London Relocation

New Stadium Approved! Tigers headed to London

It was announced shortly after the draft that the City of London has accepted and will break ground on a brand new stadium which the Tigers will eventually call home. The announcement comes after Garry Duran, with the help from other NAAF owners, was able to get involved in a project to bring football back to the city of London. With the city’s rapid growth recently, they were hoping to attract the OFU, but ultimately the NAAF was the league to show interest in the city. Garry Duran will also be letting London Businessman Darren Lindell take part-ownership of the team who was vying for the OFU team in the first place. The new stadium will hold 34,500 seats with an ability to expand in the future and will be ready to go for the start of the 1958 season. 

1957 Draft

 1957 NAAF Draft

Before the draft could get underway, Commissioner Ryan Jameson came to the front to announce a trade had been made between Ontario and Boston. The Independents had acquired underperforming WR David Burrows from the Tigers in exchange for DB Clifton Powers who Boston had only acquired in the last offseason. It was an interesting trade considering Burrows hasn’t been able to stay in the starting lineup in Ontario. There were rumours last season that Burrows might get dealt to Boston, but it took until this year to happen. Clifton Powers, heading to Kitchener, adds depth to the Tigers’ completely rebuilt secondary.

1st Round

1 - Louisville Thunder - QB Leonidas Dumont - Louisville, KY
When Louisville finally got to make the first pick they went for the hometown QB. While they might be skipping out on top tier talent, they felt the QB position is the hardest and most important piece to fill. Dumont will likely challenge Ollie Rogers for the starting job but won't be the automatic starter day one.

The Gains Report
Leo is a great human being. The pure definition of a gentleman. While he’s nice in terms of personality, he can burn you on the field with his rocket arm. A guy who is comparable with Lee Rogers and Duane Logan in terms of the deep ball. His size also makes him a big threat being a tough guy to bring down and can extend plays within the pocket. He mainly needs work on his decision making and a bit of accuracy but will be someone who should be able to adapt quickly. 

2 - Indiana Victors - DL William Sanderson - Ann Arbor, MI
Indiana followed up Louisville’s pick with taking the top prospect in the class in Sanderson. Should be a key cornerstone for the future of the Victors, but can also contribute right out of the gate and make this team even more competitive.  

George Stefanakis’ Scouting Report
A leader on the field, Sanderson has the makings of a franchise player. He has an amazing football IQ which allows him to figure out where the play is going all the time. He loves getting after the quarterback and is very good at it. The Victors have an anchor on their line that will likely be compared to Sean Bowen and Olaf Viktorsson in his career.  

TRADE ALERT
Before Boston’s GM George Hanson could make the Independents' pick, Jameson returned to the stage to announce the second trade of the evening. This one was a big one. LB Rusty McVee had found a new home. Several teams were making their case for the LB throughout the day before the draft. Buffalo, Ottawa, and Providence were all in the mix, but in the end, Long Island would be the ones acquiring the former Rookie of the Year.  Montreal would get a big return for McVee including the other highly sought after player in QB Stanislav Ovechkin. They would also get the 5th overall pick and a 3rd Round Pick (25th). Now Long Island would also bring back QB Rigobert St-Hilaire and OL Shavon Coleman to compensate.  Overall, a strong deal for both teams as Long Island now looks like a threat in the West division and Montreal has their new QB as well as another 1st round pick. 

3 - Boston Independents - RB Kendall Morgan - Frankfort, KY
After all the havoc Boston would bring in their future RB in Kendall Morgan. After the team had passed on Rookie of the Year RB Clifford Russell. They decided they needed a replacement for Joel Bonner who could retire at any time. Morgan is a bit of a reach, but RB is an important position and he wasn’t likely dropping to 9.  

Abigail Winters’ Scouting Report
Morgan is an energetic player and gets really into the game. Morgan has great big-play abilities and can see the field well to find opportunities. He has great elusiveness that allows him to find open space however his weakness is taking too many risks. He loves making the big play and can get caught trying to do too much. He’ll certainly have to bulk up a bit as well as learning when to take the risks.  

4 - Montreal Rouge - LB Sam Fitzroy - Loudon, NH
Montreal would follow up grabbing their McVee replacement in LB Sam Fitzroy. Fitzroy was looked at as the top LB in the draft and the Rouge has a new anchor in the middle of the defence. 

Brad Cumberland’s Scouting Report
Fitzroy is a calm and collected player that will automatically bring a level of leadership to any team. He has a high football IQ that allows him to see through tricks and know where the play may go. He has lots of strength and is a good tackler, however, he is not the most agile and making lateral movements are a bit of a challenge. 

5 - Montreal Rouge (via Long Island) - WR Derek Cross - South Bend, IN
With their second pick in a row, Montreal would get their new QB a weapon in WR Derek Cross. Montreal has always struggled in the receiving core, and a lot of that has to do with only having drafted 1 in the past four years.  

The Gains Report
Cross is easily described as “Big Game, Big Mouth, Big Energy”. Sure he’s a talker, but he has the game to back it up with electrifying speed, incredible hands, and top-notch route running. His biggest downside would be size, being a little short, but mainly a very thin receiver. It could make it tough entering the next level but if he finds his groove, Cross is a dangerous receiver.  

6 - Buffalo Blue Wings - DL Mickey Daly - Buffalo, NY
Buffalo goes with local prospect Mickey Daly. Adding on the DL was going to be important for the Blue Wings who have lost several key pieces in that position. Daly will need some development, but will certainly help out for the future of the Blue Wings. 

Jack Barkley’s Scouting Report
Daly is a bit of a reach at #6, but he is a big playmaker on the line. He makes it tough for the O-line throughout a game, as he just doesn’t let up. He often wins battles as the game comes to a close after tiring out the O-line over the earlier part of the game. It only makes it tougher to block based on his rough style of play. Off the field, however, Daly is a great fit in Buffalo already being a community-based player that loves to help out.

7 - Ontario Tigers - LB Wilson Rockwood-Barnes - Brooklyn, NY
It was a bit of surprise to see Rockwood-Barnes slip to the Tigers, but here he is. Aengus Lynch remains the top force in the Tigers defence, but WRB will only make the LB core stronger.  

Abigail Winters’ Scouting Report
WRB hasn’t had the best past. As a kid, he was very shy and struggled a lot in school. He was often bullied and called “Meathead”, however, he was able to turn things around for himself. Through football he would show off his skill and then with time he had better grades, was more outgoing, and has now owned his nickname as a motivation to continue to prove people wrong. He is a strong player on the field with solid tackling abilities and great team play. He still isn't the most agile but he makes up for it in strength. 

8 - Montreal Rouge (via Providence) - OL Harrison Ward - Syracuse, NY
Montreal took a gamble and managed to snag Harrison Ward at #8. Ward came in as the 4th rated prospect but teams kept passing on him. Montreal needs loads of help on the O-Line and Ward should be a perfect fit.  

Barry Williams’ Scouting Report
Ward is a perfect OL prospect, with good agility and quickness to react to oncoming defenders. He is a little smaller than the typical O-lineman which makes him into a more agile player, but it doesn’t mean he isn’t a strong player who can win any fight on the line. There is a high ceiling for Ward, and Montreal is hoping for the best. 

9 - Boston Independents (via Worcester) - OL Graham Chambers - Moncton, NB
Boston would follow suit with Montreal by grabbing an OL. Chambers is looked at as an early 2nd rounder, but Boston didn’t want to take any chances on missing out on him. 

Barry Williams’ Scouting Report
A Leader on the line, Chambers is able to call out and understand different defensive setups well. Works well with his linemates and can be a tough player to get past. Though he will still struggle against the best of them like Scotty Williams or Sean Bowen. A solid building block for Boston. 

10 - Ottawa Royals - WR Ben Roland - Williamsport, PA
Ottawa would ultimately go with another WR. With Atkins retiring, they felt like continuing to build the WR core would be the best decision.  

Brad Cumberland’s Scouting Report
Roland has a crazy amount of natural talent. He was a star in track and baseball alongside football. He has fantastic speed and catching ability as well as being in top physical shape. However, the biggest issues may come from his personality. He wants to be a star and he believes he can be one. He can brash and might run into issues with players that may get into his way in his opinion. Could be a risk on a Royals team with loads of depth and stars.   

That was the first round of the draft, any surprises? The rest is out tomorrow.  

1957 NAAF Draft

2nd Round
Louisville would kick off the second round by taking S Johnny Berger. Berger certainly is one of the best overall athletes in the draft that some even had going a lot earlier than 11th overall. The next few teams ended up taking players in positions of need with Indiana going for DB Kelly Kirkland, Montreal grabbing OL Scott Harper, and Long Island taking DL Timmy Kerr. Boston would stand out among the 4 picks with taking QB Terry Bourbon with the 13th pick. Bourbon has some potential to be a starter but certainly will need lots of development before he reaches that level. Following Long Island’s pick, the Tigers had 3 in a row and they got some solid players. They would take S Neil Graham who was ranked as the 6th best prospect but had fallen to 16th overall and becomes a big steal for the Tigers. They would then add WR Max Sutton and Kitchener native DB Jackson Miles. Worcester would then take the younger brother of Jesse and Carson Scott, DB Wesley Scott.   

Just before the Royals pick, the team made a trade with Louisville. DL Stuart Howell who was taken in the expansion draft was on his way to Ottawa in exchange for the 20th overall pick. Louisville would take a RB in Stavros Black.  

2nd Round Summary
11 - LOU - S Johnny Berger - Elgin, IL - DireBear
12 - IND - DB Kelly Kirkland - New Haven, CT - Captain Mort 3D
13 - BOS - QB Terry Bourbon - Kennebunkport, ME - ThisIsFine
14 - MTL - OL Scott Harper - Quebec City, QC - ZO82
15 - LI - DL Timmy Kerr - Wilkes-Barre, PA - GoRedSox96
16 - ON (via BUF) - S Neil Graham - Huntington, WV - Captain Mort 3D
17 - ON - WR Max Sutton - Quincy, MA - Captain Mort 3D
18 - ON (via PRO) - DB Jackson Miles - Kitchener, ON - Wallflower
19 - WOR - DB Wesley Scott - Markham, ON - ZO82
20 - LOU (via OTT) - RB Stavros Black - Gary, IN - Dan O'Mac

3rd Round
Once the draft got into the 3rd round, most of the picks became positional picks. Louisville would take the first TE of the draft with Christopher Gist at 21, which was followed by LB Felix Bender headed to Indiana. Boston, Providence and Montreal all added to either their O-line or D-Line. Buffalo would take RB Eric Sydney which looks to be one of the stronger picks out of the round. Ontario would take OL Simeon Clarke who is a relative to former Rouge GM/HC Guy Clarke. Worcester made a bit of a questionable pick in WR Tom Van Horne who looks to be the weakest pick out of the bunch.  

3rd Round Summary
21 - LOU - TE Christopher Gist - Rochester, NY - Darknes
22 - IND - LB Felix Bender - Toms River, NJ - Captain Mort 3D
23 - BOS - DL Remington Hart - Boston, MA - ZO82
24 - PRO (via MTL) - OL Don York - Warwick, RI - Captain Mort 3D
25 - MTL (via LI) - DL Blaine Caswell - Caribou, ME - Darknes
26 - BUF - RB Eric Sydney - Florence, KY - DireBear
27 - ON - OL Simeon Clarke - Montreal, QC - ZO82
28 - PRO - K Ira Foster - Ottawa, ON - GoRedSox96
29 - WOR - WR Tom Van Horne - Brooklyn, NY - GoRedSox96
30 - OTT - LB Killian Reed - Boston, MA - Dan O'Mac

4th Round
​The final round was even more all over the place. Indiana had a strong pick in S Malik Davenport who fell out of the 3rd round. Boston would add to the WR core with Angus Stevenson.   

There was one more trade made in the 4th round with the Tigers sending longtime starting S Mason Parker to the Gold Stars for QB Andrew Sexton and OL Billy Simon. With the Tigers drafting S Neil Graham and S Drew Porter in the last two seasons they could move on from Parker and they get a backup QB for Christian Stewart and a prospect in Simon (the final draft pick from last season). Providence has been trying to figure out the safety position over the past few seasons and Parker could be the answer.   

The rest of the 4th round had nothing much to note.

4th Round Summary
31 - LOU - OL Mart Oosterbroek - South Bend, IN - ZO82
32 - IND - S Malik Davenport - Fort Thomas, KY - Darknes
33 - BOS - WR Angus Stevenson - Markham, ON - GoRedSox96
34 - MTL - LB Patrick Terry - Providence, RI - Wallflower
35 - LI - OL Sun Guanyu - Queens, NY - ZO82
36 - BUF - WR Dale Halliburton - Owosso, MI - TigersFan93
37 - ON - OL Marcus Nygaard - Boston, MA - ZO82
38 - PRO - RB Tommy Kerr - Wilkes-Barre, PA - GoRedSox96
39 - WOR - K Elvis Franklin - Buffalo, NY - ThisIsFine
40 - OTT - DB Vince Jungen - Marion, OH - TigersFan93

Undrafted Players
OL Varo Giovanni - Bronx, NY - ZO92
QB Dick Ray - Dartmouth, NS - GoRedSox96
S David Jones - Goshen, IN - GoRedSox96
TE Willis Harrigton - Columbus, OH - Captain Mort 3D
RB Hans Jaeger - Toledo, OH - Darknes
DB Herb Covington - Terre Haute, IN - Dan O'Mac
RB Boomer Couch - Springfield, MA - LukeToussaint
TE Billy Rock - New Haven, CT - GoRedSox96
OL Joe Richardson - Toronto, ON - ZO82

1957 Draft Preview

 1957 Draft Preview

This season’s draft is stacking up to be a big event. After a down year in talent, there is an injection of strong talent in this season. With the new teams in Indianapolis and Louisville, there are a plethora of young players taking their chances in the NAAF.  The top prospect this time around is a Michigan native DL William Sanderson. A great leader on the field with an ability to know what’s happening at all times on the field. While he is out of Michigan, his family is from Providence and he has remained a Gold Stars fan from that. Behind him is LB Sam Fitzroy. Fitzroy has a high football IQ much like Sanderson and can be a leader in the middle of the field. OL Harrison Ward is another strong pick for anyone’s line showing franchise level potential according to scout, Barry Williams. Everyone will have their eyes on Louisville with the first pick. Many are expecting one of the top 4 teams to reach and grab QB Leonidas Dumont, a Louisville native. The question will be is he worth missing out on the other talent for? He has a strong arm and his size makes him tough to bring down. Could certainly be a great QB. 

Outside of the draft picks, the league will be eying both LB Rusty McVee and QB Stanislav Ovechkin as top trade targets for several teams. McVee is likely to be dealt his year with a year left on his contract. His value will certainly be higher this year than next. Stanislav still might not move as the Raiders enjoy the stability he provides behind Lyle Painter, but his play in place of the injured Painter proved that he has starting ability and some teams will be interested to see what he can do. 

Top 25 Draft Board
1 - DL William Sanderson - George Stefanakis - Dan O’Mac
2 - LB Sam Fitzroy - Brad Cumberland - DireBear
3 - OL Harrison Ward - Barry Williams - ZO82
4 - LB Wilson Rockwood-Barnes - Abigail Winters - MyTeamIsDr.Pepper
5 - WR Derek Cross - Lawrence Gainsborough - Darknes
6 - S Neil Graham - Johnny Singleton - Captain Mort 3D
7 - RB Kendall Morgan - Abigail Winters - MyTeamIsDr.Pepper
8 - QB Leonidas Dumont - Lawrence Gainsborough - Darknes
9 - DL Mickey Daly - Jack Barkley - GoRedSox96
10 - DB Kelly Kirkland - Johnny Singleton - Captain Mort 3D
11 - S Johnny Berger - Brad Cumberland - DireBear
12 - OL Graham Chambers - Barry Williams - ZO82
13 - WR Ben Roland - Brad Cumberland - DireBear
14 - RB Stavros Black - George Stefanakis - Dan O’Mac
15 - WR Max Sutton - Johnny Singleton - Captain Mort 3D
16 - DL Timmy Kerr - Jack Barkley - GoRedSox96
17 - OL Scott Harper - Barry Williams - ZO82
18 - QB Terry Bourbon - Ronald Wilke - ThisIsFine
19 - TE Christopher Gist - Lawrence Gainsborough - Darknes
20 - DB Wesley Scott - Barry Williams - ZO82
21 - LB Felix Bender - Johnny Singleton - Captain Mort 3D
22 - DL Remington Hart - Barry Williams - ZO82
23 - OL Don York - Johnny Singleton - Captain Mort 3D
24 - DB Jackson Miles - Wally Flowers - Wallflower
25 - RB Eric Sydney - Brad Cumberland - DireBear 

Draft Order and Needs
1 - Louisville Thunder - Anything
Picks: 1, 11, 21, 31
2 - Indiana Thunder - Anything
Picks: 2, 12, 22, 32
3 - Boston Independents - RB, OL, QB, WR, DL
Picks: 3, 9, 13, 23, 33
4 - Montreal Rouge - WR, LB, OL, DL
Picks: 4, 8, 14, 34
5 - Long Island Raiders - DL, WR, OL
Picks: 5, 15, 25, 35
6 - Buffalo Blue Wings - DL, LB, RB, QB
Picks: 6, 26, 36
7 - Ontario Tigers - LB, DL, OL, WR
Picks: 7, 16, 17, 18, 27, 37
8 - Providence Gold Stars - LB, DB, WR, K, RB (MTL Owns Their 1st Round Pick)
Picks: 24, 28, 38
9 - Worcester Athletics - DL, DB, K, WR (BOS Owns Their 1st Round Pick)
Picks: 19, 29, 39
10 - Ottawa Royals - LB, DL, OL
Picks: 10, 20, 30, 40 

1957 Expansion Draft

1957 Expansion Draft

The first expansion draft since 1951 was full of surprise surrounding the players being left unprotected and taken. A draw was done to determine who would get the choice to pick 1st or 2nd. Louisville would win and decided to go 2nd and get the 1st pick in the entry draft.

Indiana would take DB Lester Murphy from the Worcester Athletics with the first overall selection. Murphy was a surprise non-protection, but the rumour is the player would be too expensive for the team. Louisville would follow up the opening pick with a different direction going with a younger RB Lawrence Sharp from the Athletics. Sharp was expected to be one of the players picked after showing some promise behind Devonshire this season. The 27-year-old will be a strong piece for the Thunder to start with. They would continue the youth road with 26-year-old WR Marty Jay from Montreal. A smart choice with the WR having a 3-year deal. 

Indiana would not let up on their hunt to build a team that could win now going with longtime Blue Wing WR Joseph Barry and Royals QB Duane Logan. Barry is 32 and hasn’t been as successful over the past couple of seasons, but that may be due to the Blue Wings focusing their efforts around RB Arthur Conner. Logan on the other hand was expected to be taken by one of the teams. He is a strong veteran QB who was surprisingly in a backup role last season and will be eager to start this season. With Ottawa having one player taken now, Louisville went after the 3-time champions with selecting S Lester Greer and then 1956 All-Star OL Aaron Spears.  

Unsurprisingly, Ottawa had a tough time protecting all their stars. Just 2 picks later the Victors would select LB Roland Hensley who the Royals picked up just last season. However, the Royals had chances to protect him, but opted for OL Bravon Covington and S Neari Charles instead. There have been mentions of Hensley having character issues that might have been a big problem in Ontario with that team being unable to find success with him. There was also another big pick just before Hensley with RB Laurent Brazeau reuniting with Logan in Indiana. Louisville would round out the top 10 with LB Ben McCray out of Buffalo.  

It was clear that each team had their own strategy for this season. Indiana was looking to build a winner as soon as possible. A lot of their earlier picks were exactly for this and the veteran leadership might just get them there. In the later rounds, they did grab some solid depth and were smart with grabbing guys like WR Clifford Church and DL Robert Garrison who are under contract. They also would add some insurance on the offence with RB Rahil Boone and QB Brian Meadows out of Boston.  

Louisville, on the other hand, looked to go for younger talent, most likely due to GM Calvin Carpenter and his scouting background. They would take QB Ollie Rogers for the starting role. Rogers has very limited experience, but he showed some potential with the Tigers in a game last season. LB Charlie Finster and WR Truman Harry out of Long Island were interesting acquisitions as well with both players just hitting their prime now. A late surprise was the team grabbing 5-time Special Teams Player of the Year winner K Thomas McFadden. Long Island was okay with the departure as they have kicking prospect K Henderson Schumacher ready to take over. 

It looks like Indiana could be a playoff competitor out of the gate, but it's certainly a risk with the older set of players. Louisville looks to have a good foundation but might have a few rough years till they are true contenders. 

1957 Offseason - Retirements and Coaching Changes

 Retirements 

GM/HC - Otis Ward - Toronto, ON
Teams: Ottawa Royals GM/HC (1949-1953), GM (1954-1956)
NAAF HC Record: 27-16-3
McCallister Cups: 3 (1954-1956)
Otis Ward is the mastermind behind the Ottawa Royals’ Dynasty. He was the team’s GM and Head Coach for 5 seasons in the NAAF before stepping back and allowing Joseph Curry to take over as the Head Coach. The move ultimately paid off with the Royals dominating in the past 3 years. Ward has built a fantastic team and it is time for him to step away from football. 

WR Allen Atkins - Kingston, ON
Teams: Ottawa Royals (1949-1956)
McCallister Cups: 3 (1954-1956)
Awards: MVP (1954), Playoff MVP (1954), McCallister Cup MVP (1954)
All-Stars: 7 (1949-1955)
The greatest receiver in NAAF history has called it a career after 8 seasons. Atkins led the league in Receiving Touchdowns and Receiving Yards in every season except 1956. He earned an MVP award in 1954 along with two other playoff awards en route to his first McCallister Cup. Atkins is 35, but injuries have hit him over the past couple of seasons and it feels like time for the WR to call it a career. He will go out on a high note having won the last three championships. 

QB Bruce Woodard - Providence, RI
Teams: Providence Gold Stars (1949-1954), Ottawa Royals (1955), Montreal Rouge (1956)
McCallister Cups: 1 (1955)
Awards: MVP (1953)All-Stars: 1 (1953)
The long-time Gold Stars’ starter had a solid career. While often overshadowed by either Larry Larson or Jean Matieau, Woodard had one stellar season earning himself an MVP. He had led the Gold Stars to 2 McCallister Cup appearances after joining the NAAF but was never able to win one for his hometown. He did however get to celebrate backing up Matieau in Ottawa during the 1955 season before he finished out his career in Montreal.  

WR Ethan Walters - Boston, MA
Teams: Boston Independents (1949-1955), Worcester Athletics (1956)
McCallister Cups: 2 (1949,1950)
Walters will often go overlooked in this time as he never earned an award or an All-Star nod, but he was a leader and an excellent WR. He was never flashy, often being a WR to get you the first down when you needed it. Walters was Larry Larson’s top target for much of his career and that led to many championships. Walters did spend his final season in Worcester trying for one more Cup, but unfortunately suffered a major injury that would end his career. He was able to dress for the McCallister Cup but saw limited action still favouring the injury throughout.  

DL Jonathan Brown - Buffalo, NY
Teams: Buffalo Blue Wings (1949-1956)
McCallister Cups: 1 (1952)
All-Stars: 6 (1949-1953,1955)
Jonathan Brown was a strong leader in Buffalo over his time. He would be a consistent All-Star over his career only missing out on the nod twice in his career. He was a major part of the Blue Wings’ lone title and will be missed by the team and the city. 

S Michael O’Brien - Boston, MA
Teams: Boston Independents (1949-1956)
McCallister Cups: 2 (1949,1950)
All-Stars: 4 (1949-1952)
Michael O’Brien was the league’s best safety over the first four years being a great backstop in the Independents defence. O'Brien, like Walters, was a leader on the team that dominated the early years of the NAAF.

OL Melvin Marshall - Hartford, CT
Teams: Hartford Hawks (1949-1950), Buffalo Blue Wings (1951-1956)
McCallister Cups: 1 (1952)
All-Stars: 2 (1949,1952)
Marshall was a big piece on the Hawks OL to start his career. He was an All-Star in the league’s first season. However, he would soon find himself being traded to Buffalo where his career would change. He would help the Blue Wings to a Cup in 1952 while earning his second All-Star nod and has been a great leader for the team since then. A great career for Marshall. 

Other Notable Retirements
HC/OC Max Riley - Boston, MA - WOR HC (1951-1953), BUF OC (1954-1956)
K Bernard Barnett - Providence, RI - PRO (1949-1956)
LB Samuel Grimes - Warwick, RI - PRO (1949-1956)
OL James Chambers - New York City, NY - BOS (1949-1954)**, WOR (1955-1956)
LB Jaden Phelps - Brockport, NY - BUF (1949-1953)*, WOR (1954-1956)
OL Bryan Faulkner - Fort Wayne, IN - WOR (1954-1956)
OL Benjamin Harrell - Ottawa, ON - OTT (1949-1951), PRO (1951-1955), BUF (1956)

Coaching Changes
With the two new teams joining the league, everyone was curious to see which direction the teams would go with their staff. Indianapolis would start off with hiring Jacob Harrell as the GM. Harrell has worked closely with Sammy Kirkdale in the past and has been a recruiter with the Indiana Hoosiers. The head coach would be Maurice Evanson who was a top college coach at Illinois. He was looking for a new challenge, he would bring over his coordinators from Illinois in OC Paul McMahon and DC Steve Pollard. 

Louisville would take a different approach to hiring staff. Vince would hire Calvin Carpenter as the GM. Carpenter is a younger choice, but he has a great ability to see the talent and was working with Lawrence Gainsborough to help scout for the Gains Report for this season before he was hired. As for the coaching staff they wanted to go more in the direction of those with experience in hybrid football. They would hire former Providence Head Coach Perry Powell as their first HC. They would then add Theodore Ortiz as Offensive Coordinator who had the OC position in Montreal for 2 seasons. The DC was the only non-NAAF experienced coach with young U of Louisville DC Jerome Morris.  

As for the rest of the league, there were several changes. Ottawa, who lost GM Otis Ward to retirement, would hire young Torontonian Jon Neal to take over the role. Neal has a bit more energy and could make a few more moves, but he has been following the NAAF for a while and seems to have immense knowledge about the game. Despite Lewis Gallegos earning himself a Coach of the Year award nomination, the Tigers decided to go a new direction. They promoted long-time DC and former DB Clifford Jacobson to be the new HC. They then hired Matthew Carson out of Hamilton as the new DC.  Gallegos would find a new role as DC of the Boston Independents alongside former Boston and Worcester OL Malachi Knowles as the team’s new OC.  Buffalo would be the last team to make a move with hiring U of Buffalo OC Tim Bakersfield as the team’s new Offensive Coordinator. Bakersfield has worked with many WR’s who have gone on to the NAAF, Boston’s Clifford Church, Ontario’s Marqués Gardner, and Buffalo prospect Thomas Oezescki. 

1957 League Meetings and Rule Changes

1957 League Meetings and Rule Changes

Following the McCallister Cup in November the league meets with all the owners of the teams as well as player representatives from each team. However, this year brings the newly formed NAAF Players Committee. The NPC is made up of retired players that work with the league throughout the season to help make proposals for rule changes and other league decisions. Currently, the group is made up of 5 players with more to join over the coming years. Former Boston QB Larry Larson is the leader and creator of the committee. Ryan Jameson has been working with Larson to form the group. Throughout this season 3 other players joined Larson in the NPC. Former Buffalo DB Oscar Patterson, former Gold Stars/Royals WR Eugene Burns, and former Blue Wing/Tiger/Royal QB Evan Morrow. They will introduce the 5th member for this upcoming meeting session with WR Allen Atkins who is retiring and participating prior to the official announcement later this offseason. 

All the representatives that attend the league meetings will have a vote on what rules or proposals. 24 of 28 votes are needed to pass a change without revision, while 20 is needed for a pass with minor revision.  

League Structure
A majority of the rules about the structure were agreed upon in the last offseason, but the league wanted to give Sammy Kirkdale and Vince Forsyth opportunities to have a say about the decisions. The decided upon changes remained intact with the league going to an East-West division alignment. The West having Buffalo, Indiana, Long Island, Louisville, and Ontario, and the East having, Boston, Montreal, Ottawa, Providence, and Worcester. 

The playoffs would be getting an expansion allowing for 6 of the 10 teams to make it. The top team in each division would get a bye week into the Division Finals. The second-place finisher in each division would host the Division Semi-Final games. The 3rd place in each would then be the visitors in the Division Semi-Finals. The crossover rule will still remain if the 4th best team in one division has a better record than the 3rd place team in the other.  

The schedule will be expanded to 12 games for the new season with each team playing their division opponents twice and 4 of the other 5 teams once. There will be one matchup that won’t happen each season which will rotate year to year.  

Expansion Draft
With the new teams, the expansion draft is a huge debate for the league. The goal this time around is to make the new teams competitive while also making sure the established teams wouldn’t be robbed. The protection rules ended up with two parts. The first was an auto protection for players aged 24 and under. It would cover any players from the past two draft years. The players that are auto protected will not count towards the team’s selected protection. The selected protection allows teams to protect 12 players on their roster from last season.  Teams will have a chance to protect more players during the draft. Once two players from their team have been picked, they will have the option to protect an additional player with every player taken after that.   The 2 new teams will have 20 selections for the draft. They are not required to use all 20 picks if they don’t want to. They will be picked in a serpentine draft starting with one team. The team that picks second in the expansion draft will get the 1st pick in the entry draft.  

Once players have been selected, the two teams will be able to use what will be known as the “Expansion Tag”. If the team uses an Expansion Tag the player tagged will have to play at least one year with the team at a salary of $15,000. The Tag will only last one season and the teams will only be able to use it for this season. The tag can only be used on 4 players. This is to try and not have players be picked and then leave and allow the new teams to have competitive teams. 

Roster Rule Changes
Injuries became a major issue this past season, and some teams were having issues with the limitations of the active roster rules. For this season the maximum capacity for the active roster will move from 32 to 40. Allowing for an extra backup in almost every position. The reserve rosters will remain at 12 players (a move to 10 got heavily rejected). The big change will be, any players on the roster at 25 years of age will be available for any team to pick up for their active roster (much like the NFL’s practice rosters).  

Team Captains
With Ryan Jameson being a former hockey player, he wanted to bring the captaincy system that hockey teams use to the NAAF. Each team will now have a designated captain with a “C” on the left side of their jersey (except Worcester who will still have the Heart Patch on that side). The teams will also select 2 Assistant Captains designated with “A”. They will be announced alongside the season preview.  

Ontario’s Struggles
Outside of the major rule changes, the other focus was on the Tigers’ future. Additional money saved from the team’s trades of RB Laurent Brazeau and DB Louie White was invested in a new stadium project in London, ON. The city has been trying to get a team in the OFU, but it has now attracted Tigers’ owner Garry Duran.  

Duran has realized the city of Kitchener is not sustainable long term and a new home is going to be needed. He wants to remain in Ontario so London has become the best option for the team. Ottawa owner Laura McNeil has been helping Duran since the process began during the regular season. McNeil and Duran brought the issue forward and the league and other owners were willing to help out. Blue Wings Owner Milton Charles and Boston Owner Benjamin Harris, were big players stepping up with additional funding. The remaining owners pitched in little amounts.  

The city of London is still looking to accept the new stadium, but they are more likely to accept it with a team behind the project. The leaders of the OFU London project have also thrown in their support for Duran and have been working with the Tigers to possibly bring the team to the city.  

Introducing the Louisville Thunder

Introducing the Louisville Thunder

Not long after Kirkdale introduced the Indiana Victors, Vince Forsyth revealed his own Louisville Thunder. 

While Forsyth originally was the head of a Cincinnati bid, he is originally from Charleston, Indiana just north of Louisville. He went to university in Louisville and eventually worked with Kirkdale in Indianapolis before he went to the Cincinnati team for the past couple of years. He was worried Louisville was going to be too small, but when the league was all for the move Forsyth couldn’t be more excited.  As a kid, he was able to see the Kentucky Derby once and he loved the show and the sound of the horses as they raced. Thunder. That was the sound that he connected to the horses. He had a horse on a family farm that he had named “Lucky Thunder”. He did have dreams of one-day racing in the derby but they were short-lived, but he loved his horse. Lucky would become the inspiration for the name of the Louisville football team. The logo and team mascot would become Lucky Thunder himself. The horse’s head outlined in gold is the main logo with lightning bolts becoming other elements on the wordmark. Gold was the original colour to symbolize the thunderstorm and lightning that the name comes from, while the deep red symbolizes the roses of the Derby.  

The jerseys are red with lightning bolt striping on the shoulders, pants and helmet. The team has both gold and white pants which they will likely mix and match throughout the season. The helmet will feature the silhouette of Lucky Thunder and the bolt on top. 

​The name for the team was not suggested by anyone, I certainly had a tougher time coming up with a name I loved for Louisville. Colonels was the most suggested, but I never loved it and felt it was too obvious and has been used before. There were some great civil war-related names that I considered, but with Indy, I wanted to go a different direction. Thunder came from that and I fell for it instantly. Love the red-gold colour scheme, and wanted to do something like that, DireBear had suggested the colours scheme for Indy, but I liked it more for this team. Again thanks for the help Darknes and Scratch on the designing process! 

1958-Present

Introducing the Indiana Victors

 Introducing the Indiana Victors

The first of the two new expansion teams to release their logo and uniforms was Indianapolis. Owner Sammy Kirkdale held a press conference to showcase them. 

Kirkdale’s family has been heavily involved in the military. His father fought in WW1 and his younger brother was in WW2 more recently. Unfortunately, his brother did not return from WW2. Sammy has honoured his brother as well as his father and extended family with efforts in the city of Indianapolis to help veterans as well as always carry on their legacy. The Soldiers & Sailors Monument in the city’s centre has always been a symbol to him and the state. The inscription at the monument reads “To Indiana’s Silent Victors”. The inscription became the inspiration for Kirkdale’s new team. Victors would be the name, but Indiana had to be the location. The monument represents the state, the Victors will too.  

From there the design process began. After several months the team came to a shield logo with “Victors” on a diagonal sash, with the silhouette of the Monument’s Victory Statue. Three orange stripes fill out the left side of the logo. The colours were picked mainly for the purpose of being unique among the 8 established teams. Green and orange do this well especially the shades of which the Green is more vibrant than that of Boston and the Orange has a hint more red than the Tigers’. 

The uniforms feature 3 stripes on the sleeves, with 2 thinner stripes outlining each of them. The pants continue the 3 stripe pattern without the thinner stripes, while the socks and helmet have the same style of stripe as the sleeve. They are the first team to include numbers on their helmets.  

Shoutout to QCS for suggesting the Indiana Victors, and I loved the name from the moment I saw it! Also, thanks to Darknes and Scratch with help in the designing process. 

There were a few solid names, but I really wanted to go outside the box with these teams and this was a perfect idea. Very unique, though a little tougher to come up with a cool identity, but a challenge I enjoyed.

1958-Present

1956 Awards

1956 Awards

Most Valuable Player - LB Scotty Williams WOR
The Vote was close once again to decide the league’s MVP. For the first time, a defensive player will take home the award as Scotty Williams won out the vote. Williams put on his usual show in Worcester’s defence, yes, MVP calibre seasons are normal for Williams. He is such a dominant force on the league’s top team and defence. Leading the league in tackles and forced fumbles, Williams was the last guy you’d want to run into in the open field. Another fantastic season from Williams earns him this honour. 

Playoff MVP - QB Jean Matieau OTT
Matieau came alive in the playoffs once again. He put up 6 touchdowns and 392 Passing Yards in the playoffs leading the Royals to their 3rd straight title. Any demons he had back during his early years have been erased as the pressure no longer fazes him. 

Offensive Player of the Year - QB Riley Kiernan WOR
Kiernan came off of a down year in the 1955 season, and he shot to the top with a great season this year. Leading the Athletics to a 9-1 finish and topping Jean Matieau in passing touchdowns were just some of the highlights from an excellent season from Worcester’s starting QB. 

Defensive Player of the Year - LB Aengus Lynch ON
Aengus Lynch managed to put together a top-notch season despite missing 2 games. He finished 2nd in tackles and forced fumbles this season only behind MVP Scotty Williams. Lynch was a major part of the Tigers' success in the second half of the season. A well-deserved award for Lynch.

Special Teams Player of the Year - K Thomas McFadden - LI
Once again, Thomas McFadden takes home the special teams player of the year award. McFadden has made his mark on the franchise and the league. He is the last remaining Hartford Hawk from the team’s first season and he has continued to dominate in the kicking game over that time. 

Rookie of the Year  - RB Clifford Russell ON
The 1956 draft class was a much weaker class than normal, but it still provided a pair of top tier running backs. It was the 3rd overall pick that had a greater opportunity and ran with it. Russell took over the Tigers’ starting job midway through the season and was a big part of getting them into the playoffs. Russell should be an excellent player in Ontario for the foreseeable future. 

Coach of the Year - Emil Riddle WOR
Riddle takes home his second Coach of the Year award after leading the Athletics to a team-best 9-1 record. Another fantastic season for Riddle in Worcester with plenty more sure to come. 

Breakout Player of the Year - RB Marcus Devonshire WOR
Devonshire officially took over the starting role in Worcester 2 years ago. He dealt with injuries over the last season, but he broke through with a fantastic year this season. He put up 15 touchdowns (2nd in the league) and the 3rd most Rushing Yards. He is a great player and will likely be a key part of the Athletics success moving forward. 

1957 NAAF All-Stars
Offence:
QB Riley Kiernan WOR (1)
RB Arthur Conner BUF (3)
OL Bruce Wesley LI (1)
OL Cliff Strautzenberger WOR (2)
OL Aaron Spears OTT (1)
OL Casey York BUF (7)
OL Andrew Furrson BOS (8)
WR Christian Venegas WOR (2)
WR Chester Bennett OTT (1)
WR Peter Brooks PRO (6)
TE Jervonte Howell OTT (3)

Defence:
DL Sean Bowen BUF (7)
DL Dee Floyd ON (1)
DL Olaf Viktorsson OTT (3)
DL Calias McDonough PRO (1)
LB Scotty Williams WOR (5)
LB Aengus Lynch ON (3)
LB Elijah Goldwater LI (1)
DB Lee Wolfe PRO (8)
DB Alexander Bradley WOR (3)
DB Quentin Xavier MTL (1)
S Shawn Jensen WOR (3)

Special Teams:
K Thomas McFadden LI (5)

39th McCallister Cup Host - Richardson Stadium - Boston, MA
Historic Richardson Stadium will be the host of the 39th McCallister Cup bringing the game back to Boston for the first time since 1949. It will be the 3rd straight host from the New England area, however, it has been 6 years since a New England Division team has won.  

1956 NAAF Award Nominations

1956 NAAF Award Nominations 

MVP
LB Aengus Lynch ON
Aengus Lynch will often be overshadowed by Scotty Williams, but you cannot deny the value Lynch has on the field for the Tigers. He missed a pair of games early in the season which were a part of the Tigers’ 0-4 start. However, once Lynch returned the Tigers started to pull things together. He would go on to come second in both Tackles and forced fumbles (6) this season despite missing 2 and a half games. Only Williams had bigger stats. To make his impact more evident, when Lynch was in the lineup for the full game the Tigers were 5-2 this season. 
QB Jean Matieau OTT
The 2-time MVP is back in the running again. While Matieau’s stat line was not as dominant in the past with teams starting to invest more into pass defense, he was able to lead an injury-riddled Royals squad to an 8-2 season. His top WR Allen Atkins missed most of the season and several OL and defensive players missed considerable time. That didn’t stop Matieau from performing at his best and giving the Royals another great season. 
LB Scotty Williams WOR
Coming through with a league-best 9-1 record, the Athletics were something else this season. At the centre of that success is LB Scotty Williams, who has been nothing but dominant since going 1st overall in 1952. He led the league in tackles once again and had 7 forced fumbles which was the most in the league. His leadership and dominant play on defense earn him the nomination for MVP once again. 

Offensive Player of the Year
RB Arthur Conner BUF - 18 Rushing Touchdowns (1st), 1st in Rushing Yards
Conner was dominant once again on the ground despite the Blue Wings’ struggles this season.
QB Jean Matieau OTT - 15 Passing Touchdowns (2nd), 2nd in Passing Yards, Least Interceptions among starters
For the first time in his career, Matieau didn’t lead the league in both passing categories falling behind Riley Kiernan for TDs and Connor O’Rourke for passing yards. But his offensive presence is unmatched. 
RB Marcus Devonshire WOR - 15 Rushing Touchdowns (2nd), 3rd in Rushing Yards
Devonshire was a scoring machine for the Athletics this season and helped them achieve the top spot in the league. It was a true breakout season for the former second-round pick.
QB Riley Kiernan WOR - 16 Passing Touchdowns (1st), 3rd in Passing Yards
Kiernan got back to a strong season this year. Devonshire was a big help in taking off some of the pressure and that allowed Kiernan to be the first player not named Matieau to lead in touchdown passes since 1951.  

Defensive Player of the Year
DB Quentin Xavier MTL - 6 Interceptions (T-2nd), 2 Defensive Touchdowns (T-1st)
Xavier was able to be one of the best DBs in the league while being on a rough Rouge team. It’s only his second season and he is making a major impact.
LB Aengus Lynch ON - 2nd in Tackles, 6 Forced Fumbles (2nd)
Lynch had a very strong statistical year despite a pair of games missed early on.
DB Lee Wolfe PRO - 7 Interceptions (1st), 1 Defensive Touchdown (T-3rd), 2nd in Knockdowns
Wolfe has not let up over his ageing years and remains the top DB in the league still
LB Scotty Williams WOR - 1st in Tackles, 7 Forced Fumbles (1st)
Williams continues to hold the league lead in tackles and has continued to be a RB’s worst enemy when they need to hold on to the ball. 

Special Teams Player of the Year
K Donald Brewer BUF - 19 Field Goals (T-2nd), 21 Extra Points, 78 Points (T-1st)
Brewer won the STPOTY award two years ago and was a saviour for the Blue Wings in many cases keeping the team in several games this season.
K Thomas McFadden LI - 20 Field Goals (1st), 18 Extra Points, 78 Points (T-1st)
McFadden, now a 4-time winner, has continued to be the league’s best kicker despite missing the playoffs with the Raiders again.
K Nathaniel King ON - 19 Field Goals (T-2nd), 18 Extra Points, 75 Points (2nd)
King was a big help for the Tigers down the stretch in getting the team into the playoffs by the season’s end. 

Rookie of the Year
LB Konrad Aust BOS - 1 Forced Fumble, Leader in tackles among rookies
Aust certainly wasn’t a flashy player this season, but he showed lots of promise on the Boston defense and will make for an interesting player in the future for the team.
RB Scott Mallard-White MTL - 4 Rushing Touchdowns (2nd among rookies), 1 Kick Return Touchdown, 2nd in Rookie Rushing Yards
Mallard-White had a strong first season next to RB Marchal and looks to be a threat to be much like Marchal throughout his career.
RB Clifford Russell ON - 6 Rushing Touchdowns (1st among rookies), 1st in Rookie Rushing Yards
Russell was thrust into the starting role right out of the gate with RB Laurent Brazeau being injured, but he would be quite successful and even more so when he took over after Brazeau was traded. 

Coach of the Year
Lewis Gallegos ON - Record: 5-5
Gallegos’ job was in question at the start of the season, but he was able to get the team back on their feet and probably save his job with the team’s first playoff appearance.
Joseph Curry OTT - Record: 8-2
Curry has continued to be one of the top head coaches. With the Royals' injury issues this season, he was able to show his ability to adjust and think outside the box to get the Royals back to the top of the North.
Emil Riddle WOR Record: 9-1
The 1954 Coach of the Year was able to take the next step with the Athletics this season. He got the team to the best record in the league in a very dominant way earning the Athletics' first New England Division title. 

Breakout Player of the Year
RB Timothy Weeks LI - 8 Rushing Touchdowns (6th), 7th in Rushing Yards
Weeks made his first mark in the league in the 1955 playoffs replacing the injured Marcus Devonshire in Worcester. This season he was the starter for the Raiders and had quite a solid season. While his stats were behind the top of the RB table he shows that he has the potential to be a long term RB solution. 
QB Christian Stewart ON - 7 Passing Touchdowns (4th), 4th in Passing Yards
Stewart’s first season as the starter in Ontario was an up and down year, but he was able to be the 4th best QB in the league. He also showed great resilience in helping the Tigers come back from an 0-4 start.
RB Marcus Devonshire WOR - 15 Rushing Touchdowns (2nd), 3rd in Rushing Yards
Devonshire had a strong season last year, but this season saw him become a star for the Athletics. He was able to find the endzone 15 times and was a major part of the 9-1 season for Worcester. 

39th McCallister Cup Host
Richardson Stadium - Boston, MA - Capacity: 45,265 -  Last Host: 1949
Once again the legendary stadium makes another bid to host the big game. The same argument applies from the last three seasons, the storied stadium has hosted many games and to see a neutral site game here could be special for the teams involved. 
Buffalo Civic Stadium - Buffalo, NY - Capacity: 38,530 - Last Host: 1952
The fanbase in Buffalo remains top of the league and the city would love to see the championship game return. A new plan for safer capacity expansion is in the works for a game in Buffalo.  
Mount Royal Stadium - Montreal, QC - Capacity: 46,500 - Last Host: 1951
Montreal hosted both the ‘50 and ‘51 games due to being in them, but they would love to host one as a neutral site. Mount Royals is one of the bigger stadiums and it would make for as good an atmosphere as Buffalo. 

***VOTE HERE***