04/20/24
May 15, 2006
Doug Flutie Retires: After 22 years, Doug Flutie decided to join Gerald Phelan in the ranks of retired Patriots. The Boston Globe was clearly prepared, with a list of stories from his career, a couple of front pages from the Hail Mary upset of Miami and a photo gallery. When you're finished, you can start hitting F5 on Flutie's Wikipedia entry to see how soon it gets updated.
You can hear the press conference on the Pats' website.
posted by yerfatma at 12:15 PM on May 15, 2006
i found 'em: att comp % yds. avg. TD % i % 281 134 47.7 2109 7.51 13 4.6 14 5.0 rating 67.8
posted by ajaffe at 12:40 PM on May 15, 2006
He chose his time and left with his shield rather than on it. I'm glad that he got a second NFL career and even more so that he ended it in New England.
posted by lil_brown_bat at 12:44 PM on May 15, 2006
Always enjoyed watching the little dwarf play. Inspirational career. Two things I will always remember him for: catching two balls in the stands in Fenway on two consecutive days, and the SNL skit where Eddie Murphy as Bishop Desmond Tutu breaks the arm off his Heisman and has to weld it back on until it's just a lumpy mass of goo while the host replays the Hail Mary play eighteen times.
posted by vito90 at 12:52 PM on May 15, 2006
I will always remember the drop kick. Probably the only one I will see in my lifetime. Best of luck to him.
posted by bobrolloff at 12:59 PM on May 15, 2006
great heart, greater character, and more athletisism than he has ever been given credit for
posted by scottyooooo at 01:08 PM on May 15, 2006
Flutie was a good ballplayer,beyond his physical stature.Remember he is an ardent worker for autism which afflics one of his children.The Patriots would be smart in employing Flutie in a visable manner for the team
posted by arturo at 01:21 PM on May 15, 2006
Great role model, plalyer and community orientated man. The NFL could use as many Flutie's as it can get. What an accomplished and determined man.
posted by T$PORT4lawschool at 01:23 PM on May 15, 2006
I still say he's not big enough to make it in the NFL!!!
posted by Desert Dog at 01:23 PM on May 15, 2006
Should be considered one of the greats.
posted by Dianng at 01:26 PM on May 15, 2006
Loved watching him play in the CFL. He was a class act and a helluva player. King of the busted play. Would always find new ways to contribute - a gamer and a winner. No one did more with less. I have run out of cliches.
posted by WeedyMcSmokey at 02:17 PM on May 15, 2006
left with his shield rather than on it llb, I love that
posted by garfield at 02:20 PM on May 15, 2006
I always had the impression that his entire career was based on the "Hail Mary". As time wore on and he continued to play, I realized that there was more there than I had initially thought. Regardless, indeed he was (and is) a class act.
posted by Howard_T at 02:48 PM on May 15, 2006
This was really a smart decision. He finished his career with style- that dropkick was awesome. But anyways, I hope he gets into the NFL HOF, but I dont see it happening with his numbers. The CFL HOF is definately a lock though. Flutie is definately a classy guy- and a hell of a QB.
posted by redsoxrgay at 03:03 PM on May 15, 2006
Hey Weedy---You could never run out of cliche`s for Flutie. There are too few "true" role models in the world of sports,and he has been a great one. The poise that he showed,playing the back-up most of his career,when he was the better talent,and still being a leader in the locker room,showed class beyond the call of duty. He may be "too short",but in my eyes--He walks with the angels
posted by Tubby Fan at 03:13 PM on May 15, 2006
Flutie should play until he can't walk. He has overcome so much diversity and personal struggles. He will be remembered for his huge heart and for his ability to be a great teammate plus he holds the record for most recent drop-kick.
posted by Clevelander32 at 03:46 PM on May 15, 2006
Flutie could be a modern day George Blanda.
posted by Desert Dog at 04:31 PM on May 15, 2006
Class act. I don't remember any stories about Flutie doing drugs or getting busted with hookers. Any father could point to Flutie and say to his son "try to be like him".
posted by whitedog65 at 04:35 PM on May 15, 2006
Ditto on the class act. What a role model. Unfortunately you don't hear more about the "good" guys. What a huge heart he has and tenacity. He is/was a true leader. And the drop-kick - what a classic!!
posted by lil'red at 04:47 PM on May 15, 2006
This reminds me of the time I took my mom out to Foxwoods, and Flutie was playing BlackJack. That was funny- my mother pointed him out to me, and I couldn't believe it. He sure is short in person. lol
posted by redsoxrgay at 05:30 PM on May 15, 2006
If I could just add to the Sportsfilter tribute to Doug Flutie, I first saw him play when he threw the "Hail Mary," and I last saw him play when he did the drop kick. I can't believe 22 years passed between those two events. Flutie seems like the kind of guy who was always thinking of new ways to make plays and win games. His choice to walk away right now was timely and just another example of what a fine athelete, showman and man Flutie has always been.
posted by Joey Michaels at 05:36 PM on May 15, 2006
I actually saw his first nfl pro touchdown pass was sober at the time but I remember it was chi vs tb mike tomzak started that day but flutie played in the game and fluties first td pass was either to willie gault or walter payton someone out there help me out it really was a good game to watch but it was really wierd to think of flutie as a bear
posted by luther70 at 05:54 PM on May 15, 2006
I can not join in this love fest and I am surprised it is so one sided. Everywhere Flutie went in the NFL he divided locker rooms and brought turmoil. He was a very good back up QB, but his limitations were obvious when D lines started to play high against him. This limited their ability to sack him, but all you had to do was contain him in the pocket and his strengths (throwing on the move) were negated. If you got to gameplan against Flutie he was not hard to beat. As a surprise, he could be very effective. Hall Of Fame? Only a chowd were think so.
posted by gradioc at 06:03 PM on May 15, 2006
Only a chowd were think so. Only a chowd would forget it's the Pro Football Hall of Fame, not the NFL HoF. Please point to all the people who out "gameplanned" Flutie and remember they played against him when he was in his late 30s.
posted by yerfatma at 06:46 PM on May 15, 2006
Everywhere Flutie went in the NFL he divided locker rooms and brought turmoil. The only time I really remember hearing much of this was when Flutie was in Buffalo, battling for a starting spot with wimp-ass Rob Johnson. Johnson was such a freakin' pussy he couldn't even begin to stand up for himself around Flutie, and Flutie thought he should be starting. Well, he was right! Johnson was horrible, and the only thing he showed he could do well was take a beating. Flutie had the confidence to understand he was better, and he should have played that entire season. Unfortunately, the Bills also had spineless, aw-shucks Wade Phillips as head coach, and he was so wishy-washy, he made the situation 100 times worse. Of course, when Flutie goes to New England, Tom Brady loves the guy and is (was) the person leading the charge to try and have Flutie return because he was so valuable. Flutie would only be seen as a locker room cancer with teams that were weak and had no leadership. Those were the teams that needed his type of presence the most. I'll always admire the guy for doing a lot with a little. He was a great athlete, which allowed him to stay around pro football into his forties.
posted by dyams at 07:40 PM on May 15, 2006
Everywhere Flutie went in the NFL he divided locker rooms and brought turmoil. Well, maybe it has to do with being tormented by fellow players. Jim McMahon made reference in his autobiography that he went out of his way to verbally abuse Flutie every chance he could get. It's also possible that Flutie was angry that teams would give him a chance, he'd perform, and then they'd pull the rug out from under him at the first opportunity. A prime example would be when Flutie led the Bills into the playoffs in 1999 (11-5), but instead they go with Rob Johnson in the first round of the playoffs (and lose on the Music City Miracle play).
posted by grum@work at 07:42 PM on May 15, 2006
I lived next to Doug Flutie for 3 years...he is a great guy. He was not only a great football player, but a caring guy. I hope the best for this great guy, for his efforts on the feild, and off. I can't say enough about him. Doug fought through getting jacked of a starting position in Buffalo, and fighting autism with his son. He is truly inpirational.
posted by njell at 10:39 PM on May 15, 2006
There's a pretty good appreciation of Flutie's career by Bob Ryan in today's (16 May) Boston Globe. The link is http://www.boston.com/sports/football/patriots/articles/2006/05/16/we_were_all_lucky_to_have_caught_this_act
posted by Howard_T at 08:30 AM on May 16, 2006
A Class act. Fun to watch all the time. I wish him well in whatever he does next
posted by Rabbit504 at 08:53 AM on May 16, 2006
If you check it out before tonight, you can watch the TSN.ca top 10 Doug Flutie moments. http://www.tsn.ca/audio_video/ (go down to "Sportscentre" and choose "Top 10" and then "play this clip" when the window pops up)
posted by grum@work at 09:44 AM on May 16, 2006
Doug Flutie saved football in Buffalo. He gave the Bills an exciting product at a time when they needed it desperately. I would dispute that he was merely a backup. His style of play was so unusual that his line needed to be used to what he was doing. It often looked like he was in trouble and improvising, but in fact he practiced that stuff. If you got to the game early you could see him doing it as he warmed up-- running, then jumping and passing while he was still in the air-- all kinds of stunts like that. The Bills coaching staff was sure that Rob Johnson was the long-term answer, and forced Flutie out, a classic example of "Nobody ever got fired for buying IBM" thinking, and what we got was Homerun Throwback, and a long arid stretch that we are not through yet. I don't think it would be a stretch to say that Flutie was the last legitimate sports star we've had in Buffalo. You might argue Dominik Hasek, and maybe so, but your grandma didn't go out and buy a box of cereal with the Dominator's picture on it. Everyone in town bought at least one box of Flutie Flakes. A class act, and a terrific athlete.
posted by outside counsel at 10:46 AM on May 16, 2006
Flutie's Argonaut bio and NFL career stats, including one dropkick. I can't seem to find career stats for when Doug played for Donald Trump.