1968 Retirements

1968 Retirements

HC Joseph Curry - Oshawa, ON
Teams/Positions: OC Ottawa Royals (1952-1953), HC Ottawa Royals (1954-1967)
McCallister Cups: 4 (1954, 1955, 1956, 1959)
Awards: Coach of the Year (1958)
Regular Season Record: 94-62-6
Playoff Record: 14-5
Curry is easily one of the greatest coaches in the NAAF’s history. He joined the Royals back in 1952 as the offensive coordinator, the same season Jean Matieau took over as starting QB. After just 2 seasons, HC Otis Ward stepped away from the head coaching role and promoted Curry. In Curry’s first 7 seasons as a head coach, he took the Royals to the McCallister Cup in each and every one of them, taking home 4 Cups in those years and having an overall record (regular season and playoffs) of 72-19-3. He won his lone Coach of the Year Award in 1958 after leading the Royals to the only perfect 12-0 regular season, however, he probably should have won more Coach of the Years considering his resume. After those first 7 seasons, the Royals fell into old age and Curry certainly was not as dominant, but still managed to never win less than 4 games in a season once in his career. Curry is a legend, there’s no doubt about that.

DB Alexander Bradley - Newark, NJ - Creator: Captain Mort 3D
Drafted: 1954 WOR - Round 1, Pick 2
Teams: Worcester Athletics (1954-1958), Louisville Thunder (1959-1963), Long Island Raiders (1964-1967)
McCallister Cups: 2 (1962, 1965)
Captaincy: LOU - A (1959-1963)
Awards: Rookie of the Year (1954), Defensive Player of the Year (1959)
All-Stars: 11 (1954-1957, 1958-1962, 1964-1966)
Player of the Week: 7
Bradley has been a superstar DB for almost his entire career. He burst onto the scene in Worcester, taking home Rookie of the Year after being selected with the 2nd overall selection in the 1954 draft. He was a part of a talented Worcester team that went to the McCallister Cup in 1956. However, following the run, Bradley butted heads with the ownership and was low-balled over a new contract with the team. He then decided to move on from the organization and signed with an up-and-coming Louisville Thunder squad. He became a star on the young team, winning Defensive Player of the Year in his first season. He would eventually be paired up with Oliver Langstrom, Jayden Mills, and Johnny Berger to create one of the scariest secondaries the league has ever seen. That crew helped the Thunder to their 1962 McCallister Cup win. After just one more season with the Thunder, Bradley would move on once again and head close to home, signing with the Raiders. He would help to give Long Island easily one of, if not the best defences in the league. In his 4 years with the team, they would head to the McCallister Cup 3 times, coming away with one win. Bradley always seemed to not only dominate himself, but made those around him better. He was a leader, not in a vocal way, but in the way he played. Bradley is unsure of what he will do next, but coaching might be right up his alley. 

RB Scott Mallard-White - Oshawa, ON - Creator: ThisIsFine
Drafted: 1956 - MTL - Round 1, Pick 1
Teams: Montreal Rouge (1956-1967)
McCallister Cups: 0
Captaincy: MTL - A (1963-1966)
Awards: 2x Offensive Player of the Year (1958, 1963), Playoff MVP (1962)
All-Stars: 5 (1958-1960, 1962, 1963)
Player of the Week: 10
Mallard-White had a lot to live up to when he was taken first overall by the Rouge back in 1956. Not only did he need to prove that he was worth a #1 pick, but also that he had to eventually fill the shoes of HOF RB Élisée Marchal. You can say that he did that very well, taking home his first Offensive Player of the Year in just his 3rd season, 2nd as the full-time starter. He continued to be a huge piece of the Rouge offence over many seasons, eventually winning his second OPOY in 1963, one season after a stellar playoff performance that took the team to their first McCallister Cup appearance since 1953. Mallard-White was a hard-working player throughout his career, always keeping his head down and pushing to be the best. He would eventually be an alternate captain for 4 seasons while helping Montreal reach another McCallister Cup in 1966. 

LB Konrad Aust - Staten Island, NY - Creator: ZO82
Drafted: 1956 - BOS - Round 1, Pick 2
Teams: Boston Independents (1956-1967)
McCallister Cups: 1 (1961)
All-Stars: 9 (1957-1960, 1962-1966)
Player of the Week: 6
For the longest time, the Independents had a dynamic duo in their LB core with Konrad Aust and Brent Harper. Harper was the leader and the one with all the techniques and Aust was the highly skilled guy that created mind-blowing plays. Throughout his career, Aust made some pushes as a dark horse in the Defensive Player of the Year conversation, however, he never came away with the award. He did, however, have 9 All-Star seasons starting in just his second season in the league. Aust ended up playing his entire career with Boston, winning 1 championship in 1961.

DL Calias McDonough - Brooklyn, NY - Creator: Darknes
Drafted: 1955 - PRO - Round 1, Pick 2
Teams: Providence Gold Stars (1955-1967)
McCallister Cups: 0
Captaincy: PRO - A (1959-1967)
All-Stars: 7 (1956-1962)
Player of the Week: 6
McDonough will go down as a legend among the Gold Star fans. Ever since the team took him 2nd overall, he had been a dominant force on the D-line. He had 7 All-Star seasons in his 13-year career. He spent all 13 seasons with the Gold Stars as a menace on the edge. Not only was his play on the field good, but he had a great personality. He was quick-witted and often threw around trash talk, and made many laugh with his humour. His personality fit in very well with the fanbase in Providence which easily made him a fan favourite. While he may never admit that he’s in love with the fanbase, it is very clear he loved playing in Providence, hence why he declined to get traded earlier this season. McDonough may not end up as one of the greatest DL of all time, but he will certainly be in the conversation for the greatest in Gold Stars history. 

DB Quentin Xavier - Dorchester, MA - Creator: Darknes
Drafted: 1955 - MTL - Round 1, Pick 3
Teams: Montreal Rouge (1955-1967)
McCallister Cups: 0
Captaincy: MTL - A (1957-1962), MTL - C (1963-1966)
All-Stars: 6 (1956-1961)
Player of the Week: 7
Xavier burst into the NAAF as an interception machine, having around 5-7 interceptions a season during the bulk of his career. He was often in the conversation for the Defensive Player of the Year throughout his early career. While the stats and performance were amazing, his leadership is what made Xavier great. Xavier came from a rough background in his childhood, but through football, he was able to stay out of trouble. The family he gained from the sport was vital in how he grew up. That love for his teammates made him into a great leader. He took everything that he learned and became a vital leader of the Rouge throughout his career. He helped the team to reach 2 McCallister Cups in his career and would become the team’s 3rd captain in 1963 and serve for 4 seasons. Xavier’s connection to the game will not likely keep him away from the field for long, expect to see him back in the NAAF soon.

OL Magnus Gunnersson - Bar Harbor, ME - Creator: Darknes
Drafted: 1955 - WOR - Round 1, Pick 4
Teams: Worcester Athletics (1955-1957), London Tigers (1958-1967)
McCallister Cups: 2 (1960, 1963)
All-Stars: 6 (1958-1963)
Gunnersson started his career after being drafted 4th overall by the Athletics. He quickly became a vital part of the Athletics line and helped them to a McCallister Cup appearance in 1956. In his time with the Athletics, Gunnersson became very close friends with QB Riley Kiernan. When Kiernan was traded to London in 1958, Gunnersson did not appreciate the move, and after arguing with the front office he decided he would not play for them anymore and would go to join Kiernan with the Tigers. The two helped make the Tigers into one of the best teams in the league’s history over the early 60s. They won 2 McCallister Cups in that time while Gunnersson became a 6-time All-Star. Gunnersson retires after 13 seasons and will be looking for a new career to dive into.

K Johnnie Berg - Lancaster, PA - Creator: Wallflower
Drafted: 1952 - BOS - Round 2, Pick 15
Teams: Boston Independents (1952-1967)
McCallister Cups: 1 (1961)
Captaincy: BOS - A (1966)
Awards: 2x Special Teams Player of the Year (1957, 1963)
All-Stars: 5 (1957, 1960-1963)
Johnnie Berg was the first kicker to ever be selected in an NAAF draft. In the end, Boston made a good pick as Berg was consistently one of the league’s best kickers throughout his career. He would go on to play 16 seasons with Boston, winning the Special Teams Player of the Year twice and being an All-Star 5 times. Berg was overall a calm and collected guy that never seemed fazed by pressure and that was reflected in his clutch ability. He did become an alternative captain in 1966, becoming just the second kicker to wear a letter in the league behind HOF K Thomas McFadden. Berg’s plan after retirement is up in the air, but he has been known to be a pretty good griller by his teammates, so he may follow that hobby of his.

OL Maxence Castex - Gatineau, QC - Creator: ZO82
Drafted: 1955 - MTL - Round 4, Pick 29
Teams: R.Montreal Rouge (1955), Montreal Rouge (1956-1967)
McCallister Cups: 0
All-Stars: 5 (1958-1961, 1963)
Many teams passed on Castex during the 1955 draft, and they all made a mistake. Montreal on the other hand got the amazing benefit of drafting a career starting OL in the 4th round. Castex was a consistent anchor on the line over his 12 seasons with Montreal. 5 of those 12 seasons would earn him an All-Star nod. In the locker room, Castex was very quiet, but a lot of his teammates liked that about him. He seemed calm and was always a good presence on the team. It is unclear what Castex is expected to do in retirement, as well he hasn’t said anything about it, well much of anything at all.

OL Georgio Stephan - Fall River, MA - Creator: ZO82
Drafted: 1956 - BUF - Round 1, Pick 6
Teams: Buffalo Blue Wings (1956-1967)
McCallister Cups: 4 (1957, 1964, 1966, 1967)
Captaincy: BUF - A (1964-1967)
All-Stars: 3 (1961-1962, 1964)
Stephan’s 12-year career was spent entirely in Buffalo. He had 3 All-Star seasons during his career before being named an alternate captain in 1964. Despite seeing his playing time dwindle over his last couple of seasons, he was still an important leader in the team’s 3 championships over the past 4 seasons. Despite being hard-nosed when it came to playing football, often getting on players who slacked off, he was still very kind, being especially involved in the Blue Wings’ community efforts outside of the game. Stephan’s career moving forward is likely as a trainer to try and help younger players achieve their dream of playing in the NAAF. 

WR Sammy Moss - Cortland, NY - Creator: Captain Mort 3D
Drafted: 1956 - PRO - Round 1, Pick 4
Teams: Providence Gold Stars (1956-1963), Louisville Thunder (1964-1965), Providence Gold Stars (1966), R.Louisville Thunder (1967)
McCallister Cups: 0
Awards: Breakout Player of the Year (1957)
All-Stars: 3 (1957, 1962, 1963)
You could say that Moss didn’t quite live up to the hype a 4th overall pick can bring, but he had a very strong career as a star WR for the Providence Gold Stars. He spent his first 8 seasons with the Gold Stars where he had led the team in touchdowns on multiple occasions and earned 3 All-Star nods. One of those seasons, where he led the team in touchdowns, was his 8th year in which he left the team in the offseason to go get paid. He got paid alright in a pretty rough overpay on the Thunder’s part as Moss was not the same WR after signing that contract. He only caught 6 touchdowns over the two seasons with Louisville, compared to 9 he scored in the season before. Moss returned to Providence after the deal, but saw minimal snaps, and would finish his career in a return to Louisville where he sat on the reserve list for the season. Despite the rough end to his career, Moss was still a strong WR for the Gold Stars and should still get recognition for his play. 

LB Sam Fitzroy - Loudon, NH - Creator: DireBear
Drafted: 1957 - MTL - Round 1, Pick 4
Teams: Montreal Rouge (1957-1967)
McCallister Cups: 0
Captaincy: MTL - A (1960-1966)
All-Stars: 2 (1963, 1965)
Fitzroy was not quite a star, but always was a steady player in the Rouge LB core. Similar to Moss, he didn’t quite reach the high-end level that some hoped for from a 4th overall pick. However, Fitzroy still brought 4th overall pick value in his leadership, which gave him an “A” for 7 seasons, and smarts on the field. He became the perfect player to lead the Jimmy Sargent defence which was more calculated and required the defence to play as a unit. He still ended his 11-year career with 2 All-Star seasons but was unable to win the McCallister Cup.

RB Stavros Black - Gary, IN - Creator: Dan O’Mac
Drafted: 1957 - LOU - Round 2, Pick 20
Teams: Louisville Thunder (1957-1961), The Athletics/Halifax Mariners (1962-1964), Pittsburgh Blacksmiths (1965-1967), Halifax Mariners (1968)
McCallister Cups: 0
Captaincy: HFX - A (1962-1964), PIT - C (1965-1967)
Stavros Black was never a superstar RB in the NAAF, but the guy continuously was a starting RB throughout his career. He worked his way up from a 2nd round pick to become the starter in Louisville for several seasons. However, that changed when he was dealt to The Athletics in the infamous Scotty Williams deal. With his new team, Stavros became a leader and would become an alternate captain and a steady presence in the backfield. After 2 more seasons following the move to Halifax, Stavros would get picked up in the Pittsburgh expansion draft. He would be named the first and only captain of the Blacksmiths and become the starter over the first 2 seasons. While he sat back as a backup in his final season, he would return to Halifax in search of a title, but came up short. Stavros is expecting to retire and stay in Halifax but might be open to coaching down the line.

QB Stanislav Ovechkin - Brooklyn, NY - Creator: ZO82
Drafted: 1954 - LI - Round 4, Pick 25
Teams: R.Long Island Hawks/Raiders (1954-1955), Long Island Raiders (1956), Montreal Rouge (1957-1960), Buffalo Blue Wings (1961), Louisville Thunder (1962-1965), Indiana Victors (1966), Buffalo Blue Wings (1967)

Captaincy: MTL - C (1957-1960)

McCallister Cups: 2 (1962, 1967)
Awards: Breakout Player of the Week (1958)
Player of the Week: 1
Ovechkin made quite the career out of a late-round pick. After he was picked in the 4th round by Long Island in 1954, Ovechkin would spend his first 2 seasons on the reserve list. He put in the work over those two seasons and made it as the backup to Lyle Painter in 1956. Painter would get hurt during the season allowing Ovechkin to show what he had led the Raiders to a 2-2 record over his 4 starts. Montreal liked what they saw and traded for Ovechkin, signed him to a 4-year deal, and named him captain. Ovechkin would serve as the Rouge starter over those 4 seasons. He would win the Breakout Player of the Year award in 1958, but his first 3 seasons as the starter were not spectacular, but he did lead the team to the playoffs in his final year of the contract. Unfortunately, GM Virgil Gross had his eyes on Gene Bishop, so Ovechkin would be released and would sign with Buffalo. He started the first half of the season before Charles Lemieux was handed the reins. After that, Ovechkin was traded to Louisville where he was a part of the ‘62 championship team and started the majority of the ‘63 season after Leonidas Dumont was injured. He continued as a backup for Louisville, Indiana, and Buffalo over his last 4 seasons. He retires a champion with Buffalo ending a pretty respectable career for a 4th round QB.

Other Notable Retirements
DL Robin Hill - Burlington, VT - Creator: Thehealthiestscratch - Drafted: 1956 - BOS R1: P5
Teams: BOS (1956-1965)*, MTL (1966-1967)
S Drew Porter - Baltimore, MD - Creator: Captain Mort 3D - Drafted: 1956 - ON R2: P11
Teams: R.ON (1956), ON (1957), BOS (1958-1965)*, IND (1966-1967)
RB Kendall Morgan - Frankfort, KY - Creator: MyTeamIsDr.Pepper - Drafted: 1957 - BOS R1: P3
Teams: BOS (1957-1966, 1967)*, LI (1966)
WR Ben Roland - Williamsport, PA - Creator: DireBear - Drafted: 1957 - OTT R1: P10
Teams: OTT (1957-1958), LOU (1958-1963)*, PRO (1964), TOR (1965-1967)
LB Wilson Rockwood-Barnes - Creator: MyTeamIsDr.Pepper - Drafted: 1957 - ON R1: P7
Teams: ON/LDN (1957-1962)*, IND (1963-1964), MTL (1964-1966), PRO (1967), OTT (1967)
LB Killian Reed - Boston, MA - Creator: Dan O’Mac - Drafted: 1957 - OTT R3: P30
Teams: OTT (1957-1963)*, BOS (1964, 1966-1967), PIT (1965), BUF (1967)*