[Vision2020] Banquet Barbs Fire Up Boston College

[Tom Hansen]

>From today's (December 29, 2005) Idaho Statesman -

 

Mathias Kiwanuka, if you remember, is the Boston College foreign exchange
student who, after surviving his freshman year at BC as a walk-on, earned a
scholarship and a starting position on the BC football team.  He is now
attempting to extract his mother (and family) from Africa where their lives
are threatened daily.

 

So, naturally, the Boise mayor and the Beyond the Game Dinner at the Boise
Centre on The Grove decide to make light humor of his name.

 

Way to go, boise.

 

 

Banquet Barbs Fire Up Boston College

 

By Nick Jezierny

 

It turns out that all the motivation Boston College needed for Wednesday's
MPC Computers Bowl came from right here in Boise.

 

Eagles coach Tom O'Brien and several BC players said after they beat Boise
State 27-21 that they were offended by comments made by several speakers -
including Boise mayor Dave Bieter - at Monday night's Beyond the Game Dinner
at the Boise Centre on The Grove.

 

What irked the BC party was the number of speakers who ended their speech by
saying "Go Broncos."

 

What infuriated the Eagles was when Bieter and MPC Computers CEO Mike Adkins
mispronounced the name of star defensive end Mathias Kiwanuka.

 

"I've been to 19 bowl games and have never seen anything like that in my
life," O'Brien said. "The pep rally was the next night. You don't disrespect
the best player on the other team by making fun of his name and have
everyone in the audience laugh at him. There wasn't anything I had to do to
get this team ready to play. I ought to thank the mayor and people of
Boise."

 

Kiwanuka said he felt "disrespected" by Bieter's comments and even worse by
Adkins'.

 

"As far as Mike Adkins goes, he took my name and made it a punchline," 

Kiwanuka said. "I felt he purposely mispronounced my name and then went off
to crack a joke on my family name, which is something I hold very dear to
me."

 

Kiwanuka is the grandson of Uganda's first prime minister.

Elissa Reid, the director of public relations for Nampa-based MPC Computers,
said Adkins' comments weren't meant to be defamatory.

 

"We were very happy to have Boston College here," Reid said. "We apologize
for any misunderstanding."

Bieter's spokesman could not be reached for comment Wednesday night.

 

Gary Beck, the executive director of the bowl game, said some speakers were
out of line because the Beyond the Game Dinner is a bowl event that is meant
to be neutral.

 

"Obviously there were some speakers who probably should have been more
neutral," Beck said. "As a director, I'm going to correct that situation. We
have to work on making sure what happened doesn't happen again."

Beck said he apologized to BC athletic director Gene DeFilippo after the
banquet.

 

Ryan Glasper, a strong safety who made two interceptions in the game, said
the team was angry after the banquet.

 

"Our captain is a tremendous leader," Glasper said of Kiwanuka. "If you
offend our leader, you're offending the whole team. When you offend our
leader and our role model, you basically target our family and that's what
Boston College football is about."

 

 

Take care, Moscow.

 

Tom Hansen

Moscow, Idaho

 

"Life should NOT be a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving
safely in an attractive and well preserved body, but rather to skid in
sideways, chocolate in one hand, a drink in the other, body thoroughly used
up, totally worn out and screaming 'WOO HOO. What a ride!'"

 

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