American Boston College quarterback when he made his “miracle pass” of over 10,000 yards. Perhaps the Canadian Football League’s greatest player ever, he received the 1985 Heisman Trophy and signed a contract for $7.5 million for five years. Married, he and his wife Laurie had one daughter, Alexa. Four years later they had Doug Jr. A beautiful boy, he has a vocabulary of maybe four words at age six; he is autistic. At 2 1/2, he was speaking in full sentences and was perfectly normal; a year later, he totally regressed. He would go into a corner and stop speaking to anyone. He is strong and healthy, but does not understand how to play with a toy. His only symptom of autism is twirling whatever he has in hand, whether it’s a potato chip or a ball.
Dougie goes to a special needs school. He has few functioning skills, not so much as being able to feed himself.
When Doug Jr. was born, Flutie was signed with the Buffalo Bills. When his boy became ill, he set up a foundation, The Douglas Flutie Jr. Foundation for Autism, managed by the Boston-based Giving Back Fund. Funds were allocated toward research and then families.
Flutie considered retiring to give more help to Laurie, but he loves football too much to give it up. He loves playing, and winning. In his history, he has led teams to three Grey Cups, the CFL’s Super Bowl. However there is also intense high pressure, having to deal with the media on a weekly basis, sports talk radio.
With his intensity, it often seems that the rest of the world is slow motion; in reality, he is processing input faster. Flutie feels that he’s always been very serious about whatever it is he’s doing. With Dougie’s illness, he really appreciates little things, such as a smile on his boy’s face when he says, “Daddy’s going to get you,” and the healthy activity of his daughter Alexa when she’s playing soccer. He remembers to relax and enjoy his kids instead of pushing them to excel. What Americans fans learned is that it is not his stature, 5’9″ but the size of his heart that matters. A devoted husband and father, he checks in with his family ten times a day when he’s on the road.
The famous athlete announced his retirement from professional football on May 15, 2006 after 21 years on the pro field. He isn’t leaving the sport entirely though as he intends to work as an analyst and commentator for media outlets.
In the morning of 18 November 2015 both Flutie’s parents, Dick and Joan, died from heart attacks one hour apart. (First Dick then Joan.)
Link to Wikipedia biography