1953 Offseason - Retirements and Coaching Changes - *Old post that was not documented*

 NEWS AND UPDATES - From your NAAF lead reporter Jeff Montgomery

Retirements 
* = Championships Won
Malachi Knowles OL - BOS (1949-1950)**, WOR (1951-1952)
The Worcester native is finally calling it a career after a quite successful run. He played for Boston over their run of championships, and even before the team joined the NAAF. After winning the back to back NAAF titles, Knowles decided to head home to the expansion Athletics where he would become their top OL. Knowles would earn his lone All-Star nod in the 1951 season and would be the first from the Athletics to be honoured. Knowles will turn to coaching following retirement and may find his way into the NAAF at some point.   

Jon Lewis DL - BOS (1949-1952)**
Lewis was a strong DL for the Independents over the past few seasons. Lewis would be a big factor in Boston’s two McCallister Cups in ‘49 and ‘50, where he would earn a few player of the week nods and back to back All-Star nods. While Lewis was never a superstar, he was a great player in his time. 

Timothy Wiley DL - OTT (1949-1951), TOR (1952)
Wiley was never a huge name in the league, especially playing on a weaker Royals defense. However, Wiley was the bright spot for the defense and would have an All-Star season in 1949. Wiley would leave Ottawa in ‘52 and join the Tigers where he would play his final season. 

Peter McDuffin HC - BOS (1949-1952)**
One of the legends. That’s how McDuffin will be remembered. Leading Boston to years and years of success, McDuffin has been one of the greatest football minds of all time still leading Boston to a 7-3 season even with a slightly older roster. In the NAAF, he was able to claim two more McCallister Cups and two Coach of the Year awards. With a NAAF record of 27-8-1 in the regular season and 6-2 in the playoffs, McDuffin will have one of the toughest winning percentages to beat.  In surprise news, Buffalo DB Oscar Patterson has decided to return for another season with the Blue Wings following the team’s first win. Patterson still feels like he can play even if his role is reduced.  

Other Retirements
QB Adrian Little - PRO (1949-1950), WOR (1951-1952)
DB Léonard Lebrun - MTL (1949-1952)*
TE Baudouin Renaud - MTL (1949-1950), OTT (1951), BUF (1952)* 

Staff Changes

Boston Independents
With Peter McDuffin retiring, Boston turned to Defensive Coordinator Dean Reed for the job. Reed helped keep Boston as a top-two defense last year and should maintain that with the new coordinator Anthony Hatfield. 

Providence Gold Stars
The Gold Stars made drastic changes again. The team fired GM Jack McKinnon and brought on Virgil Gross, who is a more aggressive manager. They also let go of Offensive Coordinator Daniel Howe after just one season and brought on a younger Kent Winters to replace him.  

Hartford Hawks
The Hawks also replaced their Defensive Coordinator Antonio Franco, with the more gruff Jimmy Sargent. Sargent should be a bold leader for the defense and could help the team pick up more wins moving forward.

1953 Draft Preview

Team Needs (Draft Order)
HAR - QB, RB, OL, WR
WOR -  DB, OL, WR, LB
ON - OL, WR
MTL - LB, DB, QB, DL
PRO - DL, OL, RB, WR
OTT - DB, LB, DL, K
BOS - LB, QB, WR, DB
BUF - DB, LB, TE, OL

Projected 1st Round Talents
WR David Burrows - Johnny Singleton
QB Lee Rogers - Johnny Singleton
OL Cliff Stautzenberger - George Stefanakis
QB Connor O’Rourke - Lawrence Gainsborough
WR Ellis Lindholm - Lawrence Gainsborough (Change to Ellis because of Elias Lindholm in the NHL)
OL Jean Mathieu-Baptiste - Lawrence Gainsborough
OL Ulysses Fairgrove - Lawrence Gainsborough
RB Pierre LeStrange - Dewey Thomas
LB Rusty McVee - Roger Roy
TE Johann Treager - Barry Williams 

Projected 2nd Round Talents
LB Brent Harper - Johnny Singleton
RB Connor Riley - Johnny Singleton
DL Vinny Brown - Johnny Singleton
OL Kevin Holcombs - Johnny Singleton
RB Corey King - Lawrence Gainsborough
LB Liam O’Brien - Lawrence Gainsborough
DB Mingan Oliver - Lawrence Gainsborough
DL Olaf Viktorsson - Lawrence Gainsborough
WR Thomas Oezescki - Lawrence Gainsborough
DL Tyrone Affalo - Lawrence Gainsborough
WR Truman Harry - Dewey Thomas
DL Benjamin Hart - Barry Williams
RB Marcus Devonshire - Barry Williams
QB Rigobert St-Hilaire - Barry Williams

*I tried to make it balanced so everyone had at least someone in the first round and second as well. There was still an element of randomness combined with the stories that you guys gave. I will try to include your notes when I write up the draft. I have simulated the draft, so one thing is only 4 of your players missed and will hopefully be signed (which I will make note of in free agency if that is the case, or they will be mixed in again with next year's draft class). Also, there will be some randomly generated prospects to fill some of the positions which I didn't get quite enough in, however, only one got picked. I will hopefully have the draft up (at least the first round) tomorrow. 

Thanks again for the submissions again and Captain Mort for the idea in the first place, it really makes it that much more interesting.

Hartford is on the clock.
Who's going first? 

1958 Retirements

1958 Retirements 

GM/HC Bobby Hooper - Buffalo, NY
Teams: Buffalo Blue Wings GM/HC (1949-1955), Buffalo Blue Wings GM (1956-1957)
Head Coach Record: 38-27-1
McCallister Cups: 2 (1952*as HC, 1957*as GM)
Awards: Coach of the Year (1952)
Bobby Hooper will have an everlasting legacy in Buffalo. He brought the team to its first championship in the 1952 season and then put together another winning team this season as the GM. Hooper took home a Coach of the Year award and was overall a strong coach throughout his time in the role. He decided after the second championship that it was time for him to step away from the team.  

RB Joel Bonner - Boston, MA
Teams: Boston Independents (1949-1957)McCallister Cups: 2 (1949,1951)
Awards: Offensive Player of the Year (1949)
All-Stars: 1 (1949)
Bonner will go down as one of those players that could’ve had an even better career. With a fantastic first couple of seasons in the NAAF where he took home an OPOTY award and his only All-Star nod in 1949. Unfortunately, his career took a turn with a major leg injury in week 1 of 1951. Since that injury, Bonner has still been a strong back for Boston, but he was not the same as his dominant 1940’s years. Bonner will still be remembered fondly by the Boston faithful and he is ready to watch the team moving forward.  

QB Maurice Norris - Montreal, QC
Teams: Montreal Rouge (1949-1950), Hartford Hawks (1951), Buffalo Blue Wings (1952-1957)
McCallister Cups: 2 (1952,1957)
Norris was strongly criticized in his early NAAF years in Montreal. He was able to get the team to the McCallister Cup in 1950, but failed to deliver in the big game and was traded to Hartford in the offseason. Norris would start for the Hawks and would end up holding the best starting QB for the franchise until Lyle Painter in 1955. Norris would ultimately join the Blue Wings as a backup and would get to win two championships with that team while getting several chances to play in games with Angelo Medina being hurt several times over the 6 seasons. Overall, Norris proved his worth throughout his career having quite a successful overall starting record in his career. 

WR Willard Brooks - Baltimore, MD
Teams: Ottawa Royals (1950-1955), Providence Gold Stars (1956-1957)
McCallister Cups: 2 (1954,1955)
Willard Brooks was a hotly contested free agent in the 1950 offseason between the Royals and Rouge. Brooks would end up playing for the Royals for 6 seasons and was a part of the first 2 seasons of their dynasty. He would join the Gold Stars for the final two seasons of his career. Unfortunately, he would suffer injuries during his final year which might have sped up the end of his career. Brooks was a real strong receiver throughout his career and will likely be remembered as Allen Atkin’s sidekick, but he was great on his own especially when Atkins would miss a game here or there.  

WR Samuel Floyd - Boston, MA
Teams: Boston Independents (1949-1954), Buffalo Blue Wings (1955,1956), Indiana Victors (1957)
McCallister Cups: 2 (1949,1950
)All-Stars: 2 (1949,1950)
Floyd was a speed demon in his career, often scoring 40+ yard touchdowns for Boston early in his career. He was at his best with QB Larry Larson throwing the ball his way helping him to 2 all-star nods. Both of those seasons would end with Boston winning the championship as well. With Larson retiring, Floyd would venture to Buffalo for a pair of injury-riddled seasons. Following that, he was selected by the Indiana Victors in the expansion draft, where he played another season full of injury. It wasn’t the best end to his career, but he was a strong player throughout his prime.

DL Craig Newman - Concord, NH
Teams: Boston Independents (1949-1957), Buffalo Blue Wings (1957)
McCallister Cups: 3 (1949,1950,1957)
All-Stars: 2 (1952,1954)
Newman was another long time Independent. He was strong during the team’s championship years but was noticed more in years after with a pair of all-star nods during the early ’50s. He would play out almost his entire career with Boston before he was traded to Buffalo during his final season. He would only play 2 games with Buffalo before being injured for the remainder of the season. He would still get to celebrate his 3rd career title with the team despite having played his last game several weeks earlier.

RB Gene Fischer - Providence, RI
Teams: Providence Gold Stars (1949-1953), Long Island Hawks/Raiders (1954-1955), Buffalo Blue Wings (1956), Montreal Rouge (1957)
Fischer was a running back with a bright future with the Gold Stars, but he was injured in 1949, which seemed to rock his confidence. The RB was still solid throughout his time, but he was never the piece to get them to the next level. He would swap spots with RB Johnnie Stafford in 1954. He would have a pair of strong seasons with the Hawks/Raiders, even getting to a McCallister Cup, before finishing his career in backup roles in Buffalo and Montreal.  

OL James Knowles - Oshawa, ON
Teams: Ottawa Royals (1949-1957)
McCallister Cups: 3 (1954,1955,1956)
All-Stars: 7 (1949-1955)
Knowles was a premier OL for most of his career. He played in Ottawa for its entirety and was a part of the 3 championship wins between 1954 and 1956. Knowles was an All-Star in each of the first 7 NAAF seasons, and the only reason he didn’t make it in the last two seasons was due to injuries that kept him out of the lineup.  

Other Notable Retirements
GM Kyle McCarty - Worcester, MA - GM WOR (1951-1957)
DC Kerry Miles - Rochester, NY - DC PRO (1951-1954), DC LI (1955-1957) 

WR Travis Gallagher - Buffalo, NY - BUF (1949-1954)*, LI (1955-1957)
DB Francis Veillette - Philadelphia, PA - BOS (1950-1954)*, LI (1955-1956), IND (1957)
RB Jacque Montier - Montreal, QC - MTL (1949-1950), WOR (1951-1954), OTT (1955-1956)**, ON (1957)
DB Eugene Christensen - Montreal, QC - MTL (1949-1950), HAR (1951-1953), BUF (1954), WOR (1955-1957)
OL John Richards - Springfield, MA - BOS (1949-1956)**, LOU (1957)
WR Ray Landry - Buffalo, NY - BUF (1949-1951,1954), BOS (1952-1953,1955), MTL (1956), IND (1957)
S Chester George - Boston, MA - BOS (1949-1951)**, MTL (1952-1955)*, LI (1956), IND (1957) 

* = McCallister Cup 

1957 Awards

1957 Award Winners

Most Valuable Player - QB Connor O’Rourke PRO
A close vote between Connor O’Rourke and Arthur Conner ended with O’Rourke on top. This season, O’Rourke was a huge part of the Gold Stars’ success, and if the team didn’t have him behind centre, they could’ve been in a very different position. O’Rourke also becomes the second Providence QB to win the league’s MVP award after Bruce Woodard won it in 1953. 

Playoff MVP - S Frazier Brooks BUF
Once again the McCallister Cup MVP takes home the playoff MVP as well. Brooks was a force in Buffalo’s secondary in both of their playoff games. He had a total of 3 interceptions over the 2 games and broke up another 9 passes. Brooks showed once again that he was a great pick back in 1952 and got the Blue Wings over the top once again.

Offensive Player of the Year - RB Arthur Conner BUF
Conner fell short in the MVP votes, but in consolation, he took home his second Offensive Player of the Year award. Conner has come into his own in the last few seasons and has been at the top of the league over those seasons. No doubt the RB, who has been overshadowed during a lot of his career, has become the best of the best with this second honour in 3 years.  

Defensive Player of the Year - LB Brent Harper BOS
Harper becomes the first Boston player to take home an award since the 1950 season. There was no doubt that Harper was the best defensive player this season. Leading the league in tackles and forced fumbles (10, which was 3 more than Lynch in second), Harper was playing on another level to get the Independents back to the playoffs.  

Special Teams Player of the Year - K Johnnie Berg BOS
After all the absent years, Boston grabs two awards with K Johnnie Berg taking home the Special Teams award. Berg was the most consistent kicker this season and was able to put up a league-leading 83 points this season, which made up 40% of Boston’s total points this season. 

Rookie of the Year  - DL William Sanderson IND
The rookies this year did not stand out like in years past, but you can not take away Sanderson’s strong first season where he led all rookies in sacks and forced fumbles this season. The 2nd overall pick already has lots of comfort in Indiana and should settle into a star role over the next few seasons. 

Coach of the Year - Dannell Willis BUF
Willis was the obvious pick for coach of the year after taking the Blue Wings from a 1-2 start to a 10-2 finish. In only his second season as the head man, Willis was able to rejuvenate the defence and, with the help of OC Tim Bakersfield, got Angelo Medina back to form for this spectacular season. 

Breakout Player of the Year - WR Sammy Moss PRO
Sammy Moss had a huge season in his second year. He broke through to second in the league in receiving touchdowns and was a key piece in the Gold Stars’ return to the top of their division. Moss is the third Gold Star to win the award after WR John Osborn and this year’s MVP Connor O’Rourke. 

All-Stars
The 1957 season marked a first where they had an All-Star team for each division.
West Division All-Stars
QB Angelo Medina BUF - 1
RB Arthur Conner BUF - 3
OL Jean Mathieu-Baptiste BUF - 1
OL Casey York BUF - 8
OL Bruce Wesley LI - 2
OL Aaron Spears LOU - 2
OL Ulysses Fairgrove ON - 1
WR Joseph Barry IND - 2
WR Robert Lang LI - 1
WR Benedict Spencer ON - 1
TE Johnny Mantle IV - 1
DL Sean Bowen BUF - 8
DL William Sanderson IND - 1
DL Vernon Spears LI - 1
DL Dee Floyd ON - 2
LB Aengus Lynch ON - 4
LB Rusty McVee LI - 2
LB Ben McCray BUF/LOU - 1
DB Slay Mitchell LI - 2
DB Lester Murphy IND - 3
DB Lou Lake BUF - 1
S Frazier Brooks - 2
K Thomas McFadden LOU - 6

East Division All-Stars
QB Connor O'Rourke PRO - 1
RB Marcus Devonshire WOR - 1
OL Andrew Furrson BOS - 9
OL Eugésippe Chalifoux MTL - 3
OL Charlie Bennett OTT - 1
OL Wilfred Gibson PRO - 1
OL Cliff Strautzenbeger WOR - 3
WR Chester Bennett OTT - 2
WR Sammy Moss PRO - 1
WR Ellis Lindholm BOS - 1
TE Jervonte Howell OTT - 4
DL Olaf Viktorsson OTT - 4
DL Vinny Brown WOR - 1
DL Calias McDonough PRO - 2
DL Zakary Turbide PRO - 3
LB Brent Harper BOS - 2
LB Scotty Williams WOR - 6
LB Konrad Aust BOS - 1
DB Quentin Xavier MTL - 2
DB Mingan Oliver OTT - 1
DB Alexander Bradley WOR - 4
S Mason Parker PRO - 1
K Johnnie Berg BOS - 1

40th McCallister Cup Host - Victory Stadium - Indianapolis, IN
Indianapolis will be the home for the 40th edition of the McCallister Cup. This will be the first to leave the true northeast as the league looks to continue to grow the midwest market. Victory Stadium just opened this past season and will be a fresh new home for the game.  

1957 Award Nominations

 1957 NAAF Award Nominations 

MVP
LB Brent Harper BOS
Harper was a major reason the Independents were even in the playoff hunt to begin with. A leader in the defence, Harper dominated the field more than any other player this season. He would lead the league with 10 forced fumbles and added an interception as well. He was also the league leader in tackles topping LB Scotty Williams and LB Aengus Lynch for the honour. 

RB Arthur Conner BUF
Conner has been a fantastic back over the past few seasons and has been the league leader in rushing touchdowns in each of the last 3 seasons. While this season he ended tied with RB Marcus Devonshire, Conner and the Blue Wings were a different team this season. Conner also narrowly beat out Devonshire for rushing yards this season en route to the team’s 10-2 season. 

QB Connor O’Rourke PRO
The Gold Stars QB was by far their most important piece in a 9-3 campaign. O’Rourke was able to get the team into a position to win again and again, in fact, any game that was within a score the Gold Stars came out on top. O’Rourke finished second in passing touchdowns behind QB Jean Matieau, but he beat out the Royal in passing yards. Without O’Rourke, the Gold Stars would’ve had a very different season. 

Offensive Player of the Year
RB Arthur Conner BUF - 17 Rushing Touchdowns (T-1st), 1st in Rushing Yards
Conner was an offensive beast this season, leading the way for the Blue Wings offence that was second in the league this season.
QB Jean Matieau OTT - 20 Passing Touchdowns (1st), 2nd in Passing Yards
Matieau continues to be a staple at the top in the passing game. He returned to the top of the passing touchdown lead this season as well.
QB Connor O’Rourke PRO - 19 Passing Touchdowns (2nd), 1st in Passing Yards
O’Rourke and Matieau are starting to be looked at as the top 2 QBs in the league, and Connor was able to prove that this season with the league lead in passing yards and only having one less touchdown thrown than Matieau.
RB Marcus Devonshire WOR - 17 Rushing Touchdowns (T-1st), 2nd in Rushing Yards
Devonshire was right with Arthur Conner all season long, and deserves as much praise for being the motor of the Athletics offence that lacked a passing game this season. 

Defensive Player of the Year
LB Brent Harper BOS - 1st in Tackles, 10 Forced Fumbles (1st), 1 Interception
As previously mentioned, Harper was a force for the Independents this season, and was way ahead of any other defenders this season.
S Frazier Brooks BUF - 5 Interceptions (T-4th), 1 Forced Fumble, 2nd in Defended Plays, 2 Sacks
Brooks truly came into his own this season proving he is an all-around option in the defence. He was able to make plays from the back end and even got to the QB a couple of times this season on a Buffalo special safety blitz.
DB Quentin Xavier MTL - 7 Interceptions (1st), 1 Defensive Touchdown (T-3rd)
Xavier has been nothing but spectacular in his first 3 NAAF seasons managing to lead the league in interceptions despite being on a rough Montreal squad.
LB Aengus Lynch ON - 4th in Tackles, 7 Forced Fumbles (2nd)
Lynch was not quite as dominant as last year, but he was able to knock the ball loose 7 times creating a lot of havoc for offences against the Tigers. 

Special Teams Player of the Year
K Johnnie Berg BOS - 22 Field Goals (1st), 17 Extra Points, 83 Points (1st)
Johnnie Berg was a big part of Boston’s scoring this season, leading the league in field goals and points scored.
K Thomas McFadden LOU - 21 Field Goals (2nd), 10 Extra Points, 73 Points (5th)
McFadden has been here plenty of times, and was a huge part of Louisville’s scoring this season.
K Henderson Schumacher LI - 17 Field Goals (6th), 26 Extra Points, 77 Points (4th)
In his first year in a starting role, Schumacher was able to put up the 4th most points in the league. He also was the most consistent kicker this season.  

Rookie of the Year
OL Graham Chambers BOS
It is hard to give stats to the young O-lineman, but Chambers had a very strong first season in Boston. He was able to protect both Higgins and Swayze and helped the team get into the playoffs
DL William Sanderson IND - 3 Forced Fumbles (1st in rookies), 5 Sacks (1st in Rookies)
Sanderson was an instant centrepiece on the Victors’ D-line. He would cause 3 forced fumbles and wrapped up 5 sacks for his first season.
LB Sam Fitzroy MTL - 2 Forced Fumbles (2nd in rookies), 1st in rookie tackles
Fitzroy, the replacement for the traded Rusty McVee, showed that he has a lot of potential in his first season leading all rookies in tackles this season. 

Coach of the Year
Dannell Willis BUF - Record: 10-2
Willis had a rough first year in the head coaching role in Buffalo, but he took massive strides in his second season. Leading Buffalo to a 10-2 record after starting 1-2, they were a different team built on hard nose football and gritty defence. 
Joseph Curry OTT - Record: 7-3-2
With all the success the Royals have had over the 4 years, it is still surprising that Curry hasn’t taken home a coach of the year award. This season, he managed to take a Royals team that lost its usual top WR and several key defensive pieces to second in the division. 
Roy Aguirre PRO Record: 9-3
Aguirre was a big reason the Gold Stars were able to take home their second division title in the NAAF. He works really well with O’Rourke and he pushed the offence to be one of the best this season.  

Breakout Player of the Year
DB Lou Lake BUF - 4 Interceptions (T-6th), 2 Defensive Touchdowns (T-1st)
Lake broke out on the Blue Wings defence taking on a full-time starting role for the first time. He was able to reel in 4 interceptions and took 2 of them back for touchdowns which tied him for first with DB Alexander Bradley.  
WR Benedict Spencer ON - 5 Receiving Touchdowns (T-8th)
Spencer broke out in the Tigers receiving core. His play was especially noticeable early in the season where he picked up a majority of his touchdowns. He also showed his ability to pick up yards with the injury to usual #1 WR Wilbert Benjamin, taking on a bigger role in the second half.
WR Sammy Moss PRO - 8 Receiving Touchdowns (2nd)
Moss was a scoring machine this season. In the Providence offence where he was able to thrive getting open near the endzone. He finished second in TDs behind only WR Chester Bennett, outscoring his teammate #1 WR Peter Brooks (6 TDs) this season. 

40th McCallister Cup Host
Victory Stadium - Indianapolis, IN - Capacity: 48,500 - Last Host: -
Indianapolis has just joined the league and they would love a chance to host the first championship game outside of the usual cities. Victory Stadium is a great new location and bringing the game to a newer market may be a great idea for the league to build the fanbase.
Royals Stadium at Brewer Park - Ottawa, ON - Capacity: 45,210 -  Last Host: 1954 (old stadium)
The Royals make a strong argument for the hosting duties. 1958 marks the club’s 50th anniversary and they would love to be the host of the McCallister Cup in honour of that milestone. The game would also be played at their new Stadium which they began to play in 1955 the year after they had hosted at Lansdowne in 1954.
New Providence Stadium - Providence, RI - Capacity: 65,450 - Last Host: 1953
Providence is also making another attempt at the hosting duties, coming in with the largest stadium argument, which consistently makes this site a favourable one for the big game. 

***VOTE HERE***

39th McCallister Cup

39th McCallister Cup

Buffalo Blue Wings VS. Ottawa Royals - Richardson Stadium - October 6, 1957 - 6 PM ET 

1952 was the first season the league decided to have a predetermined host for the McCallister Cup. However, the first 5 seasons of the practice would end with the host in the game, thus eliminating the point of the neutral site. Finally, the 39th McCallister Cup is a true neutral-site game at the historic Richardson Stadium in Boston.  

1st Q
The Blue Wings would open up the game with the ball. However, they were shut down quickly for a 2 and out. The Royals would take the field and after a quick DL Sean Bowen sack, would also go 2 and out. The pattern would continue on the next pair of drives. Buffalo would look to finally break away from the slow start with a shot downfield. Unfortunately, Medina’s pass would be picked off by DB Petr Westerberg. The Royals would take over and would be the first team to be in the opponents' end of the field. However, they would be stopped and still forced to punt. K Maurice Lafayette would get the ball down the field where Buffalo would sacrifice the first point of the game on a single. Despite now being down 0-1, Buffalo would find their fire. RB Arthur Conner would take over on the next drive and would take Buffalo to the house. After a slow start, it was 7-1 Buffalo after the opening quarter.
7-1 BUF

2nd Q
The second would still be slow, but the Blue Wings kept moving the ball. They would tack on a field goal to their lead to make it 10-1 midway through the quarter. The Royals continued to struggle on offence with the Blue Wings secondary playing top-notch defence. They would be able to keep the Royals off the board until the final few minutes where QB Jean Matieau was able to finally get into Lafayette’s range to make it 10-4.
10-4 BUF

3rd Q
After a slow first half, the second wouldn’t take long to take off. Matieau and the Royals would start with the ball and would gamble and take a shot right off the bat. Matieau would toss it up to WR Chester Bennett, but S Frazier Brooks would be ready for the pass. The safety would go up with Bennett and would come down with the interception. A few plays later the K Donald Brewer would extend the Blue Wings lead back up to 9. The Royals were clearly frustrated with the very slow start, but they would finally get a break with DL Olaf Viktorsson getting to QB Angelo Medina and knocking the ball loose. The Royals would recover and Matieau was ready to make something happen. The QB would take the Royals down the rest of the way to the goal line. He would toss it to RB Alexei Volkov who would take it in for the touchdown cutting the lead down to 2 heading into the final quarter. 
13-11 BUF

4th Q
Buffalo seemed unfazed by the quick turn of events and QB Angelo Medina would march the Blue Wings back down the other way. Once they got down to the 4-yard line, Medina would take the snap and roll out looking to run. Olaf Viktorsson and LB Alister Henry would go right after him, but Medina would quickly sidearm it around them to TE Johann Traeger for the TD and the 20-11 lead. The Royals entered the field looking to replicate their last scoring drive. However, the Buffalo defence maintained their strong play. S Frazier Brooks would break up back-to-back throws to force the Royals to 3rd down. Matieau would manage to get it but the very next play would end up in the hands of DB Louie White. The Blue Wings would take over and RB Arthur Conner just took the ball and tried eating as much clock as he could. Eventually, he would find a huge opportunity. He would get the ball and find a wide-open hole and would then run into a wide-open field. Conner cut to the sideline and only had DB Mingan Oliver to beat and he would pull a great spin move on him and take it the rest of the way for the score and the 27-11 lead. Despite being down by 16, Jean Matieau would not give in. The QB would still fight for every inch. He even took off himself to pick up a first on 2nd and 7. He would find WR Mackenzie Jones for a touchdown with 2 minutes to go. They would go for 2 to cut the lead to 8. Matieau would drop back and would be looking for the pass. For a second he saw Jones get open and he would fire, but S Frazier Brooks was there yet again to break up the play and keep the lead at 10. The Royals would go for the onside kick, but Buffalo would recover. Ottawa would get another chance but the time was running out. Didn’t matter for Matieau who would still take another shot downfield. S Frazier Brooks, however, would put a swift end to anymore Royals’ attempts and grabbed his second pick to seal their 11th straight victory and their second McCallister Cup.  

McCallister Cup MVP

S Frazier Brooks BUF - 2 Interceptions, 5 Knockdowns, 6 Tackles 

Other Notes about the game:
The game was the first McCallister Cup to feature 2 teams that have both won the cup before in the NAAF era.
DL Sean Bowen finally achieved what he set out to do upon being traded to Buffalo in 1954.
Much like the NHL tradition, the captain gets to raise the Cup first.
S Frazier Brooks becomes the first community-created player to take home a McCallister Cup MVP.
DB Louie White, who had never been in the playoffs before, captures a championship in his first go.

1957 Champions - Buffalo Blue Wings

1957 Recap

1957 Playoffs

1957 Division Semi-Finals 

East Division Semi-Final
Ottawa Royals VS. Worcester Athletics - Royals Stadium at Brewer Park - September 21, 1957 - 6 PM ET 
1st Q
The cool September air started to set in as the Royals and Athletics got ready for the first playoff game of the season. Out of the gate, both teams gained a first down on their opening drive only to be stopped on the next set. The Royals would begin their second drive with a 7-yard run from RB Alexei Volkov and then a 6-yard pass to WR Mackenzie Jones. On the fresh set of downs, QB Jean Matieau would take the snap and would feel pressure from DL Vinny Brown. He would escape and toss the ball to rookie WR Ben Roland. Roland would reach to catch it but it bounced off his hands and up. DB Alexander Bradley saw his opportunity and came down with it giving Worcester prime field position. Not long later RB Marcus Devonshire found himself in the endzone for the early 0-7 lead. Ottawa would get a field goal back to cut into the lead, but Worcester’s defence was keeping them at bay
3-7 WOR

2nd Q
Matieau would get the offence rolling on a long meticulous drive. Matieau slowly picked apart the Athletics' defence. They finally reached the redzone on their 10th play. It only took a couple more plays for Matieau to connect with WR Mackenzie Jones for a 7-yard TD to take the lead. Worcester would eventually knot the game up with a 23-yard field goal from K Tevoris Francis, but Matieau would get the Royals back in front with a field goal just before the half. 
13-10 OTT

3rd Q
QB Andrew Glover was starting to go to the air more with Devonshire starting to be contained by the Royals D-line. Eventually, he would find WR Clyde McIntosh who would get free for a 24-yard gain that helped put the Royals back into more pass coverage. It opened the door a bit more for Devonshire who would eventually breakthrough for his second TD of the game. Unfortunately, K Tevoris Francis would miss the extra point, but the Athletics would continue their plan with more passing and it seemed to be working. That was until Glover got antsy and tossed it right into the path of DB Mingan Oliver who would snag an interception. Ottawa would take over and Matieau would not take long to find Mackenzie Jones for his second TD of the game. 
20-16 OTT

4th Q
The 4th was not much different as Glover and the Athletics stuck to their game plan and would get close enough to add yet another field goal to pull within 1. However, their defence was still struggling with Matieau and his passing ability. DB Alexander Bradley was doing a great job shutting down WR Chester Bennett, but the rest of the secondary was not able to contain the other weapons. The Royals would even switch it up with runs and passes to Volkov that opened things up even more. As time winded down, RB Alexei Volkov would score a late touchdown to extend the Royals lead. They would tag on a 2-point convert with WR Mackenzie Jones to make it a 2-score game. The Athletics could not get to the endzone as Glover was picked off again on their next drive, this time by DB Uzzia Hayes. The Royals held on to win their 7th straight playoff game and will get ready for Providence next week. 

West Division Semi-Final
Long Island Raiders VS. Boston Independents - Long Island Stadium - September 22, 1957 - 6 PM ET
1st Q
The questions about QB Lyle Painter and the ability of the Raiders offence were answers quickly. On the opening drive, Painter was able to lead the Raiders down the entire field to score the first points of the game. He would hit WR Robert Lang on the sidelines before he would take it into the endzone to make it 7-0 Raiders. Boston would get their first opportunity on offence 3 minutes into the game. QB Bart Swayze was looking to shift momentum back in their favour, but he would run into a fierce LB Rusty McVee. After RB Joel Bonner ran for 2 yards on first down, Swayze would drop to pass on second down where McVee would fly through the O-line and would rock the QB. Swayze had a rough time recovering from that one and the offence went 2 and out on every other drive in the quarter.
7-0 LI

2nd Q
The Raiders would continue to control the game in the second quarter. RB Conner Riley would score a touchdown early on to extend the Raiders’ lead to 14-0. Not long after, DB Slay Mitchell would come away with a pick from Swayze. The turnover would turn into a K Henderson Schumacher field goal to make it 17-0. The Independents were not able to get anything going in the first half and would be completely shutout. Swayze would throw another 2 picks as time was winding down to DB Amyre Rouleau and LB Rusty McVee.
17-0 LI

3rd Q
Boston needed to make a change in the second half, so they turned back to QB Caldwell Higgins III. Higgins was able to get the offence moving a bit more. Despite his lack of playoff experience, Higgins was playing more calm and not trying to force passes. On their third drive of the half, Higgins would see an opening and would find WR Ellis Lindholm. Lindholm would turn a 15-yard toss into a touchdown, weaving his way through the Raiders’ defence to score. Boston was back in the fight. However, Long Island was able to grab a second field goal to make it 20-7 heading into the final quarter.
20-7 LI

4th Q
The Long Island defence had finally shown up in this game. Their only mistake so far had been the long Lindholm TD. The final quarter would be another strong showing. They would snag their fifth turnover of the game with DB Slay Mitchell’s second pick. The offence kept running down the clock with RB Conner Riley. They also were preventing injuring more WR’s with Darryl Duke having to leave the game earlier in the quarter. Fortunately for Boston, they would get a break with LB Brent Harper knocking the ball free from Conner Riley. It gave Boston a chance, but their offence sputtered. DL Vernon Spears would sack Higgins and Boston would have to go for it on 3rd and 16. Higgins was unable to get the first after tossing it to TE Richard Stewart who was stopped short. Boston lost any hope at that point and the Raiders would run out the clock to win the game.  

Injury Report
WR Darryl Duke LI - 1 Week
OL Nazario Baldassare WOR - Day-to-Day 

Players of the Week

OFF: WR Mackenzie Jones OTT - 2 Receiving Touchdowns, 107 Receiving Yards, 1 2-Point Convert 

DEF: LB Rusty McVee LI - 1 Interception, 2 Sacks, 10 Tackles Division Final Previews

East Division Final
Providence Gold Stars VS. Ottawa Royals - New Providence Stadium - September 28, 1957 - 6 PM ET
Head-to-Head: W4: PRO 23-20 OTT, W7: OTT 34-24 PRO
The Gold Stars have had a strong season, and have been great in late-game situations. 6 of their 9 wins were within 1 score and many of them have come from strong performances in the final quarter. The defence has been strong this season with the addition of DL Zakary Turbide, who will have to carry a bigger weight with DL Calias McDonough out for the season. At the end of the day, QB Connor O’Rourke will be the most important factor in the game and will need to make a huge impact to get the team back to the McCallister Cup. Ottawa looks hot at the moment coming off a strong win over Worcester at home. They also were able to top the Gold Stars with a 10-point win in week 7 and will hope to replicate that game. WR Mackenzie Jones showed how much of a threat he was in the sem-final and will hopefully open up the field for Chester Bennett to be more involved as well. It will be a close one where either team could come out on top.
My Pick: Royals

West Semi-Final
Buffalo Blue Wings VS. Long Island Raiders - Buffalo Civic Stadium - September 29, 1957 - 6 PM ET
Head-to-Head: W4: BUF 25-14 LI, W12: LI 18-24 BUF
The West Final is a tough battle to gage with the only true matchup between the teams that happened way back in week 4 where the Blue Wings smacking the Raiders. Since then, both teams have changed a lot and the week 12 game was a battle of backups. Buffalo is the hot hand in this game, with a 9-game win streak behind them. QB Angelo Medina has recaptured some of the magic he has had in the 1952 championship season and will be a main factor for the Blue Wings. Of course, RB Arthur Conner and DL Sean Bowen will also be looked at to lead the Blue Wings forward. However, you cannot count out Long Island whose defence finally came together in a dominant win over Boston. LB Rusty McVee and DL Vernon Spears gave both Boston QBs a hell of a time and will hope to do the same to Medina. QB Lyle Painter looked solid too and will have to make some plays to get the Raiders into a good position. However, the Blue Wings are hot and will be a very tough team to slow down, especially in front of their home crowd.
My Pick: Blue Wings 

1957 Division Finals

East Division Final
Providence Gold Stars VS. Ottawa Royals - New Providence Stadium - September 28, 1957 - 6 PM ET 

1st Q
The Gold Stars looking to prevent the Royals from making their 4th straight McCallister Cup got off to a super hot start. The defence put the pressure on immediately. DB Lee Wolfe would intercept QB Jean Matieau’s 2nd pass of the game, which the offence quickly turned into a field goal. To make matters worse for the Royals, WR Chester Bennett was injured on the interception and would be done for the game. A couple drives later, the Gold Stars would get their second interception with DB Victor Bean reeling in a pass intended for WR Ben Roland. This time the Gold Stars would get to the house with a WR Peter Brooks touchdown to make it 10-0 after the first quarter.
10-0 PRO

2nd Q
Ottawa would begin the second quarter with a better drive heavily focused around RB Alexei Volkov. They only could get down to the 41, but with the wind, K Maurice Lafayette would nail the long kick. Despite the Royals finally getting on the board, QB Connor O’Rourke kept the Gold Stars rolling. He would march the offence back to the redzone where he found breakout WR, Sammy Moss for his second TD pass of the day and extending the lead to 17-3. The defence would continue to do their job and kept the Royals to 3 points in the first half.
17-3 PRO

3rd Q
Without WR Chester Bennett, the Royals seemed like they couldn’t get anything going. A change of gameplan was a sure thing coming out of the break. They went to work fairly quickly grabbing a field goal on their first drive. However, Providence was still well in control. Well, until RB Alexei Volkov broke free for a 43-yard scramble. He was only stopped by Lee Wolfe after getting the Royals into striking range. Matieau would inch the ball closer to the endzone before Volkov would punch it in for the touchdown. Looking to make it a 3-point game, they would go for 2. Matieau would drop back and DB Lee Wolfe would knock away the pass attempt to Mackenzie Jones leaving the score at 17-12 heading into the final quarter.
17-12 PRO

4th Q
The Providence defence was still standing strong, but they started to show cracks, and Royals HC Joseph Curry exploited them. Mixing things up on offence again threw the Gold Stars for a curveball and the Royals pulled the WRs back for a few runs, they even pulled off the flea-flicker from last year’s McCallister Cup to get the Royals back into scoring range. After RB Alexei Volkov ran an attempt at the endzone, the Royals would toss a quick shovel pass to WR Toni Radovanovic running in front of Matieau. Radovanovic would take it in for his first career touchdown after missing most of the season with injuries. The royals would take their second attempt at a 2-point convert. Matieau once again dropped back but he surprised everyone by taking off towards the endzone. Providence was caught off guard and the Royals were now up by 3. The fans were not pleased with Providence blowing a 17-3 and were booing their own team. QB Connor O’Rourke tried to use that as fuel for his team. He would take the field and execute. He marched the Gold Stars back down the field. As they approached the endzone O’Rourke would take a shot at WR Peter Brooks, but DB Uzzia Hayes would deny the connection. With a surprise on the following down, the Gold Stars turned to RB Élisée Marchal who would take it in for the go-ahead touchdown. Providence was back on top 24-20 with 3 minutes to go. The 3 minutes was plenty of time for Ottawa. Matieau would be able to get the Royals back down the field and would be in the redzone again. They would end up on the 18-yard line with a 3rd down. Matieau would drop back for the pass and he would toss the ball quickly to RB Alexei Volkov. The RB turned up the field to run and would make a quick move on LB Gerald Lamb. Lamb lost his footing but still went for the tackle and his hand would end up in Volkov’s face. Volkov would be brought down short, but a 5-yard facemask penalty was called, giving the Royals a fresh set of downs. Moments later Matieau would toss it to Volkov for the game-winning touchdown to send the Royals to their 4th straight McCallister Cup. 

West Semi-Final
Buffalo Blue Wings VS. Long Island Raiders - Buffalo Civic Stadium - September 29, 1957 - 6 PM ET 

1st Q
The crowd at Buffalo Civic Stadium was loud from the moment the doors opened. Everyone was excited for another playoff game. However, it was the Raiders who got off to a good start. QB Lyle Painter was able to get the offence into field goal range on their opening drive to take a quick 0-3 lead. Buffalo would take the field for their first drive and it would go wrong. RB Arthur Conner took a handoff up the middle, but DL Tyrone Affalo was able to get his hand into the arm of Conner. Affalo would strip the ball and it would roll right to LB Elijah Goldwater. The Raiders took over with great field position. Painter would take the field and on second down they would run a quick pass to WR John Osborn over the middle. Osborn would catch it and turn upfield into LB Claude Adams and LB Ben McCray. McCray would have a good position and would take the ball right back for the Blue Wings. That play would shift momentum back into Buffalo’s hands. They would tie the game up at 3 before the end of the quarter
3-3

2nd Q
Buffalo would keep riding the momentum to their second field goal of the game to make it 6-3. The Raiders felt they were in a good position after holding the Blue Wings to only a field goal. The offence was moving down the field quite well until Painter threw the ball into the hands of S Frazier Brooks who would take it back into Raider territory. The Blue Wings would drive the rest of the way to score the first touchdown of the game with RB Arthur Conner. They would take the 10-point lead into the half.
13-3 BUF

3rd Q
The momentum was still heavily tilted into Buffalo’s favour out of the break. QB Angelo Medina would lead the offence back to the endzone. This time he would take it in himself from 6 yards out to make it 19-3 after a missed convert. The Raiders were able to recover a bit with a strong drive to counter the touchdown. Painter would just miss out on a touchdown pass to WR Robert Lang, as the play was broken up by S Frazier Brooks. They would settle for the field goal to make it 19-6. However, Lang was hurt on the previous play and would leave the game. 
19-6 BUF

4th Q
The Raiders would grab some momentum with the field goal drive and would find themselves in scoring range again after DL Vernon Spears knocked the ball loose from Medina for a turnover. Painter would capitalize this time on a shot to WR Travis Gallagher to cut the lead to 6. Buffalo was not going to let the Raiders back into the game. Rallying behind the crowd, the Blue Wings would score again to make the score 26-13. RB Arthur Conner would be the scoring player on his second of the game. Buffalo had control once again and the Raiders were losing hope. They would make a push but as they got to their own 40, Painter would throw a pick to DB Louie White. White, who was playing in his first-ever playoff game, would take it all the way back for a score giving Buffalo a 20-point lead. Buffalo would shut down the Raiders for the rest of the game to send themselves to their 2nd McCallister Cup.

Injury Report
WR Robert Lang LI - Day-to-Day
DB Amyre Rouleau LI - 1 Week
WR Chester Bennett OTT - Day-to-Day
OL Vernon Baxter PRO - 1 Week 

Players of the Week

OFF: RB Alexei Volkov OTT - 1 Receiving Touchdown, 1 Rushing Touchdown, 114 Rushing Yards, 57 Receiving Yards

DEF: DB Louie White BUF - 1 Interception, 1 Touchdown, 3 Knockdowns, 4 Tackles

39th McCallister Cup
Buffalo Blue Wings VS. Ottawa Royals - Richardson Stadium - October 6, 1957 - 6 PM ET
Head-to-Head: W9 BUF 20-19 OTT
The Buffalo Blue Wings continued on their path of destruction in the West Final in the 33-13 win over the Raiders, and they don’t look like they’ll slow down. QB Angelo Medina and RB Arthur Conner have been keeping the offence moving this whole season. Going up against a weaker run defence, they will likely have lots of opportunities to break free. The defence was great in the West final causing 4 turnovers in total and will be hoping to knock Jean Matieau off his game. However, both Worcester and Providence had their success with Matiaeu, but the QB has managed to pull through in both situations. The offence despite losing their top receiver was able to come back and win last week, which just shows the force they will be with him back in the lineup. The defence isn’t the best against the run, but they’ve been doing well in the playoffs so far. This is going to be quite the game between two teams that have played now 3 times in the playoffs. Ottawa has won 2 of the 3 and Buffalo will be hungry to get the series tied up in an intense final game.
​My Pick: Blue Wings