Whether it’s because of the Hail Mary, the drop-kick conversion, the 10-10-220 commercials, the Flutie Flakes or just the mullet, I’ll never forget Doug Flutie.
On Monday, he announced his retirement from professional football.
Not that he’s going to let me forget him. Flutie will try his luck in the booth next season as an analyst for ABC and ESPN.
Although I often chuckled at his 5-foot-9 frame and monotonous post-game interviews, I find this “Little Big Man,” as labeled by Sports Illustrated, worthy of a spot in the Hall of Fame.
Sure, his numbers in the NFL aren’t amazing.
His 12-year NFL career saw him under center in Chicago, Buffalo, San Diego and New England as mainly a reserve. He managed 86 touchdowns and just fewer than 14,800 passing yards.
As every football analyst worth his or her weight in useless anecdotes has already told you, Flutie had an extraordinary career in the Canadian Football League, which is a professional league, albeit the NFL’s non-alcoholic or low-carb option.
It was there that he threw for 41,355 yards in eight seasons playing for Calgary, Toronto and Columbia. He also threw 270 touchdown passes.
Remember, the CFL is technically a professional league. This means that these career numbers, plus his three Grey Cup titles are fair game for Flutie when he’s up for the Hall of Fame.
Flutie also played in the short-lived U.S. Football League, making him an Arena Football League career short of hitting for the North American pro-football cycle.
I know that a college résumé means nothing toward the Pro Football Hall of Fame, but take a glance at Flutie’s anyway to better understand what he meant to the sport.
He was a quarterback with a tailback’s number at Boston College. Even with pads on, he looked small for a college football player much less a rugby fly-half.
Flutie’s heart and desire to win gave him the upper hand in the sport. His drive helped him win the 1984 Heisman Trophy by almost 1,000 voting points and orchestrate his signature pass, the Hail Mary.
In case you weren’t around for it or happened to miss its bajillion replays, it was the final play of Boston College’s last win over quarterback Bernie Kosar and Miami, a 47-45 triumph capped by Flutie’s miraculous 48-yard touchdown pass to his college roommate, Gerard Phelan.
Every time I see it I cry. Inside.
Flutie has all of the components necessary for a Hall of Fame induction. He’s got the numbers, he’s ditched the mullet and has legendary prowess.
I agree with ESPN’s Mark Kreidler. There’s no reason why Flutie should not have a bronzed bust in Canton. If not for his heart then at least for his numbers.