Boston College Football Alumni Profile & Interview: WR Tony Gonzalez
Photo couresty of BCEagles.com
The Boston College Athletic Department has been treating fans to great games of the program's past on Thursday nights on Youtube. This past week, the 2005 bout between the 14th ranked Eagles and the Wake Forest Deamon Deacons was featured. This game is forever remembered as the afternoon when Matt Ryan came off the bench, and the legend of "Matty Ice" was born. There was another player that had a memorable moment, and that was wide receiver Tony Gonzalez.
The Framingham, MA native finished his BC career in 2006 with 89 receptions, 1,186 yards and 12 touchdowns. Per his BCEagles.com bio they describe Gonzalez as "a receiver with a knack for the big play", with six of his 12 touchdowns coming at 25 yards or more.
BC Bulletin spoke with Tony about his career at BC and beyond. Gonzalez's signature moment as an Eagle came in 2004, his sophomore season, in South Bend. With under a minute to play, he made an incredible acrobatic catch that downed Notre Dame by a single point.
As an alumni of Framingham High School, Gonzalez never felt like a "hometown hero" despite playing collegiate football a mere 20 minutes east on Route 9. Interestedly enough, he did in fact pay homage to his upbringing with (508), Framingham's area code written on wrist tape along with loved ones who had passed away. The support from family and friends made it a special experience to play for the local Eagles.
The athletic prowess that Gonzalez exhibited as a wide receiver was always evident in his life. Gonzalez was drafted by the Boston Red Sox in the 16th round of the 2001 MLB draft. On getting the call he said, "The experience of getting drafted was a dream come true. And then getting drafted by the team in your backyard just threw another level of joy into it." Gonzalez explained. Although he did not choose to pursue a career in baseball, the accomplishment is something he was able to share with his family and community that supported him. Gonzalez added that he can tell this to his daughter and grand children.
Boston College has always been a school that looks for the "right" kid on the recruiting trail. Gonzalez not only reflects this but embodies what coaches look for when trying to lure high schools to Chestnut Hill. When asked about the decision to attend Boston College and play football as opposed to a professional baseball career immediately, Gonzalez offered this, "Between the negations and offers given I decided going to school and playing the sport that I enjoyed the most was best for me at the time." He also added "To me and my family an education was worth more than the monetary value offered. Football was always my first sport. Something about the game and camaraderie with my guys made me fall in love with it. That is something that steered me to my decision of college football."
Education is a high priority for students at Boston College and the opportunity was not lost on Gonzalez. Coming from a large family, being the first to graduate from a four year institution is what he is most proud of off the field. To seek an education and understand the value of it is an amazing thing in itself. For a teenager to do away with the potential for immediate pay day, and the chance to play for the hometown Red Sox proves that he was certainly one of the "right" recruits for the Eagles.
The 2000's was a very successful decade for BC football that boasted ten bowl game appearances. For all the success during Gonzalez's career, Tony credits his head coach, Tom O'Brien. "From my freshman year at BC until my final days there playing under Tom O’Brien was great." Gonzalez explained. "He was your head coach that could get a whole lot of information across to his team while saying very little. Your military type person that’s could control a room with his presence alone. He held his staff accountable and his staff held their players accountable."
The structure of the program was evident in the on field consistency during O'Brien's tenure. It provided the team and fans with numerous victories and competitive battles with the Big East and ACC's elite. "That trickle down affect of accountability brought us five straight bowl game victories during my time at the Heights." said Gonzalez. "Great memories and a ton of victories celebrated under Tom O’Brien and his great staff."
Tony's career falls under the "Matt Ryan Era" of BC football, but don't let that take away from the amazing cast of talent these teams boasted. With the likes of Kevin Challenger, Will Blackmon, Andre Calendar, L.V. Whitworth, the Eagles were loaded with offensive talent. "During my time at BC I was fortunate enough to play with some of the best college football players in the country" said Gonzalez. "O-Line U as we are known produced some of the best. A truly underrated group of skill players that just produced week in and week out." The dynamic group was able to put up big numbers on offense which Tony believes he "played alongside some of the greatest offensive units in Boston College football history."
Matt Ryan has stated in the past that Gonzalez was his favorite target at Boston College. Thus when it was time to prepare for the draft and a life in the professional ranks, it was Tony who the Eagles signal caller utilized to train in preparation. The private workout with the Falcons resulted in a training mini camp invite for the receiver. After doing what he does best, producing, he was also invited to optional team activities.
The experience itself was an eye opener for him into the professional ranks of athletes. "Just seeing the way the professionals work and go about their business is something that I would hope all college athletes could see." Gonzalez said. "Talent is great but the work ethic these professionals have is what keeps them in the league. Lots of guys get there, but not all can keep that hunger and desire to stay there. I loved and enjoyed my time in Atlanta. I respect all of those guys." Although he came up short in his goal of making the roster, the memories and journey were not lost on Gonzalez who maintains another sense of pride for making it that far and receiving that opportunity.
Tony's professional dream may have seen its end but he continued to give back to the community that aided him. He's a coach with the Framingham High School football team for the past nine seasons as well as teaching. Framingham fans might be shocked to know he currently has been working as a psychical education teacher in a residential-education treatment center in Natick, their arch rival. As for some good news for BC fans, he has a three year old daughter, Ava.
With much publicized turnover with the football program this winter, Tony remains optimistic about the future and even has a few ties to the coaching staff. "I am very excited and hopeful about the current state of the BC football program. Coach Hafley seems like an energetic determined coach. I have not yet met him but seeing his social media posts has me thinking he is 100% invested in this program. Coming from Ohio State and their tradition of winning is a great sign. Working with former BC grad assistant Ryan Day I’m sure he had some insight of what to expect at the Heights. Coach Day was the wide receiver graduate assistant and i had the great pleasure of playing for him for a couple years while i was at BC and learned a great deal from him. I’m very excited and I’m sure many people on Chestnut Hill are anxious to see coach Hafley succeed at the Heights."
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