Doug Flutie Statue

Designed by sculptor Harry Weber, this statue commemorates former Boston College Eagles star quarterback Doug Flutie (1962-) and one of the most memorable moments in college football history. As time expired in regulation, Flutie threw a forty-eight-yard “Hail Mary” pass for a touchdown to defeat the Miami Hurricanes on November 23, 1984. Finishing his senior season that year with 3,454 passing yards and twenty-seven touchdowns, he won several awards, including the program’s first Heisman Trophy. After, Flutie went on to experience a professional football career that spanned twenty-one seasons and three different leagues, the United States Football League (USFL), the Canadian Football League (CFL), and the National Football League (NFL). On November 7, 2008, Boston College unveiled a statue of Flutie in front of Gate D of Alumni Stadium. Commissioned by the Boston College Athletics Department, the six-foot-tall bronze sculpture depicts the former Boston College quarterback leaning back, about to launch his dramatic, game-winning touchdown pass against Miami in 1984. Persons of note in attendance at the dedication ceremony included Flutie, his family, former Boston College football coach Jack Bicknell, members of the 1984 squad, and the entire 2008 Boston College football team.

Douglas Richard Flutie was born into a large, middleclass family on October 23, 1962 in the small town of Manchester, Maryland, just south of the Pennsylvania border. While still a child, he and his family moved to Florida, where his father worked as an engineer in the space industry. Several years later, the family relocated to Natick, Massachusetts, a suburb west of Boston. Flutie attended Natick High School, where he excelled in athletics, earning letters in baseball, basketball, and football.

Despite his stellar high school athletic career, Flutie received very few scholarship offers to play football collegiately, due in large part to his height (5’10”). Most programs believed him to be too short to play quarterback, the position he wanted to play at the next level. His only Division I-A (now Division I FBS) offer came from nearby Boston College, which he accepted. During his freshman season in 1981, despite being at the bottom of the depth chart at the position when he entered the program, Flutie became the Eagles starting quarterback. The following year, he led the team to a regular record of 8-2-1 and an appearance in the Tangerine Bowl, the program’s first postseason contest in four decades. After an equally successful junior year, the quarterback entered into Boston College and college football lore during his senior campaign. As time expired in regulation, Flutie threw a forty-eight-yard “Hail Mary” pass for a touchdown to defeat the Miami Hurricanes on November 23, 1984. Finishing his senior season with 3,454 passing yards and twenty-seven touchdowns, he won several awards, including the program’s first Heisman Trophy. 

In February 1985, believing his NFL prospects to be dim, Flutie signed with the New Jersey Generals of the United States Football League (USFL). A few months later, the Los Angeles Rams selected him in the Eleventh Round of the NFL Draft. Following his first season with the Generals, the USFL folded, leaving Flutie to look elsewhere to continue his professional football career. When the Rams traded his NFL rights to the Chicago Bears in October 1986, the young quarterback headed west to join the team. Almost exactly a year later, the Bears traded Flutie to the New England Patriots. Following the 1989 season, however, the Patriots released him. 

With his NFL career seemingly in the rear-view mirror, Flutie signed with the British Columbia Lions of the Canadian Football League (CFL) in 1990. Playing on a wider field and in a more passing-inclined league, he shined north of the border. In the eight seasons in the CFL, Flutie threw for over 40,000 yards and 270 touchdowns, and won the league’s most valuable player award an unprecedented six times. Moreover, he led two of the three teams he played for (the Calgary Stampeders and the Toronto Argonauts) to Grey Cup victories. 

Prior to the 1998 season, Flutie returned to the NFL, signing with the Buffalo Bills. He began the year as the team’s backup quarterback, but a rib injury to Rob Johnson thrust him into the starting role. In the ten games that he started that season, Flutie threw for 2,711 yards and twenty touchdowns, leading the team to a 7-3 record and a postseason berth. For his performance that year, he earned a selection to the Pro Bowl. Flutie once again piloted the Bills to a playoff berth the following season, but a healthy Johnson ousted him from the starting role for the playoffs. During the 2000 season, he continued to serve as Johnson’s backup. The next year, Flutie signed with the San Diego Chargers. After posting a 5-11 record as the starter, he was benched. In 2005, Flutie signed again with the Patriots. His stay in Foxborough, however, proved short. He retired from football the following year. 

On November 7, 2008, Boston College unveiled a statue of Flutie in front of Gate D of Alumni Stadium. Commissioned by the Boston College Athletics Department and designed by artist Harry Weber, the six-foot-tall bronze sculpture depicts the former Boston College quarterback leaning back, about to launch his dramatic, game-winning touchdown pass against Miami in 1984. Persons of note in attendance at the dedication ceremony included Flutie, his family, former Boston College football coach Jack Bicknell, members of the 1984 squad, and the entire 2008 Boston College football team. 

"Doug Flutie." Encyclopædia Britannica. Web. 15 June 2021 <https://www.britannica.com/biography/Doug-Flutie>.

"Flutie Honored With Bronze Statue." bceagles.com. 7 November 2008. Web. 15 June 2021 <https://bceagles.com/news/2008/11/7/Flutie_Honored_With_Bronze_Statue>.

Grasso, John. Historical Dictionary of Football. Lanham, MD: Scarecrow Press, Inc., 2013.