The 1972 Gains Report: Draft Preview

The defensive line is a growing position of need in the NAAF at the moment. Many teams are looking to make improvements, and to their luck, there are a couple of gems at the very top of this year’s prospect pool. DL Sam Reinkemeyer could be a generational talent at the position. He famously shut down the impressive RB Axel Vandal during the Hybrid Football Championship game which hadn’t been done by anyone else. He is a powerful and focused individual that any team will want to have on their D-line. DL Robin Lucas was also impressive this season, having a great physique and incredible talent. Some worry about his commitment to his team, often being a bit of a recluse and more focused on himself than anyone else. He also has shown to ease off the gas pedal in games, playing casually when his team is up by a lot which can lead to some mistakes. However, he is still a great talent. Further down the list, there are a couple of other players like Pacific Provincial’s Graham de Veres and Haynes’ Christopher Hearson who may need a little more work. 

Maine State’s success over the last 2 seasons has been heavily impacted by LB Lewis Vander. Vander’s ability to play in any position defensively has allowed him to be all over the field. He has a great understanding of the defence due to his ability to play in different positions. In his senior year, he started to settle in at Linebacker, but has solid coverage skills which isn’t as common among linebackers in the NAAF at the moment. RISU’s Morgan King, is a really solid #2 option, having fantastic fundamentals. LB Yuri Dragunov is another interesting prospect, being a great linebacker with speed to cover the field, however, a major injury in his senior year dropped his stock a little after some thought he might be a top 5 pick going into the year. LB Zach Sexton, out of Louisville State, is also another solid option, though with a more punishing playstyle. 

Teams looking to improve the secondary will look to the Martell twins out of WNY. Oswald is the smaller of the two, but is the more skilled player. He’s a pure ball hawk, that can be a QB’s nightmare. In contrast, Lawrence is more gritty and plays physically, being a slightly bigger guy with less speed. S Ian Outlaw will also turn a lot of heads, being a dangerous safety for UNE, able to shut down guys with great tackles, but also able to lock down deep threats in coverage. S Marcus Harris is also available as a well-rounded option, while S Chris Berger is a zone coverage option. 

Shifting to the offence, many teams are going to be interested in RB Axel Vandal, who had a fantastic senior season. Vandel’s skill set is very balanced. He’s got solid speed, but also a strong base to be able to break off tacklers. He also flashes some great athleticism as well with his elusiveness. He’s a workhorseback that any team will be interested in. Teams may be looking to make a move up for Vandal as the next best guy in Howie Bowman out of Alberta Provincial, who isn’t expected to make as big of an immediate impact but could be a solid depth option.

Teams who are focused on the O-line may be able to wait a little with a few solid options projected to go later in the 1st round or early 2nd. The top guy is Jacob Szczepanski out of Indy Tech, who with one look you can tell that the 6’7” guy is probably going to be pretty good. As long as you don’t have a super short QB under centre, he should be a great defender with great strength. UEdmonton’s Callum Thomas is the top run blocker in the class, while OL Glenn Capson has lots of potential as a agile pass blocker. After those three, Dominic Bissonnette and Simon Northcott remain as other top prospects.

Heading out to WR, where it is a bit of a weaker class, at least at the top. Eric Norris is certainly expected to have a solid career as he showed that he was a big playmaker at UNE. He has great hands as well as a great IQ that allows him to read defences like a QB and pick out spots in the defence to get open. A talent that can’t always be taught. WR Oliver Shephard is a smaller pass catcher, but his strength is there and if he can get his hands on the ball, he can run like a RB out of the backfield. Team’s looking for a taller option, could wait a bit for WR Stu Weidemann, who isn’t all that fast, but can certainly win in a physical one-on-one. 

Tight End is still a pretty weak position, but teams could look to either Douglas Northway or Serge Peterson if they are interested. Northway, out of Allegheny, will likely be favoured for his receiving ability as the position continues to shift towards using the TE more in the pass game. However, Peterson has some catching chops as well as a bit of stronger blocking game. 

Finally, the Quarterbacks. Last year, Todd Sparrow and Henry Johnsson were the dominant two and easily the best prospects for their value in the draft. This year, Ryan Alexander and Mitchell Nash take those spots. However, they aren’t quite as impressive as Sparrow and Johnsson were coming out of college. Starting with Alexander, the UNE product has got a really solid base skill-wise. He’s got solid accuracy, arm strength, and poise. However, he doesn’t jump off of the page. He makes good throws, and follows the script, but that’s about it. Some worry that he may not handle higher pressure at the next level against better defences. QB Mitchell Nash is more impressive skill-wise, having a great arm that can get the ball down the field. However, he is more mistake-prone, throwing a lot more interceptions. However, after QB Buck Murphy won a title with Louisville while throwing for the 3rd most interceptions may leave teams willing to take a risk on the young QB. Ultimately, Alexander is the safe pick and Nash is the one you take a risk on with a little more arm talent. It is a bit of a drop until you get to the next QBs. Cameron Salahub out of Pacific Provincial has great accuracy and poise, but a smaller, thinner body has led to injury troubles and many batted balls. QB Shawn Jolly out of London has certainly impressed with getting that team into the playoffs, however, he is ultimately even more of a game manager than Ryan Alexander is. QB Vladimir Orlov is a more physically imposing QB with solid accuracy, however, has a weaker arm and a tendancy to fumble, which certainly has turned teams away. Beyond that, you have Roger Stump, Pete Herman, and Dallas Bowler who are all wild cards, with Stump being the most interesting of the bunch with a solid arm. 

The last player to note is S Gunpei Koizumi. Koizumi is the first player to take the portal over to North America from Japan. After dominating in Yokohama, Koizumi was immediately on board with the option to take a shot at playing football in the NAAF. Koizumi has immense skill and probably could be ranked higher by pure skill alone, but some may be hesitant to take the player with language barriers and not knowing how the skill will translate to higher competition in North America compared to what he faced in Japan. 

Top 50 Prospects
1 - DL Sam Reinkemeyer - New England - Kingsfan11
2 - LB Lewis Vander - Maine State - Jayhawk
3 - RB Axel Vandal - St-Laurent - ZO82
4 - DL Robin Lucas - Toronto - QCS
5 - WR Eric Norris - New England - RaysUp
6 - QB Ryan Alexander - New England - Wallflower
7 - DB Oswald Martell - Western New York - ZO82
8 - LB Morgan King - Rhode Island State - Burmy87
9 - S Ian Outlaw - New England - DireBear
10 - OL Jacob Szczepanski - Indiana Tech* - Dan O’Mac
11 - QB Mitchell Nash - Haynes - MitchSwanson94
12 - LB Yuri Dragunov - Allegheny* - ZO82
13 - OL Callum Thomas - UEdmonton - Wallflower
14 - OL Glenn Capson - Maine State - idm
15 - S Marcus Harris - North Indiana* - vladee
16 - WR Oliver Shephard - Rhode Island State - Darknes
17 - LB Zach Sexton - Louisville State* - Darknes
18 - DB Lawrence Martell - Western New York - ZO82
19 - DL Graham de Veres - Pacific Provincial - Darknes
20 - OL Dominic Bissonnette - Majeure Montreal - ZO82
21 - RB Howie Bowman - Alberta Provincial - QCS
22 - OL Simon Northcott - Saskatchewan Provincial - Wallflower
23 - S Chris Berger - Upstate - RaysUp
24 - TE Douglas Northway - Allegheny* - ZO82
25 - WR Stu Weidemann - Cambridge of Boston - NoE38
26 - DB Dallas Daniels - UHamilton - MitchSwanson94
27 - TE Serge Peterson - Brooklyn Metro* - Stickman
28 - OL Bobby Finley - St. Paul* - DireBear
29 - DL Christopher Hearson - Haynes - ZO82
30 - DB Kevin Krane - North Indiana* - idm
31 - WR James Johnson - New England - Kingsfan11
32 - OL Martin Dashaw - Major Ohio* - Jayhawk
33 - RB Mark Waters - Maine State - idm
34 - WR Tyler Jackson - Rideau - Kingsfan11
35 - S Alex Spurrier - Toronto - Darknes
36 - LB Teddy Redmond - Rhode Island State - idm
37 - DL Alexis Daskalakis - Majeure Montreal - Kingsfan11
38 - WR Graham Spencer - Rockefeller* - MitchSwanson94
39 - RB Nelson Barker - St. George - ZO82
40 - OL Damien Brisebois - Mont Bellevue - Kingsfan11
41 - LB William Morrison - Toronto - Dan O’Mac
42- S Horace Treadaway - UHamilton - ZO82
43 - DB Jack Buswell - Saskatchewan Provincial - Wallflower
44 - WR Ray Brydges - UHamilton - Darknes
45 - LB Patrick Weidner - Rhode Island State - Wallflower
46 - OL Humphrey Hogarth - Rockefeller - TheEnigmaticOne
47 - OL Tom Pillsbury - Dominion - MitchSwanson94
48 - DL Bryan Starks - Central Ohio* - ZO82
49 - RB Buck Wilde - Major Wisconsin* - QCS
50 - RB Vincent Marsden II - Sudbury Provincial - Darknes
===================================================
58 - S Gunpei Koizumi - Yokohama** - QCS
64 - DB Hal Fredo - Upstate - Scratch
73 - RB Murdoch Washington - Nova Scotia - ThisIsFine
91 - WR Steve Greco - Indiana Tech* - TigersFan93
101 - DL Daniel Chung - Royal Gardens - JamHeronArk
QBs ===============================================
62 - QB Cameron Salahub - Pacific Provincial - Darknes
67 - QB Shawn Jolly - London - Kingsfan11
71 - QB Vladimir Orlov - Brooklyn Metro* - TheEnigmaticOne
75 - QB Roger Stump - Alberta Provincial - ThisIsFine
84 - QB Pete Herman - Allegheny* - idm
94 - QB Dallas Bowler - Rochester* - idm

Draft Order
1 - Toronto Steelheads - Picks (7): 1, 19, 35 (MTL), 37, 63 (BOS), 70 (MIN), 73
2 - Halifax Mariners - Picks (9): 2, 9 (BOS), 20, 36 (LOU), 38, 53 (MTL), 56, 78 (LDN), 85 (PRO)
3 - Regina Wheat Kings - Picks (5): 3, 21, 39, 57, 75
4 - Winnipeg Falcons - Picks (5): 4, 22, 40, 58, 76
5 - Calgary Predators - Picks (8): 5, 23, 41, 59, 65 (VAN), 72 (LOU), 77, 84 (OTT)
6 - London Tigers - Picks (6): 6, 24, 42, 60, 68 (PIT), 74 (HFX)
7 - Long Island Raiders - Picks (4): 7, 25, 43, 61
8 - Edmonton Rangers - Picks (5): 8, 26, 44, 62, 80
9 - Boston Independents - Picks (3): 27, 45, 81 - HFX Owns 1st Round Pick*
10 - Indiana Victors - Picks (6): 10, 28, 31 (PRO), 46, 48 (OTT), 64
11 - Vancouver Wolves - Picks (4): 11, 29, 47, 83
12 - Ottawa Royals - Picks (4): 12, 30, 66, 82 (IND)
13 - Providence Gold Stars - Picks (3): 13, 49, 67
14 - Pittsburgh Blacksmiths - Picks (4): 14, 32, 50, 86
15 - Buffalo Blue Wings - Picks (5): 15, 33, 51, 69, 87
16 - Minnesota Serpents - Picks (5): 16, 34, 52, 79 (LI), 88
17 - Montreal Rouge - Picks (4): 17, 55 (TOR), 71, 89
18 - Louisville Thunder - Picks (3): 18, 54, 90

1972 College Hybrid Football Results

Canada East Hybrid Conference
WEST DIVISION
(3) Toronto Dukes
(10) London Foresters
Hamilton Howlers
St. George Maples
Sudbury Provincial Miners
Dominion Knights
Kitchener-Waterloo Provincial Beavers

EAST DIVISION
(5) St-Laurent Cavaliers de Riviere
(8) Majeure Montreal Insulaires
Rideau Rams
Nova Scotia Armada
Montreal Provincial Panthers
UPNB Pirates
Mont-Bellevue Geais Bleus

CEHC Playoffs
(3) TOR 23-21 (10) LDN
(5) ST-L 29-10 (8) MMTL

CEHC Championship
(3) TOR 14-24 (5) ST-L

The CEHC’s 1971 season was run by the Toronto Dukes and St-Laurent Cavaliers de Riviere. Toronto would control the West Division led by a solid defence. UHamilton and St. George would have down years leaving way for a surprising University of London team to roll in and nab their first playoff spot, led by QB Shawn Jolly. St-Laurent would return to the top of the East Division, led by RB Axel Vandal. Majeure Montreal kept pace with their solid team. Rideau and Nova Scotia would battle to try and catch Majeure Montreal, but both fell short, however, a 3rd place finish was a strong performance for Rideau. Montreal Provincial was the most disappointing team having a bit of a dip in talent this year. 

In the playoffs, London would fall just short of a great comeback against Toronto, while Vandal would run all over Majeure Montreal’s defence to give St-Laurent the win. In the championship game, it was more of the same from Vandel who would lead the Cavaliers de Riviere to their first Hybrid Championship since 1965.

America East Hybrid Conference
(1) New England Cardinals
(2) Haynes Colonials
(4) Western New York Whitetails
(6) Maine State Acadians
(7) Rhode Island State Bulldogs
(9) Upstate Bluebirds
Cambridge of Boston Cubs
West Mass State Rangers
Concord-Manchester Fighting Pike
Vermont Republic Mountaineers
Erie Sailors
WNY-Rochester Eagles

AEHC Playoffs
(1) UNE 24-20 (6) MSU
(2) HAY 18-13 (4) WNY

AEHC Championship
(1) UNE 31-28 (2) HAY

Down in the AEHC, New England led the way. QB Ryan Alexander and WR Eric Norris would dominate offensively to finish the season ranked #1. The Haynes Colonials would manage to stay with UNE, led by their own QB Mitchell Nash, finishing ranked #2. Western New York would grab 3rd lead by their twins in the secondary DBs Oswald and Lawrence Martell. The final playoff spot would come down to the final week of the season with Maine State shocking Rhode Island State on a last-second field goal to capture the playoff ticket. RISU had one too many close losses this season, missing the playoffs for the 2nd year in a row, despite being ranked 7th. Upstate, in their final season in the conference, would finish 6th, with Cambridge of Boston not far behind. 

In the playoffs, UNE would take care of MSU in a much closer game than some expected. While Haynes would win a defensive game against WNY. In the championship, Ryan Alexander and Mitchell Nash would clash in a great game, but it was Alexander who got the final say in the game, securing a ticket to the Hybrid Championship

Hybrid Football Championship
(1) UNE 33-24 (5) ST-L

A rematch of the 1965 championship would see the Cardinals capture their first title since that very season, defeating St-Laurent again. DL Sam Reinkemeyer was the one able to stop Axel Vandal in this one, while Alexander and Norris did their thing. 

Champions: New England Cardinals (2nd)

Previous Hybrid Football Championships
1965: (1) New England Cardinals - 35-24 - (6) St-Laurent Cavaliers de Riviere
1966: (2) Hamilton Howlers - 27-17 - (1) New England Cardinals
1967: (1) Hamilton Howlers - 30-20 - (2) Western New York Whitetails
1968: (2) Rhode Island State - 24-17 - (3) Toronto Dukes
1969: (1) Toronto Dukes - 24-13 - (2) Western New York Whitetails
1970: (1) Toronto Dukes - 33-28 - (2) Western New York Whitetails
1971: (1) New England Cardinals - 33-24 - (5) St-Laurent Cavaliers de Riviere

1972 Free Agency Part 1

ELLISON SIGNS BIGGEST DEAL OF FREE AGENCY TO JOIN RAIDERS
The first big splash of 1972’s free agency period was the Raiders landing a new top-tier defensive lineman. Johnathan Ellison elected to move on from the Steelheads after 6 seasons in Toronto, which included an All-Star nod in 1967 and was easily the top free agent at the position. Long Island and Ottawa would be the top two teams that were in on Ellison, however, the Raiders were more determined to land the 28-year-old and would get him to sign a 3-year pact that pays him $34,500 a season. Ellison will fill the hole left by DL Pionk Bjorkkstrand, who retired due to injuries sustained in 1971.

The Royals, who came close to landing Ellison, would have to fall back to plan B and would land DL Ryan Sargent out of Minnesota. Sargent joins the Royals on a 1-year deal worth $22,500. Overall Sargent is a pretty lateral move by the Royals who moved on from DL Zane Tannith, who had been with the team for 9 seasons. In the end, Tannith would sign on with the Blue Wings on an identical 1-year, $22,500 contract. 

The other notable D-linemen signed would see DL Brandon Hall remain with the Gold Stars after being traded there at the deadline and DL Quinton Hextal would return to Winnipeg after one season in Edmonton.

LLOYD LANE BECOMES #1 WIDE RECEIVER FOR THE TIGERS
The long-time Thunder WR is taking his talents North of the border to play with the London Tigers. Lane, who has been a key contributor for the Thunder over his first 7 seasons, wanted a new opportunity where he could shine as the #1 option in the passing game, being overshadowed by WR Casey Coleman and eventually rookie, WR Ben Graham, when he was hurt last season. Lane inks a 3-year deal with the Tigers that will pay him like a top target, earning $32,000 a season. The Tigers are stoked to have Lane, as they have been searching for a true #1 receiver for several seasons now. They had spent a couple of 1st round picks on Cole Fletcher and Leon Hudson in their search. While Fletcher showed flashes of #1 talent last season, hence his own 3-year contract extension, neither has really been consistently a top target. Lane should easily provide a big boost for a young team with a veteran presence and a new target for 1971 2nd overall pick, QB Henry Johnsson. 

Louisville was quick to find a replacement for Lane, as they snatched up Blacksmiths’ WR Orlando Barrack on a 1-year deal. While he won’t have the same impact as Lane, he’s still a great veteran option to help take some pressure off of WR Ben Graham. With Barrack heading to the division rival, the Blacksmiths would look for a replacement and would get the Hong Kong product out of Montreal, Yahui Sun. Sun is looking for a fresh start with the Blacksmiths and could add a new dynamic to the Blacksmiths’ offence. Elsewhere, longtime Royals’ WR Colby Bancana would head to Minnesota to join up with a couple of old Royals’ teammates in QB Martin Keller and WR Ferdinand Matthews. This did leave Serpents’ Alternate Captain, WR Evan Clanton, without a spot, but he found a new/old home, heading back to Boston where he spent the first 6 years of his career.  

NEVILLE FALKNER RETURNS TO PROVIDENCE
After a 4-8 campaign in 1968 to make a 4th playoff miss in 5 seasons, DB Neville Falkner decided to leave the Providence Gold Stars in search of a championship. He would land with the Victors, who had made the McCallister Cup in 1968, and spend the next 3 seasons with the club in search of a title. Unfortunately, Falkner was unsuccessful in the venture. Now, with Indiana looking like they are heading in the wrong direction, Falkner set out again to find a new contending team. There were many teams interested in the 3-time Defensive Player of the Year. The Thunder, Raiders, and Wolves all made strong pitches that Falkner considered. However, the most aggressive team was the Boston Independents who were determined to add another superstar to their ranks in their desperation to win another cup before QB Nathaniel Braddock is gone. As hard as Boston tried, they were in an uphill battle with Falkner still having ties to Providence. Once the Gold Stars caught wind of Boston’s interest, they also inquired about bringing Falkner back. Despite leaving 3 years ago, Neville was always going to be a Gold Star first, and he quickly came to a deal with his old team, signing for more than Boston would’ve been able to offer under the cap at $30,000 over the next season, which is still a pay cut from his previous contract.

After missing out on Falkner, Boston turned to plan B, which was “what is old, is new again” aiming to bring back both DB Mordecai King and DB Lawrence Ralph. King would sign a new deal to stay in Boston, while Ralph, who was still not over Boston cutting him last offseason, so he signed in Vancouver instead. Any other options also found other locations. Former Wolves DB Vern Nowitski, headed to his home province to join the Winnipeg Falcons, while former 1st round pick, DB Chandler Gage would look for a fresh start and head out to Minnesota on a 2-year deal. The 25-year-old is likely to see the field more in Minnesota than during his time in Pittsburgh.

QB MARKET RUN DOWN: SEVERAL TEAMS ADD VETERAN PRESENCE, WINNIPEG DOUBLE DIPS
The QB market is always one that is interesting to watch during the offseason. However, some years are more exciting than others. This year was one of the down years. Heading into the offseason most teams either were committed to long-term QBs or ready to move onto other younger players. Both Halifax and London would likely be looking towards last year’s top 2 picks, Todd Sparrow and Henry Johnsson to be the guys this season, Calgary was willing to give Emmitt Jackson another shot, as well as both Jesse Essex and Mitch Boland taking the other two spots, and Edmonton looked like they were headed towards Ken Myers to take over for the recently retired Blair Collins. Finally, last offseason, many would have pegged the Rouge as a team that might be in the market this year, but they squashed any real likelihood of that with the 2-year extension to QB Gene Bishop following a run to the McCallister Cup. With all of those teams’ minds practically made up, only Toronto and Winnipeg seemed like teams that were in the market for new QBs. 

Toronto would be the first to grab a new QB, signing QB Landon Ross to a 2-year deal. Ross has 29 starts under his belt including some solid play for both the Raiders and Gold Stars under OC Kerry Holder who moved to Toronto this offseason. Clearly, Ross and Holder have a good relationship and want to keep working together. Toronto also still has QB David Simmons under contract and after some solid play in the last few games last season, he may get another shot. 

Out in Winnipeg, there was more uncertainty about who may start for the team next season. Despite how much the team and coaches like QB Emerson Thompson, there is an understanding that he may not be the long-term solution for the team with his inconsistent play over the last two seasons. So the Falcons were out to bring in some new options. They first wanted to add a veteran with starting experience. They would ultimately land Ulysses Lawyer for the role on a 2-year deal. Lawyer has 17 starts under his belt, although with a 5-12 record, but had a decent performance in relief for QB Drake Young in Ottawa last season, going 2-1. Certainly, a veteran that can at least bring some stability. Now, they were not done there, as they also decided to take a gamble on QB Xerxes Wynn. Wynn showed flashes of potential last season throughout about a game's worth of snaps with the Thunder, where he threw a pair of touchdowns and no interceptions. The 27-year-old didn’t have a lot of options when it came to teams interested in giving him a shot at being a starter, so he’s ready to head to Winnipeg and take the opportunity to prove himself. Both guys would get a 1-year deal as Winnipeg wants all 3 QBs to show what they got this year to earn a contract next year.

TORONTO MAKES BIG SPLASH TO REBUILD OFFENSIVE LINE
Over the last few years, the Toronto Steelheads have had a major problem on the O-line, with one of the worst groups in the league in almost every season in recent years. GM Reginald McMahon was determined to right the ship and would go out and spend big money to improve the line. He would pick up two of the top O-linemen free agents in Minnesota teammates, OL Amos Sewell and OL Paul O’Doherty. The two signed matching 2-year, $27,000 contracts. They have been teammates both in Ottawa and in Minnesota and wanted to take the opportunity to stick together. Toronto wasn’t done there, also adding veteran OL Taylor Forbes. 

The rest of the O-line market would shake out with OL Millard Streety heading back home to Providence where he went to school at Rhode Island State. Indiana also made a bit of a splash by bringing in both of the Harrison brothers, Clancy (OL) and Yancy (RB). The two wanted to stay together after leaving Buffalo, looking for a good opportunity for both of them. Yancy could be a starting option for the Victors who are looking for a new starting RB, after Yancy played most of the season as the starting back with Jasper Dickerson injured in Buffalo. 

SEVERAL SAFETIES PLAY MUSICAL CHAIRS
A few safeties would pull the old switcheroo. Garet deVale, Peter Sellers, and Calvin Hobbes would simply swap the teams they were on between each other. deVale would move from Long Island to Pittsburgh, Sellers would go from Pittsburgh to Minnesota, and Hobbes would go from Minnesota to Long Island. The most interesting of the group is probably deVale heading to Pittsburgh as the former MVP looks to finally capture a championship before his career runs out.

Top 25 Free Agents
1 - WR Lloyd Lane - LOU -> LDN - 3Y, $32,000 - NTC
2 - DB Neville Falkner - IND -> PRO - 1Y, $30,000 - NTC
3 - DL Johnathan Ellison - TOR -> LI - 3Y, $34,500 - NTC
4 - WR Orlando Barrack - PIT -> LOU - 1Y, $26,500 - NTC
5 - DB Chandler Gage - PIT -> MIN - 2Y, $22,500
6 - OL Amos Sewell - MIN -> TOR - 2Y, $27,000
7 - QB Landon Ross - PRO -> TOR - 2Y, $19,500
8 - LB Willie Stetson - MTL -> BUF - 2Y, $18,500
9 - WR Yahui Sun - MTL -> PIT - 2Y, $22,500
10 - TE Eric Peterson - IND -> LI - 2Y, $20,000
11 - OL Paul O’Doherty - MIN -> TOR - 2Y, $27,000
12 - OL Millard Streety - HFX -> PRO - 2Y, $24,000
13 - QB Ulysses Lawyer - OTT -> WPG - 1Y, $20,000
14 - OL Clancy Harrison - BUF -> IND - 2Y, $24,000 
15 - QB Lyle Painter - HFX -> HFX - 1Y, $22,000 - NTC
16 - WR Colby Bancana - OTT -> MIN - 1Y, $20,000
17 - DB Mordecai King - BOS -> BOS - 1Y, $23,500
18 - DB Vern Nowitski - VAN -> WPG - 2Y, $20,000
19 - S Garet deVale - LI -> PIT - 1Y, $18,000 - NTC
20 - S Peter Sellers - PIT -> MIN - 1Y, $19,000
21 - S Calvin Hobbes - MIN -> LI - 1Y, $20,000
22 - QB Xerxes Wynn - LOU -> WPG - 1Y, $18,000
23 - QB Mike Key - VAN -> MIN - 1Y, $16,500
24 - DL Ryan Sargent - MIN -> OTT - 1Y, $22,500
25 - DB Lawrence Ralph - WPG -> VAN - 1Y, $23,000 - NTC

1972 Design Changes

Entering the 3rd year of the NAAF’s partnership with Patterson Athletics, it isn’t a surprise that we aren’t seeing any changes to the uniforms. However, there is a minor addition a team is making this season. The Long Island Raiders’ are adding an Anniversary patch to their home and road uniforms this season. The Patch is to honour the 50th Anniversary of the founding of the Hartford Football Club. The Hartford Football Club was founded in 1922. They competed in the New England Football Championship for many years, eventually being named the Hartford Maroons shortly after their founding. They kept the name until 1942 when the team and the NEFC had to be suspended due to WWII. After the war, the team was taken over by Johnathan Sampson, who renamed the team the Hartford Hawks. They would join the NAAF in 1949. Unfortunately, Sampson would eventually pull out leading to the team being purchased by Wayne Tillman, who moved the team to Long Island where they currently reside as the Long Island Raiders. Tillman is grateful for the opportunity that the Hartford franchise and the NAAF have given him to keep his dream and team alive. He has continued to honour the history of the Hartford franchise, with their founding year in the team’s primary logo, and is once again doing so with this patch. 

As for the design of the patch, it is pretty simple but combines a couple of the eras from the team’s history. The patch features the “Hartford” script that was from the Hawks’ logo from their time in the NAAF. The logo is coloured in the team’s original maroon and cream colours from the team’s original look back in 1922. 

1972 ACFL League Meetings

ACFL PURCHASES SFL
Following the completion of the 1971 season, the ACFL took a big hit with the Pittsburgh Hammers losing control of Riverfront Stadium of Pittsburgh, meaning they must pay the Blacksmiths of the NAAF to play in the city. The increasing severity of the issues now surrounding the Hammers would have to be put on the back burner for now as the ACFL was in deep talks about the acquisition of the Southern Football League.

First, a little background on the Southern Football League (SFL). The SFL is one of the weakest and smallest leagues in North America. The league only has 6 teams, the Atlanta Redtails, the Birmingham Ironclads, the Jacksonville Admirals, the Miami Rays, the New Orleans Crescents, and the Tampa Tropics. They have seen a decline in talent in recent years with adjacent leagues (the ACFL and Texas Football Championship) poaching some of the top talent. The owners of the SFL are not very concerned with the status of the league. In the simple point of view, the fans seem to enjoy the product, regardless of the decline in skill, they still sell decent tickets, and the teams just add to the bottom line of several owners who own much more successful franchises in other sports. 

When the ACFL approached the SFL, there wasn’t much to discuss on the overall plan as it was clear that the ACFL intended to get the SFL teams into their league. All they really had to do was put some money down and the SFL owners were all over it. It was an overall win for the SFL owners who would get a little payday and then likely see an increase in profits with more eyes on their product with the ACFL on their side and hopefully an injection of talent back into the teams. It’s a marvel that the deal didn’t happen sooner, though that may have been because of the passing of late Atlanta Owner, Greg Blackwood, who was pretty attached to the league as the commissioner up until his passing a few years ago. With that, the ACFL officially has obtained the SFL teams and is expanding to 14 teams for the 1972 season. The 6 SFL teams will form a South Division while the other 8 teams will remain in their respective division alignment as before:

NORTH
Brooklyn Guardians
New Jersey Chargers
New York City Bulls Football Club
Philadelphia Rebels

MID-ATLANTIC
Richmond Lions
Baltimore Lancers
Washington Stars
Pittsburgh Hammers

SOUTH
Atlanta Redtails
Birmingham Ironclads
Jacksonville Admirals
Miami Rays
New Orleans Crescents
Tampa Tropics

Since Commissioner Don Soriano took over the ACFL from Stephen Van Fossen, the changes to the league have pretty much been to undo the mistakes of Van Fossen, primarily by retracting teams from the unsuccessful expansion into Boston and Rochester. Now that the ACFL has stabilized a little under Soriano, it is time for the new commissioner to execute his plan for the future. The first big move to get the SFL and bring the league up to 14 teams could very well be the comeback move the league needed to remain near the top of the pecking order when it comes to talent and TV deals. 

However, Soriano is not stopping there. Unlike Van Fossen, he is willing to concede that Ryan Jameson and the NAAF have done a great job in growing their league to be the biggest football organization in North America. He sees how competitive the NAAF is and hopes to get the ACFL moving in the same direction. The first step comes in the season’s format. Not only will the league expand its schedule to match the NAAF’s 14-game season, but also expand the playoffs to 8 teams, copying the NAAF’s current format. Soriano hopes the additional game and playoff spots will foster more competition. 

The next step for the ACFL may be to improve how talent moves around in the league to allow smaller/weaker teams to start to catch up to the juggernauts at the top of the league, something that has been difficult with the spending ability of NYC, Brooklyn and Philadelphia who have been the dominant trio with Baltimore and Washington usually being the contenders out of the other division. 

Overall, this next step will likely be tough to convince, some of the owners, mainly Van Fossen, to go along with a more significant core operational change, as well as figure out a plan for the now rent-paying Hammers. Regardless, a lot more eyes are on the ACFL as they begin taking steps back towards the top despite some setbacks.