This past Monday, the little engine that could finally ran out of track. Doug Flutie, the journeyman quarterback who played in three different leagues, ended his 21-year professional career at age 43.

“It’s just been a fun run for me,” Flutie said.

While Flutie only started a few seasons during his 12 years in the NFL, his presence on and off the field will be remembered for years to come.

Flutie’s rise to football immortality began in 1984, as the quarterback for Boston College. Flutie capped off his Heisman Trophy season with one of the most memorable plays in college football history, a 48-yard Hail Mary toss to Gerard Phelan to beat the Miami Hurricanes as time expired. This success was sure to propel Flutie right into the NFL and stardom. Unfortunately, the little engine that could had to take some tracks into uncharted territory. The NFL, looking for “prototype” quarterbacks, did not draft Flutie in the 1985 NFL draft. Instead Flutie (listed at 5’10 but admitted he’s one eighth of an inch shorter) headed to the beleaguered American Football League. Then the Chicago Bears came calling.

Unfortunately for Flutie, not much came of his stay in Chicago. After two years, Flutie was dealt to New England, where he spent two more lackluster seasons with the Patriots before exiting the NFL. With early retirement staring him in the face, the unsatisfied Flutie turned to his only option: The Canadian Football League.

The CFL became Flutie’s home for the next eight years. Flutie would dominate in his time in Canada, winning six Most Outstanding Player of the Year awards, three championships and his name tattooed all over the CFL record book. It appeared that Flutie had reached the pinnacle of his career, with his success in the CFL having to compensate for a disappointing NFL stint.

This is where the story would have ended if not for the Buffalo Bills calling Flutie in 1998. Buffalo wanted a veteran quarterback to help mentor youngster Rob Johnson. Flutie accepted the position.

After Johnson went down with an injury early in the season, Flutie got his chance to show he belonged on football’s biggest stage. He ignited the 0-3 Bills, rallying the troops with a last-minute touchdown run to beat Jacksonville in his first game. The magic wouldn’t end for Flutie, who continued to torch the NFL-leading Buffalo to a 10-6 season, and his first NFL Pro Bowl birth.

While the nation was swept with “Flutie Mania,” the little man put his newfound celebrity status to good use. He started the Doug Flutie Foundation, created to generate money to help children with autism, which affects one of his own children. Flutie still continues to do charity work in his hometown in New England.

After several more successful seasons in Buffalo, Flutie was traded to San Diego, where he started in 2000. His career would come full circle, as Flutie spent his remaining NFL days with a clipboard and headphones, instead of flinging footballs.

Flutie did display one more bit of magic in his last season. This past year, playing again for his hometown Patriots, Flutie drop-kicked an extra point, the first time it had been attempted since 1941.

While his career-passing yards (58,179) and touchdowns (396) are comparable to the likes of fellow gunslingers Brett Favre and John Elway, that is not the argument I will make when deciding how Flutie should be remembered.

I feel Doug Flutie should be remembered as a man who defied the skeptics and chased down his dream. A man who played the game the way it was meant to be played. A man who always gave back and always put others ahead of himself. A man who is a part of a dying breed of great sports role models.

Wherever the tracks take Doug Flutie throughout the rest of his life, the little engine that could proved he truly could.

Bryan DeArdo is a sophomore in journalism. He can be reached at [email protected].