1962 Retirements

1962 Retirements 

GM George Hanson - Boston, MA
Teams: GM - Boston Independents (1949-1961)
McCallister Cups: 3 (1949, 1950, 1961)
After finally getting Boston back to the top of the league in the 1961 season, GM George Hanson was stepping down from the role to finally retire. He was debating doing it last season but was convinced to go for one more year with the team which ended up paying off with the team winning their first title since 1950. Hanson has been the only GM for the Independents since the team joined the NAAF.  

DB Uzzia Hayes - Ottawa, ON
Teams: Ottawa Royals (1950-1961)
McCallister Cups: 4 (1954, 1955, 1956, 1959)
Captaincy: OTT - A (1958-1961)
All-Stars: 3 (1958, 1960, 1961)
One of the first major players in the Royals’ dynasty has called it a career. The DB decided that he wanted to spend more time with family and to try and pursue some other dreams he has going forward. He was highly respected by his teammates, which is a major reason he wore the “A” on his jersey over his last 4 seasons. He also had 3 all-star appearances over that time, which was just the icing on the cake for 4 McCallister Cup championships. 

“Thank you, Ottawa for supporting me throughout my whole journey. I hope that I can continue to be a part of this city and community going forward. All love. Thank you.” 

DB Victor Bean - Providence, RI
Teams: Providence Gold Stars (1949-1959), Long Island Raiders (1960), Louisville Thunder (1961)
McCallister Cups: 0
All-Stars: 2 (1952, 1953)
Bean certainly did not have the same success in his career as Uzzia Hayes, but he certainly made his mark being a long-time secondary partner to the legendary DB Lee Wolfe. Earning 2 All-Star nods in the early 50s when the two were a lethal force on the back end. He spent 11 years with the Gold Stars but was unable to bring home a title, so he ended up taking his last season to play with contenders but was unable to do it in Long Island and Louisville. Bean calls it a career to return to Providence and move onto the next chapter in his life.  

LB Ben McCray - Manchester, MH
Teams: Hartford Hawks (1950-1951), Buffalo Blue Wings (1952-1956), Louisville Thunder (1957), Buffalo Blue Wings (1957-1958), Ottawa Royals (1959), Louisville Thunder (1960), Buffalo Blue Wings (1961)McCallister Cups: 3 (1952, 1957, 1959)
All-Stars: 1 (1957)
LB Ben McCray had quite an interesting career. He changed teams 6 times while only playing for 4 teams overall. He will be remembered mainly for his 8 and a half seasons and 2 McCallister with the Blue Wings. He loved playing for the Blue Wings and would call Buffalo a second home to Manchester, NH. He also enjoyed playing for the Thunder a lot in the half-season he had before returning to Buffalo via trade, enough to sign with them again later following winning his 3rd Cup with the Royals in 1959. McCray was starting to get less time and he was satisfied with the 12-year career, so he called a career.  

WR Ray Lopez - Halifax, NS
Teams: Montreal Rouge (1951-1961)
McCallister Cups: 2 (1951,1953)
Ray Lopez was one of the most underrated WRs in his career. He was very skillful but was often lost on the typically run-heavy Montreal offence. Lopez was the team’s #1 WR for many seasons and was a mentor to the younger WR Derek Cross. He was a part of Montreal’s 2 McCallister Cups in the early 50s as well. In the past couple of seasons, his role had been decreased and he decided it was time to call it a career.  

LB Benjamin Pittman - Kingston, ON
Teams: Toronto/Ontario/London Tigers (1951-1960), Louisville Thunder (1961)
McCallister Cups: 1 (1960)
Pittman was almost a career Tiger. He played for the team through all their iterations only heading to Louisville in his final season. The long-time #2 to Tigers captain LB Aengus Lynch, was able to help the Tigers win their first title in 1961. Pittman was a fan favourite being involved in any of the communities that he was in during his career. He will likely return to Kingston, ON to move onto the next part of his life.  

Other Notable Retirements
OL Adorat Blain - Ottawa, ON - OTT (1950-1961)****
QB Ollie Rogers - Sherbrooke, QC - RMTL(1951-1952), MTL (1953-1954)*, RPRO (1955), ON (1956), LOU (1957-1960), LDN (1961)
WR Marqués Gardner - Buffalo, NY - TOR/ON (1951-1957), WOR (1958-1959), BOS (1960), PRO (1961)
DL Brayden Mills - Worcester, MA - WOR (1951-1961), MTL (1961)
RB Timothy Weeks - Cleveland, OH - TOR/ON (1951-1954), WOR (1955), LI (1956-1957), LDN (1958-1959), OTT (1960), LDN (1961)