1961 Award Winners

1961 Award Winners 

Most Valuable Player - QB Riley Kiernan LDN
Kiernan takes home the MVP award for the second time in his career. The Tigers’ QB was at the top of the league in terms of most QB stats this season and led the Tigers to their franchise-best 11-1 finish. Kiernan continues to prove that he is one of the best QBs the league has seen and joins QB Jean Matieau and RB Élisée Marchal as the only players to win multiple MVP awards. 

Playoff MVP - QB Nathaniel Braddock BOS
Nathaniel Braddock fired back at his critics with a stellar playoff run where he earned the player of the week in all 3 rounds of the playoffs. Braddock’s run certainly was one to remember for the start of his legacy and for putting the NAAF on the map with his decision to move to the league.  

Offensive Player of the Year - WR Max Sutton LDN
Last year’s MVP took home this year’s OPOY. Sutton led the league through the air with 13 receiving touchdowns and continues to make his case for the top WR in the NAAF.  

Defensive Player of the Year - LB Brent Harper BOS

Brent Harper was unable to get the league MVP, but he still was awarded his 3rd DPOY award narrowly winning out in a close vote with DB Neville Falkner. This ties him with DB Lee Wolfe for the most by a single player.  

Special Teams Player of the Year - K Nimrod Handsworth LDN
Handsworth took home his second straight STPOY and second award in only his 3rd season. Handsworth has had a few mistakes but seems to come through when it counts which has helped the Tigers continue to be the league’s top team. 

Rookie of the Year - DB Neville Falkner PRO
Falkner had a historic rookie season which saw him lead the league in interceptions with 7 this season and being a big reason the Gold Stars were in the playoffs by the end of the season. Falkner already looks to be one of the best players coming straight out of the draft and is only going to improve.  

Coach of the Year - Roy Aguirre LDN
Aguirre takes home his second COTY award in 3 years after leading the Tigers’ to their franchise-best 11-1 record. The team has continued to field the league’s highest-scoring offence, which is thanks to Aguirre who specializes in offence.  

Breakout Player of the Year - QB Charles Lemieux BUF
Lemieux sat back and watched his rookie season from the bench, but once he got the change this season, he took off. Lemieux would lead the Blue Wings in a comeback win over the Tigers and then turning them into a 5-7 team following a 1-5 start. Lemieux is oozing with potential and could make a case for being another great QB.  

1961 All-Stars 

WEST ALL-STARS
QB Riley Kiernan LDN (5)
RB Dareion Fields LI (3)
OL Georgio Stephan BUF (1)
OL Ulysses Fairgrove LDN (4)
OL Magnus Gunnersson LDN (3)
OL Elliot Winterbottom LI (3)
OL Bernhard Altermann LOU (1)
WR Max Sutton LDN (3)
WR Piers Key LOU (1)
WR Daniel Irons BUF (1)
TE Johann Traeger BUF (3)

DL Olympus Heights LDN (4)
DL Vernon Spears LI (5)
DL William Sanderson IND (5)
DL Lonnie Vincent BUF (2)
LB Aengus Lynch LDN (8)
LB Elijah Goldwater LI (3)
LB Silas O’Brien LOU (3)
DB Jackson Miles LDN (3)
DB Alexander Bradley LOU (7)
DB Kelly Kirkland IND (2)
S Johnny Berger LOU (2)

K Nimrod Handsworth LDN (2)

EAST ALL-STARS
QB Gene Bishop MTL (1)
RB Marcus Devonshire PRO (2)
OL Graham Chambers BOS (3)
OL Sal Valcano BOS (3)
OL Maxence Castex MTL (4)
OL Varo Giovanni PRO (1)
OL Cliff Strautzenberger WOR/MTL (7)
WR Cedric Peterson PRO (1)
WR Mackenzie Jones OTT (4)
WR Derek Cross MTL (2)
TE Jervonte Howell OTT (7)
DL Calias McDonough PRO (6)
DL Robin Hill BOS (2)
DL Olaf Viktorsson OTT (8)
DL Craig White PRO (1)
LB Scotty Williams WOR (10)
LB Brent Harper BOS (6)
LB Rusty McVee PRO (6)
DB Neville Falkner PRO (1)
DB Quentin Xavier MTL (6)
DB Uzzia Hayes OTT (3)
S Garet deVale MTL (1)

K Johnnie Berg BOS (3)

1961 League Leaders 

Passing Touchdowns
1 - QB Riley Kiernan LDN - 24
2 - QB Leonidas Dumont LOU - 20
3 - QB Jean Matieau OTT - 18
4 - QB Gene Bishop MTL - 15
5 - QB Connor O’Rourke PRO - 14 

Rushing Touchdowns
1 - RB Marcus Devonshire PRO - 16
2 - RB Scott Mallard-White MTL - 15
2 - RB Dareion Fields - 15
4 - RB Jimmy Golden BUF - 12
5 - RB Rodney Clark LOU - 10 

Receiving Touchdowns
1 - WR Max Sutton LDN - 13
2 - WR Cedric Peterson PRO - 11
3 - WR Piers Key LOU - 9
4 - WR Mackenzie Jones OTT - 9
4 - WR Derek Cross MTL - 8 

Interceptions
1 - DB Neville Falkner PRO - 7
2 - DB Jackson Miles LDN - 5
2 - S Johnny Berger LOU - 5
2 - S Frazier Brooks BUF - 5
2 - DB Quentin Xavier MTL - 5
2 - S Garet deVale MTL - 5 

Forced Fumbles
1 - LB Brent Harper BOS - 7
1 - DL Olaf Viktorsson OTT - 7
3 - LB Aengus Lynch LDN - 5
3 - LB Rusty McVee PRO -5
3 - DL William Sanderson IND - 5
3 - LB Scotty Williams WOR - 5 

44th McCallister Cup Host - Thunder Stadium - Louisville, KY - Capacity: 46,250
The championship game is returning south of the border for the first time since 1958 in Indianapolis. Louisville was a little more hesitant in recent years about bringing the game to the city, but with some reassurance from the league and owner Vince Forsyth, they are ready to go this year.  

1961 NAAF Award Nominations

1961 NAAF Award Nominations 

MVP

LB Brent Harper BOS
Brent Harper was certainly the quietest of the MVP candidates, but he made a big impact in Boston. He tied the league lead for forced fumbles with 7 and was 3rd in the league with tackles. However, he earns this spot behind his leadership as the captain of the Independents and keeping their defence strong throughout the season.  

QB Riley Kiernan LDN
Kiernan was, far and away, the best at the QB position this season leading the league with 24 passing touchdowns, which ties his career-best. However, the biggest reason he is here is leading the Tigers to their franchise-best 11-1 season. The Tigers' only loss was by one point and Kiernan was able to keep the team rolling without their top RB Clifford Russell at the end of the season. It was a special year for the Tigers’ QB. 

QB Leonidas Dumont LOU
Dumont certainly made the most of the final year of his contract. Putting up a career-high 20 passing touchdowns, he was able to lead the Thunder to their best season at 9-3 staying in the fight with the league-best Tigers. Dumont finally showed that he has what it takes to lead the way for the Thunder into the future. 

Offensive Player of the Year
QB Riley Kiernan LDN - 24 Passing Touchdowns (1st), 1st in Passing Yards
Kiernan was the clear leader among QBs this season in almost every category
WR Max Sutton LDN - 13 Receiving Touchdown (1st), 1st in Receiving Yards
Sutton continues to show his potential as a #1 receiver dominating the field this season. 
QB Leonidas Dumont LOU - 20 Passing Touchdowns (2nd), 3rd in Passing Yards
Dumont had his best season with his first 20 touchdown season.
RB Marcus Devonshire PRO - 16 Rushing Touchdowns (1st), 2nd in Rushing Yards
Devonshire picked up a lot of the offensive weight when O’Rourke went down, which leads to a strong season for the RB.  

Defensive Player of the Year
LB Brent Harper BOS - 7 Forced Fumbles (T-1st), 3rd in Tackles
Harper has been ever so consistent and finds a way to get in the right position on every play
DB Jackson Miles LDN - 5 Interceptions (T-2nd), 1 Defensive Touchdown, 1st in Passes Defended
Miles was one of the toughest DBs to throw against this season as he was able to get his hands on a lot of passes.
DB Neville Falkner PRO - 7 Interceptions (1st), 2 Defensive Touchdowns, 2nd in Passes Defended
The 1st overall pick made an immediate impact leading the league in interceptions in his rookie season.
LB Scotty Williams WOR - 5 Forced Fumbles (T-3rd), 2 Interceptions, 2nd in Tackles
Williams didn’t have his same production, but in the team that was the Worcester Athletics, he was about the only spark of hope on that team.  

Special Teams Player of the Year
K Johnnie Berg BOS - 27 Field Goals (1st), 20 Extra Points, 1 Single, 102 Points
Berg was strong for Boston this season putting up a league-leading 27 field goals for the team. 
K Nimrod Handsworth LDN - 22 Field Goals (4th), 35 Extra Points, 2 Singles 103 Points
Handsworth remained valuable for the Tigers this season knocking down 35 extra points which was the most in the league this season.
K Arthur Kettinger MTL - 23 Field Goals (3rd), 27 Extra Points, 2 Singles, 98 Points
Kettinger had a strong year for the Rouge putting up almost 100 points for them. 

Rookie of the Year
DL Bjorn Sigmarsson LOU - 3 Forced Fumbles (1st in rookies), 1st in rookie tackles
Sigmarsson made a strong impact in his first season creating turnovers for the Thunder
OL Taylor Forbes LOU - made way for a strong run game in Louisville.
Forbes proved his value all season with strong protection for QB Leonidas Dumont and creating holes for both of the team’s RBs
DB Neville Falkner PRO - 7 Interceptions (1st in the league), 2 Defensive Touchdowns, 2nd in the league in Passes Defended
Falkner was miles ahead of any of the rookie categories for his position and was at the top of the league in some, a record-setting start for a rookie. 

Coach of the Year
HC Roy Aguirre LDN - Record: 11-1
Aguirre continued his success in London with the team’s best regular-season finish and their first division title.
HC Emil Riddle LOU - Record: 9-3
The two-time winner of this award had his best season with the Thunder leading the team to a franchise-best 9-3.
HC Dean Reed MTL - Record: 9-3
Last year’s winner was able to come from behind and win the East Division at the end of the season and got his best finish of his career.  

Breakout Player of the Year
QB Charles Lemieux BUF - 11 Passing Touchdowns (T-6th), 8th in Passing Yards
Lemieux took over at the halfway point and made a big impact getting the Blue Wings into the playoffs after a 1-5 start. 
WR Piers Key LOU - 9 Receiving Touchdowns (T-3rd), 4th Receiving Yards
Key had bits of potential, but this season he became a true threat in the endzone and was a big part of the Thunder’s success.
S Garet deVale MTL - 5 Interceptions (T-2nd)
deVale went from only 3 interceptions in his first 2 seasons to 5 this season, which put him on the map in the improving Montreal secondary. 

44th McCallister Cup Host
Victory Stadium - Indianapolis, IN - Capacity: 48,500 - Last Host: 1958
While the last host for the Victory Stadium in Indianapolis, the coliseum-like stadium makes a great location for a championship game. With the on-field performance being a struggle, the city is hoping another championship game could lead to growing the league and team in the city even more.

Thunder Stadium - Louisville, KY - Capacity: 46,250 - Last Host: None
Louisville is finally putting its name in the hat for hosting duties in the NAAF. Their new stadium has now been broken in and the city would love to have the game come to town. 

New Providence Stadium - Providence, RI - Capacity: 65,450 - Last Host: 1953
Providence is hoping to bring the game back to the states (after 3 years in Canada) and into their massive stadium in downtown Providence. The league’s biggest stadium could be the best stage and most helpful financially overall.

43rd McCallister Cup

43rd McCallister Cup

London Tigers VS. Boston Independents - Royals Stadium at Brewer Park - October 1, 1961 - 6 PM ET - Weather: 16ºC | 62ºF

1st Q
The 43rd McCallister Cup got off to a slow start, however, the intensity was high. London’s offence was faced with a feisty Boston defence that was able to stop them on their first 2 drives of the game. Boston’s offence ran into a similar issue with the Tigers’ defence but was still able to open the scoring on their opening drive with a K Johnnie Berg field goal. On the Tigers’ third drive, they were able to get through the Boston defence. QB Riley Kiernan would lead the offence to their first touchdown of the day finding WR Max Sutton for a score to take the lead 7-3.
LDN 7-3 BOS

2nd Q
The second quarter was much the same with both defences bringing the pressure. This resulted in a couple of turnovers. RB Eric Sydney would cough up a fumble to LB Brent Harper giving Boston the football, but the Tigers would get it back with DB Jackson Miles taking it away from QB Nathaniel Braddock. Neither team got any points off of those turnovers, but they still came away with a field goal each to make it 10-6. As the half approached the Tigers were making their way down the field but Boston’s defence managed to force them to a 3rd and 12. The Tigers would go for the field goal, but K Nimrod Handsworth would be just off the mark. The ball sailed past the uprights and bounced out of the endzone for a single.
LDN 11-6 BOS 

3rd Q
With the heavily defensive game in the first half, both teams made adjustments and the second half would bring the offence. Boston would get the first score of the second half, with RB Kendall Morgan getting loose for a 12-yard run to the house. The Independents would miss the 2-point attempt leaving the game at 11-12. The Tigers would retaliate and would find the endzone themselves not too long after. Kiernan would toss his second touchdown of the game finding WR Benedict Spencer for the major. The game would be 18-12 heading into the final quarter.
LDN 18-12 BOS 

4th Q
The game had certainly gained a heavy offensive kick, but that didn’t mean the defence wouldn’t still make an impact. London was looking for a quick play on first down. Kiernan would drop back for a pass and would see WR Jack Duncan break to the middle on a deep slant. He would fire the ball that way, however, LB Konrad Aust would jump the route and pick it off. Boston would take over and QB Nathaniel Braddock would only take a few plays to find WR Ellis Lindholm for a touchdown to give them the lead 18-19. At this point, the game’s intensity picked up with both teams’ offences and defences trading blows. The clock was beginning to become for the Tigers who needed to get on the board. QB Riley Kiernan was hoping to get the team into range to get a field goal. He would rely on WR Max Sutton to get the job done. Kiernan would fire a shot to the left side of the field to find Sutton just past DB Carson Scott. Sutton would make the catch and would keep going. Using his speed, Sutton was able to get past S Drew Porter and then take it the rest of the way for a touchdown to give the Tigers a 24-19 lead following a missed 2-point convert. While the big play gave the Tigers a lead, it certainly left a decent amount of time for the Independents to make a push themselves. Braddock would take the field and would have to get the Independents down the field. He would connect on a few plays, but the Tigers made it tough. Luck would fall on his side late, needing to make a play on 3rd down and facing tons of pressure, Braddock would toss a ball over the middle. There certainly were players there for both teams, but TE Tanner Tint would manage to get his hands on the ball and pull it in. Boston was only 17-yards from the endzone. On the next play, Braddock would look to just get closer. He dropped back and had pressure coming, WR Ellis Lindholm took off to the endzone, but the Tigers’ locked him down. Braddock would shift to see WR Clyde McIntosh break to the sideline. He would hit the former Worcester WR with the pass. McIntosh would grab it and spin. As he did DB Bob Ellis would be right on him, but McIntosh was able to hurdle the tackle and take steps toward the endzone. LB Wilson Rockwood-Barnes would come over to make a play, but McIntosh would dive for the endzone and would get it giving the Independents the late lead. They would go for 2 as well, but Braddock didn’t see an option and took the sack from DL Richard Blunt. The Tigers would have one last shot, but they were unable to get back into range. Boston clinched their first title since 1950.  

Injury Report
TE Kent Moller LDN - 9 Weeks 

McCallister Cup MVP

QB Nathaniel Braddock BOS - 2 Passing Touchdowns, 283 Passing Yards 

1961 McCallister Cup Champions

1961 Season Recap

1961 Playoffs

1961 Division Semi-Finals

East Division Semi-Final
Boston Independents VS. Providence Gold Stars - Richardson Stadium - September 17, 1961 - 3 PM ET - Weather: Cloudy/Light Rain - 15ºC | 59ºF

1st Q
The weather was certainly not the prettiest for the month of September. It was a cold and damp air that made it feel a little cooler than usual. Clouds covered the skies for the entirety of the game, with moments of rain throughout. However, the chilly weather would not slow down the Gold Stars’ offence on their opening drive. QB Connor O’Rourke would pick apart the Boston offence on the drive taking them down to the 18 before finding WR Cedric Peterson one-on-one against DB Carson Scott to score a touchdown. Boston would come out of the gate slow, starting with a pair of 2 and outs. DL Calias McDonough made an impact on those drives with a sack and 2 tackles. Providence would continue to put on the pressure and grab a field goal before the quarter ended. 
BOS 0-10 PRO 

2nd Q
QB Nathaniel Braddock has received a lot of criticism recently from the media in Boston, but also the media from the ACFL stating he made a mistake going to the NAAF. On top of that, he “failed” to get the team the division win in last week's game against the Royals. He knew he wasn’t playing well and had to be better, so we went out in the second quarter hungrier than ever. On their first drive, Braddock would break Boston’s silence by driving the team down the field and then tossing a touchdown to WR Ellis Lindholm to make it 7-10. The Independents defence would also pick up the pace against the Gold Stars’ offence, stalling them out. Braddock would get into a zone making a big play near the end of the half. Providence would put more pressure on, but Braddock was able to weave out of pressure and hit WR Ellis Lindholm for a 43-yard play that put the Independents on the 4-yard-line. RB Eddie Thompson would punch it in to make it 14-10.
BOS 14-10 PRO 

3rd Q
The tide had turned quickly on the Gold Stars and they struggled to get any traction early in the 3rd. Boston on the other hand would add to their lead with a field goal on the second drive of the half. The Gold Stars would aim to get some momentum with their defence. As they started playing a little more aggressively. On a Boston drive, Braddock would throw the ball to WR Paul Franklin on a slant to the sideline, however, the ball was a little off target and Franklin couldn’t get it. He would still turn right into DB Jared Francis who would lay out Franklin and start a scrum. Franklin would not return to the game with a minor injury. The hit fired up the Gold Stars who would grab a field goal shortly after to cut into the lead before starting another long drive. QB Connor O’Rourke would get the team down into the 10-yard line and then would look for WR Christian Venegas for the touchdown. Unfortunately, the pass was a little off and rookie DB Lawrence Ralph would jump on the pass and intercept it. Boston would take over and Braddock would fire back with an 80-yard drive that ended with a RB Kendall Morgan touchdown. 
BOS 24-13 PRO 

4th Q
Boston turned up the heat on defence in the 4th. There were several instances of Boston players laying into several Providence players which was in retaliation after more of the same from the Gold Stars. This would cost the Gold Stars after RB Marcus Devonshire took a couple of shots, which would injure him and take him out of the game. Providence would focus more on the air attack but even that ran into an issue with WR Sammy Moss catching a pass from O’Rourke only to be stripped shortly after by DB Petr Westerburg. The ball would be picked up by S Drew Porter and Boston would jump on the opportunity and score another touchdown with Braddock connecting with WR Clyde McIntosh. Providence’s momentum was dissipated at this point, but O’Rourke would not give up. He would lead the Gold Stars back onto the field and would get the team back to the endzone via WR Christian Venegas to cut the lead to 11 with 3:24 left. Despite the late score, Boston’s defence was playing strong and would be holding off the remaining Gold Star attacks. O’Rourke made a couple of strong plays to extend drives on the 3rd down, but eventually, LB Brent Harper would make a big play on 3rd down knocking the attempted pass out of TE Micheal Bowman III’s arms to cause a turnover and clinch the game for Boston.  

West Division Semi-Final
Louisville Thunder VS. Buffalo Blue Wings - Thunder Stadium - September 17, 1961 - 7 PM ET - Weather: Clear - 19ºC | 67ºF

1st Q
The first playoff game in Louisville ended up starting very sloppy. Both teams were struggling with the first 4 drives of the game ending in a 2 and out. On the fifth drive of the game, Louisville would get the first 1st down of the game with QB Leonidas Dumont connecting with TE Christopher Gist. There would be a plethora of turnovers as well with RB Jimmy Golden dropping coughing up the ball to the Thunder, which was then returned following QB Leonidas Dumont dropping a snap. The final one of the quarter would be S Johnny Berger picking off QB Charles Lemieux to finally put the Thunder in scoring range by the end of the quarter.
LOU 0-0 BUF 

2nd Q
The Thunder would take the interception and turn it into the first points of the game. Dumont got the Thunder into range with a toss to WR Ben Roland and then K Theodore Provost would kick a field goal to make it 3-0. Louisville seemed to get a bit of a grasp on offence, but still was struggling to complete drives. They would get a second field goal later following another Buffalo fumble off of WR Daniel Irons. The game was slow and went into the break 6-0.
LOU 6-0 BUF 

3rd Q
The game was much more the same out of the break with both teams struggling to move the ball. It would end up being another turnover to break the silence. QB Leonidas Dumont would be receiving more pressure from the Buffalo D-line that already had 3 sacks in the game. He would look to make a play to WR Piers Key, but the ball was off the mark and DB Lou Lake would pick it off. QB Charles Lemieux would get the Blue Wings into field goal range and K Donald Brewer would cut the Thunder lead in half. Dumont would bounce back from the interception and would get the ball back into scoring range to make it 9-3 after the 3rd. 
LOU 9-3 BUF 

4th Q
In the final quarter, the Blue Wings would play with a little more urgency. RB Jimmy Golden would explode for a 23-yard play which would set up the Blue Wings deep in Louisville territory, however, they would be forced to kick a field goal after DL Theo Conte would bring Charles Lemieux down for an 8-yard sack. Buffalo was only down by three and had some momentum going now, but WR Piers Key would take it away on the next kickoff. The WR would return the kick all the way to midfield with DB Dean Hawkins stopping before escaping the main pack. Dumont would take the opportunity and get the Thunder down into the redzone. He would then connect with WR Piers Key in the endzone to make it 16-6. The Thunder defence would then respond to the offence's success and clamped down on the Blue Wing offence. DB Oliver Langstrom would top off the game with another interception that would set up the Thunder for another field goal and they would hold on for their first playoff win in franchise history. 

Injury Report
RB Marcus Devonshire PRO - Day-to-Day
OL Georgio Stephan BUF - Day-to-Day
WR Daniel Irons BUF - Day-to-Day
WR Paul Franklin BOS - Day-to-Day 

Players of the Week - (best player of each game rather than offensive and defensive) 

EDSF: QB Nathaniel Braddock BOS - 2 Passing Touchdowns, 324 Passing Yards 

WDSF: WR Piers Key LOU - 1 Receiving Touchdown, 58 Receiving Yards, 74 Return Yards 

1961 Division Final Preview
East Division Final
Montreal Rouge VS. Boston Independents - Mount Royal Stadium - September 23, 1961 - 3 PM ET
Head-to-Head: W7 BOS 27-14 MTL, W11 MTL 23-15 BOS
The Rouge and Independents rivalry goes all the way back to the early days of the NAAF when the two teams were the cream of the crop. They continued to duke it out in the basement of the division for a while, but now they are the centre of a QB rivalry. QB Gene Bishop, who was going to likely be the first QB taken in the 1958 draft, was overshadowed by QB Nathaniel Braddock making the shift to the NAAF. Bishop continues to try and prove himself against Braddock and wants to prove that he is the better QB. Braddock has not acknowledged the rivalry all that much but knows that Bishop is a good player and that Montreal is a tough team to beat. The two QBs are likely to come out with their best in the game which will likely lead to an offensive shootout. In the end, I like Braddock after this week’s performance against the Gold Stars.
My Pick: Independents 

West Division Final
London Tigers VS. Louisville Thunder - Western Fair Stadium - September 23, 1961 - 7 PM ET
Head-to-Head: W4 LDN 28-20 LOU, W12 LOU 10-30 LDN
The Tigers proved that they have not slowed down at all following their McCallister Cup win last season. They were able to top the Thunder in both of their games against the team this season and they have a strong chance to do it again this week. Louisville is up for a tough task missing most of their secondary with DB Alexander Bradley and DB Jayden Mills. They will get DL Tyrone Affalo back, but they will have to find a way on the offence in order to keep up with the Tigers and QB Riley Kiernan. The Tigers will be managing the game without RB Clifford Russell, but since he has been out, the Tigers have not skipped a beat and still look as strong as before. I think it’s a safe pick, but the right one to say the Tigers take home the win.
My Pick: Tigers 

1961 Division Finals 

East Division Final
Montreal Rouge VS. Boston Independents - Mount Royal Stadium - September 23, 1961 - 3 PM ET - Weather: Clear - 28ºC | 84ºF
1st Q
The Bishop-Braddock battle was the talk of the media for the week leading up to the game between the Rouge and Independents. It was Braddock who would get his team going early. On the team’s opening drive, he would march Boston down to the Montreal 33 before K Johnnie Berg put the first points on the board. The Rouge would not be able to match on their first drive, but their defence would pick it up after the score. HC Dean Reed, former head coach of the Independents, would target some of Braddock’s weaknesses. Nathaniel Braddock would face a lot more pressure from the Montreal D-line and would be sacked twice in the quarter. The offence would feed off the defence and QB Gene Bishop would look to make a play. Bishop would find WR Derek Cross for a 38-yard gain that would set up RB Scott Mallard-White for a touchdown to put the Rouge on top 7-3.
MTL 7-3 BOS 

2nd Q
The pressure was constant for Braddock, but he started to adjust and get settled again. He started making plays again, and Montreal would start sending a little more pressure. On a 2nd and 7, Braddock would aim to get the first down through the air. Montreal would send a blitz that would immediately collapse the pocket. Braddock felt it closing in so he scrambled and managed to escape and see WR Paul Franklin. He would turn and make an impressive throw on the run hitting Franklin perfectly for a 16-yard gain. The Independents would find the endzone a couple of plays later with RB Kendall Morgan taking in a touchdown. Montreal would answer back with a field goal before the half to tie the game up.
MTL 10-10 BOS 

3rd Q
The game kept going back-and-forth in the 3rd. Boston would get a strong drive early, however, they would not be able to score when DB Quentin Xavier would pick off Braddock. QB Gene Bishop and the Rouge would look to counter the drive, but they were stalled out at midfield. Neither team was able to score until late in the quarter. Gene Bishop would finally find a way to get into Boston territory. He just had to do it on his feet. Bishop would scramble out of the pocket and pick up 23-yards on the ground to get down to the 36. It would take a few more plays for Bishop to then fire a pass to WR Robert Lang to make it 17-10. Boston would try to get it back and were moving down the field with the quarter coming to an end.
MTL 17-10 BOS 

4th Q
Boston was ready to make the push to start the quarter, but their drive would be cut short after RB Kendall Morgan took a big hit from DL Hubert Tessier that would knock the ball loose. Boston would recover the ball but had to punt it away instead of kicking a field goal as the play took them out of range. The offence would recover on their next attempt following a defensive stop and would move the ball down the field. QB Nathaniel Braddock continued to dish out pass after pass as he methodically brought the Independents into range. Finally, he would connect with WR Clyde McIntosh to get down to the 1. QB Randy Sellers would take a QB sneak into the endzone to tie the game back up at 17. Time wound down as the teams traded a couple of drives. Neither team wanted to head to an extra frame. The Rouge had the ball with just 2:34 left in the game. QB Gene Bishop was doing a good job of keeping the drive alive. The game was falling onto his shoulders for Montreal. He would pull through by marching the Rouge down into the redzone. From 15 yards out, Bishop would look to fire to the endzone on 2nd and 10. Bishop would throw the ball to WR Derek Cross who had found some space in the endzone. The ball would land in Cross’ hands, but S Drew Porter would be able to get in there at the last second to knock the ball loose and cause an incomplete pass. Despite the miss, Montreal was still able to kick a field goal to retake the lead with 1:16 left. Boston would take over and now the game was on Braddock’s shoulders. The young QB would start the drive with a couple of passes to WR Ellis Lindholm and TE Tanner Tint. Then he would hit WR Clyde McIntosh who would break a tackle and pick up 21 yards to get into Montreal territory. The Rouge would tighten up on defence, but Boston kept the ball moving down to the 10-yard line. Time was also getting tight with 12 seconds to go. Braddock would have one last chance to try and win the game. He would drop back from the 10 and would sit in the pocket. The Rouge started to pressure him and Braddock shifted and he would have to take a shot. He would fire towards WR Ellis Lindholm who had 2 guys on him. The WR would find a way to get his hands on it and would hold on for dear life. He would maintain possession and the referee raised his arms to signal the touchdown. The Rouge had no time left and the Independents would be heading back to the McCallister Cup for the first time since 1954 (which also was in Ottawa). 

West Division Final
London Tigers VS. Louisville Thunder - Western Fair Stadium - September 23, 1961 - 7 PM ET - Weather: Clear - 18ºC | 66ºF
1st Q
Offence was the name of the game early between the London Tigers and the Louisville Thunder. London would make noise on their opening drive with QB Riley Kiernan tossing a 42-yard shot to WR Max Sutton which would then set up WR Jack Duncan for a touchdown to put the Tigers up quickly 7-0. The Thunder would look to counter on their next drive with RBs Stavros Black and RB Rodney Clark both getting the ball moving on the ground. It would eventually be RB Rodney Clark who would score a touchdown to knot the game up just 6 minutes in 7-7. The teams would trade a couple of drives, but the Tigers would soon find the endzone again with Kiernan connecting with WR Max Sutton for a score and a 14-7 lead after the first.
LDN 14-7 LOU 

2nd Q
London would keep up the pressure in the second with the defence coming up with a fumble. DL Olympus Heights would manage to get his hand on the ball and knock it loose from RB Rodney Clark. The Tigers would take over at the Thunder 40 and would turn that into a field goal to make it 17-7. The Thunder would bounce back from the mistake a little bit later and would put together a strong drive. QB Leonidas Dumont would find WR Piers Key for an 8-yard pass, which Key would manage to turn into a 19-yard play. The Thunder would find the endzone a couple of plays later on the legs of RB Stavros Black to make it 17-13 following a missed convert from K Theodore Provost. Louisville would continue to ride the momentum with their defence making a play on the ensuing drive. The Tigers were only a couple of plays into their drive when TE Kent Moller would be targeted for a quick pass. LB Benjamin Pittman, a former Tiger, anticipated the play and broke it up. The ball was deflected up off Pittman’s shoulder and LB George Yokoi would come down with an interception. Louisville would capitalize on the play and Dumont would take a shot at the endzone for WR Ben Roland who would score to put the Thunder up 17-20 at the break. 
LDN 17-20 LOU

3rd Q
The Thunder would come out of the break looking to add to their lead. RB Rodney Clark would make up for his earlier fumble and would help get the Thunder down into Tigers’ territory on the first drive of the half. The Tigers’ defence would hold strong and force Louisville to kick a field goal instead, but it was now a 17-23 lead for the Thunder. With the Tigers going from a 4-point lead to a 6-point deficit, Riley Kiernan would come on to the field swinging with a superb drive that marched the Tigers down the field. The team would get all the way down to the 2 before RB Eric Sydney punched it in to make it 24-23. Louisville’s offence was still able to move the ball well throughout the quarter but was struggling to finish with the Tigers’ defence making some strong stops. DB Jackson Miles would reel in a pick for the Tigers which stopped the Thunder on one of their better drives. Louisville would eventually get another field goal, but the Tigers would match it to make it 27-26 heading into the 4th quarter.  LDN 27-26 LOU 

4th Q
The final quarter of play would continue the high-paced play. The Thunder would be aiming to get back on top early, but they would fail to do so after Leonidas Dumont took a sack from DL Richard Blunt. The Tigers would get the ball back and once again K Nimrod Handsworth would add to the lead to make it 30-26. It was starting to become make-or-break time for the Thunder with the clock slowly ticking away. Leonidas Dumont would need to come up with a big play. Dumont would follow through finding WR Truman Harry for a 23-yard gain and then another play to WR Ben Roland to put the Thunder into scoring range. The Tigers’ defence would tighten up to try and slow down the Thunder offence. They would be successful and forced the Thunder to a 3rd and 2. Louisville would go for it and they would give RB Stavros Black the ball. The RB would be met with a stiff D-line, but with a helpful block from OL Taylor Forbes, he would get just enough for the first. The Thunder felt like they had a chance. Dumont kept dishing the ball and they inched closer. However, they would find themselves on 3rd down again. This time they needed 6 yards so Dumont went to the air. He would look around for a target with some pressure coming. Eventually WR Piers Key would slip off a defender into some open space. Dumont would throw it at him, but the ball was a wobbler and Key just got his fingers on it. The ball would flutter into the arms of LB Aengus Lynch who would grab the ball and take it back a few yards before being taken down. The Tigers would run down the clock and grab another field goal to clinch their 3rd straight McCallister Cup appearance.  

Injury Report
LB Dallas Dillard LDN - Day-to-Day
TE Christopher Gist LOU - 6 Weeks
LB Sebastian Andrews III - 4 Weeks 

Players of the Week 

EDF: QB Nathaniel Braddock BOS - 2 Passing Touchdowns, 313 Passing Yards 

WDF: DL Olympus Heights LDN - 1 Forced Fumble, 2 Sacks, 6 Tackles

43rd McCallister Cup Preview
London Tigers VS. Boston Independents - Royals Stadium at Brewer Park - October 1, 1961 - 6 PM ET
Head-to-Head: Did not play
For the second time in NAAF history, the two teams meeting in the final did not face each other during the regular season. Their last battle had the Tigers winning 26-23. The Tigers have been the toughest team to shake this season with their only loss being to the Blue Wings (27-28) in week 7. However, Boston has looked like one of the best teams since the playoffs have started. QB Nathaniel Braddock has turned it up a notch with back-to-back strong games. It will be his first shot at the McCallister Cup, which will be something new for a game that has not had a QB playing in their first Championship since Riley Kiernan in 1956 with Worcester. Both defences have shown their strength as well in the playoffs so this game should be a fairly close match that should lead to another great McCallister Cup. This was my predicted McCallister Cup match-up so I’m going to stick with the team I picked from the start and go with the Independents to win this game. 
My Pick: Independents 

1961 NAAF Season

1961 Week 1

London Tigers - 20, Long Island Raiders - 12 - Western Fair Stadium - June 22, 1961 - 7 PM ET - Weather: Clear
1st Q
7-0 LDN - RTD RB Clifford Russell
7-3 LI - FG K Henderson Schumacher
2nd Q
7-6 LI - FG K Henderson Schumacher
10-6 LDN - FG K Nimrod Handsworth
3rd Q
17-6 LDN - PTD QB Riley Kiernan -> WR Max Sutton
4th Q
17-12 LI - RTD RB Dareion Fields
20-12 LDN - FG K Nimrod Handsworth 

A close and defensive game between the Tigers and Raiders kicked off the season.
The Tigers' offence was strong as a whole finding the endzone twice, while the Raiders struggled to get the ball moving.
RB Dareion Fields was getting back into action and new OC Levi Bray was still working on some of his strategies so it seems understandable that the team would not come out with an explosion of offence.  

Ottawa Royals - 10, Boston Independents - 23 - Royals Stadium at Brewer Park - June 23, 1961 - FNF - 7 PM ET - Weather: Clear
1st Q
0-3 BOS - FG K Johnnie Berg
7-3 OTT - PTD QB Jean Matieau -> TE Jervonte Howell
2nd Q
7-10 BOS - RTD RB Kendall Morgan
3rd Q
10-10 OTT - FG K Maurice Lafayette
10-13 BOS - FG K Johnnie Berg
4th Q
10-20 BOS - PTD QB Nathaniel Braddock -> WR Paul Franklin
10-23 BOS - FG K Johnnie Berg 

The Independents came out to a strong start to their season with a huge win over the Royals.
The Boston defence came up with a big second half shutting down the Royals offence and coming up with a pair of turnovers. 
LB Brent Harper had a forced fumble and then DB Lawrence Ralph had his first career pick.
The Royals looked a bit flat and will need to work on some things ahead of their week 2 match against the Rouge 

Louisville Thunder - 35, Buffalo Blue Wings - 22 - Thunder Stadium - June 24, 1961 - 3 PM ET - Weather: Clear
1st Q
7-0 LOU - RTD RB Stavros Black
7-7 BUF - RTD RB Jimmy Golden
7-10 BUF - FG K Donald Brewer
2nd Q
14-10 LOU - RTD RB Rodney Clark
14-13 BUF - FG K Donald Brewer
21-13 LOU - PTD QB Leonidas Dumont -> WR Piers Key
3rd Q
21-19 BUF - RTD RB Jimmy Golden
28-19 LOU - PTD QB Leonidas Dumont -> WR Piers Key
4th Q
28-22 BUF - FG K Donald Brewer
35-22 LOU - PTD QB Leonidas Dumont -> WR Piers Key 

The Thunder came out with a hot start led by both QB Leonidas Dumont and WR Piers Key who combined for 3 touchdowns. 
Both Stavros Black and Rodney Clark made an impact as well, each rushing for a touchdown in the game.
RB Jimmy Golden had a strong start with a pair of touchdowns in the loss. 
DB Alexander Bradley did have a pick along with DB Jayden Mills, while Buffalo was not able to get anything on defence.  

Worcester Athletics - 24, Montreal Rouge - 30 - Worcester Stadium - June 24, 1961 - SNF - 7 PM ET - Weather: Cloudy
1st Q
0-3 MTL - FG K Arthur Kettinger
2nd Q
3-3 WOR - FG K Elvis Franklin
10-3 WOR - DTD INT DB Joe Robinson
10-6 MTL - FG K Arthur Kettinger
3rd Q
10-13 MTL - RTD RB Scott Mallard-White
10-16 MTL - FG K Arthur Kettinger
17-16 WOR - PTD QB Terry Bourbon -> WR Zachariah Pembroke
4th Q
17-23 MTL - PTD QB Gene Bishop -> WR Robert Lang
24-23 WOR - RTD RB Lawrence Sharp
24-30 MTL - PTD QB Gene Bishop -> WR Derek Cross 

It was a scary game in Worcester for the Rouge who would not be able to stay ahead of the Athletics squad. 
QB Gene Bishop struggled in the first half, but he was able to get going and toss a pair of touchdowns to give Montreal the win. 
DB Joe Robinson helped the Athletics a lot with the win, picking up an interception and taking it back to the house.
QB Terry Bourbon was alright in his first start with the Athletics throwing a touchdown, but he made his own mistakes throwing a pair of interceptions to DB Quentin Xavier and S Garet deVale. 

Indiana Victors - 15, Providence Gold Stars - 28 - Victory Stadium - June 25, 1961 - 2 PM ET - Weather: Cloudy
1st Q
0-7 PRO - PTD QB Connor O’Rourke -> TE Michael Bowman III
1-7 IND - Single K Ross Poindexter
4-7 IND - FG K Ross Poindexter
2nd Q
4-14 PRO - RTD RB Marcus Devonshire
11-14 IND - RTD RB Johnnie Stafford
3rd Q
12-14 IND - Single Ross Poindexter
12-21 PRO - PTD QB Connor O’Rourke -> WR Cedric Peterson
4th Q
15-21 IND - FG K Ross Poindexter
15-28 PRO - PTD QB Connor O’Rourke -> WR Christian Venegas 

The Gold Stars opened up by matching their win total from last season with a win over the Victors on the road.QB Connor O’Rourke had a strong performance with 3 touchdown passes and 275 Passing Yards.
RB Johnnie Stafford was able to do something for the Victors' offence scoring a touchdown. 
DB Neville Falkner did make an impact with his first career pickoff of QB Stanley Troyer, and DL Calias McDonough grabbed a forced fumble as well.  

Injury Report
DL Fred Webster IND - Day-to-Day
DL Tyrone Affalo LOU - 4 Weeks
TE Oliver Chandler WOR - Day-to-Day 

Players of the Week 

OFF: WR Piers Key LOU - 3 Receiving Touchdowns, 176 Receiving Yards 

DEF: LB Brent Harper BOS - 1 Forced Fumble, 11 Tackles 

Standings
WEST
Louisville 1-0
London 1-0
Long Island 0-1
Buffalo 0-1
Indiana 0-1 

EAST
Boston 1-0
Providence 1-0
Montreal 1-0
Worcester 0-1
Ottawa 0-1 

Power Rankings
1 - London -
2 - Boston -
3 - Louisville +1
4 - Montreal -1
5 - Providence -
6 - Ottawa -
7 - Long Island -
8 - Buffalo -
9 - Worcester +1
10 - Indiana -1

Week 2 Games
LOU (1-0) @ LI (0-1) - JUN 30 - Friday Night Football - 7 PM ET
MTL (1-0) @ OTT (0-1) - JUL 1 - Canada Day - 5 PM ET
LDN (1-0) @ IND (0-1) - JUL 2 - 1 PM ET 
WOR (0-1) @ PRO (1-0) - JUL 2 - 4 PM ET 
BUF (0-1) @ BOS (1-0) - JUL 4 - 4th of July - 5 PM ET

1961 Week 2 

Long Island Raiders - 10, Louisville Thunder - 21 - Long Island Stadium - June 31, 1961 - FNF - 7 PM ET - Weather: Clear
1st Q
3-0 LI - FG K Henderson Schumacher
3-7 LOU - PTD QB Leonidas Dumont -> WR Truman Harry
2nd Q
3-14 LOU - RTD RB Rodney Clark
3rd Q
10-14 LI - RTD RB Dareion Fields
10-21 LOU - PTD QB Leonidas Dumont -> WR Piers Key
4th Q 

The Thunder came through with their second win of the season with Dumont throwing another two touchdowns in the win. 
Long Island still struggled on offence outside of a Dareion Fields touchdown, with QB Lyle Painter throwing a pick to S Johnny Berger.
The Thunder defence played really well and pretty much shut down all offensive attacks from the Raiders. 
The Raiders' defence was able to help a bit with DL Vernon Spears getting a forced fumble. 

Ottawa Royals - 13, Montreal Rouge - 17 - Royals Stadium at Brewer Park - July 1, 1961 - Canada Day - 5 PM ET - Weather: Clear
1st Q
3-0 OTT - FG K Maurice Lafayette
2nd Q
3-7 MTL - RTD RB Scott Mallard-White
3rd Q
10-7 OTT - RTD RB Alexei Volkov
10-14 MTL - PTD QB Gene Bishop -> WR Ray Lopez
4th Q
13-14 OTT - FG K Maurice Lafayette
13-17 MTL - FG K Arthur Kettinger 

A shockingly defensive game between the Royals and the Rouge ended with the Rouge narrowly escaping with a win.
QB Gene Bishop has been struggling in his new system, so the ball was in the hands of Scott Mallard-White for the most part, which did work in the end.
S Garet deVale had a big day for the Rouge bringing in a pick along with 5 tackles.
Ottawa has lacked their offensive might in the first couple of games and seems to be struggling to get going in this season; the loss marks their first 0-2 start since the 1949 season.
*Also that 0-2 start was at the hands of the Independents and the Rouge with both games also in Ottawa* 

Indiana Victors - 23, London Tigers - 29 - Victory Stadium - July 2, 1961 - 1 PM ET - Weather: Cloudy
1st Q
3-0 IND - FG K Ross Poindexter
3-7 LDN - PTD QB Riley Kiernan -> WR Jack Duncan
2nd Q
3-10 LDN - FG K Nimrod Handsworth
10-10 IND - RTD RB Johnnie Stafford
10-11 LDN - Single K Nimrod Handsworth
3rd Q
16-11 IND - PTD QB Stanley Troyer -> WR Alexei Dubois
16-17 LDN - PTD QB Riley Kiernan -> WR Benedict Spencer
16-19 LDN - 2PT RB Clifford Russell
4th Q
23-19 IND - PTD QB Stanley Troyer -> WR Silas Peyton
23-26 LDN - RTD RB Clifford Russell
23-29 LDN - FG K Nimrod Handsworth 

The Indiana Victors gave the Tigers a run for their money with a strong 2-touchdown performance from QB Stanley Troyer. 
QB Riley Kiernan would match Troyer’s performance with 2-touchdowns himself.
As for defence, London had a pick from DB Jackson Miles and a forced fumble from LB Aengus Lynch, and the Victors would have help from DB Kelly Kirkland and DL William Sanderson.
Kirkland’s interception would help lead to WR Silas Peyton’s touchdown which shows the defence getting a bit of a rhythm. 

Providence Gold Stars - 44, Worcester Athletics - 13 - New Providence Stadium - July 2, 1961 - 4 PM ET - Weather: Clear
1st Q
7-0 PRO - RTD RB Marcus Devonshire
14-0 PRO - PTD QB Connor O’Rourke -> WR Sammy Moss
2nd Q
14-3 WOR - FG K Elvis Franklin21-3 PRO - RTD RB Marcus Devonshire
3rd Q
21-6 WOR - FG K Elvis Franklin
28-6 PRO - RTD RB Marcus Devonshire
34-6 PRO - DTD INT DB Neville Falkner
4th Q
37-6 PRO - FG K Ira Foster
37-13 WOR - PTD QB Terry Bourbon -> WR Zachariah Pembroke
44-13 PRO - PTD QB Rigobert St-Hilaire -> WR Cedric Peterson 

The Gold Stars had a tough pill to swallow early in the second quarter with QB Connor O’Rourke getting knocked out of the game, however, the rest of the team was able to step up and help crush the Athletics 44-13.
DB Neville Falkner came through with his first career pick-6 which pretty much ended any ounce of hope the Athletics had.
St-Hilaire was solid in replacing O’Rourke, throwing a touchdown last in the game, and only having one interception to DB Joe Robinson. 
LB Rusty McVee and DL Craig White also came up with forced fumbles as well. 

Boston Independents - 25, Buffalo Blue Wings - 20 - Richardson Stadium - July 4, 1961 - 4th of July - 5 PM ET - Weather: Clear
1st Q
7-0 BOS - RTD RB Kendall Morgan
7-3 BUF - FG K Donald Brewer
2nd Q
7-10 BUF - PTD QB Stanislav Ovechkin -> WR LeRoy Krueger
8-10 BOS - Single K Johnnie Berg
8-17 BUF - RTD RB Jimmy Golden
3rd Q
11-17 BOS - FG K Johnnie Berg
11-20 BUF - FG K Donald Brewer
18-20 BOS - RTD RB Kendall Morgan
4th Q
25-20 BOS - PTD QB Nathaniel Braddock -> WR Ellis Lindholm 

The Blue Wings put up a strong fight against the Independents to close out week 2 of the NAAF season. 
Ovechkin was able to get to the endzone through the air this week finding WR LeRoy Krueger.
Boston struggled a bit against the Blue Wings, but after falling behind 11-20, Braddock would lead the team back on top for a win.
S Frazier Brooks would have a pick for the Blue Wings while DB Carson Scott and LB Konrad Aust would get turnovers as well for the Independents.  

Injury Report
OL Pete Brackenridge BOS - 4 Weeks
OL Sal Valcano BOS - 3 Weeks
DL Vic Harper BOS - Day-to-Day
OL Sun Guanyu BUF - Day-to-Day
DL Richard Blunt LDN - Day-to-Day
DB Herb Covington LI - 1 Week
LB Silas O’Brien LOU - Day-to-Day
QB Connor O’Rourke PRO - 5 Weeks
TE Oliver Chandler WOR - 5 Weeks
LB Harrison Bennett WOR - Day-to-Day 

Players of the Week 

OFF: RB Marcus Devonshire PRO - 3 Rushing Touchdowns, 126 Rushing Yards 

DEF: S Garet deVale MTL - 1 Interception, 5 Tackles, 3 Plays Defended 

Standings
WEST
Louisville 2-0
London 2-0
Buffalo 0-2
Long Island 0-2
Indiana 0-2 

EAST
Providence 2-0
Boston 2-0
Montreal 2-0
Ottawa 0-2
Worcester 0-2

Power Rankings
1 - London -
2 - Boston -
3 - Louisville -
4 - Providence +1
5 - Montreal -1
6 - Buffalo +2
7 - Ottawa -1
8 - Long Island -1
9 - Indiana +1
10 - Worcester -1

Week 3 Games
PRO (2-0) @ MTL (2-0) - JUL 7 - Friday Night Football - 7 PM ET
IND (0-2) @ LI (2-0) - JUL 8 - 3 PM ET
WOR (0-2) @ LDN (2-0) - JUL 8 - Saturday Night Football - 7 PM ET
OTT (0-2) @ BUF (0-2) - JUL 9 - 1 PM ET
BOS (2-0) @ LOU (2-0) - JUL 9 - 4 PM ET

1961 Week 3 

Montreal Rouge - 27, Providence Gold Stars - 17 - Mount Royal Stadium - July 7, 1961 - FNF - 7 PM ET - Weather: Cloudy
1st Q
7-0 MTL - RTD RB Scott Mallard-White
2nd Q
10-0 MTL - FG K Arthur Kettinger
10-3 PRO - FG K Ira Foster
17-3 MTL - PTD QB Gene Bishop -> WR Robert Lang
3rd Q
17-10 PRO - RTD RB Marcus Devonshire
24-10 MTL - PTD QB Gene Bishop -> WR Derek Cross
4th Q
27-10 MTL - FG K Arthur Kettinger
27-17 PRO - PTD QB Rigobert St-Hilaire -> WR Sammy Moss 

QB Gene Bishop was able to get comfortable in the Montreal offence for their home opener against the Gold Stars, throwing 2 touchdowns in the win.
QB Rigobert St-Hilaire did okay in the starting role for the Gold Stars and was able to get a couple of touchdowns in the second half.
DB Quentin Xavier came up with an interception for the Rouge, and S Shawn Jensen had one for the Gold Stars. 
Both teams also had some fumbles with LB Sam Fitzroy and DL Dexter Barbarcos grabbed one each for Montreal and DL Calias McDonough had one for Providence. 

Long Island Raiders - 16, Indiana Victors - 19 - Long Island Stadium - July 8, 1961 - 3 PM ET - Weather: Rain
1st Q
3-0 LI - FG Henderson Schumacher
3-3 IND - FG K Ross Poindexter
2nd Q
3-9 IND - RTD RB Don Gregson
3rd Q
6-9 LI - FG K Henderson Schumacher
13-9 LI - RTD RB Dareion Fields
13-12 IND - FG K Ross Poindexter
4th Q
16-12 LI - FG K Henderson Schumacher
16-17 IND - RTD QB Stanley Troyer
16-19 IND - 2PT RB Don Gregson 

The Victors came away with a huge upset on the road in Long Island, after the rain messed with the Raiders. 
QB Lyle Painter lost grip on the ball as he turned to give the ball off to RB Dareion Fields.
The ball dropped and bounced off of Fields’ knees and then the back of OL Bruce Wesley. 
DB Malik Davenport would pick up the ball and would take it back to the Raiders 16-yard-line. 
The Victors would score on a QB sneak with QB Stanley Troyer a couple of plays later to win their first game of the season. 

London Tigers - 41, Worcester Athletics - 3 - Western Fair Stadium - July 8. 1961 - SNF - 7 PM ET - Weather: Partly Cloudy
1st Q
3-0 LDN - FG K Nimrod Handsworth
10-0 LDN - RTD RB Clifford Russell
17-0 LDN - PTD QB Riley Kiernan -> WR Max Sutton
2nd Q
24-0 LDN - RTD RB Clifford Russell
31-0 LDN - PTD QB Riley Kiernan -> WR Benedict Spencer
3rd Q
34-0 LDN - FG K Nimrod Handsworth
4th Q
34-3 WOR - FG Elvis Franklin
41-3 LDN - RTD RB Eric Sydney 

The Tigers torched the Athletics defence on Saturday Night Football, Kiernan passed for a pair of TDs and Clifford Russel took in the other two.
Their defence also played their part with 3 interceptions and a pair of forced fumbles. 
S Neil Graham, DB Richardo Salvador, and DB Jackson Miles had the picks, and DL Olympus Heights and LB Wilson Rockwood-Barnes had the forced fumbles. 
QB Terry Bourbon was terrible for the Athletics and was eventually benched in the 4th for QB Caldwell Higgins III who was able to get the team into field goal range late.
The Tigers also gave their backups a shot late in the game with QB Ollie Rogers taking over for QB Riley Kiernan. 

Buffalo Blue Wings - 13, Ottawa Royals - 25 - Buffalo Civic Stadium - July 9, 1961 - 1 PM ET - Weather: Cloudy
1st Q
7-0 BUF - RTD RB Jimmy Golden
2nd Q
7-7 OTT - PTD QB Jean Matieau -> WR Chester Bennett
10-7 BUF - FG K Donald Brewer
3rd Q
13-7 BUF - FG K Donald Brewer
13-14 OTT - PTD QB Jean Matieau -> WR Angus Stevenson
4th Q
13-20 OTT - PTD QB Jean Matieau -> WR Mackenzie Jones
13-22 OTT - 2PT QB Jean Matieau -> WR Mackenzie Jones
13-25 OTT - FG K Maurice Lafayette 

The Royals finally got a marker in the win column in a tough game in Buffalo. 
QB Jean Matieau, who had a career-low 1 passing touchdowns heading into the week, was able to cash in 3 times into the endzone finding all 3 of his WRs.
Buffalo had a strong first half but ran into some trouble in the second half with the Royals' defence picking it up a notch.
DB Mingan Oliver brought in a pick and LB Killian Reed had a forced fumble for the Royals. 

Louisville Thunder - 34, Boston Independents - 22 - Thunder Stadium - July 9, 1961 - 4 PM ET - Weather: Partly Cloudy
1st Q
7-0 LOU - DTD INT DB Alexander Bradley
7-3 BOS - FG K Johnnie Berg
14-3 LOU - RTD RB Stavros Black
2nd Q
14-6 BOS - FG K Johnnie Berg
21-6 LOU - PTD QB Leonidas Dumont -> WR Piers Key
21-13 BOS - RTD RB Kendall Morgan
3rd Q
24-13 LOU - FG K Theodore Provost
24-19 BOS - PTD QB Nathaniel Braddock -> WR Ellis Lindholm
31-19 LOU - RTD RB Rodney Clark
4th Q
31-22 BOS - FG K Johnnie Berg
34-22 LOU - FG K Theodore Provost 

The Thunder continued their hot start with another convincing win over the Boston Independents.
Louisville got the upper hand early with DB Alexander Bradley taking back a pick-6 on Boston’s opening drive. 
WR Piers Key continued his hot start as well catching his 5th touchdown of the season and Dumont’s league-leading 6th TD pass. 
Boston was able to get going late in the 2nd and early in the third, but it wasn’t long until the Thunder pulled away again.

Injury Report
TE Paul McDowell LDN - Day-to-Day
WR Ben Roland LOU - 5 Weeks
LB Leonardo Puig WOR - 4 Weeks
DB Wesley Scott WOR - 2 Weeks

Players of the Week 

OFF: QB Jean Matieau OTT - 3 Passing Touchdowns, 223 Passing Yards

DEF: DB Alexander Bradley LOU - 1 Interception, 1 Defensive Touchdown, 4 Tackles, 2 Passes Defended 

Standings
WEST
London 3-0
Louisville 3-0
Indiana 1-2
Long Island 0-3
Buffalo 0-3 

EAST
Montreal 3-0
Providence 2-1
Boston 2-1
Ottawa 1-2
Worcester 0-3 

Power Rankings
1 - London -
2 - Louisville +1
3 - Boston -1
4 - Montreal +1
5 - Providence -1
6 - Ottawa +1
7 - Indiana +2
8 - Buffalo -2
9 - Long Island -1
10 - Worcester -

Week 4 Games
BUF (0-3) @ IND (1-2) - JUL 14 - 7 PM ET - Friday Night Football 
WOR (0-3) @ BOS (2-1) - JUL 15 - 3 PM ET
LOU (3-0) @ LDN (3-0) - JUL 15 - 7 PM ET - Saturday Night Football
MTL (3-0) @ LI (0-3) - JUL 16 - 1 PM ET
OTT (1-2) @ PRO (2-1) - JUL 16 - 4 PM ET

1961 Week 4 

Indiana Victors - 13, Buffalo Blue Wings - 23 - Victory Stadium - July 14, 1961 - FNF - 7 PM ET - Weather: Clear
1st Q
3-0 IND - FG K Ross Poindexter
3-3 BUF - FG K Donald Brewer
2nd Q
6-3 IND - FG K Ross Poindexter
6-10 BUF - RTD RB Jimmy Golden
6-13 BUF - FG K Donald Brewer
3rd Q
6-16 BUF - FG K Donald Brewer
4th Q
13-16 IND - RTD RB Johnnie Stafford
13-23 BUF - PTD QB Stanislav Ovechkin -> WR Ronald Vernon 

The Blue Wings got into the win column on the road to open up week 4 of the NAAF season.
QB Stanislav Ovechkin had a strong performance with a passing touchdown late in the game and no turnovers. 
The Victors were solid but made a couple of big mistakes (a fumble lost to DL Lonnie Vincent and an interception to DB Lou Lake), which cost them a lot.QB Stanley Troyer was able to get back into the game early in the fourth, which was in response to some fans calling for Lee Rogers.  

Boston Independents - 30, Worcester Athletics - 10 - Richardson Stadium - July 15, 1961 - 3 PM ET - Weather: Partly Cloudy
1st Q
7-0 BOS - PTD QB Nathaniel Braddock -> WR Clyde McIntosh
10-0 BOS - FG K Johnnie Berg
2nd Q
13-0 BOS - FG K Johnnie Berg
13-7 WOR - PTD QB Terry Bourbon -> WR Zachariah Pembroke
3rd Q
20-7 BOS - RTD RB Eddie Thompson
20-10 WOR - FG K Elvis Franklin
4th Q
27-10 BOS - PTD QB Nathaniel Braddock -> WR Paul Franklin
30-10 BOS - FG K Johnnie Berg

The Independents would get back on track with a solid 30-10 win over the Worcester Athletics.
The defence would give the Athletics plenty of trouble with LB Brent Harper and LB Konrad Aust both bringing in turnovers, and DL Dennis Hughes grabbing a fumble off of the DL. 
Worcester continued to have their struggles with Bourbon under centre and most likely will be shifting to Caldwell Higgins III in the rematch next week. 

London Tigers - 28, Louisville Thunder - 20 - Wester Fair Stadium - July 15, 1961 - SNF - 7 PM ET - Weather: Cloudy
1st Q
0-3 LOU - FG K Theodore Provost
1-3 LDN - Single K Nimrod Hansworth
2nd Q
8-3 LDN - PTD QB Riley Kiernan -> WR Jack Duncan
8-6 LOU - FG K Theodore Provost
11-6 LDN - FG K Nimrod Handsworth
2nd Q
18-6 LDN - RTD RB Clifford Russell
18-13 LOU - PTD QB Leonidas Dumont -> WR Truman Harry
4th Q
25-13 LDN - PTD QB Riley Kiernan -> WR Max Sutton
25-20 LOU - RTD RB Rodney Clark
28-20 LDN - FG K Nimrod Handsworth

The Tigers got the upper hand in the West Division battle with a strong win over the red hot Thunder. 
Kiernan was able to find a way through the elite secondary to find the endzone twice en route to the win.
Leonidas Dumont was right in the fight as well, tossing yet another touchdown, but it was just not enough against the tough Tiger squad. 
DB Oliver Langstrom was still able to get the best of Kiernan on one pass, only for DL Dee Floyd to get the ball back on the ensuing drive for the Tigers.  

Long Island Raiders - 23, Montreal Rouge - 34 - Long Island Stadium - July 16, 1961 - 1 PM ET - Weather: Clear
1st Q
0-7 MTL - RTD RB Scott Mallard-White
7-7 LI - RTD RB Dareion Fields
2nd Q
10-7 LI - FG K Henderson Schumacher
10-14 MTL - RTD RB Scott Mallard-White
10-17 MTL - FG K Arthur Kettinger
3rd Q
17-17 LI - RTD RB Dareion Fields
17-24 MTL - PTD QB Gene Bishop -> WR Derek Cross
4th Q
20-24 LI - FG K Henderson Schumacher
20-31 MTL - RTD RB Scott Mallard-White
23-31 LI - FG K Henderson Schumacher
23-34 MTL - FG K Arthur Kettinger 

The Rouge remained unbeaten with another strong win over the struggling Raiders.QB Gene Bishop continues to get comfortable within the offence and with the help of RB Scott Mallard-White, they were able to put up 34 against a still fairly strong defence. Long Island’s offence had a bit more life this week but still needed to work on finishing drives with a couple of drives coming up just short of the endzone.  

Providence Gold Stars - 34, Ottawa Royals - 37 - New Providence Stadium - July 16, 1961 - 4 PM ET - Weather: Partly Cloudy
1st Q
7-0 PRO - RTD RB Marcus Devonshire
7-7 OTT - PTD QB Jean Matieau -> WR Angus Stevenson
14-7 PRO - RTD QB Rigobert St-Hilaire
14-14 OTT - PTD QB Jean Matieau -> WR Mackenzie Jones
2nd Q
14-17 OTT - FG K Maurice Lafayette
21-17 PRO - PTD QB Rigobert St-Hilaire -> WR Cedric Peterson
3rd Q
21-20 OTT - FG K Maurice Lafayette
24-20 PRO - FG K Ira Foster
24-26 OTT - RTD RB Alexei Volkov
27-26 PRO - FG K Ira Foster
4th Q
34-26 PRO - RTD RB Marcus Devonshire
34-32 OTT - PTD QB Jean Matieau -> WR Mackenzie Jones
34-34 OTT - 2PT QB Jean Matieau -> TE Jervonte Howell
34-37 OTT - FG K Maurice Lafeyette 

The week ended with an epic shootout between the Gold Stars and the Royals, where the Royals defence came up big late with an interception from DB Uzzia Hayes to give them a shot at a field goal late. 
St-Hilaire kept the Gold Stars in the fight as much as he could but the late mistake cost the team which made many fans miss O’Rourke on the field. DB Neville Falkner was able to keep his strong start going with another pick on the season.
DL Olaf Viktorsson had a good game for the Royals as well with 2 Sacks and a forced fumble.

Injury Report
OL Christopher Søndergaard IND - 4 Weeks
OL Ulysses Fairgrove LDN - 4 Weeks 

Players of the Week 

OFF: RB Scott Mallard-White MTL - 3 Rushing Touchdowns, 148 Rushing Yards 

DEF: DL Olaf Viktorsson OTT - 2 Sacks, 1 Forced Fumble. 6 Tackles 

Standings
WEST
London 4-0
Louisville 3-1
Buffalo 1-3
Indiana 1-3
Long Island 0-4 

EAST
Montreal 4-0
Boston 3-1
Ottawa 2-2
Providence 2-2
Worcester 0-4 

Power Rankings
1 - London -
2 - Louisville -
3 - Boston -
4 - Montreal -
5 - Ottawa +1
6 - Providence -1
7 - Buffalo +1
8 - Indiana -1
9 - Long Island -
10 - Worcester -

Week 5 Games
LOU (3-1) @ BUF (1-3) - JUL 20 - 7 PM ET - Thursday Night Football
LI (0-4) @ OTT (2-2) - JUL 21 - 7 PM ET - Friday Night Football
IND (1-3) @ MTL (4-0) - JUL 22 - 3 PM ET
WOR (0-4) @ BOS (3-1) - JUL 22 - 7 PM ET - Saturday Night Football
LDN (4-0) @ PRO (2-2) - JUL 23 - 2 PM ET

1961 Week 5 

Buffalo Blue Wings - 21, Louisville Thunder - 24 - Buffalo Civic Stadium - July 20, 1961 - 7 PM ET - TNF - Weather: Partly Cloudy
1st Q
3-0 BUF - FG K Donald Brewer
3-7 LOU - PTD QB Leonidas Dumont -> WR Truman Harry
2nd Q
10-7 BUF - PTD QB Stanislav Ovechkin -> WR Daniel Irons
10-14 LOU - RTD RB Rodney Clark
3rd Q
13-14 BUF - FG K Donald Brewer
13-21 LOU - PTD QB Leonidas Dumont -> WR Truman Harry
4th Q
19-21 BUF - PTD QB Stanislav Ovechkin -> WR LeRoy Krueger
21-21 BUF - 2PT RB Jimmy Golden
21-24 LOU - FG K Theodore Provost 

Another tight game ends with Louisville narrowly escaping with a win on the road in Buffalo.
QBs Leonidas Dumont and Stanislav Ovechkin both had a pair of TD passes providing an exciting duel.
Ovechkin still struggled a bit with the Thunder secondary throwing a pair of interceptions to S Johnny Berger and DB Jayden Mills, but his own defence, mainly S Frazier Brooks was able to get some plays back (Brooks had a pick).
WR Truman Harry has been a welcome sight in Louisville catching a pair of TDs in the game, the chemistry he had built with Dumont a couple of years ago is still very present.
DL Bjorn Sigmarsson also had his first career forced fumble in the game for Louisville. 

Ottawa Royals - 19, Long Island Raiders - 27 - Royals Stadium at Brewer Park - July 21, 1961 - 7 PM ET - FNF - Weather: Partly Cloudy
1st Q
3-0 OTT - FG K Maurice Lafayette
3-7 LI - RTD RB Dareion Fields
2nd Q
3-14 LI - PTD QB Lyle Painter -> WR Darryl Duke
3-17 LI - FG K Henderson Schumacher
10-17 OTT - RTD RB Alexei Volkov
3rd Q
13-17 OTT - FG K Maurice Lafayette
13-24 LI - PTD QB Lyle Painter -> WR Wilson Queensgate
4th Q
19-24 OTT - PTD QB Jean Matieau -> TE Jervonte Howell
19-27 LI - FG K Henderson Schumacher 

It was a wake-up call for the Long Island Raiders leading up to their week 5 game in Ottawa. 
QB Lyle Painter and Head Coach Jimmy Sargent faced the most criticism over the week and they, Painter mainly, took it to heart and put it all on the field.
Painter would throw for 2 touchdowns, after not having a single passing TD in the first 4 games, and 268 Yards.
The Royals would still stay in the fight, but the Raiders' defence was able to hold them off enough to secure the win.

Montreal Rouge - 23, Indiana Victors - 10 - Mount Royal Stadium - July 22, 1961 - 3 PM ET - Weather: Partly Cloudy
1st Q
7-0 MTL - RTD RB Scott Mallard-White
2nd Q
10-0 MTL - FG K Arthur Kettinger
17-0 MTL - PTD QB Gene Bishop -> WR Derek Cross
3rd Q
17-7 IND - RTD RB Johnnie Stafford
20-7 MTL - FG K Arthur Kettinger
4th Q
20-10 IND - FG K Ross Poindexter
23-10 MTL - FG K Arthur Kettinger 

The Rouge continued their unbeaten campaign with another strong win at home over the Indiana Victors.
Indiana had a strong performance on defence keeping the Rouge at bay during the second half, DL William Sanderson led the way with a sack and a forced fumble in the second half.
Montreal had some success on defence as well with DB Jontray Cox and DB Quentin Xavier both grabbing interceptions.  

Worcester Athletics - 16, Boston Independents - 24 - Worcester Stadium - July 23, 1961 - 7 PM ET - SNF - Weather: Windy
1st Q
3-0 WOR - FG K Elvis Franklin
3-7 BOS - RTD RB Kendall Morgan
2nd Q
6-7 WOR - FG K Elvis Franklin
6-14 BOS - PTD QB Nathaniel Braddock -> WR Paul Franklin
3rd Q
9-14 WOR - FG K Elvis Franklin
9-17 BOS - FG K Johnnie Berg
4th Q
9-24 BOS - PTD QB Nathaniel Braddock -> WR Ellis Lindholm
16-24 WOR - RTD RB Lawrence Sharp 

Boston held off the Athletics for the second straight game to improve to 4-1. However, the story of the game was on the Athletics side with QB Caldwell Higgins III getting his first start as an Athletic.
Unfortunately, the QB wouldn’t make it to halftime before getting nailed with a big hit from DL Robin Hill and would be replaced by QB Terry Bourbon. 
Bourbon was able to get Worcester some points in the second half playing some of his best football so far this season.

Providence Gold Stars - 18, London Tigers - 30 - New Providence Stadium - July 23, 1961 - 2 PM ET - Weather: Rain
1st Q
0-7 LDN - RTD RB Clifford Russell
0-10 LDN - FG K Nimrod Handsworth
2nd Q
3-10 PRO - FG K Ira Foster
3-17 LDN - RTD RB Clifford Russell
3rd Q
4-17 PRO - Single K Ira Foster
4-20 LDN - FG K Nimrod Handsworth
10-20 PRO - PTD QB Rigobert St-Hilaire -> WR Sammy Moss
12-20 PRO - 2PT QB Rigobert St-Hilaire -> WR Marqués Gardner
4th Q
12-27 LDN - PTD QB Riley Kiernan -> WR Benedict Spencer
18-27 PRO - RTD RB Marcus Devonshire
18-30 LDN - FG K Nimrod Handsworth 

The Tigers were able to maintain their unbeaten record while fending off the Gold Stars. St-Hilaire continued to do what he could for the team with a passing touchdown and only 1 interception. DB Neville Falkner grabbed a pick for the Gold Stars while DB Jackson Miles had the pick for the Tigers. 

Injury Report
LB Brent Harper BOS - Day-to-Day
S Cal Clemmons IND - Season
LB Felix Bender IND - 2 Weeks
DB Herb Covington LI - 2 Weeks
DL Hubert Tessier MTL - 6 Weeks
S Garet deVale MTL - Day-to-Day
WR Cedric Peterson PRO - 1 Week
QB Caldwell Higgins III WOR - Day-to-Day 

Players of the Week 

OFF: WR Truman Harry LOU - 2 Receiving Touchdowns, 98 Receiving Yards 

DEF: DB Quentin Xavier MTL - 1 Interception, 5 Tackles, 3 Passes Defended

Standings
WEST
London 5-0
Louisville 4-1
Buffalo 1-4
Indiana 1-4
Long Island 1-4 

EAST
Montreal 5-0
Boston 4-1
Ottawa 2-3
Providence 2-3
Worcester 0-5

Power Rankings
1 - London -
2 - Louisville -
3 - Montreal +1
4 - Boston -1
5 - Providence +1
6 - Ottawa -1
7 - Buffalo -
8 - Long Island +1
9 - Indiana -1
10 - Worcester - 

Week 6 Games - RIVALRY WEEK
WOR (0-5) @ LI (1-4) - JUL 28 - 7 PM ET - Friday Night Football
IND (1-4) @ LOU (4-1) - JUL 29 - 1 PM ET
PRO (2-3) @ BOS (4-1) - JUL 29 - 4 PM ET
OTT (2-3) @ MTL (5-0) - JUL 30 - 1 PM ET
LDN (5-0) @ BUF (1-4) - JUL 30 - 4 PM ET

1961 Week 6

Long Island Raiders - 38, Worcester Athletics - 16 - Long Island Stadium - July 28, 1961 - 7 PM ET - FNF - Weather: Clear
1st Q
7-0 LI - RTD RB Dareion Fields
14-0 LI - DTD FUM DL Vernon Spears
2nd Q
14-3 WOR - FG K Elvis Franklin
21-3 LI - PTD QB Lyle Painter -> WR Darryl Duke
3rd Q
24-3 LI - FG K Henderson Schumacher
24-10 WOR - RTD RB Lawrence Sharp
31-10 LI - RTD RB Dareion Fields
4th Q
31-16 WOR - PTD QB Caldwell Higgins III -> WR Ronald Macquire
38-16 LI - PTD QB Lyle Painter -> WR Darryl Duke 

The Raiders continued their rampage back out of their 0-4 start, setting the Athletics secondary ablaze in their second straight win.
Lyle Painter and OC Levi Bray seem to have simplified the offence and allowed Painter to do a little more improvising which seems to have ignited the offence.
QB Terry Bourbon would get the start but would struggle in the first half leading to Calwell Higgins III taking over in the second half and leading the team to a pair of touchdowns.
The Raiders' defence also made a big impact with DL Vernon Spears getting a touchdown after stripping Terry Bourbon of the ball on his own 3-yard line. 

Louisville Thunder - 32, Indiana Victors - 23 - Thunder Stadium - July 29, 1961 - 1 PM ET - Weather: Clear
1st Q
0-7 IND - RTD RB Johnnie Stafford
7-7 LOU - QB Leonidas Dumont -> WR Marty Jay
10-7 LOU - FG K Theodore Provost
2nd Q
10-10 IND - FG K Ross Poindexter
17-10 LOU - PTD QB Leonidas Dumont -> WR Piers Key
17-17 IND - PTD QB Lee Rogers -> WR Ed Edwards
3rd Q
17-20 IND - FG K Ross Poindexter
4th Q
24-20 LOU - RTD RB Stavros Black
24-23 IND - FG K Ross Poindexter
30-23 LOU - DTD INT - S Johnny Berger
32-23 LOU - 2PT RB Stavros Black 

The Thunder and Victors had a back-and-forth battle with the Thunder clinching the game with an S Johnny Berger pick-6.
Dumont had a pair of touchdowns once again, but it was QB Lee Rogers who threw a TD for the Victors on a last-ditch shot at the end of the half, replacing Stanley Troyer on the play because of his superior arm strength.
Both teams showed a lot of heart and many were saying the matchup was finally starting to become a bigger rivalry.
DL Fred Webster was able to make an impact with his first career forced fumble for the Victors. 

Boston Independents - 22, Providence Gold Stars - 17 - Richardson Stadium - July 29, 1961 - 4 PM ET - Weather: Clear
1st Q
3-0 BOS - FG K Johnnie Berg
3-7 PRO - RTD RB Marcus Devonshire
2nd Q
10-7 BOS - DTD FUM LB Konrad Aust
13-7 BOS - FG K Johnnie Berg
3rd Q
13-10 PRO - FG K Ira Foster
20-10 BOS - RTD RB Kendall Morgan
4th Q
20-17 PRO - PTD QB Rigobert St-Hilaire -> WR Christian Venegas
22-17 BOS - Safety DL Dennis Hughes 

The latest entry in the Boston-Providence rivalry was a lot closer than expected with QB Connor O’Rourke still out of the lineup. 
Boston had a comfortable 20-10 lead in the third, but the Gold Stars defence stepped up to stall out the Independents offence for the rest of the game.
LB Rusty McVee had a forced fumble and DB Neville Falkner had a pick.
St-Hilaire would lead the Gold Stars to a late score before the defence would stall the Independents at mid-field. Boston would punt it down to the Providence 6, where St-Hilaire would get forced to 3rd and 8. The QB would try to get away from the attack, but couldn’t find a receiver and was brought down in the endzone for a safety, after losing sight of DL Dennis Hughes who snuck up on him from his blindside. 

Montreal Rouge - 37, Ottawa Royals - 7 - Mount Royal Stadium - July 30, 1961 - 1 PM ET - Weather: Cloudy
1st Q
7-0 MTL - RTD RB Scott Mallard-White
10-0 MTL - FG K Arthur Kettinger
2nd Q
13-0 MTL - FG K Arthur Kettinger
13-7 OTT - PTD QB Jean Matieau -> WR Mackenzie Jones
20-7 MTL - PTD QB Gene Bishop -> WR Derek Cross
3rd Q
23-7 MTL- FG K Arthur Kettinger
30-7 MTL - RTD RB Scott Mallard-White
4th Q
37-7 MTL - PTD QB Gene Bishop -> WR Robert Lang 

It was a bloodbath in Montreal with the Rouge smacking around the struggling Royals 37-7.
Jean Matieau played one of his worst games in a long time with 2 interceptions and a fumble on the day. 
S Garet deVale and DB Clayton Malone had the picks with DL Zakary Turbide having the fumble.
The Royals defence did get one turnover with an S Randall Green interception, but could not capitalize.
QB Gene Bishop seems to have gotten completely comfortable within the Rouge offence throwing a pair of TDs in the game. 

Buffalo Blue Wings - 17, London Tigers - 34 - Buffalo Civic Stadium - July 30, 1961 - 4 PM ET - Weather: Cloudy
1st Q
0-3 LDN - FG K Nimrod Handsworth
0-10 LDN - PTD QB Riley Kiernan -> WR Max Sutton
2nd Q
7-10 BUF - RTD RB Jimmy Golden
7-17 LDN - PTD QB Riley Kiernan -> WR Benedict Spencer
3rd Q
7-24 LDN - PTD QB Riley Kiernan -> WR Jack Duncan
10-24 BUF - FG K Donald Brewer
4th Q
10-31 LDN - PTD QB Riley Kiernan -> WR Max Sutton
17-31 BUF - PTD QB Stanislav Ovechkin -> WR Daniel Irons
17-34 LDN - FG K Nimrod Handsworth 

The London Tigers came out with another strong performance against the Blue Wings with QB Riley Kiernan throwing for 4 touchdowns in the win.
Stanislav Ovechkin struggled at times in the loss, and the Blue Wings threw 2nd year QB Charles Lemieux onto the field for the last drive of the game after London scored another field goal.
DB Ricardo Salvador grabbed a pick in the win with LB Aengus Lynch grabbing a forced fumble as well.

Injury Report
DL Olympus Heights LDN - Day-to-Day
DL Tyrone Affalo LOU - 2 Weeks
DL Dexter Barbarcos MTL - Day-to-Day
TE Bob Friesen WOR - Day-to-Day 

Players of the Week 

OFF: QB Riley Kiernan LDN - 4 Passing Touchdowns, 352 Passing Yards 

DEF: DL Vernon Spears LI - 1 Forced Fumble, 1 Touchdown, 7 Tackles, 2 Sacks 

Standings
WEST
London 6-0
Louisville 5-1
Long Island 2-4
Buffalo 1-5
Indiana 1-5 

EAST
Montreal 6-0
Boston 5-1
Ottawa 2-4
Providence 2-4
Worcester 0-6

Power Rankings
1 - London -
2 - Montreal +1
3 - Louisville -1
4 - Boston -
5 - Providence -
6 - Long Island +2
7 - Ottawa -1
8 - Buffalo -1
9 - Indiana -
10 - Worcester -

Week 7 Games
PRO (2-4) @ WOR (0-6) - AUG 4 - 7 PM ET - Friday Night Football
OTT (2-4) @ LOU (5-1) - AUG 5 - 3 PM ET
MTL (6-0) @ BOS (5-1) - AUG 5 - 7 PM ET - Saturday Night Football
LI (2-4) @ IND (1-5) - AUG 6 - 1 PM ET
BUF (1-5) @ LDN (6-0) - AUG 6 - 4 PM ET

1961 Week 7 

Worcester Athletics - 29, Providence Gold Stars - 32 - Worcester Stadium - August 4, 1961 - 7 PM ET - FNF - Weather: Clear
1st Q
7-0 WOR - PTD QB Caldwell Higgins III -> WR Zachariah Pembroke
7-3 PRO - FG K Ira Foster
14-3 WOR - RTD RB Lawrence Sharp
2nd Q
17-3 WOR - FG K Elvis Franklin
17-6 PRO - FG K Ira Foster
17-12 PRO - PTD QB Rigobert St-Hilaire -> WR Cedric Peterson
3rd Q
17-18 PRO - RTD RB Marcus Devonshire
20-18 WOR - FG K Elvis Franklin
20-21 PRO - FG K Ira Foster
26-21 WOR - PTD QB Caldwell Higgins III -> WR Zachariah Pembroke
4th Q
29-21 WOR - FG K Elvis Franklin
29-27 PRO - RTD QB Rigobert St-Hilaire
29-29 PRO - 2PT RB Marcus Devonshire
29-32 PRO - FG K Ira Foster

The Worcester Athletics seemed to get a boost behind QB Caldwell Higgins III as they held onto a lead for the majority of their game against the Providence Gold Stars.
However, S Shawn Jensen came up big to burn his old team with a pick late in the fourth that would set up the game-winning field goal and melt away the last of their hopes.
Rigobert St-Hilaire only had one interception in the game, and after a slow first half took off getting the team back into the game and even taking in the game-tying touchdown himself.
The Gold Stars also were the first team to attempt 2-point converts following all of their touchdowns in a game. 

Louisville Thunder - 31, Ottawa Royals - 24 - Thunder Stadium - August 5, 1961 - 3 PM ET - Weather: Clear
1st Q
7-0 LOU - RTD RB Stavros Black
2nd Q
14-0 LOU - PTD QB Leonidas Dumont -> WR Piers Key
14-7 OTT - PTD QB Jean Matieau -> WR Chester Bennett
3rd Q
14-10 OTT - FG K Maurice Lafeyette
21-10 LOU - PTD QB Leonidas Dumont -> WR Marty Jay
24-10 LOU - FG K Theodore Provost
4th Q
24-17 OTT - PTD QB Jean Matieau -> WR Angus Stevenson
24-24 OTT - PTD QB Jean Matieau -> WR Mackenzie Jones
31-24 LOU - RTD RB Rodney Clark 

The Royals got off to a rocky start against the Thunder, but Jean Matieau was able to lead the team back into the game and tie it late, but the Thunder would score late with Rodney Clark to seal another win.
DB Jayden Mills and DB Alexander Bradley would each have a pick in the first half.
DB Mingan Oliver and DL Olaf Viktorsson would get turnovers for the Royals.
The Royals’ 5th loss of the season is the most that they have lost in a single season since joining the NAAF.  

Boston Independents - 27, Montreal Rouge - 14 - Richardson Stadium - August 5, 1961 - 7 PM ET - SNF - Weather: Rain
1st Q
0-3 MTL - FG K Arthur Kettinger
7-3 BOS - RTD RB Kendall Morgan
2nd Q
14-3 BOS - PTD QB Nathaniel Braddock -> TE Tanner Tint
14-6 MTL - FG K Arthur Kettinger
3rd Q
17-6 BOS - FG K Johnnie Berg
17-12 MTL - PTD QB Gene Bishop -> WR Derek Cross
17-14 MTL - 2PT RB Scott Mallard-White
4th Q
20-14 BOS - FG K Johnnie Berg
27-14 BOS - RTD RB Eddie Thompson 

The Independents ended the Rouge’s unbeaten campaign with a strong win at home in the rain.
Boston has typically struggled in the rain, but Nathaniel Braddock was able to lead the team to another win with a passing touchdown to Tint.
Montreal was able to stay in the game into the 3rd, but the Boston defence seemed to have figured them out and stalled them. 
LB Brent Harper and LB Marco Price each had a forced fumble, and DB Petr Westerburg had a pick.LB Sam Fitzroy would have a forced fumble for Montreal as well, but they were unable to capitalize.

Indiana Victors - 13, Long Island Raiders - 20 - Victory Stadium - August 6, 1961 - 1 PM ET - Weather: Clear
1st Q
3-0 IND - FG K Ross Poindexter
3-3 LI - FG K Henderson Schumacher
2nd Q
3-10 LI- PTD QB Lyle Painter -> WR Darryl Duke
10-10 IND - PTD QB Stanley Troyer -> WR Ed Edwards
10-17 LI - PTD QB Lyle Painter -> WR Darryl Duke
3rd Q
13-17 IND - FG K Ross Poindexter
4th Q
13-20 LI - FG K Henderson Schumacher

The Raider got their revenge on the Victors to clinch their third straight win.
The 2nd quarter was an explosive shootout with 3 touchdowns being scored through the air.
 Painter continued to show his strengths in the now revitalized offence finding WR Darryl Duke for a pair of TDs.
The second half was quiet, but a big reason for that was the Raiders’ defence coming through with a strong performance. 
DB Slay Mitchell and DB Clinton Gates each had a pick with LB Gene Benson getting a forced fumble.
Indiana had some help from DL William Sanderson grabbing another sack and a forced fumble of his own. 

London Tigers - 27, Buffalo Blue Wings - 28 - Western Fair Stadium - August 6, 1961 - 4 PM ET - Weather: Clear
1st Q
0-7 BUF - PTD QB Charles Lemieux -> WR LeRoy Krueger
7-7 LDN - PTD QB Riley Kiernan -> WR Benedict Spencer
2nd Q
14-7 LDN - RTD RB Clifford Russell17-7 LDN - FG K Nimrod Handsworth
3rd Q
20-7 LDN - FG K Nimrod Handsworth20-14 BUF - RTD RB Jimmy Golden
4th Q
27-14 LDN - PTD QB Riley Kiernan -> WR Max Sutton
27-21 BUF - PTD QB Charles Lemieux -> WR LeRoy Krueger
27-28 BUF - PTD QB Charles Lemieux -> WR Daniel Irons 

The rematch between the Tigers and Blue Wings was the breakout game for a young QB in Charles Lemieux. 
The Blue Wings gave the second-year QB a chance to start in the second part of the Buffalo-London rivalry and he put on a show, throwing 3 touchdowns in a come-from-behind win over the league’s top team; the performance put him on the map as a potential future star.
The Tigers certainly were not lacking in the battle, keeping ahead up until the final few minutes of the game, which ultimately is not going to sit well with the squad.
S Frazier Brooks came through with a pick for the Blue Wings while DL Lonnie Vincent grabbed a fumble. 
The Tigers had their own share with DL Olympus Heights and DB Bob Ellis getting their own turnovers.  

Injury Report
OL Harrison Ward MTL - Season 

Players of the Week 

OFF: QB Charles Lemieux BUF - 3 Passing Touchdowns, 312 Passing Yards 

DEF: LB Brent Harper BOS - 1 Forced Fumble, 9 Tackles 

Standings
WEST
London 6-1
Louisville 6-1
Long Island 3-4
Buffalo 2-5
Indiana 1-6 

EAST
Boston 6-1
Montreal 6-1
Providence 3-4
Ottawa 2-5
Worcester 0-7

Power Rankings
1 - London -
2 - Boston +2
3 - Louisville -
4 - Montreal -
5 - Long Island +1
6 - Providence -1
7 - Buffalo +1
8 - Ottawa -1
9 - Indiana -
10 - Worcester -

TRADE DEADLINE NEXT WEEK
Week 8 Games
BOS (6-1) @ IND (1-6) - AUG 10 - 7 PM ET - Thursday Night Football
LOU (6-1) @ PRO (3-4) - AUG 11 - 7 PM ET - Friday Night Football
WOR (0-7) @ MTL (6-1) - AUG 12 - 3 PM ET
LDN (6-1) @ OTT (2-5) - AUG 12 - 7 PM ET - Saturday Night Football
BUF (2-5) @ LI (3-4) - AUG 13 - 2 PM ET

1961 TRADE DEADLINE

With the league’s first trade deadline approaching, there was chatter across the league about potential trades, who might be moving if there were a move to be made. Worcester seemed to be at the centre of the talks after their 0-7 start, especially about their veteran players. LB Scotty Williams was probably the most talked-about player there with his age getting up there and the team’s lack of success. Both Providence and Louisville made pushes for the LB, but no deals would be made with GM Jack McKinnon’s asking price of up to 3 1st rounders and more. However, there still seemed to be pressure for Worcester to unload and GM Virgil Gross of the Montreal Rouge came through with some fireworks. 

With the season-ending injury to young OL Harrison Ward, Gross was looking for a strong OL to replace him. So he targeted and acquired OL Cliff Strauztenberger. The 6-time All-star and former 2nd overall pick would be sent to Montreal along with long-time Athletics and Worcester native DL Brayden Mills in exchange for OL Kurt Booker, a 1962 1st Rounder, a 1963 3rd Rounder, and DL Angus MacTavish.  

Montreal will now have two solid pieces to replace injuries for the time being and the Athletics aim to head into the rebuild with a lot more pieces. Kurt Booker was a first-round pick from 1960 and should be a good piece for the future OL and MacTavish helps keep the teams balanced.  

With Worcester traded both of their assistant captains, the team would name RB Lawrence Sharp and DL Vinny Brown as the new assistant captains for the remainder of the season. 

1961 Week 8

Indiana Victors - 9, Boston Independents - 10 - Victory Stadium - August 10, 1961 - 7 PM ET - TNF - Weather: Rain
1st Q
0-7 BOS - RTD RB Kendall Morgan
2nd Q
3rd Q
3-7 IND - FG K Ross Poindexter
9-7 IND - RTD RB Johnnie Stafford
4th Q
9-10 BOS - FG K Johnnie Berg 

A game in the rain led to quite a defensive duel with Boston narrowly escaping a potential loss to the Victors.
Fumbles were all over the place in the game with a combined 7 fumbles in the game. 
It ended up being a fumble that would lead to the game-winning field goal caused by DL Konrad Aust. 

Providence Gold Stars - 35, Louisville Thunder - 31 - New Providence Stadium - August 11, 1961 - 7 PM ET - FNF - Weather: Cloudy
1st Q
7-0 PRO - RTD RB Marcus Devonshire
7-7 LOU - RTD RB Rodney Clark
2nd Q
14-7 PRO - RTD RB Marcus Devonshire
14-14 LOU - PTD QB Leonidas Dumont -> WR Truman Harry
21-14 PRO - PTD QB Connor O’Rourke -> WR Cedric Peterson
3rd Q
21-21 LOU - RTD RB Stavros Black
21-28 LOU - RTD RB Rodney Clark
4th Q
28-28 PRO - PTD QB Connor O’Rourke -> WR Cedric Peterson
28-31 LOU - FG K Theodore Provost
35-31 PRO - PTD QB Connor O’Rourke -> WR Christian Venegas

QB Connor O’Rourke returned to the Gold Stars lineup to put on a show, throwing 3 touchdowns in the team’s upset over the Louisville Thunder.
The Thunder kept up with the rejuvenated Gold Stars offence, but after S Shawn Jensen broke up a potential touchdown pass to WR Piers Key to force a field goal, the Gold Stars were able to get the upper hand.DB Neville Falkner had a pick in the game and DL Calias McDonough grabbed a fumble for the Gold Stars. DB Alexander Bradley had a pick for the Thunder, but that was the only turnover from their side. 

Montreal Rouge - 26, Worcester Athletics - 15 - Mount Royal Stadium - August 12, 1961 - 3 PM ET - Weather: Cloudy
1st Q
3-0 MTL - FG K Arthur Kettinger
10-0 MTL - PTD QB Gene Bishop -> WR Derek Cross
2nd Q
10-3 WOR - FG K Elvis Franklin
17-3 MTL - RTD RB Scott Mallard-White
3rd Q
17-9 WOR - RTD RB Bernard Alston
20-9 MTL - FG K Arthur Kettinger
4th Q
20-15 WOR - PTD QB Caldwell Higgins -> WR Ronald Macquire
26-15 MTL - RTD QB Gene Bishop 

The Rouge got back in the win column over the lowly Athletics.
The recent trade between the teams made an immediate impact with Strauztenberger shutting down the Worcester D-line not allowing a hit on Bishop throughout the whole game.
Worcester showed some fight near the end with Caldwell Higgins lighting a fire in the offence, but Gene Bishop countered with a touchdown of his own. 
DB Quenton Xavier had a pick for the Rouge as well as DB Jontray Cox. 

Ottawa Royals - 13, London Tigers - 16 - Royals Stadium at Brewer Park - August 12, 1961 - 7 PM ET - SNF - Weather: Clear
1st Q
0-3 LDN - FG K Nimrod Handsworth
3-3 OTT - FG K Maurice Lafayette
2nd Q
3-10 LDN - PTD QB Riley Kiernan -> WR Max Sutton
3rd Q
6-10 OTT - FG K Maurice Lafayette
13-10 OTT - RTD RB Alexei Volkov
4th Q
13-13 LDN - FG K Nimrod Handsworth
13-16 LDN - FG K Nimrod Handsworth 

The Royals-Tigers had quite a slow and defensive battle in their rematch of the McCallister. 
RB Alexei Volkov had the Royals up late, but the Tigers behind the leg of K Nimrod Handsworth would be able to grab a pair of field goals to give the Tigers the win.
DB Jackson Miles had a pick for the Tigers while LB Aengus Lynch had a forced fumble.
DL Troy Hunt had a forced fumble while DB Uzzia Hayes had a pick. 

Long Island Raiders - 24, Buffalo Blue Wings - 18 - Long Island Stadium - August 13, 1961 - 2 PM ET - Weather: Cloudy
1st Q
0-3 BUF - FG K Donald Brewer
2nd Q
7-3 LI - PTD QB Lyle Painter -> WR Darryl Duke
10-3 LI - FG K Henderson Schumacher
3rd Q
10-10 BUF - RTD RB Jimmy Golden
17-10 LI - RTD RB Dareion Fields
17-11 BUF - Single K Donald Brewer
4th Q
17-18 BUF - PTD QB Charles Lemieux -> TE Johann Traeger
24-18 LI - RTD RB Dareion Fields 

The Raiders claimed their 4th straight win over the Blue Wings.
Charles Lemieux was solid in his second straight start, but the defence was unable to maintain another 1 point lead late. S Johan Eckhart had a pick for the Raiders as the lone turnover of the game. *With Ottawa and Buffalo losing, London, Montreal, and Boston all clinch playoff spots*

Injury Report
DB Malik Davenport IND - Day-to-Day
DB Cameron Taylor PRO - 2 Weeks 

Players of the Week 

OFF: QB Connor O’Rourke PRO - 3 Passing Touchdowns, 301 Passing Yards 

DEF: DL Konrad Aust BOS - 1 Forced Fumble, 7 Tackles, 1 Passes Defended 

Standings
WEST
London 7-1 -x
Louisville 6-2
Long Island 4-4
Buffalo 2-6
Indiana 1-7 

EAST
Boston 7-1 -x
Montreal 7-1 -x
Providence 4-4
Ottawa 2-6
Worcester 0-8 

Power Rankings
1 - London -
2 - Boston -
3 - Montreal +1
4 - Louisville -1
5 - Providence +1
6 - Long Island -1
7 - Buffalo -
8 - Ottawa -
9 - Indiana -
10 - Worcester - 

Week 9 Games
MTL (7-1) @ LDN (7-1) - AUG 18 - 7 PM ET - Friday Night Football
OTT (2-6) @ WOR (0-8) - AUG 19 - 3 PM ET
BOS (7-1) @ PRO (4-4) - AUG 19 - 7 PM ET - Saturday Night Football
LI (4-4) @ LOU (7-1) - AUG 20 - 1 PM ET
*LOU clinches playoff spot with win or BUF Loss
IND (1-7) @ BUF (2-6) - AUG 20 - 4 PM ET 

BREAKING NEWS

WORCESTER STADIUM AT CENTER OF DOWNTOWN BLAZE IN WORCESTER
Thursday, August 17, 1961 - Downtown Worcester was rudely awakened to a blazing fire and many sirens. A pillar of smoke rose from the heart of downtown with Worcester Stadium at the centre of the blaze. Several buildings were also caught up in the blaze. It took several hours for the fire to be contained and put out.  

The damage to Worcester Stadium was significant. The field was heavily damaged, the stands barely stood, and the locker rooms and offices were nothing but ashes. The main structure was still there, but there was no way for the stadium to still be used for the remainder of the NAAF season. The league was swift in making the decision to postpone their game against the Royals on Saturday afternoon. 

1961 Week 9 

London Tigers - 38, Montreal Rouge - 11 - Western Fair Stadium - August 18, 1961 - 7 PM ET - Weather: Clear
1st Q
7-0 LDN - PTD QB Riley Kiernan -> WR Benedict Spencer
14-0 LDN - PTD QB Riley Kiernan -> WR Max Sutton
2nd Q
14-1 MTL - Single K Arthur Kettinger
17-1 LDN - FG K Nimrod Handsworth
24-1 LDN - DTD INT DB Jackson Miles
3rd Q
24-8 MTL- RTD RB Scott Mallard-White
31-8 LDN - RTD RB Clifford Russell
4th Q
31-11 MTL - FG K Arthur Kettinger
38-11 LDN - PTD QB Riley Kiernan -> WR Max Sutton

The Tigers' defence shut down the Montreal offence while piling it on via QB Riley Kiernan’s air raid. DB Jackson Miles would have a big pick at the end of the first half to make it 24-1.
LB Aengus Lynch and DL Richard Blunt would have forced fumbles each.
Montreal would struggle to move the ball all game, especially with WR Robert Lang getting hurt.
WR Taylor Karis would get into the game catching 2 passes for 21 yards, but also dropped a couple. 

Providence Gold Stars - 19, Boston Independents - 6 - New Providence Stadium - August 19, 1961 - 7 PM ET- Weather: Rain
1st Q
7-0 PRO - RTD RB Marcus Devonshire
9-0 PRO - Safety DL Calias McDonough
2nd Q
9-3 BOS - FG Johnnie Berg
16-3 PRO - KRTD RB Tommy Kerr
3rd Q
4th Q19-3 PRO - FG K Ira Foster
19-6 BOS - FG K Johnie Berg 

The Gold Stars continued to roll with Connor O’Rourke back in the line-up and their defence taking it to the Independents. 
The defence made the biggest impact with DL Calias McDonough with a pair of sacks which included a safety. 
DB Jared Francis and LB Rusty McVee would both get forced fumbles as well to help the team.
Boston had some solid plays, but they were never able to finish with the Gold Stars defence playing on another level.

Louisville Thunder - 28, Long Island Raiders - 16 - Thunder Stadium - August 20, 1961 - 1 PM ET - Weather: Partly Cloudy
1st Q
0-3 LI - FG Henderson Schumacher
7-3 LOU - RTD RB Stavros Black
2nd Q
7-10 LI - RTD RB Dareion Fields
14-10 LOU - PTD QB Leonidas Dumont -> TE Christopher Gist
3rd Q
21-10 LOU - PTD QB Leonidas Dumont -> WR Truman Harry
4th Q
21-16 LI - PTD QB Lyle Painter -> WR Wilson Queensgate
28-16 LOU - RTD RB Rodney Clark 

The Thunder got back to winning this week putting an end to the Raiders’ winning streak. Dumont was solid with a pair of touchdowns in the win and both his running backs scoring as well. Long Island’s more pass-heavy attack was thwarted by a rebounding secondary after a bad week in Providence. S Johnny Berger, DB Oliver Langstrom had picks with LB George Yokoi grabbing a fumble for the Thunder. 

Buffalo Blue Wings - 21, Indiana Victors - 14 - Buffalo Civic Stadium - August 20, 1961 - 4 PM ET - Weather: Clear
1st Q
3-0 BUF - FG K Donald Brewer
2nd Q
3-7 IND - RTD RB Don Gregson
6-7 BUF - FG K Donald Brewer
3rd Q
6-14 IND - RTD RB Johnnie Stafford
12-14 BUF - PTD QB Charles Lemieux -> WR Ronald Vernon
14-14 BUF - 2PT RB Jimmy Golden
4th Q
21-14 BUF - PTD QB Charles Lemieux -> WR Daniel Irons 

The Blue Wings got another win over the Indiana Victors off of a late touchdown drive from the young QB Charles Lemieux. Indiana put up a solid fight, but they fell apart in the 4th being unable to stop the Blue Wings offence. S Frazier Brooks would get a pick and DL Harrison Fink had a fumble for the Blue Wings, and then Indiana would get a turnover from DB David Jones. 

Injury Report
DL Timmy Kerr LI - 1 Week
WR Robert Lang MTL - 3 Weeks 

Players of the Week 

OFF: QB Riley Kiernan LDN - 3 Passing Touchdowns, 289 Passing Yards 

DEF: DL Calias McDonough PRO - 1 Safety, 2 Sacks, 8 Tackles 

Standings
WEST
London 8-1 -x
Louisville 7-2 -x
Long Island 4-5
Buffalo 3-6
Indiana 1-8 

EAST
Boston 7-2 -x
Montreal 7-2 -x
Providence 5-4
Ottawa 2-6
Worcester 0-8 

Power Rankings
1 - London -
2 - Louisville +2
3 - Boston -1
4 - Montreal -1
5 - Providence -
6 - Long Island -
7 - Buffalo -
8 - Ottawa -
9 - Indiana -
10 - Worcester -  

LEAGUE CHANGES SCHEDULE
The NAAF announced the schedule changes to accommodate the Athletics for their remaining home games. Firstly, all 3 of Worcester’s remaining home games would be relocated to Boston’s Richardson Stadium. However, that resulted in several changes around the other games that still need to be played.  

For Week 10, Worcester and Buffalo would be moved to Sunday afternoon at 4 PM ET and London and Indiana would be moved from Sunday at 2 PM ET to the 3 PM ET Saturday slot. For Week 11, Worcester’s game against Ottawa would be scheduled for an additional Thursday Night Football, and then their rematch scheduled for Sunday in Ottawa would be moved to Labour Day at 8 PM ET. This means there will be 6 games played during week 11.  

Week 10 Games
PRO (5-4) @ OTT (2-6) - AUG 24 - 7 PM ET - Thursday Night Football
*PRO clinches playoffs with a win
LOU (7-2) @ MTL (7-2) - AUG 25 - 7 PM ET - Friday Night Football
IND (1-8) @ LDN (8-1) - AUG 26 - 3 PM ET
LI (4-5) @ BOS (7-2) - AUG 26 - 7 PM ET - Saturday Night Football
BUF (3-6) @ WOR (0-8) - AUG 27 - 4 PM ET @ Richardson Stadium

1961 Week 10 

Ottawa Royals - 24, Providence Gold Stars - 25 - Royals Stadium at Brewer Park - August 24, 1961 - 7 PM ET - TNF - Weather: Partly Cloudy
1st Q
0-7 PRO - PTD QB Connor O’Rourke -> WR Cedric Peterson
7-7 OTT - PTD QB Jean Matieau -> WR Chester Bennett
2nd Q
7-10 PRO - FG K Ira Foster
7-13 PRO - FG K Ira Foster
14-13 OTT - RTD RB Alexei Volkov
3rd Q
14-19 PRO - PTD QB Connor O’Rourke -> WR Cedric Peterson
17-19 OTT - FG K Maurice Lafayette
4th Q
24-19 OTT - PTD QB Jean Matieau -> WR Mackenzie Jones
24-25 PRO - PTD QB Connor O’Rourke -> WR Sammy Moss 

The Gold Stars pulled off their third straight win narrowly topping the Ottawa Royals on a late touchdown from Connor O’Rourke.
DB Jared Francis grabbed a pick and LB Daevion Shelton and DL Craig White had a forced fumble in the win.
Ottawa had some help from DL Olaf Viktorsson on a forced fumble as well, but it is clear they have just not been themselves this season at all.
The win would clinch the Gold Stars a return to the playoffs. 

Montreal Rouge - 26, Louisville Thunder - 29 - Mount Royal Stadium - August 25, 1961 - 7 PM ET - Weather: Partly Cloudy
1st Q
3-0 MTL - FG K Arthur Kettinger
3-7 LOU - RTD RB Stavros Black
10-7 MTL - PTD QB Gene Bishop -> WR Ray Lopez
2nd Q
10-13 LOU - PTD QB Leonidas Dumont -> WR Piers Key
17-13 MTL - RTD RB Scott Mallard-White
3rd Q
18-13 MTL - Single K Arthur Kettinger
18-16 LOU - FG K Theodore Provost
4th Q
18-23 LOU - PTD QB Leonidas Dumont -> WR Ben Roland
18-26 LOU - FG K Theodore Provost
24-26 MTL - PTD QB Gene Bishop -> WR Derek Cross
26-26 MTL - 2PT QB Gene Bishop -> WR Taylor Karis
26-29 LOU - FG K Theodore Provost

A final quarter filled with fireworks ended with the Thunder narrowly coming out on top to stick in the race with the Tigers in the West division.
Leonidas Dumont continued his super-strong season with another 2-touchdown performance.
Gene Bishop matched Dumont’s 2 TDs including one that pulled the team back into a tie with just over a minute left in the game.
Louisville’s secondary still showed up with S Johnny Berger grabbing a pick on Bishop, which should be matched by Montreal's S, Garet deVale, who had the lone pick for the Rouge. 

London Tigers - 24, Indiana Victors - 20 - Western Fair Stadium - August 26, 1961 - 3 PM ET - Weather: Cloudy
1st Q
0-7 IND - RTD RB Johnnie Stafford
2nd Q
3-7 LDN - FG K Nimrod Handsworth
3-10 IND - FG K Ross Poindexter
10-10 LDN - PTD QB Riley Kiernan -> WR Jack Duncan
3rd Q
17-10 LDN - RTD RB Eric Sydney
17-17 IND - PTD QB Stanley Troyer -> WR Alexei Dubois
4th Q
17-20 IND - FG K Ross Poindexter
24-20 LDN - PTD QB Riley Kiernan -> WR Max Sutton 

The Victors seemed to be able to find the Tigers’ weaknesses in both games this season against them, but it wasn’t enough to stop them.
The Tigers lost RB Clifford Russell for what looks to be a long-term injury and that affected their ability to move the ball consistently.
They would get some help from the defence with DB Ricardo Salvador getting a pick and a DL Olympus Heights forced fumble.
The win keeps the Tigers ahead of the Thunder in the divisional race.  

Boston Independents - 23, Long Island Raiders - 20 - Richardson Stadium - August 26, 1961 - 7 PM ET - SNF - Weather: Partly Cloudy
1st Q
0-3 LI - FG K Henderson Schumacher
3-3 BOS - FG K Johnnie Berg
2nd Q
10-3 BOS - RTD RB Kendall Morgan
10-6 LI - FG K Henderson Schumacher
3rd Q
10-13 LI - RTD RB Dareion Fields
13-13 BOS - FG K Johnnie Berg
20-13 BOS - PTD QB Nathaniel Braddock -> WR Ellis Lindholm
4th Q
23-13 BOS - FG K Johnnie Berg
23-20 LI - PTD QB Lyle Painter -> WR Darryl Duke

The Independents grabbed a close win over the Raiders who have now dropped back-to-back games as the season is coming to a close opening the door for Buffalo and Ottawa to be able to make late pushes for the playoffs. 
QB Nathaniel Braddock was able to get back to the endzone through the air after being shutout in the last two games. 

Worcester Athletics - 13, Buffalo Blue Wings - 33 - Richardson Stadium - August 27, 1961 - 4 PM ET - Weather: Clear
1st Q
0-3 BUF - FG K Donald Brewer
2nd Q
3-3 WOR - FG K Elvis Franklin
3-9 BUF - RTD RB Jimmy Golden
3-16 BUF - PTD QB Charles Lemieux -> WR LeRoy Krueger
3rd Q
10-16 WOR - RTD RB Lawrence Sharp
10-23 BUF - PTD QB Charles Lemieux -> WR Daniel Irons
10-26 BUF - FG K Donald Brewer
4th Q
13-26 WOR - FG K Elvis Franklin
13-33 BUF - RTD RB Cody Barnes 

It was not a pretty game for the Athletics in their first pseudo-home-game in Richardson Stadium. The Charles Lemieux-led Blue Wings steamrolled the Athletics defence with a consistently strong offensive attack.
Buffalo, seeing the Raiders lose the day before, seemed to have a little more fight in them and were able to turn that into their 4th win of the season.DB Lou Lake and S Frazier Brooks both had a pick in the game after QB Terry Bourbon took over for the injured Caldwell Higgins III in the second. 

Injury Report
TE Paul McDowell LDN - 12 Weeks
RB Clifford Russell LDN - 6 Weeks
OL Bruce Wesley LI - 1 Week
LB Sam Fitzroy MTL - 7 Weeks
OL Bravon Covington OTT - 11 Weeks
LB Douglas MacDougall OTT - 3 Weeks
QB Caldwell Higgins III WOR - Day-to-Day

Player of the Week 

OFF: WR Cedric Peterson PRO - 2 Receiving Touchdowns, 114 Receiving Yards 

DEF: S Frazier Brooks BUF - 1 Interception, 1 Forced Fumble, 6 Tackles, 2 Passes Defended 

Standings
WEST
London 9-1 -x
Louisville 8-2 -x
Long Island 4-6
Buffalo 4-6
Indiana 1-9 

EAST
Boston 8-2 -x
Montreal 7-3 -x
Providence 6-4 -x
Ottawa 2-7
Worcester 0-9

Power Rankings
1 - London -
2 - Louisville -
3 - Boston -
4 - Providence +1
5 - Montreal -1
6 - Buffalo -
7 - Long Island -
8 - Ottawa -
9 - Indiana -
10 - Worcester - 

Week 11 Games
OTT (2-7) @ WOR (0-9) - AUG 31 - 7 PM ET - Thursday Night Football @ Richardson Stadium
BOS (8-2) @ MTL (7-3) - SEP 1 - 7 PM ET - Friday Night Football
*BOS clinches East Division with Win or Tie + PRO Loss
LDN (9-1) @ LI (4-6) - SEP 2 - 7 PM ET - Saturday Night Football
*LDN Clinches West Division with Win + LOU Loss
PRO (6-4) @ BUF (4-6) - SEP 4 - 2 PM ET - Labour Day
LOU (8-2) @ IND (1-9) - SEP 4 - 5 PM ET - Labour Day
WOR (0-9*) @ OTT (2-7*) - SEP 4 - 8 PM ET - Labour Day 
*Both records will change with their first game.

1961 Week 11 

Worcester Athletics - 12, Ottawa Royals - 13 - Richardson Stadium - August 31, 1961 - 7 PM ET - TNF - Weather: Heavy Rain
1st Q
3-0 WOR - FG K Elvis Franklin
3-3 OTT - FG K Maurice Lafayette
2nd Q
3-10 OTT - PTD QB Jean Matieau -> WR Mackenzie Jones
3rd Q
6-10 WOR - FG K Elvis Franklin
4th Q
12-10 WOR - RTD RB Bernard Alston
12-13 OTT - FG K Maurice Lafayette 

A heavy storm rolled into Boston on Thursday night, which affected both teams heavily. 
Worcester was shockingly up late on the Royals, but they would not stop the Royals' late drive that would lead to the game-winning field goal. 
DL Olaf Viktorsson would grab a pair of fumbles, but they would end up going back the other way to LB Scotty Williams and DL Vinny Brown.
The ugly game still ended with the Royals keeping their slim playoff hopes alive.  

Montreal Rouge - 23, Boston Independents - 15 - Mount Royal Stadium - September 1, 1961 - 7 PM ET - FNF - Weather: Partly Cloudy
1st Q
7-0 MTL - PTD QB Gene Bishop -> TE Eli Grant
2nd Q
7-3 BOS - FG K Johnnie Berg
14-3 MTL - RTD RB Scott Mallard-White
14-6 BOS - FG K Johnnie Berg
3rd Q
14-12 BOS - PTD QB Nathaniel Braddock -> WR Fredrick St.Pierre
17-12 MTL - FG K Arthur Kettinger
4th Q
17-15 BOS - FG K Johnnie Berg
23-15 MTL - RTD RB Scott Mallard-White 

The Rouge got revenge on the Independents with a strong win at home.
Scott Mallard-White led the way with a pair of touchdowns and 132 rushing yards.
The Independents suffered several injuries in the game which hurt them in the game and prevented them from being able to slow down the Rouge. 
DB Quentin Xavier had a strong performance with an interception and 2 deflected passes for the Rouge, while LB Brent Harper had a fumble for the Independents.  

Long Island Raiders - 19, London Tigers - 22 - Long Island Stadium - September 2, 1961 - 7 PM ET - SNF - Weather: Partly Cloudy
1st Q
3-0 LI - FG K Henderson Schumacher
10-0 LI - RTD RB Dareion Fields
2nd Q
13-0 LI - FG K Henderson Schumacher
13-7 LDN - PTD QB Riley Kiernan -> WR Max Sutton
3rd Q
16-7 LI - FG K Henderson Schumacher
16-14 LDN - RTD RB Eric Sydney
4th Q
19-14 LI - FG K Henderson Schumacher
19-20 LDN - PTD QB Riley Kiernan -> WR Jack Duncan
19-22 LDN - 2PT QB Riley Kiernan -> WR Benedict Spencer

The Raiders and Tigers went down to the wire in Long Island, but it was the division leaders that snuck out their 10th win of the season. 
The Raiders dropped their 3rd straight continuing their streaky season and continuing to open the door for both the Blue Wings and Royals.
The Raiders did have the lead for the whole game up until the Kiernan found Jack Duncan for the win.  

Buffalo Blue Wings - 32, Providence Gold Stars - 37 - Buffalo Civic Stadium - September 4, 1961 - 2 PM ET - Labour Day - Weather: Partly Cloudy
1st Q
0-3 PRO - FG K Ira Foster
2nd Q
7-3 BUF - PTD QB Charles Lemieux -> WR Daniel Irons
7-10 PRO - PTD QB Connor O’Rourke -> WR Cedric Peterson
14-10 BUF - RTD RB Jimmy Golden
3rd Q
14-17 PRO - DTD INT DB Neville Falkner
20-17 BUF - PTD QB Charles Lemieux -> TE Johann Traeger
20-24 PRO - RTD RB Marcus Devonshire
23-24 BUF - FG K Donald Brewer
4th Q
23-31 PRO - PTD QB Connor O’Rourke -> TE Micheal Bowman III
29-31 BUF - PTD QB Charles Lemieux -> WR Daniel Irons
32-31 BUF - FG K Donald Brewer
32-37 PRO - PTD QB Connor O’Rourke -> WR Cedric Peterson 

The Blue Wings and Gold Stars duked it out with both teams trying to climb back into contention whether it be the playoffs or for the division.
The veteran in O’Rourke and the youngster in Lemieux put up a combined 6 passing touchdowns. 
WR Cedric Peterson and WR Daniel Irons both were the stars with 2 touchdowns each and both getting over 100 yards. 
DB Neville Falkner had a big part in his pick-6 and then a pair of pass deflections as well.  

Indiana Victors - 13, Louisville Thunder - 17 - Victory Stadium - September 4, 1961 - 5 PM ET - Labour Day - Weather: Clear
1st Q
7-0 IND - PTD QB Lee Rogers -> WR Silas Peyton
2nd Q
7-3 LOU - FG K Theodore Provost
7-10 LOU - PTD QB Leonidas Dumont -> WR Ben Roland
3rd Q
10-10 IND - FG K Ross Poindexter
4th Q
13-10 IND - FG K Ross Poindexter
13-17 LOU - PTD QB Leonidas Dumont -> WR Piers Key 

Leonidas Dumont would toss a pair of TDs in an important win over their main rivals.
It was an uglier game than expected with the Thunder having to rely on the defence more than usual in this one.
DB Jayden Mills had a pick and DL Tyrone Affalo and LB Silas O’Brien had forced fumbles.
QB Lee Rogers made his first start of the season for the Victors as they gave him a small audition for next year’s starting role. 

Ottawa Royals - 20, Worcester Athletics - 14 - Royals Stadium at Brewer Park - September 4, 1961 - 8 PM ET - Labour Day - Weather: Clear
1st Q
3-0 OTT - FG K Maurice Lafayette
2nd Q
10-0 OTT - RTD RB Alexei Volkov
10-7 WOR - RTD RB Lawrence Sharp
3rd Q
13-7 OTT - FG K Maurice Lafayette
4th Q
20-7 OTT - PTD QB Jean Matieau -> WR Mackenzie Jones
20-14 WOR - PTD QB Caldwell Higgins III -> WR Zachariah Pembroke 

The Royals were able to grab wins in both of their games against the Athletics which keeps their extremely slim playoff hopes alive. 
DB Mingan Oliver and DB Uzzia Hayes had interceptions for the Royals while LB Scotty Williams and DB Joe Robinson had interceptions for the Athletics.

Injury Report
LB Marco Price BOS - 2 Weeks
WR Paul Franklin BOS - Day-to-Day
DL Vic Harper BOS - Day-to-Day
WR Alexei Dubois IND - Day-to-Day
LB Deon Wiggins LI - Day-to-Day
RB Rodney Clark LOU - Day-to-Day 

Players of the Week 

OFF: RB Scott Mallard-White MTL - 2 Rushing Touchdowns, 132 Rushing Yards 

DEF: DL Olaf Viktorsson OTT - 2 Forced Fumbles, 5 Tackles, 1 Sack (Game 1 VS WOR) 

Standings
WEST
London 10-1 -x
Louisville 9-2 -x
Long Island 4-7
Buffalo 4-7
Indiana 1-11 

EAST
Boston 8-3 -x
Montreal 8-3 -x
Providence 7-4 -x
Ottawa 4-7
Worcester 0-11 

Power Rankings
1 - London -
2 - Louisville -
3 - Providence +1
4 - Montreal +1
5 - Boston -2
6 - Buffalo -
7 - Long Island -
8 - Ottawa -
9 - Indiana -
10 - Worcester -  

Week 12 Games
IND (1-10) @ WOR (0-11) - SEP 9 - 3 PM ET @ Richardson Stadium
*TANK BOWL - Losing team will claim the 1st overall pick in the 1962 NAAF Draft
LI (4-7) @ BUF (4-7) - SEP 9 - 7 PM ET - Saturday Night Football
*LI clinches playoff spot with Win or Tie + OTT Loss
*BUF clinches playoff spot with Win
LDN (10-1) @ LOU (9-2) - SEP 10 - 1 PM ET
*LDN clinches West Division with Win or Loss by 8 points or less
*LOU clinches West Division with Win by more than 8 points
OTT (4-7) @ BOS (8-3) - SEP 10 - 4 PM ET
*OTT clinches playoff with Win + LI-BUF Tie
*BOS clinches East Division with Win
MTL (8-3) @ PRO (7-4) - SEP 10 - 7 PM ET - Regular Season Finale
*MTL clinches East Division with Win + BOS Loss
*PRO clinches East Division with Win by more than 1 + BOS Loss 

BREAKING NEWS 

WORCESTER ATHLETICS OWNER ARRESTED; ARSON AND INSURANCE FRAUD CHARGES
September 6, 1961 - Early this morning, Chester Paul, the owner of the Worcester Athletics, was arrested by Worcester Police. The investigation into the downtown fire from mid-August would reveal that the fire was started by the owner himself. The stadium conveniently had no one on staff that night, when there is typically staff working overnight, and some evidence was found in Chester Paul’s office at the stadium. Along with the arson charge, he will also be charged with insurance fraud as he was aiming to get money for compensation for the burnt stadium. Following the arrest, the NAAF will officially remove Chester Paul as the owner and will take full ownership of the franchise. The search for the team's new owner will fall into the league’s hands.  

MORE INFORMATION REVEALED
It had been a rocky road since Chester Paul took control of the team’s operations after his father, Richard Paul, passed away in 1955. The one good year under Chester Paul was 1956 when the Athletics had made the McCallister Cup. Since then, the team has been dismantled piece-by-piece, going from championship contender to basement dweller. Chester’s low-cost, high-profit mentality is the main cause for the downfall. He has shown to have little care and knowledge about football but took the role because of the business side and potential for money. He would take any chance to cut payroll, even if that made his team worse. On top of that, he lacked much care for players, and that was reflected in his GM Jack McKinnon who would comply with Chester Paul and would make the moves happen without much of a care with what the players had to say. The issues continued to stack up every season with the decisions becoming more puzzling. Even after there was some promise of an improving team in 1960, the loss of young QB Gene Bishop would be the last straw. 

After being asked to sell the team, Chester Paul tried to fight it but was unsuccessful. As the season was about to begin, Chester was looking for a new owner to buy the team from him. However, he ran into some issues. Firstly, he priced the team much higher than many perceived the franchise to be worth. The high price would certainly turn off many potential buyers, especially ones out of smaller markets and even Worcester itself. Secondly, the team’s lack of success throughout the season only made it tougher as the Athletics looked more and more like a major project. Many of the potential buyers outside of Worcester were more interested in pushing for future expansion teams than dealing with the aftermath of Chester’s time in Worcester. The team was almost bought in week 4 by people from the ACFL in an attempt to take a franchise away from the NAAF, but the NAAF was able to prevent the move which left Chester back where he started. To make matters worse, his own business which he built before taking over the Athletics, was in a lot of trouble and was getting closer to bankruptcy. 

As the season went on, Chester got truly desperate. He came up with a plan that he thought might be able to get him out of the situation. What Chester didn’t think of, was how terrible a plan it was. He decided that trying to get insurance money from a burnt stadium would be the best way to handle things and then sell the team for a little less to get overall more money. The rest is history at this point with Chester's plan crashing and burning; getting caught and in a much worse position than before.  

BACKLASH
While Chester Paul will head to the courts and deal with his issues separate from the NAAF, the league is getting some critical heat about the situation. New York City Football Club owner, Steven Van Fossen, was once again vocal in criticizing the league for its supposed lack of business understanding. He specifically revealed that the ACFL had a deal done to buy the team and that the league was too involved.  

NAAF Commissioner Ryan Jameson would comment on what Van Fossen and other critics had to say by stating “The NAAF is a league that supports each other, from the ownership group to the players on the field. People make mistakes and we will give second chances, but if someone is out of line and hurting the rest of the “family” then we will make the decision to move on. Our choice to remove Chester Paul was exactly that, but our further involvement was for the future and to maintain the strong bond and “family” we have built within the NAAF.” 

The statement was well received from the partners in the NAAF, but some were still not satisfied, specifically Mr. Van Fossen. 

1961 Week 12 

Worcester Athletics - 19, Indiana Victors - 17 - Richardson Stadium - September 9, 1961 - 3 PM ET - Weather: Partly Cloudy
1st Q
3-0 WOR - FG K Elvis Franklin
2nd Q
6-0 WOR - FG K Elvis Franklin
9-0 WOR - FG K Elvis Franklin
9-3 IND - FG K Ross Poindexter
9-4 IND - Single K Ross Poindexter
3rd Q
16-4 WOR - PTD QB Caldwell Higgins III -> WR Zachariah Pembroke
16-11 IND - RTD RB Johnnie Stafford
4th Q
19-11 WOR - FG K Elvis Franklin
19-17 IND - PTD QB Lee Rogers -> WR Ed Edwards 

The news of the owner’s arrest seemed to fire up the Athletics in their final game of the season. 
LB Scotty Williams would light the match on defence in the first half which held the Victors to only 4 points; he grabbed a forced fumble and an interception to go with 13 Tackles on the day.
The Victors played rough until the end of the 3rd quarter, but their comeback came too late and they fell short.
LB Scotty Williams made sure that the Athletics got the win by deflecting the pass intended for WR Silas Peyton, on what would have been the game-tying 2-point convert.
On the bright side, the team will get the #1 overall pick in the draft. 

Buffalo Blue Wings - 33, Long Island Raiders - 20 - Buffalo Civic Stadium - September 9, 1961 - 7 PM ET - Weather: Clear
1st Q
0-7 LI - RTD RB Dareion Fields
7-7 BUF - RTD RB Jimmy Golden
2nd Q
8-7 BUF - Single K Donald Brewer
8-14 LI - RTD RB Dareion Fields
3rd Q
8-17 LI - FG K Henderson Schumacher
15-17 BUF - PTD QB Charles Lemieux -> WR Ronald Vernon
21-17 BUF - PTD QB Charles Lemieux -> WR LeRoy Krueger
23-17 BUF - 2PT RB Jimmy Golden
4th Q
23-20 LI - FG K Henderson Schumacher
26-20 BUF - FG K Donald Brewer
33-20 BUF - RTD RB Jimmy Golden 

The Blue Wings pulled off what would have been impossible at the midpoint of the season. 
QB Charles Lemieux tossed a pair of TDs in the win putting the Blue Wings into the playoffs after starting 1-5 during this season. 
DB Dean Hawkins had his first career pick in the final game as well.
The Long Island Raiders season was one to be split into three parts, and 0-4 start before a 4 game win-streak followed by losing their last 4 games.
It seems that there will be some big changes coming to the Raiders this offseason. *Buffalo clinches the final playoff spot 

Louisville Thunder - 10, London Tigers - 30 - Thunder Stadium - September 10, 1961 - 1 PM ET - Weather: Cloudy
1st Q
0-7 LDN - RTD RB Eric Sydney
0-10 LDN - FG K Nimrod Handsworth
2nd Q
3-10 LOU - FG K Theodore Provost
3-17 LDN - PTD QB Riley Kiernan -> WR Max Sutton
3rd Q
10-17 LOU - RTD RB Rodney Clark
10-20 LDN - FG K Nimrod Handsworth
10-27 LDN - PTD QB Riley Kiernan -> WR Max Sutton
4th Q
10-30 LDN - FG K Nimrod Handsworth 

After the last 3 seasons of falling just short of the West Division title, the Tigers cruised past the Thunder to win the West Division title.
The Thunder didn’t look great in the game and it was not helped by several injuries to DL Tyrone Affalo and more importantly, DB Jayden Mills and DB Alexander Bradley.
Mills and Bradley will be done for the playoffs which means the team will certainly be shorthanded heading into the playoffs. 
*London clinches West Division - 1st division title* 

Boston Independents - 15, Ottawa Royals - 28 - Richardson Stadium - September 10, 1961 - 4 PM ET - Weather: Cloudy
1st Q
3-0 BOS - FG K Johnnie Berg
3-7 OTT - PTD QB Jean Matieau -> WR Mackenzie Jones
2nd Q
6-7 BOS - FG K Johnnie Berg
6-14 OTT - RTD RB Alexei Volkov
3rd Q
9-14 BOS - FG K Johnnie Berg
4th Q
15-14 BOS - PTD QB Nathaniel Braddock -> WR Ellis Lindholm
15-21 OTT - PTD QB Jean Matieau -> WR Angus Stevenson
15-28 OTT - DTD DB Mingan Oliver

Ahead of the final game of the season, QB Jean Matieau was fed up with the play and would give a pre-game speech that would inspire the team into a strong performance to close out the season. 
He would lead the Royals in a 2 touchdown performance in the win, and then would let DB Mingan Oliver close out the win with a defensive touchdown.
Boston looked flat at home and was completely taken aback by the Royals who had flashed their old selves in the win. 
The loss also means they will not be getting the division title this season.  

Providence Gold Stars - 25, Montreal Rouge - 28 - New Providence Stadium - September 10, 1961 - 7 PM ET - SNF - Weather: Partly Cloudy
1st Q
3-0 PRO - FG K Ira Foster
3-7 MTL - RTD RB Scott Mallard-White
2nd Q
9-7 PRO - RTD RB Marcus Devonshire
9-14 MTL - PTD QB Gene Bishop -> WR Taylor Karis
3rd Q
12-14 PRO - FG K Ira Foster
12-17 MTL - FG K Arthur Kettinger
18-17 PRO - PTD QB Connor O’Rourke -> WR Cedric Peterson
4th Q
25-17 PRO - RTD RB Marcus Devonshire
25-23 MTL - RTD QB Gene Bishop
25-25 MTL - 2PT RB Scott Mallard-White
25-28 MTL - FG K Arthur Kettinger 

The Gold Stars would fight back from a deficit to take an 8 point lead, but the Rouge were not out of it and would climb back to take a lead to win the game for the Rouge.
WR Taylor Karis would score his first career touchdown in the win giving the Rouge a lead in the 2nd. 
S Shawn Jensen would get an interception and LB Rusty McVee would get a forced fumble and then S Garet deVale would have an interception for the Rouge.
*The Rouge clinch the East Division title - 1st since 1953* 

Injury Report
OL Simeon Clarke LDN - 1 Week
OL Bernhard Altermann LOU - Day-to-Day
DB Jayden Mills LOU - 6 Weeks
DB Alexander Bradley LOU - 7 Weeks
DL Tyrone Affalo LOU - 1 Week
WR Chester Bennett OTT - Day-to-Day
DB Uzzia Hayes OTT - 2 Weeks
OL Fabrice Beaufort OTT - Day-to-Day
DL Xander Devereaux PRO - 1 Week
DL Billy Melton WOR - Day-to-Day

Players of the Week 

OFF: QB Gene Bishop MTL - 1 Passing Touchdown, 1 Rushing Touchdown, 214 Passing Yards, 38 Rushing Yards 

DEF: LB Scotty Williams WOR - 1 Interception, 1 Forced Fumble, 13 Tackles 

Power Rankings
1 - London -
2 - Louisville -
3 - Montreal +1
4 - Providence -1
5 - Boston -
6 - Buffalo -
7 - Ottawa +1
8 - Long Island -1
9 - Worcester +1
10 - Indiana -1

Regular Season Round-Up

1961 Division Semi-Finals Preview
East Division Semi-Final
Boston Independents VS. Providence Gold Stars - Richardson Stadium - September 17, 1961 - 3 PM ET
Head-to-Head: W6 BOS 22-17 PRO, W9 PRO 19-6 BOS
The 7th postseason meeting between the New England rivals will kick off the 1961 NAAF Playoffs. The two teams come into the playoffs heading in different directions. Boston started off really strong, but have dropped 3 of their last 4, while Providence had won 5 straight before this past week’s loss to the Rouge. Both teams have strong potential for both sides of the ball and should lead pretty much a tossup in this one. Boston is hoping they can finally get over the hump with QB Nathaniel Braddock, while Providence is looking to finally shake the choking storyline in the playoffs leaving a lot at stake in this one. I think the red-hot Gold Stars will manage to pull off the win in this one.
My Pick: Gold Stars 

West Division Semi-Final
Louisville Thunder VS. Buffalo Blue Wings - Thunder Stadium - September 17, 1961 - 7 PM ET
Head-to-Head: W1 LOU 35-22 BUF, W5 BUF 21-24 LOU
Each team’s record certainly makes this game feel a lot less competitive than it seems. However, with the major injuries that the Thunder suffered this week and Buffalo being red-hot, this game could be really tight. Buffalo only lost to the Thunder by 3 in their week 5 matchup which was before the young sensation of Charles Lemieux had taken over for the team. The Thunder are going to have to rely on QB Leonidas Dumont and the offence to get them through this tough game, while the Blue Wings are going to have to work as a team to find the Thunder’s weaknesses. I still like the Thunder in the game, but won’t be surprised if the Blue Wings find a way to make it a tight game.
My Pick: Thunder