Doug Flutie
| Doug Flutie | |
|---|---|
| Position(s): Quarterback |
Jersey #(s): 22, 2, 7 |
| Born: October 23 1962 | |
| Career Information | |
| Year(s): 1985-2005 | |
| NFL Draft: 1985 / Round: 11 / Pick: 285 | |
| College: Boston College | |
| Professional Teams | |
|
|
| Career Stats | |
| Stats at pro-football-reference.com | |
| TD-INT | 86-68 |
| Yards | 14715 |
| QB Rating | 76.3 |
| Career Highlights and Awards | |
|
|
| College Hall of Fame | |
Douglas Richard "Doug" Flutie (born October 23, 1962) is a retired American football and Canadian football quarterback. Flutie played college football at Boston College, and played professionally in the National Football League, Canadian Football League, and United States Football League. He first rose to prominence during his career at Boston College, where he received the prestigious Heisman Trophy in 1984. His "Hail Mary" touchdown pass in a Boston College v. Miami game on November 23, 1984 is considered among the greatest moments in college football and American sports history.[1] Selected late in the 1985 NFL Draft, Flutie instead played that year for the New Jersey Generals of the upstart United States Football League. In 1986 he signed with the NFL's Chicago Bears, and later played for the New England Patriots, becoming their starting quarterback in 1988.
Flutie signed with the BC Lions of the Canadian Football League in 1990, and in 1991, threw for a record 6,619 yards. He played
briefly with his brother Darren, a wide receiver,
before being traded to the
He returned to the NFL in 1998 with the Buffalo Bills, where he earned Pro Bowl and NFL Comeback Player of the Year honors. He played for the San Diego Chargers from 2001 to 2004, and finished his career as a member of the New England Patriots in 2005. In 2006, he was ranked #1 in a list of the top 50 CFL players. He was named to the College Football Hall of Fame and Canada's Sports Hall of Fame in 2007. He is currently a college football analyst for ABC Sports and ESPN.
Early years
Doug Flutie was born in Manchester, Maryland to Lebanese-American parents.[2] His family moved to Melbourne Beach, Florida when he was 6, where his father, Richard, worked as an engineer in the aerospace industry. After the dramatic slow-down of the space program in the mid-1970s, the Flutie family again moved in 1976 to Natick, Massachusetts. His nickname was "The Wee One". The young Flutie was exceptional at mathematics ; his mother, Joan, would take him grocery shopping and ask him to add up the prices of the items bought in his head before they got to the check-out. According to his mother, Flutie's final totals were never more than five cents off.
High school years
Flutie graduated from Natick High School, where he played for the "Redmen".[3] He was an All-League performer in football, basketball and baseball.
College years
Flutie played football for Boston College, the only Division I-A school to recruit him, from 1981 to 1984, and won the Heisman Trophy in his senior year. He was the first white player to win the Heisman since 1973, when John Cappelletti won the award. Flutie also became the first quarterback since Pat Sullivan when he won in 1971. He gained national attention in 1984 when he quarterbacked the Eagles to victory in a high-scoring, back-and-forth game against the Miami Hurricanes (led by QB Bernie Kosar). The game was nationally televised on CBS the day after Thanksgiving and thus had a huge audience. Miami staged a dramatic drive to take the lead, 45-41, in the closing minute of the game. Boston College then took possession at its own 22-yard line with 28 seconds to go. After two passes moved the ball another 30 yards, only 6 seconds remained. On the last play of the game, Flutie scrambled away from the defense and threw a Hail Mary pass that was caught in the end zone by Gerard Phelan, giving BC a 47-45 win. Although many people think that play clinched the Heisman Trophy for Flutie, the voting was already complete before that game.[4]
Flutie left school as the NCAA’s all-time passing yardage leader with 10,579 yards and was a consensus All-America as a senior. He earned Player of the Year awards from UPI, Kodak, The Sporting News and the Maxwell Football Club.
In addition to his collegiate athletic achievement, Flutie maintained a distinguished academic record at Boston College. His scholastic achievements earned him a nomination as a candidate for the prestigious Rhodes Scholarship, for which he was named a finalist in 1984. Upon graduating, Flutie won a National Football Foundation post-graduate scholarship. His number, 22, has been retired by the Boston College football program.
Flutie's 1984 Hail Mary pass, and the subsequent rise in applications for admission to Boston College, gave rise to the admissions phenomenon known as the "Flutie effect." This idea essentially states that a winning sports team can increase the recognition value of a university enough to make it a more elite school. [5]
USFL career
Flutie was signed by the USFL's New Jersey Generals in late January of 1985 by their flamboyant owner Donald Trump. Looking to improve the Generals' passing game that floundered under the guidance of former NFL MVP Brian Sipe, in 1984, Trump signed Flutie to a 3-year, $3.1 million deal. Sipe was subsequently traded to the Jacksonville Bulls just days later.
Doug Flutie started his professional career in the United States Football League (USFL) with the New Jersey Generals. Flutie completed 134 of 281 passes for 2,109 yards and 13 TD's with the Generals in 1985 in 15 games. He suffered an injury late in the season that saw him turn over the reins to Donald Trump's team to reserve QB Ron Reeves. The Generals went onto sport an 11-7 record and a 2nd place finish in the USFL's Eastern Conference.
The 1985 USFL season, however, was a highlight for Flutie as he handed off to record-breaking RB Herschel Walker. Walker went onto break pro football's all-time single season rushing mark by rolling up 2,411 yards for the Generals that season.
The USFL folded in 1986, and Flutie and punter Sean Landeta were the league's last active players.
National Football League debut
Doug Flutie crossed strike lines in the 1987 NFL strike season, and charges of being a scab dogged him thereafter. Flutie signed with the NFL's Chicago Bears in 1986, then went to the New England Patriots 1987-89.
Canadian Football League career
Although his Canadian football career lasted only eight years, Flutie is revered as one of the greatest quarterbacks ever to
play Canadian football. In 1990 he signed with the BC
Lions for a two-year contract reportedly worth $350,000 a season. At the time he was the highest paid player in the CFL.
Flutie struggled in his first season, which would be his only losing season in the CFL. Over the next seven years he would go
99-27 as a starter.[6] In his second season, he threw for a
record 6,619 yards on 466 completions. Flutie was rewarded with
a reported million-dollar salary with the
Flutie won his first Grey Cup in 1992 with the Stampeders. He was named the Grey Cup MVP.
During his last years in Calgary, Flutie's backup was Jeff Garcia, who later went on to
start for the NFL's San Francisco 49ers. Flutie won two more Grey Cups with the
His career CFL statistics include 41,355 passing yards and 270 touchdowns. He holds the professional football record of 6,619 yards passing in a single season. He still holds four of the CFL's top five highest single-season completion marks, including a record 466 in 1991. His 48 touchdown passes in 1994 remains a CFL record. He earned three Grey Cup MVP awards, and was named the CFL's Most Outstanding Player a record six times (1991-1994, and 1996-1997).
Flutie is a figure of national pride to Canadians and Canadian
Flutie's success in the National Football League coupled with the revoking of the "marquee player" exemption in the Canadian Football League's salary cap, which allowed one player to be exempt from counting against the CFL's salary cap on each team, resulted in a string of star quarterbacks leaving the CFL and going to the NFL, such as Jeff Garcia and Dave Dickenson. On November 17, 2006, Flutie was named the greatest Canadian Football League player of all time from a top 50 list of CFL players conducted by TSN.[7] In 2007 he was named to Canada's Sports Hall of Fame, the first non-Canadian to be inducted.[8]
Return to the NFL
Buffalo Bills
Doug Flutie became the Buffalo Bills' starting quarterback when the Bills started the 1998 season 1-3. In his first start as a Bill, he passed for two TDs and led a fourth-quarter comeback against the Indianapolis Colts on October 11, 1998. The following week, Flutie scored the winning touchdown against the Jacksonville Jaguars by rolling out on a naked bootleg and into the end zone on fourth-down play with 13 seconds left. The Bills' success continued with Flutie at the helm; his record as a starter that season was 8-3. The Bills were eliminated in the first round by the Dolphins, as fumbles gave Flutie his first, and only, loss against both Jimmy Johnson and Dan Marino. Flutie was selected to play in the 1998 Pro Bowl.
Flutie led the Bills to a 10-5 record in 1999 but, in a controversial decision, was replaced by Rob Johnson for the playoffs by coach Wade Phillips, who later said he had permission from Bills owner Ralph Wilson to do so. The Bills lost 22-16 to the eventual AFC Champion Tennessee Titans in a game that has become known for the Music City Miracle, where the Titans scored on the final play of the game - a kickoff return following the Bills' apparent game-clinching field goal. After the season had ended, Flutie was named the Bills' backup and only played late in games or when Johnson was injured, which was often. In fact during the season, Flutie had a 4-1 record as a starter, in comparison to Johnson's 4-7. Following the season, Bills President Tom Donahoe and head coach Greg Williams decided to keep Johnson as the starter and cut Flutie.
San Diego Chargers
In 2001 Flutie signed with the San Diego Chargers, who had gone 1-15 in 2000. After opening 3-0, the Chargers slumped and were 4-2 going into Week 7, when Flutie's Chargers met Rob Johnson's Bills. Johnson took advantage of the weak Charger defense and passed for 310 yards with 1 TD and 1 interception, and he ran for 67 yards and 1 TD. (The Chargers are the only team against which Johnson has passed for 300 yards.) But Flutie prevailed as the new ex-Bill broke a sack attempt and ran 13 yards for the game-winning touchdown. It would be the last win for the Chargers in 2001, as they dropped their last nine games to finish 5-11 and cost head coach Mike Riley his job. (Buffalo, respectively, finished 3-13 with Johnson and, later, Alex Van Pelt as starters.) Flutie was Drew Brees' backup in 2002.
In 2003, Flutie replaced a struggling Brees when the Chargers were 1-7. The 41-year-old Flutie became the oldest player to score two rushing touchdowns in a game, the first player over 40 to accomplish that feat. He also became the oldest AFC Offensive Player of the Week, winning the award for the fourth time. Flutie's record as a starter that year was 2-3. Flutie was released from the Chargers on March 13, 2005.
New England Patriots
Flutie surprised many when he signed with the New England Patriots instead of the New York Giants. He became the backup behind Tom Brady and played several times at the end of games to take a few snaps. Flutie has a 37-28 record as an NFL starter, including a 22-9 record in home games.
Referring to his time in the Canadian Football League (and, presumably, to the quarterback's relatively diminutive stature), television football commentator John Madden once said, "Inch for inch, Flutie in his prime was the best QB of his generation."
In a December 26, 2005 game against the New York Jets, Flutie was sent in late in the game. The Jets also sent in their back-up quarterback, Vinny Testaverde. This was the first time in NFL history that two quarterbacks over the age of 40 competed (Testaverde was 42, Flutie was 43). It is also worth noting that this was the final nationally televised Monday Night Football game on ABC before its move to ESPN.
In the Patriots' regular-season finale against the Miami Dolphins on January 1, 2006, Flutie successfully drop kicked a football for an extra point, something that had not been done in a regular-season NFL game since 1941. The ball went straight through the uprights for the extra point. It was Flutie's first kick attempt in the NFL. Patriots head coach and football historian Bill Belichick made comments that suggested that the play was a retirement present of sorts for his veteran quarterback, although Flutie had made no comment on whether or not 2005 would be his last season.[9]
In his final game vs the Bills at Buffalo the Pats won big. In the fourth quarter Flutie was put in. The crowd cheered louder for Flutie than they did when the Bills broke the shutout.
During the 2006 offseason, Flutie's agent, Kristen Kuliga, stated he was interested in returning to the Patriots for another season; as a result he was widely expected to return, despite his age. But on May 15, 2006, Flutie announced his decision to "hang up his helmet" at the age of 43 and retire. [10]
Near-return to the CFL
Due to injuries with the
Personal life
Doug Flutie is the older brother of the CFL's second all-time receptions
leader, Darren Flutie. Flutie is married to the former Laurie Fortier, his high school
sweetheart. They have a daughter, Alexa, and a son, Doug Jr. Their son has
The town of Natick, Massachusetts, has named a street "Flutie Pass" in his honor.
On January 29th, 2007 Flutie attended Microsoft's Vista Launch Party at a Circuit City Store in Natick, Massachusetts.
He has played in PGA tour pro ams.
Halls of Fame
On May 8, 2007, Doug Flutie was elected to Canada's Sports Hall of Fame, becoming the first non-Canadian inductee. [14]
On May 9, 2007, Doug Flutie was elected to the College Football Hall of Fame. It was his first year of eligibility. [15]
Career statistics
| Passing | Rushing | Kicking | ||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Team | League | GP | Comp | Att | Pct | Yds | TD | INT | Att | Yds | TD | XP | XP Att | FG | FG Att | FG Long | |||
| 1985 | New Jersey Generals | USFL | 15 | 134 | 281 | 47.6 | 2109 | 13 | 14 | 65 | 465 | 6 | - | - | - | - | - | |||
| 1986 | Chicago Bears | NFL | 4 | 23 | 46 | 50.0 | 361 | 3 | 2 | 9 | 36 | 1 | - | - | - | - | - | |||
| 1987 | Chicago Bears | NFL | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | - | - | - | - | - | |||
| 1987 | New England Patriots | NFL | 1 | 15 | 25 | 60.0 | 199 | 1 | 0 | 6 | 43 | 0 | - | - | - | - | - | |||
| 1988 | New England Patriots | NFL | 11 | 92 | 179 | 51.4 | 1150 | 8 | 10 | 38 | 179 | 1 | - | - | - | - | - | |||
| 1989 | New England Patriots | NFL | 5 | 36 | 91 | 39.6 | 493 | 2 | 4 | 16 | 87 | 0 | - | - | - | - | - | |||
| 1990 | British Columbia Lions | CFL | 16 | 207 | 392 | 52.8 | 2960 | 16 | 19 | 79 | 662 | 2 | - | - | - | - | - | |||
| 1991 | British Columbia Lions | CFL | 18 | 466 | 730 | 63.8 | 6619 | 38 | 24 | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | |||
| 1992 | CFL | 18 | 396 | 688 | 57.5 | 5945 | 32 | 30 | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | ||||
| 1993 | CFL | 18 | 416 | 703 | 59.1 | 6092 | 44 | 17 | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | ||||
| 1994 | CFL | 18 | 403 | 659 | 59.1 | 5726 | 48 | 19 | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | ||||
| 1995 | CFL | 11 | 223 | 332 | 67.1 | 2788 | 16 | 5 | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | ||||
| 1996 | CFL | 18 | 434 | 667 | 65.0 | 5720 | 29 | 17 | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | ||||
| 1997 | CFL | 18 | 430 | 673 | 63.9 | 5505 | 47 | 24 | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | ||||
| 1998 | Buffalo Bills | NFL | 13 | 202 | 354 | 57.1 | 2711 | 20 | 11 | 48 | 248 | 1 | - | - | - | - | - | |||
| 1999 | Buffalo Bills | NFL | 15 | 264 | 478 | 55.2 | 3171 | 19 | 16 | 88 | 467 | 1 | - | - | - | - | - | |||
| 2000 | Buffalo Bills | NFL | 11 | 132 | 231 | 57.1 | 1700 | 8 | 3 | 36 | 161 | 1 | - | - | - | - | - | |||
| 2001 | San Diego Chargers | NFL | 16 | 294 | 521 | 56.4 | 3464 | 15 | 18 | 53 | 192 | 1 | - | - | - | - | - | |||
| 2002 | San Diego Chargers | NFL | 1 | 3 | 11 | 27.3 | 64 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 6 | 0 | - | - | - | - | - | |||
| 2003 | San Diego Chargers | NFL | 7 | 91 | 167 | 54.5 | 1097 | 9 | 4 | 33 | 168 | 2 | - | - | - | - | - | |||
| 2004 | San Diego Chargers | NFL | 2 | 20 | 38 | 52.6 | 276 | 1 | 0 | 5 | 39 | 2 | - | - | - | - | - | |||
| 2005 | New England Patriots | NFL | 5 | 5 | 10 | 50.0 | 29 | 0 | 0 | 5 | -1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | - | - | - | |||
See also
- Flutie Flakes, Flutie Fruities
- Flutie effect
- NFL quarterbacks who have posted a perfect passer rating
References
- ^ http://msn.foxsports.com/olympics/story/5796002]
- ^ http://www.lgic.org/en/lebam_sports.php
- ^ http://www.nndb.com/people/894/000025819/ accessed October 5, 2007
- ^ http://www.heisman.com/handbook/notes-trivia.html
- ^ http://www.bc.edu/publications/bcm/spring_2003/ll_phenomenology.html
- ^ http://slam.canoe.ca/Slam/Columnists/Simmons/2006/08/24/1773439-sun.html
- ^ http://www.tsn.ca/cfl/news_story/?ID=184736&hubname=
- ^ TSN.ca Staff (2007-05-08). Bossy, Flutie named to Canada's SHOF. TSN. Retrieved on 2007-05-08.
- ^ http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/news/story?id=2277308
- ^ http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/news/story?id=2445409
- ^ http://tsn.ca/cfl/news_story/?ID=172072&hubname=cfl
- ^ http://www.cfl.ca/index.php?module=newser&func=display&nid=10890
- ^ http://www.scott-schultz.com/Images/DSC_7082.jpg Click here for image
- ^ http://www.cbc.ca/sports/story/2007/05/08/hof-bossy-campbell-flutie-igali-scott-walker.html
- ^ http://msn.foxsports.com/cfb/story/6762916?MSNHPHMA
External links
- Doug Flutie CFL Legends
- Doug Flutie Jr. Foundation for Autism
- Doug Flutie Official Website- includes News, Stats, Merchandise and Autographed Memorabilia
- ESPN Write-up of Flutie's Hail Mary - 100 Most Memorable Moments of the Past 25 Years
- 2004 preseason MMQ article from Sports Illustrated
- ESPN.com Flutie signs with Pats
- SI: Top 10 Scrambling Quarterbacks of the Modern Era
- More Career Stats
- Pro-Football-Reference.com - career statistics..
- USFL, CFL Stats
- The Flutie Brothers Band
- FOX Sports - Ten Best Damn unforgettable sports moments
- Video clip of Doug Flutie's Hail Mary touchdown pass with Boston College at YouTube
| Sporting positions | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by John Loughery |
Boston College Eagles
starting quarterback 1981-1984 |
Succeeded by Shawn Halloran |
| Preceded by Matt Dunigan |
BC Lions starting
quarterback 1990-1991 |
Succeeded by Danny Barrett |
| Preceded by Danny Barrett |
1992-1995 |
Succeeded by Jeff Garcia |
| Preceded by Kent Austin |
1996-1997 |
Succeeded by Kerwin Bell |
| Preceded by Todd Collins |
Buffalo Bills starting
quarterback 1998-2000 |
Succeeded by Rob Johnson |
| Preceded by Jim Harbaugh |
San Diego Chargers
starting quarterback 2001 |
Succeeded by Drew Brees |
| Awards and achievements | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Mike Rozier |
Heisman Trophy
winner 1984 |
Succeeded by Bo Jackson |
| Preceded by Steve Young |
Davey O'Brien Award
winner 1984 |
Succeeded by Chuck Long |
| Preceded by John E. Frank Beth Heiden Terrell L. Hoage Stefan G. Humphries Steve Young |
NCAA Top Five
Award Class of 1985 Gregg Carr Tracy Caulkins Doug Flutie Mark J. Traynowicz Susan E. Walsh |
Succeeded by Todays Top VI Award James A. Dombrowski Edward D. Eyestone Timothy J. Green Susan K. Harbour Kathryn L. Hayes Lauri A. Young |
| Preceded by Mike "Pinball" Clemons Mike Pringle |
CFL's Most
Outstanding Player 1991-1994 1996-1997 |
Succeeded by Mike Pringle Mike Pringle |
| Preceded by Raghib Ismail Tracy Ham |
Grey Cup
MVP 1992 1996-1997 |
Succeeded by Damon Allen Jeff Garcia |
| Preceded by Robert Brooks |
NFL Comeback Player of the Year 1998 |
Succeeded by Bryant Young |
| Heisman Trophy Winners |
|---|
| 1935: Berwanger | 1936: Kelley |
1937: Frank | 1938: O'Brien |
1939: Kinnick | 1940: Harmon |
1941: B. Smith | 1942: Sinkwich | 1943: Bertelli |
1944: Horvath | 1945: Blanchard | 1946: G. Davis |
1947: Lujack | 1948: D.
Walker | 1949: Hart | 1950: Janowicz | 1951: Kazmaier |
1952: Vessels | 1953: Lattner | 1954: Ameche |
1955: |
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