Doug Flutie

Douglas Richard Flutie was born on Oct. 23, 1962 in Manchester, Maryland. Growing up in attending Natick High School is Massachusetts, the young Flutie was a standout athlete, and was recognized for his abilities in football, basketball and baseball. Football, however, became Doug Flutie's primary passion, and he had a standout 21-year career in professional football. A passion and talent for football is shared by Flutie's only sibling, Darren Flutie, who had an outstanding professional career in the Canadian Football League. The Flutie's also share a passion for music. Doug Flutie has been a guest drummer for illustrious band such as Aerosmith, Bon Jovi, and Lynrd Skynyrd, and the brothers formed the band "The Flutie Brothers]]. Doug and his wife, Laurie, have two children, Alexa and Doug.http://www.patriots.com/alumni/index.cfm?ac=alumnibiosdetail&bio=11532&cp

Doug Flutie was recruited to play football for Boston College. As a true freshman, Flutie earned the starting quarterback role, and started every game for four years with BC. He had an incredible college career, leading Boston College to the 1982 Tangerine Bowl, the 1983 Liberty Bowl and the 1985 Cotton Bowl championship.http://bceagles.cstv.com/genrel/flutie_doug00.html Doug Flutie was not only an outstanding athlete, he was also an accomplished academic. He was a candidate for the Rhodes Scholarship in his senior year, and graduated BC with degrees in computer science and speech communications. However, it was football that truly made Doug Flutie a national name. He holds the NCAA record for all-time passing yardage with 10, 579 yards. In his senior year, he earned Player of the Year awards from The Sporting News and the Maxwell Football Club, the Davey O'Brien National Quarterback Award, and the 1984 Heisman Trophy. Doug Flutie was elected to the National Football Foundation's College Football Hall of Fame in 2007. Boston College retired the number 22 and erected a statue in honour of Doug Flutie in 2008.

Despite all his accomplishments, Doug Flutie is probably best known for his Hail Mary pass in the final seconds to lead Boston College to a 47-45 victory. Trailing by 4, on their own 22-yard line, with 28 seconds to go, Flutie took the Eagles 30 yards in two plays, then, with six seconds left, he heaved a 48-yard pass to Gerard Phelan in the endzone.

Despite his gaudy college numbers, Doug Flutie was overlooked by the NFL due to his small size. Doug Flutie's pro career includes time in the NFL (1986-89, 1998-2005), the USFL (1985) and the CFL (1990-97).

It all started when he was drafted by the New Jersey Generals of the USFL in the 1985 territorial draft, he was subsequently drafted in the 11th round by the then Los Angeles Rams of the 1985 NFL draft. Flutie's first tour of the NFL saw him traded from the Rams to the Chicago Bears, and then from the Bears to the New England Patriots. Despite starting a few games, and winning, Flutie was cut at the end of the 1989 season.

Not finding much luck in the NFL, Doug Flutie signed with the BC Lions of the CFL. In eight season in Canada, he was named the league's most outstanding player a league-record six times, and led his teams to three Grey Cup championships and was named Grey Cup MVP following all three victories. In 1991, he set the CFL passing records with 6,619 passing yards and 466 completions.

The 1998 season saw Flutie back in the NFL. He signed with the Buffalo Bills, and was the starting quarterback after five games. He led the Bills to a 7-3 record as their starter, earning a Wild Card playoff game. He earned a Pro Bowl selection (his first) and was named NFL Comeback Player of Year by both the Associated Press and Pro Football Weekly. Flutie would spend 3 years in Buffalo, and, despite winning frequently, was always seen as the backup to Rob Johnson. After his time in Buffalo, Flutie spent four years with the San Diego Chargers. He started his first full season in 2001, his first year with the Chargers, and finished with the seventh highest passing yardage totals in Chargers history. Unfortunately, 2002 saw him return to his role as backup, and Drew Brees became the starter.

After three more years in San Diego, Doug Flutie finished his career playing backup with the New England Patriots. He didn't see the field much in his final year, but the final play of his career saw him successfully kick a drop-kick extra point, the first in the NFL since 1941. http://www.patriots.com/alumni/index.cfm?ac=alumnibiosdetail&bio=11532

• 1984: Famous "Hail Flutie" throw against University of Miami
• 1984: Winner of the Heisman Trophy
• 1988: Received the Patriots' "Unsung Hero" award
• October 2, 1988: AFC Offensive Player of the Week
• 1991: League's Most Outstanding Player
• 1992: First Grey Cup win
• 1992-1994, 1996-1997: CFL Most Outstanding Player
• 1998: Pro Bowl Selection, NFL Comeback Player of Year
• 2003: Chargers' Emil Karas Award as co-Most Inspirational Player