The sons of former NFL linemen, Norwell’s Ozzy Trapilo and Drew Kendall are writing their own success stories at BC

When Ozzy Trapilo and Drew Kendall showed up to youth sporting events in Norwell, parents and coaches marveled at their size.

“The Kendalls and I had to carry around birth certificates to prove that our kids were the age that they were,” Ozzy’s mother Kim said.

New friends Trapilo and Kendall found it refreshing to either compete against someone with their own build or wreak havoc on the same team in sixth grade. They quickly realized they had much more in common than met the eye.

They both loved football, but they also gravitated toward basketball and baseball, and played on town all-star teams together. Both overpowered their opponents physically, yet were also graceful and light on their feet.

Their fathers, Pete Kendall (BC ‘95) and the late Steve Trapilo (BC ‘86), grew up in Massachusetts, blossomed into Hall of Fame offensive linemen at Boston College, and carved out successful careers in the NFL.

Their sons went their separate ways in high school — Drew at Noble and Greenough and Ozzy at BC High — but when Drew was strongly considering his father’s alma mater, Ozzy called and spoke to him as a friend. Now, they’re following in their fathers’ footsteps, anchoring one of the best offensive lines in the nation and on the verge of making the NFL themselves.

“Both of us have legacies,” Ozzy said. “It’s something that goes unsaid. We don’t necessarily bring it to light all the time, but it’s definitely in the back of both of our heads.”

As the Eagles (1-0) host FCS Duquesne (0-1) at 3:30 p.m. Saturday, they’ll continue to lean on the 6-foot-4, 299-pound redshirt junior center Kendall and 6-foot-8, 309-pound graduate student right tackle Trapilo.

Boston College’s offensive line dominated in a 28-13 triumph at No. 10 Florida State on Monday. The Eagles racked up 263 rushing yards and took the Seminoles’ defensive line out of the game, with their captains at the crux of the operation.

“They’re two guys whose dads played at BC, were great players here,” head coach Bill O’Brien said. “They take a lot of pride in wearing that uniform. They take a lot of pride in representing Boston College. It’s just great to coach those guys. They show up to work every day. They’re lunch-pail-type guys. They’re BC-type guys.”

Despite their backgrounds, both started tackle football relatively late. Kim saw the toll the sport took on her late husband, who died of a heart attack 20 years ago, and feared the worst as a single mother. She worried her son would hurt someone.

Steve, a second-team All-American his senior season, played five years with the New Orleans Saints and briefly joined the Patriots’ practice squad in 1993. Ozzy was 2 when Steve died, but inherited his combination of size and smarts and begged his mother to let him play.

The Kendalls, meanwhile, spent time going to Pete’s games with Washington, where current BC offensive line coach Matt Applebaum was on the staff. Drew still fondly recalls the pregame Wegmans runs, tailgating in the family parking lot, and waving to his dad from the sidelines.

Drew also begged his parents to let him play, but Pete insisted his son wait until he retired so he could coach. Pete, a first-round pick in 1996, relished the opportunity to guide his son.

“I’ve really tried to listen to him my whole youth career and in high school,” Drew said. “That’s a big part of where I am today.”

Pete, now 51, also coached Ozzy, making sure to mold him in a way that would make Steve — who died in 2004 at age 39 — proud. Ozzy often meets his father’s former BC teammates and shares stories with Kim to keep his spirit alive.

“I didn’t want him to have to walk in his father’s path,” Kim said. “It was something that he chose. He wanted to be there.”

When Ozzy enters the Yawkey Athletic Center, takes the elevator to the second floor, and approaches the offensive line room, he reads the sign on the door with pride: “In memory of Stephen P. Trapilo ‘86. Offensive Lineman.”

“He set the bar pretty high, but for all the better,” Trapilo said. “I’m working as hard as I can to make him proud.”

Both Kendall and Trapilo were top-five recruits in Massachusetts. They’ve both heard stories of the glory days and have vowed to put the program back on the map.

As they do, they continue to lean on each other — on someone who’s known them from the start, understands the pressure, and gets them to their core as a fellow Norwell kid.

“It’s peace of mind,” Kim Trapilo said. “I’m not sure how much they talk out loud about it, but I think they’re each other’s biggest advocate. Whether it’s on the field or off, they’re there for each other.”