BC wins on Hail Mary
On November 23 1984 Boston Colleges diminutive quarterback Doug Flutie throws a last-second 64-yard pass to beat the University of Miami 47-45.The 30235 fans in the Orange Bowl had already begun to celebrate the victory they were sure their Hurricanes had won and they were stunned when Fluties pass found his teammate (and roommate) Gerard Phelan in the end zone.The receiver for his part was just as stunned He threw it a long long way Phelan said after the game.
I didnt think he could throw the ball that far.It was a spectacular ending to a spectacular game.In all Miami moved the ball 655 yards and had 32 first downs.BC countered with 627 yards and 30 first downs.
Together the Hurricanes and the Eagles ran 150 plays on average each play gained almost nine yards.And in the last 20 minutes of the game the teams traded the lead back and forth six times.With 28 seconds to go in the game Miamis Melvin Bratton plowed one yard through BCs defensive line to score a crucial touchdown that gave the Hurricanes a four-point lead.The Eagles set up on their own 20-yard line and made it to the Miami 48 in 22 seconds.
There was time for one more play.In the huddle Flutie called for the 55 Flood Tipa play the Eagles practiced every Thursday but had rarely used.It went like this Phelan would head for the end zone flanked by two wide receivers Flutie would hurl the ball in their direction and Phelan having drawn all the defense away from his teammates would jump up and tip the ball to one receiver or the other.Of course thats not quite how it went.
Phelan bolted down the field while Flutie drew back to the 37.The clock ran out.Flutie threw the ball as hard as he could.
After the game he said I just let it fly toward the pilenot necessarily toward Gerard Phelan but where I thought everybody was going to be.I saw the ball go down over two defenders heads and I thought it fell incomplete into the end zone.Phelan meanwhile was alone in the end zone.
Miamis defensive backs were so sure that Flutie couldnt throw the ball all the way down the field that they didnt pay any attention to the receiver behind them.They should have Fluties pass sailed over their heads and hit Phelan squarely in the chest.His feet didnt even leave the ground.The pass won the game for the Eagles who went on to finish 10-2 and be ranked fourth in the country.
It also made Flutie the first player in college football history to pass for more than 10000 yards in his career.He won the Heisman Trophy eight days after his so-called Miracle in Miami.Since NFL scouts thought he was too short (he was 59) to play in their league Flutie headed north and became one of the best quarterbacks in the history of the Canadian Football League.
Eventually he came back to the NFL playing for the Buffalo Bills and the San Diego Chargers before he returned to Boston to finish his career with the Patriots.He retired in 2005.
