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The storybook collegiate football career of former Boston College kicker Steve Aponavicius is the subject of a newly-published book that chronicles the tale of how a walk-on kicker — who had never played a game of organized football until arriving at BC — went on to become the Eagles’ all-time leading scorer.
Written by M.B. Roberts, Aponavicius: From BC Superfan to Walk-On Kicking Phenomenon, tells the story of the Easton, Pa., native who had played only high school soccer before enrolling in BC’s Carroll School of Management in September of 2005. Like many of his freshman classmates, Aponavicius expected to watch the Eagles’ football games from the Alumni Stadium student section.
But a few days before the season opener, graduate assistant coach Jay Civetti (now head coach at Tufts University) watched Aponavicius leisurely kicking field goals during a late afternoon workout in the stadium. Civetti persuaded the BC coaching staff to let the unknown freshman try out for the varsity team and Aponavicius impressed then-head coach Tom O’Brien with his leg strength and accuracy. Two weeks later, Steve was invited to join the team.
After a year of practice with the BC team, Aponavicius finally got his chance to play, making his game debut on Oct. 12, 2006 on one of college football’s biggest stages: an ESPN Thursday Night Football game against the nationally-ranked Virginia Tech Hokies. “Sid Vicious” — as he was called by coaches and teammates who had difficulty pronouncing his Lithuanian family name — was perfect on the night, booting two field goals and two extra points in BC’s stunning 22-3 victory over the surprised Hokies. “Welcome to college football,” exclaimed ESPN announcer Chris Fowler who was calling the game on national TV.
Aponavicius’ kicking career had its ups and downs, but he went on to score 290 career points for BC, 28 more than any other player in the school’s century-plus football history.
Roberts, a Virginia Tech graduate, says she was watching the national television broadcast of Aponavicius’ inaugural game appearance and was intrigued by the story, but never dreamed that she would someday write a book about him. “I had almost forgotten the kicker from BC with the hard-to-pronounce last name,” she says. “But in 2010, I was introduced to Steve’s brother-in-law Brian Reidy, who told me the whole story.
“It has all the elements of an inspirational story and then some,” says Roberts, the author of 17 books, most of them featuring sports-related subjects. “There’s the hard-to believe aspect: The chance meeting [with Civetti]; the instant success; the struggle; the inconsistency; more success. And his family story is incredibly compelling. Plus, Steve is a wonderful person and the ideal subject.”
While handling the BC placekicking chores for four seasons, Aponavicius completed his undergraduate degree and went on to study for an MBA in the Carroll Graduate School of Management. Today, he works for JP Morgan Chase in Southern California. “It’s been an adjustment for him not to be playing football,” notes Roberts, “but he is glued to the TV whenever BC is playing.”
Read the 2006 Chronicle story about Steve Aponavicius’ game against Virginia Tech here.