| Biographical details | |
|---|---|
| Born | February 20, 1938 North Plainfield, New Jersey, U.S. |
| Playing career | |
| 1959 | Montclair State |
| Position(s) | Quarterback |
| Coaching career (HC unless noted) | |
| 196?–1967 | Governor Livingston HS (NJ) |
| 1968–1975 | Boston College (backfield) |
| 1976–1980 | Maine |
| 1981–1990 | Boston College |
| 1991–2003 | Barcelona Dragons |
| 2004 | Scottish Claymores |
| 2005–2007 | Hamburg Sea Devils |
| Head coaching record | |
| Overall | 77–90–2 (college) 71–74–1 (WLAF/NFL Europe) 28–6–2 (high school) |
Jack Bicknell (born February 20, 1938) is a retired American football coach, most recently known for his long involvement in NFL Europa and its predecessor, the World League of American Football (WLAF). He served as the head football coach at the University of Maine from 1976 to 1980 and at Boston College from 1981 to 1988, compiling a career college football record of 77–90–2. In 1984, Bicknell coached his Boston College Eagles team to a 10–2 mark including a victory in the Cotton Bowl Classic. His quarterback that season, Doug Flutie, was awarded the Heisman Trophy.
A native of North Plainfield, New Jersey, Bicknell played quarterback at North Plainfield High School, graduating in 1955 and earning a scholarship to attend Rutgers University.[1][2]
Bicknell was the head football coach at the University of Maine from 1976 to 1980, earning an 18–35–1 record. After that, he went to coach at Boston College, where he stayed for ten years. At Boston College, he was 59–55–1, and was head coach in 1984 when Heisman Trophy-winner Doug Flutie completed his famous Hail Flutie pass to Gerard Phelan to beat the Miami Hurricanes as time expired. Bicknell's son, Jack Jr., was the center for BC at the time of Flutie's miracle pass.
Bicknell was named the head coach of the Barcelona Dragons at their inception in 1991, and served there until October 2003, when he was named head coach of the Scottish Claymores. He has an overall record of 59–55 in his NFL Europe career. Bicknell made four World Bowl appearances, and had been to three title games in six years. In 1991, he led the Barcelona Dragons to an 8–2 mark and a berth in the first World Bowl. In 1997, his Dragons won the first half of the season and went on to win World Bowl '97 in Barcelona. In 1999, the Dragons posted a league-best 7–3 mark before losing to Frankfurt in the World Bowl. His team posted a league-best 8–2 record in 2001 before losing World Bowl IX to the Berlin Thunder in Amsterdam. On March 28, 2007, Bicknell stepped down as head coach of the Hamburg Sea Devils, citing health issues as the reason for his resignation.
Bicknell is nicknamed "Cowboy Jack" because of his love for country music and horse riding. He and his wife, Lois, have three children, Jack, Jr., Wendy and Bob and five grandchildren. Both of his sons played for him at Boston College and are currently football coaches, Bob with the New England Patriots and Jack, Jr. with the Wisconsin Badgers
| Year | Team | Overall | Conference | Standing | Bowl/playoffs | Coaches# | AP° | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Maine Black Bears (Yankee Conference) (1976–1980) | |||||||||
| 1976 | Maine | 6–5 | 2–3 | T–3rd | |||||
| 1977 | Maine | 3–7 | 1–4 | T–3rd | |||||
| 1978 | Maine | 3–7–1 | 0–4–1 | 6th | |||||
| 1979 | Maine | 2–9 | 0–5 | 6th | |||||
| 1980 | Maine | 4–7 | 1–4 | 5th | |||||
| Maine: | 18–35–1 | 4–20–1 | |||||||
| Boston College Eagles (NCAA Division I-A independent) (1981–1990) | |||||||||
| 1981 | Boston College | 5–6 | |||||||
| 1982 | Boston College | 8–3–1 | L Tangerine | ||||||
| 1983 | Boston College | 9–3 | L Liberty | 20 | 19 | ||||
| 1984 | Boston College | 10–2 | W Cotton | 4 | 5 | ||||
| 1985 | Boston College | 4–8 | |||||||
| 1986 | Boston College | 9–3 | W Hall of Fame | 18 | 19 | ||||
| 1987 | Boston College | 5–6 | |||||||
| 1988 | Boston College | 3–8 | |||||||
| 1989 | Boston College | 2–9 | |||||||
| 1990 | Boston College | 4–7 | |||||||
| Boston College: | 59–55–1 | ||||||||
| Total: | 77–90–2 | ||||||||
| Year | Team | Overall | Conference | Standing | Bowl/playoffs | Coaches# | AP° | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Barcelona Dragons (WLAF) (1991–1992) | |||||||||
| 1991 | Barcelona Dragons | 8–2 | 2nd European | L 0–21 World Bowl I | |||||
| 1992 | Barcelona Dragons | 5–5 | 1st European | L 15–17 WLAF Playoffs | |||||
| Barcelona Dragons (NFL Europe) (1995–2003) | |||||||||
| 1995 | Barcelona Dragons | 5–5 | 3rd | ||||||
| 1996 | Barcelona Dragons | 5–5 | 4th | ||||||
| 1997 | Barcelona Dragons | 5–5 | 4th | W 38–24 World Bowl V | |||||
| 1998 | Barcelona Dragons | 4–6 | 4th | ||||||
| 1999 | Barcelona Dragons | 7–3 | 1st | L 24–38 World Bowl VII | |||||
| 2000 | Barcelona Dragons | 5–5 | 3rd | ||||||
| 2001 | Barcelona Dragons | 8–2 | 1st | L 24–17 World Bowl IX | |||||
| 2002 | FC Barcelona Dragons | 2–8 | 6th | ||||||
| 2003 | FC Barcelona Dragons | 5–5 | 4th | ||||||
| Barcelona Dragons: | 61–55 | ||||||||
| Scottish Claymores (NFL Europe) (2004) | |||||||||
| 2004 | Scottish Claymores | 2–8 | 6th | ||||||
| Scottish Claymores: | 2–8 | ||||||||
| Hamburg Sea Devils (NFL Europe) (2005–2006) | |||||||||
| 2005 | Hamburg Sea Devils | 5–5 | 4th | ||||||
| 2006 | Hamburg Sea Devils | 3–6–1 | 5th | ||||||
| Hamburg Sea Devils: | 8–11–1 | ||||||||
| Total: | 71–74–1 | ||||||||