Today is the 25th anniversary of Flutie's Hail Mary

[scout]

Please.....I've lived here my entire life. I've been following the Boston sports scene since I was five.

That play is the most over hyped play in sports history.

Not to mention what a cry baby Doug Flutie is. I've heard plenty of stories of that guy bashing other QB's when he was on the sidelines in the NFL.
Doug Flutie

Yea, like it was obvious in the game against Tampa Bay when Coach Berry started Tony Eason over Flutie and the crowd went berserk every single time Eason touched the ball. You could see Flutie on the sideline towel in hand waving the crowd on.................
Most memorable moments in Boston sports history;
Baseball: Fisk hitting the home run just inside the pole (which was never over hyped)
College football: Flutie's game winning hail mary ( I heard he would call the network to play it again and again, right).
When Flutie graduated from BC, he was arguably the most dynamic football player to play college football up to that point in time. You obviously don't like the guy, but that shouldn't take away from his excellence.

 

[shmessy]

The Play - - 25 Years Later with Brent Musberger and Doug Flutie:

BTW, FASCINATING point I had never heard before between 1:54-2:20.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gLqSp3ZdBJU

 

[Kontradiction]

Please.....I've lived here my entire life. I've been following the Boston sports scene since I was five.

That play is the most over hyped play in sports history.

Not to mention what a cry baby Doug Flutie is. I've heard plenty of stories of that guy bashing other QB's when he was on the sidelines in the NFL. Stuff like:

"I would never have thrown that pass" or "If coach would have played me we would have won"

I know someone that was on his team in Buffalo and those were true quotes from 'little Dougy"

Not to mention that drop kick a few years back. I thought Steve Burton was going to orgasm in the post game. I loved the fact that Felger was busting Steve's balls

Doug Flutie

I'm not really sure what is worse. The fact that this is what Doug Flutie will be most remembered for, or that a Hail Mary pass is actually the defining moment in Boston College football history.

 

[shmessy]

I'm not really sure what is worse. The fact that this is what Doug Flutie will be most remembered for, or that a Hail Mary pass is actually the defining moment in Boston College football history.

Well, BC is first and foremost a school of learning.

.......unlike those "Flawda" schools.

 

[Kontradiction]

Well, BC is first and foremost a school of learning.

.......unlike those "Flawda" schools.

Hehehe. Seminoles players have to write "TGIF" on the tongues of their cleats just so they know that toes actually do go in first.

 

[ForThoseAboutToRock]

I'm not really sure what is worse. The fact that this is what Doug Flutie will be most remembered for, or that a Hail Mary pass is actually the defining moment in Boston College football history.

That pass and the Stanford / Cal band on the field play are pretty much the 2 most famous plays in college football history. How is it bad that the defining moment of a school's sport history is also known to almost anyone who's watched a down of football in their life?

 

[Kontradiction]

That pass and the Stanford / Cal band on the field play are pretty much the 2 most famous plays in college football history. How is it bad that the defining moment of a school's sport history is also known to almost anyone who's watched a down of football in their life?

It was a joke. It obviously means that Boston College football hasn't exactly been a powerhouse.

 

[ForThoseAboutToRock]

It was a joke. It obviously means that Boston College football hasn't exactly been a powerhouse.

Yeah you've got me there. I blame the cities of Newton and Brighton.

 

[TrueBeliever]

I was surprised when I heard of this anniversary, because I always thought the play happened in a "Bowl" game, not just a regular season game. Maybe I'm too used to the pros, but what's the big deal about winning a game on a crazy play like that during the regular season? Everytime it's brought up you'd think it won them the national championship.

Just my $.02.

 

[PatsFanSince74]

I'm not really sure what is worse. The fact that this is what Doug Flutie will be most remembered for, or that a Hail Mary pass is actually the defining moment in Boston College football history.

Dare, double dare ya to walk into a back alley with Mathias Kiwanuka, Dan Koppen and Bill Romanowski and say that to their faces. I'd stay to watch, but I'm a little squeamish at the sight of blood and, to tell you the truth, the sound of breaking limbs kind of bothers me.

I usually agree with your posts, but watch it on this one.

It's tough to be at the top of the BCS every year when you actually expect your students to attend class and graduate with real majors. Relatively few schools have managed it over the years and BC has been more than respectable. Michigan, USC, UCLA and (in the past at least) Notre Dame (among others that I'm not trying to dis by leaving them out) have done a very good job at it as well and have made the investment in big time programs.

BC has sent 190 players to the NFL over the years, though. Not shabby. A bunch of them have proudly worn the Flying Elvis.

(I see you kind of recanted a little bit above. OK. I won't fax a copy of your post to the Patriots Offices, attention Dan Koppen.)

 

[ForThoseAboutToRock]

Dare, double dare ya to walk into a back alley with Mathias Kiwanuka, Dan Koppen and Bill Romanowski and say that to their faces. I'd stay to watch, but I'm a little squeamish at the sight of blood and, to tell you the truth, the sound of breaking limbs kind of bothers me.

I usually agree with your posts, but watch it on this one.

It's tough to be at the top of the BCS every year when you actually expect your students to attend class and graduate with real majors. Relatively few schools have managed it over the years and BC has been more than respectable. Michigan, USC, UCLA and (in the past at least) Notre Dame (among others that I'm not trying to dis by leaving them out) have done a very good job at it as well and have made the investment in big time programs.

BC has sent 190 players to the NFL over the years, though. Not shabby. A bunch of them have proudly worn the Flying Elvis.

You forgot to mention Jeremy Trueblood. Is there a better name possible for a 6'8" 325 pound tackle?

 

[InRodWeRust]

yeah.

that's why it happens so often. five, six times a week, some guy chucks the ball 65 yards in the air into the arms of the only receiver in the endzone with no time left on the clock at the end of a game.

yeah. that's a really overrated play.

Well I never said anything about frequency but it may shock you that it happens more often than you think. And there is a fair share of scrubs that throw them too (and before you take it the wrong way NO I'M NOT CALLING DOUG FLUTIE A SCRUB).

List of successful Hail Marys in American football - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

It was no doubt an exciting play but I still think it's an overrated play but I'm going to have to leave it at that. The Doug Flutie Hail Mary pass equates to the Red Sea being parted in the Boston area so I know I won't ever convince you otherwise. I'm honestly happy to see other people enjoy the play and get the warm fuzzies from it but I've heard enough about it for a lifetime.

 

[chris_in_sunnyvale]

Well I never said anything about frequency but it may shock you that it happens more often than you think. And there is a fair share of scrubs that throw them too (and before you take it the wrong way NO I'M NOT CALLING DOUG FLUTIE A SCRUB).

List of successful Hail Marys in American football - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

It was no doubt an exciting play but I still think it's an overrated play but I'm going to have to leave it at that. The Doug Flutie Hail Mary pass equates to the Red Sea being parted in the Boston area so I know I won't ever convince you otherwise. I'm honestly happy to see other people enjoy the play and get the warm fuzzies from it but I've heard enough about it for a lifetime.

It's NOT the Hail Mary itself that puts Flutie on the pedestal. It's the fact that he was already "The Magic Flutie", the (at the time) most prolific passer in NCAA Div-1 history, the little guy from nearby Natick who was recruited as a safety rather than QB by Bicknell, the epitome of the "little train that could", the shoo-in for the Heisman...

...and THEN he throws that pass. The Hail Mary was a confirmation of the magic he brought to the game. It was a "that's Flutie for ya" moment.

Sadly, this aspect of the story is what has gotten lost over time. So much focus has been put on the pass itself like it happened in a vacuum that the context has been pretty much lost. Instead of a fitting capper to an outstanding college career, the play has almost turned Flutie into a one-hit wonder: It's the *only* thing for which he's remembered.

Regards,
Chris

 

[everlong]

Romanowski should have been suspended for spearing the pile.

 

[PatsFanSince74]

Well I never said anything about frequency but it may shock you that it happens more often than you think. And there is a fair share of scrubs that throw them too (and before you take it the wrong way NO I'M NOT CALLING DOUG FLUTIE A SCRUB).

List of successful Hail Marys in American football - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

It was no doubt an exciting play but I still think it's an overrated play but I'm going to have to leave it at that. The Doug Flutie Hail Mary pass equates to the Red Sea being parted in the Boston area so I know I won't ever convince you otherwise. I'm honestly happy to see other people enjoy the play and get the warm fuzzies from it but I've heard enough about it for a lifetime.

I'm just yanking your chain a little bit and am posting this in good humor.

But don't be too hard on folks who still relive that moment. I watched it with my dad who died a few years later and we were both jumping up and down like maniacs.

OK. Your link gives us Hail Mary's in NCAA games since 1980. Not all of them on that list were technically "Hail Mary's," i.e., a pass into the End Zone with time expiring in the game, but, to be generous, I'll let you call all 19 plays listed there "Hail Mary's." (Five of them ended the First Half.)

Now, there are 120 NCAA Division I FBS (Football Bowl Schools) in the country. Assuming that they each play an average of 12 games a season to be conservative and not including Bowl Games, that means they have played a total of 41,760 games since 1980. I'll even assume that each of those games involved two teams on the list, so the actual games played numbered 20,880.

Let's see, 19 Hail Mary's in 29 Seasons over 20,880 games. That's one Hail Mary every 1,099 Division I games. Special enough for me. If you take out the passes that ended the First Half, that's one every 1,491 games.

As I said up top, that's just intended as good fun.

 

[Kontradiction]

Dare, double dare ya to walk into a back alley with Mathias Kiwanuka, Dan Koppen and Bill Romanowski and say that to their faces. I'd stay to watch, but I'm a little squeamish at the sight of blood and, to tell you the truth, the sound of breaking limbs kind of bothers me.

I usually agree with your posts, but watch it on this one.

It's tough to be at the top of the BCS every year when you actually expect your students to attend class and graduate with real majors. Relatively few schools have managed it over the years and BC has been more than respectable. Michigan, USC, UCLA and (in the past at least) Notre Dame (among others that I'm not trying to dis by leaving them out) have done a very good job at it as well and have made the investment in big time programs.

BC has sent 190 players to the NFL over the years, though. Not shabby. A bunch of them have proudly worn the Flying Elvis.

(I see you kind of recanted a little bit above. OK. I won't fax a copy of your post to the Patriots Offices, attention Dan Koppen.)

The University of Florida has an excellent graduation rate and still managed to win National Championships in 1996, 2006, and 2008. It was and still is a joke, but the fact stands that Boston College, while it has sent some talent to the NFL, has not had huge success on the football field.

 

[eagle eye]

2008 NCAA Graduation Success Rate for BCS Football Programs


1. Notre Dame 94% <------------------
2. Stanford 93
T3. BC 92
T3. Duke 92
T3. Northwestern 92
6. Vanderbilt 91
7. Wake Forest 83
8. Texas Tech 79
T9. Baylor 78
T9. Nebraska 78
T9. UNC 78
T9. Penn State 78
T13. UConn 77
T13. Indiana 77
T15. Colorado 75
T15. Iowa 75
T15. Syracuse 75
T15. Virginia Tech 75
19. Cincinnati 73
T20. Illinois 70
T20. Michigan 70
T20. Miami 70
T20. Rutgers 70
24. Florida State 69
T25. Clemson 68
T25. Florida 68
T25. Maryland 68
T25. Wash State 68
T29. Kansas State 67
T29. Pitt 67
31. Virginia 66
T32. South Carolina 65
T32. Washington 65
T34. Oregon State 64
T34. Ole Miss 63
T34. Miss State 63
T34. Purdue 63
T34. West Virginia 63
T34. Wisconsin 63
T40. Okla State 62
T40. UCLA 62
42. Arizona State 60
T43. N.C. State 59
T43. Missouri 59
45. Louisville 58
46. Auburn 57
T47. Kentucky 56
T47. Texas A&M 56
T47. South Florida 56
T50. Alabama 55
T50. Iowa State 55
T52. LSU 54
T52. Tennessee 54
T52. USC 54
T55. Cal 53
T55. Oregon 53
T55. Kansas 53
58. Ohio State 52
T58. Arkansas 52
T60. Minnesota 51
T60. Michigan State 51
62. Texas 50
T63. Georgia 48
T63. Georgia Tech 48
65. Oklahoma 46
66. Arizona 41

The gap is quite big in fairness. Texas is a disgrace as is Ohio State and LSU.

 

[shmessy]

The University of Florida has an excellent graduation rate and still managed to win National Championships in 1996, 2006, and 2008. It was and still is a joke, but the fact stands that Boston College, while it has sent some talent to the NFL, has not had huge success on the football field.

Once again, Konta, BC is guilty as charged.

Not a jock factory. An institution of higher learning.

I would say, however, that BC plays better on Florida's turf (football) than vice-versa (scholarly achievement).

Overall, Florida universities are not looked upon with much respect in the general world.

 

[Kontradiction]

Once again, Konta, BC is guilty as charged.

Not a jock factory. An institution of higher learning.

I would say, however, that BC plays better on Florida's turf (football) than vice-versa (scholarly achievement).

Overall, Florida universities are not looked upon with much respect in the general world.

People would have a point with Miami but Florida is actually one of the best schools in the South that you could possibly attend and last year's Rhodes Scholar came out of Florida State. I'll grant you that Boston College is a pretty prestigious school to attend (as are most of the Mass. schools) but Florida universities are not to be shat on either. IMO, people look down on Florida/Georgia/North and South Carolina/etc. schools because of a huge stigma about the South. It's kind of ridiculous, actually, the stigma that most northern folks have of the South. You'd think that if the stigmas were true, everyone and their mother would not be scrambling to leave New York and Pittsburgh to come live down in Florida and Georgia.

 

[Kontradiction]

2008 NCAA Graduation Success Rate for BCS Football Programs


1. Notre Dame 94% <------------------
2. Stanford 93
T3. BC 92
T3. Duke 92
T3. Northwestern 92
6. Vanderbilt 91
7. Wake Forest 83
8. Texas Tech 79
T9. Baylor 78
T9. Nebraska 78
T9. UNC 78
T9. Penn State 78
T13. UConn 77
T13. Indiana 77
T15. Colorado 75
T15. Iowa 75
T15. Syracuse 75
T15. Virginia Tech 75
19. Cincinnati 73
T20. Illinois 70
T20. Michigan 70
T20. Miami 70
T20. Rutgers 70
24. Florida State 69
T25. Clemson 68
T25. Florida 68
T25. Maryland 68
T25. Wash State 68
T29. Kansas State 67
T29. Pitt 67
31. Virginia 66
T32. South Carolina 65
T32. Washington 65
T34. Oregon State 64
T34. Ole Miss 63
T34. Miss State 63
T34. Purdue 63
T34. West Virginia 63
T34. Wisconsin 63
T40. Okla State 62
T40. UCLA 62
42. Arizona State 60
T43. N.C. State 59
T43. Missouri 59
45. Louisville 58
46. Auburn 57
T47. Kentucky 56
T47. Texas A&M 56
T47. South Florida 56
T50. Alabama 55
T50. Iowa State 55
T52. LSU 54
T52. Tennessee 54
T52. USC 54
T55. Cal 53
T55. Oregon 53
T55. Kansas 53
58. Ohio State 52
T58. Arkansas 52
T60. Minnesota 51
T60. Michigan State 51
62. Texas 50
T63. Georgia 48
T63. Georgia Tech 48
65. Oklahoma 46
66. Arizona 41

The gap is quite big in fairness. Texas is a disgrace as is Ohio State and LSU.

I was talking about the school in general. To be honest, I thought their athletic program would have had a lower graduation rate than 25th. That actually suprises me. I'm absolutely floored that Miami is not at or near the bottom, given some of the absolute morons that have come out of that school (such as Michael Irvin and Ray Lewis).