It's hard to believe Doug Flutie is only 43 years old. Throughout his collegiate and professional football career, which officially ended Monday when he announced his retirement, Flutie has always played with the energy and enthusiasm of someone half his age. Perhaps Flutie seemed so young because of his slight frame. Generously listed at 5'10", 180 lbs., Doug Flutie is the smallest professional quarterback I have ever seen. What Flutie lacked in size, however, he made up for in willpower and heart. To Doug Flutie, no play was ever dead. There was always a Plan B, and if Plan B didn't work, he would make up Plan C on the fly. It is a shame that fans in the United States were robbed of seeing Doug Flutie compete while he was in his prime. I remember watching a CFL game on ESPN in around 1993 or 1994. I was 11 or 12 years old at the time, and was too young to remember seeing Flutie's exploits at Boston College or with the New England Patriots. From the first instant I saw Flutie on the field, I could tell there was something different about him. I had seen other great players playing in the more-competitive NFL, but Doug Flutie captured my imagination in a way few professional athletes ever have. During that game, I asked my father why Flutie didn't make it in the NFL the first time around. He told me, "Because 28 NFL teams were too dumb to take a chance on the greatest college quarterback of all time." From that September day forward, I have been a huge Doug Flutie fan. Needless to say, I was ecstatic when the Patriots signed Flutie to a contract to back up Tom Brady. Although the my brain told me that Brady was the right man to lead the Pats, a small part of me secretly wanted to see Brady get hurt so Flutie could have one more moment in the sun. His moment happened in Week 17 last season, although I never imagined Doug Flutie's last NFL play would be a drop kick extra point. Even given the circumstances, I was thrilled to see Flutie get a chance to make history one last time. I believe I speak for the majority of football fans when I say Doug Flutie was a one of a kind quarterback. He provided so many memories to so many fans over the years. Thank you Doug, and good luck in your retirement.