1950s Decade In Review

1950s Decade In Review Part 1 - Team Performance Rankings and All-Decade Teams (10-6)

**DISCLAIMER: Looking back there are several mistakes in the graphics, so some stats may be slightly off

To kick off the decade in review for the 1950s (plus 1949), I have compiled records and achievements for each team and have ranked them 1-10 in terms of their performance. I have then put together All-Decade teams for each club. They are comprised of 10 players that defined the franchise over the decade (except for Louisville and Indiana who have 5 for their shorter history). I will run through teams 10 through 6 to start today, and then I’ll go through the rest later. 

So to kick things off here are...well the most recent expansion teams. 

10 - Indiana Victors (1957-1959)
The Victors’ short history has been quite all over the place, with a couple of decent seasons considering their expansion team status, but the 1959 season showed their issues and they fell to 2-10. It is really hard to differentiate them from the Thunder due to both team’s short history, but with Louisville making the playoffs, Indy slips to 10 on the list. 

All-Decade Team
The top players are a mix of young talented prospects and a couple of notable veterans, RB Rodney Clark has been the key to the offence in the last two seasons, while DL William Sanderson and DB Kelly Kirkland look to be great young talents on the defence. Both DB Lester Murphy and RB Laurent Brazeau had some strong moments in their short time with the Victors. Brazeau also scored the first-ever touchdown for the franchise.  

9 - Louisville Thunder (1957-1959)
It's a lot of the same as the Victors for the Thunder over their early years, however, their first two seasons were a lot worse than the Victors. It was their playoff appearance this season that gets them over the hump to slide into the 9th spot, but the two teams are so close, that really it could be called a tie.  

All-Decade Team
The Thunder have an interesting team with a pair of young stars in QB Leonidas Dumont and S Johnny Berger, a veteran and first captain OL Aaron Spears, and then two defensive pillars in LB Silas O’Brien and DB Alexander Bradley. Bradley is the only player to have only played on a team for only the 1959 season and make an All-Decade squad. 

8 - London Tigers (1958-1959), Ontario Tigers (1953-1957), Toronto Tigers (1949-1952)
Two relocations and several collapses have made the Tigers a very tough team to follow. They kicked off the decade being one of the worst teams, but the development of RB Laurent Brazeau, DB Louie White, LB Aengus Lynch, and the addition of QB Duane Logan helped the Tigers climb out of the basement. However, they would be met with season after season of just barely missing the playoffs. It would take trading Logan, White and Brazeau for the team to finally make the playoffs under QB Christian Stewart in 1956. All while this was happening, the Tigers moved into Kitchener for a few years, before finding a new home in London, ON. With the new home, the tigers would take off with the acquisition of QB Riley Kiernan and a younger core. They have been in the hunt the last two seasons and finally made it to the big game this past year. 

All-Decade Team
The Tigers All-Decade team is made up of players from their two strong eras so far, with the most recent London core, and the Ontario core that they had through a lot of the ‘50s. Both QB Duane Logan and QB Riley Kiernan show up here as both have made a significant impact on the team during their time starting. RB Laurent Brazeau is probably the most obvious choice here being the face of the team during their Ontario years. RB Clifford Russell has taken over for the top RB in recent years and has performed quite well earning him a spot. WR Wilbert Benjamin has been one of the longest-serving players on the team and easily was a shoo-in for the All-Decade team. Captain LB Aengus Lynch has been the top-dog on defence with DB Louie White, DL Dee Floyd, and DL Olympus Heights being key pieces as well. OL Ulysses Fairgrove has been a strong consistent piece on the line since being drafted earning the final spot on the team. 

7 - Worcester Athletics (1951-1959)
The difference between the Athletics and the Tigers is simply Worcester’s division title in 1956. It was a rough start for the Athletics due to being an early expansion team, but they would build up to be a competitive team by the mid-’50s led by QB Riley Kiernan and defensive stars LB Scotty Williams and DB Alexander Bradley. With the additions of DB Lester Murphy and LB Silas O’Brien, the team was able to take the top spot in the league in a 9-1, 1956 campaign in honour of their late owner Richard Paul. They would go all the way to OT in the McCallister Cup only to fall to the Royals on the last play. Unfortunately, the Athletics have not been able to replicate their strong season, and have lost many of the players from that season with internal issues coming to light. The team is in a rough spot, but some success puts them at #7. 

All-Decade Team
Many of the players come from the successful ‘56 season. which was led by QB Riley Kiernan, RB Marcus Devonshire, and WR Christian Venegas on the offensive side. OL Cliff Strautzenberger was a big help on the line as well and WR Clyde McIntosh, the only player from the team before their NAAF debut, being a strong presence in the WR core. The defence is packed with LB Scotty Williams and DB Alexander Bradley who are arguable the best at each of their positions, and even DL Vinny Brown and S Shawn Jensen who have helped to strengthen the defence. OL Malachi Knowles also sneaks onto the team being a hometown hero and the teams’ first true leader. 

6 - Long Island Raiders/Hawks (1954-1959), Hartford Hawks (1949-1953)
The years of the Hawks will not be fondly remembered by the Long Island franchise. Every inch of success had come since the team rebranded as the Long Island Raiders in 1955. Before that, the Hawks didn’t come close to a winning season or a playoff appearance. Bad drafting, most specifically the bust of QB Lee Rogers and RB Pierre LeStrange in 1953, and management decisions led to the eventual move to Long Island which also started terribly with a 0-10 campaign. However, with Wayne Tillman taking the reins of the management office, the Raiders managed to get to the McCallister Cup the next year. The continued building would ultimately earn the Raiders a championship in 1958.  

All-Decade Team
Almost the entire all-decade team is made up of current players from the recent success of the franchise. The headliners are of course primarily on the defensive side with the Raiders becoming something like the Rouge of old. DL Vernon Spears, LB Elijah Goldwater, and of course LB Rusty McVee make up the juggernauts of the defence. DB Slay Mitchell has also come on in recent years and become one of the better DBs in the league. Offensively, the team has bright young stars in QB Lyle Painter, OL Bruce Wesley, and RB Dareion Fields. Fields being especially interesting to make the team, considering only playing two seasons at this point. Veteran WR Robert Lang also gets in being a long-serving WR for the team. As for the Hartford days, DL Sean Bowen and K Thomas McFadden (the only kicker on any of the teams) make the squad as two of the few bright spots in the team’s old days. 

5 - Providence Gold Stars (1949-1959)
The Gold Stars have been interesting over the first decade of the NAAF. They have come through with the second-best overall record in the league with a 0.580 win percentage, however, they have not had the success once the regular season has come to a close. The team has only 3 playoff wins in their 9 playoff appearances, which has still gotten them to two McCallister Cups, but have not been able to win the big game. This is all despite the team being led by two MVP winning QBs in Bruce Woodard and Connor O’Rourke, and defensive superstar DB Lee Wolfe over the decade. It’s not the ideal legacy, but they have certainly been competitive and kept their name in the hat year-after-year which is not something to just throw away. 

All-Decade Team
The all-decade team is made up of several stars over the years, with the aforementioned QBs Bruce Woodard and Connor O’Rourke leading the way. Both QBs had success under centre and have both proven to be top QBs in the league. DB Lee Wolfe has been the team’s superstar since the league began to play in 1949 with DB Victor Bean being his partner in crime along the way. The past has had two big LBs in Samuel Grimes and Roger Morrow which have both been a bit under the radar over their time in the league. DL Calias McDonough has been the young star in the defence coming through as a strong DL over his first few years in the league. The team also has some strong WRs of the past with WR Peter Brooks and WR Eugene Burns who have both had their moments in the spotlight next to one of the few TEs to make an all-decade team in TE Marion Warren.

4 - Montreal Rouge (1949-1959)
The ‘50s were a tale of two very different teams from Montreal. They started the decade off being easily the second-best team, just behind Boston. They had the scariest defence and a superstar RB that would tear up other defences. They would find themselves in 3 out of the first 5 McCallister Cups and would win two of them. However, after early success, the Rouge collapsed into a rebuild. Since the 1954 campaign, the Rouge have not returned to the postseason, though coming close in the last couple of seasons. The early success is what shines brightest for Montreal, but as each season passes, and those years get further, the Rouge start to fall further down the list of the best teams in the league’s history. 

All-Decade Team

The past remains as the frontrunner in the grand scope of the Rouge’s history with 8 out of 10 players on the list having played back during the championship years. Only OL Eugésippe Chalifoux is still playing for the team and even he had a season in Providence. The long list of names starts with RB Élisée Marchal, who was the star of the team winning the first 3 MVP awards. OL Joshua Mercer and WR John Rivera are alongside Marchal on offence being two key pieces in the early titles. The defence, however, is the cream of the crop with 2-time Defensive Player of the Year LB Quinton Brewer, and the DL tag team in Napoléon Chevalier and Zakary Turbide. The former rookie of the year, LB Rusty McVee also enters the shortlist of players that made multiple teams with both the Rouge and Raiders. The team still sports a couple of young stars in RB Scott Mallard-White and DB Quentin Xavier who have both been playing to new heights every season. 

3 - Buffalo Blue Wings (1949-1959)
The Blue Wings started the decade as a young and talented team that had a lot of people thinking they were going to be a champion in the future. Those people were correct when the Blue Wings took their first-ever crown in 1952. It felt like the team would be able to continue to build on the title and continue to win, however, they ran into the Royals' dynasty. For several seasons, the Blue Wings could not get past Matieau and the Royals, and people started to say their championship window was closed or closing. With one final shot in 1957, the Blue Wings pulled off an 11-game win streak to take home the title and end the Royals cup streak at 3. The Blue Wings as a whole have been super competitive all decade, and certainly had opportunities to win more, but 2 titles is still something to be proud of.  

All-Decade Team
QB Angelo Medina will certainly have great importance in the league’s history after making the shocking move to leave the Pittsburgh Hammers and sign with the Buffalo Blue Wings. His time in Buffalo has been electrifying bringing home an offensive player of the year, and 2 championships. However, he could not have been as successful without RB Arthur Conner who was considered a late bloomer taking home 2 OPOY awards late in his career. The offence also had great pieces in WR Joseph Barry, OL Casey York and OL Jean Mathieu-Baptiste. On the defence, the leadership role fell under two different players who each had their own era to lead in. The first was DB Oscar Patterson, a hometown hero and creator of the winged helmet. The second was DL Sean Bowen, who landed in Buffalo in 1954 to try and bring home a title after his time in Hartford. Other stars of the defence were S Frazier Brooks, DB Lou Lake, and DL Jonathan Brown.  

2 - Boston Independents (1949-1959)
The Independents will be remembered for the legacy they had before joining the NAAF, but they carried some over into the early years of the decade. QB Larry Larson would still be able to lead the Independents to 5 of the first 6 McCallister Cup games in the NAAF's history. While they only won 2 of those games, they came close in every attempt. There were a couple of rough seasons following Larson’s retirement in 1954, but, unlike Montreal, they have found new success with younger talent. They have returned to a top 4 team status this season, and are entering a QB Nathaniel Braddock led era that looks promising for a return to the top of the league.

All-Decade Team
Legacy remains the theme for the all-decade team which is of course headlined by QB Larry Larson. They also have RB Joel Bonner and WR Samuel Floyd who were deadly weapons for Larson during those early seasons. OL Andrew Furrson was also a shoo-in for the list being a 10-time all-star. The Independents also had a solid defence back in the day being led by DL Craig Newman, DB Lester Murphy, and S Michael O’Brien. In more recent years, the team has shifted to a new start with LB Brent Harper who has quickly become one of the league’s best LBs and his young partner in crime, LB Konrad Aust, who has also found his footing on the defence. To round out the list was a long time overlooked WR in Ellis Lindholm who has finally shown his abilities since QB Nathaniel Braddock has joined the team. 

1 - Ottawa Royals (1949-1959)
There is no doubt that the Royals were the team of the 1950s. The team leads the league in every category that is mentioned here. The team has an overall record that is 0.148 better than the next best team. They have never had a sub-0.500 record, only missing the playoffs once with a 4-4-2 record in 1951. The big achievement has certainly been the league-high 4 championships and 6 straight trips to the McCallister Cup. The success will be often attributed to QB Jean Matieau, but the reality is that the Royals are a great team and they have continued to find success by drafting and developing their team into the powerhouse it is today. Many of their current stars are late 1st round picks or second-round picks. DL Olaf Viktorsson was taken 9th overall, WR Mackenzie Jones, 8th, DB Mingan Oliver, 14th, the list goes on. If they continue this, they will remain one of the best teams for years to come.  

All-Decade team
The all-decade team is full of current stars for the Royals, but you have to mention the two older era players that made the list. OL James Knowles was a consistent all-star on the line, but the bigger name is probably the league’s best WR of all time, WR Allen Atkins. In more recent years, the team has been led by QB Jean Matieau, who has already had the greatest QB of all-time label with still several more years to give. Matieau has had a lot of weapons as well with WRs Chester Bennett and Mackenzie Jones, RB Alexei Volkov, and TE Jervonte Howell. While defence has never been the Royals forte, they have 3 stars who have helped the team bring home their titles in DL Olaf Viktorsson, DB Uzzia Hayes, and DB Mingan Oliver.  

1950's Decade in Review - Part 3 - Awards and Championships history
I have the last part of the decade in review. I'll present the award winners of the '50s as Captain Mort 3D asked, and then threw together all the banners from the championship winners over the decade including a little summary of that season. 

Award Winners

Championship Winners 

1949 Boston Independents
Record: 7-1 (1st)
SF: VS. OTT 27-20
MC: VS. PRO 23-13
It was a dominant season for the Independents, who only lost one game all year which was the first the team had in many years prior. They would recover and go on to take home the first championship of the NAAF. 

1950 Boston Independents
Record: 5-2-1 (2nd)
SF: VS. OTT 30-26 OT
MC: @ MTL 10-16
Boston did not have as fantastic of a season in the second year, but they were able to top the league once again on the back of the first OT game in league history and a fake field goal in the McCallister Cup to win their second title. 

1951 Montreal Rouge
Record: 9-0-1 (1st North)
SF: VS. BUF 34-22
MC: VS. BOS 24-14
A huge trade that brought WR John Rivera and QB Oliver Callahan to the Rouge would give them an unbeaten record. The momentum from the season would finally get the Rouge over the top and win the title.

1952 Buffalo Blue Wings
Record: 6-4 (2nd North)
SF: @ OTT 31-34
MC: @ BOS 16-21 - Buffalo
A miraculous turnaround was the story for the ‘52 Blue Wings who started the season 0-3 before recovering to a 6-4 record and going through both the Royals and the Independents to claim the title. 

1953 Montreal Rouge
Record: 8-2 (1st North)
SF: VS. OTT 30-24
MC: @ PRO 14-22 - Providence
The Rouge flew under the radar with the Gold Stars cruising to a 9-1, but the Rouge had the Gold Stars number beating them in both games they played including the Championship in Providence. 

1954 Ottawa Royals
Record: 6-4 (2nd North)
SF: @ BUF 27-31
MC: @ BOS 23-27 - Ottawa
The Royals were unable to win in the playoffs over the first 5 seasons, but they finally broke through this season with back-to-back close playoff wins. They would take home the title on the back of an unreal WR Allen Atkins touchdown. 

1955 Ottawa Royals
Record: 9-1 (1st North)
SF: VS. BUF 28-11
MC: VS. LI 32-22 - Long Island
The Royals would continue their success into the next season with their franchise-best 9-1 record and dominating both the Blue Wings and the surprising Raiders to win their second straight title. 

1956 Ottawa Royals
Record: 8-2 (1st North)
SF: VS. ON 28-13
MC: @ WOR 27-33 OT - Worcester
The Royals continued their reign of terror with their third straight championship, taking down the powerful Athletics on a last-second trick play at the end of OT, where WR Mackenzie Jones tossed it back to QB Jean Matieau who would find WR Chester Bennett for the touchdown. 

1957 Buffalo Blue Wings
Record: 10-2 (1st West)
WDF: VS. LI 33-13
MC: VS. OTT 27-17 - Boston
The Blue Wings were counted out in the 1957 season as their championship window was coming to a close, but they came through winning 11 straight games to take home their second title in league history. 

1958 Long Island Raiders
Record: 7-5 (1st West)
WDF: VS. LDN 20-13
MC: @ OTT 24-27 - Indianapolis
The Long Island Raiders pulled off the miraculous upset in the McCallister Cup on the back of a stellar QB Lyle Painter led drive, on the last drive of the game. 

1959 Ottawa Royals
Record: 10-2 (1st East)
EDF: VS. BOS 28-13
MC: VS. LDN 27-21 - Montreal
After failing to win back-to-back McCallister Cups, especially during the 12-0 season, the Royals returned to the top in an odd season where 4 teams dominated the landscape. The win put a bow on the spectacular decade for the Royals who took home 4 titles. 

1959 Awards

1959 Award Winners 

Most Valuable Player - QB Riley Kiernan LDN
A comeback story for Kiernan, who threw only 4 touchdowns back in 1957. He tied the league lead with 24 this season and led the London Tigers to a franchise-best 10-2 record. Kiernan has been often overlooked when compared to other QBs like Jean Matieau, Connor O’Rourke, and Angelo Medina, but he has been one of the best players of the last decade and is being recognized for it this season. 

Playoff MVP - QB Riley Kiernan LDN
For the first time, a player that wasn’t on the championship-winning team will take home the playoff MVP. There was just something different about Kiernan’s play throughout all 3 of the Tigers’ games. He was the true difference-maker in each of them and got the Tigers just a player short of the title.  

Offensive Player of the Year - RB Dareion Fields LI
Dareion Fields has taken the league by storm in his first two seasons being the main engine in the Raiders’ offence. His ability to make people miss makes him lethal in the open field, and the blocking that the Raiders can provide opens up all the possibilities for him. Fields looks to be the next Marchal with his ability to blow up the field, he’s only getting started and should become great with more time.  

Defensive Player of the Year - DB Alexander Bradley LOU
Bradley made one of the biggest headlines this offseason in his move to Louisville, but the move seems to have reignited his career this season. He led the league in interceptions and was a big reason why the Thunder were able to sneak into the playoffs this season. 

Special Teams Player of the Year - K Henderson Schumacher LI
Schumacher continues to be a star kicker for the Raiders taking home his second straight award for special teams. His record high 108 points was a big reason that he got the award once again.  

Rookie of the Year  - WR Piers Key LOU
Piers Key was the 6th overall pick and came out with the Rookie of the Year over 1st overall pick DB Oliver Langstrom and 4th overall pick S Cal Clemmons. Key was looked at as the second-best WR coming into the draft, but he was the first to go off the board and Louisville seemed to know something that no one else did, and Key was able to put together a fantastic season and should be a strong player for the future of the Thunder.  

Coach of the Year - Roy Aguirre LDN
Aguirre had a rough season last year, being let go by the Gold Stars after a tough start, but he came back this year with a 10-2 season with the Tigers. His offensive tactics helped the Tigers’ offence rise up to the top of the league and show that they are a true threat in the NAAF.  

Breakout Player of the Year - QB Leonidas Dumont LOU
QBs seem to be the favourite to take home this award with Dumont being the 5th QB to take it home. Dumont had a slow start after being taken 1st overall in 1957. He backed up QB Ollie Rogers in his first year, but after taking over late in that season, Dumont has slowly shown his growth. He has now come through as a true starting QB in the NAAF and takes up the Breakout Player of the Year Award. 

1959 All-Stars
WEST DIVISION ALL-STARS
QB Riley Kiernan LDN - 3
RB Dareion Fields LI - 2
OL Jean Matieu-Baptiste BUF - 3
OL Ulyssess Fairgrove LDN - 2
OL Magnus Gunnersson LDN - 1
OL Elliot Winterbottom LI - 1
OL Bruce Wesley LI - 4
WR Max Sutton LDN - 1
WR Ben Roland LOU - 1
WR Robert Lang LI - 2
TE Christopher Gist LOU - 1

DL William Sanderson IND - 3
DL Vernon Spears LI - 3
DL Olympus Heights LDN - 2
DL Sean Bowen BUF - 10
LB Rusty McVee LI - 4
LB Aengus Lynch LDN - 6
LB Silas O'Brien LOU - 2
DB Alexander Bradley LOU - 5
DB Slay Mitchell LI - 4
DB Jackson Miles LDN - 1
S Frazier Brooks BUF - 4

K Henderson Schumacher LI - 2

EAST DIVISION ALL-STARS
QB Jean Matieau OTT - 5
RB Scott Mallard-White MTL - 2
OL Cliff Strautzenberger WOR - 5
OL Graham Chambers BOS - 1
OL Charlie Bennett OTT - 3
OL Maxence Castex MTL - 2
OL Andrew Furrson BOS - 10
WR Mackenzie Jones OTT - 2
WR Ellis Lindholm BOS - 3
WR Christian Venegas PRO - 3
TE Michael Bowman III PRO - 1

DL Calias McDonough PRO - 4
DL Olaf Viktorsson OTT - 6
DL Robin Hill BOS - 1
DL Zakary Turbide PRO - 5
LB Scotty Williams WOR - 8
LB Brent Harper BOS - 4
LB Konrad Aust BOS - 3
DB Quenton Xavier MTL - 4
DB Mingan Oliver OTT - 2
DB Lee Wolfe PRO - 10
S Jumon Cobb MTL - 1

K Maurice Lafayette OTT - 2

42nd McCallister Cup Host - Western Fair Stadium - London, ON - Capacity: 34,500
It was a pretty divisive vote for the Tigers’ new Western Fair Stadium to be the site of the 42nd McCallister Cup. The 34,500 seat stadium will be one of the smallest to host the game, but some expansion will likely be made to accommodate at least a few thousand more fans.  

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41st McCallister Cup

41st McCallister Cup 

Ottawa Royals VS. London Tigers - Mount Royal Stadium - October 4, 1959 - 6 PM ET - Weather: Partly Cloudy - 16ºC / 61ºF

1st Q
From the kick-off, it was clear this game was going to be about offence. The Royals would get the ball start, and QB Jean Matieau got the offence moving seamlessly down the field. The Tigers’ defence was in good coverage, but Matieau was able to find holes and got the ball to his receivers. The Royals would open the scoring on a 13-yard TD pass to WR Chester Bennett. The Tigers would not fall too far behind. QB Riley Kiernan would get the Tigers to the endzone a couple of drives later to tie the game up. He would hit WR Wilbert Benjamin open across the middle to score the touchdown. The quarter would come to an end with the game knotted at 7.
7-7 

2nd Q
The second quarter would continue as the first ended, with both teams trading shots, but it would be the Tigers' defence that would create some fireworks. QB Jean Matieau would feel the Tigers' D-line closing in on him and would step up to make a throw, but DL Dee Floyd would get a hand on the ball and pop it up. LB Aengus Lynch reacted quickly and got under the ball to reel in a pick. Kiernan would then take the field and look to lead the Tigers into the lead. Kiernan would throw an impressively accurate pass to WR Max Sutton, who was being tightly covered by DB Uzzia Hayes. Sutton would catch the ball and then reach out into the endzone for the score. 7-14 Tigers. The Royals would bounce back from the swing with another strong offensive drive. Matieau would get the Royals back to the endzone with a toss to WR Mackenzie Jones. Jones would make a tough catch with DB Jackson Miles all over him to score. The game would enter halftime tied at 14.
14-14 

3rd Q
The Royals’ defence would step up early in the third and would give the Tigers’ offence a bit of trouble. DL Olaf Viktorsson was causing a lot of issues in the Tigers’ backfield, grabbing a sack and 2 other tackles for losses on RB Clifford Russell. The Royals offence still kept clicking with a field goal to regain the lead early. The Tigers’ defence was still making it a bit tougher for Matieau and the Royals, but they would eventually find their way back into scoring range with the help of a fumble recovery from the defence caused by DL Troy Hunt. The Royals would inch towards the endzone with RB Alexei Volkov getting a few carries. Once at the 3-yard-line, Matieau would pull out the play action and fake it to Volkov before finding TE Jervonte Howell open for the touchdown to make it 24-14 heading into the final quarter of the game. 
24-14 OTT

4th Q
The Royals seemed to be in control going into the 4th, and they were able to maintain it. Even if the Tigers were able to slow down the Royals’ offence, they were still tipping the field position battle in their favour. They would eventually grab a field goal to extend the lead to 13. QB Riley Kiernan needed to get the Tigers’ offence going if the Tigers wanted any chance to win this game. He would be successful pulling together a meticulous drive that seemed to have the Royals backpedalling on every play. The poise that Kiernan showed, got the rest of the Tigers into it. They would get into the redzone and Kiernan would toss it to WR Wilbert Benjamin, who found some open space to pull the Tigers back to within 6. The Royals would simply look to kill some time, and they did a pretty good job of it before the Tigers finally forced a punt just before midfield. The Tigers would get the ball back on their on 11. Kiernan would have to get the Tigers going with time becoming scarce. They would pick up a couple of quick first downs, but they would find themselves in 3rd and 8 at midfield. Kiernan would scramble in the pocket looking to make a play and would eventually find WR Max Sutton for the first down to keep the drive going. They continued to move into Royals territory, but time was getting low. The Tigers would need to make a play with the time running. Kiernan would take a shot downfield and Max Sutton would catch the ball, but S Randal Green and DB Uzzia Hayes would be able to bring him down before the endzone. The play would finish before the clock hit :00, so the Tigers had one more shot at the endzone. Kiernan would drop back to pass and would feel some pressure, but with the Royals loading up the secondary, it was going to be a tough throw. Kiernan eventually let it go looking for Max Sutton. Sutton and DB Mingan Oliver would both go up for the ball, and both would get their hands on it. Oliver had the hand positioning though and was able to rip the ball out and he would catch it to bring in the interception and seal the game for the Royals. The Royals were back on top claiming their 4th title in 6 years. 

McCallister Cup MVP 

QB Jean Matieau OTT - 3 Passing Touchdowns, 221 Passing Yards 

1959 NAAF Champions

1959 NAAF Season

1959 NAAF Playoffs

1959 Division Semi-Finals 

EAST DIVISION SEMI-FINAL
Boston Independents VS. Providence Gold Stars - Richardson Stadium - September 20, 1959 - 1 PM ET - Weather: Clear - 19ºC / 67ºF 

1st Q
The game opened up fairly slowly with both teams' defences being able to contain the opposing offence. Boston would be the first to score after a decent drive got them into field goal range and K Johnnie Berg was able to knock down a 36-yarder. A couple of drives later, Providence would return the favour and K Ira Foster would knock down a 34-yarder. Despite the tame opening quarter, Providence would lose DL Stephan Kendall for the game after taking the full impact of RB Kendall Morgan picking up speed out of the backfield.
3-3

2nd Q
Offence became more apparent as the second quarter started. QB Nathaniel Braddock and RB Kendall Morgan marched the Independents down the field early on. Once they got to the Providence 12, Braddock would hit WR Paul Franklin to the outside who was at the 3-yard-line. Franklin would spin getting DB Fredric Belair to fly past and allowing Franklin to dive into the endzone to give Boston a 10-3 lead. Belair would not get up fast after the spin move as he twisted his ankle in the defensive attempt. Momentum seemed to be shifting in Boston’s direction, but QB Connor O’Rourke was not phased. He would get the Gold Stars offence moving on the next drive and get down into the redzone. From there, O’Rourke would take a shot to WR Sammy Moss who caught it at the 5, setting up 1st and goal. O’Rourke would drop back quickly on the next play and hit WR Christian Venegas open in the endzone after he beat DB Clayton Malone off the line. On one of the final plays of the half, the Gold Stars were simply trying to run down the time until the half. RB Bernard Alston would take the ball up the middle, and break through the line only to run into LB Konrad Aust. The hit Aust laid, jarred the ball loose and Boston picked it up. The Independents would get a sneaky field goal to take the lead into the half.
13-10 BOS 

3rd Q
Boston came out of the break fired up. On their opening drive, RB Kendall Morgan would take in a touchdown from 8 yards out to extend the Boston lead to 20-10. Boston was in control over the course of the 3rd. Providence still managed to put up a field goal but was struggling now without both RB Bernard Alston and WR Cedric Peterson. Boston would find themselves driving again late in the quarter, but it was Providence’s turn to shake things up. DB Lee Wolfe would jump a pass intended for WR Clyde McIntosh, reeling in a pick to put Providence in Boston territory. QB Connor O’Rourke would not waste any time and would find WR Sammy Moss shortly after for a touchdown to tie the game up heading into the final quarter.
20-20 

4th Q
The Boston fans were shocked by the quick turn of events. They were worried that the pick may have shaken Braddock’s confidence. That looked to be the case on the first Boston drive that ended in a 2 and out, but Braddock quickly changed that leading Boston back to the endzone on their next drive. Once again it was RB Kendall Morgan barely breaking through to the endzone to give Boston the 27-20 lead. Boston felt confident again, but that wouldn’t stop the Gold Stars who inched their way down the field. Eventually, O’Rourke would get the Gold Stars down to the 14-yard line where he would toss up a ball to WR Christian Venegas who was one-on-one with DB Carson Scott. Venegas would win the battle and come down with the ball to tie the game once again. With 4 minutes to go, Boston would get the ball back. Braddock would lead the charge down the field. However, this drive was where Boston’s offence took over the game. Play after play, Braddock was able to find a target, or Kendall Morgan would grab a chunk of yards. They were shredding the Gold Star defence. Once the Independents were on the 23-yard line. Braddock would drop back and escape pressure before tossing a shot to WR Clyde McIntosh. McIntosh would take the ball the remaining 6 yards into the endzone. The drive practically broke the Gold Stars, and they were not able to get any more points. The Independents would hold on to win their first playoff game since 1954.  

WEST DIVISION SEMI-FINAL
London Tigers VS. Louisville Thunder - Western Fair Stadium - September 20, 1959 - 4 PM ET - Weather: Clear - 21ºC / 70ºF 

1st Q
The Tigers and Thunder got off to an exciting start with the Tigers marching the field. QB Riley Kiernan would eventually find WR Max Sutton open in the endzone to go up 7-0 early. The Thunder wouldn’t have the same success on their ensuing drive, but a couple of drives later they would get into range for a field goal and K Theodore Provost would get them on the board. The Tigers would start to march again on their next drive, but it was cut short after DB Oliver Langstrom came out of nowhere to steal the ball from WR Wilbert Benjamin. The Thunder would be in striking range, but the Tigers would stand tall and force the field goal attempt. Unfortunately for the Thunder, K Theodore Provost would miss the attempt and they would escape with only a point.
7-4 LDN

2nd Q
Following the interception on the previous drive, Kiernan got right back on the horse and kept doing his job. He would get the Tigers deep into Thunder territory on a 19-yard pass to WR Max Sutton before giving the ball to RB Clifford Russell, who would find the endzone. The Tigers were now up by 10. Louisville wasn’t backing down and they would get back another field goal following the touchdown to cut the lead to 7. The Tigers would answer back a few minutes later with a field goal of their own to put themselves back up by 10 at the break.
17-7 LDN 

3rd Q
It wasn’t looking too good for Louisville as the second half started. They would go 2 and out on their opening drive and would give the Tigers a chance to extend their lead. Luckily the defence showed up and stopped the Tigers after they picked up one first down. The Tigers would punt the ball deep into Thunder territory, but WR Piers Key would show off his return skills and would bring it back to the Thunder 42-yard-line. The offence got fired up over the return and QB Leonidas Dumont would lead the offence down the field. He would hit WR Ben Roland in the endzone on 2nd and 7 from the 15 to cut into the Tigers’ lead. The Thunder defence would keep up their strong play and get the ball back for Louisville, but this drive did not go the same way. DB Jackson Miles would cut the drive short picking off Dumont and setting up the Tigers for a field goal. 
20-14 LDN

4th Q
The momentum swing would keep the Tigers rolling into the final quarter. The Thunder would look to get back the field goal, but after taking the handoff, RB Stavros Black would lose the football. DL Olympus Heights would rip the ball out and it would fly forward into the hands of LB Wilson Rockwood-Barnes. The Tigers would take over and Riley Kiernan would lead the Tigers back to the endzone, finding veteran WR Wilbert Benjamin for the touchdown. Dumont and the offence struggled to recover from the turnovers and couldn’t get the offence rolling. He would manage to find WR Ben Roland for a big gain with 6 minutes to go, but they would get stopped on 3rd down and give the ball back. London would control the play for the remainder of the game, even adding another field goal to seal the win and send themselves back to the West Division Semi-Final. 

Injury Report
DB Ricardo Salvador LDN - Day-to-Day
DB Bob Ellis LDN - 1 Week
OL Chad Austin - Day-to-Day
DL Dean Hicks LOU - 1 Week
RB Bernard Alston PRO - Day-to-Day
WR Cedric Peterson PRO - Day-to-Day
DB Fredric Belair PRO - Day-to-Day
DL Stephan Kendall PRO - Season 

Players of the Week

OFF: QB Connor O’Rourke PRO - 3 Passing Touchdowns, 334 Passing Yards

DEF: DL Olympus Heights LDN - 1 Forced Fumble, 6 Tackles, 2 Sacks 

Division Final Preview
EAST DIVISION FINAL
Ottawa Royals VS. Boston Independents - Royals Stadium at Brewer Park - September 27, 1959 - 1 PM ET - Forecast: Clear
Head-to-Head: W3 - OTT 20-10 BOS, W9 BOS 34-22 OTT
The last playoff meeting between these two teams was in the 1954 McCallister Cup. Both teams found a way to get the upper hand on the other in their own stadium earlier this season. The big factor will likely still be WR Ellis Lindholm’s absence, but they showed that they might not need him after the performance this week. It certainly should be a pretty even matchup with both teams having solid offences and defences. I still have a hard time picking against the Royals, so I won’t be doing that and I think the Royals will sneak off to their 6th straight McCallister Cup appearance. 
My Pick: Royals

Long Island Raiders VS. London Tigers - Long Island Stadium - September 27, 1959 - 4 PM ET - Forecast: Clear
Head-to-Head: W8 - LI 24-31 LDN, W12 - LDN 24-33 LI
The Raiders and Tigers are likely to have a battle of the ages for a ticket to Montreal, as the league’s top defence takes on the top offence. It was tough to see either team not win this division as they both had such great seasons, but in the end, they are both here in the division final and will both create some intense action. The Tigers will have a slight disadvantage without WR Benedict Spencer and DB Bob Ellis, but they certainly have the ability to make up for their absences. The Raiders should be back to full health and have the experience from last season’s run to the top in their favour. Overall, it's a close battle, but I am going to stick to my guns from the start of the season and say the Tigers find themselves winning this game. 
My Pick: Tigers 

1959 Division Finals 

EAST DIVISION FINAL
Ottawa Royals VS. Boston Independents - Royals Stadium at Brewer Park - September 27, 1959 - 1 PM ET - Weather: Clear - 24ºC / 75ºF 

1st Q
The 4th playoff meeting between the Royals and Independents got off to an explosive start. The Independents would start with the ball and QB Nathaniel Braddock would drop back to make a quick throw to TE Richard Stewart on 1st down. The ball was right on target, except for LB Douglas MacDougall getting his arm in the way popping the ball up. DB Mingan Oliver was quick to react and got underneath it. The DB was tackled shortly after, but it would only take QB Jean Matieau a couple of plays to then find WR Chester Bennett open for a touchdown to make it 7-0 just over a minute into the game. It only got worse for Boston who would go 2 and out on the next drive. Ottawa would take it back down the field again, and RB Alexei Volkov would break free for a 19-yard touchdown run. The Royals were clearly in control after the first quarter.
14-0 OTT 

2nd Q
The Independents looked to stop the bleeding early in the 2nd quarter with a strong drive. QB Nathaniel Braddock had a chance to relax a bit and got the Independents into field goal range. K Johnnie Berg easily got them on the board. The Royals remained unfazed by the Independents’ field goal and were back on the attack quickly. They would be stopped on their first drive, but their second would end with WR Chester Bennett finding the endzone for the second time in the game. Boston would look to get a late score in, but WR Angus Stevenson would get the ball knocked out of his hands by LB Killian Reed after reeling in a catch. The Royals would head into the break up 21-3.
21-3 OTT 

3rd Q
The Independents’ defence starting to pick things up out of the break and were actually making some strong plays against the Royals attack. Their offence would respond as well with a strong drive. RB Kendall Morgan stepped up and led Boston all the way to the endzone to get them back into the game. 21-10 Ottawa. On a later Ottawa drive, the Independents defence would come up big with LB Brent Harper forcing a fumble on RB Alexei Volkov to give Boston good field position. However, the Independents could only get a field goal out of the venture. As the quarter came to a close, the Royals were starting to pick things up on offence again. 
21-13 OTT 

4th Q
The Royals would continue to drive down the field as the teams swapped sides. QB Jean Matieau would eventually find WR Mackenzie Jones to grab his third touchdown pass of the game and put the Royals up by 15. QB Nathaniel Braddock was trying everything to get Boston back into the game, but he, unfortunately, felt a lot of pressure feeling like he had to win the game for the team. The mindset resulted in Braddock holding onto the ball a little too long and Ottawa would be able to rack up 3 sacks in the 4th; 2 from DL Olaf Viktorsson. They would start moving down the field, but they were faced with a 3rd and 8 on the Ottawa 39. Braddock would look to pass to WR Angus Stevenson for a pick up of 6, but Stevenson looked away too early and bobbled the ball. The hit from LB Killian Reed would eliminate any chance Stevenson had to bring it in resulting in a turnover. On their next attempt, Braddock would just let the ball fly downfield, but the pass was picked off by DB Uzzia Hayes which pretty much killed any hope. Boston fell hard as the Royals secure their 6th straight McCallister Cup appearance.  

WEST DIVISION FINAL
Long Island Raiders VS. London Tigers - Long Island Stadium - September 27, 1959 - 4 PM ET - Weather: Clear - 22ºC / 72ºF 

1st Q
It took some time for either team to get on the scoreboard, but every moment leading up to that was tense, as the crowd waited for the first team to make a play. It would be the Raiders that would break the silence on a 17-yard run from RB Dareion Fields to get into field goal range. K Henderson Schumacher would nail the kick to put the Raiders up 3-0. The Raider defence was hungry in the opening quarter, constantly getting pressure on QB Riley Kiernan. The pressure would eventually turn into a fumble as DL Vernon Spears got his arm on the QB. The Tigers would recover but would have to punt. RB Connor Riley returned the kick right back into Tigers territory, however, the Tiger defence stood strong and forced another field goal. The Tigers’ offence seemed to click after the second field goal and got moving down the field. QB Riley Kiernan would eventually find WR Wilbert Benjamin open to score a touchdown and give the Tigers the lead after 1.
6-7 LDN 

2nd Q
The Raiders answered the surging Tigers’ drive with a strong one of their own. QB Lyle Painter would hit WR Robert Lang for a 36-yard play to set up RB Dareion Fields for a touchdown to regain the lead, 13-7. The defence would continue to flex their strength and would get a turnover off of RB Clifford Russell. LB Gene Benson was able to knock the ball loose and LB Rusty McVee was able to grab it for the Raiders. The offence couldn’t get to the endzone, but they were still able to get a field goal out of the drive and extend their lead to 9 heading into the break.
16-7 LI 

3rd Q
The 3rd quarter was about the Tigers trying to get back into the game. Kiernan and the offence struggled to break through the Raiders' brick wall, but they slowly chipped away shifting the field position in their favour. Eventually, the Tigers would get a break with Kiernan finding WR Wilbert Benjamin for a 23-yard gain, which would set up RB Clifford Russell to punch it in several plays later and cut the lead to just 2. The remainder of the third would have each team slowly making up ground, but wouldn’t get too far before the opposing defence stopped them.
16-14 LI 

4th Q
The final quarter was intense with the Raiders finally making a march down the field. QB Lyle Painter was able to extend the drive on a beautiful throw to Darryl Duke on 2nd and 12. The drive would continue until the Tigers stopped them at the 22-yard-line. K Henderson Schumacher would knock it through to give the Raiders a 5 point lead. Following the field goal, the Tigers went all out on their next couple of drives. While the Raider stopped the first, the Tigers were able to find a groove on the second. Kiernan would hit pass after pass to get the Tigers into Raider territory. The Raiders would tighten up and force the Tigers to a 3rd and 7. They would go for it, and Kiernan would drop back to pass. Pressure was coming from DL Vernon Spears, but OL Magnus Gunnersson was able to ward him off which opened up a hole for Kiernan. The QB would dart through and would dive for a first down to save the game, even taking on a LB Rusty McVee hit at the end. Kiernan would bounce back up and would get the Tigers back down to the 10. From there he would drop back and roll out to the right. He took his time, but eventually, a mistake from S Johan Eckhart would interfere with DB Slay Mitchell and allow for WR Max Sutton to get just a little open. Kiernan would hit his man for the go-ahead touchdown. They would tack on the 2-point convert with Kiernan lopping it over 3 Raiders to WR Wilbert Benjamin. QB Lyle Painter would now need to do what he did in the McCallister Cup last year to win this game. He would lead the offence for a pair of first downs to get to the brink of field goal range. On 1st and 10, things would go wrong. The Tigers brought the pressure and Painter was looking to escape, but DL Olympus Heights was able to get to Painter. Lyle couldn’t bring the ball back in and Heights was able to force it loose. RB Dareion Fields would recover for the Raiders but was tackled after only a few steps by LB Aengus Lynch. The Raiders were now stuck on 2nd and 22. They would fail to complete a pass on 2nd, which led to 3rd and 22. Painter would launch the ball down the field looking for WR Darryl Duke, but DB Ricardo Salvador was able to break it up and get the ball back. The Tigers would hold on and would send themselves to the McCallister Cup for the first time. 

Injury Report
DL Robin Hill BOS - Season
OL Shawn Lawrence - 1 Week
DB Clinton Gates LI - Season
DL Matis Baril LI - Season

Players of the Week 

OFF: QB Riley Kiernan LDN - 2 Passing Touchdowns, 312 Passing Yards, 24 Rushing Yards 

DEF: DL Olaf Viktorsson OTT - 2 Sacks, 1 Play Defended, 7 Tackles

41st McCallister Cup Preview
Ottawa Royals VS. London Tigers - Mount Royal Stadium - October 4, 1959 - 6 PM ET - Forecast: Partly Cloudy
Head-to-Head: None
The 41st McCallister Cup will be a true All-Canadian affair with the Ottawa Royals and London Tigers playing in Montreal for the title. The game will be a story of redemption for both the Ottawa Royals and QB Riley Kiernan. The Royals had a historic unbeaten season last season spoiled by a loss in the McCallister Cup, and they hope to redeem themselves and get back on top of the NAAF. On the other side, it’s the huge redemption arc of Riley Kiernan who had led the Worcester Athletics to the McCallister Cup in 1956 and lost in OT to these very Royals. The season following that game was Kiernan’s worst and ultimately got him moved to London. However, since then, he has been electrifying and is determined to finally prove everyone wrong and top the legendary Royals. The game is expected to be an offensive shootout between the top two offences in the league. It will be hard to predict since this is a rare occasion where the teams have not met at all this season. I think the Tigers will put up a big fight, but I don’t think the Royals can lose 3 Cups in a row, so I’m sticking with Matieau and the Royals.
My Pick: Royals