1969 League Meetings
Conversations about how to manage the developing situation in Kansas City were at the forefront of the league meetings. However, before the conversations got into full swing, the league confirmed that the Minneapolis team would be joining the NAAF on schedule for the 1969 season. Kris Matheson was very much relieved to know he would finally get to see his team take the field.
The first of the solutions was to see if there were other suitable stadiums available for the Kansas City team to play in until the stadium is finished. The first option was to play at the University of Kansas City, which had a smaller venue. The issue with this solution was the stadium was not built to house the slightly larger field size with pavement and fencing at the back of the endzone, which was deemed unsafe by the players. If they wanted to use the field, they would need to perform renovations which wouldn’t be a lot, however, the University wished to have a full-on renovation if they were going to do any changes, which would be costly and there was no interest to continue to throw more funds into a different stadium.
The second option was to turn to Omaha, Nebraska, the other strong option for expansion that KC had beat out. The city had the option to play at Major Nebraska University’s football field, however, the state and university had also taken a hit due to the drought as well. On top of that, Jacob Cross was going to need some help keeping the team afloat and the ownership group behind the Omaha bid did not want to invest in a team that would not ultimately be theirs.
The next option that was looked at was another bid in the Northeast to house the team for a couple of seasons. Not only giving a city that has been passed over multiple times a chance but could keep the current divisions intact. They looked at Quebec City, Portland, and Hartford, but once again there was not a lot of movement on that front. Some of the cities wanted a full-time team and not just be a stop-gap for another team, similar to the Omaha situation. Also, Mr. Cross didn’t want to own a team so far from his home in Kansas City.
Further options were discussed, but very briefly. None of the options seemed reasonable, so the league went ahead with a new decision. The Kansas City team would be postponed for the time being. If everything goes forward under a new ideal plan for the stadium’s completion it should be finished in time for the 1971 season, however, this is best case scenario and much of the funding is going to have to hope for a strong comeback crop next summer. Commissioner Ryan Jameson is expected to explore other options as well over the next season just in case the stadium’s production remains in limbo over the next year.
As for the 1969 season, Minneapolis will join the West Division for the upcoming season. However, Toronto will not have to make the shift to the East Division due to KC not joining the league. A 12-game schedule is expected, however, instead of the mid-season bye weeks, each team will get a bye week throughout the season as one team will be off each week. The actual makeup of a team’s schedule is yet to be determined, but ideas of a pure round robin or an all-divisional schedule have been tossed around along with a more balanced option. More news on the 1969 season will occur later.
MINNEAPOLIS EXPANSION DRAFT
With only one team taking part in the 1969 expansion draft, the NAAF has elected to follow the same expansion draft protection rules as the 1965 Blacksmiths’ expansion draft. Each of the established 12 teams will be able to protect 12 players of any age, with an additional 4 slots that can go to players that are 24 and under. After that the Minneapolis team will select 3 players from each team to make up their first roster. The expansion draft will occur prior to free agency in the early months of 1969.
HYBRID FOOTBALL COLLEGE
CANADIAN CONFERENCE CHANGES
After the shutdown of the OFU and the rise of the Canada East Hybrid Conference, there were several colleges that shut down their football programs, not desiring to continue with hybrid football. However, a couple of those schools have been desiring a return to football athletics. Conversely, the NAAF is open to continuing to grow the game and adding more schools to their hybrid conferences. In order to make some new moves, the league is moving some funds to help new programs get off the ground at these schools. There are expected to be a lot more changes down the line, but for this season, the CEHC will see 2 new schools join them for 1969.
Dominion University of Canada
Location: Kingston, ON
Abbreviation: DOM (some also call it the DUC, but the university prefers DOM)
Common Name: Dominion
Mascot: Knights
Rival: St. George
Notable Players: Edmund Landry, Gregory Ferrell, Hector Greenville
Dominion is the oldest school in Canada. Originally built just after the time the Dominion of Canada was formed in 1867. It’s a prestigious school with lots of history. It falls under the same category as St. George in Toronto and Cambridge of Boston in Boston, as a school that puts academics first. However, they have always been a surprisingly strong school in sports sharing rivalries with St. George, Toronto, and Rideau.
Sudbury Provincial University
Location: Sudbury, ON
Abbreviation: SPU
Common Name: Sudbury Prov
Mascot: Miners
Rival: Kitchener-Waterloo Provincial
Notable Players: None
Sudbury Provincial is relatively new to football, but the NAAF is hoping their place further North will be able to bring in talent from other parts of the province. Sudbury had fielded some football teams in the past but had shut down several years before the OFU folded. Sudbury Prov is not expected to be all that competitive, but its goal is mainly to help grow the game and bring talent in from the Northern Ontario communities.
POTENTIAL FOR FURTHER EXPANSION OF AEHC
In the US, it is certainly much harder to expand the influence of the game, especially with the strong-knit rivalries and traditions that many schools have, however, there are a few schools that seem to be interested in making a switch over to the hybrid game. The interest is coming from schools with NAAF teams nearby. The biggest chunk of schools are in Indiana and Kentucky. Louisville State and Northern Indiana (Fort Wayne, IN) both have become NAAF hotbeds as many prospects are choosing to make the transition to hybrid due to the Victors and Thunder. If those schools make the transition, it is expected that state rivals, Daniel Boone (Lexington, KY) and Indiana Tech (Indianapolis, IN) will join them. Allegheny University in Pittsburgh is also tossing around the idea due to the shift of the fan base from the Hammers to the Blacksmiths, however, that transition may still be a long shot for now.
If the new schools are added, there could be a conference split where a few of the Western teams in the AEHC join the new schools to form a new conference as well. No changes will come to the AEHC this season, but be on the lookout over the next couple of years.
ACFL
CHANGING COURSE
Last offseason, the ACFL saw a major change with Stephen Van Fossen being removed as commissioner of the league. Don Soriano, the owner of the Philadelphia Rebels, took his place and after 1 season at the helm, it was time to make some changes. The first changes were to pretty much undo the moves that Van Fossen had. Van Fossen’s biggest failure had been the expansion into Boston. The Shamrocks were a desperate attempt at trying to pull the Boston market back into American football, however, no one cared about the Shamrocks. Not only was the team bad, but fans preferred to just go to the Independents’ games instead and not spend more money on the Shamrocks. The Shamrocks barely ever broke 10,000 fans for any of their games in the 45,265-seat Richardson Stadium. Now, the Shamrocks had been improving on the field over the years, but in the stands, nothing changed. Soriano decided to merge the Shamrocks’ roster with the Pittsburgh Hammers, officially ending the ACFL’s venture into the city. As for the Hammers, they are hoping a better overall roster can help fight to keep the Hammers’ fans engaged with the city’s older team. Unfortunately, they are fighting an uphill battle, especially after the Blacksmiths showed that they can tango with the best of the NAAF and are certainly pulling in the disgruntled Hammers’ fans.
The other move was with the Rochester Millers. While the team overall had not been as big of a failure as the Shamrocks. The owners did not see a strong market in Rochester and felt that the team would begin to fall behind in the near future, especially with the old stadium in the city. Soriano and the ACFL would buy out the ownership and fold the team, sending its players to the other ACFL teams.
The ACFL and Soriano are hoping the moves can bring more focus to the central teams of the ACFL and regain some stability before they move forward with a new plan under Soriano.
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