Boston University’s Storied Sports History at Fenway Park

By: Jake Reiser

On Saturday, the Boston University Terriers men’s ice hockey team will take to a sheet of ice frozen in between first and third base at America’s Most Beloved Ballpark; Fenway Park.

Home of Major League Baseball’s Boston Red Sox since 1912, Fenway plays host once again to a spectacle college hockey fans have circled on their calendar once Frozen Fenway was announced. However, it’s certainly not the first time that BU, let alone the hockey team, has called Fenway home.

Back when Boston University had a football team, it’s original field was in the shade of the Green Monster. The Terriers debuted at the Fenway gridiron on November 14th, 1925, when they beat Providence College, 14-6. They next played on the Fenway field in 1926, capturing another win, but didn’t make Fenway their true home until 1947.

Before then, BU had played singular games at Fenway in 1937 and 1938, but didn’t play much at Fenway until ’47. In 1949, despite a loss to the University of Maryland, Vin Scully, former Los Angeles Dodgers commentator and now one of baseball’s most revered broadcasters, made his broadcasting debut calling the game.

Until 1952, the Scarlet and White packed the stands to cheer on the Terriers’ football team, led by its most famous alumnus, Harry Agganis. The Terriers moved to Nickerson field for their 1953 campaign and would remain at the former home of the Boston Braves until the program dissolved in 1997.

However, 1952 wasn’t the last time Fenway Park held BU football in its midst. BC football still played at the stadium, a regular opponent of the Terriers.

The Eagles were set to host BU in the last college game hosted ever at Fenway in 1963. Unfortunately, President John F. Kennedy was assassinated the day before the game, cancelling the contest. A rematch was never held and the two rivals never met in football again. Overall, both home and away, Boston University football held a record of 27-20-1 while at Fenway.

There was a long hiatus for the Terriers on Yawkey Way which ended at the inaugural Frozen Fenway in 2010. Fittingly, the Terriers defeated the BC Eagles, 3-2, in its first Frozen Fenway game. In their next appearance at Fenway, BU was handed a lopsided, 7-3 loss by the University of Maine in 2014.

Now, the Boston University men’s hockey team will look to give themselves a winning record as they take on the University of Massachusetts Amherst on Saturday January 7th at 1:30 p.m.