Mike Holovak

Our next legendary birthday took place on September 19, 1919, and that’s for Mike Holovak, a fullback from Boston College.

Fordham head coach Frank Leahy noticed Mike Holovak while observing a coach opposing Holovak’s high school squad and a man by the name of Vince Lombardi. A month later, Leahy left Fordham to take up a position leading the Boston College football team. Leahy didn’t forget about Holovak’s strong play in that game he watched, and he recruited him to attend BC and play for the Eagles.

As a sophomore, Mike contributed to the Eagles’ rushing attack, as well as being a key piece on defense. Holovac scored twice in big situations for Boston College that season, once in a 19-18 victory over Georgetown, and then again in the Sugar Bowl as the Eagles upset a strong Tennessee squad 19-13. As a senior, he became a consensus All-America and finished second in total rushing yards in the nation.

Holovak’s performance in the 1942 Sugar Bowl was phenomenal, as he averaged 15 yards per carry and scored three touchdowns. Mike served in the Navy during World War II, and after the war, he played in the NFL for the LA Rams and the Chicago Bears. Holovak returned to Boston College in 1951 to become the Eagles’ head coach and stayed in that position through the 1959 season.

He moved into professional coaching ranks a couple of years later, as he headed the New England Patriots from 1961 through 1968, and then later was a general manager of the Houston Oilers for a period of time. The National Football Foundation selected him to be inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in the 1985 class.