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Gene DeFilippo

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Gene DeFilippo
Playing career
c. 1972Springfield (MA)
Position(s)Quarterback
Coaching career (HC unless noted)
1975–1979Youngstown State (OC)
1980–1982Vanderbilt (offensive backfield)
Administrative career (AD unless noted)
1984–1987South Carolina–Spartanburg
1987–1993Kentucky (associate AD)
1993–1997Villanova
1997–2012Boston College

Eugene Benard DeFilippo Jr. is an American sports executive and former college athletics administrator. He served as the athletic director at the University of South Carolina–Spartanburg—now known as the University of South Carolina Upstate—from 1984 to 1987, at Villanova University from 1993 to 1997, and at Boston College from 1997 to 2012.

Career

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DeFilippo graduated from Springfield College in Massachusetts in 1973. There he played college football, lettering for three seasons as a quarterback. In 1974, DeFilippo completed a master's degree in educational administration at the University of Tennessee.[1]

DeFilippo worked as an assistant football coach at Youngstown State University and at Vanderbilt University. He was an associate athletic director at the University of Kentucky from 1987 to 1993.[2]

Boston College named DeFilippo as athletic director on September 16, 1997 effective at the beginning of October.[3] During DeFilippo’s tenure as athletics director, Boston College won four national championships in men’s ice hockey, 11 national team and individual championships in sailing, and had 12 consecutive winning seasons in football. He also oversaw Boston College’s move from the Big East to the Atlantic Coast Conference.[4] In 2009 he fired head football coach Jeff Jagodzinski after Jagodzinski interviewed for the New York Jets head coaching job.[5] He was replaced by longtime defensive coordinator Frank Spaziani, who led the team to consecutive losing seasons in 2011 and 2012.[6] In 2010 he fired men's basketball coach Al Skinner after only his second losing season in ten years. Under Skinner, the Eagles made the NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament seven times.[7] BC would not return to the NCAA tournament under Skinner's successor, Steve Donahue, who had a 54-76 record in his four seasons as head coach, and they have not returned since.[8] DeFilippo retired on September 30, 2012.[4]

After leaving BC, DeFilippo became the managing director of Turnkey Search, and executive search and consulting firm for college programs.[9]

Personal life

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His father, Eugene Benard "Gene" DeFilippo, was a quarterback at Holy Cross.[10][11] His son, John DeFilippo, currently serves as the head coach of the New Orleans Breakers of the USFL.

References

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  1. ^ "Gene DeFilippo". Boston College. Archived from the original on May 27, 2012. Retrieved February 17, 2018.
  2. ^ "AD Gene DeFilippo leaving BC". ESPN.com. Associated Press. August 17, 2012. Retrieved April 23, 2016.
  3. ^ Delaney, Patricia (September 18, 1997). "DeFilippo Is Named Athletic Director". The Boston College Chronicle. Boston College. Retrieved February 17, 2018.
  4. ^ a b "BC Athletic Director Gene DeFilippo To Retire". CBS Boston. August 17, 2012. Retrieved December 24, 2021.
  5. ^ Boston College Terminates Employment of Football Coach Jeff Jagodzinski
  6. ^ Benbow, Julian (November 25, 2012). "Frank Spaziani fired as BC football coach". The Boston Globe. Retrieved December 24, 2021.
  7. ^ Blaudschun, Mark (March 30, 2010). "BC fires Skinner". bostonglobe.com.
  8. ^ Borzello, Jeff (March 18, 2014). "Steve Donahue fired at Boston College". CBS Sports. Retrieved December 24, 2021.
  9. ^ Rittenberg, Adam (August 30, 2019). "Boston College AD Brad Bates leaving after school year". ESPN. Retrieved December 24, 2021.
  10. ^ Shaughnessy, Dan (November 13, 2009). "Pro-style QB leads Holy Cross revival". Boston Globe. Retrieved February 17, 2018.
  11. ^ 1950-1951 Catalog, College of the Holy Cross, 1950, p. 98