BC HC Bill O'Brien joins, challenges Belichick to UNC vs. BC at Gillette, talks personal experience with cancer and the Jimmy Fund

·21 min·2 clips

Boston College coach Bill O'Brien joins the Jimmy Fund telethon at Fenway Park to discuss football and his personal cancer connection.

The episode opens at Fenway Park for the 23rd annual WEEI/NESN Jimmy Fund Radio-Telethon, hosted by Greg Hill. Boston College head coach Bill O'Brien joins as a guest, reflecting on his past involvement with the event. O'Brien discusses football matters, including aiming for 60,000 fans at Boston College's season opener, naming Dylan as starting quarterback over Grayson, and strategies to replace defensive player Donovan's 17 sacks. He jokes about a play design from a producer and grades Tom Brady's statue, noting it's an honor but avoiding a specific score. O'Brien mentions seeing Brady in a Raiders jacket and comments on Josh McDaniels' role with the Patriots, emphasizing that building a team takes time. He proposes a North Carolina vs. Boston College game at Gillette Stadium, challenging Bill Belichick, and discusses Belichick's first season at North Carolina. O'Brien reveals his personal tie to the Jimmy Fund, sharing that his 91-year-old mother had breast cancer twice and was treated at Dana-Farber. After O'Brien's segment, the show transitions to Dana-Farber staff Dr. Janine Runquist and nurse Jolene Belmore, who describe a new simulation center opened in May 2024. The center uses high-tech mannequins that breathe and blink to train nurses and other medical professionals in a safe environment. Belmore compares the training to learning to parallel park, highlighting its value for new graduates handling oncology emergencies. Runquist notes positive feedback from staff and improved emergency response training. The hosts update listeners on the telethon's progress, announcing $71,628 in donations and promoting ways to contribute. They tease upcoming guest Sam Kennedy, president of the Boston Red Sox, and provide sports news highlights, including Patriots preseason games and Red Sox results. The episode includes multiple advertisements for products like Noom, Deep Waters podcast, Valvoline, and Shopify, interspersed throughout the telethon segments.

As heard by us

A Gillette football idea turns into a grounded coach's view of process, execution, and program-building.

A football invitation gives the episode its first spark as Bill O'Brien says he would like North Carolina and Boston College to meet at Gillette, with Belichick on the North Carolina side.

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Why you'd press play

You get Bill O'Brien turning a Media Day photo with Belichick into a Gillette dream, then steering the room back to process before wins.

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