Radio Free Kirkopolis

I was a little shocked today to hear about the retirement of NFL quarterback Doug Flutie. Shocked I guess because I thought he retired like five years ago. Turned out he lasted a staggering 21 years in pro ball. Granted a good deal of that was in the CFL, but the hits are just as hard.
21 years! That’s a long freakin’ time for any job, let alone football- and not even a punter, but a quarterback. There’s a good portion of guys selected in last month’s draft that weren’t even born when he threw his miracle pass against Miami. Babies born on the day he went pro are now drinking legally.

Flutie spent 12 seasons in the NFL and played in the U.S. Football League and the Canadian Football League. He won the CFL's Most Outstanding Player award six times and the league's Grey Cup championship three times.
His college career was also punctuated by a play that endures as one of the most memorable in the sport. He won the 1984 Heisman after connecting with Gerard Phelan on a desperation 48-yard touchdown pass that beat Miami as time expired.

All the while, he did it with class, dignity and professionalism. In a way he’s in that class of rare sports guys (the Cal Ripkins of the world) who just have it all.
We’ll be seeing him around in the near future as a college analyst for ABC and ESPN.