1984 Heisman Trophy Winner Doug Flutie Headlines Dinner Hosted by A. Wisialko & Company

Just 24 hours after members of the 1984 Boston College football team were honored in Chestnut Hill for their accomplishments on the field 40 years ago, Heisman Trophy winner and former Eagles quarterback Doug Flutie joined a small gathering of friends and family at Vico’s Ristorante in Norwood. The dinner was hosted by A. Wisialko & Company, Westwood Living’s Expert Contributors in Tax & Accounting.
 
Albert F. Wisialko served as master of ceremonies, first introducing Doug and listing off his many accomplishments and awards, which include the 1984 Heisman Trophy, 1984 Maxwell Award, 1984 Davey O’Brien National Quarterback Award and the 1984 Walter Camp Player of the Year Award. Flutie, from Natick, is also recognized as the greatest player in Canadian Football League history. He won three Grey Cup Championships and was named the CFL’s Most Outstanding Player six times. His 21-year playing career also included successful stints with the USFL’s New Jersey Generals and the NFL’s Chicago Bears, New England Patriots, Buffalo Bills and San Diego Chargers.
 
Vico’s was filled with many who attended Boston College, including Wisialko, who was part of Doug’s Class of 1985 and spent many afternoons and nights playing pickup basketball in the Rec Plex with the “Big Man on Campus.”
 
“That’s how it was,” said Wisialko. “Doug would roll in and join us on the court. He’s such a natural athlete, very down-to-earth, and extremely competitive. We all appreciated what we were witnessing and experiencing at the time. As I said to the group during the Q&A, Doug transformed Boston College and it’s exciting to host a night like this and see how comfortable Doug really is in this type of setting.”
 
“It’s just fun to reconnect with BC alum,” said Flutie. “It really is. I’m living in Florida now and don’t get that much of an opportunity to do this anymore. It’s fun to be around people that actually, really know you. They watched me grow up. A lot of the people in this room were at Boston College while I was there, and it’s just fun to reconnect with these people. That’s a big part of it.”
 
Through a series of questions, Wisialko teed up Flutie to share some insight from a storied career, including his early days when he had to redeem bottles and cans for lunch money, how he replaced his older brother, Bill, at quarterback as a sophomore at Natick High School, how more details from the famous “Hail Mary” pass in Miami always seem to emerge as years pass, his experience playing for Donald Trump in the USFL and how that personal relationship has evolved, why he enjoyed so much success in Canada, and the full background that led to his infamous drop kick with the Patriots that provided a unique exclamation point on his career.
 
As we wrapped up our conversation, I asked Doug for some thoughts on Al’s basketball game.
 
“I don’t remember it,” Flutie said with a deep laugh.
 
“Then say something nice,” I responded.
 
“Maybe it wasn’t that impressive. Maybe it was,” said Flutie. “Or maybe I’m just old and don’t remember. That was our life in college. When you got through classes, you couldn’t wait for the afternoon to get over so you could head to the ‘Plex and play pick-up basketball. That’s what we all did and it was such a big part of our routine while we were in college. Having fun and competing, probably getting in fights on the basketball court. It was a blast.”