1969 Hall of Fame Class

1969 Hall of Fame Class

Member #19: LB Aengus Lynch - Charlestown, MA - Votes: 11 of 11
To kick off the 1969 Hybrid Football Hall of Fame Class, we have our first unanimously selected player. Lynch was a member of the league’s first-ever draft class in 1952, being selected 4th overall by the then Toronto Tigers. It took a couple of years for Lynch to get comfortable in the league, but by his 3rd season, Lynch was a consistent All-Star, as he would be named an All-Star in every season from 1954 to 1961. He became a sturdy anchor in the middle of the Tigers’ defence for many years, eventually winning a Defensive Player of the Year award during the 1956 season. The following year, Lynch would be named the team’s first-ever captain, a title he would hold onto until he retired after the 1963 season. On the field, Lynch helped the Tigers to rise up from being one of the worst teams in the league’s history to a constant contender, winning 2 McCallister Cups as they made it to the big game in 4 of 5 seasons between 1959 and 1963. Lynch would call it a career after winning his second McCallister cup in 1963 and will go down as one of the best linebackers of his generation, probably only second to the great Scotty Williams.

Credits to Creator: Darknes. Lynch also becomes the first community-created player to be inducted into the Hall of Fame. Lynch was one of the first players I had ever received and it is very cool to now be far along enough in the project to really close out the career of a great player (although Lynch is still working on that coaching career with the Royals).

Member #20: QB Angelo Medina - Morgantown, WV - Votes: 6 of 11 - 2nd Ballot
On his second attempt, Medina gets into the Hall. Medina will be credited to be one of the first modern dual-threat QBs. He often was able to make plays happen on his feet while also still being able to deliver the ball effectively with his arm. Medina’s professional career began with the Pittsburgh Hammers where he took over for the legendary QB William Braddock. However, Medina’s career with the Hammers didn’t last long as he would leave the team following the 1949 season. He would take a gamble and sign with the Buffalo Blue Wings of the NAAF and would take over as the team’s starting QB. His first season saw him adjust to the new game, but by year 2 he was able to get the Blue Wings into the playoffs for the first time. In his 3rd season, after a tough 0-3 start, Medina would lead the Blue Wings on a 6-1 run which propelled them into the postseason. After topping the Royals in the semi-Finals, Medina would lift the Blue Wings over the Independents to claim the team’s first-ever championship of any kind. Medina would also take home the Offensive Player of the Year award that season. Medina continued to keep the Blue Wings at the top of the league over the next several seasons, however, a few injuries did harm his overall performance. The Blue Wings would not return to the McCallister Cup in any of the next 4 seasons. In 1957, most were writing the Blue Wings off as Medina was not the same QB he used to be, but he proved everyone wrong again by helping Buffalo bounce back to a 10-2 season. Medina would lead them to back-to-back playoff wins to earn his second title. After the ‘57 season, Medina’s play continued to fall as he was not able to be the mobile QB he once was and eventually retired after the 1960 season. 

Medina was one of the first players I tried to bring in from another competing league and it was great to see how he took over the Blue Wings. Reflecting on it, I do wish I had more of those types of moves, but y’know with all the players I deal with sometimes it is just easier to manage without that, but something I would think to add if I did it again or in the future. 

Member #21: OL Jean Mathieu-Baptiste - Montreal, QC - Votes: 6 of 11 - 1st Ballot
Mathieu-Baptiste joins Lynch as another first-ballot Hall of Famer. The Montreal native was drafted 8th overall in the 1953 draft out of Majeure Montreal. He immediately made an impact on the Blue Wings’ O-line becoming a prolific blocker for many seasons. He would make his first All-Star appearance in 1957 and would be an All-Star in each season following up until 1960. Prior to that final All-Star season, Mathieu-Baptiste was named Alternate Captain of the team. He would wear the “A” for the remainder of his career, retiring after the 1963 season. He would only be with the Blue Wings for one of their McCallister Cups in 1957.

Credits to Creator: Darknes. It’s hard to have much to say about O-lineman unfortunately, but I always remembered Mathieu-Baptiste mostly because of his name. He was successful overall, however, he unfortunately just barely missed out on having 3 McCallister Cups, having been drafted the year after Buffalo won in 1952 and retiring the year before they would win in 1964. 

Member #22: TE Jervonte Howell - Philadelphia, PA - Votes: 5 of 11 - 1st Ballot
Howell will certainly go down as one of the best tight ends in the league’s history. He was drafted in the 2nd round of the 1952 draft by the Ottawa Royals. He would work his way into the starting job and become a sturdy blocker and pass catcher for the Royals. In his 3rd season, Howell would be named to the All-Star team for the first time. He would continue to make the All-Star team in each season up until 1958. He missed out on the 1959 All-Star team, but was back on the list in 1960 and 1961, bringing his total to 7 All-Star seasons over his 12 seasons in his career. In terms of team success, Howell and the Royals were the best of the best. He won 4 McCallister Cups with Ottawa being a major piece of their dynastic run during the 50s. However, he would continue to add to that total when he was traded to the London Tigers in his final season. That year, the Tigers would win their second title and make Howell the first NAAF player to have 5 McCallister Cups in his career. 

Howell and many other tight ends often fall into the background in this series mostly due to the fact that I just don’t have offences utilizing them as much. However, I always knew that Howell was going to go down as one of the best. Especially after he became the first with 5 Cups in his career. 

Member #23: S Frazier Brooks - Bristol, CT - Votes: 5 of 11 - 1st Ballot
Brooks was easily one of the smartest players coming out of the 1952 NAAF Draft. His high intelligence served him well throughout his career becoming a steller Safety for 12 years with the Buffalo Blue Wings, who selected him 6th overall. Brooks made an immediate impact being on the field a decent amount in his rookie season which would end with a Blue Wings championship. He continued to develop into a star by being an All-Star in just his second season. Brooks wouldn’t return to the All-Star team until 1957, but he would be on the team for the next 2 seasons following in ‘58 and ‘59. 1957, however, might have been the highlight of Brooks’ career, as he was named an alternate captain at the start of the season and then helped the Blue Wings to a 10-2 season before having a pair of unreal games in the playoffs to win both the Playoff MVP and McCallister Cup MVP as the Blue Wings won their second title. In 1961, Brooks would be named the team captain after the retirement of fellow Hall of Famer, DL Sean Bowen. Brooks would remain captain until he would finally call it a career following the 1963 season. 

Credits to Creator: Captain Mort 3D. I got to give a shoutout to Captain Mort who was the user to give me the idea for the whole player submission system. Brooks was one of their first and he was one of my favourites initially. I am glad to see him get into the Hall after all this time.

Member #24: OL Casey York - Rochester, NY - Votes: 5 of 11 - 2nd Ballot
To round out the class, we have another Buffalo Blue Wing. OL Casey York was a member of the Blue Wings for 2 seasons prior to joining the NAAF. By the time the team joined the new league, York was becoming one of the strongest young offensive linemen in the league. Over his 13-year professional career (11-year in the NAAF), York was an anchor on the line that rarely showed weakness. From 1950 to 1957, York was an All-Star, tallying 8 All-Star seasons over his 11 years in the NAAF. He was a big part of both of the Blue Wings’ first two McCallister Cups and will easily be remembered as one of the best to do it at the position. 

Oh boy, another Blue Wing. That makes 7 Blue Wings' primary players in the Hall of Fame. The next closest teams are Boston and Providence with 4 each. I was kinda surprised that York didn’t get more consideration considering his high All-Star to seasons played ratio of 8 to 11. But I also understand he suffers from being an O-lineman from early in the project. Either way, I am happy with this group of Hall of Fame Inductees, and thanks to everyone who voted!