1970 Staff Changes

LOUISVILLE THUNDER

To no one’s surprise, the Louisville Thunder would make a change after a massively disappointing 0-12 season this past year. HC Malachi Knowles would be let go from his role after just 3 seasons at the helm. Knowles helped the team to improve in his first year going from a 1-11 season to a playoff spot. However, in the last couple of seasons, the team has taken a step back from that point, going 4-20 over the last two seasons. Both OC Paul McMahon and DB Carroll Moss will follow Knowles out the door. To fill the new roles, GM Robbie Wilson would pick Indiana Victors’ OC Lou Granger for the role. Granger has shown some promise as an offensive tactician, helping QB Tom Applewhite in Indiana continue to put up strong stats. Wilson hopes Granger’s tactics will help the Thunder offence get the full use out of their star WRs Casey Coleman and Lloyd Lane. However, there are some concerns from the local media, specifically highlighting the fact that Knowles also arrived in Louisville out of the OC job in Indiana and worry about seeing more of the same.

Granger would go on to pick Thunder RB coach and former NAAF player, Johnnie Stafford to be the new OC, promoting him from his previous position. As for DC, the Thunder would pull over the GLFL’s Cincinnati Centurions DC Gregory Denman for the role. Denman’s defence in Cincinnati has been top 3 in the GLFL in the last 2 seasons, which is a key reason the Thunder targeted him this season. 

LONG ISLAND RAIDERS

Long Island would see a change at coach after a pair of tough seasons. HC Kerry Holder, who has been at the helm of the Raiders since 1962, is going to be moving on from the team. Holder had a great run with the Raiders, making it to 3 of 4 McCallister Cups between 1964 and 1967, winning one title in 1965. The move appears to be a mutual decision to part ways with Holder hoping for a new and refreshing opportunity and GM/Owner Wayne Tillman looking to get back to winning after a pair of disappointing seasons. Tillman was pretty quick to find a replacement, pulling over Buffalo OC Levi Bray. Bray started his career in the NAAF with the Raiders as their OC for 6 seasons before he took the Head Coaching Job in Boston in 1967. Bray only lasted a year and a half in Boston, going 7-12 over 19 games. Bray, spent last season with Buffalo, leading the league’s highest-scoring offence and capturing a second ring. The pros with Bray are that he is a very crafty offensive coach that can put together some great offensive schemes, which is evident from last season, and the Raiders are hoping to rejuvenate the league’s worse offence. However, he does sometimes struggle with his own ego, often butting heads with star players if they don’t see eye to eye, which is what happened with QB Nathaniel Braddock in Boston. Regardless, Tillman hopes that the more brash Bray can help whip his team back into shape and get back to winning. Bray would decide to keep DC Theo Espinoza in his role but did make a change at OC letting Andrew Glover go in favour of Benny Schwartz. Schwartz worked with Bray and the Raiders back when Bray was originally with the team and returns there now after spending last season with the Washington Stars of the ACFL. 

PROVIDENCE GOLD STARS

After 4 seasons with the current regime, the Gold Stars would make a change. Owner David Maxwell had tried to go for a more of a slow build and conservative approach to building a team with the hiring of Peter Brooks for the role, however, it seems that his patience has run out. While the Gold Stars faithful were excited about the hiring initially, since Brooks was a former star WR for the team, they have slowly soured on it due to a lack of improvement in the last couple of seasons. To replace Brooks, Maxwell has hired Timothy Marsh out of Haynes University. Marsh was a lead recruiter for the program at Haynes and consistently was able to bring in talent while competing with larger schools like New England and Rhode Island State. Maxwell liked Marsh’s ambition and felt he was the right hire to bring back a more aggressive front office. 

With Marsh in as GM, HC Garrett Boone’s job was in jeopardy. While Marsh considered continuing with the former Rhode Island State Head Coach, he elected to make a change. He would promote DC Tommie Warner into the new role. Warner was formerly the Head Coach at Haynes University and had worked with Marsh previously, which is the main reason for the hire. Warner is also very popular among the Gold Stars' defensive core, having been a great mentor to a lot of them and developing them into great players. To fill in the now vacated DC role, Warner would bring in Arthur Holmes, also from Haynes University. Holmes was Warner’s defensive coordinator when he was at Haynes, and the two had a great relationship from that time together. Offensively, the team would also let go of Gregory Curtis and replace him with former Long Island Head Coach, Kerry Holder. Holder is regarded as a strong offensive mind with loads of experience in the NAAF, but the Raiders having the league’s lowest-scoring offence last season does create some concern heading into next season. 

BUFFALO BLUE WINGS

With OC Levi Bray heading to Long Island and DC Steve Pallard heading into retirement, the Blue Wings needed a new set of coordinators. HC Maurice Evanson would bring in a familiar face for the offence in former Thunder OC Paul McMahon. McMahon has previously worked with Evanson with the Indiana Victors in the late 50s, as well as at the college level before that. McMahon does have a much more simple offensive scheme than Bray, but Evanson is confident he can help the Blue Wings continue to succeed. On defence, the Blue Wings kept it close to home, promoting D-line coach Maurice Sawyer into the role. Sawyer has been with the team for several years now and should maintain a similar defence to what Pallard had in place previously.

INDIANA VICTORS

With OC Lou Granger heading to Louisville, the Victors would decide to make it essentially a trade, hiring Louisville’s former Head Coach, Malachi Knowles, for the role. As mentioned, Knowles previously worked with the Victors as their OC in 1965 and 1966. Knowles is notable for helping QB Lyle Painter earn MVP in 1965 and then helping QB Tom Applewhite breakout into the team’s star QB the next year. HC Urick Wilkins is hoping for more of the same from the coach as he returns to Indy.

OVERVIEW

Buffalo
OUT
OC Levi Bray - Hired LI
DC Steve Pallard - Retirement
IN
OC Paul McMahon - From LOU OC
DC Maurice Sawyer - From BUF DL Coach

Indiana
OUT
OC Lou Granger - Hired LOU
IN 
OC Malachi Knowles - From LOU HC

Long Island
OUT
HC Kerry Holder - Not Extended
OC Andrew Glover - Fired
IN
HC Levi Bray - From BUF OC
OC Benny Schwartz - From ACFL WSH OC

Louisville
OUT 
HC Malachi Knowles - Fired
OC Paul McMahon - Fired
DC Carroll Moss - Fired
IN
HC Lou Granger - From IND OC
OC Johnnie Stafford - From LOU RB Coach
DC Gregory Denman - From GLFL CIN DC

Providence
OUT
GM Peter Brooks - Fired
HC Garrett Boone - Fired
OC Gregory Curtis - Fired
IN
GM Timothy Marsh - From Haynes Head of Recruitment
HC Tommie Warner - From PRO DC
OC Kerry Holder - From LI HC
DC Arthur Holmes - From Haynes DC

1970 Retirements

QB Riley Kiernan - Annapolis, MD - Creator: Darknes
College: Ben Franklin
Drafted: 1952 - WOR - Round 1, Pick 5
Teams: Worcester Athletics (1952-1957), London Tigers (1958-1969)
Captaincy: WOR - A (1957), LDN - A (1959-1963), LDN - C (1964-1969)
McCallister Cups: 2 (1960, 1963)
Awards: Most Valuable Player (1959, 1961, 1963), Offensive Player of the Year (1956), Breakout Player of the Year (1954), Playoff MVP (1959), McCallister Cup MVP (1963)
All-Stars: 7 (1958-1961, 1963, 1964) 
Player of the Week: 11 Times
In 1952, Kiernan would become the first QB to ever be drafted into the NAAF. He would struggle in his first couple of seasons, before winning Breakout Player of the Year in 1954. After making his first playoff appearance in 1955, he would lead the Athletics to the McCallister Cup in 1956, taking home OPOY. They would fall short in the big game to the Royals in overtime. In 1957, Kiernan would have one of his worst seasons while dealing with his sick dad and injuries throughout the season. The bad season would lead to the Athletics trading Kiernan to the London Tigers at the 1958 draft. Kiernan would enter the season as a backup, but took over the starting job when QB Christian Stewart would get hurt in the first game. Kiernan would not look back and would go on to lead the Tigers on a stellar run from 1959-1963. In those seasons, Kiernan would win 3 MVPs and lead the Tigers to 4 McCallister Cup appearances, winning 2 of them in 1960 and 1963. Since 1963, the Tigers have been unable to return to the big game, but Kiernan remained one of the strongest QBs in the league and would become the Tigers’ captain for the remaining 6 years of his career. Kiernan does retire with 199 total starts in his career which is the most all-time. He also has 7 All-Star seasons and a pair of playoff awards with a Playoff and McCallister Cup MVP. Kiernan is expected to take some time away from football, but some expect he could be in the commentary booth at some point.

DL Lonnie Vincent - Lowell, MA - Creator: Darknes
College: New England
Drafted: 1959 - BUF - Round 1, Pick 5
Teams: Buffalo Blue Wings (1959-1969)
Captaincy: BUF - A (1964-1969)
McCallister Cups: 4 (1964, 1966, 1967, 1969)
All-Stars: 7 (1960, 1961, 1963-1967)
Player of the Week: 3
Vincent entered the league with expectations of being a physical force on the defensive line, and he did not disappoint. He would become a staple on the Blue Wings’ defensive line for many seasons causing a lot of issues for many QBs. The addition of DL William Sanderson to the Blue Wings roster would only allow Vincent to get more opportunities in the late 60s, which made the Blue Wings’ D-line one of the most feared in the league’s history. Vincent would take on the alternate captain role with the Blue Wings in 1964, and it might have been a perfect choice as the Blue Wings would go on to win 4 McCallister Cups in the 6 seasons Vincent served as an alternate captain. Vincent would finish his career with 7 All-Star seasons and would spend all 11 years with the Buffalo Blue Wings. Being the hard worker and motivator that he is, Vincent is expected to be back on the sidelines someday.

OL Elliot Winterbottom - Utica, NY - Creator: DireBear
College: Western New York
Drafted: 1956 - LI - Round 1, Pick 7
Teams: R.Long Island Raiders (1956), Long Island Raiders (1957-1969)
Captaincy: LI - A (1963-1969)
McCallister Cups: 2 (1958, 1965)
All-Stars: 7 (1959-1965)
Winterbottom entered the 1956 draft as the best run blocker of the class. Being drafted by Long Island was a perfect fit, especially after the team acquired RB Dareion Fields. Winterbottom would lead the way for a rushing attack that was one of the best in the NAAF over the late 50s-early 60s. He would make 7 consecutive All-Star teams and would pick up a pair of McCallister Cups in 1958 and 1965. His leadership by example was also well known, serving as the team’s alternate captain from 1963-1969 despite his sometimes quiet nature. At this point, Winterbottom is ready to get out of the big city and out into the countryside and work on the farm.

OL Ward Briscoe - Columbus, OH - Creator: DireBear
College: Central Ohio
Drafted: 1959 - WOR - Round 1, Pick 2
Teams: Worcester Athletics/The Athletics/Halifax Mariners (1959-1969)
Captaincy: ATH/HFX - C (1962-1969)
McCallister Cups: 1 (1968)
All-Stars: 6 (1962-1967)
With the 2nd overall pick in the 1959 draft, the Athletics would draft one of the team’s cornerstones for the next decade. Briscoe was easily the top OL prospect in the draft and was hungry to succeed at the next level. Succeed he did become one of the league’s best O-linemen early in his career. He would be a 6-time All-Star and would serve as the Athletics/Mariners’ captain from 1962-1969. Briscoe’s football intelligence and passion were what made him a great player and leader. The team just followed him, through everything, especially the very difficult 1962 season where the team was travelling to all games and losing all games. Briscoe is immediately looked at as a potential coaching candidate simply because of his leadership.

OL Bernhard Altermann - Staten Island, NY - Creator: ZO82
College: Brooklyn Metro
Drafted: 1958 - LOU - Round 2, Pick 11
Teams: Louisville Thunder (1958-1969)
McCallister Cups: 1 (1962)
All-Stars: 5 (1960-1964)
Another steady O-lineman was drafted with the 11th pick of the 1958 draft. Altermann joined the Louisville Thunder and then never left. He spent all 12 seasons of his career with the team, being a 5-time All-Star and a McCallister Cup champion in 1962. Since 1964, Altermann slowly faded into the background as the Thunder started to hit some rocky seasons, but he still walks away a champ and one of the best Thunder linemen in their short history.

OL Harrison Ward - Syracuse, NY - Creator: ZO82
College: Western New York
Drafted: 1957 - MTL - Round 1, Pick 8
Teams: Montreal Rouge (1957-1966), Halifax Mariners (1967), Buffalo Blue Wings (1968-1969)
McCallister Cups: 1 (1969)
All-Stars: 4 (1962, 1964-1966)
Yet another O-lineman is next with Harrison Ward, who was picked with the 8th overall selection in 1957, the 3rd of 3 first-round picks the Rouge made that season after selecting LB Sam Fitzroy and WR Derek Cross. Ward would spend the first 10 years of his career with the Rouge, racking up 4 All-Stars seasons and a pair of McCallister Cup appearances. However, he was never able to get it done in Montreal. He was traded to Halifax ahead of the 1967 season as he began his search for a championship. The ‘67 campaign was unsuccessful in Halifax, so he left for Buffalo, only for Halifax to win in 1968. Luckily for Ward, he was able to still capture that title this past season and can finally retire from the game a champion. 

DL Timmy Kerr - Wilkes-Barre, PA - Creator: GoRedSox96
College: Allegheny
Drafted: 1957 - LI - Round 2, Pick 15
Teams: R.Long Island Raiders (1957), Long Island Raiders (1958-1962), Boston Independents (1963-1969)
McCallister Cups: 1 (1958)
All-Stars: 3 (1963-1965)
Timmy entered the NAAF alongside twin brother RB Tommy Kerr. Timmy was viewed as and turned out to be the more talented of the two. He would fit right in with the Raiders’ defensive power early on. The loads of talent on the Raiders’ defence allowed Timmy to be more aggressive on the line. He would win a championship with the Raiders in 1958 and then continued to be a strong piece on the line. However, after the 1962 season, Kerr walked away and signed with Boston. It was an interesting signing as Boston also had to bring in Tommy to play with Timmy as the brothers wanted to play together. Timmy’s first 3 seasons in Boston were great, as he would get all three of his All-Star seasons. Unfortunately, after those seasons, Timmy saw a decline and would not be able to return to that form as Boston faltered throughout the late 60s.

K Arthur Kettinger - North Andover, MA - Creator: Rugrat
College: New England
Drafted: 1953 - MTL - Round 4, Pick 28
Teams: Montreal Rouge (1953-1969)
McCallister Cups: 1 (1953)
Awards: 2 Special Teams Player of the Year (1953, 1964)
All-Stars: 2 (1953, 1964)
No other player has kicked the ball in Montreal for the past 17 seasons. After the Rouge selected Kettinger in the 1953 draft, the kicker became an immediate impact, taking home Special Teams Player of the Year and being an All-Star in his rookie season. He would later win the award again in 1964, along with his second All-Star season. He captured his lone championship in his rookie season, but came close in both 1962 and 1966. 

TE Christopher Gist - Rochester, NY - Creator: Darknes
College: Rochester
Drafted: 1957 - LOU - Round 3, Pick 21
Teams: Louisville Thunder (1957-1967), Long Island Raiders (1967-1968), Pittsburgh Blacksmiths (1969)
McCallister Cups: 1 (1962)
All-Stars: 2 (1959, 1963)
The Louisville Thunder would get a good pull in the 1957 draft grabbing their top TE for the next decade in the 3rd round. One reason Gist fell was his laziness when it came to blocking. He was very good at being a pass catcher, but just wasn’t the best when it came to blocking despite having the size for it. However, it would work out for the Thunder, with Gist blossoming into a threat in the passing game, and eventually, a 2-time All-Star. Gist would help the Thunder to a single championship in 1962 during his 10-and-a-half years in Louisville. In 1967, he would be traded to the Raiders as part of the WR Casey Coleman trade. He would spend the next year and a half with the Raiders before closing out his career with the Blacksmiths.

OL Varo Giovanni - Bronx, NY - Creator: ZO82
College: King’s
Drafted: 1957 - Undrafted
Teams: R.Providence Gold Stars (1957), Providence Gold Stars (1958-1968), Toronto Steelheads (1968-1969)
McCallister Cups: 0
All-Stars: 2 (1961, 1963)
Giovanni was passed on in the 1957 draft, primarily due to major character issues. His biggest issue was being unmotivated/lacked care for improving. Going undrafted might have flipped a switch in his brain as he would grow into a strong member of the Gold Stars O-line. Giovanni’s character was directed in the right direction and he would eventually be a 2-time All-Star. He would eventually get moved to the Toronto Steelheads in his final 2 seasons, where he was not much of a factor. Giovanni was unable to capture a championship in his career.  

DL Lawrence Armstrong - Brampton, ON - Creator: Wallflower
College: St. George
Drafted: 1956 - OFU
Teams: OFU - Toronto Lakers (1956-1963), Toronto Steelheads (1964-1967), Ottawa Royals (1967-1969)
Captaincy: TOR - A (1967)
McCallister Cups: 0
All-Stars: 2 (1965, 1966)
Armstrong entered the NAAF in 1964 along with the Toronto Steelheads, after spending the first 8 years of his career with the Toronto Lakers in the OFU. Armstrong was one of the players to make an immediate impact in the NAAF, earning 2 All-Star seasons with the Steelheads in 1965 and 1966. He was given the “A” at the start of the 1967 season but was being offered around during the trade deadline, which didn’t sit well with the loyal player. Armstrong did have a choice about whether he would be traded and Toronto strongly encouraged a deal with Halifax which saw them get a lot in return, but to spite them, Armstrong choose the Royals. Armstrong enjoyed his time in Ottawa, with a much better culture. He came very close to winning a title this season with the Royals, but after the season, he was tired and wanted to move on from the sport, likely into a role with the Royals.

TE Emmanuel Hines - Saginaw, MI - Creator: DireBear
College: Detroit Tech
Drafted: 1958 - IND - Round 2, Pick 14
Teams: Indiana Victors (1958-1969)
Captaincy: IND - A (1962-1966)
McCallister Cups: 0
All-Stars: 1 (1965)
Another star TE is a part of this retirement class. Hines was a powerful TE, able to overpower opponents in blocking and still go and get a ball while having a guy all over him. Hines had a very resilient personality, as he would never give up or let mistakes distract him from getting the job done. Those traits would make his a strong leader, taking on the “A” for 5 seasons for the Victors. Hines would finish his career without a championship, falling just short of the title in 1968, but he was an All-Star in 1965. 

RB Rodney “Hot Rod” Clark - Pittsburgh, PA - Creator: Rugrat
College: Allegheny
Drafted: 1958 - IND - Round 1, Pick 4
Teams: Indiana Victors (1958-1960), Louisville Thunder (1961-1967), Boston Independents (1968), Toronto Steelheads (1969)
Captaincy: IND - A (1959-1960)
McCallister Cups: 1 (1962)
Player of the Week: 3 Times
Rodney Clark was the 4th player taken in the hectic 1958 draft that saw the first 3 picks get traded. The Victors stayed at their 4th overall slot and took Clark to be a piece for the future. Clark was an immediate impact for the Victors, being their primary source of offence over his first 3 seasons. He would wear the “A” for 2 seasons, however, he would leave the Victors at the end of the 1960 season, joining the team’s rival in the Louisville Thunder. Clark would spend the next 7 years with the Thunder, winning a championship with the team and being a consistent piece out of the backfield. He would start to slow down in the late 60s, leading to a couple of seasons as a journeyman playing for Boston and Toronto to close out his career. Without getting starting reps, Clark has lost the motivation to play and is calling it a career. 

DL Dale Rothery - Portland, ME - Creator: DireBear
College: Concord-Manchester
Drafted: 1960 - LOU - Round 1, Pick 5
Teams: Louisville Thunder (1960), Long Island Raiders (1961-1962), Montreal Rouge (1962), Louisville Thunder (1963), Halifax Mariners (1964), Toronto Steelheads (1965-1966), Boston Independents (1967-1968), Pittsburgh Blacksmiths (1969)
McCallister Cups: 0
Normally, players that don’t receive at least an All-Star or a Player of the Week during their career don’t get covered in retirements, but Rothery was something else. Rothery entered the 1960 draft as a highly athletic player and seemed like a sure-fire top DL of the future, but it did not go that way. Rothery struggled immediately, not being able to keep pace technically with the NAAF O-linemen. Within a season, Rothery would be traded for the first time in his career. He would then be traded 2 more times to Montreal from Long Island and to Boston from Toronto. In his 10-year career, Rothery would play for 7 different teams likely cementing himself in the conversations about journeymen for years to come. 
*There is no jersey to describe his career

Other Notable Retirements - * = McCallister Cup
DL Dexter Barbarcos - Gary, IN - College: Northern Indiana - Creator: Darknes - Drafted: 1958 - MTL R1: P7 
Teams: MTL (1958-1964, 1969), PIT (1965), LI (1966-1967), TOR (1968) 
S Cal Clemmons - Sandusky, OH - College: Detroit Tech - Creator: Dan O’Mac - Drafted: 1959 - IND R1: P4
Teams: IND (1959-1963), PRO (1964), BUF (1965-1966)*, PIT (1967), LOU (1968), LI (1969)
LB George Yokoi - Brooklyn, NY - College: Cambridge of Boston - Creator: QCS - Drafted: 1959 - LOU R2: P11
Teams: LOU (1959-1964)*, LDN (1965-1967), MTL (1968), BOS (1968), HFX (1969)
OL Fabrice Beaufort - Quebec City, QC - College: St-Laurent - Creator: Kingsfan11 - Drafted: 1960 - OTT - R1: P10
Teams: OTT (1960-1966), BUF (1967)*, TOR (1968), HFX (1969)
DL Allen St. Bensen - Boston, MA - College: New England - Creator: Stickman - Drafted: 1960 - IND R2: P17
Teams: IND (1960-1964), BOS (1965-1969)

Winnipeg Falcons

The Winnipeg Football Club was founded in 1921 and would go on to join the WFU in 1927. The team was originally formed under Métis Professor Christophe Adams from Riel University. His son, Louis Adams, would be one of the first star players on the team. They would play their first several seasons at a smaller field near the Manitoba Legislature, but eventually, after the team won their first championship in 1929, Adams was able to pull enough strings to get a stadium built at Riel University named Provencher Park. The stadium would be shared with the school’s college team. In the first couple of seasons in the new stadium, a peregrine falcon nest was discovered within the roof of the stadium. The fans took to the falcons during the difficult great depression, and the team would be renamed the Winnipeg Falcons. The newly named Falcons would capture back-to-back championships in 1936 and 1937. 

Post-WW2, Christophe Adams would slowly pass over the ownership of the team to his son and former player, Louis Adams. Unfortunately, the Adams family was not able to keep up with the financial requirements that the team needed and would eventually sell the team to businessman, Howard Baker, in 1953. The team would go on to win a championship in 1954 under Baker. However, over the next 5 seasons, Baker became disinterested in running the team and decided to sell the team in 1958. At that point, Ed Morrissette would purchase the team. With the purchase by Morrissette, the team returns to its origins, with Morrissette being from the St. Boniface area, where Riel University is located, and being of Métis descent just like Christophe Adams. Since Morrissette took over, the owner has been a steady hand in the organization and the WFU, taking on a level of leadership with his kind and compassionate nature. Winnipeg captured its 6th title in 1960, but the team has struggled to keep up with the juggernauts of Vancouver and Edmonton since then. 

The Team
Jay Nielson leads this team on the field. Nielson was brought in to coach the team just a season ago. He coached for a while at the high school level, winning several provincial titles in Manitoba. He eventually moved up to the Riel University’s Offensive coordinator, where Morrissette decided to pluck him from and put him in charge of the Falcons. Winnipeg has been in need of some direction on the field, as they have some talent, like star WR Terry Upshaw and backfield weapon RB Joe Rivers. They also have a couple of younger pieces like WR Juwan Sylvester and WR Elijah Skinner. Defensively, the team isn’t as strong with only one real star at the moment in LB Claude Clarke. DB Kyle Ellerbee and DL Quinton Hextal are also both solid options, but nothing special. They do have some younger talent in Claude’s brother, Eric on the D-line and LB Kyrell Warner. While the offence does have the stronger set of pieces, the team is not as confident at QB. The team just went through now Wheat Kings’ starter Rusty Lamb and was turning to former Riel QB, Emerson Thompson. Emerson has shown some flashes of solid play but is still sometimes a little off the mark with accuracy, but he’s still young so the team has room to grow with him.

Brand
The Falcons got a light refresh with the Patterson Athletics partnership, mainly just sharpening up the logo and jersey elements.

Logos: The team's logo features a red “W” over top of the overhead shot of a falcon that is in navy. The team had been using something similar up until the update, however, the falcon image was a little sloppier, so Morrissette was glad to have it adjusted. 

Uniforms: The jerseys are pretty simple for Winnipeg. The home is primarily navy with a red falcon on the sleeves. The roads are pretty much the same with just red numbers and blue trim. 

Stadium and Field: As mentioned before, the Falcons share a stadium with Riel University. Provencher Park is on the older side, being built in the 1930s and only seats 23,500. There have been conversations about a new stadium potentially being built, but it’s uncertain about where in the city it will be constructed if it will be on campus grounds or elsewhere in the city. As for the field design, the Falcons will have 2 versions of the field during the season. The one constant will be the team’s “W” located at midfield next to Riel’s “RU” logo. During the early months of the year when only the Falcons are playing the endzones and out-of-bounds lines will be painted. Each endzone featuring the Falcons name and Riel Unviersity. Once Riel starts playing games in the fall, the field will be repainted to be more easily transitioned between Hybrid and Canadian field dimensions. 

Vancouver Wolves

The Vancouver Football Club was founded in 1919, with George May as the original owner. May would control the team up until 1934 when he sold the team to Fred Burks. Burks would be a solid leader for the team in his short stint as they would make it to 3 Mackenzie Cups, winning 1 in that time.

After WW2, Burks did not return as owner and the team was transferred over to Arthur Snow. Snow would rename the team the Vancouver Wolves before the first season back in action. The name came from the wildlife of British Columbia, but also the pack-like nature of a football team. Snow would own the team for about a decade from 1946-1955. In 1956, the current owner, Mark Livingston took over the team. The ambitious, young owner brought lots of money into the organization, and it showed. The team captured a title in 1958, and then by 1961, Vancouver would start to rise as a power in the league. They would capture another pair of championships in 1961 and 1964, before getting to their most recent dominance, winning the last 3 Mackenzie Cups. Under Livingston, the Wolves have emerged as one of the best teams in all of football, and one of the most well-run businesses. 

The Team

To no one’s surprise, the Wolves look like the one true contender for the McCallister Cup amongst the WFU teams. Head Coach Johnnie Dawson leads the way with his stoic leadership and masterful mind. Dawson has been regarded as one of the toughest coaches to plan against. On the field, the team is led by one of the greatest WFU QBs ever in Kevin Westwood. Westwood set records for passing yards and touchdowns in the WFU twice over the last 3 seasons. In the backfield, the team has a solid RB in Jeremiah Morrow, along with a stellar set of weapons in WR Keshawn Johnston, WR Ryan Conway, and converted WR to TE Johnny Temple. Defensively, they are just as tough with star DL Rashawn Sutherland, the LB duo of Shawn Anderson and Jaylen Murray, as well as DB Christian Allen. One of the more interesting notes that teams have noticed is several international players are on the team. Vancouver has been doing some scouting overseas and found the popularity of Football growing in Japan. Thus, they have recruited a few players, most notably, WR Akira Sakamoto, whose speed could be a huge problem for defences. Other names include OL Natsuki Ogawa and S Takuya Sasaki, as well as the Chinese-born-Canadian-raised DL Qian Zhou. 

Brand
The Wolves had recently updated their look in the last couple of years, so they are keeping most of the brand intact.

Logos: The logo features an angular head of a wolf, with a pine tree making up the neck fur of the wolf. The tree is, in fact, a team mascot, as there is a tree that is located within the team’s stadium that has been at their home location since before the stadium was built. The fans named the tree Twig and it has stuck. The team colours are still primarily purple and silver, but green is added for Twig.

Uniforms: The team’s jerseys are a classic purple and silver look. The pants and helmet match with silver and a purple-white-purple stripe. The jerseys stripes are similar to the Royals’ sleeve stripes, but with thinner top and bottom stripes with alternating stripe colours in between.

Stadium: As mentioned before, the team’s tree mascot, Twig is a part of the team’s stadium of Vancouver Exhibition Stadium. The stadium has seating all the way around except for the southwest corner which is open. On a small hill in the corner is Twig. The stands have slowly expanded over the years since 1928 to now seat 35,200, making it the largest stadium in the WFU. However, the stadium is getting old, so Livingston is currently in talks about getting a new stadium soon, despite the history that Exhibition Stadium and Twig have. The field is a bit more unique than most with each endzone featuring trees spread across it on a purple background. 

Regina Wheat Kings

The Regina Football Club was founded in 1925, just two years before it made the move to the WFU. The Football Club had replaced a previous Regina team that had stopped operations 2 years before. The team’s founder, Archie Carson, was a great team builder and was able to put together some strong teams with limited talent throughout the 1930s. Unfortunately, the Great Depression would hit Carson and the Football Club. Despite an appearance in the Mackenzie Cup in 1936, the team would fold after the season. 

In 1948, football would return to Regina in the form of the Regina Threshers. Carson was the primary owner for the first couple of years, as he laid the foundation of the team’s only championship season in 1951. However, Carson would step away from the organization with money continuing to be an issue. Over the next decade or so, the team would go through a couple of different owners, but none were able to provide financial stability. Eventually, the team was bought by the city and funded by the citizens. It was not a long-term solution, but they hoped they would finally find suitable ownership. In 1964, they would finally get one in the form of agribusiness mogul, Bill Kingsley. Kingsley had deep pockets after creating a very successful business in the province and was easily the richest owner to take control of the team. Of course, he would make some changes to the team. The most notable was the team’s name. He renamed them the Regina Wheat Kings. Despite the marketing jargon that Kingsley spread about the name change, most knew it was to get his own name on the team. Many of the fans were not happy with the name change, but they would accept since they would get to keep their football team. Kingsley has stabilized the team over the last few years and hopes that he can eventually get a new stadium built for the team to bring in some more fans. Kingsley was the only owner to vote against the agreement with the NAAF, as he is concerned that Regina won’t be able to keep up with the larger markets and that he could lose his team.

The Team
While Kingsley has brought stability off the field, the team on the field is very rough. They are led by Head Coach, Wayne Combs. Combs is a pretty inexperienced coach, having only 2 seasons at the small school of Saskatchewan A&M prior to joining the Wheat Kings last season. Combs’ system is pretty bare-bones. On the field, the team is led by journeyman QB, Rusty Lamb, who had previous stints with Calgary and Winnipeg. RB Deion Chapman is a pretty solid option out of the backfield, with some potential. Luckily the team has an alright O-line made up of a lot of local talent that should help Chapman. Their best WR is Nick Spalding, who is pretty solid, but not a typical #1 option. Their biggest star is DL Pete Gingers, who is from Regina. The local star has desired to stay with the team over the years despite the poor play. DB Madison McGee, LB Brett Pride, and DB Chris Berrymore are also all solid players, but the depth is where the team is expected to crumble. Expect the Wheat Kings to be a bit of a mess in their first season in the NAAF.

Brand
The Wheat Kings have been using a basic script “R” as a logo for a while now, so Kingsley wanted the Patterson team to come up with a new set of logos. They were hard at work and they came through with an okay result given the time crunch. 

Logos: The team did try to pitch a logo with the R and a single stock of wheat next to it, as the primary, but Kingsley insisted on a crown being included. So, the team would make up a logo, that they were not as satisfied with. The crown featured the same “R” but with two stocks of wheat and 7 gems included on the crown. The other logo would remain as the secondary mark in the team’s brand. 

Uniforms: When the Regina Football Club originally joined the WFU they were forced to change away from their green uniforms since Edmonton already had dark green uniforms and only wanted one jersey. Regina, not having the money, would also want a single jersey so they simply changed to be a team that wore gold all the time both home and away. The new look stuck for the team and they have kept that branding going into this season. The home jersey is a gold-on-gold uniform with green features, while the road is much the same just with a white uniform. The helmet does feature the secondary mark, which the team convinced Kingsley to allow on the helmet after saying it would be cheaper and easier since they had already put the stickers into production, having thought that they had the design down.

Stadium and Field: The Wheat Kings play at Broad Street Stadium in downtown Regina. The stadium is far and away the smallest in the NAAF and the WFU, only holding 19,000, and that is with some temporary seating being added for this upcoming season. It was opened in 1948, just before the team returned to the WFU. Its age and size are both major reasons Kingsley is hoping to get a new stadium built soon. The field features the crown at midfield and a simple block letter “Regina” in each endzone. 

Edmonton Rangers

The Edmonton Football Club was founded in 1910 and was a founding member of the Alberta Football Championship. By 1917, ownership of the team would transfer over to Greg Mackenzie. Mackenzie saw lots of potential for a strong inter-provincial league during his early days of owning the team. He would pave the way for the WFU to be formed with its original 4 teams. While Greg Mackenzie made waves off the field the team was dominant on the field. Edmonton would capture 3 of the first 4 Mackenzie Cups in the WFU. A few years later, the team would be the first to capture 3 Mackenzie Cups in a row between 1932 and 1934. During the second set of championships, the Edmonton Football Club would officially take on the nickname of Rangers. The name comes from the area around the team’s Stadium, located at Forest Heights Park. The building was surrounded by trees and a park, leading to the team being deemed the park’s rangers. The name would catch on and Greg Mackenzie would make it official in 1935. 

After WW2, the Rangers would continue to have success winning 3 more championships in the late 40s-early 50s. In 1952, Greg Mackenzie would fall ill and passed away at 79. His son, and current owner, Norman Mackenzie would take over. Norm admired his father. He was his hero and he would do everything in his power to keep his dad’s legacy intact. Norm’s leadership would keep the Rangers competitive as they would make 6 Mackenzie Cups during the remainder of the 1950s, winning 2. Then the team would rise to power in the 60s, winning 4 more Cups and replicating the Ottawa Royals’ 7 consecutive appearances in the Championship game. While Norm was hesitant about the decision to accept the partnership, he has now shifted focus to the upcoming season and hopes his team can remain competitive in the NAAF.

The Team
The Rangers are still riding the tail end of their 1960s success. They are led by Coach Pat Gilliam, who is a classic rough and tough coach. He believes games are won in the trenches, hence why the team has a very strong O-line and D-line. The stars on the OL are Matthew Miller, Charles Creighton, and Phillip Caron, while James Chambers, Stu Godfrey, and Steven Montgomery, man the D-line. They also have a pair of mean LBs in Frank St. John and Herb Landry. Offensively, expect strong play from their run game behind the O-line. RB Gary Hubbard is hoping to continue his strong run as one of the leading rushers in the WFU over the last 5 years. The team has some key pieces, but age is certainly going to become a concern with many stars hitting their 30s. The biggest concern could be 37-year-old QB Blair Collins. Luckily, Collins’ pocket passing play style isn’t too intense which could mean a couple of years of play still in him. The team does have some youth at WR with 26-year-old, Alex Browne Sr., and 24-year-old Shay Hopkins likely leading the way this season.

The Brand
Going into the NAAF, the Rangers had a pretty dated brand. The team’s logo was a drawn depiction of Eddie the Owl, the team’s mascot. Due to the NAAF’s new rules, the team would need a bit of a change in the logo. It certainly stung for Norman Mackenzie to have to see the logo changed, but Oscar Patterson made sure to work closely with Norman to make sure the brand felt right. Mackenzie appreciated the dedication.

Logos: The new logo features Eddie as he perches on a branch, inside of a roundel. The Roundel features the full name of the team. The team’s colours of Green and cream are primarily featured, but Eddie remains brown as he was in the previous design.

Uniforms: The Rangers uniforms are about as simple as you can get for uniforms. Plain green jersey with just numbers. Cream pants with a single green stripe, and plain green socks. The simple jersey has been a staple for the team for a very long time, so Mackenzie was very stubborn about making any changes. 

Stadium and Field: The team plays at Forest Heights Park, which is both the name of the park and the stadium that is located there. It’s an old and fairly cozy stadium, tucked in amongst the trees. The team has been playing at the building since 1914, but the stadium has seen countless renovations and expansions over the years to the point where it now holds 28,500 people and doesn’t feel too old. There are conversations starting about the city providing a new stadium for the team in a better location, but Norman has not been willing to part ways with the historic building yet. The field is pretty simple with no major designs, just the outline of the new Eddie the Owl logo.  

Calgary Tigers

The Calgary Football Club was founded in 1920. The club joined the WFU as a founding member. The team’s founding owner was Bill Barker, who was very close to Edmonton owner and WFU founder Greg Mackenzie. Bill led a very strong team during the first decade of the WFU, making 6 Mackenzie Cups and winning 2 of them. In the mid-30s Bill would become ill and handed over the team to his son, Hank Barker. Hank would breathe new life into the team and they would return to the Mackenzie Cup to win back-to-back titles in 1938 and 1939. Following WW2, the Tigers would not quite be at the level they were going into the war, but they would capture a 5th title in 1949. Under Hank’s leadership, the team would continue to be a consistent contender, winning 3 more cups in 1952, 1957, and 1959. The Tigers would go through a couple of tough seasons in the early 60s but made it back to the big game in 1965. The team would continue to be competitive through the 60s, but in 1967, Hank would, unfortunately, pass away, leaving the team to his son Albert Barker. Albert had zero desire to own a football team, so he sold the team, thus ending the Barker family’s ownership of the Tigers. 

Tyler McNeil would purchase the team from the Barker family ahead of the 1968 season. McNeil was certainly a different style of owner than the Barkers before him. The Barkers were very traditional football team owners, that cared for the history of the team and the success on the field. McNeil on the other hand was much different. Sure, he obviously respected the history, but he certainly seemed to have a much more open mind when it came to changes being made to the organization, which to some could be a good thing, to others, not so much. McNeil has not made too many dramatic changes, but that could change in the near future. Either way, the WFU owners, especially Mark Livingston of the Vancouver Wolves, appreciate the perspective that McNeil has when it comes to ownership, as the WFU has needed to start thinking about the future a little more. 

The Team
The 1960s saw the Tigers team fall from their usually competitive position. They still made a couple of Mackenzie Cup appearances, mostly due to their coach Arnold Irvine. Irvine is easily the best coach the team has ever had. He was great friends with Hank Barker, and so when Barker passed away, Irvine decided he would retire at the end of the 1968 season. Irvine led the team back to the Mackenzie Cup in his final year, and then parted ways with the organization. 

McNeil was thrilled with the opportunity to bring in a coach of his choosing. He would certainly make a wild decision, hiring Alberta Provincial University Coach, Travis Hobson. Hobson had been getting some attention for his unorthodox, wild west offence. The offence was quite wild with lots of options, reverses, passes onto passes, and just about everything you can think of. On top of that, it’s a very fast-tempo offence with lots of no-huddle play calls. Hobson’s first season in 1969 as head coach was not great, but they are hoping as Hobson has the chance to get the offence installed they will improve. 

Last season, the offence revolved around a pair of running backs. RB John Drexel brought the speed to make big plays happen, while the veteran RB Tyler Smith was more of a power back. The Tigers like to run a lot of looks with both players on the field. The team does have a bit of a QB controversy on their hands. QB Jerome Sheppard was a steady QB with decent arm strength, that helped the team get to the Mackenzie Cup in 1968, but he struggled in the new offence which allowed the younger QB Jesse Essex to get into the game. Essex’s run-first style does give the wild west offence another option on the ground and seemed to work better in Hobson’s system. The team also had a couple of solid WRs in Ted Jackson and Spencer Hicks. While the offence does get more of the attention, the Tigers are packing some punch on defence with one of the best DLs in the WFU in Damian Battles, who is paired up with the Barrett twins in Chris and Roger. Junior Abbott is the anchor at LB and DB Scott Summerhayes has done well to create a lot of turnovers for the team in the secondary. The Tigers may still not be the best team out of the WFU, but they are certainly one of the most intriguing. 

The Brand
Most of the WFU teams would not be getting a massive change to their looks with the designs coming on short notice. However, Tyler McNeil certainly had some changes he wanted to make. 

Logos: The team does continue to use the same “C” logo that they have had for a long time, but the colours are the most noticeable difference. For a while, the Tigers were an orange and black team, but in the last decade they had added red to the look, but now black was now gone from the brand. 

Uniforms: The new jerseys are a completely new design. The home remains orange primarily, but now 7 stripes (4 red, 3 orange) are on each sleeve which are on white bases. The number font was changed for the jerseys after Tyler McNeil got to see the Boston Independents’ numbers and asked for those specifically. The road is not too different, although the colour of the stripes on the sleeves is opposite the home jersey. 

Stadium and Field: The Tigers play out of Tigers Stadium at the Stampede, which is located on the Calgary Stampede grounds near downtown. The Stadium is the newest facility in the WFU, being opened in 1963, and seats 32,400 regularly. There are some plans to expand the stadium if the NAAF deal works out and the team gains more success. As for the field design, the new orange-red marks fill the endzone with “Calgary” and the “C” is at midfield. The field numbers also get the treatment of the team’s font. 

A Brief History of the WFU

The Western Football Union came together in 1924. Greg Mackenzie, owner of the Edmonton Football Club was a big reason the league came together to form a bigger competition from locally competing provincial leagues. Both the British Columbia Football Division and the Alberta Football Championship, allowed their strongest teams to enter the new competition, thus forming the original 4 teams of the Calgary Football Club, the Edmonton Football Club, the Vancouver Football Club, and the Victoria Victorias. Greg Mackenzie would provide the league with a cup which was built by a family member. The cup would be deemed the Mackenzie Cup and the 4 teams would compete to decide who was the champions of the West. 

In 1927 the league would add 3 more teams from the Saskatchewan and Manitoban divisions. The Regina Football Club, Saskatoon Athletic Club, and the Winnipeg Football Club would be added. 

When the Great Depression hit in the 1930s the WFU would face some hardship and Saskatoon would pull from the league in 1934. Regina and Victoria would soon follow in 1937. The league would eventually, suspend operations at the start of WW2. 

In 1946, the WFU got back up and running with the same 4 teams from Calgary, Edmonton, Vancouver, and Winnipeg. In 1948, Regina would be reinstated and the league would remain at 5 teams for the next 2 decades. Then in 1970, the league would partner with the NAAF to form a merger. 

Mackenzie Cup Winners
1924: Edmonton Football Club
1925: Edmonton Football Club
1926: Victoria Victorias
1927: Edmonton Football Club
1928: Calgary Football Club
1929: Winnipeg Football Club
1930: Vancouver Football Club
1931: Calgary Tigers
1932: Edmonton Football Club
1933: Edmonton Rangers
1934: Edmonton Rangers
1935: Vancouver Football Club
1936: Winnipeg Falcons
1937: Winnipeg Falcons
1938: Calgary Tigers
1939: Calgary Tigers
1940-1945: Not rewarded due to WW2
1946: Vancouver Wolves
1947: Edmonton Rangers
1948: Edmonton Rangers
1949: Calgary Tigers
1950: Edmonton Rangers
1951: Regina Threshers
1952: Calgary Tigers
1953: Vancouver Wolves
1954: Winnipeg Falcons
1955: Edmonton Rangers
1956: Edmonton Rangers
1957: Calgary Tigers
1958: Vancouver Wolves
1959: Calgary Tigers
1960: Winnipeg Falcons
1961: Vancouver Wolves
1962: Edmonton Rangers
1963: Edmonton Rangers
1964: Vancouver Wolves
1965: Edmonton Rangers
1966: Edmonton Rangers
1967: Vancouver Wolves
1968: Vancouver Wolves
1969: Vancouver Wolves

Totals
Edmonton Rangers - 15
Vancouver Wolves - 10
Calgary Tigers - 8
Winnipeg Falcons - 5
Regina Wheat Kings - 1
Victoria Victorias - 1