| Born: | (1966-11-18)November 18, 1966 (age 58) 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 | |
Darren Paul Flutie (born November 18, 1966) is an American formerCanadian footballwide receiver for theBC Lions,Edmonton Eskimos, and theHamilton Tiger-Cats. He is theCanadian Football League (CFL)'sfifth all-time leader in catches, behindNik Lewis,Geroy Simon,Ben Cahoon, andTerry Vaughn.
He is the younger brother of quarterbackDoug Flutie and also attendedBoston 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.
| 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 |
Prior 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 thePhoenix Cardinals for 1991 but did not get to play. It was only then that Flutie was convinced by his brother Doug to play inVancouver with him for theBC 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 theCalgary Stampeders after the year ended.
In 1996, Flutie went to theEdmonton Eskimos, who had quarterbackDanny 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 behindGeroy Simon,Milt Stegall, andAllen Pitts. He held the BC Lions club record for receiving yardage in a season, 1,731 yards, from 1994 to 2004 whenGeroy 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.
He was as an analyst on theCFL on CBC from 2002 to 2006. In November 2006, Darren Flutie joined his brother,Doug Flutie, on the list of the CFL'sTop 50 players of the league's modern era by Canadian sports networkTSN. In 2007, he was inducted into theCanadian Football Hall of Fame. Since leaving CBC, Flutie has served as a high school football coach. He was volunteer coach with theNatick 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 atNewton South High School and from 2018 to 2020 held the same position at theRivers 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]
| 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 | |