Few athletes have left a legacy like College Football Hall of Famer Harry Agganis — a Boston University legend known as the “Golden Greek,” who made his mark on both the football field and the baseball diamond.
From earning All-America honors at BU to joining the Boston Red Sox, Agganis was a true two-sport star. His story is proudly featured in our Double Play: Stars of the Gridiron and Diamond exhibit, with a statue on display thanks to his nephew, Mike Agganis.
one of the few major leaguers playing in his hometown is Harry Aanis of Boston University football fame aanis was one of the nation’s finest quarterbacks in collegiate football harry Aanis is the greatest football player in the history of Boston University following his service in the Marine Corps Aganis had a stellar 1951 season as recounted by his nephew Mike Aanis he actually should have been the Heisman Trophy winner in his sophomore year in eight games in eight games he threw 15 touchdown passes because their schedule was only eight and he inter on the defensive side he intercepted 50 which is actually a record today and we’re trying to put that in the record books as we speak known as the Golden Greek Aanis became the Terrier’s first all-American and guided them to a top 20 position in the Associated Press poll a firstround draft choice in the NFL Aanas opted to play baseball for his hometown Red Sox so Harry was one of these kids that just had this natural talent and baseball he really was a great baseball player but he p spent so much time on football his skills kind of dropped a little bit and he felt that he wanted to try baseball and he went to Louisville in the TripleA and he wins the most valuable player in in for the Louisville team and loses the most valuable player in the International League by one vote so when he goes to Louisville he hit 23 home runs drove in 108 runs batted 285 then he goes up to the Red Sox the following year and makes the big league team a serious student Aanis kept up his coursework while with the Red Sox and had a most unique double header he hit a home run runs into the locker room gets dressed puts the gown on runs up Commonwealth Avenue and he and he gets a standing ovation graduating at Boston University he hit a home run at 3:00 and at 5:00 he’s collecting his his uh diploma at Boston University and he gets a standing ovation harry Aanis passed away in 1955 at the age of 26 but his impact on Boston University football and the Boston Red Sox still endures
