{"id":1835,"date":"2026-06-03T11:35:39","date_gmt":"2026-06-03T11:35:39","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/bostonrelocationinsider.com\/?p=1835"},"modified":"2026-06-03T11:35:39","modified_gmt":"2026-06-03T11:35:39","slug":"al-skinner-was-fired-as-bc-mens-basketball-coach-in-2010-hes-still-looking-for-an-explanation","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/bostonrelocationinsider.com\/?p=1835","title":{"rendered":"Al Skinner was fired as BC men\u2019s basketball coach in 2010. He\u2019s still looking for an explanation."},"content":{"rendered":"
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With the recent hiring of Luke Murray, Boston College has had five men\u2019s basketball coaches since the departure of all-time wins leader Al Skinner. The Eagles haven\u2019t reached an NCAA Tournament in 17 years, Skinner\u2019s penultimate season.<\/span><\/p>\n

Read more How the World Cup has changed since the last time it was held in the United States in 1994<\/a><\/p>\n

Skinner racked up 247 victories in his 13 years at The Heights, yet he is not in the school\u2019s Hall of Fame. And he has no interest in accepting any recognition from BC until he receives an explanation of why he was fired in 2010, despite leading the Eagles to seven NCAA Tournaments in a nine-year stretch.<\/span><\/p>\n

Skinner is 73 now and had just one head coaching job, at lower-major Kennesaw State, after his abrupt departure from Boston College. He remains angry and confused about his removal, and neither Skinner nor BC basketball has been the same since.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n

The Eagles have had only three winning records in the past 16 years and none of the four coaches who succeeded Skinner finished with a winning mark \u2015 the best being the just-fired Earl Grant at 72-92.<\/span><\/p>\n

Related: <\/span><\/span>The Boston College men\u2019s basketball program is in need of repair as new coach Luke Murray arrives<\/div>\n

The decision by then-athletic director Gene DeFilippo to fire Skinner, the school\u2019s first Black coach, is considered questionable at best and a major mistake at worst, one that led to the decline of a once-proud basketball program. <\/span><\/p>\n

Former BC AD Martin Jarmond attempted to mend the severed relationship by offering him induction into the school\u2019s Hall of Fame. Skinner tersely declined.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m not interested in that because, like I said, I wasn\u2019t offered any explanation for the change,\u201d he told the Globe. \u201cI know what I had to navigate while I was there and the way I was let go and some of the things that were said that weren\u2019t true about me.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Skinner said he was not informed by DeFilippo that his job was in jeopardy, and he believes a Globe column on his firing written by Bob Ryan that called him \u201cthe least hard-working man in show business\u201d soiled his reputation, and murmurs about his lack of recruiting and work ethic influenced DeFilippo.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI said no, you\u2019ve got Gene DeFilippo in there [a 2011 inductee],\u201d Skinner said of the Hall of Fame. \u201cI don\u2019t need to be in there. I\u2019ve had my share of accolades; I\u2019m comfortable with that. Your accolades at BC don\u2019t do anything for me. You can\u2019t take away my record. I don\u2019t need to rehash [the firing]. I guess if I was able to leave and go somewhere else and coach [I\u2019d be fine], but to me that was prevented because of what was said.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Skinner said the lazy narrative ruined his coaching reputation. He was not able to get a coaching interview at UMass, his alma mater. He reached out about a vacant Ivy League position and the athletic director said to Skinner, \u201cI understand you don\u2019t recruit.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

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Skinner was able to attract the likes of NBA draft picks Troy Bell, Jared Dudley, and Craig Smith during his tenure at BC. All three are in the school\u2019s Hall of Fame. In his seven NCAA Tournament appearances, the Eagles reached the Sweet 16 only once and Skinner was often criticized for a flex offense considered antiquated as his tenure progressed.<\/span><\/p>\n

But his success at BC was unprecedented and the Eagles have managed just two NIT appearances since his departure. A stretch of seven NCAA Tournament appearances in nine seasons for the just-hired Murray would likely be considered a rousing success. But for Skinner, it wasn\u2019t good enough.<\/span><\/p>\n

When reached by the Globe, DeFilippo said, \u201cAl Skinner is a really good coach. He did a really good job at Boston College.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Skinner blames DeFilippo for having lofty expectations for an athletic program that had reached an apex in the 2000s with successful men\u2019s and women\u2019s basketball teams, a yearly bowl-bound football team, and nationally ranked hockey squad.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201c[DeFilippo] had only experienced success, I guess he just took it for granted,\u201d Skinner said. \u201c[Football coach] Tom O\u2019Brien did a great job. Cathy [Inglese] did a great job [in women\u2019s basketball]. Everybody was getting along. You\u2019d really have to ask him why. He\u2019s the only one who knows. Gene is the one who made all the decisions. He\u2019s the one who allowed Tom O\u2019Brien to get away. He\u2019s the one who chased Cathy out of the gym. He\u2019s the one who chased me away from BC.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

All three coaches left The Heights during DeFilippo\u2019s tenure. Asked about Skinner\u2019s Hall of Fame induction refusal, current AD Blake James said in a statement to the Globe: \u201cCoach Skinner led Boston College men\u2019s basketball to seven NCAA Tournaments and a conference championship. He will always have a special place in the history of BC basketball.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Skinner said he understood being fired is part of the college basketball landscape but that there are countless fired coaches who are able to rebound for major college jobs and second chances. Skinner said he never received that opportunity. <\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThe question is why did you attack me the way you did and then allow the others [fired BC coaches] to walk away and keep their reputations intact?\u201d he said. \u201cI had one year where I was .500 [2010] and I have everyone coming back the next year. So now BC is supposed to go to the tournament and get to the Sweet 16 every year \u2015 is that what you\u2019re trying to tell me?<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWhat was written was so untrue. I\u2019m comfortable with who I am and how I handle my business and I\u2019m not going to allow someone to make me uncomfortable because I\u2019m going to speak up. Maybe some people didn\u2019t like that.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Read more Smiley, Morales spar in first Democratic primary debate of Providence mayor\u2019s race<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/article>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

He remains angry and confused about his removal, and neither Skinner nor BC basketball has been the same since.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":1834,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[7],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1835","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-sport"],"yoast_head":"\nAl Skinner was fired as BC men\u2019s basketball coach in 2010. 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