American Football · 1984 · Miami, USA
Hail Flutie
A 5-foot-9 college quarterback throws a desperation 48-yard pass as time expires to beat the defending national champions, a single play that helped decide that year's Heisman Trophy.
Boston College 47-45 Miami
Result
48 yards
Pass distance
6 seconds
Time remaining
Boston College trailed the defending national champion Miami Hurricanes 45-41 in the closing seconds of a back-and-forth game at the Orange Bowl on 23 November 1984, a Thanksgiving weekend television showcase for both teams' Heisman Trophy contenders, Doug Flutie of Boston College and Miami's Bernie Kosar.
With six seconds left and the ball on Miami's 48-yard line, Flutie took the snap, rolled right away from the rush, and heaved the ball as far as he could toward the end zone. Receiver Gerard Phelan came down with it in a crowd of three Miami defenders for the winning touchdown as the clock expired.
The 47-45 win was broadcast nationally and instantly entered college football lore as the Hail Flutie play. Two weeks later Flutie, at 5-foot-9 among the shortest major-college quarterbacks of his era, won the Heisman Trophy, and the throw remains the signature highlight of one of the sport's most improbable star careers.
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