Doug Flutie Retires

[VaderFin]

As a Canes and Dolphins fan I only have one thing to say....Good riddance!!

FOXBOROUGH, Mass. (AP) -- Doug Flutie retired Monday, ending a 21-year career in which the undersized Heisman Trophy winner threw one of college football's most famous passes and went on to play a dozen seasons in the NFL.

The decision by the 43-year-old Flutie was announced by the New England Patriots, for whom he played five games last season.

Flutie spent 12 seasons in the NFL and also played in the USFL and the Canadian Football League. He won the CFL's Most Outstanding Player award six times and the league's Grey Cup championship three times.

Flutie finishes with 14,715 passing yards and 86 touchdowns in the NFL, spending most of his time as a backup. Last season, he attempted just 10 passes and converted the league's first drop kick for an extra point since the 1941 NFL title game.

"If that ends up being my last play, it wouldn't be bad," Flutie said after the game, a mostly meaningless regular season-ending loss to the Miami Dolphins.

Flutie said this month he had spoken to many teams, as well as to networks about broadcasting.

"I still have that passion but you've got to make that decision if you can stay healthy through the year," he said at an appearance at a Boston high school, where he demonstrated drop kicks.

A resident of nearby Natick, Flutie won the 1984 Heisman Trophy at Boston College after connecting with Gerard Phelan on a desperation 48-yard touchdown pass to beat Miami as time expired. His signature play, it remains one of the most memorable in the sport.

Flutie left BC as the school's passing leader with 10,579 yards, and he remains a hero on campus; his Heisman is the centerpiece of the school's new Hall of Fame. He was drafted by the Los Angeles Rams in the 11th round in 1985 but chose to play for the USFL's New Jersey Generals, owned by Donald Trump.

When that league failed, he joined the NFL, but his freewheeling style and short stature -- the Patriots generously listed him at 5-foot-10 -- were a poor fit for its conservative schemes. He played five games for Chicago the next two seasons and 17 for New England from 1987-89.

Only in the CFL, with its wide-open game, did he truly find success, throwing for 41,355 yards and 270 touchdowns in eight seasons with British Columbia, Calgary and Toronto.

He joined Buffalo in 1998 and played more regularly -- 39 games over three years. He started all 16 games for San Diego in 2001 then spent the next three years as backup to Drew Brees.

Last April, he signed with the hometown Patriots for a second time and played sparingly, making his biggest splash on special teams with his drop kick.

"I think Doug deserves it," Patriots coach Bill Belichick said, sensing that the play would be Flutie's football finale. "He is a guy that adds a lot to this game of football, has added a lot through his great career -- running, passing and now kicking."

Copyright 2006 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2006/f ... index.html

[J2thez929]

Awww no more Flutie flakes! Booooooooooo

[Sixxgunn]

A resident of nearby Natick, Flutie won the 1984 Heisman Trophy at Boston College after connecting with Gerard Phelan on a desperation 48-yard touchdown pass to beat Miami as time expired. His signature play, it remains one of the most memorable in the sport.

He can go get Twinkies with Peter Griffin!

[SniperShot]

I always liked Flutie.

Thanks for the memories and hope you have fun broadcasting!

[mysticphysh]

I'll miss the little munchkin!

[Dr. Duran Duran]

Always gave the little guy hope when it came to sports and being successful at them. He was a tremendous talent at virtually every level of professional play; USFL, NFL and CFL. He'll be missed greatly. I can't help but wonder if all of those Grey Cups will merit him entry to the Pro Football Hall of Fame. After all, it is the Pro Football Hall of Fame. Last I checked, CFL was pro.

[Verdun Barbarians]

Always gave the little guy hope when it came to sports and being successful at them. He was a tremendous talent at virtually every level of professional play; USFL, NFL and CFL. He'll be missed greatly. I can't help but wonder if all of those Grey Cups will merit him entry to the Pro Football Hall of Fame. After all, it is the Pro Football Hall of Fame. Last I checked, CFL was pro.

Five consecutive Grey Cups did seem to help Warren Moon get in, so it could weigh on Flutie's side of the balance.

The guy was a winner and was fun to watch. It was good to see his passion for the game in this era of divas crying about bieng treated "unfairly"...

And as for the CFL being "pro", we'll see in a couple of weeks as the Whizzinator and Ricky stuggle with the canadian game

[no1cowboysfan]

Whatever his accolades will be, I'll miss the intensity this guy brought to the field. He definitely gave everything he had every play, making him one of the most exciting players to watch in my history as a fan.

Thanks for the good times, Flutie.

[thatohiosportsfan]

never will i remember another QB for jumping and throwing across his body more than Flutie...gonna miss you bud...

[PACKman1144]

Always a favorite of mine. I wish him the best, I know he'll be missed