1958 NAAF Award Nominations

1958 NAAF Award Nominations 

MVP
LB Brent Harper BOS
Harper made his way into the MVP talks for the second straight season, helping the Independents stay afloat this season while their offence was struggling without WR Ellis Lindholm. Harper once again found himself at the top of the league in forced fumbles this season with 8 and finished 2nd in tackles behind LB Scotty Williams. Harper is the centrepiece in the Boston defence and continues to show him importance with his performance this season 

QB Jean Matieau OTT
Matieau led the Royals to be the first team to win all their regular-season games this season. He did this by leading the league in both passing yards and passing touchdowns (25). He had 6 more TDs than Riley Kiernan who had the second most passing TDs this season. The two-time MVP continues to show why he is one of the best to ever play and without him, the Royals would likely not be at the same level they are. 

WR Mackenzie Jones OTT
Joining his teammate is Mackenzie Jones who outshined every other WR this season. He had the most receiving touchdowns, 12, which was 3 more than Wilbert Benjamin in second, and he led the league in receptions and receiving yards. Jones has quickly become Matieau’s most reliable target, drawing a lot of comparisons to WR Allen Atkins and his role with the Royals in the past. Jones is quickly becoming a shining star in the league and an important member of the Royals offence. 

Offensive Player of the Year
QB Riley Kiernan LDN - 19 Passing Touchdowns (2nd), 3rd in Passing Yards
Kiernan had a huge comeback season for the Tigers this season. After only tossing 4 TDs in Worcester last season, Kiernan threw 19 this season which was the second-most in his career. 
RB Scott Mallard-White MTL - 20 Rushing Touchdowns (1st), 1st in Rushing Yards
Mallard-White came alive as the league’s next dominant running back. He led the league in most rushing categories and scored 4 more touchdowns than fellow draftmate RB Clifford Russell who was second.
QB Jean Matieau OTT - 25 Passing Touchdowns (1st), 1st in Passing Yards
Self-explanatory for the top QB in the league, lead the league in all categories and lead a team to the top of the league.
WR Mackenzie Jones OTT - 12 Receiving Touchdowns (1st), 1st in Receiving Yards
Jones was easily the best wideout this season, no one could stop him from scoring. 

Defensive Player of the Year
LB Brent Harper BOS - 2nd in Tackles, 8 Forced Fumbles (1st)
Harper was once again a huge difference-maker for the Independents reeling in 8 forced fumbles
LB Rusty McVee LI - 5th in Tackles, 4 Forced Fumbles (T-6th), led all LBs in Sacks this season
McVee wasn’t super impressive statistically, compared to some, but his presence was known in the Raiders’ defence leading all linebackers in sacks this season. 
DB Quentin Xavier MTL - 6 Interceptions (2nd), 1 Defensive Touchdown (T-1st), led in plays defended
Quentin Xavier continues to be the bright spot in the Rouge defence pulling in 6 interceptions and a defensive TD.
LB Scotty Williams WOR - 1st in Tackles, 6 Forced Fumbles (2nd), 1 Interception
Despite a rough season in Worcester, Williams was able to lead the league in tackles and bring in 7 total turnovers. 

Special Teams Player of the Year
K Donald Brewer BUF - 22 Field Goals (2nd), 17 Extra Points, 83 Points (3rd)
Donald Brewer was a key to Buffalo’s scoring this season after their offence took a step back from last season.
K Henderson Schumacher LI - 23 Field Goals (1st), 23 Extra Points, 92 Points (2nd)
Schumacher continues the legacy of strong kickers in the Hawks/Raiders franchise with another strong season.
K Maurice Lafayette OTT - 19 Field Goals (T-4th), 42 Extra Points, 99 Points (1st)
Lafayette did a whole lot of kicking this season and was on point for almost every kick putting up almost 100 points on his own this season. 

Rookie of the Year
QB Nathaniel Braddock BOS - 12 Passing Touchdowns (4th), 5th in Passing Yards
The highly sought after #1 pick had a strong first season putting up 12 passing touchdowns and landing in the top 5 in passing yards joining Matieau, O’Rourke, Kiernan, and Ovechkin.
RB Rodney “Hot Rod” Clark IND - 7 Rushing Touchdowns (10th), 12th in Rushing Yards
Clark had an unfortunate start to his career with an injury that kept him out for most of the season, but his comeback to still crack the top 10 in rushing touchdowns was worthy of being a ROY nominee.
RB Dareion Fields LI - 13 Rushing Touchdowns (4th), 3rd in Rushing Yards
Fields was overlooked by the Braddock-Bishop talk, but the rookie back has fit in perfectly to the Raiders need for a top tier running back. He would rush for 13 TDs and would be top 3 in rushing yards with Mallard-White and Marcus Devonshire. 

Coach of the Year
Maurice Evanson IND - Record: 5-7
Evanson finds himself as a nominee after taking what was expected to be a 1-11 Victors squad to a solid 5-7 finish.
Jimmy Sargent LI - Record: 7-5
Sargent was able to get the Raiders defence going during the middle part of the season helping the team to finish atop their division for the second time since joining the NAAF.
Joseph Curry OTT - Record: 12-0
The question about how Curry has not yet won a coach of the year award. This season, he went above and beyond leading the Royals to become the first team to win every game during the season. 

Breakout Player of the Year
LB Konrad Aust BOS - 3 Forced Fumbles (T-11th), 1 Fumble Recovery, 1 Defensive Touchdown, 3 Sacks, 10th in Tackles
Aust came on with a strong season this year being an all-around player. Brent Harper often overshadows the former 2nd overall pick, but Aust showed his value this season.
DB Kelly Kirkland IND - 5 Interceptions (T-3rd), 1 Defensive Touchdown
Kirkland came through as one of the top DBs this season in the Victors' defence. He brought in 5 interceptions this season which was more than some typical stars like Alexander Bradley and Uzzia Hayes.
QB Stanislav Ovechkin MTL - 9 Passing Touchdowns (5th), 4th in Passing Yards
Ovechkin broke through and proved to the Rouge that he’s the QB they have wanted. While the first half of the season was rough, Ovechkin turned it up in the second half leading the Rouge to 3 straight wins to close out the season. 

41st McCallister Cup Host

Buffalo Civic Stadium - Capacity: 38,530 - Last Host: 1952
One of the loudest McCallister Cup games was the 34th edition in Buffalo which featured the Blue Wings and Independents. Buffalo is hoping to bring the game back to that atmosphere and let the city of Buffalo show its passion for the game.

Mount Royal Stadium - Capacity: 46,500 - Last Host: 1951
There hasn’t been a McCallister Cup game played in Montreal since the league implemented the neutral site games. The Montreal crowd is certainly a fun one that would love to bring the game back to one of the loudest arenas in all of football.

Long Island Stadium - Capacity: 40,450 - Last Host: 1955
Following the team’s first title, the Island is hoping to bring the game back to the big apple. The first game in the 1955 season was a huge boost to the Raiders’ and NAAF fan base, and after Long Island took home the Cup, might be a good time to bring back the game.