Legendary quarterback Doug Flutie left speechless as Pat McCarthy returns his long lost 1985 Cotton Bowl jacket after 32 years

Last week, legendary quarterback Doug Flutie was shocked to find his 1985 Cotton Bowl jacket missing for more than three decades, finally returned to him by a woman. Right before Flutie left for "Doug Flutie Night" at Campanelli Stadium in Brockton, Massachusetts, Thursday, August 24, 2023, He was given the coat by a local neighbor who had been preserving it from 1993.

Doug Flutie stunned as Pat McCarthy hands back iconic jacket in Brockton

NBC Boston cameras captured the emotional scene outside Campanelli Stadium. As Doug Flutie arrived at the ballpark for the Brockton Rox baseball event, a reporter told him someone had a gift. When McCarthy unzipped the case and showed him the jacket, Flutie was speechless.“Oh my goodness,” the 1984 Heisman Trophy winner said with wide eyes. When McCarthy told him it was his to keep, he immediately hugged her and asked, “Are you kidding me?”

Doug Flutie explained that the maroon Cotton Bowl jackets were very rare.

“I know my father-in-law and my father had one, and obviously I was given one at one point. Stuff disappeared over the years,” he said, still surprised to see it again.The jacket was originally awarded to Flutie after he led Boston College to victory over the Houston Cougars in the 1985 Cotton Bowl, capping off his famous college career.

Pat McCarthy explains how she kept Doug Flutie’s jacket for three decades

Pat McCarthy later revealed the story behind the jacket. Back in 1993, her son, who played football at Colby College, came home from a party at Tufts University with the jacket in hand.

She immediately knew it did not belong to her family.Also Read: NFL Schedule: Season Kicks Off September 4 With Must See Games“I found it and I said, ‘Oh, that doesn’t belong to us,’ so I put it in that bag and I’ve been trying to figure out how to get it to him,” McCarthy said. She added that she never wanted to hand it to someone else, she wanted to return it personally to Flutie.When she saw he was scheduled to appear in Brockton, she brought the jacket with her grandson to make the handover at the perfect time. “I’ve had it all these years. When I saw he was going to be here, I said, ‘Our perfect opportunity,’” she explained.Pat McCarthy thought the jacket could have been connected to Doug Flutie's Heisman Trophy victory in 1984, which he won only a week after throwing his infamous "Miracle in Miami," a "Hail Mary" pass to defeat the Miami Hurricanes. With stints at the Chicago Bears, New England Patriots, Buffalo Bills, and San Diego Chargers, Doug Flutie went on to play 12 NFL seasons. Before he concluded his New England career. But he was most touched by the comeback of his original jacket, even after a great pro career.