Johany Jutras/CFL.ca
This Saturday, the Tiger-Cats will celebrate the 10th anniversary of the 1999 Grey Cup championship team. Ticats.ca spoke to several members of that team to discuss their memories of the 1999 season that ended with a 32-21 victory over the Calgary Stampeders in the Grey Cup final.
By Brian Snelgrove
In his fourth championship appearance, Darren Flutie was pure magic.
The Hamilton slot back (1998-2002) hauled in six passes for 109 yards and a pair of touchdowns as the Tiger-Cats prevailed in the 87th edition of the Grey Cup classic.
“This was my fourth Cup and I hadn’t really had a big game up to that point,” says the former Ticat great. “It was my first 100 yard receiving game in a Grey Cup, plus the two touchdowns. It felt good to have a big game.”
Flutie’s fondest personal memory of the game is his second touchdown scored early in the fourth quarter. “In the corner, double-covered, Danny (McManus) had the confidence that I could go and get it and I did. That really sealed the deal for us,” he said.
“I think to a man we thought we had outplayed Calgary in ‘98 and had a lot of confidence from day one at training camp,” Flutie adds. “In ’99 we put it all together. Most teams that win championships have great chemistry. More than anything else that is what made us champions. We had a great bunch of guys and it was extra special with Lancaster as coach. We were very strong defensively and had two good running backs in Archie Amerson and Ron Williams; great receivers like Mike Morreale and Andrew Grigg and outstanding defensive players like Calvin Tiggle, Joe Montford, Orlondo Steinauer, Gerald Vaughn and Mike Philbrick.”
Flutie came to Hamilton as a free agent, following many outstanding seasons with both B.C. (1991-95) and Edmonton (1996-97). He was coaxed along by new head coach and CFL legend Ron Lancaster as well as quarterback Danny McManus. “They both convinced me that Hamilton was the place to go,” says Flutie.
Flutie would set the Tiger-Cat single season reception record with 98 catches in 1998. Four times in his Hamilton stint he had more than 1,000 yards receiving. He ranks fifth in career receiving yardage for the Ticats (5,796) and is fourth all-time with 405 receptions.
In the Ticats Grey Cup season he led the team with 84 receptions for 1,155 yards and seven touchdowns. Flutie was named a CFL all-star for the third time.
He retired following the 2002 season and served as an analyst on CBC for CFL games from 2002-06.
Like his older brother Doug, Flutie attended Boston College, and currently lives in Natick, Massachusetts. He is a partner in Artherx, an orthopedic supply distribution company located in nearby Boston. Married with two children, he keeps busy coaching baseball and basketball. Flutie follows the fortunes of the Ticats and keeps in touch with many of his former teammates.
“I’m hoping to get my son back up there for a Labour Day Classic,” he says. “I always appreciated it when the retired players came back.”
Darren Flutie’s outstanding 12 year CFL career culminated in his induction into the CFL Hall of Fame in 2007.
