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.
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