'Wait. Was That Bill Murray?' Clueless BC Basketball Fan is Shocked to See His New Coach's Father in Attendance at the Eagles First Game

Boston Globe. Getty Images.

It's been said before, but it bears repeating, that the part of the world where I was born and raised has a complicated relationship with our supposed best college sports program, Boston College. I have people I care about who graduated from there. My late, beloved father-in-law is in BC's Hall of Fame for both golf and as an assistant coach on the National Champion hockey team. And they've given the region some magical moments, including, though not limited to, the Doug Flutie years. 

BUT … But every time you start to think they're going to achieve some level of respectability in something other than hockey, they remind you - to borrow a phrase from Logan Roy - these are not serious people. I went to the football game against Clemson last year. And not only was it not even close to a sellout, easily 2/3 of the crowd who did show up were in Tigers orange. There's no tailgate scene to speak of. And in the middle of the campus of this academic institution with delusions of grandeur, there was no cell service. Just 30,000 phones getting SOS instead of bars, their batteries draining faster than the Eagles win probability as Clemson dominated them in all three phases. And let us not forget how many BC Superfans t-shirts Portnoy sold back in the 2000s to mock them. Those were arguably our biggest selling merch back in the early days. 

Which brings us to BC's men's basketball season opener under new head coach Luke Murray. And this scene that unfolded:

By no means am I picking on this guy. He's one of God's creatures and I'm sure is a very quality human being. This isn't about him as anything more than a symbol. The embodiment of BC fandom. 

I get that seeing Bill Murray anywhere would be a surreal experience. The internet is filled with people sharing their Brushes With Greatness with him. So yes, the natural reaction would be one of shock. Anywhere but here. Any place other than Conte Forum on this night, where you have to expect he was going to be there. 

And yet here we have this guy. Presumably a Superfan himself, with the BC t-shirt under the BC jacket and holding a program. Who seemingly never made the connection between the comedy legend and the head coach. Despite the fact Luke Murray has been an assistant at Post, Arizona, Wagner, Towson, URI, Xavier, Louisville, and the UConn team that won back-to-back Nattys a couple of years ago. 

Murray's hiring at Chestnut Hill was major news. There was an introductory press conference. Under previous coach Earl Grant, the Eagles went 72-94, .439, were 30-67 in the ACC, and never made the NCAA's. So you'd assume that giving a highly successful assistant to his first head coaching job would've ginned up some excitement. The fact his father is one of the most famous entertainers of the last 50 years would've come up in conversation. Word would've gotten around among the fandom. 

Yeah … no. Not this fandom. Somehow Luke Murray and his iconic father managed to sneak up on the Superfans. Only this program could have hired a guy like this and somehow avoided making it newsworthy. 

Any other DI school would have taken full advantage of the promotional opportunity. There'd be Ghostbusters theme nights. Big Ern McCracken t-shirts. The BC band playing the theme from Stripes. These amateurs have a game scheduled on Groundhog's Day, and it's at Wake Forest! How do you not insist on a home game for that night? 

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The answer to all of the above is simple. Not enough people care about Boston College athletics. And the few who do care, don't care enough. And this comedy icon's appearances at Conte will be surprising them all season long. Mark my words. What a pathetic program.