Flutie joins Argo greats 20 years after magical Cup double
Doug Flutie won two Grey Cups in Toronto, and 20 years after his last season here the hall of fame quarterback is set to collect one more Argonauts honour. Monday afternoon, the team announced it would enshrine Flutie as an all-time Argonaut, making the Boston College grad the 24th player to receive the accolade.
The team will hold an induction ceremony during next Monday’s home game against the Ottawa Redblacks, and will host a conference call with Flutie Tuesday morning to discuss the honour.
Flutie gained fame as a standout quarterback at Boston College in the early 1980s, completing a now-legendary Hail Mary pass to lead his team to a 47-45 win over Miami in November of 1984, and winning the Heisman Trophy the following month.
But his pro career suffered several false starts, first with the New Jersey Generals of the short-lived USFL and then with the NFL’s Chicago Bears before moving to the New England Patriots. After four sea- sons as an NFL backup, Flutie jumped to the CFL, where he matched his skill set with the league’s wide-open style of play and watched his career blossom.
Over eight CFL campaigns, Flutie passed for 41,355 yards, which still ranks ninth on the league’s all-time list. His 306.3 passing yards per game remain a league record, while he authored five of the top 10 single-season passing totals in CFL history.
Flutie’s two seasons in Toronto both ended with the Argos winning the Grey Cup and with the quarterback named the CFL’s top player. In 1996, he set club records for completions (434) and passing yards (5,720) in a single season. The following year, his 47 passing touchdowns established another franchise mark.
After winning his second title with the Argos in1997, Flutie returned to the NFL, where he played parts of eight more seasons and retired in 2005 at age 43.
His name and number will be added to a banner that hangs over the south end zone at BMO Field at Monday’s game — Flutie bobblehead night, where $19.97 will buy two tickets.