Week 1 - 1985: NJ Generals vs Birmingham Stallions [Flutie's 1st Game]

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• published: 18 Dec 2013
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1985 Week 1 - Sunday, February 24, 1985 Attendance: 34,785, TV: ABC [Note: If you want to skip all the pregame analysis the game starts at the 8:25 minute mark] Doug Flutie, fresh from Boston College where he set NCAA passing marks, looked anything but ready for the pro ranks as he misfired on his first nine passes, with two being intercepted. It wasn't until late in the third quarter that the $7 million QB collected his first completion, a 6-yard pass to Clarence Collins. By then, Birmingham had built a 31-7 lead on their way to a 38-28 victory over New Jersey. Stallions quarterback finished 21-for-33 for 220 yards and three scores. He also ran nine times for 65 yards. The game at Birmingham was tied 7-7 when Joe Cribbs scored from the 2 with 19 seconds left in the first half. The Stallions scored 17 straight points in the third period before Flutie found his stride. He wound up with 12 completions in 27 attempts for 189 yards and was picked off three times. He did hurl a pair of fourth-quarter touchdown passes. In 1985 Trump went after one of the most sought after college football players that year. Doug Flutie was supposed to be the successor to then NJ Generals starting QB Brian Sipe but Sipe was traded a week before the Generals preseason game against Orlando thus Flutie was thrown into the fire without the benefit of having a mentor to guide him. Some say it was Donald himself who ordered head coach Walt Michaels to trade Sipe and put Flutie as a starter in a marketing scheme to help sell tickets. Whether true or not despite a slow start and a broken collarbone, Flutie threw for 2,109 yards with 13 TDs and 14 picks and scrambled for 465 yards and six touchdowns, a decent first season considering the pressure he was under. Source: http://www.oursportscentral.com/usfl/history.htm