It’s Boston College 1978, a young, Kevin Cassidy and his teammates are out there running across a field in a sea of gold and maroon stripes passing a spheroid shaped football. They are playing a game of high intensity. A game they have all come to love most, Rugby!
You really don’t need to be big and burly to play, you just need a whole lot of strength and endurance to carry through 40 minute halves with no timeouts.
This same strong and persevering spirit went on and on and connected this BC band of brothers for almost 40 years. It took on a special meaning when their BC Rugby teammate, Kevin Cassidy needed them to carry him most.
Kevin graduated from Boston College in 1978, where he was an Economics major. He was also an alumnus of Fordham Law School where he was a member of the Law Review, and he was admitted to the New York and California Bar associations. Most recently, he served as General Counsel and Executive Vice President at Rafferty Holdings, LLC in New York City.
At BC, Kevin was an avid Rugby player. His love for the Heights and his BC brothers and sisters was life long.
Sadly, Kevin became ill and was diagnosed with stage IV lung cancer on December 21, 2016. From that day forward, his disease was all-consuming, not just for Kevin but also for his entire family. Kevin left a job he loved and committed himself to fighting his ultimate battle. Surgeries and complications compounded the challenges he faced in his fight and required multiple hospitalizations.
Almost 40 years later, all it took was one phone call. His BC Rugby brothers were coming! Joe Taylor (BC ’77), Jim Fox (BC ’77) Craig Gilmartin (BC ’78) and Tim Daly (BC ’78) led the charge, and Kevin’s world changed in a minute’s notice.
They came one and all, from near and far, and gathered at their beloved teammate’s hospital bedside. Coming in those same maroon and gold stripes. They brought smiles, stories, and sing-a-long’s and celebrated their brotherhood.
It didn’t stop here. They went on and followed their BC brother Kevin when he went home. They all arrived on a misty Saturday afternoon wearing new maroon and gold rugby team shirts, which read, “Cazz’s Game.” They covered the dining room table with lobster salad, raw oysters, desserts, drinks and song sheets. Along came more BC friends to visit and support Kevin, their classmate and life long friend.
They went on to entertain their brother Kevin in a rugby match in full regalia out on the front lawn of his home. They sang a great full-throated, full-hearted version of BC’s fight song “For Boston.”
The laughter and cheer that filled the Cassidy home that day was indescribable. Not only did those BC brothers lift their teammate Kevin, but they also carried his beloved wife of 25 years, Jackie, their sons, Kevin (BC ‘15), Michael (PC ’18), Brendan (BC ’19) and their beautiful fifteen-year-old daughter Colleen.
Their presence says it all. The day stands out from all the other days. Maybe it was just a breath of fresh air. Maybe it brought a newfound hope. It created a high in the Cassidy home that went on to carry Kevin and all his family through _____ .
The interconnectedness of humanity so deeply defined at Boston College and the revelation of God’s grace even under the most desperate of circumstances was felt fully in what this 40 year strong BC Rugby team brought to their brother Kevin Cassidy and his family.
Sometimes you can’t control the outcomes of events, but what a difference you can make along the way. How does one communicate this to those Rugby guys, that band of brothers who came from far and wide?
Kevin went peacefully home to God on May 10th, 2017. Father Michael Davidson from Boston College came to St. Thomas More Church in Darien, CT to co-celebrate Kevin’s Mass of Christian burial that day. In Father Michael’s words, “The best gift you can give to another person is when you are with them to be one hundred percent present.” Thank you to our BC family. We are deeply grateful to all of you for being with us and one hundred percent present to our Kevin and to all of us.
The band of Rugby angel’s came again that day to honor their lifelong BC Rugby brother and teammate, Kevin Cassidy and carry him on Home.
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