Boston College announced Tuesday the jerseys of former football stars Matt Ryan and Luke Kuechly will be retired in separate ceremonies this fall.
Kuechly’s No. 40 will be retired Oct. 22 when the Eagles host Syracuse, and Ryan’s No. 12 will be retired Nov. 19 when Connecticut visits Alumni Stadium.
“Matt and Luke represent the very best of intercollegiate athletics and personify the Jesuit principle of ‘men and women for others.’ Both enjoyed brilliant collegiate careers and have gone on to enjoy success in the NFL. Beyond the gridiron you would be hard-pressed to find two gentlemen who conduct themselves with more integrity, discipline, generosity and kindness. They make all of us very proud,’’ BC athletic director Brad Bates said in a statement.
Ryan, the starting quarterback for the Atlanta Falcons, led the Eagles to their first ACC championship game during his senior season in 2007.
BC began the year 8-0 and finished with an 11-3 record and the ACC Atlantic Division crown.
As a senior, Ryan won the Manning Award as the nation’s top quarterback as well as the Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Award as the nation’s top senior quarterback. He was also named ACC player of the year and finished seventh in voting for the Heisman Trophy.
“Boston College is an amazing place,’’ Ryan said. “I am very fortunate to have had so many great memories during my college years at BC. I continue to be so fortunate with the retirement of my jersey and I am humbled that it will hang in Alumni Stadium with BC legends Doug Flutie, Mike Ruth, and now Luke Kuechly.’’
Ryan, 31, was drafted No. 3 overall by the Falcons in 2008, becoming BC’s highest draft pick in any sport. The three-time Pro Bowl selection holds franchise records in passing yards (32,757), touchdown passes (202), passer rating (90.9), completion percentage (64.3), and 300-yard games (35).
Kuechly, a linebacker for the Carolina Panthers, played three seasons at BC and is the school’s most decorated defensive player. He racked up a school-record 532 tackles and led the nation in total tackles and solo tackles for the 2010 and 2011 seasons. In 2011, he won the Bronko Nagurski Award as the national defensive player of the year and won the Dick Butkus Award as the nation’s most outstanding linebacker. He was also named the 2012 ACC Athlete of the Year.
“It’s a tremendous honor to have my jersey retired,’’ Kuechly said. “It is very important to me because of the love I have for Boston College and the memories I created not only on the field but throughout all of campus.’’
Kuechly was drafted ninth overall by the Panthers in 2012 and earned his third straight Pro Bowl nod in 2015. He led the NFL in tackles in 2012, with 164, and again in 2014, with 153.
Ten football jerseys have been previously retired at BC. Ryan and Kuechly join Doug Flutie, Mike Ruth, Art Donovan, Bill Flynn, Gene Goodreault, Mike Holovak, Lou Montgomery, Charles O’Rourke, Tony Thurman, and Louis Urban.
