Lowell's Galvin Chasing Dream at Boston College
BOSTON - Former Lowell star Jack Galvin grew up watching Boston College games with his father, BC and NFL alum Blake Galvin, and this fall, he'll get to live out his childhood dream in Chestnut Hill.
"I've always wanted to come here and play for BC," Galvin said. "I've been going to BC games forever. Playing here is what I wanted to do, so I figured I'd try it out and have no regrets."
It's been quite a journey for Galvin, who held no Division 1 scholarships coming out of high school in 2014, despite earning numerous accolades as a three-year starter for the Red Raiders. Despite several "walk-on" offers to schools such as UMass, Galvin chose to go the Division 2 route and play at Bentley.
Galvin appeared in seven games as a freshman for the Falcons, mostly on special teams, but decided to chase his dream of playing D1 football for the Eagles, even if it meant less playing time down the road. With no scholarship or guaranteed roster spot, Galvin transferred to Boston College in time to go out for spring practices, and emailed Director of Football Operations Reggie Terry to see if he could walk on to the team.
"When I went in, I was like, 'I'll play whatever you want me to,'" Galvin said of his first meeting with coaches. "They put me on defense, and I love it… I've played a little corner before, but I've almost always played offense. It's been a challenge, going backward instead of forward, but I like it."
Now playing safety, Galvin faces the challenge of learning a new position and adjusting to the speed of the Division 1 game as camp opens next Sunday. If he's anything like his father Blake, who starred at linebacker for the Eagles from 1983-87, and in the NFL for the Jets and Vikings, Jack should be able to get the hitting part down.
"My dad had season tickets for a while when I was a kid, but he stopped the last few years," Galvin said. "But now he's picked them up again."
As for whether the elder Galvin will get to watch his son actually take the field, Jack knows it will be a challenge. While he's certainly noticed the size and speed difference from Division 2, Jack has actually been more impressed with the work ethic and attention to detail of the players at BC.
"No offense to the guys at Bentley, who work really hard, but the amount of work these guys put in here (at BC) is crazy," Galvin said. "Yeah, they're bigger, faster, stronger, but the mental aspect of the game really goes up once you get to this level, and these guys are putting in the work, not just on the field and in the weight room, but in the film room too."
With spring ball behind him and training camp just around the corner, Galvin hasn't yet experienced his "welcome to Division 1" moment, but he expects to that to change pretty soon.
"I haven't really been hit yet," Galvin said with a chuckle. "We'll see how long that lasts once we get to camp."
Boston College opens training camp this Sunday, August 7th, and will begin its season September 3rd in Dublin, Ireland against Georgia Tech for the Aer Lingus College Football Classic.
BOSTON - Former Lowell star Jack Galvin grew up watching Boston College games with his father, BC and NFL alum Blake Galvin, and this fall, he'll get to live out his childhood dream in Chestnut Hill.
"I've always wanted to come here and play for BC," Galvin said. "I've been going to BC games forever. Playing here is what I wanted to do, so I figured I'd try it out and have no regrets."
It's been quite a journey for Galvin, who held no Division 1 scholarships coming out of high school in 2014, despite earning numerous accolades as a three-year starter for the Red Raiders. Despite several "walk-on" offers to schools such as UMass, Galvin chose to go the Division 2 route and play at Bentley.
Galvin appeared in seven games as a freshman for the Falcons, mostly on special teams, but decided to chase his dream of playing D1 football for the Eagles, even if it meant less playing time down the road. With no scholarship or guaranteed roster spot, Galvin transferred to Boston College in time to go out for spring practices, and emailed Director of Football Operations Reggie Terry to see if he could walk on to the team.
"When I went in, I was like, 'I'll play whatever you want me to,'" Galvin said of his first meeting with coaches. "They put me on defense, and I love it… I've played a little corner before, but I've almost always played offense. It's been a challenge, going backward instead of forward, but I like it."
Now playing safety, Galvin faces the challenge of learning a new position and adjusting to the speed of the Division 1 game as camp opens next Sunday. If he's anything like his father Blake, who starred at linebacker for the Eagles from 1983-87, and in the NFL for the Jets and Vikings, Jack should be able to get the hitting part down.
"My dad had season tickets for a while when I was a kid, but he stopped the last few years," Galvin said. "But now he's picked them up again."
As for whether the elder Galvin will get to watch his son actually take the field, Jack knows it will be a challenge. While he's certainly noticed the size and speed difference from Division 2, Jack has actually been more impressed with the work ethic and attention to detail of the players at BC.
"No offense to the guys at Bentley, who work really hard, but the amount of work these guys put in here (at BC) is crazy," Galvin said. "Yeah, they're bigger, faster, stronger, but the mental aspect of the game really goes up once you get to this level, and these guys are putting in the work, not just on the field and in the weight room, but in the film room too."
With spring ball behind him and training camp just around the corner, Galvin hasn't yet experienced his "welcome to Division 1" moment, but he expects to that to change pretty soon.
"I haven't really been hit yet," Galvin said with a chuckle. "We'll see how long that lasts once we get to camp."
Boston College opens training camp this Sunday, August 7th, and will begin its season September 3rd in Dublin, Ireland against Georgia Tech for the Aer Lingus College Football Classic.
