Darren Paul Flutie (born November 18, 1966) is an American former Canadian football wide receiver for the BC Lions, Edmonton Eskimos, and the Hamilton Tiger-Cats. He is the Canadian Football League (CFL)'s fifth all-time leader in catches, behind Nik Lewis, Geroy Simon, Ben Cahoon, and Terry Vaughn.
| Born: | November 18, 1966 Manchester, Maryland, U.S. |
|---|---|
| Career information | |
| CFL status | American |
| Position(s) | WR |
| College | Boston College |
| Career history | |
| As coach | |
| 2007–2013 | Natick HS (Asst.) |
| 2014–2017 | Newton South HS (OC) |
| 2018–2020 | Rivers School (OC) |
| As player | |
| 1988 | San Diego Chargers |
| 1990 | Phoenix Cardinals |
| 1991–1995 | BC Lions |
| 1996–1997 | Edmonton Eskimos |
| 1998–2002 | Hamilton Tiger-Cats |
| Career highlights and awards | |
| CFL All-Star | 1996, 1997, 1999 |
| CFL East All-Star | 1998, 1999 |
| CFL West All-Star | 1994, 1996, 1997 |
| Career stats | |
Early life
editHe is the younger brother of quarterback Doug Flutie and also attended Boston College, though he did not graduate. He ranks among the all-time leaders in program history in receptions (134) while also having 2,000 yards and 14 touchdowns. He was inducted into the Varsity Club Hall of Fame in 2007.
College receiving statistics
edit| Year | Receptions | Yds | TD |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1984 | 9 | 214 | 1 |
| 1985 | 42 | 469 | 1 |
| 1986 | 35 | 531 | 5 |
| 1987 | 48 | 786 | 7 |
| Career[1] | 134 | 2,000 | 14 |
Professional career
editPrior to the CFL, Flutie played briefly for the San Diego Chargers in the 1988 season as an undrafted free agent. He didn't have starting time, but he played enough to make 18 receptions for 208 yards and two touchdowns while also returning eight kicks.[2] He was cut prior to the 1989 season and joined the Phoenix Cardinals for 1991 but did not get to play. It was only then that Flutie was convinced by his brother Doug to play in Vancouver with him for the BC Lions. The 1991 season was the only one that saw the two Fluties on the same field, as Doug would leave in free agency for the Calgary Stampeders after the year ended.
In 1996, Flutie went to the Edmonton Eskimos, who had quarterback Danny McManus (the quarterback behind BC for most of the 1995 season) on the roster. In 1998, Flutie and McManus signed with Hamilton. Hamilton made two Grey Cups with Flutie on the roster in 1998 and 1999, with both being against Calgary. Flutie did not score a touchdown in the loss of 1998, but he made significant contributions in 1999. He caught a long pass from McManus of 40 yards to set up a field goal to make the score 10–0. Later, he scored the final touchdown of the first half to give them a 21–0 lead. He then scored a touchdown early in the fourth quarter to increase the lead to 32–14 before Hamilton won 32–21, for which McManus won MVP; Flutie caught six passes for 109 yards. It was the last Grey Cup appearance for Hamilton for 14 years and currently ranks as the last Grey Cup championship for the franchise.
With his 1,000-yard season in 2001, he tied a record for most 1,000-yard seasons for a receiver with nine.[3] The following year saw him set a record for most receptions in CFL history; both marks have since been passed.
Flutie ranks fourth all-time in career receiving yardage behind Geroy Simon, Milt Stegall, and Allen Pitts. He held the BC Lions club record for receiving yardage in a season, 1,731 yards, from 1994 to 2004 when Geroy Simon achieved 1750 yards. His Canadian career lasted from 1991 until 2002.
During his time in the league, he had various second jobs to make more money, which ranged from selling Christmas trees, bartending, limo driving, or as a Read Custom Soils salesman.
After football
editHe was as an analyst on the CFL on CBC from 2002 to 2006. In November 2006, Darren Flutie joined his brother, Doug Flutie, on the list of the CFL's Top 50 players of the league's modern era by Canadian sports network TSN. In 2007, he was inducted into the Canadian Football Hall of Fame. Since leaving CBC, Flutie has served as a high school football coach. He was volunteer coach with the Natick High School football team from 2007 until his son Troy graduated in 2014. He was also NHS' boys basketball head coach during the 2008–09 season. He then served as offensive coordinator at Newton South High School and from 2018 to 2020 held the same position at the Rivers School. He also works for a medical device company.[4]
In 2023, Flutie was honored by the Ti-Cats with induction into the team's Wall of Honour.[5]
Career regular season statistics
edit| NFL Statistics | Receiving | ||||||||
| Year | Team | GP | GS | Rec | Yards | Y/R | LNG | TD | PTS |
| 1988 | San Diego Chargers | 16 | - | 18 | 208 | 11.6 | 28 | 2 | 12 |
| CFL Statistics | Receiving | ||||||||
| Year | Team | GP | GS | Rec | Yards | Y/R | LNG | TD | PTS |
| 1991 | BC Lions | 8 | 8 | 52 | 860 | 16.5 | 51 | 6 | 36 |
| 1992 | BC Lions | 18 | 17 | 90 | 1,336 | 14.8 | 76 | 4 | 24 |
| 1993 | BC Lions | 17 | 16 | 79 | 1,068 | 13.5 | 45 | 5 | 30 |
| 1994 | BC Lions | 18 | 15 | 111 | 1,731 | 15.6 | 61 | 8 | 48 |
| 1995 | BC Lions | 12 | 11 | 59 | 893 | 15.0 | 58 | 2 | 12 |
| 1996 | Edmonton Eskimos | 17 | 17 | 86 | 1,362 | 15.8 | 42 | 6 | 36 |
| 1997 | Edmonton Eskimos | 17 | 16 | 90 | 1,313 | 14.6 | 51 | 9 | 58 |
| 1998 | Hamilton Tiger-Cats | 17 | 17 | 98 | 1,386 | 14.1 | 73 | 5 | 32 |
| 1999 | Hamilton Tiger-Cats | 18 | 18 | 84 | 1,155 | 13.8 | 37 | 7 | 42 |
| 2000 | Hamilton Tiger-Cats | 17 | 17 | 79 | 1,120 | 14.2 | 58 | 4 | 26 |
| 2001 | Hamilton Tiger-Cats | 18 | 18 | 84 | 1,206 | 15.1 | 49 | 6 | 36 |
| 2002 | Hamilton Tiger-Cats | 18 | 18 | 64 | 929 | 14.5 | 40 | 4 | 24 |
| Total | 195 | -- | 972 | 14,359 | 14.8 | 76 | 66 | 404 | |
CFL records
edit- Playoff receptions : 185
- Regular season receptions : 972 (since passed by others, including leader Nik Lewis in 2017)
- Most seasons 1,000 yards receiving : 9 (tied with Allen Pitts) (passed by Milt Stegall in 2008)
References
edit- ^ "Darren Flutie College Stats".
- ^ "Darren Flutie Stats, Height, Weight, Position, Draft, College". Pro-Football-Reference.com.
- ^ "Soiled Sport Darren Flutie, a record-threatening CFL receiver, is also a dirt salesman".
- ^ Whelan Jr., Tim (January 7, 2018). "Flutie finds new opportunity". MetroWest Daily News. Retrieved January 14, 2022.
- ^ https://ticats.ca/article/darren-fluties-journey-from-american-football-to-the-ticats-wall-of-honour [bare URL]