This week I decided to do a little research over Doug Flutie and "The Flutie Effect" after watching a YouTube clip in class of the Hail Mary pass with one second on the clock. The link to the YouTube video can be found by clicking here: Flutie Effect.
Just a little history on arguably the single greatest play in college football of all time: Doug Flutie was the quarterback for Boston College in a 1984 game versus the University of Miami. In the final minutes of a very back and forth game, Miami drove to score and lead Boston College 45-41. The last play by Boston College began with six seconds on the clock and ended with Doug Flutie throwing that famous pass for a BC touchdown and the game! That play sealed the deal for Flutie and he went on to win the Heisman that year. After college, Flutie went on to bigger and better things and ultimately became known as a sports hero. (www.dougflutie.info)
Everything I just said is pretty much what everyone already knows. What most people do not know is who that Hail Mary pass was caught by in the middle of three defenders. His name is Gerard Phelan. I looked all over the internet for more information on Phelan, but frankly, there isn't very much. I found that he was drafted by the New England Patriots in 1985 in the fourth round but a serious knee injury ended his NFL career before it really even got started. I think that is probably the reason we don't hear very much about Phelan or why it doesn't seem as significant to know who caught that ball. Doug Flutie went on to play professional football and was very well known, and that's why we remember him.
Another thing that we touched on in class was that the applications for admission to Boston College increased drastically by 30% the following year after that very dramatic game. After a little research I found that this is sometimes referred to as the "Flutie Factor." This basically means that a University can significantly increase the recognition and value of a school if it has a winning sports team. The authenticity to this claim is something i'm not so sure of. Yes, BC's applications increased following that memorable game, but I found research stating that BC "in the previous decade had embarked on a program to build national enrollment using market research, a network of alumni volunteers, strategically allocated financial aid, and improvements to residence halls and academic facilities, says John Maguire '61, Ph.D.'66. (http://bcm.bc.edu/issues/spring_2003/ll_phenomenology.html) Because of this information, I have trouble believing that admissions to BC was solely because of that game, however, it is possible I suppose!
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I think the reciever that flutie threw the ball to should have recieved just as much press. Anyway, I think the Flutie Effect does help with admissions, because when you win a championship your school's name is all over ESPN and tv in general. Not to mention the weeks preceding the game several schools are getting press. So basically eveytime these schools are mentioned on tv and shirts are sold in stores, it is an advertisement for the school; therefore, more people will be interested in those particular schools. I think it mainly is related to advertising.
ReplyDeleteYou found some great information to supplement what we talked about in class. Several people were trying to find the name of the receiver and I did not know the answer to that, so thanks for sharing that it was Gerard Phelan. I do remember watching that game and remembered it being a back and forth game, so that was an apt description of it.
ReplyDeleteAs for your research that found other factors that may have contributed to the increased number of applications to BC, I found that interesting as well. I know that many scholars have refuted the validity of claims that enrollments rise when teams have success such as occurred in this game. But I never thought that scholars had come to a consensus. Certainly if BC was doing a number of other things to boost enrollment, it would not have hurt to have that dramatic game to "seal the deal" with anyone who was undecided. I agree with your observation that the game was not likely to be the sole factor in bumping the enrollment figures. But it may have seemed significant in light of the dramatic increase in enrollment.