Norwich University

Flannery was a four-year member of the football team, concluding his career with an outstanding senior season that saw him named to the Vermont All-State Collegiate Team on both offense and defense. As a senior, he led the team in rushing and scored three touchdowns. On defense, he totaled 16 tackles with five pass breakups and one interception on his way to winning team MVP honors. 

"Bob Priestly told me, if you come here, you will play all the football that you want," Flannery said. "I drove out the gate after that conversation and thought about how he was the only one that was that direct and I knew that Norwich was the place for me." 

Flannery recalled the games against the University of Vermont being the most intense games he played at Norwich. 

"Every game against the University of Vermont was huge," Flannery said. "We lost heartbreakers to UVM my last two years. I scored a touchdown my senior year in a game up there to put us ahead. We kicked the extra point, made it, but then were penalized. We missed the next kick so we were only up 6-0. With around 1:30 to go in the game we punted to UVM's Dicky Hebert and he returned it 40 yards for a touchdown to put them ahead 7-6. We drove the ball down the field after I caught a screen pass from Al Moskol, but Hebert came out of nowhere and tackled me. We ended up missing what would have been the game winning field goal as time expired." 

After graduating from Norwich, Flannery went into the U.S. Army for two years and served in Germany. He returned to the U.S. and was a teacher at Fort Knox High School for three years where he also coached football. He was then recruited by the FBI and served for 12 years, with six of those on the FBI Swat Teamin undercover operations. He then returned to coaching, opening a gymnastic training center in Hanover, Pa. that he operated for 15 years with his wife, Linda Ann.