Long Island Raiders

The Long Island Raiders are a professional Hybrid Football team located in Hempstead, New York. They currently compete in the North American Association of Football as a member of the East Division. They play their home games at Long Island Stadium in Hempstead.

This version of the Raiders were founded in 1922 as the Hartford Maroons and a member of the New England Football Championship. The team was renamed the Hartford Hawks in 1946. They joined the NAAF as a founding member in 1949. The team eventually was solf to the league and then to the team's current owner Wayne Tillman in 1954. The team then relocated to Long Island, New York and became the Long Island Hawks for the 1954 season. The following season the team would be renamed the Long Island Raiders, which was the name that Tillman's original team was named. The Raiders'  name was inspired by the need for an aggressive mascot that was also related to water, hence the pirate theme. The Hawks entered the NAAF under Owner Jonathan Sampson, but, as of 1954, been controlled by Wayne Tillman who acts as the team's General Manager.

The Original Raiders had been one of the stronger, small clubs in the NYFL. As for the Hawks, when they were the Maroons they were able to win a pair of McCallister Cups in the late 30s, but when Sampson took over the team was one of the weakest in the NEFC and NAAF. Since Tillman has taken over the team, the Raiders have been very competitive with 2 more McCallister Cups, 5 McCallister Cup appearances, and 6 Division Titles. 

STADIUM

Long Island Stadium was opened in 1951 and seats 40,450. The Stadium feels very much like a classic English soccer stadium. It is a perfect rectangle, with a roof over all of the stands, which have 2 levels on both of the sidelines. and 1.5 levels on the ends. Maroon and Dark Green paint also bring colour to the stadium. 

The McCallister Cup has been hosted in Long Island Stadium twice. The first was in 1955, and the second was in 1963.

PRE-NAAF HISTORY

NAAF HISTORY

HISTORIC INFORMATION

Head Coaches
Jerry Moore - 1949-1950
Willie McLean - 1951-1953
Jimmy Sargent - 1954-1961
Kerry Holder - 1962-1969
Levi Bray - 1970-Pres.

Captains
DL Vernon Spears - 1957-1966
RB Dareion Fields - 1967-1969
LB William Washington II - 1970-Pres.

Hall of Famers
K Thomas McFadden - 1967
DL Sean Bowen - 1967
WR Peter Brooks - 1968
RB Johnnie Stafford - 1971
LB Rusty McVee - 1972
DL Vernon Spears - 1972

Seasons
1949: 2-6 - 6th NAAF - Missed Playoffs
1950: 1-7 - 7th NAAF - Missed Playoffs
1951: 3-7 - 3rd New England Division - Missed Playoffs
1952: 2-8 - 4th New England Division - Missed Playoffs
1953: 2-8 - 4th New England Division - Missed Playoffs
1954: 0-10 - 4th New England Division - Missed Playoffs
1955: 6-3-1 - 1st New England Division - Lost McCallister Cup
1956: 4-6 - 3rd New England Division - Missed Playoffs
1957: 6-5-1 - 2nd West Division - Lost West Division Final
1958: 7-5 - 1st West Division - Won McCallister Cup
1959: 10-2 - 1st West Division - Lost West Division Final
1960: 8-3-1 - 1st West Division - Lost West Division Final
1961: 4-8 - 4th West Division - Missed Playoffs
1962: 2-10 - 5th West Division - Missed Playoffs
1963: 5-7 - 4th West Division - Missed Playoffs
1964: 7-5 - 3rd East Division - Lost McCallister Cup
1965: 7-5 - 1st East Division - Won McCallister Cup
1966: 9-3 - 1st East Division - Lost East Division Final
1967: 8-3-1 - 1st East Division - Lost McCallister Cup
1968: 6-6 - 3rd East Division - Lost East Division Semi-Final
1969: 4-8 - 5th East Division - Missed Playoffs
1970: 9-3 - 1st East Division - Won McCallister Cup
1971: 6-8 - 5th East Division - Missed Playoffs
1972: 8-6 - 4th East Division - Missed Playoffs

Awards
Offensive Player of the Year
1959: RB Dareion Fields
1960: RB Johnnie Stafford
1964: RB Dareion Fields

Defensive Player of the Year
1965: LB William Washington II
1967: LB William Washington II

Special Teams Player of the Year
1949: K Thomas McFadden
1951: K Thomas McFadden
1952: K Thomas McFadden
1955: K Thomas McFadden
1956: K Thomas McFadden
1958: K Henderson Schumacher
1959: K Henderson Schumacher
1967: K Henderson Schumacher
1968: K Henderson Schumacher

Coach of the Year
1955: Jimmy Sargent

Rookie of the Year
1955: QB Lyle Painter
1958: RB Dareion Fields

Breakout Player of the Year
1960: RB Johnnie Stafford
1963: DB Lauri Hayha
1964: DB Rutherford Winters

Playoff MVP/MOP
1958: LB Rusty McVee
1964: RB Dareion Fields
1965: LB William Washington II
1967: DB Rutherford Winters
1970: DB Rutherford Winters

McCallister Cup MVP/MOP:
1958: LB Rusty McVee
1965: LB William Washington II
1970: DB Rutherford Winters

DESIGN

1949-1953

The Hawks' original design was fairly simple with a maroon jersey and socks with silver accents. Then a silver helmet and pants as well.

The team did not make any changes with the new uniform template in 1953.

1954

With their move to Long Island in 1954, added a new "LI" logo along with an adjusted wordmark moving on from the script style font to a simpler block font. The uniforms themselves remained unchanged.

1955-1957

The name change to the Raiders would lead to a complete rebrand for the team. A new logo featuring Long Island below text and crossed swords would be the new mark as well as a change of colours, going from maroon and silver to maroon and dark green. The uniforms saw a major change as well with the team now sporting a dark green primary jersey with maroon accents and a maroon helmet that had the crossed swords on the side.

1958-1968

The Raiders made a minor change along with the addition of TV numbers and nameplates. They swapped out their green socks for maroon ones.

1969

In 1969, the Raiders celebrated 50 years for the Long Island Raiders, by adding an anniversary patch to their jerseys. They also removed the dark green pants on the road and added an alternate jersey. The alternate jersey is a callback to the original Raiders from the NYFL, being simply just dark green and white.

1970-Pres.

With the partnership with Patterson Athletics, the Raiders would make their first significant redesign since 1955. A new logo and branding was introduced. The crossed swords remain, but at simplified to 2D. The anniversary uniforms from the previous season were a hit, so the team elected to mesh their old look with their new look. The new jerseys remain dark green and maroon, but add in the new striping from the anniversary jersey.