Doug Flutie Douglas Richard Flutie ( born October 23 , 1962 ) is a former American and Canadian football quarterback . Flutie played college football at Boston College , and played professionally in the National Football League , Canadian Football League , and United States Football League . He first rose to prominence during his career at Boston College , where he received the prestigious Heisman Trophy and the Davey O ' Brien National Quarterback Award in 1984 . His " Hail Mary " touchdown pass in a game against Miami on November 23 , 1984 ( dubbed " Hail Flutie " ) is considered among the greatest moments in college football and American sports history . Flutie was selected as the 285th pick in the 11th round of the 1985 NFL Draft by the Los Angeles Rams , making him the lowest drafted Heisman Award winner among those who were drafted ( Charlie Ward was never drafted his Heisman winning year by the NFL , he was however drafted by the New York Knicks with the 26th pick in the 1994 draft ) . Flutie played that year for the New Jersey Generals of the upstart United States Football League . In 1986 he signed with the NFL ' s Chicago Bears , and later played for the New England Patriots , becoming their starting quarterback in 1988 . Flutie signed with the BC Lions of the Canadian Football League in 1990 , and in 1991 , threw for a record 6 , 619 yards . He played briefly with his brother Darren , a wide receiver , before being traded to the Calgary Stampeders , whom he led to victory in the 1992 Grey Cup . In 1994 , he threw a record 48 touchdown passes . Flutie played for the Stampeders until 1996 , when he signed with the Toronto Argonauts , leading them to back - to - back Grey Cup victories in 1996 and 1997 . Flutie was named the CFL ' s Most Outstanding Player a record six times , and was named the MVP in all three of his Grey Cup victories . He returned to the NFL in 1998 with the Buffalo Bills , where he earned Pro Bowl and NFL Comeback Player of the Year honors . He played for the San Diego Chargers from 2001 to 2004 , and finished his career as a member of the New England Patriots in 2005 . In 2006 , he was ranked # 1 in a list of the top 50 CFL players . He was named to the College Football Hall of Fame and Canada ' s Sports Hall of Fame in 2007 . He is a former college football analyst for ABC and ESPN . In 2009 , he joined Versus as a broadcaster for the United Football League . He is currently ( 2011 – 2012 ) a college football analyst for NBC Sports . Early years . Flutie was born in Baltimore , Maryland to Dick and Joan Flutie . His grandfather was the son of a Lebanese immigrant . His family moved to Melbourne Beach , Florida when he was 6 , where his father , Richard , worked as an engineer in the aerospace industry . While there Doug Flutie led Hoover Middle School ' s football team to two Brevard County Championships . After the dramatic slow - down of the space program in the mid - 1970s , the Flutie family again moved in 1976 to Natick , Massachusetts . High school years . Flutie graduated from Natick High School , where he played for the " Redmen " . He was an All - League performer in football , basketball , and baseball . College years . Flutie played football for Boston College , the only Division I - A school to recruit him , from 1981 to 1984 , and won the Heisman Trophy , Maxwell Award , and the Davey O ' Brien National Quarterback Award in his senior year ( 1984 ) . Flutie became the first quarterback to win the Heisman since Pat Sullivan in 1971 . Flutie left school as the NCAA ’ s all - time passing yardage leader with 10 , 579 yards and was a consensus All - American as a senior . He earned Player of the Year awards from UPI , Kodak , The Sporting News , and the Maxwell Football Club . The quarterback coach for Boston College from 1981 - 1983 was Tom Coughlin . Flutie gained national attention in 1984 when he led the Eagles to victory in a high - scoring , back - and - forth game against the Miami Hurricanes ( led by QB Bernie Kosar ) . The game was nationally televised on CBS the day after Thanksgiving and thus had a huge audience . Miami staged a dramatic drive to take the lead , 45 - 41 , in the closing minute of the game . Boston College then took possession at its own 22 - yard line with 28 seconds to go . After two passes moved the ball another 30 yards , only 6 seconds remained . On the last play of the game , Flutie scrambled away from the defense and threw a " Hail Mary pass " that was caught in the end zone by Gerard Phelan , giving BC a 47 - 45 win . This play would ultimately lead to Flutie winning the Heisman trophy a week later . The subsequent rise in applications for admission to Boston College after Flutie ' s " Hail Mary " gave rise to the admissions phenomenon known as the " Flutie Effect " . This idea essentially states that a winning sports team can increase the recognition value of a university enough to make it a more elite school . In addition to his collegiate athletic achievement , Flutie maintained a distinguished academic record at Boston College . He was a candidate for a Rhodes Scholarship , for which he was named a finalist in 1984 . Upon graduating , Flutie won a National Football Foundation post - graduate scholarship . In November 2008 , Doug Flutie was honored by Boston College with a statue of him throwing his famous " Hail Mary " pass outside of Alumni Stadium . His number , 22 , has been retired by the Boston College football program . USFL career . After winning the Heisman Trophy in his senior season and becoming one of college football ' s most celebrated players in years , Flutie found himself in the middle of a fight between the country ' s two dueling football leagues in the USFL and NFL . He was seen as extremely attractive to the USFL , which was desperate for a star to reinvigorate the league as it was in financial difficulty . Meanwhile , the Buffalo Bills , who had the first pick of the 1985 NFL Draft , still had the rights to Jim Kelly ( who had earlier spurned them to go to the USFL ) and also had concerns about Flutie ' s 5 ' 10 " height , which many considered too short for an NFL quarterback . Flutie was selected by the USFL ' s New Jersey Generals ( owned by Donald Trump ) in the 1985 territorial draft , which took place in January , months before the 1985 NFL Draft . Flutie went through negotiations with Trump and agreed on a deal that would make him the highest paid pro football player and highest paid rookie in any sport with $ 7 million over 5 years ; Flutie was officially signed on February 4 , 1985 . Having already signed with the USFL , Flutie was not selected in the NFL Draft until the 11th round , 285th overall pick by the Los Angeles Rams . Flutie entered the USFL with much hype and fanfare . However , many began to wonder if the scouts who said Flutie could not compete on the pro level were right . In February of 1985 , Flutie made his USFL debut against the Orlando Renegades . His debut was horrible , as his first two professional passes were intercepted by Renegades line backer Jeff Gabrielsen . The only two touchdown that New Jersey scored came from turnovers by Orlando quarterback Jerry Golsteyn . By the time Flutie ' s debut was over , he completed only 7 of 18 passes , for a total of 174 yards , while running for only 51 yards . Flutie completed 134 of 281 passes for 2 , 109 yards and 13 TD ' s with the Generals in 1985 in 15 games . He suffered an injury late in the season that saw him turn over the reins to reserve QB Ron Reeves . The Generals went on to sport an 11 - 7 record and a 2nd place finish in the USFL ' s Eastern Conference . The USFL folded in 1986 , and Flutie and punter Sean Landeta were the league ' s last active players in the NFL . National Football League debut . Flutie , originally drafted by the L . A . Rams , on October 14 , 1986 had his rights traded to the Chicago Bears in exchange for draft picks . Flutie would later make his debut on the 1986 Chicago Bears , appearing in 4 games . Flutie was then traded to the New England Patriots at the start of the 1987 NFL season , a season which saw the NFL Players Association go on strike , and NFL games subsequently being played by replacement players . Flutie crossed the picket lines in order to play for the Patriots , and charges of being a scab dogged him thereafter . Flutie would remain with the Patriots from 1987 – 1989 , after which he left to play in the Canadian Football League . Canadian Football League career . Flutie played in Canadian Football League for 8 years . He is revered as one of the greatest quarterbacks ever to play Canadian football . In 1990 he signed with the BC Lions for a two - year contract reportedly worth $ 350 , 000 a season . At the time he was the highest paid player in the CFL . Flutie struggled in his first season , which would be his only losing season in the CFL . Over the next seven years he would go 99 - 27 as a starter . In his second season , he threw for a record 6 , 619 yards on 466 completions . Flutie was rewarded with a reported million - dollar salary with the Calgary Stampeders . Flutie won his first Grey Cup in 1992 with the Stampeders . He was named the Grey Cup MVP . During his last years in Calgary , Flutie ' s backup was Jeff Garcia , who later went on to start for the NFL ' s San Francisco 49ers . Flutie won two more Grey Cups with the Toronto Argonauts , in 1996 ( The Snow Bowl ) and 1997 , before signing with the Buffalo Bills of the National Football League in 1998 . Prior to his final two Grey Cup victories with the Argonauts , Flutie was hampered by the opinion , supported by the media , that he was a quarterback who could not win in cold weather . In both 1993 and 1994 , the Stampeders had the best record in the league , but lost the Western Final each year at home in freezing conditions . After first refusing to wear gloves in freezing temperatures , in later years Flutie adapted to throwing with gloves in cold weather . His career CFL statistics include 41 , 355 passing yards and 270 touchdowns . He holds the professional football record of 6 , 619 yards passing in a single season . He led the league in passing five times in only eight seasons . He once held four of the CFL ' s top five highest single - season completion marks , including a record 466 in 1991 which was surpassed by Ricky Ray in 2005 . His 48 touchdown passes in 1994 remains a CFL record . He earned three Grey Cup MVP awards , and was named the CFL ' s Most Outstanding Player a record six times ( 1991 – 1994 , and 1996 – 1997 ) . He passed for 5 , 000 yards six times in his career and remains the only player in pro football history to pass 6 , 000 yards twice in his career . On November 17 , 2006 , Flutie was named the greatest Canadian Football League player of all time from a top 50 list of CFL players conducted by TSN . In 2007 he was named to Canada ' s Sports Hall of Fame , the first non - Canadian to be inducted . Return to the NFL . Buffalo Bills . Flutie became the Buffalo Bills ' quarterback five games into the 1998 season . The Bills were initially uninterested in signing him , but then - pro personnel director A . J . Smith successfully convinced the organization that Flutie would be a great asset to the team . In his first action with the Bills , Flutie entered for an injured Rob Johnson and passed for two TDs while leading a fourth - quarter comeback against the Indianapolis Colts on October 11 , 1998 . The following week , Doug Flutie would make his first NFL start since October 15 , 1989 , against the unbeaten Jacksonville Jaguars . The nine - year gap between starts for a quarterback in the NFL was the second - longest in duration ( behind Tommy Maddox ) until the 2007 season . Flutie would be the hero of the Bills ' victory as he scored the winning touchdown against the Jaguars by rolling out on a bootleg and into the end zone on a fourth - down play in the waning seconds . The Bills ' success continued with Flutie at the helm ; his record as a starter that season was 8 wins and 3 losses . Flutie was selected to play in the 1998 Pro Bowl , and is currently the shortest quarterback to make the Pro Bowl since 1970 . Flutie led the Bills to a 10 – 5 record in 1999 but , in a controversial decision , was replaced by Johnson for the playoffs by coach Wade Phillips , who later said he had been ordered by Bills owner Ralph Wilson to do so . The Bills lost 22 – 16 to the eventual AFC Champion Tennessee Titans in a game that has become known for the Music City Miracle , where the Titans scored on the penultimate play of the game — a kickoff return following the Bills ' apparent game - clinching field goal . The following season , Flutie was named the Bills ' backup and only played late in games or when Johnson was injured , which was often . In fact , during the season , Flutie had a 4 – 1 record as a starter , in comparison to Johnson ' s 4 – 7 . In a December 24 , 2000 game against the Seattle Seahawks , Flutie achieved a perfect passer rating , completing 20 of 25 passes for 366 yards and three touchdowns . Following the 2000 season , Bills President Tom Donahoe and head coach Gregg Williams decided to keep Johnson as the starter and cut Flutie . San Diego Chargers . In 2001 Flutie signed with the San Diego Chargers , who had gone 1 – 15 in 2000 . After opening 3 – 0 , the Chargers slumped and were 4 - 2 going into Week 7 , when Flutie ' s Chargers met Rob Johnson ' s Bills . Flutie prevailed as the new ex - Bill broke a sack attempt and ran 13 yards for the game - winning touchdown . It would be the last win for the Chargers in 2001 , as they dropped their last nine games to finish 5 - 11 and cost head coach Mike Riley his job . ( Buffalo , respectively , finished 3 - 13 with Johnson and , later , Alex Van Pelt as starters . ) Flutie was Drew Brees ' s backup in 2002 . In 2003 , Flutie replaced a struggling Brees when the Chargers were 1 – 7 . The 41 - year - old Flutie became the oldest player to score two rushing touchdowns in a game , the first player over 40 to accomplish that feat . He also became the oldest AFC Offensive Player of the Week , winning the award for the fourth time . On January 2 , 2005 , the season finale of the 2004 season , Flutie broke Jerry Rice ' s record set two weeks prior , to become the oldest player ever to score a touchdown , at the age 42 years and 71 days . Rice was 42 years and 67 days when he made his touchdown . Flutie ' s record as a starter that year was 2 – 3 . Flutie was released from the Chargers on March 13 , 2005 . New England Patriots . Flutie surprised many when he signed with the New England Patriots instead of the New York Giants . He became the backup behind Tom Brady and played several times at the end of games to take a few snaps . Flutie has a 37 - 28 record as an NFL starter , including a 22 - 9 record in home games . Referring to his time in the Canadian Football League ( and , presumably , to the quarterback ' s relatively diminutive stature ) , television football commentator John Madden once said , " Inch for inch , Flutie in his prime was the best QB of his generation . " In a December 26 , 2005 game against the New York Jets , Flutie was sent in late in the game . The Jets also sent in their back - up quarterback , Vinny Testaverde . This was the first time in NFL history that two quarterbacks over the age of 40 competed against each other ( Testaverde was 42 , Flutie was 43 ) . This was the final nationally televised Monday Night Football game on ABC before its move to ESPN . In the Patriots ' regular - season finale against the Miami Dolphins on January 1 , 2006 , Flutie successfully drop kick ed a football for an extra point , something that had not been done in a regular - season NFL game since 1941 . It was Flutie ' s first kick attempt in the NFL , and earned him that week ' s title of AFC Special Teams Player of the Week . Patriots head coach Bill Belichick , known for his knowledge of the history of the game , made comments that suggested that the play was a retirement present of sorts for his veteran quarterback , although Flutie had made no comment on whether 2005 would be his last season . There is video of Flutie describing the event in his own words . During the 2006 offseason , Flutie ' s agent , Kristen Kuliga , stated he was interested in returning to the Patriots for another season ; as a result he was widely expected to return , despite his age . But on May 15 , 2006 , Flutie announced his decision to " hang up his helmet " at the age of 43 and retire . Flutie was the second - to - last former USFL player to retire , behind Sean Landeta . Flutie has the most rushing yards ( 212 ) , and the most rushing touchdowns ( 4 ) , for any player after turning 40 years old . Near - return to the CFL . Because of injuries with the Toronto Argonauts , Flutie was contemplating a temporary comeback with the team as of July 25 , 2006 . Flutie did not plan to play long - term , for he had planned on doing college football commentary on ESPN in the coming season . On August 18 , 2006 , a story was published on CFL . ca examining this topic in - depth . Flutie was pondering a return to Canadian Football because of his relationship with Argonauts head coach and former running back Pinball Clemons , and the desire to " say goodbye to the CFL " . According to the report , Flutie was poised to return to Toronto on July 22 , after their victory over the Saskatchewan Roughriders and the injury to backup quarterback Spergon Wynn . Nevertheless , Flutie chose to remain in retirement . Personal life . Flutie is the older brother of the CFL ' s third all - time receptions leader , Darren Flutie . Flutie also has an older brother , Bill Flutie and an older sister , Denise Flutie . His nephew Billy Flutie , son of Bill Flutie , was a wide receiver / punter at Boston College . Flutie is the second son of Richard and Joan Flutie . Flutie is married to his high school sweetheart , Laurie , ( née Fortier ) . They have a daughter , Alexa , formerly a New England Patriots Cheerleader and currently a San Diego Chargers Cheerleader , and a son , Doug Jr , who has autism . The Fluties established The Doug Flutie Jr . Foundation for Autism , Inc . in honor of him . Flutie also created a cereal , Flutie Flakes , with the benefits going toward this organization . In his free time , Flutie has attended college football and basketball games at his alma mater Boston College and was a season ticket - holder . Flutie has spent his summers in Bethany Beach , Delaware , frequenting the local basketball court . Flutie also has worked with the local Massachusetts Eastern Bank and is a spokesman for Natick / Framingham ' s Metrowest Medical Center . He is a member of the Longfellow Sports Clubs at their Wayland and Natick locations . Flutie continues to live in Natick and was honored in November , 2007 by being inducted into the Natick High School Wall of Achievement . A short stretch of road connecting the Natick Mall and the Shoppers ' World Mall in Natick / Framingham , MA is named " Flutie Pass " in honor of his historic 1984 play against Miami . Flutie frequents Melbourne Beach , Florida in the winter time and has a local sports field complex named after him . For a time , he was part - owner of a restaurant in New York ' s South Street Seaport named " Flutie ' s " . With his brother Darren on guitar , Doug plays drums in the Flutie Brothers Band , and once played for Boston at a tribute honoring Doug . November 13 , 2006 was Doug Flutie Day in Boston . Flutie endorsed Scott Brown for U . S . Senate in Massachusetts for 2010 , and the Flutie Brothers Band played at Brown ' s victory celebration . Halls of Fame . On May 8 , 2007 , Flutie was elected to Canada ' s Sports Hall of Fame , becoming the first non - Canadian inductee . On May 9 , 2007 , Flutie was elected to the College Football Hall of Fame in his first year of eligibility . On April 2 , 2008 , Flutie was elected to the Canadian Football Hall of Fame in his first year of eligibility .