1966 Retirements

1966 Retirements

LB Scotty Williams - Erie, PA - Creator: Captain Mort 3D
Drafted: 1952 WOR - Round 1, Pick 1
Teams: Worcester Athletics (1952-1961), Louisville Thunder (1962-1965)
Captaincy: WOR - C (1957-1961), LOU - A (1963-1965)
McCallister Cups: 1 (1962)
Awards: Most Valuable Player (1956, 1962), Defensive Player of the Year (1955,1960), Rookie of the Year (1952)
All-Stars: 13 (1952-1964)
Williams retires as the NAAF’s greatest defensive player. It is not much of an argument as the LB has torn up the leagues since being the first player ever drafted into the NAAF. His 10 seasons in Worcester will probably be his most memorable in the long run as he stuck with the team despite the turmoil. He won the first-ever MVP by a defensive player in 1956 and was an all-star in all 10 years. He was eventually traded to Louisville in 1962 following Worcester Stadium being burnt and the Athletics had to move. He was able to find success in Louisville winning a second MVP in 1962 and his lone McCallister Cup. He retires with 13 All-Stars in 14 seasons and is the lone defensive player to have won the MVP award, and he’s done it twice.

LB Brent Harper - Portland, ME - Creator: Captain Mort 3D
Drafted: 1953 BOS - Round 2, Pick 13
Teams: Boston Independents (1953-1965)
Captaincy: BOS - C (1957-1965)
McCallister Cups: 1 (1961)
Awards: Defensive Player of the Year (1957, 1958, 1961)
All-Stars: 8 (1955, 1957-1963)
Brent Harper has decided to hang up the cleats after 13 seasons with the Boston Independents. He ends his career as the only captain Boston has had since the league revised the captain system. He was one of the best LBs in the league’s history with 3 Defensive Player of the Year Awards and 8 All-Stars. Boston was certainly grateful to have gotten Harper in the second round in 1953 as one of the best second-rounders the league has seen. (*It is fun to look back at the Independents trading up to get Harper at 13 by sending the 15th and 31st picks to Providence, who ended up with a bust RB Corey King and a *barely* depth OL Patrick Reinsdorf.)

DL Olaf Viktorsson - Bar Harbor, ME - Creator: Darknes 
Drafted: 1953 OTT - Round 2, Pick 9
Teams: Ottawa Royals (1953-1965)
Captaincy: OTT - A (1957-1964), OTT - C (1965)
McCallister Cups: 4 (1954, 1955, 1956, 1959)
Awards: Playoff Most Valuable Player (1960)
All-Stars: 10 (1954-1963)
Viktorsson was sometimes overlooked as a top-tier DL since he was often on the often weaker Royals defence, but he was always a sneaky player that could change the game with a single play. He became a consistent member of the All-Star team making 10 in his 13 seasons. He also served as an alternate captain throughout his time with the Royals and even became the captain in his final season.

WR Chester Bennett - Islip, NY - Creator: Captain Mort 3D
Drafted: 1954 OTT - Round 1, Pick 6
Teams: Ottawa Royals (1954-1963), Boston Independents (1964-1965)
McCallister Cups: 4 (1954, 1955, 1956, 1959)
All-Stars: 5 (1956-1958, 1962, 1964)
Bennett will likely have the career highlight of catching the walk-off overtime touchdown in the 1956 McCallister Cup, on the shocking trick play from the Royals. He was one of the QB Jean Matieau’s best weapons over the years. Bennett was the specialist in moving the ball down the field on deep routes due to his height and speed. He racked up 4 All-Star nods to go with 4 McCallister Cup rings while playing for the Royals, and then added a 5th All-Star season with a great 1964 season in Boston.

WR Mackenzie Jones - Philadelphia, PA - Creator: Captain Mort 3D
Drafted: 1955 OTT - Round 1, Pick 8
Teams: Ottawa Royals (1955-1965)
McCallister Cups: 3 (1955, 1956, 1959)
All-Stars: 5 (1958-1962)
Chester Bennett’s partner in crime was WR Mackenzie Jones. The all-around WR quickly became a favourite target of QB Jean Matieau’s. His great hands made him a player that almost never dropped the ball. He racked up touchdowns and receptions that would surpass Bennett during the time they played together in Ottawa. Jones had an unfortunate end to his career after suffering a major injury this past season which kept him out of the lineup. He wishes he could return, but does not want to put any more risk on his body, especially with a younger core taking up his snaps. 

LB Elijah Goldwater - Portland, ME - Creator: MyTeamIsDr.Pepper
Drafted: 1954 LI - Round 1, Pick 4
Teams: Long Island Raiders (1954-1961), Providence Gold Stars (1962), Montreal Rouge (1963-1965)
McCallister Cups: 1 (1957)
All-Stars: 3 (1956, 1960, 1961)
Goldwater was a staple in the Raiders’ LB core for many years. The 4th overall pick would eventually become a member of the 3-headed monster in Long Island with LBs Rusty McVee and Gene Bensen. Goldwater was able to win a title with the Raiders in 1958 but was eventually traded to Providence in 1962. He then went onto Montreal where he spent the last 3 years looking for a second ring but fell short in the end. 

TE Eli Grant - Burlington, ON - Creator: Darknes
Drafted: 1954 MTL - Round 3, Pick 24
Teams: Montreal Rouge (1954-1965)
McCallister Cups: 0
All-Stars: 3 (1962-1964)
Tight Ends tend to fall into the background along with the OL at times, but Eli Grant was a fairly consistent offensive presence for the Rouge throughout his 12 years with the team. Grant usually would find the endzone a couple of times each season using his size and athleticism to the best of his ability. His career was cut a bit short this season with a bad injury that ultimately forced him to retire. He was never able to win the title in this time with Montreal.

K Maurice Lafayette - Quebec City, QC - Creator: ZO82
Drafted: 1953 OTT - Round 3, Pick 19
Teams: Ottawa Royals (1953-1963), Providence Gold Stars (1964-1965)
McCallister Cups: 4 (1954, 1955, 1956, 1959)
All-Stars: 2 (1958, 1959)
Lafayette will not be known as one of the best kickers in NAAF history, but he was still very strong throughout his career. He was very important to the Royals’ dynasty being a consistent point scorer for the team over 11 years. It seems that Lafayette’s career ends with him not quite enjoying his environment in Providence over the last couple of seasons and desiring to return home to Quebec with his family.

WR Darryl Duke - Boston, MA - Creator: Thehealthiestscratch
Drafted: 1954 LI - Round 2, Pick 9
Teams: Long Island Raiders (1954-1962), Montreal Rouge (1963), Louisville Thunder (1964), Long Island Raiders (1965)
McCallister Cup: 2 (1958, 1965)
All-Stars: 2 (1958, 1960)
Duke was a great WR for the Raiders throughout the late 1950s. He was fairly quiet as a player and just always showed up when you needed him to. The biggest example of this was scoring the game-winning touchdown in the 1958 McCallister Cup that took down the unbeaten Royals. Duke did have a couple of 1-year stints with Montreal and Louisville, but he returned to Long Island for one last season where he won his second title.

WR Benedict Spencer - Windsor, ON - Creator: ZO82
Drafted: 1955 ON - Round 2, Pick 11
Teams: R.Ontario Tigers (1955), Ontario/London Tigers (1956-1961), Providence Gold Stars (1962-1963), Ottawa Royals (1964-1965), Buffalo Blue Wings (1965)
McCallister Cups: 1 (1960)
All-Stars: 2 (1957-1958)
Spencer was a small WR who would sometimes get overlooked and outmatched, but he always was looking to improve and eventually made his mark in the late 1950s/early 60s with 2 All-Star nods and helping the Tigers win the McCallister Cup. He would go on a bit of a journey to close out his career with stops in Providence, Ottawa, and Buffalo.

Coach Harry Meadows - Ottawa, ON 
Teams: DC Ottawa Royals (1951-1958), HC Providence Gold Stars (1959-1965)
McCallister Cup: 3 (1954, 1955, 1956)
Meadows’ success mainly comes from his tenure as the defensive coordinator in Ottawa. The Royals defence always lacked talent, but Meadows managed to get them to be great en route to 3 McCallister Cup wins. His time there earned him a 6 and a half year tenure in Providence which was a little more up and down. He still managed to get the team to the Cup in 1963, but struggled after that and was let go after the 0-4 start this season. Meadows decided he was done following his firing. 

Other Notable Players
LB Harrison Bennett - Stamford, CT - Creator: ZO82 - Drafted: 1955 WOR R2: P12
Teams: WOR (1955-1961), IND (1962-1963), BUF (1964)*, BOS (1965)
LB John MacDonald - Hamilton, ON - Creator: Wallflower - From OFU
Teams: OFU.HAM (1954-1963), OTT (1964-1965), LI (1965)*
RB Eddie Thompson - Newport, RI - Creator: Captain Mort 3D - Drafted: 1955 BOS R3: P20
Teams: R.BOS (1955-1956), BOS (1957-1962), OTT (1963), LDN (1963)*, LI (1964), PRO (1965)
LB Marco Price - Hartford, CT - Creator: Captain Mort 3D - Drafted: 1955 BOS R1: P7
Teams: BOS (1955-1963), HFX (1964-1965)
RB Tommy Allen - Toronto, ON - Creator: Wallflower - From OFU
Teams: OFU.TOR (1955-1963), TOR (1964-1965)
S Johan Eckhart - Berlin, VT - Creator: ZO82 - Drafted: 1955 LI R2: P9
Teams: LI (1955-1962), HFX (1963-1964), IND (1965)
QB Bart Swayze - Halifax, NS - Creator: Rugrat - Drafted: 1953 OTT R4: P30
Teams: R.OTT (1953-1955), R.BOS (1956), BOS (1957-1961)*, LDN (1962), BOS (1962), PRO (1963), BUF (1964)*, LI (1965)*
QB Randy Sellers - Utica, NY - Creator: Captain Mort 3D - Drafted: 1955 BUF R4: P30
Teams: R.BUF (1955-1956), BUF (1957-1960)*, BOS (1961-1963)*, HFX (1964), BUF (1965)

Toronto players decide to return for one last go
A major decision was made by several Steelheads, who were considering retirement, to come back for one last push since the city was hosting the big game in 1966. LB Rusty McVee, LB Daniel Carpenter, TE Paul McDowell, DL Chester Avery, and S Daniel Perry all have decided to return this season.