During Doug Flutie’s tenure with the the Buffalo Bills from 1998-2000, he came up with the idea of creating a breakfast cereal named after himself that could help raise money for his fledgling charity, Doug Flutie Jr. Foundation for Autism.
To say it was a tremendous success would be an understatement, as 2.3 million boxes of Flutie Flakes were sold. Now, the cereal will make its return 20 years after it became a phenomenon, especially in Western New York.
“I was surprised it did what it did when it did it,” Flutie told ESPN on Monday. “Then we came out with a 10th anniversary and those did OK, did fairly well. Then they started talking 20th anniversary and I’m like, ‘We’re pushing this, aren’t we?'”
The re-release of “Flutie Flakes” coincidentally arrives at the same time the legendary quarterback is paying a visit to Buffalo for the first time in years. Flutie will be honored as a “Legend of the Game” when the Bills host the Baltimore Ravens this Sunday at New Era Field.
“I haven’t been back to Buffalo, really, for anything football-related, in 20 years,” Flutie said. “I’ve gone to Jim Kelly’s golf tournament, hung out, done a couple things, but it’s really cool to be asked to come back 20 years later.”
Flutie originally came up with the Flutie Flakes concept two decades ago after a conversation with Jim Kelly that revolved around the Bills legend’s own foundation, Hunter’s Hope. Flutie actually used his $25,000 signing bonus from the Bills to help launch the Doug Flutie Jr. Foundation for Autism and later came up with the Flutie Flakes concept.
In the wake of the enormous success of Flutie Flakes, several NFL stars, including Patrick Mahomes and Jason Witten, have launched their own breakfast cereals, with some of the proceeds going to their respective charitable endeavors.
Flutie Flakes will be sold online and at a Buffalo-area grocery store chain. A portion of the proceeds will benefit Flutie’s foundation.
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