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By Ron Donoho, Editor
(page 1 of 3)
The Flutie Factor
Take it from one Buffalo Bills follower—the new Chargers quarterback will inspire a whole new fan base
We were supposed to be soccer moms. Our junior-high daughters were locked in a competitive soccer tournament—ponytails flying, feet pounding. While the dads were cheering hard, our attention kept wandering. One mom ran to her van to check a portable television. “What’s the score?” we badgered her.
We weren’t talking about the game unfolding before us. We were asking how the Buffalo Bills were faring. But what we really wanted to know was what kind of game quarterback and star attraction Doug Flutie was having. Hey, we wanted our daughters to do well. But we really wanted Flutie to have a great day.
My husband was amazed at the moms’ rabid football interest. After all, I’d said for years, “It’s just a football game. Who cares?” I had no tolerance for his interest in the Bills. Never had I understood the attraction of professional football. The game seemed like an excuse for big guys to slam into each other and for people in the stands to drink beer. I branded the players a bunch of not-too-bright jocks with a few assorted lawbreakers thrown in.
Then Flutie came to western New York for his 1998 miracle season. Thousands of fans like me were captivated by the tale of the undersized overachiever who was a Heisman Trophy winner at Boston College. There, he threw the most famous “Hail Mary” pass ever. But he never got much of a chance in the NFL because of his height (he’s 5-foot-10). So he played his heart out in the Canadian Football League, capturing Most Outstanding Player honors six times.
After Buffalo signed him as backup quarterback at the advanced football age of 35, Flutie finally got his big chance. What a storybook ending: Flutie lit a huge fire under the struggling Bills and led them to the playoffs. He was named NFL Comeback Player of the Year and went to the Pro Bowl.
Okay, so Flutie played well and revived the Bills. But what is it about this guy that engenders such fan loyalty? Who doesn’t love an underdog? Who doesn’t love someone who beats the odds? With Flutie, it’s even more. Here’s an articulate, charismatic star who will throw his small self at a defender twice his size. Here’s a guy who can dance circles around the defensive linemen, a day’s entertainment all by himself.
If that isn’t enough, here’s a family man with two children, including his young son and namesake, who is autistic. He pitches Flutie Flakes and a long-distance service, and you’re inspired to buy the products because proceeds go to his foundation to help kids with autism.
Imagine my excitement last year, when the Bills moved summer training camp closer to my home in Rochester. Although Flutie got hurt early in camp (gasp!), he spent hours signing autographs for his legions of admirers.
But now, my fellow soccer moms and I are among the countless Bills fans devastated by the loss of Flutie. Still, for my family this whole Flutie-Bills thing was a win-win. I remain a soccer mom at heart. But I have a new hero (whom I’ll watch closely in San Diego) and a new appreciation for the sport. My husband no longer has to justify his interest in Sunday afternoon football. I usually beat him to the tube.
—Patrice Mitchell
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