1970 Award Winners

Most Outstanding Player - QB Charles Lemieux - Buffalo Blue Wings
Charles Lemieux takes home the second MVP/MOP award of his career. His play on the field was excellent yet again, earning him a 4th All-Star nod. He also led the league in passing yards, something that he had yet to do in his career. A great year for the QB that I don’t think many would argue against being the best in the league at the moment. Lemieux’s win also continues the trend of the Central (formerly West) Division being the holder of the MVP/MOP award with 11 of the last 12 winners being out of the division. Only S Garet deVale from Montreal breaks up the run that started with QB Riley Kiernan with the Tigers in 1959.

Playoff MOP - DB Rutherford Winters - Long Island Raiders
For the first time since 1965, the Playoff MVP/MOP is the same as the McCallister Cup MVP/MOP. Winters had a great playoff run being a steady shutdown corner for a Raiders defence that was able to shut down several strong offences throughout their playoff run. Winters also earned a Player of the Week nod in the Quarter-Finals. 

Offensive Player of the Year - WR Casey Coleman - Louisville Thunder
Coleman had to step into a big leadership position this season and he certainly rose to the occasion having a career year with 16 touchdowns. Coleman was finally let off the leash and could show the incredibly high ceiling he has had since being drafted 9th overall in 1963.

Defensive Player of the Year - LB Kurt Warlock - Providence Gold Stars
Warlock was the definitive winner for DPOY earning a large majority of the votes. His MOP-level season looked a lot like the years that LB Scotty Williams terrorized defences in the 1950s. The former 2nd overall pick is continuing to rise up as the centrepiece in the Gold Stars’ defence that is likely to be making waves in the years to come. 

Special Teams Player of the Year - K Ryan Perch - Buffalo Blue Wings
Perch takes home the Special Teams Player of the Year award for the first time in his career. Perch joins DB Lauri Hayha as the only non-Canadian/American players to take home an award during their career. The overall battle for the award was a close one with Perch winning the award by 1 point.

1970 Kicking Points
1 - Ryan Perch BUF - 109 Points
2 - Nimrod Handsworth LDN - 108 Points
3 - Sterling Brooks VAN - 107 Points
T4 - Thomas Standberry EDM - 104 Points
T4 - Vic Greatwood TOR - 104 Points

Offensive Lineman of the Year - OL Charles Creighton - Edmonton Rangers
The inaugural OLOY is Charles Creighton. Creighton is also the lone WFU player to take home an award this season. His play on the line to set up a very sturdy run game from the Rangers was a big factor in Creighton taking the award this season. 

Rookie of the Year - LB Ricky Wildgoose - Louisville Thunder
Wildgoose becomes the 6th #1 pick to take home ROY. Wildgoose didn’t have an above-average year or anything, but he was consistently being a contributor right from the start showing that he has a very strong floor before he likely takes a massive step forward in the coming seasons.

Coach of the Year - HC Soni Dionne - Minnesota Serpents
The closest vote ended up being the Coach of the Year with Soni Dionne and Tommie Warner coming down to a single vote. In the end, Soni Dionne would win his second consecutive COY award, joining Dannell Willis and Peter McDuffin as the others to complete the feat. Dionne continues to impress with the Serpents having a league-best 10-2 record in just their second season bringing his regular season record as a head coach with Minnesota to 18-6. 

Breakout Player of the Year - WR Tracy Driscoll - Buffalo Blue Wings
Another close vote saw WR Tracy Driscoll take home BPOY. Driscoll is the 3rd Blue Wing to win the award, joining QB Charles Lemieux and WR Zachariah Pembroke. Driscoll’s explosiveness, which was on full display this season, kept the Blue Wings’ offence as fresh as ever and one of the best in the league again.

53rd McCallister Cup Host - New Providence Stadium - Providence, RI - Capacity: 65,450
The 53rd McCallister Cup will be heading back up to Providence. The league’s largest stadium will host its 3rd Cup, the first two happening in 1953 and 1964. 

Previous McCallister Cups in Providence
1953: MTL 22-14 PRO
1964: BUF 20-17 LI

1970 All-Stars

WEST ALL-STARS
QB Kevin Westwood VAN (1)
RB Gary Hubbard EDM (1)
OL Charles Creighton EDM (1)
OL Phillip Caron EDM (1)
OL Elias McCarren MIN (2)
OL David Brewington VAN (1)
OL Claude Balderson WPG (1)
WR Terry Upshaw WPG (1)
WR Keshawn Johnston VAN (1)
WR Sebastian Dassler MIN (1)
TE Johnny Temple VAN (1)
DL Albert Sullivan MIN (1)
DL Steven Montgomery EDM (1)
DL Pete Gingers REG (1)
DL Damien Battles CGY (1)
LB Garrett Roberts MIN (1)
LB Claude Clarke WPG (1)
LB Brett Pride REG (1)
DB Jayson Klyde MIN (1)
DB Chris Berrymore REG (1)
S Nick Palmer VAN (1)
S Gérard LaCroix MIN (1)
K Sterling Brooks VAN (1)

CENTRAL ALL-STARS
QB Charles Lemieux BUF (4)
RB Jasper Dickerson BUF (1)
OL Erik Nelson PIT (4)
OL Jean Baptiste Francois PIT (1)
OL Elias McCarren MIN (1)
OL Jean-Baptiste Desjardins IND (7)
OL Emil Jennings LDN (6)
WR Casey Coleman LOU (3)
WR Tracy Driscoll BUF (1)
WR Jake Abbredezzi IND (1)
TE Jesse Butler PIT (1)
DL William Sanderson BUF (14)
DL Mo Kahn LDN (1)
DL Aaron Henderson LOU (2)
DL Arthur Bradshaw PIT (3)
LB Marshall Langenbrunner IND (5)
LB Patrick Hamilton PIT (1)
LB Randall Lambert BUF (2)
DB Neville Falkner IND (10)
DB Zed McLaughlin PIT (2)
S Charles Clerk TOR (2)
S Mathieu Cazenave BUF (1)
K Ryan Perch BUF (2)

EAST ALL-STARS
QB Nathaniel Braddock BOS (5)
RB Reggie Whitehead BOS (2)
OL Gary Bies LI (3)
OL Tommy Reynolds OTT (1)
OL Kane Warwick HFX (2)
OL Elliot Barrett MTL (2)
OL Bradley Clark MTL (1)
WR Taylor Karis MTL (7)
WR Shane Steadman HFX (4)
WR Justin Palmer PRO (1)
TE Luiss de Brands OTT (2)
DL Wayne Baxton HFX (8)
DL Dallas Breaker LI (1)
DL Bartolo Cruz PRO (2)
DL Newton Dalton PRO (1)
LB Kurt Warlock PRO (2)
LB Byron Turner BOS (3)
LB William Washington II LI (6)
DB Rutherford Winters LI (3)
DB Lamar Brown MTL (1)
S Marc Bellecourt OTT (3)
S Tom Parrish PRO (1)
K Woody Woodstock BOS (1)

1970 League Leaders
*Yardage is not tracked, but this is roughly where I think the players would be based on whether teams were more likely to be pass-heavy or run-heavy

Passing Touchdowns
1 - QB Tom Applewhite IND - 28
2 - QB Buck Murphy LOU - 27
3 - QB Charles Lemieux BUF - 25
4 - QB Louis Vaughn PIT - 24
5 - QB Drake Young OTT - 21

Passing Yards 
1 - QB Charles Lemieux BUF
2 - QB Buck Murphy LOU
3 - QB Tom Applewhite IND
4 - QB Louis Vaughn PIT
5 - QB Drake Young OTT

Rushing Touchdowns
T1 - RB Gary Hubbard EDM - 15
T1 - RB Joe Rivers - 15
3 - RB Reggie Whitehead BOS - 14
T4 - RB Jasper Dickerson BUF - 12
T4 - RB John Drexel CGY - 12

Rushing Yards
1 - RB Reggie Whitehead BOS
2 - RB Gary Hubbard EDM
3 - RB John Drexel CGY
4 - RB Jasper Dickerson BUF
5 - RB Joe Rivers WPG

Receiving Touchdowns
1 - WR Casey Coleman LOU - 16
T2 - WR Tracy Driscoll BUF - 13
T2 - WR Jake Abbredezzi IND - 13
4 - WR Taylor Karis MTL - 12
5 - WR Terry Upshaw WPG - 10

Receiving Yards
1 - WR Tracy Driscoll BUF 
2 - WR Casey Coleman LOU
3 - WR Jake Abbredezzi IND
4 - WR Taylor Karis MTL
5 - WR Justin Palmer PRO

Interceptions
1 - DB Neville Falkner IND - 9
T2 - DB Rutherford Winters LI - 8
T2 - DB Zad McLaughlin PIT - 8
4 - DB Aquilio Ruiz LOU - 7
T5 - DB Chris Berrymore REG - 6
T5 - S Charles Clerk TOR - 6 

Forced Fumbles
1 - LB Brett Pride REG - 7
2 - LB Kurt Warlock PRO - 6
T3 - LB Herb Landry EDM - 5
T3 - LB Frank St. John EDM - 5
T3 - DL Wayne Baxton HFX - 5
T3 - LB Claude Clarke WPG - 5

Sacks
1 - DL Bartolo Cruz PRO
2 - DL Dallas Breaker LI
3 - DL Wayne Baxton HFX
4 - DL Arthur Bradshaw PIT
5 - DL Lucas Kipling MTL

Tackles
1 - LB Kurt Warlock PRO
2 - LB Marshall Langenbrunner IND
3 - LB Byron Turner BOS
4 - LB Garrett Roberts MIN
5 - LB William Washington II LI

Field Goals
1 - K Nimrod Handsworth LDN - 29
2 - K Vic Greatwood TOR - 26
3 - K Sterling Brooks VAN - 24
T4 - K Woody Woodstock BOS - 23
T4 - K Thomas Standberry EDM - 22