Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: SATURDAY, January 1, 1994 TAG: 9401010119
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: B-7 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: By DOUG DOUGHTY STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: FORT LAUDERDALE, FLA. LENGTH: Medium
Coughlin, whose Eagles play Virginia at 1:30 p.m. today in the Carquest Bowl, is the father of Tim Coughlin, co-captain of the UVa baseball team and a former Cavaliers football player.
"I was at a dinner with my dad when Arkansas played LSU on Thanksgiving weekend," the younger Coughlin said. "When Arkansas started to blow them out, I said, `Dad, can you believe this?' "
Both Coughlins knew what the Arkansas victory meant - that the Southeastern Conference would not have five teams with the six Division I-A victories required for a bowl bid, freeing a spot for Virginia.
"It's been very ironic," said Tim Coughlin, who is in his fourth year at UVa. "I never thought a Virginia-BC matchup would happen, at least not while I was in school.
"It's been fun for the last month because I have a lot of friends on both sides. I want to see a good game, but my heart's with BC. I've been with my father a lot longer than I've been with Virginia."
Coughlin came to UVa to play baseball and tried out for the football team in 1990 as a walk-on defensive back and wide receiver. He left the team after his first year - a good thing, as it turned out.
"I realized pretty quickly that I couldn't play both sports and hope to do well in college," said Coughlin, who starts at third base and now receives a partial scholarship.
"Baseball was where my heart was set. Besides, I think it's better for me to watch this game. I think it would have been pretty tough to play against my father."
Although Coughlin makes no secret where his loyalties lie, he caught some flak when he boarded the Boston College team charter wearing an orange shirt.
"The only reason I wore it was, it was one of my last [clean] shirts," Coughlin said. "It got blown out of proportion a little bit. It was not by design."
Coughlin said he was aware of a possible BC-Virginia game as soon as West Virginia knocked the Eagles out of a possible Big East co-championship with a come-from-behind victory Nov. 26.
"At some point after that, I was in my dad's office with Mike Groh," Coughlin said. "We were just hanging out and my dad came in and said, `Get out of my office.' It was in jest.
"The joke around our family was, I wasn't talking to my dad for two weeks. Some people thought it was because of the BC-Virginia thing, but I was in exams and he was busy preparing for the bowl and recruiting."
When Coughlin was a senior in high school, his father was receivers coach of the New York Giants. Also on the staff was Al Groh, whose son, Mike, is Virginia's back-up quarterback.
The younger Groh, whose father has joined the staff of New England Patriots coach Bill Parcells, is the only Massachusetts resident on the UVa team.
"I've stayed close with a lot of those guys," Coughlin said. "Brendan Kilfeather, Mike Frederick and I practically grew up together in college. My freshman year, we were around each other every day."
Tom Coughlin was appointed Boston College coach midway through his son's senior year, but Tim never considered transferring.
"As a matter of fact, BC was one of my final choices, but the baseball wasn't as good as Virginia," he said. "I don't think my father would have wanted me to transfer even if I'd wanted to."
by CNB