Doug Flutie Headlines Inside the Huddle Banquet April 17
MELBOURNE, Fla. – Heisman Trophy winner Doug Flutie will be the guest speaker at the second Inside the Huddle banquet, hosted by President and CEO Anthony J. Catanese on Wednesday, April 17 at 6:30 p.m. at the Clemente Center on the Florida Tech campus. The event, which includes a 5:45 p.m. cocktail reception, is sponsored by Mercedes-Benz, Porsche, Audi of Melbourne.
Raised in nearby Melbourne Beach, Flutie played 12 seasons in the National Football League, eight seasons in the Canadian Football League and one season in the United States Football League. He was a six-time CFL Most Outstanding Player Award recipient, a six-time CFL All-Star, named NFL Comeback Player of the Year and played in the 1999 Pro Bowl.
He won three Grey Cup Championships in the CFL and was selected MVP in each of the championship games. In 2006, he was voted the best CFL player of all time by The Sports Network (TSN). He is a member of the Canadian Football, Canada’s Sports and College Football Hall of Fames.
Flutie is famously known for his Hail Mary pass that led Boston College to a 47-45 victory over the University Miami in the 1984 Orange Bowl. He received several awards for his performance that season, including the Heisman Trophy and the Walter Camp Player of the Year Award. He went on to graduate from Boston College with degrees in communications and computer science.
Following his playing career, he has served as a color analyst and in-studio analyst for ABC, ESPN College Football and NBC. Most recently, he was an analyst for NBC Sports Network’s coverage of Super Bowl XLVI.
Flutie remains active in the community with the Doug Flutie Jr. Foundation for Autism named after his son, who was diagnosed with autism at three years old. Its primary objective is to provide families with a place to turn when they are in need of support and autism resources.
Doug and his wife Laurie started raising funds for autism in 1998 and established the foundation in 2000. Since 1998, they have helped raise over $13 million dollars for autism. The Foundation in partnership with Hewlett Packard has also donated hundreds of computers to underprivileged families of children with autism and their school districts in New England and New York.
FIT head football coach Steve Englehart will also speak at the event about the Panthers as they prepare for their first season this fall.
Football season tickets will be available for purchase at the event. FIT is scheduled to play six home games in its inaugural season this fall at Palm Bay High School’s Pirate Stadium. The Panthers will play their first-ever game on Saturday, Sept. 7 at 7 p.m. against Stetson University at Pirate Stadium. To view their complete schedule, visit FloridaTechSports.com.
Reservations for the dinner can be made online at give.fit.edu/InsidetheHuddle or by contacting Christiana Greene at cgreene@fit.edu or 321-674-8428. The cost is $100 per person. Corporate tables of eight can be purchased for $750.
Business attire is required. The RSVP deadline has been extended to Monday, April 15.
Event Tickets: http://give.fit.edu/insidethehuddle
Famous Hail Mary Pass: http://youtu.be/q3ykWbu2Gl0
