Campus Guide
flynn recreation complex
Flynn Recreation Complex
1972
The student recreation complex is named for William J. Flynn ('39), director of athletics at Boston College from 1957 to 1990, and is located across from Conte Forum.
Captain of the Boston College football team in his senior year, Bill Flynn returned to the Heights in 1948 to become a member of the mathematics department, an assistant coach, and alumni secretary before becoming director of athletics. Flynn, who enjoyed a national reputation in athletic circles, served two terms as president of the NCAA. He supervised most of the University's modern athletic facilities on the Lower Campus, including Alumni Stadium, Conte Forum, and the Recreational Complex that bears his name.
In 1971, Flynn suggested a $25 student recreation fee to help finance a recreational complex that would serve the entire student body, with Boston College supplying the remainder of the money. Opened in 1972, the "Plex," as it came to be known, is built of pre-cast concrete with a hyperbolic roof of plywood and laminated beams. It includes an indoor track, an eight-lane swimming pool, saunas, basketball courts, squash courts, handball courts, a batting cage, a golf driving cage, an area for gymnastics, and facilities for aerobics and weight training. Adjacent to the complex are six outdoor tennis courts.