1961 NAAF Award Nominations

1961 NAAF Award Nominations 

MVP

LB Brent Harper BOS
Brent Harper was certainly the quietest of the MVP candidates, but he made a big impact in Boston. He tied the league lead for forced fumbles with 7 and was 3rd in the league with tackles. However, he earns this spot behind his leadership as the captain of the Independents and keeping their defence strong throughout the season.  

QB Riley Kiernan LDN
Kiernan was, far and away, the best at the QB position this season leading the league with 24 passing touchdowns, which ties his career-best. However, the biggest reason he is here is leading the Tigers to their franchise-best 11-1 season. The Tigers' only loss was by one point and Kiernan was able to keep the team rolling without their top RB Clifford Russell at the end of the season. It was a special year for the Tigers’ QB. 

QB Leonidas Dumont LOU
Dumont certainly made the most of the final year of his contract. Putting up a career-high 20 passing touchdowns, he was able to lead the Thunder to their best season at 9-3 staying in the fight with the league-best Tigers. Dumont finally showed that he has what it takes to lead the way for the Thunder into the future. 

Offensive Player of the Year
QB Riley Kiernan LDN - 24 Passing Touchdowns (1st), 1st in Passing Yards
Kiernan was the clear leader among QBs this season in almost every category
WR Max Sutton LDN - 13 Receiving Touchdown (1st), 1st in Receiving Yards
Sutton continues to show his potential as a #1 receiver dominating the field this season. 
QB Leonidas Dumont LOU - 20 Passing Touchdowns (2nd), 3rd in Passing Yards
Dumont had his best season with his first 20 touchdown season.
RB Marcus Devonshire PRO - 16 Rushing Touchdowns (1st), 2nd in Rushing Yards
Devonshire picked up a lot of the offensive weight when O’Rourke went down, which leads to a strong season for the RB.  

Defensive Player of the Year
LB Brent Harper BOS - 7 Forced Fumbles (T-1st), 3rd in Tackles
Harper has been ever so consistent and finds a way to get in the right position on every play
DB Jackson Miles LDN - 5 Interceptions (T-2nd), 1 Defensive Touchdown, 1st in Passes Defended
Miles was one of the toughest DBs to throw against this season as he was able to get his hands on a lot of passes.
DB Neville Falkner PRO - 7 Interceptions (1st), 2 Defensive Touchdowns, 2nd in Passes Defended
The 1st overall pick made an immediate impact leading the league in interceptions in his rookie season.
LB Scotty Williams WOR - 5 Forced Fumbles (T-3rd), 2 Interceptions, 2nd in Tackles
Williams didn’t have his same production, but in the team that was the Worcester Athletics, he was about the only spark of hope on that team.  

Special Teams Player of the Year
K Johnnie Berg BOS - 27 Field Goals (1st), 20 Extra Points, 1 Single, 102 Points
Berg was strong for Boston this season putting up a league-leading 27 field goals for the team. 
K Nimrod Handsworth LDN - 22 Field Goals (4th), 35 Extra Points, 2 Singles 103 Points
Handsworth remained valuable for the Tigers this season knocking down 35 extra points which was the most in the league this season.
K Arthur Kettinger MTL - 23 Field Goals (3rd), 27 Extra Points, 2 Singles, 98 Points
Kettinger had a strong year for the Rouge putting up almost 100 points for them. 

Rookie of the Year
DL Bjorn Sigmarsson LOU - 3 Forced Fumbles (1st in rookies), 1st in rookie tackles
Sigmarsson made a strong impact in his first season creating turnovers for the Thunder
OL Taylor Forbes LOU - made way for a strong run game in Louisville.
Forbes proved his value all season with strong protection for QB Leonidas Dumont and creating holes for both of the team’s RBs
DB Neville Falkner PRO - 7 Interceptions (1st in the league), 2 Defensive Touchdowns, 2nd in the league in Passes Defended
Falkner was miles ahead of any of the rookie categories for his position and was at the top of the league in some, a record-setting start for a rookie. 

Coach of the Year
HC Roy Aguirre LDN - Record: 11-1
Aguirre continued his success in London with the team’s best regular-season finish and their first division title.
HC Emil Riddle LOU - Record: 9-3
The two-time winner of this award had his best season with the Thunder leading the team to a franchise-best 9-3.
HC Dean Reed MTL - Record: 9-3
Last year’s winner was able to come from behind and win the East Division at the end of the season and got his best finish of his career.  

Breakout Player of the Year
QB Charles Lemieux BUF - 11 Passing Touchdowns (T-6th), 8th in Passing Yards
Lemieux took over at the halfway point and made a big impact getting the Blue Wings into the playoffs after a 1-5 start. 
WR Piers Key LOU - 9 Receiving Touchdowns (T-3rd), 4th Receiving Yards
Key had bits of potential, but this season he became a true threat in the endzone and was a big part of the Thunder’s success.
S Garet deVale MTL - 5 Interceptions (T-2nd)
deVale went from only 3 interceptions in his first 2 seasons to 5 this season, which put him on the map in the improving Montreal secondary. 

44th McCallister Cup Host
Victory Stadium - Indianapolis, IN - Capacity: 48,500 - Last Host: 1958
While the last host for the Victory Stadium in Indianapolis, the coliseum-like stadium makes a great location for a championship game. With the on-field performance being a struggle, the city is hoping another championship game could lead to growing the league and team in the city even more.

Thunder Stadium - Louisville, KY - Capacity: 46,250 - Last Host: None
Louisville is finally putting its name in the hat for hosting duties in the NAAF. Their new stadium has now been broken in and the city would love to have the game come to town. 

New Providence Stadium - Providence, RI - Capacity: 65,450 - Last Host: 1953
Providence is hoping to bring the game back to the states (after 3 years in Canada) and into their massive stadium in downtown Providence. The league’s biggest stadium could be the best stage and most helpful financially overall.