Gene DeFilippo's retirement as athletic director at Boston College has sparked bittersweet reactions from BC fans and bloggers alike. While DeFelippo is credited with moving the Eagles from the Big East to the ACC, there is also a strong consensus that he has mishandled the coaches under his employ in recent years.
ESPN's Andy Katz weighed in on the DeFelippo's retirement, summing up the general mood in Boston as the AD of 15 years moves on.
DeFilippo's legacy will be getting the Eagles into the ACC. Big East members will always debate the manner in which this occurred. There are other critics who don't believe BC belongs or is a fit in the ACC. But BC had to get in as a mode of survival. But let's not sugarcoat DeFilippo's tenure, either. He completely mismanaged his football coaches (Tom O'Brien would have stayed, and Jeff Jagodzinski was merely looking at an NFL job) and completely botched Al Skinner's firing. ... The ACC is the legacy but the personnel matters still have a stinging effect on those directly affected and the programs in which they served.
DeFilippo may have left BC athletics healthier than when he started, but he will have a tough time separating his legacy from the odd decisions of the past few seasons.
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