1963 Retirements
RB Alexei Volkov - New York City, NY - Creator: DarknesDrafted: OTT 1952 - 1st Round - 2nd Overall - (from TOR)
Teams: Ottawa Royals (1952-1962)
McCallister Cups: 4 (1954,1955,1956,1959)
Volkov will go down as one of the most overlooked stars in the league’s history. After being traded up for and taken 2nd overall by the Royals, Volkov found himself in a pass-heavy offence. The Royals’ style of play was certainly going to take away carries from Volkov, but in the end, the explosive RB was still able to escape for several 50+ yard touchdown runs. Volkov’s explosiveness helped the Royals immensely as teams had to worry about the pass and Volkov out of the backfield. He would help the Royals to their 4 titles in 6 years and 7 straight Cup appearances. With the Royals taking RB Corbyn Knight in the first round last year and a desire to spend time with his young family, Volkov has decided to settle down in Ottawa and call it a career.
OL Eugésippe Chalifoux - Montreal, QC
Teams: Montreal Rouge (1950-1955), Providence Gold Stars (1956), Montreal Rouge (1957-1962)
McCallister Cups: 2 (1951,1953)
Captaincy: MTL A - 1957-1959, MTL C - 1960-1962
All-Stars: 3 (1953, 1954, 1957)
Chalifoux was a consistent cornerstone on the Montreal line throughout his career. He spent almost his entire career in Montreal, having only one season in Providence when he was traded there in 1956, only to return a year later through free agency. Chalifoux loved playing for his hometown and would eventually be named team captain in 1960. Chalifoux will take the year off but is likely considering a return to a higher-up role in the Rouge organization moving forward.
RB Johnnie Stafford - Geneseo, NY
Drafted: HAR 1952 - 2nd Round - 14th Overall - (from BUF)
Teams: Hartford Hawks (1952-1953), Providence Gold Stars (1954-1958), Buffalo Blue Wings (1959-1960), Long Island Raiders (1960), Indiana Victors (1961), Louisville Thunder (1962)
McCallister Cups: 1 (1962)
Awards: Offensive Player of the Year (1960), Breakout Player of the Year (1960)
All-Stars: 1 (1960)
Stafford’s career was highlighted with years of failing to earn respect from those around him. The Hawks initially forced him into a starting role right out of the draft, where he obviously struggled behind a suspect O-line. They then replaced him with RB Pierre LeStrange the next season. Stafford would then venture to Providence where he would also be considered “not quite enough” and was replaced by both RB Laurent Brazeau and RB Élisée Marchal in back-to-back seasons. In the end, he would finally get his footing in Buffalo in 1959 where he started to show what he could do. He would follow that up with an Offensive Player of the Year winning 1960 season, which he spent with both the Blue Wings and Raiders. He would go on to close out his career with a McCallister Cup win in Louisville a couple of seasons later. Stafford had finally become a respected player in the league. He intends to still be involved with the NAAF following retirement.
DL Zakary Turbide - Montreal, QC
Teams: Montreal Rouge (1950-1956), Providence Gold Stars (1957-1959), Montreal Rouge (1960-1962)
McCallister Cups: 2 (1951,1953)
Awards: McCallister Cup MVP (1953)
All-Stars: 6 (1954, 1955, 1957-1960)
Turbide was a fierce and competitive DL throughout his career. He always wanted to win. He got that a lot early on in his career with the Rouge including a breakout MVP performance in the 1953 championship. He eventually got tired of the Rouge rebuild in 1957 and moved on to the Gold Stars where he would continue to create havoc. Eventually, Turbide would be traded back to Montreal where he closed out his career. Turbide is expected to venture off onto another career path moving forward.
WR Robert Lang - New Haven, CT
Teams: Hartford/Long Island Hawks/Long Island Raiders (1951-1960), Montreal Rouge (1961-1962)
McCallister Cups: 1 (1958)
Captaincy: LI A - 1957-1960
All-Stars: 2 (1957,1959)
Lang had one of the toughest tasks in taking over the star WR spot from WR John Rivera, who had been great for years before. Lang would ultimately pull through on the task being one of the few bright spots for the team over the early 50s. He would continue to develop into a star for the Raiders, helping them to their first win in 1958. One of the best Raiders of all time was unable to finish his career on the island due to the new salary cap and would land in Montreal for a couple of more seasons. Lang isn’t sure what the future holds, but he is interested in either becoming a scout for The Gains Report or potentially move on to coaching younger kids.
WR Clyde McIntosh - Lowell, MA
Teams: Worcester Athletics (1951-1958), Boston Independents (1959-1961), Louisville Thunder (1962)
McCallister Cups: 2 (1961,1962)
Captaincy: WOR A - 1957-1958
McIntosh was one of the few players that entered the NAAF via the Athletics being promoted from an amateur club back to a professional club in 1951. He would develop into the team’s top WR throughout his career. He helped the team reach the 1956 McCallister Cup, but could not bring it home. He eventually fell victim to the slow purge of the Athletics and was dealt to Boston in 1959. He would be a great addition for the Independents and would help them win their first title since 1950 in 1961. Then, he would play the next season with many former teammates in Louisville claiming his second straight title. McIntosh is very likely going to be involved in the league’s player council as a strong leader and highly respected player in the league.
WR Christian Venegas - New York City, NY
Drafted: WOR 1952 - 3rd Round - 21st Overall - (from PRO)
Teams: Worcester Athletics (1952-1958), Providence Gold Stars (1959-1961), Montreal Rouge (1962), Buffalo Blue Wings (1962)
McCallister Cups: 0
All-Stars: 3 (1954,1956,1959)
Some look at Venegas as one of the better late-round steals in the 1952 draft. Venegas would become a touchdown machine in his career which led to 3 all-star nods. He was unable to win a championship in his career but did come close in 1956 with the Athletics. He would close out his career with a few seasons in Providence before a roller-coaster season split between the Rouge and Blue Wings.
OL Ronnie Elliot - Rochester, NY
Teams: Buffalo Blue Wings (1951-1958), Boston Independents (1959-1962)
McCallister Cups: 3 (1952,1957,1961)
All-Stars: 1 (1955)
Ronnie Elliot is the OL every team wants. He’s fierce and gives it his all every play, and then is a great goofball and motivator in the room that keeps teams in good spirits. He was quite valuable for both Buffalo and Boston with Elliot being a part of 3 championship-winning teams between the two. Elliot may have some interest in being involved in the broadcast booth with his more wild personality, but high football knowledge.
Drafted: TOR 1952 - 4th Round - 26th Overall
Teams: Toronto/Ontario Tigers (1952-1954), Montreal Rouge (1955-1959), Providence (1960-1962)
McCallister Cups: 0
All-Stars: 1 (1959)
Cobb was a good surprise out of the 4th round in 1952. He only got to play one season in his hometown before the team moved to Kitchener. Even then, Cobb would not make the most noise as a member of the Tigers being traded to the Rouge in 1955. In Montreal, the young S would come into his own and would bring stability to the back end for the team. He eventually would have an all-star season in 1959, before he was moved to the Gold Stars for his final stint in the league.
Other Notable Players
LB Lloyd Mathis - Hamilton, ON - Drafted: BUF 1952 - 3rd Round - 19th Overall (from HAR)
Teams: BUF (1952-1962)*
QB Brian Meadows - Manchester, NH
Teams: PRO (1951-1953), BOS (1954-1956), IND (1957), OTT (1958-1959)*, LI (1960-1961), PRO (1962)
TE Richard Stewart - Drafted: BOS 1952 - 1st Round - 7th Overall
Creator: n00bthtpwnz - Teams: BOS (1952-1961)*, MTL (1962)
DB Jontray Cox - Baltimore, MD - Drafted: MTL 1952 - 3rd Round - 24th Overall
Teams: MTL (1952-1961), BOS (1962)
DB Clayton Malone - Buffalo, NY - Drafted: BOS 1953 - 3rd Round - 23rd Overall
Creator: ZO82 - Teams: R.BOS (1953), BOS (1954-1959), MTL (1960-1961), LI (1962)
RB Lawrence Sharp - Toronto, ON - Drafted: BUF 1952 - 3rd Round - 22nd Overall
Teams: BUF (1952-1955), WOR (1956), LOU (1957-1959), WOR (1960-1961), MTL (1962)
OL Bravon Covington - Montreal, QC - Drafted: OTT 1952 - 4th Round - 28th Overall
Teams: OTT (1952-1962)
Other Creator Prospects that had interesting careers:
WR David Burrows - Rochester, NY - ON 1953 - 2nd Round - 11th Overall
Creator: Captain Mort 3D - Teams: ON (1953-1956), BOS (1957), IND (1958-1959), MTL (1960), LI (1961), ATH (1962)
DL Benjamin Hart - Boston, MA - HAR 1953 - 4th Round - 25th Overall
Creator: ZO82 - Teams: R.HAR/LI (1953-1954), LI (1955-1956), IND (1957-1962)
OL Kevin Holcombs - Hamilton, ON - PRO 1953 - 3rd Round - 21st Overall
Creator: Captain Mort 3D - Teams: R.PRO (1953-1954), PRO (1955), MTL (1956), IND (1957-1961), LDN (1962)
RB Iyannough Moreland - Plymouth, MA - OTT 1955 - 3rd Round - 24th Overall
Creator: Darknes - Teams: R.OTT (1955-1956), OTT (1957-1961)*, BOS (1962)
DB Dustin Wind - Barnstable, MA - OTT 1955 - 4th Round - 32nd Overall
Creator: thehealthiestscratch - Teams: R.OTT (1955-1957), IND (1958-1959), LDN (1960)*
Probably the most bizarre (fits for a Scratch prospect), Wind never got a foothold on a spot until he arrived in Indiana. However, in his first opportunity in Indiana, he got a chance to go in for an injured starter only to suffer his own season-ending injury several plays later. A very unfortunate career, but he is a champion, so he can walk away with that.
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