Tuesday 23 March 2010

The Greatest Tiger-Cats of My Lifetime: #4

#4: Darren Flutie
Darren Flutie was one of the greatest WRs in the history of the CFL, let alone in the history of the Hamilton Tiger-Cats. Flutie's accomplishments are numerous. He was a 3-time All Star (though only once for the Tiger-Cats, in 1999), he was a member of the 1999 Grey Cup Championship team, and upon his retirement, he was the CFL's all-time leader in receptions (a record that has since been eclipsed by Terry Vaughn). Darren Flutie was inducted into the CFL Hall of Fame in 2007 and was voted as one of the 50 Greatest Players in CFL History (#50) in 2006.

Flutie's arrival in Steeltown in 1998 marked a turn for the franchise. Following a dismal 1997, a season which saw the Cats finish a horrendous 2-16, change was inevitable. It was a triumvirate of former Eskimos that brought the Tiger-Cats back to the top of the CFL. Those former Eskimos were Head Coach Ron Lancaster, QB Danny McManus and WR Darren Flutie. With those three at the helm, the Tiger-Cats saw an immediate improvement. In 1998 they reached the Grey Cup, losing to Calgary, and in 1999 they returned the favour by beating the Stamps. Darren Flutie was instrumental in those appearances.

Based mostly on those first two seasonz, where he helped to restore the roar, Flutie finds a place in the Top 10. I know some will say that his ranking is too low, but he comes in at #4 on my list.

PREVIOUS: Rocky DiPietro (#5)

No comments:

Post a Comment