Belichick, as the Boston College coach had an eventful ACC media day.
CHARLOTTE, N.C. — When his players arrived at 5:48 a.m. Thursday at the lobby of Hanscom Field, Boston College football coach Bill O’Brien greeted them with a secret he couldn’t bottle up any longer.
Energized after drinking his Dunkin’ (extra-large hot with two Splenda and almond milk), O’Brien was preparing to discuss football incessantly for the next eight hours at ACC Kickoff in Charlotte, N.C., but it was far from his mind at this moment.
O’Brien gathered his players around his phone to show them a truly remarkable athletic feat: his first hole-in-one.
On the par-3 16th hole at Cummaquid Golf Club the day prior, playing with his son Michael and two friends, O’Brien (a 20-handicap) one-hopped the ball directly into the hole on a windy day.
He’s had more satisfying experiences in coaching, but as an athlete …
“It might be No. 1,” O’Brien said giddily. “It was unbelievable.”
Everyone knows O’Brien as a passionate and fiery coach, but a day spent alongside him on the Challenger 604 jet that flew him and the four players traveling to media day — Lewis Bond, Daveon Crouch, KP Price, and Logan Taylor — revealed his jovial, thoughtful, and sympathetic side.
“Seinfeld” and “The Office” are two of his favorite shows, and Kramer and Michael Scott are his favorite characters. He’s an avid reader who often juggles three books at a time. He cuts his sausage, egg, and cheese with a fork.
He’s a big Noah Kahan fan and his playlist from last season has everything from Guns N’ Roses to The Beach Boys. He has a high-pitched laugh that comes out when he truly gets a kick out of something. He can (and had to) talk for four straight hours.
O’Brien sat back and let others approach during a hectic and fast-paced day at the Hilton Charlotte Uptown. When they did, he had thoughtful questions about family or summer travels.
“He sees everything,” said close friend Berj Najarian, BC football’s chief of staff. “He knows everyone’s name. It’s remarkable to me. It doesn’t matter who it is. It could be someone who everyone knows or it could be an intern he met one time. I think that speaks to the human being that he is.”
After collectively marveling at the hole-in-one, the Eagles boarded the plane in Bedford at 5:54 a.m. in a single-file line. O’Brien and Najarian sat in the front, the players scattered in the back joined by two staffers.
Some napped while others chatted, ate breakfast sandwiches, and ran through what they planned to say at the event. O’Brien used part of the plane ride to finalize his talking points and cement his knowledge of each player’s background and development.
He asked creative producer Jordan Arnold to minimize the pictures of him throughout the day, if possible.
“You don’t want this fat face,” he cracked.
O’Brien said he’s going to the gym as much as he can and insisted he’ll be down 30 pounds before the season opens against Fordham on Aug. 30.
As the plane approached landing, O’Brien tied his red Vineyard Vines tie to his white shirt, dark blue suit, and blue and white shoes. He did so from his seat — no mirror, in 15 seconds, on the first try.
“I’m a pro,” he said. “It’s not my first rodeo.”
Taylor and Price each emerged from the tiny bathroom in the back after changing, and O’Brien had quips ready. He said he had no idea how the 6-foot-7-inch, 308-pound lineman Taylor fit in there and that Price, a stylish safety, came out looking like a movie star.
“It wasn’t that bad,” Taylor insisted.
At 7:56 a.m., O’Brien put on his sunglasses and shifted from Bill to Coach O’Brien.
He stepped outside at the executive terminal of Charlotte Douglas International Airport, where a sizable black van greeted the Eagles. Price took selfies outside as his teammates laughed. After a 24-minute ride, the BC contingent arrived at the hotel, took the elevator to the third floor, and sat in a largely empty room waiting for the next step.
Just before 9 a.m., a surprise visitor approached the table.
Bill Belichick and O’Brien shook hands, and it took less than 10 seconds of formalities before they immediately jumped into golf.
O’Brien beamed as he told him about his 155-yard hole-in-one. Belichick congratulated him and shared that he has one as well — that just so happened to be a 200-yarder. They lamented that they missed each other on Nantucket this year and promised to catch up there next summer.
As the conversation unfolded, the BC players tried to look at their phones and keep to themselves, yet inevitably stared at the rare scene unfolding in front of them.
“My skin is on fire right now,” whispered Crouch, a linebacker.
Four minutes later, longtime Clemson coach Dabo Swinney bounced over to the table to shake O’Brien’s hand. O’Brien gushed about the hole-in-one again, to which Swinney replied that he didn’t have one before veering the conversation to football.
“We’re playing the Patriots organization in the month of October,” said Swinney, whose Tigers visit North Carolina (Oct. 4) and BC (Oct. 11) in consecutive weeks. “Unbelievable.”
Next up was Drew Fabianich, the director of the Reese’s Senior Bowl, who brought pamphlets to each of the players. O’Brien reminisced about his Senior Bowl triumph in 2018, when his team, led by Mike White, throttled Baker Mayfield’s squad, 45-16. He said he reminds Mayfield every time he sees him.
After an hour-plus of schmoozing and reminiscing, O’Brien and the players took the podium at 10 a.m. and fielded questions centered predominantly around how the team can take the next step.
“Why not us?” said Bond, a wide receiver. “Why can’t it be us?”
O’Brien did an interview on ACC Network, then ventured to the lobby to conduct eight more, ranging from North Carolina Sports Network to the Louisville Courier Journal, across two hours.
He was ready for anything, from Belichick to Bond, operating on autopilot while also ensuring he gave detailed and specific answers.
“Sorry it’s the wrong Bill,” O’Brien joked. “It’s the Irishman from Boston.”
O’Brien is a seasoned veteran at these types of events. He finds a way to remain genuine while also not saying anything controversial. Nothing fazes him, and he compliments interviewers when a question truly intrigues.
He texted his wife, Colleen, in between segments, then dutifully moved to the next obligation.
During one interview, he glanced at a text from Patriots coach Mike Vrabel remarking on the hole-in-one. The news continued to spread and served as caffeine through O’Brien’s largely repetitive day. He still couldn’t believe it happened on a day in which he shot a 91. He had a 6, 5, 6, 5, 6, and 6 on the back nine before it.
“Just call me Ace,” O’Brien said.
Then came more TV interviews, as O’Brien continued to cruise on an empty stomach. He conducted 21 over six hours, with just one bathroom break.
Finally, the day concluded at 4:04 p.m., and the players and O’Brien signed autographs before arriving at the van, where Chick-fil-A was waiting. They ran into Swinney again at the airport, and he asked Taylor to shrink a few inches before October.
The plane departed at 4:58 p.m. O’Brien’s first yawn of the day came at 5:10 p.m., then he took a power nap for 25 minutes before perking up as the plane prepared to land.
“All right, guys,” he said when they hit the ground. “See you Tuesday. Rock and roll.”
When a cart outside the plane only fit some of the group, O’Brien let Price, Taylor, Bond, and Crouch take the seats and chose to walk back himself.
Rejuvenated and ready to attack the next day with a similar vigor, he turned, offered a slight smile, and continued to move forward.
“Players first,” he said.
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