1956 Offseason Pt. 1
Retirements
GM/HC - Guy Clarke - Montreal. QC
NAAF Record: 43-22-1
McCallister Cups: 2 (1951,1953)
Awards: Coach of the Year (1951)
Guy Clarke will be known as one of the best coaches and general managers ever. He led the Rouge for over 2 decades and was a big part of their endless success over that time.
This past season was the only year with a losing record in the NAAF, and without the 2-8 season, his record would’ve been 41-14-1.
LB Quinton Brewer - Montreal, QC
Teams: Montreal Rouge (1949-1955)
McCallister Cups: 2 (1951,1953)
Awards: Defensive Player of the Year (1950,1951)
All-Stars: 5 (1949-1953)
A true leader for the powerful Rouge defense, Brewer was a consistent force in the defense throughout the early years of the NAAF. One of the best defenders of his time.
DL Napoléon Chevalier - Moncton, NB
Teams: Montreal Rouge (1949-1954), Ontario Tigers (1955)
McCallister Cups: 2 (1951,1953)
All-Stars: 5 (1949-1953)
Chevalier was a great partner to Brewer. He was a feared edge rusher for his entire career and made it tough for teams to move the ball on offense. He never got the same spotlight as Brewer but still made his mark on the NAAF.
WR John Rivera - Hartford, CT
Teams: Hartford Hawks (1949-1950), Montreal Rouge (1951-1954), Ontario Tigers (1955)
McCallister Cups: 2 (1951,1953)
All-Stars: 2 (1949,1951)
Rivera had a very interesting career for a 2-time all-star, being traded twice. He would start his career in Hartford with an all-star nod, before famously being traded to Montreal to help them win two McCallister Cups. He would finish his career with one season in Ontario but fell short of another shot at the Cup.
DL Jean-Michel Duchane - Montreal, QC
Teams: Montreal Rouge (1949-1954), Ottawa Royals (1955)
McCallister Cups: 3 (1951,1953,1955)
All-Stars: 1 (1951)
Duchane was not as big a piece as Chevalier or Brewer but was still a strong DL. He would earn 1 all-star and even would help Ottawa to their second Cup to add to the two earned with Montreal.
TE Marion Warren - Providence, RI
Teams: Providence Gold Stars (1949-1955)
McCallister Cups: 0
All-Stars: 4 (1949-1950,1952-1953)
Warren was the top TE for a while during the early years of the NAAF. He would help the Gold Stars to a couple of strong seasons as well as 4 all-star appearances.
Other Retirements
DL Fred Clark - Boston, MA - BOS (1949-1955)**
DB Anthony Massey - Quebec City, QC - MTL (1949-1954)**, OTT (1955)*
OL Ethan Watson - Providence, RI - PRO (1949-1954), OTT (1955)*
OL Pierre-Louis Trouvé - Sherbrooke, QC - MTL (1949-1954)**, ON (1955)
DB Trevor Morrow - Rochester, NY - HAR (1949-1951), BOS (1952-1953), BUF (1954), BOS (1955)
Coaching Changes
Clean Slate in Montreal
With the retirement of Guy Clarke, Montreal is left without a GM, Head Coach, and Defensive Coordinator. The team would decide to completely reset by letting go of Offensive Coordinator Theodore Ortiz. The first hire would be the GM in longtime-scout Anthony Vigneault. Vigneault has lots of knowledge about the talent pool in Quebec and has been scouting Hybrid football since it began to play in 1949. He would go on to hire Quebec City’s Amateur Head Coach, Soni Dionne, as the Rouge’s new Head Coach. Dionne has been coaching Hybrid Football with lots of success in Quebec over the past 5 years and is ready to take the next step. They would then add Gold Stars OC Kent Winters and U of Ottawa HC Paul Byers as the Offensive and Defensive Coordinators. Montreal is hoping some younger staff members will be able to grow into great coaches alongside the rebuild the team is heading in over the next couple of seasons.
Powell is out in Providence
After 4 seasons at the helm in Providence, Perry Powell has been fired. GM Virgil Gross, who recently signed an extension with the team is hoping that shaking things up will allow for the team to get back to winning in the New England Division after a pair of average seasons. The replacement for Powell will be Tigers’ OC Roy Aguirre who has done a good job getting the Tigers’ offense to where it is today. They also took a new direction at OC letting Kent Winters go to Montreal and hired former Hartford Hawks OC Dean Parrish to take over the role. The Tigers have hired U of Toronto coach Clyde Wall as the new OC.
Hooper Steps Back From Head Coaching Duties
Bobby Hooper has stepped down from the Head Coaching Role in Buffalo to become the General Manager full time. He has promoted DC Dennell Willis to the Head Coaching role. Willis has been a big part of making the defense as strong as it is over the past couple of seasons and seems to be the right fit as head coach in Buffalo. They would hire Michigan State coach, Urick Wilkins, as the new DC.
Retirements
GM/HC - Guy Clarke - Montreal. QC
NAAF Record: 43-22-1
McCallister Cups: 2 (1951,1953)
Awards: Coach of the Year (1951)
Guy Clarke will be known as one of the best coaches and general managers ever. He led the Rouge for over 2 decades and was a big part of their endless success over that time.
This past season was the only year with a losing record in the NAAF, and without the 2-8 season, his record would’ve been 41-14-1.
LB Quinton Brewer - Montreal, QC
Teams: Montreal Rouge (1949-1955)
McCallister Cups: 2 (1951,1953)
Awards: Defensive Player of the Year (1950,1951)
All-Stars: 5 (1949-1953)
A true leader for the powerful Rouge defense, Brewer was a consistent force in the defense throughout the early years of the NAAF. One of the best defenders of his time.
DL Napoléon Chevalier - Moncton, NB
Teams: Montreal Rouge (1949-1954), Ontario Tigers (1955)
McCallister Cups: 2 (1951,1953)
All-Stars: 5 (1949-1953)
Chevalier was a great partner to Brewer. He was a feared edge rusher for his entire career and made it tough for teams to move the ball on offense. He never got the same spotlight as Brewer but still made his mark on the NAAF.
WR John Rivera - Hartford, CT
Teams: Hartford Hawks (1949-1950), Montreal Rouge (1951-1954), Ontario Tigers (1955)
McCallister Cups: 2 (1951,1953)
All-Stars: 2 (1949,1951)
Rivera had a very interesting career for a 2-time all-star, being traded twice. He would start his career in Hartford with an all-star nod, before famously being traded to Montreal to help them win two McCallister Cups. He would finish his career with one season in Ontario but fell short of another shot at the Cup.
DL Jean-Michel Duchane - Montreal, QC
Teams: Montreal Rouge (1949-1954), Ottawa Royals (1955)
McCallister Cups: 3 (1951,1953,1955)
All-Stars: 1 (1951)
Duchane was not as big a piece as Chevalier or Brewer but was still a strong DL. He would earn 1 all-star and even would help Ottawa to their second Cup to add to the two earned with Montreal.
TE Marion Warren - Providence, RI
Teams: Providence Gold Stars (1949-1955)
McCallister Cups: 0
All-Stars: 4 (1949-1950,1952-1953)
Warren was the top TE for a while during the early years of the NAAF. He would help the Gold Stars to a couple of strong seasons as well as 4 all-star appearances.
Other Retirements
DL Fred Clark - Boston, MA - BOS (1949-1955)**
DB Anthony Massey - Quebec City, QC - MTL (1949-1954)**, OTT (1955)*
OL Ethan Watson - Providence, RI - PRO (1949-1954), OTT (1955)*
OL Pierre-Louis Trouvé - Sherbrooke, QC - MTL (1949-1954)**, ON (1955)
DB Trevor Morrow - Rochester, NY - HAR (1949-1951), BOS (1952-1953), BUF (1954), BOS (1955)
Coaching Changes
Clean Slate in Montreal
With the retirement of Guy Clarke, Montreal is left without a GM, Head Coach, and Defensive Coordinator. The team would decide to completely reset by letting go of Offensive Coordinator Theodore Ortiz. The first hire would be the GM in longtime-scout Anthony Vigneault. Vigneault has lots of knowledge about the talent pool in Quebec and has been scouting Hybrid football since it began to play in 1949. He would go on to hire Quebec City’s Amateur Head Coach, Soni Dionne, as the Rouge’s new Head Coach. Dionne has been coaching Hybrid Football with lots of success in Quebec over the past 5 years and is ready to take the next step. They would then add Gold Stars OC Kent Winters and U of Ottawa HC Paul Byers as the Offensive and Defensive Coordinators. Montreal is hoping some younger staff members will be able to grow into great coaches alongside the rebuild the team is heading in over the next couple of seasons.
Powell is out in Providence
After 4 seasons at the helm in Providence, Perry Powell has been fired. GM Virgil Gross, who recently signed an extension with the team is hoping that shaking things up will allow for the team to get back to winning in the New England Division after a pair of average seasons. The replacement for Powell will be Tigers’ OC Roy Aguirre who has done a good job getting the Tigers’ offense to where it is today. They also took a new direction at OC letting Kent Winters go to Montreal and hired former Hartford Hawks OC Dean Parrish to take over the role. The Tigers have hired U of Toronto coach Clyde Wall as the new OC.
Hooper Steps Back From Head Coaching Duties
Bobby Hooper has stepped down from the Head Coaching Role in Buffalo to become the General Manager full time. He has promoted DC Dennell Willis to the Head Coaching role. Willis has been a big part of making the defense as strong as it is over the past couple of seasons and seems to be the right fit as head coach in Buffalo. They would hire Michigan State coach, Urick Wilkins, as the new DC.
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