Flutie's berth in Hall of Fame is well-deserved.

Byline: Fred Sullivan 

COLUMN: SPORTS RAP

Read an article in The Boston Globe recently concerning the induction of Doug Flutie of Boston College into the College Football Hall of Fame, on the campus of Notre Dame University. My only question is, what the heck took you guys so long? Doug Flutie, No. 22 in your hearts, was the single most exciting athlete to compete in the New England region in my lifetime, and an individual who turned an excellent Jesuit school into one of America's most highly regarded institutions of higher learning. From fall 1981 to the Cotton Bowl of 1985, the dazzling quarterback from Natick electrified the American sports landscape with a brand of football and excitement that has seldom been seen by the American public.

This writer has been a sports fanatic since his childhood of the late 1940s and 1950s, and luckily I have had an opportunity to observe some of the most brilliant careers in the annals of American sport, and Flutie's B.C. years might have been the most exhilarating of all. I remember lying in bed listening to WTAG on the radio as Bob Cousy led the Holy Cross Crusaders to thrilling victory after thrilling victory in places including Madison Square Garden and beyond. Then there were those trips to Fenway Park on the old F&L buses to watch Ted Williams hit majestic home runs into the center-field bleachers while the 1950s Red Sox struggled. Then there was the Impossible Dream Summer of 1967 when Yaz led a bunch of kids named Boomer, Tony C., Lonny, Rico and Mike Andrews to the American League pennant and created what we now call Red Sox Nation. Was anybody ever better than Yaz in September 1967?

Russell and the Celtics were amazing as they dominated the NBA for nearly a decade and a half in the 1950s and 1960s, and Bobby Orr was a shooting star who we watched religiously on Channel 38 as the Big Bad Bruins captured New England's heart and two Stanley Cups. And then there was No. 33 from French Lick, Indiana, who brought an excitement to the Garden unseen since Bob Cousy threw his last behind-the-back pass in the early 1960s. Larry Bird was everything that a basketball player was not supposed to be, but he brought magic to New England with his hustle, magnificent shooting and passing and a will to win surpassed by few.

And finally there has been the Boston Red Sox of 2004 and 2007 led by Pedro, Big Papi, the Shill and his bloody socks, Manny being Manny, Cowboy Up, Johnny Damon, Dave Roberts' steal and Papelbon. Many of us have lived to see our lifelong dream fulfilled by this merry band, led by Tito and his captain Jason Varitek. The comeback against the Yankees in 2004 led by Big Papi's clutch hitting will be remembered with glee by today's teenagers when they are grandparents, but the Red Sox triumph was truly a team effort, and not the effort of any one individual. The same can be said for the repeat in 2007.

That gets me back to Doug Flutie. Boston College under "Cowboy Jack" Bicknell had excellent players in Steve DiOssie, Troy Stratford, Mike Ruth, Brian Breenan, Gerard Phelan, Kelvin Martin and that offensive line, but Flutie was the magic man, and you really had to see him play. Luckily I did.

After an amazing debut against Penn State that the Eagles lost, something like 55-31, Joe Paterno said that he had been terrified by B.C.'s freshman quarterback as he moved the Eagles up and down the field against the Nittany Lions. That was just for starters, as Doug began to establish his legend at B.C. against the likes of Texas A&M, Notre Dame, North Carolina and Syracuse. Friends suggested that I look into purchasing tickets for Doug's junior campaign, which would feature games against Bear Bryant's Alabama Crimson Tide, Pittsburgh and Clemson.

Best move I ever made! Twelve tickets to watch the creation of a legend. Game two of the 1983 season found Doug Flutie facing defending national champion Clemson Tiger at a sweltering field at The Heights. At halftime the Clemson defense had frustrated the Eagles. Led by William "The Refrigerator" Perry, the Tigers led 13-3 and their fans with tiger paws on their faces were calling Flutie overrated.

After a long field goal by Clemson early in the second half, giving the Tigers a 16-3 lead, Doug Flutie unleashed his magic. Scrambling all over the field, he launched bullets to his wide receivers, and touch passes to his running backs as the Eagles mounted their comeback. Soon the Clemson trainers were hauling the "Refrigerator" off the field; the big guy was suffering from exhaustion as B.C. roared to a 31-16 victory, and the legend began to expand by leaps and bounds.

For the next two seasons, Boston College was the "greatest show on the earth" in the world of college football, as Doug Flutie dazzled America. Everyone, except for West Virginia, fell before the magic of the 5-foot 9-inch wizard, who would scramble all over the field before unleashing a dart some 30 or 40 yards downfield. Sorry, Coz, Larry, Yaz and Big Papi; this little guy was the most unbelievable athlete I ever saw.

Then came Doug Flutie's Heisman Trophy season in fall 1984. Everyone points to the "Miracle in Miami" when trying to explain why Doug was selected as college football's finest in his senior season.

But they are wrong - Doug had the trophy wrapped up well before that miracle bomb to his college roommate, Gerard Phelan. His senior season, which began with a victory over Bear Bryant in Alabama, was so amazing that he would have been a nearly unanimous choice even without that miracle game. Not a bad job by an unwanted quarterback who entered B.C after they had gone winless in 1980. Doug Flutie made an afternoon in the crowd more exciting than the circus, and more thrilling than the roller coaster ride at Whalom Park.

Last week while skimming through the pages of The Boston Globe, I came upon the obituary of Bob Margarita of Medford High, Brown University and Stoneham. That immediately explained something about a local legendary football program.

From the late 1980s to the mid-1990s, the North Middlesex Patriots under head coach Sandy Ruggles, had one of the amazing stretches of football excellence ever achieved in Central Massachusetts history. The epic battles between the Patriots and the FHS Red Raiders were the stuff of local football legend, and unfortunately for this FHS partisan, the Patriots usually came out on top.

One consistent for those Patriot squads was the presence along the sidelines of Sandy's first assistant, John Margarita. Whenever one talked to Coach Ruggles about the success of his football program, he was always quick to give praise to his coaching staff, particularly John Margarita. As I read the account of Bob Margarita's career, I could see why his son, John, was so highly thought of in the Central Massachusetts' coaching fraternity. He inherited the right stuff.

In 1945, as the NFL players were slowly returning from World War II, Bob Margarita was the NFL's third leading for the famed Chicago Bears of Coach George Halas, and things looked bright. But a life-threatening illness to his first son, Bobby, called Margarita home to be with his wife and family. So he returned to the Boston area and became an assistant coach at Harvard. In 1949 and 1950, Coach Margarita was a highly successful football coach at Georgetown University, defeating both Holy Cross and Boston College twice, but then the Jesuit fathers decided to discontinue Hoya football. He took assistant jobs at Yale and Boston University before becoming a successful coach at Stoneham High.

Bob was a member of the Medford High, Brown University, Stoneham High and Massachusetts Football Coaches Hall of Fame. He served as the equipment manager for Stoneham High for nearly 30 years, retiring in 2002 at age 82. Coach, history teacher and wonderful human being were titles that he could claim. Sorry for your loss, John, but you were extremely lucky to have had such a wonderful and honorable man as your father.