“This was a fragmented team and sometimes that just has to do with losing,’’ Addazio said. “Winning brings out the best in people and losing brings out the worst. So how do you pull that team together? You’ve got to hold them accountable, you’ve got to really demand, so our offseason program really focused on mental toughness and accountability more than it was on squatting, bench pressing, and power cleaning.’’ – Steve Addazio

With rumours of Michigan and Florida sniffing around, Boston College pressed forward and finally put ink to paper on Addazio’s renewal contract through the 2020 season.

Addazio’s keen football mind instilled football confidence to the lackluster Eagles team that he inherited from former coach Spaziani. Addazio managed an inspirational turnaround from the 2 – 10 season under Spaziani to a 7- 6 season campaign and the Eagles’ first bowl appearance since 2010.

Using his strong personality and his understanding of football psychology Addazio completely transformed everything at Boston College from the locker room all the way up to the stands.

By rekindling the athletes’ and fans’ pride in their school his effect on the team quickly materialized when the Eagles won their first two games of the 2013 season, which equalled their win total for the entire previous season.

A major part of Addazio and the Eagles’ success was the change of their offensive mind-set, transitioning from a passing game to a running game.

Addazio knows and values the importance that togetherness and team spirit plays in his athletes’ overall football confidence, the mental game and specifically in their football mental toughness; so he informed the team during his first year that names would be removed from the uniforms.

Addazio has worked hard in cultivating a winning mind-set, be it on the practise field with high-intensity drills or in the locker room by getting his athlete’s to sing the BC’s fight song after every win.

A second 7–5 season was again considerate a success, as it laid the foundations as to what is to be expected under Addazio. The winning record was despite the large loss of personnel due to graduation, including the seniors Andre Williams, Chase Rettig, Alex Amidon, Nate Freese, and Kevin Pierre-Louis.

In an effort to bolster the team and replace some of the losses, Addazio brought in a Florida-transfer, namely quarterback Tyler Murphy, who went on to led the team with his legs and went on to become one of the best running quarterbacks in the nation by rushing for over 1,000 yards on the year.

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