1966 Award Winners

1966 Award Winners

Most Valuable Player - QB Charles Lemieux BUF
Lemieux takes home his first MVP award this season after taking the Blue Wings to the top this season in quite the revenge season for the team. He has solidified himself as one of the greats already with plenty of potential to continue to lead the Blue Wings to more success. Also, this marks the 8th straight MVP from the West Division, the last East Division winner is QB Jean Matieau in 1958.

Playoff MVP - QB Charles Lemieux BUF
Lemieux did not have a player of the week award in the playoffs, but his consistent leadership and stellar play earned him the playoff MVP narrowly over S Garet deVale. The dominant performance in the McCallister Cup is what truly turned the tide in Lemieux’s favour to win this award.

Offensive Player of the Year - QB Lyle Painter HFX
Painter has put himself right into many conversations of the best QBs in the league history. After last season’s MVP, he joined the Mariners and took home the OPOY award this season. The Mariners are hoping that Painter can continue his play over the past few seasons to help the team stay as a competitive squad. This is the second time Worcester/Halifax has won the OPOY, the first being QB Riley Kiernan in 1956.

Defensive Player of the Year - S Garet deVale MTL
deVale has always been a stellar piece in the Montreal defence, however, he never was able to find his way to the spotlight until this season. His MVP-calibre season solidifies him at the top as the league’s best safety. The win gives a Montreal Rouge member the DPOY award for the first time since LB Quinton Brewer won in 1951. 

Special Teams Player of the Year - K Ross Poindexter IND
Poindexter was voted by the majority to win the STPOY award. This season he helped the Victors reach their 8-4 mark and showed that he can kick it with the best at the position.

Rookie of the Year - WR Felix Fontaine BOS
Fontaine was far and away the favourite rookie of this season. He had a great season being a key young piece in the Boston offence and likely the future #1 receiver. Fontaine is the first Independent to win the ROTY award. 

Coach of the Year - Dannell Willis IND
Dannell Willis and Maurice Evanson were in a tight race for the award, but Willis will become the first back-to-back coach of the year award winner since Peter McDuffin in 1949-1950 with Boston. Willis’ ability to lead the Victors to another successful season despite losing QB Lyle Painter, shows how important he is to the team.

Breakout Player of the Year - WR Shane Steadman HFX
It was another close vote for the Breakout award, but Shane Steadman’s early lead would stand and the WR would become the second straight WR taking home the award. His fantastic season will show that Halifax has a bright future at the WR position.

1966 All-Stars

WEST ALL-STARS
QB Charles Lemieux BUF (2)
RB Max Tracy TOR (1) 
OL Wally McRose PIT (1)
OL Gregory Farrell TOR (3)
OL Viktor Stahl IND (2)
OL Jean-Baptiste Desjardins IND (3)
OL Emil Jennings LDN (2)
WR Ed Edwards IND (5)
WR Julius Drake BUF (1)
WR Nathan Murray-Lawrence PIT(1)
TE Paul Arturberry BUF (1)

DL William Sanderson BUF (10)
DL Bjorn Sigmarsson LOU (4)
DL Lawrence Armstrong TOR (2)
DL Lonnie Vincent BUF (5)
LB Terrence Patton IND (2)
LB Dallas Dillard LDN (4)
LB Marshall Langenbrunner IND (1)
DB Ezra Power BUF (1)
DB Kelly Kirkland IND (6)
DB Orville Blake TOR (2)
S Johnny Berger LOU (6)

K Ross Poindexter IND (1)

EAST ALL-STARS
QB Lyle Painter HFX (2)
RB Dareion Fields LI (7)
OL Graham Chambers BOS (9)
OL Harrison Ward MTL (4)
OL Forrest Green LI (2)
OL Flint Boyer HFX (1)
OL Ward Briscoe HFX (5)
WR Taylor Karis MTL (3)
WR Shane Steadman HFX (1)
WR Owen Paisley PRO (1)
TE Ryan Hatcher OTT (2)

DL Wayne Baxton HFX (4)
DL Pat Butler HFX (2)
DL Craig White PRO (5)
DL Lucas Kipling MTL (2)
LB William Washington II LI (2)
LB Konrad Aust BOS (9)
LB Victor Falkensteig PRO (1)
DB Neville Falkner PRO (6)
DB Alexander Bradley LI (11)
DB Joe Robinson HFX (2)
S Garet deVale MTL (6)

K Henderson Schumacher (4)

1966 League Leaders

Passing Touchdowns
1 - QB Lyle Painter HFX - 22
T2 - QB Charles Lemieux BUF - 19
T2 - QB Connor O’Rourke PRO - 19
4 - QB Tom Applewhite IND - 18
5 - QB Nathaniel Braddock BOS - 17

Rushing Touchdowns
1 - RB Raymond Green IND - 16
2 - RB Max Tracy TOR - 14
3 - RB Rodney Clark LOU - 14
4 - RB Jimmy Golden BUF - 13
5 - RB Kendall Morgan BOS/LI - 11

Receiving Touchdowns
1 - WR Taylor Karis MTL - 11
T2 - WR Shane Steadman HFX - 10
T2 - WR Owen Paisley PRO - 10
4 - WR Ed Edwards IND - 9
5 - WR Cedric Peterson PRO - 8

Interceptions
1 - DB Neville Falkner PRO - 9
T2 - S Garet deVale MTL - 7
T2 - DB Alexander Bradley LI - 7
T4 - DB Ezra Power BUF - 6
T4 - DB Kelly Kirkland IND - 6

Forced Fumbles
1 -  DL William Washington II LI - 6
T2 - DL Wayne Baxton HFX - 5
T2 - LB Terrence Patton IND - 5
T2 - LB Dallas Dillard LDN - 5

49th McCallister Cup Host - Royals Stadium at Brewer Park - Ottawa, ON - Capacity: 45,210
With Canada celebrating their 100th birthday during the year of 1967, the NAAF has awarded the McCallister Cup to Ottawa, ON. The capital of Canada and home to the NAAF is the perfect spot for this McCallister Cup to celebrate this centennial birthday. 

48th McCallister Cup

48th McCallister Cup

Here's a new field graphic for the game:

Buffalo Blue Wings VS. Montreal Rouge - Anderson Stadium - Toronto, ON - October 2, 1966 - 6 PM ET - Weather: Clear - 10ºC | 50ºF
1st Q
The crowd in Toronto might go down as one of the loudest in league history. With the combination of fans from Buffalo and Montreal, the stadium would not get quiet throughout the opening quarter. It would cause some troubles for the Rouge offence early with a miscommunication almost leading to an interception on the second play from scrimmage. The struggles were not the same for the Blue Wings who came out of the gate using every inch of the playbook. The lesser-used plays by the Blue Wings would fool the Rouge and help Buffalo get down to the 12-yard line. From there, QB Charles Lemieux would hit WR Daniel Irons for a touchdown to make it 7-0 for Buffalo. Montreal was able to get their communication straight, however, the offence was facing pressure. DL William Sanderson was hungry to make an impression and was all over the Montreal backfield having 2 tackles for loss and a sack in the opening quarter. Buffalo’s offence did get slowed down by the Rouge, but they still came away with a K Ryan Perch field goal near the end of the quarter.
BUF 10-0 MTL

2nd Q
The second quarter would begin to have a bit more of a normal flow. Both teams were finding it a bit easier to move the ball down the field. However, they were not moving it far enough to score until Montreal’s WR Taylor Karis broke a tackle and put Montreal at the 24-yard line. Buffalo stood strong on defence, only allowing the Rouge to get a field goal. There was a bit more hope in Montreal now, however, Buffalo was able to counter the field goal with of their own, allowing them to regain their 10-point advantage. Both defences shut down the other team to make it to the break.
BUF 13-3 MTL

3rd Q
The Rouge were hoping for better in the second half. They opened up being a little more aggressive on offence. However, this meant QB Gene Bishop was holding onto the ball a little longer and would lead to another sack from DL William Sanderson. Buffalo’s offence, on the other hand, was able to make a march down the field. RB Jimmy Golden would eventually break through a wide-open hole and bolt into the secondary. The running back looked to have a wide-open field but was stopped at the 8-yard line by S Garet deVale, who never gave up on the play. The play by deVale kept Montreal’s hopes up and they would be able to keep Buffalo out of the endzone. K Ryan Perch made it a 13-point game after that. It still was tough for the Rouge offence, but there was some fight left in them and they would score a field goal to keep the game at 10 points. QB Charles Lemieux certainly understood the situation after not being able to break through to the endzone on the previous drive. Despite being up by 10 they needed to have another strong drive to really put the Rouge on their backs. Lemieux would deliver a beautiful drive that would seem unstoppable. The pinnacle of the drive was when Lemieux would hit WR Zachariah Pembroke for a 46-yard play while escaping player after player of pressure. A few players later Lemieux connected with WR Julius Drake for a huge touchdown to get them up by 3 scores.
BUF 23-6 MTL

4th Q
The Rouge were now truly desperate. They needed to score quickly or else it would be too late. Unfortunately, they still had issues with getting out of pressure. It seemed that any play was being blown up or Bishop was scrambling for his life. Bishop seemed to be both very frustrated but almost scared on every play, certainly a side effect of his injuries in the last two years. It would cost Montreal a lot when Bishop threw an interception right to S Wesley Jones. Jones almost found a break to the endzone but was stopped by RB Scott Mallard-White. It only took a couple of minutes for the Blue Wings to add to their lead with RB Jimmy Golden scoring the touchdown to make it 30-6. Beyond desperate would describe Montreal, as HC Jimmy Sargent had finally started to get OC Tim Bakersfield to dig up the deep playbook. Montreal was trying everything. Eventually, one play would hit with WR Yahui Sun breaking away on a jet sweep. Sun got Montreal within 35 yards for the first time in the quarter. Bishop would inch them closer with a couple of completions. Eventually, Buffalo’s defence would force a 3rd down for the Rouge. Montreal had to go for it. Bishop would drop to pass and this time he connected with WR Taylor Karis who had made a great move on DB Ezra Power and would scramble away into the endzone. Montreal would go for two to keep the dream alive, but Buffalo ended that hope with DL William Sanderson tipping Bishop’s pass attempt and forcing it incomplete. Montreal was still down by 18 and had no hope. Buffalo would manage the clock well and would close out their 4th McCallister Cup win, joining Ottawa with the most championships in the NAAF. 

BUF - 7 QB Charles Lemieux
MTL - 21 S Garet deVale

Injury Report
None

McCallister Cup MVP

DL William Sanderson BUF - 3 Sacks, 8 Tackles, 5 Tackles for Loss, 2 Knockdowns 
Sanderson played an unreal game, he had fallen behind the scenes a bit this season, however, in his first McCallister Cup appearance, he knew exactly what to do. He finally grabs his first title playing one of the best defensive games by any defensive lineman ever.

I also created a graphic to show off a bit of what Anderson Stadium may look like overall aha, I hope it looks cool, might be something I do more of down the line. 

1966 NAAF Champions

1966 NAAF Season

1966 NAAF Playoffs

1966 Division Semi-Finals

Montreal Rouge VS. Halifax Mariners - Mount Royal Stadium - September 18, 1966 - 3 PM ET - Weather: Partly Cloudy - 23ºC | 74ºF
1st Q
Same teams, same stadium; new day, new stakes. A perfect rematch of last week’s shocking Montreal win over the Mariners would kick off the McCallister Cup playoffs. It was Montreal’s offence that was expected to be held back by QB Mike Key getting his first career playoff start, but those thoughts were quickly thrown out the window. On the third play of offence, Key would hit WR Derek Cross for a massive deep shot. Cross would put the Rouge deep in Mariners’ territory. A few plays later Key would hit WR Taylor Karis on a quick slant. DB Joe Robinson would step up to make a tackle, but Karis spun off him and then dove into the endzone to give Montreal the quick 7-0 lead. The Mariners got off to a rocky start offensively, having trouble communicating with the extremely loud Mount Royal Stadium crowd. It would eventually lead to a miscue that would end up with a DB Jayson Klyde interception. Within a couple more plays, RB Scott Mallard-White punched in a touchdown from 5 yards out to make it 14-0 Rouge.
MTL 14-0 HFX

2nd Q
The Mariners came back from their rough start early in the second. QB Lyle Painter connected with WR Jav Kerrigan for a 22-yard play which would set up a field goal to make it 14-3. Later on in the quarter, Mike Key made a mistake of his own throwing an interception to DB Aquillio Ruiz. However, despite the short field the Mariners would not end up getting to the endzone as the Rouge would step up to make a great defensive stop and keep it to just a K Albert Wickerweaver field goal. The Rouge would recover from the interception with another strong drive that would allow them to add a field goal just before the break.
MTL 17-6 HFX

3rd Q
To start the second half, the Mariners were looking to regroup. QB Lyle Painter would need to step up, to get the team back into the game. Unfortunately, it would not be right off the bat with the Mariners going 2 and out on their first possession. However, they did get the ball rolling soon enough and were in striking range. Painter would eventually hit WR Sam Nash for a touchdown to cut into the Rouge lead. Montreal’s offence was being stuffed by the Mariners. DL Wayne Baxton and DL Pat Butler were putting the pressure on as the two grabbed 3 sacks in the quarter combined. Halifax would end the quarter with another big play from WR Jav Kerrigan who broke free from DB Quentin Xavier. Kerrigan had a lot of open field behind him, but S Garet deVale was able to stop him.
MTL 17-13 HFX

4th Q
It only took a few more plays for the Mariners to get to the endzone. Painter would connect with WR Shane Steadman for the go-ahead score leaving the Mariners with a 17-20 lead after being down 17-6 at halftime. Montreal’s offence continued to sputter with the Mariners' defence stepping it up. As the game was getting closer to the end, Montreal was able to get the ball moving a bit more with some smart play-calling, however, the Mariners stalled out their drive and forced a punt. The Mariners would look to counter with a quick pass to WR Shane Steadman that would give them a first down, however, the Rouge defence made back-to-back stops to force a punt. The crowd was trying to make as much noise as possible, and with the noise, K Albert Wickerweaver would have the punt snapped a split second earlier than expected. He would catch the ball but fumbled with it in his hand before kicking. The mistake gave S Garet deVale an extra second to bolt in and block the punt. Montreal would get the ball deep in Mariners’ territory and they would inch towards the goal line. Eventually, QB Mike Key would hit WR Yahui Sun who snuck out into the flat for the touchdown to give Montreal the 24-20 lead. Halifax now had to counter with limited time left. They would get a couple of first downs to get to midfield. Painter would look to keep the ball moving but would throw an incompletion with DL Hubert Tessier getting in his face. On second down, the Mariners would look to pass again, this time Painter played it safe and hit WR Nick Nacker for a 5-yard pass to make it 3rd and 5. On the crucial play, Painter looked to pass again and the perfect play opened up with WR Jav Kerrigan being open over the top. Painter threw it at him, the ball hit him in the chest and he bobbled it. The ball rolled off the tip of his fingers before he was hit by LB Wilson Rockwood-Barnes. The Rouge would hold on for a huge win sending them to the East Division Final.

MTL - 10 WR Taylor Karis

HFX - 95 DL Wayne Baxton

Indiana Victors VS. Toronto Steelheads - Victory Stadium - September 18, 1966 - 7 PM ET - Weather: Cloudy - 25ºC | 78ºF
1st Q
The first home playoff game for the Victors got off to a great start. The offence took the field and started to move the ball with ease down the field. RB Raymond Green would break off for a couple of strong runs before he would score a touchdown to give the Victors a quick 7-0 lead. Toronto’s offence was not as explosive. Indiana’s defence held them to minimal yards on their first two drives. They would get a solid run from RB Max Tracy on their third drive that would allow them to score a field goal. Indiana’s offence countered the field goal, by getting back to the endzone. WR Silas Peyton broke off a couple of tackles en route to the receiving touchdown to make it 14-3.
IND 14-3 TOR

2nd Q
Indiana’s hot start left the Steelheads in a rough situation to start the second quarter. However, it would only get worse with QB Todd Baker throwing an interception to DB Adam Levesque. Indiana didn’t have to go very far to already be in striking range again. RB Raymond Green would eventually take in his 2nd touchdown of the game. Frustration certainly was getting to the Steelheads who were now down 21-3. Baker would have to take on the leadership role and try to rally the Steelheads. It took a couple of drives, but eventually, he would connect with WR Ben Roland to start pushing into Victors’ territory. However, time was not on their side and they would have to just take a field goal before the half ended. 
IND 21-6 TOR

3rd Q
Toronto started to wear down the Victors’ D-line with the battle upfront. DL Theo Conte would go down with an injury early in the half. Shortly after, DL Brandon Hall also left the game with an even worse injury. With DL Fred Webster already out due to injury, the Victors were short-staffed, having rookies Douglas Jackson and Ron Prumple stepping in to start the rest of the game. RB Max Tracy took advantage. He would run 3 straight plays making up a total of 27 yards, before breaking loose right past Prumple for a 34-yard gain, setting the Steelheads up on the 7-yard line. The Steelheads kept attacking the line and would get Tracy into the endzone to cut the lead to 8. The Victors' offence was also getting shut down after the productive first half. Eventually, DB Orville Blake would pick off QB Tom Applewhite and give Toronto great field position.
IND 21-13 TOR

4th Q
The final quarter would start with another march from RB Max Tracy. Indiana trying to bring more LB’s up to stop him. However, once they did that, QB Todd Baker would take a shot over their heads to WR Edmund Landry. Toronto was on their way to score again. RB Max Tracy would once again breakthrough for his second score, making it a 2-point game. The Steelheads would go for two to tie it, however, Indiana managed to see the pass play coming and DB Kelly Kirkland knocked the ball away from the arms of Edmund Landry to keep the Victors on top. The momentum had shifted massively, but the Victors were lucky to escape with the lead still on their side. It would seem like the perfect time for the Victors to play conservatively and try to not make mistakes, but OC Malachi Knowles knew he had to be aggressive. QB Tom Applewhite was given the go-ahead to take some risks, and it started to pay off. Indy got to midfield and was able to pin the Steelheads with a punt. Toronto would need to make a strong push out of their own end. While the Victors’ D-line was still closer to resembling a well-loved pair of ripped jeans, they managed to contain RB Max Tracy on first down, however, on second down Toronto would get aggressive and try to take a shot. The play didn’t work and S Tom Parrish came up and made a play for the ball, coming down with an interception. Applewhite and the offence came back on the field and they didn’t waste any time. In just 4 plays, Applewhite found WR Ed Edwards for the touchdown to give Indiana a 9-point lead. Toronto was in desperation mode with time becoming scarce. They tried getting Tracy to move the ball, but it was too slow and the Victors were managing to hold him off. Indiana’s defence would fend off the Steelhead attacks and add a field goal to hold on for their first-ever playoff win.

IND - 39 DB Kelly Kirkland

TOR - 33 RB Max Tracy

Injury Report
DL Theo Conte IND - Day-to-Day
DL Brandon Hall IND - 4 Weeks
DL Chester Avery TOR - 2 Weeks

Players of the Week

EDSF: S Garet deVale MTL - 8 Tackles, 2 Passes Defended, 1 Blocked Punt

WDSF: RB Raymond Green IND - 2 Rushing Touchdowns, 113 Rushing Yards

Semi-Final Preview
EAST DIVISION FINAL
Long Island Raiders VS. Montreal Rouge
The Rouge were able to overcome the odds against them against the Mariners without QB Gene Bishop. This week, they get their star QB back in the lineup, which should provide the offence with a boost. S Garet deVale and defence will still have to step up against the Raiders’ offence who will be getting RB Dareion Fields back in the lineup to go along with RB Kendall Morgan. Not to mention Long Island is a tough place to play especially against their defence. I think the Raiders do have the edge as a team and I will take them to make their 3rd straight McCallister Cup.
My Pick: Raiders

WEST DIVISION FINAL
Buffalo Blue Wings VS. Indiana Victors
Indiana has been one of the hottest teams in the league in the last several weeks, however, they do have a tall task against the Blue Wings. Buffalo has won their last 9 games when QB Charles Lemieux is under centre, and they will be playing in front of the loud Buffalo faithful only giving them more of an advantage. Indiana will need to be pretty much perfect in this match, especially with all of the talent the Blue Wings have. Indy certainly has the ability to win the game, but with the inexperience and battered D-line, I think the Blue Wings should be able to return to the McCallister Cup.
My Pick: Blue Wings

1966 Division Finals

Long Island Raiders VS. Montreal Rouge - Long Island Stadium - September 25, 1966 - 3 PM ET - Weather: Cloudy - 18ºC | 66ºF
1st Q
As expected for the Raiders and Rouge battle, defence was going to be the name of the game. Right from the start, the Raiders’ cemented their strong defence, forcing Montreal to 2 and outs on their first 2 drives. However, Montreal was just as committed to stopping the Raiders and also didn’t allow a whole lot. Montreal did start to make up some ground on the Raiders when S Garet deVale would take QB Stanley Troyer down on a safety blitz which would force a punt from deep in their own territory. However, Montreal did try to argue that the ball was fumbled on the play, but the refs ruled him down. The punt didn’t get very far and Montreal was starting at midfield. It didn’t take much to get close enough for a field goal, and K Arthur Kettinger would put Montreal up 0-3. 
LI 0-3 MTL

2nd Q
Following the slow opening quarter, the Raiders would pick things up offensively. RB Dareion Fields found his footing and broke through for a couple of big runs. Pair that with a couple of good pass plays, and the Raiders were knocking on the door of the endzone. With Fields being the centre of the offence for the Raiders, from 4 yards out they would set up to pitch the ball to him, however, they faked it and had RB Kendall Morgan take the ball back in the opposite direction. He reached the ball over the goal line to give the Raiders the 7-3 lead. Montreal would counter later on with their second field goal to make it 7-6 just before the half.
LI 7-6 MTL

3rd Q
The Rouge came out of the break with a bit of fight back in them. The defence got plenty of praise from HC Jimmy Sargent, however, the offence got the heads up that they needed to step it up. QB Gene Bishop answered the call with an excellent start to the second half. He would complete 3 of 4 passes to get the Rouge down to the redzone. Then, RB Hugo Hughes would get the ball out of the backfield and slip past the Raiders’ D-line. TE Hunter Ziegelbauer would step up and make a huge block on LB William Washington II to allow Hughes to get to the endzone and give Montreal the lead. Montreal knew they had to make a statement and would go for 2 to try and make it a 7-point game, but they were unsuccessful. The Raiders were ready to bounce back. They countered the Rouge touchdown with another strong drive leading to a RB Dareion Fields score to retake the lead.
LI 14-12 MTL

4th Q
The final quarter was intense. Both sides continued to look for any opportunity to get points. Early on in the quarter, the Rouge would get a huge play from WR Taylor Karis who would make a stunning diving grab with DB Rutherford Winters all over him to set Montreal up in Raiders’ territory. They would hope to push further, but the Raiders’ defence held strong forcing the field goal attempt. K Arthur Kettinger would not make a mistake and would nail the kick to make it 14-15 Montreal. The middle part of the quarter became a "run-fest" where both teams ran the ball on almost every play. Montreal was trying to kill as much clock as they could, while the Raiders were hoping their best weapon, RB Dareion Fields could get them back into scoring range. Montreal ended up being the team to come out on top in that phase of the game as the Raiders were starting to run low on time. The final minutes of the game would force them to throw the ball. Montreal was prepared, but QB Stanley Troyer was connecting on his passes. The Raiders were pushing into Montreal territory. WR Casey Coleman was able to beat DB Quentin Xavier off the line and had an open field. Troyer would fire a pass at the star WR. It was a bit high, but Coleman reached out for it. The ball landed in his hands for just a split second before S Garet deVale unloaded a shockwave of a hit. The ball bounced straight up and Xavier caught up and got under that ball for the interception. Montreal would kill more time before giving it back to the Raiders with 18 seconds to go. The Raiders would fail to get much on their first few plays leaving them with the only option to try to keep the last play alive. Troyer tossed the ball to Dareion Fields. Fields looked to pick up yards but soon had to toss it back to RB Kendall Morgan. However, Morgan did not get a great grip on the ball and fumbled it. The play would end and Montreal would seal their ticket to the McCallister Cup.

Buffalo Blue Wings VS. Indiana Victors - Milton Charles Stadium - September 25, 1966 - 7 PM ET - Weather: Partly Cloudy - 10ºC | 50ºF
1st Q
The Victors were in tough heading into Milton Charles Stadium. On top of going against probably the best team in the regular season, they also still had an injured D-line. It did not start well as the Blue Wings took advantage of the weakened D-line. RB Jimmy Golden rolled right through the Victors’ defence and scored a touchdown on the opening drive. The Blue Wings continued to light up the field throughout the quarter with QB Charles Lemieux connecting with WR Julius Drake to give Buffalo a 14-0 lead. As for the Victors, their offence was not getting anywhere. QB Tom Applewhite was struggling, completing only 2 passes in the opening quarter.
BUF 14-0 IND

2nd Q
Indiana had to rely a lot more on RB Raymond Green in the second quarter to just try and get the offence rolling. The plan helped to get some points on the board with an early field goal. However, Buffalo easily grabbed their own field goal to maintain their 14-point lead. Indiana continued to find success on offence and had gotten over midfield. At this point, QB Tom Applewhite got a bit more aggressive tossed a deep ball to WR Ed Edwards. The WR caught the pass and then bounced off of S Wesley Jones and then took the ball the rest of the way for a touchdown. Indiana’s defence was stronger over the rest of the quarter preventing the Blue Wings from scoring again, however, they were lucky to see the clock hit zero as Buffalo started to get into dangerous territory near the end of the half.
BUF 17-10 IND

3rd Q
After having a much quieter 2nd quarter, the Blue Wings were back in business to start the second half. On the second play after the half, DB Ezra Power intercepted QB Tom Applewhite to set up the Blue Wings deep in Victors’ territory. It didn’t take long for RB Jimmy Golden to put up his second touchdown of the game to make it 24-10. Indiana was certainly in a rough spot and it was only getting worse with another 2 and out to follow Buffalo’s touchdown which involved QB Tom Applewhite getting a bit banged up from a sack via DL Lonnie Vincent. Soon enough, Buffalo had another field goal as they just continued to have their way with the Victors’ defence. QB Stanislav Ovechkin did take a few snaps for the Victors while they evaluated Applewhite, but soon enough Applewhite returned to the game. It didn’t make much of a difference as Applewhite threw his second interception of the game to DB Nick Ulbach. 
BUF 27-10 IND

4th Q
While the interception from Applewhite was not ideal, they had gotten into Buffalo territory which still gave the offence a little more hope. In fact, it may have sparked the defence as well as LB Marshall Langenbrunner would knock the ball loose from RB Jimmy Golden forcing a turnover only a few plays after the interception. Indiana would grab a touchdown from their ensuing drive with Applewhite connecting with WR Silas Peyton for the score. QB Charles Lemieux was not shaken by the quick turn of events and continued to dismantle the Indiana defence. He would take the Blue Wings down the field again, getting them down to the 2 before Jimmy Golden scored his third touchdown of the game. The drive pretty much crushed any bit of hope Indiana had left. They would get a late field goal but turned the ball over on downs 2 more times with Buffalo shutting their offence down. The Blue Wings made a huge statement with the win, and after last season where the team somehow missed the playoffs, they were back and hungry for another championship.

Injury Report
None

Players of the Week

EDF: S Garet deVale MTL - 8 Tackles, 1 Sack, 3 Passes Defended

WDF: RB Jimmy Golden BUF - 3 Rushing Touchdowns, 118 Rushing Yards 

48th McCallister Cup Preview
Buffalo Blue Wings VS. Montreal Rouge - Anderson Stadium - Toronto, ON
HEAD-TO-HEAD: W3 BUF 33-22 MTL
The Blue Wings are headed into their 2nd McCallister Cup in 3 years as the heavy favourites to take the win. They have looked unbeatable pretty much all season long with QB Charles Lemieux playing like a true superstar. On top of that, they will practically have home field advantage with Toronto being just a hop and a skip from Buffalo. Now that doesn’t mean Buffalo is guaranteed to win, Montreal has been on a tear of their own and have knocked off both of the East’s supposed title contenders in back-to-back weeks. With QB Gene Bishop back in the lineup, and the defence stepping up big time, Montreal is certainly in the match, however, the odds are still not in their favour as Buffalo is almost too good. I still gotta take the Blue Wings to win it in Toronto.
My Pick: Blue Wings.

1966 NAAF Season

1966 NAAF SEASON

1966 Week 1

Long Island Raiders - 33, Boston Independents - 17 - Long Island Stadium - June 23, 1966 - 7 PM ET - Weather: Partly Cloudy
1st Q
7-0 LI - RTD RB Dareion Fields
14-0 LI - PTD QB Stanley Troyer -> WR Larry Mossholder
2nd Q
17-0 LI - FG K Henderson Schumacher
17-1 BOS - Single K Johnnie Berg
17-4 BOS - FG K Johnnie Berg
3rd Q
17-11 BOS - PTD QB Nathaniel Braddock -> WR Evan Clanton
20-11 LI - FG K Henderson Schumacher
4th Q
27-11 LI - PTD QB Stanley Troyer -> WR Troy York
30-11 LI - FG K Henderson Schumacher
30-17 BOS - PTD QB Nathaniel Braddock -> WR Alexei Dubois
33-17 LI - FG K Henderson Schumacher

The Raiders entered the 1966 season with the goal to have a more active offence. It appears that they have succeeded in that goal so far with a 33-point performance against the Independents. 
QB Stanley Troyer was more consistent through the air with a pair of touchdown passes, while RB Dareion Fields moved the ball on the ground.
Boston’s offence was slow to start with Braddock throwing an interception to DB Rutherford Winters in the opening quarter, and only putting up 4 in points in the first half.
The second half was promising with the Independents coming back, but RB Dareion Fields could not be stopped late and the Raiders rolled to their first win of the season.

Halifax Mariners - 38, Indiana Victors - 33 - Atlantic Stadium - June 24, 1966 - 6 PM ET - Weather: Mostly Cloudy - GAME OF THE WEEK
1st Q
0-7 IND - RTD RB Raymond Green
7-7 HFX - PTD QB Lyle Painter -> WR Shane Steadman
10-7 HFX - FG K Albert Wickerweaver
2nd Q
17-7 HFX - PTD QB Lyle Painter -> RB Ronald O’Sullivan
17-10 IND - FG K Ross Poindexter
23-10 HFX - RTD RB Ronald O’Sullivan
3rd Q
23-13 IND - FG K Ross Poindexter
26-13 HFX - FG K Albert Wickerweaver
26-20 IND - PTD QB Tom Applewhite -> WR Silas Peyton
29-20 HFX - FG K Albert Wickerweaver
4th Q
29-23 IND - FG K Ross Poindexter
29-30 IND - PTD QB Tom Applewhite -> WR Ed Edwards
32-30 HFX - FG K Albert Wickerweaver
32-33 IND - FG K Ross Poindexter
38-33 HFX - PTD QB Lyle Painter -> WR Jav Kerrigan

The Mariners and Victors had an offensive shootout to kick off their season. 
QB Lyle Painter looked solid right out of the gate, getting the Mariners up 23-10 by the end of the first half, however, the Victors slowly crept back into the game.
QB Tom Applewhite made a few mistakes early but recovered in the second half to get the Victors the lead in the 4th. 
After both teams traded field goals, Lyle Painter would hit WR Jav Kerrigan for a deep shot looking to get into field goal range. 
However, DB Cameron Taylor had an uncharacteristic missed tackle which freed the WR for a long touchdown to give the Mariners the win as the crowd chanted “JAV! JAV! JAV!...”.

Louisville Thunder - 10, Ottawa Royals - 27 - Thunder Stadium - June 25, 1966 - 3 PM ET - Weather: Partly Cloudy
1st Q
3-0 LOU - FG K Frank Hughes
2nd Q
3-7 OTT - RTD RB Corbyn Knight
3-14 OTT - RTD RB Wally Morton
3rd Q
10-14 LOU - RTD RB Rodney Clark
10-17 OTT - FG K Ira Foster
4th Q
10-20 OTT - FG K Ira Foster
10-27 OTT - RTD RB Corbyn Knight

The Thunder were shocked by the Ottawa Royals in their opening game. 
Ottawa’s game-plan was pretty simple, but the run-heavy style worked marvellously against the weaker front-7.
RB Corbyn Knight and RB Wally Morton combined for 224 rushing yards on the day. Louisville honestly had no chance to stop them. 
The Thunder offence was also struggling from the opening snap, mainly due to their own mistakes; specifically, QB Leonidas Dumont, who threw a pair of interceptions and only completed 48.5% of his passes on the day.
DB Sergio Alvarez and S Randall Green had the picks for the Royals, Alvarez’s pick was his career first.
*Interesting Fact: Ottawa loves playing in Louisville, having a 4-1 overall record when visiting the Thunder which includes the only time a crossover team won a playoff game in 1963. (also their overall head-to-head is 6-2 Royals.)

Toronto Steelheads - 27, Buffalo Blue Wings - 34 - Anderson Stadium - June 25, 1966 - 7 PM ET - Weather: Partly Cloudy
1st Q
3-0 TOR - FG K Bob Randall
3-7 BUF - RTD RB Jimmy Golden
3-10 BUF - FG K Ryan Perch
2nd Q
6-10 TOR - FG K Bob Randall
13-10 TOR - RTD RB Max Tracy
13-17 BUF - PTD QB Charles Lemieux -> TE Paul Arturberry
3rd Q
13-24 BUF - RTD RB Jimmy Golden
20-24 TOR - PTD QB Todd Baker -> RB Max Tracy
4th Q
20-27 BUF - FG K Ryan Perch
27-27 TOR - QB Todd Baker -> WR Edmund Landry
27-34 BUF - QB Charles Lemieux -> WR Zachariah Pembroke

The Blue Wings were able to take down the Steelheads on the road with a great performance out of RB Jimmy Golden.
The star running back had 2 touchdowns on the day and 142 rushing yards.
The Steelheads were able to keep themselves in the game with a strong comeback which had the game tied late. 
However, in the end, QB Charles Lemieux would lead an excellent game-winning drive to give Buffalo the win in the end.

Pittsburgh Blacksmiths - 25, Montreal Rouge - 20 - Riverfront Stadium of Pittsburgh - June 26, 1966 - 1 PM ET - Weather: Cloudy
1st Q
2nd Q
7-0 PIT - PTD QB Buck Murphy -> WR Wilson Queensgate
7-7 MTL - RTD RB Scott Mallard-White
3rd Q
10-7 PIT - FG K Al Highlander
16-7 PIT - RTD RB Stavros Black
16-10 MTL - FG K Arthur Kettinger
4th Q
19-10 PIT - FG K Al Highlander
19-13 MTL - FG K Arthur Kettinger
19-20 MTL - PTD QB Gene Bishop -> WR Taylor Karis
25-20 PIT - PTD QB Buck Murphy -> WR Jack Duncan

QB Gene Bishop’s return to football was a lackluster one.
He struggled to get comfortable in the first half being sacks twice and throwing an interception; he did recover in the second half to lead the Rouge back into the game.
Montreal took a late lead, but the Blacksmiths were able to answer back on an excellent called offensive drive from HC Ted McMahon. 
QB Buck Murphy played the drive well and allowed the team to come away with the win.

Providence Gold Stars - 10, London Tigers - 16 - New Providence Stadium - June 26, 1966 - 4 PM ET - Weather: Cloudy
1st Q
0-7 LDN - RTD RB Austin Andrews
2nd Q
3-7 PRO - FG K Maurice Lafayette
3-10 LDN - FG K Nimrod Handsworth
3rd Q
10-10 PRO - PTD QB Connor O’Rourke -> WR Doug Piva
10-13 LDN - FG K Nimrod Handsworth
4th Q
10-16 LDN - FG K Nimrod Handsworth

The new-look Gold Stars did not get off to the start they hoped against the veteran Tigers.
London was able to get up early on a great run from RB Austin Andrews, and then K Nimrod Handsworth was able to take care of the rest, kicking 3-straight field goals. 
Providence’s defence did look solid with a pick from DB Neville Falkner, and a strip-sack from DL Craig White. 
Their offence, however, was not where they hoped and they turned the ball over several times in the first half.
In the 7 total turnovers in the game, DB Bernard Wilkins would get his first career interception for the Tigers.

Injury Report
OL Bubba Hankins BOS - Day-to-Day
QB Jack Owens BUF - Day-to-Day
DB Rutherford Winters LI - 3 Weeks
OL Taylor Forbes LOU - 4 Weeks
TE Ryan Hatcher OTT - Day-to-Day
LB Sam Wheeler OTT - Day-to-Day
OL Benedict Benedicto PIT - 9 Weeks
DL Calias McDonough PRO - Day-to-Day

Players of the Week

OFF: RB Jimmy Golden BUF - 2 Rushing Touchdowns, 142 Rushing Yards

DEF: S Randall Green OTT - 1 Interception, 8 Tackles, 3 Passes Defended

Standings
WEST
Buffalo 1-0
London 1-0
Pittsburgh 1-0
Indiana 0-1
Toronto 0-1
Louisville 0-1

EAST
Ottawa 1-0
Long Island 1-0
Halifax 1-0
Montreal 0-1
Providence 0-1
Boston 0-1

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

Week 2 Games
TOR (0-1) @ OTT (1-0) - JUL 1 - 5 PM ET - Canada Day
LOU (0-1) @ MTL (0-1) - JUL 2 - 3 PM ET
BUF (1-0) @ LI (1-0) - JUL 2 - 7 PM ET - Saturday Night Football
HFX (1-0) @ LDN (1-0) - JUL 3 - 1 PM ET
PRO (0-1) @ IND (0-1) - JUL 3 - 4 PM ET
PIT (1-0) @ BOS (0-1) - JUL 4 - 5 PM ET - 4th of July

1966 Week 2

Ottawa Royals - 9, Toronto Steelheads - 20 - Royals Stadium at Brewer Park - July 1, 1966 - 5 PM ET - Canada Day - Weather: Partly Cloudy
1st Q
0-7 TOR - RTD RB Max Tracy
2nd Q
0-10 TOR - FG K Bob Randall
3-10 OTT - FG K Ira Foster
3rd Q
6-10 OTT - FG K Ira Foster
6-17 TOR - RTD RB Max Tracy
4th Q
9-17 OTT - FG K Ira Foster
9-20 TOR - FG K Bob Randall

Toronto bounced back from their loss to the Blue Wings with a strong win over the Royals.
Their defence was able to step up and manage the Royals’ run-game that shredded the Thunder last week.
The Royals were able to still get into scoring range consistently, but QB Landon Ross struggled to complete drives, throwing 2 interceptions in Toronto territory. 
S Charles Clerk and DB Orville Blake made the interceptions, Clerk’s interception was his career-first.
RB Max Tracy had a great day for Toronto with a pair of touchdowns and 135 Rushing Yards.

Montreal Rouge - 38, Louisville Thunder - 10 - Mount Royal Stadium - July 2, 1966 - 3 PM ET - Weather: Cloudy
1st Q
7-0 MTL - RTD RB Hugo Hughes
14-0 MTL - PTD QB Gene Bishop -> WR Taylor Karis
2nd Q
17-0 MTL - FG K Arthur Kettinger
17-7 LOU - RTD RB Rodney Clark
24-7 MTL - PTD QB Gene Bishop -> WR Taylor Karis
3rd Q
24-10 LOU - FG K Frank Hughes
31-10 MTL - PTD QB Gene Bishop -> WR Taylor Karis
4th Q
38-10 MTL - PTD QB Gene Bishop -> WR Taylor Karis

The Rouge bounced back from their rough game against the Blacksmiths with a dominant win over the Thunder. 
WR Taylor Karis took over the game when DB Oliver Langstrom went down with an injury. 
Despite the efforts from the rest of the Louisville secondary, Karis was able to find the endzone 4 times as there were just too many weapons to manage on the day.
QB Gene Bishop looked a little more comfortable in the pocket as the Montreal O-line played much better this week.
The second straight embarrassing loss from the Thunder could be a major concern for the squad, especially with the horrid play of QB Leonidas Dumont, who threw another 3 interceptions.

Long Island Raiders - 24, Buffalo Blue Wings - 13 - Long Island Stadium - July 2, 1966 - 7 PM ET - SNF - Weather: Clear
1st Q
7-0 LI - PTD QB Stanley Troyer -> WR Casey Coleman
2nd Q
7-3 BUF - FG K Ryan Perch
7-10 BUF - PTD QB Charles Lemieux -> WR Zachariah Pembroke
3rd Q
14-10 LI - PTD QB Stanley Troyer -> RB Dareion Fields
4th Q
14-13 BUF - FG K Ryan Perch
21-13 LI - RTD RB Dareion Fields
24-13 LI - FG K Henderson Schumacher

The Raiders cemented themselves as the best team in the NAAF with a strong win over the Blue Wings; they certainly are looking like heavy favourites to repeat after the win.
Buffalo was able to get some offence going in the first half, but Long Island was able to shut them down in the second only allowing 3 points.
The lack of offence could also be pit on the absence of RB Jimmy Golden who left the game early with an injury.
DB Alexander Bradley was strong in the absence of DB Rutherford Winters and grabbed an interception, while LB William Washington II dominated the middle of the field with 10 tackles.
The Raiders' new offensive strategy continued to work as QB Stanley Troyer had another strong outing, throwing a pair of touchdowns in the win.

London Tigers - 20, Halifax Mariners - 27 - OT - Western Fair Stadium - July 3, 1966 - 1 PM ET - Weather: Clear - GAME OF THE WEEK
1st Q
0-7 HFX - PTD QB Lyle Painter -> WR Jav Kerrigan
2nd Q
3-7 LDN - FG K Nimrod Handsworth
6-7 LDN - FG K Nimrod Handsworth
6-10 HFX - FG K Albert Wickerweaver
3rd Q
9-10 LDN - FG K Nimrod Handsworth
15-10 LDN - PTD QB Riley Kiernan -> WR Russell Wilcox
17-10 LDN - 2PT RB Austin Andrews
4th Q
17-13 HFX - FG K Albert Wickerweaver
17-20 HFX - PTD QB Lyle Painter -> WR Shane Steadman
20-20 LDN - FG K Nimrod Handsworth
OT
20-27 HFX - RTD RB Ronald O’Sullivan

The first OT matchup of the season saw the Mariners come out with their second win of the season on a touchdown from RB Ronald O’Sullivan.
The teams went back and forth with the Tigers taking a lead into the 4th, but Halifax bounced back to take a late lead before K Nimrod Handsworth tied the game back up to force OT.
QB Lyle Painter continued to look good for the Mariners throwing another couple of touchdowns in the win.
The Tigers, on the other hand, did continue to struggle when it came to getting into the endzone, but Handsworth was able to be reliable with 4 field goals on the day.

Indiana Victors - 14, Providence Gold Stars - 17 - Victory Stadium - July 3, 1966 - 4 PM ET - Weather: Partly Cloudy
1st Q
0-7 PRO - RTD RB Rashed Smith
2nd Q
0-14 PRO - PTD QB Connor O’Rourke -> WR Owen Paisley
3rd Q
0-17 PRO - FG K Elvis Franklin
7-17 IND - PTD QB Tom Applewhite -> WR Orlando Barrack
4th Q
14-17 IND - RTD RB Raymond Green

The Gold Stars were able to take advantage of a slow start from the Victors and jump out to a 17-0 lead. 
Tom Applewhite struggled in the first half, but got it together in the second half to make a comeback, but ran into DB Neville Falkner who clinched the win with an interception.
O’Rourke looked a lot better than his first week; he still threw one interception (to his former teammate DB Cameron Taylor), but was overall a lot more like his old self.

Boston Independents - 34, Pittsburgh Blacksmiths - 11 - Richardson Stadium - July 4, 1966 - 5 PM ET - 4th of July - Weather: Clear
1st Q
0-3 PIT - FG K Al Highlander
3-3 BOS - FG K Johnnie Berg
3-4 PIT - Single K Al Highlander
10-4 BOS - PTD QB Nathaniel Braddock -> WR Evan Clanton
2nd Q
17-4 BOS - RTD RB Kendall Morgan
20-4 BOS - FG K Johnnie Berg
3rd Q
27-4 BOS - PTD QB Nathaniel Braddock -> TE Tobias Lindholm
27-11 PIT - PTD QB Magnus Torrensen -> WR Jack Duncan
4th Q
34-11 BOS - RTD RB Tresean Jones

Boston bounced back from their loss to the Raiders by crushing the Blacksmiths on the 4th of July.
It was a slow start, but once the offence and defence got rolling, the Blacksmiths did not stand a chance against the Independents. 
Braddock was pretty much perfect with no interceptions and a pair of touchdown passes on the day.
RB Tresean Jones got involved as well near the end and scored to secure the game.
Pittsburgh was just a mess overall, but they did have a strong drive in the second half with QB Magnus Torrensen getting some action after Murphy threw 2 interceptions and only 67 passing yards in the first 3 quarters.

Injury Report
DB Mordecai King BOS - 1 Week
RB Jimmy Golden BUF - 1 Week
DL Ted Madison BUF - 1 Week
TE Oliver Chandler HFX - Day-to-Day
WR Bernard Sandeirs LI - Day-to-Day
DB Oliver Langstrom LOU - Day-to-Day
LB Le'Darius Wynn LOU - Day-to-Day
OL Fabrice Beaufort OTT - 2 Weeks
S Graham Kensington PIT - 4 Weeks
DB Perry Ferris PRO - 3 Weeks
OL Elmer Tanev PRO - 4 Weeks
WR Angus Stevenson PRO - 2 Weeks


Players of the Week

OFF: WR Taylor Karis MTL - 4 Receiving Yards,  143 Receiving Yards

DEF: LB William Washington II LI - 10 Tackles, 1 Pass Defended

Standings
WEST
Toronto 1-1
London 1-1
Buffalo 1-1
Pittsburgh 1-1
Indiana 0-2
Louisville 0-2

EAST
Long Island 2-0
Halifax 2-0
Montreal 1-1
Boston 1-1
Ottawa 1-1
Providence 1-1

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

Week 3 Games
OTT (1-1) @ LDN (1-1) - JUL 8 - 7 PM ET - Friday Night Football
PIT (1-1) @ IND (0-2) - JUL 9 - 12 PM ET
MTL (1-1) @ BUF (1-1) - JUL 9 - 3:30 PM ET
BOS (1-1) @ LOU (0-2) - JUL 9 - 7 PM ET - Saturday Night Football
PRO (1-1) @ HFX (2-0) - JUL 10 - 1 PM ET
LI (2-0) @ TOR (1-1) - JUL 10 - 4 PM ET

1966 Week 3

London Tigers - 17, Ottawa Royals - 14 - Western Fair Stadium - July 8, 1966 - 7 PM ET - FNF - Weather: Partly Cloudy
1st Q
7-0 LDN - RTD RB Austin Andrews
2nd Q
7-7 OTT - PTD QB Landon Ross -> TE Ryan Hatcher
3rd Q
7-14 OTT - RTD RB Corbyn Knight
4th Q
14-14 LDN - PTD QB Riley Kiernan -> WR Max Sutton
17-14 LDN - FG K Nimrod Handsworth

The Tigers and Royals went back and forth on Friday night, with the Tigers coming from behind in the 4th for the win.
RB Austin Andrews continued to look good for the Tigers fully taking on the #1 running back role on the team.
Ottawa looked better with QB Landon Ross finally throwing a touchdown and leading the team to a 14-7 lead heading into the 4th.
The Royals did find success with a strong run-game once again as well with their two backs continuing to put up strong numbers. 

Indiana Victors - 24, Pittsburgh Blacksmiths - 15 - Victory Stadium - July 9, 1966 - 12 PM ET - Weather: Clear
1st Q
7-0 IND - PTD QB Tom Applewhite -> WR Ed Edwards
14-0 IND - PTD QB Tom Applewhite -> WR Orlando Barrack
2nd Q
14-3 PIT - FG K Al Highlander
17-3 IND - FG K Ross Poindexter
17-9 PIT - RTD RB Stavros Black
3rd Q
17-15 PIT - RTD RB Stavros Black
4th Q
24-15 IND - PTD QB Tom Applewhite -> WR Ed Edwards

QB Tom Applewhite played the best game of his career, throwing 3 touchdowns in leading the Victors to a win over the Blacksmiths.
The team had a great start with a pair of scores in the opening quarter, while the defence shut down the Blacksmiths.
DB Cameron Taylor also looked more comfortable in the defence with a pick in the win.
RB Stavros Black had a strong game, especially in the 2nd and 3rd quarters with a pair of touchdowns. 
QB Buck Murphy still started this game despite being pulled last week; he performed better in this game and gave the team a shot to win.

Buffalo Blue Wings - 33, Montreal Rouge - 22 - Milton Charles Stadium - July 9, 1966 - 3:30 PM ET - Weather: Cloudy
1st Q
7-0 BUF - PTD QB Charles Lemieux -> WR Julius Drake
10-0 BUF - FG K Ryan Perch
10-3 MTL - FG K Arthur Kettinger
2nd Q
17-3 BUF - PTD QB Charles Lemieux -> WR Daniel Irons
17-6 MTL - FG K Arthur Kettinger
17-13 MTL - RTD RB Scott Mallard-White
3rd Q
20-13 BUF - FG K Ryan Perch
27-13 BUF - RTD RB Théodore Lemieux
27-16 MTL - FG K Arthur Kettinger
4th Q
27-22 MTL - PTD QB Gene Bishop -> WR Taylor Karis
30-22 BUF - FG K Ryan Perch
33-22 BUF - FG K Ryan Perch

The Blue Wings came through with a strong win over the Rouge without their star RB. 
QB Charles Lemieux stepped up with a pair of touchdowns and no interceptions in the win.
Montreal struggled with the Buffalo D-line early on, but the O-line picked it up later to help the Rouge get back into the game.
WR Taylor Karis continued his superb start with his 6th touchdown of the season as QB Gene Bishop looked a little more comfortable as the game went on.

Louisville Thunder - 24, Boston Independents - 27 - Thunder Stadium - July 9, 1966 - 7 PM ET - SNF - Weather: Mostly Cloudy - GAME OF THE WEEK
1st Q
0-3 BOS - FG K Johnnie Berg
2nd Q
7-3 LOU - RTD RB Rodney Clark
7-10 BOS - RTD RB Kendall Morgan
3rd Q
7-13 BOS - FG K Johnnie Berg
10-13 LOU - FG K Frank Hughes
17-13 LOU - RTD RB Rodney Clark
4th Q
17-16 BOS - FG K Johnnie Berg
24-16 LOU - PTD QB Leonidas Dumont -> WR Otto Washington
24-22 BOS - PTD QB Nathaniel Braddock -> WR Felix Fontaine
24-24 BOS - 2PT QB Nathaniel Braddock -> WR Evan Clanton
24-27 BOS - FG K Johnnie Berg

The Thunder looked much better after back-to-back horrid games to start the season, however, they still were unable to hold off the Independents who would come back for the win.
Braddock came through with his usual late-game comeback helping lift Boston to their second straight win.
He got some help from the defence late, who forced Louisville to a quick 2 and out and gave Braddock enough time to get in field goal range.
QB Leonidas Dumont still looked much better than he had been in this game throwing a touchdown and only one interception. 
WR Felix Fontaine also grabbed his first career touchdown that helped to tie the game, breaking a tackle to get into the endzone.

Halifax Mariners - 19, Providence Gold Stars - 14 - Atlantic Stadium - July 10, 1966 - 1 PM ET - Weather: Mostly Cloudy
1st Q
3-0 HFX - FG K Albert Wickerweaver
2nd Q
6-0 HFX - FG K Albert Wickerweaver
6-7 PRO - PTD QB Connor O’Rourke -> WR Cedric Peterson
3rd Q
6-14 PRO - PTD QB Connor O’Rourke -> WR Owen Paisley
12-14 HFX - RTD RB Ronald O’Sullivan
4th Q
19-14 HFX - PTD QB Lyle Painter -> RB Ronald O’Sullivan

The Mariners got up early with a pair of first-half field goals and the defence causing issues for the Gold Stars.
QB Connor O’Rourke did find a way to deal with the pressure and got a pair of touchdowns to get his team up 6-14.
Halifax was able to adjust and rebound, scoring their own two touchdowns thanks to RB Ronald O’Sullivan. 
The Mariners' defence also stepped up late with DB Joe Robinson grabbing an interception and DL Wayne Baxton getting a forced fumble as well.
The Mariners’ 3-0 start marks the franchise’s best start since 1956 when they last went to the McCallister Cup (they started that season 9-0).

Toronto Steelheads - 16, Long Island Raiders - 26 - Anderson Stadium - July 10, 1966 - 4 PM ET - Weather: Partly Cloudy/Windy
1st Q
0-3 LI - FG K Henderson Schumacher
0-6 LI - FG K Henderson Schumacher
2nd Q
7-6 TOR - RTD RB Max Tracy
7-9 LI - FG K Henderson Schumacher
3rd Q
7-16 LI - RTD RB Dareion Fields
10-16 TOR - FG K Bob Randall
4th Q
10-19 LI - FG K Henderson Schumacher
10-26 LI - RTD RB Dareion Fields
16-26 TOR - PTD QB Todd Baker -> WR Ben Roland

The Raiders had another strong performance in their 3rd win of the season, taking down the Steelheads in Toronto.
RB Dareion Fields had a great performance with a pair of touchdowns that helped give the Raiders a commanding lead. 
Toronto tried to make a late push, but the touchdown came far too late and the Raider would easily hold on to start 3-0. 

Injury Report
TE Tobias Lindholm BOS - Day-to-Day
WR Piers Key LOU - Day-to-Day
OL Erik Nelson PIT - 1 Week
DL Chester Avery TOR - Day-to-Day

Players of the Week

OFF: QB Charles Lemieux BUF - 2 Passing Touchdowns, 355 Passing Yards

DEF: DL Wayne Baxton HFX - 1 Forced Fumble, 6 Tackles, 2 Sacks

Standings
WEST
Buffalo 2-1
London 2-1
Indiana 1-2
Toronto 1-2
Pittsburgh 1-2
Louisville 0-3

EAST
Long Island 3-0
Halifax 3-0
Boston 2-1
Montreal 1-2
Ottawa 1-2
Providence 1-2

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

Week 4 Games
LDN (2-1) @ IND (1-2) - JUL 14 - 7 PM ET - Thursday Night Football
MTL (1-2) @ PRO (1-2) - JUL 15 - 7 PM ET - Friday Night Football
LI (3-0) @ OTT (1-2) - JUL 16 - 3 PM ET
TOR (1-2) @ PIT (1-2) - JUL 16 - 7 PM ET - Saturday Night Football
HFX (3-0) @ LOU (0-3) - JUL 17 - 1 PM ET
BOS (2-1) @ BUF (2-1) - JUL 17 - 4 PM ET

1966 Week 4

Indiana Victors - 33, London Tigers - 10 - Victory Stadium - July 14, 1966 - 7 PM ET - TNF - Weather: Cloudy
1st Q
7-0 IND - PTD QB Tom Applewhite -> WR Silas Peyton
14-0 IND - RTD RB Raymond Green
2nd Q
14-7 LDN - RTD RB Austin Andrews
17-7 IND - FG K Ross Poindexter
3rd Q
20-7 IND - FG K Ross Poindexter
20-10 LDN - FG K Nimrod Handsworth
23-10 IND - FG K Ross Poindexter
4th Q
30-10 IND - RTD RB Raymond Green
33-10 IND - FG K Ross Poindexter

The Victors rolled on to their second straight win, dominating the Tigers at home.
QB Tom Applewhite continued to show his potential with another passing touchdown, though he got lots of help from the run-game which opened up with the injury to London’s DL Richard Blunt.
London had another frustrating game where they just looked completely outmatched which was not helped with the injury on defence. 

Providence Gold Stars - 14, Montreal Rouge - 21 - New Providence Stadium - July 15, 1966 - 7 PM ET - FNF - Weather: Partly Cloudy - GAME OF THE WEEK
1st Q
7-0 PRO - RTD RB Rashed Smith
2nd Q
7-7 MTL - PTD QB Gene Bishop -> WR Yahui Sun
14-7 PRO - PTD QB Connor O’Rourke -> WR Cedric Peterson
3rd Q
14-14 MTL - PTD QB Gene Bishop -> WR Yahui Sun
4th Q
14-21 MTL - PTD QB Gene Bishop -> WR Taylor Karis

A duel of touchdowns was what the fans of Providence got on Friday Night with the Rouge getting the last laugh on WR Taylor Karis’ 7th touchdown of the season. 
DB Neville Falkner had an early interception which helped the Gold Stars get the early lead. 
They would out-duel the Rouge in the first half, but after the break, their offence just could not get back on the board with Montreal’s defence stepping up. 
WR Yahui Sun had a great day as well scoring a pair of touchdowns for the Rouge.

Ottawa Royals - 14, Long Island Raiders - 30 - Royals Stadium at Brewer Park - July 16, 1966 - 3 PM ET - Weather: Clear
1st Q
0-7 LI - RTD RB Dareion Fields
0-10 LI - FG K Henderson Schumacher
2nd Q
0-17 LI - PTD QB Stanley Troyer -> WR Troy York
7-17 OTT - PTD QB Lee Rogers -> WR Marshall Leonard
3rd Q
7-20 LI - FG K Henderson Schumacher
7-23 LI - FG K Henderson Schumacher
4th Q
14-23 OTT - RTD RB Wally Morton
14-30 LI - RTD RB Dareion Fields

The Raiders maintained their unbeaten record, taking down the Royals on the road.
The defence continued to play to their usual standard, while the offence held a steady pace in scoring throughout the game.
RB Dareion Fields was the main game-changer being almost unstoppable for the Raiders and rushing for 161 yards.
The Royals did try to change things up in the second by throwing QB Lee Rogers on the field for a couple of drives after QB Landon Ross had a couple of earlier interceptions.
Ross would eventually return later in the game and help the team to their second touchdown, but it was a tough day for the Royals’ offence overall.

Pittsburgh Blacksmiths - 16, Toronto Steelheads - 20 - Riverfront Stadium of Pittsburgh - July 16, 1966 - SNF - Weather: Clear
1st Q
0-3 TOR - FG K Bob Randall
2nd Q
3-3 PIT - FG K Al Highlander
3-10 TOR - PTD QB Todd Baker -> TE Jesse Butler
3rd Q
6-10 PIT - FG K Al Highlander
13-10 PIT - RTD RB Stavros Black
13-13 TOR - FG K Bob Randall
4th Q
16-13 PIT - FG K Al Highlander
16-20 TOR - PTD QB Todd Baker -> WR Ben Roland

The Blacksmiths and Steelheads game came down to the wire with Pittsburgh holding onto a narrow lead. 
However, QB Todd Baker showed up and lifted the Steelheads over the Blacksmiths with a game-winning drive in the 4th.
Pittsburgh struggled down the stretch with more injuries to their O-line which certainly hinders them significantly in the run game.

Louisville Thunder - 12, Halifax Mariners - 31 - Thunder Stadium - July 17, 1966 - 1 PM ET - Weather: Partly Cloudy
1st Q
3-0 LOU - FG K Frank Hughes
3-7 HFX - RTD RB Ronald O’Sullivan
2nd Q
3-14 HFX - PTD QB Lyle Painter -> WR Shane Steadman
3rd Q
3-17 HFX - FG K Albert Wickerweaver
6-17 LOU - FG K Frank Hughes
6-24 HFX - PTD QB Lyle Painter -> WR Jav Kerrigan
4th Q
12-24 LOU - PTD QB Rigobert St-Hilaire -> WR Lloyd Lane
12-31 HFX - PTD QB Lyle Painter -> WR Shane Steadman

The Mariners grabbed their 4th win of the season, keeping pace with the division-leading Raiders.
QB Lyle Painter threw another 3 touchdowns in the win to keep up his strong start to the year.
As for Louisville, things went from bad to worse and both QB Leonidas Dumont and DB Oliver Langstrom left the game with injuries. 
QB Rigobert St-Hilaire came in for relief and did throw one touchdown after second-year WR Lloyd Lane broke loose for a 43-yard touchdown.

Buffalo Blue Wings - 27, Boston Independents - 18 - Milton Charles Stadium - July 17, 1966 - 4 PM ET - Weather: Clear
1st Q
7-0 BUF - PTD QB Charles Lemieux -> WR Zachariah Pembroke
7-3 BOS - FG K Johnnie Berg
2nd Q
7-6 BOS - FG K Johnnie Berg
10-6 BUF - FG K Ryan Perch
17-6 BUF - PTD QB Charles Lemieux -> RB Théodore Lemieux
3rd Q
17-9 BOS - FG K Johnnie Berg
17-15 BOS - PTD QB Nathaniel Braddock -> WR Alexei Dubois
4th Q
24-15 BUF - RTD RB Théodore Lemieux
24-18 BOS - FG K Johnnie Berg
27-18 BUF - FG K Ryan Perch

The Lemieux duo took down the Independents to claim their second straight win of the season. 
Despite not having Jimmy Golden, the Blue Wings looked like a true force on offence moving through the Boston defence with ease.
Boston has looked questionable to start the season, though to be fair, they have played probably the two best teams in the league in their first 4 games.
They still managed to keep it close, but Buffalo was just one step ahead the whole time.

Injury Report
DB Nick Ulbach BUF - 4 Weeks
DL Wayne Baxton HFX - 2 Weeks
DL Richard Blunt LDN - Day-to-Day
RB Eric Sydney LI - Day-to-Day
WR Larry Mossholder LI - 3 Weeks
QB Leonidas Dumont LOU - 4 Weeks
RB Greg Dix LOU - Day-to-Day
DB Oliver Langstrom LOU - 3 Weeks
OL Jimmy McKay PIT - 2 Weeks
OL Tommy Yorke PIT - 2 Weeks
RB Max Tracy TOR - 2 Weeks

Players of the Week

OFF: RB Dareion Fields LI - 2 Rushing Touchdowns, 161 Rushing Yards

DEF: DB Aquilio Ruiz HFX - 2 Interceptions, 4 Tackles, 2 Passes Defended

Standings
WEST
Buffalo 3-1
Indiana 2-2
Toronto 2-2
London 2-2
Pittsburgh 1-3
Louisville 0-4

EAST
Long Island 4-0
Halifax 4-0
Montreal 2-2
Boston 2-2
Ottawa 1-3
Providence 1-3

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

Week 5 Games
IND (2-2) @ OTT (1-3) - JUL 22 - 7 PM ET - Friday Night Football
PIT (1-3) @ HFX (4-0) - JUL 23 - 12 PM ET
LOU (0-4) @ LI (4-0) - JUL 23 - 3:30 PM ET
BUF (3-1) @ PRO (1-3) - JUL 23 - 7 PM ET - Saturday Night Football
TOR (2-2) @ BOS (2-2) - JUL 24 - 1 PM ET
MTL (2-2) @ LDN (2-2) - JUL 24 - 4 PM ET

1966 Week 5

Ottawa Royals - 30, Indiana Victors - 20 - Royals Stadium at Brewer Park - July 22, 1966 - 7 PM ET - FNF - Weather: Partly Cloudy
1st Q
3-0 OTT - FG K Ira Foster
10-0 OTT - RTD RB Corbyn Knight
2nd Q
13-0 OTT - FG K Ira Foster
13-3 IND - FG K Ross Poindexter
3rd Q
13-10 IND - PTD QB Tom Applewhite -> WR Silas Peyton
16-10 OTT - FG K Ira Foster
16-17 IND - RTD RB Raymond Green
23-17 OTT - PTD QB Landon Ross -> WR Marshall Leonard
4th Q
23-20 IND - FG K Ross Poindexter
30-20 OTT - RTD RB Wally Morton

The Royals got their second win of the season with a bit of an upset over the Victors.
QB Landon Ross played much better than he did against the Raiders, he threw a touchdown and only 1 interception.
As for QB Tom Applewhite, he did not look as good in this battle, throwing a pair of interceptions himself, but also just not being able to generate much offence down the field. 
The defence didn’t play too badly but struggled against the Royals’ run game which is a big reason they lost the game.

Halifax Mariners - 35, Pittsburgh Blacksmiths - 18 - Atlantic Stadium - July 23, 1966 - 12 PM ET - Weather: Partly Cloudy
1st Q
0-7 PIT - RTD RB Carter Roy
7-7 HFX - PTD QB Lyle Painter -> WR Shane Steadman
2nd Q
7-10 PIT - FG K Al Highlander
14-10 HFX - PTD QB Lyle Painter -> WR Shane Steadman
14-11 PIT - Single K Al Highlander
3rd Q
21-11 HFX - RTD RB Ronald O’Sullivan
28-11 HFX - PTD QB Lyle Painter -> TE Oliver Chandler
4th Q
28-18 PIT - PTD QB Buck Murphy -> WR Wilson Queensgate
35-18 HFX - RTD RB Ronald O’Sullivan

The Mariners and Blacksmiths had a close battle going in the first half, with the Blacksmiths getting up early.
However, in the second half, Painter and the Mariners picked it up and put up 21 points in the second half to take the win.
WR Shane Steadman continues to have a strong start to the season catching another pair of touchdowns for his squad, bringing his total to 6 on the season.
QB Buck Murphy had some problems today with 2 fumbles and an interception, which may lead to a short leash for the starter over the next couple of games with some younger talent waiting for a chance.

Long Island Raiders - 34, Louisville Thunder - 13 - Long Island Stadium - July 23, 1966 - 3:30 PM ET - Weather: Mostly Cloudy
1st Q
3-0 LI - FG K Henderson Schumacher
3-3 LOU - FG K Frank Hughes
10-3 LI - RTD RB Dareion Fields
2nd Q
17-3 LI - RTD RB Dareion Fields
17-6 LOU - FG K Frank Hughes
24-6 LI - RTD RB Dareion Fields
3rd Q
24-13 LOU - RTD RB Rodney Clark
27-13 LI - FG K Henderson Schumacher
4th Q
34-13 LI - RTD RB Dareion Fields

A monster 4-touchdown game from RB Dareion Fields saw the Raiders crush the winless Thunder.
The Raiders defence had their way with QB Rigobert St-Hilaire, who struggled in his first start for the Thunder.
St-Hilaire threw 2 interceptions and fumbled twice in the game which might lead to the team looking for another option for next week against the Victors.
LB William Washington II continued his strong performance on the season by forcing one of the two fumbles on St-Hilaire and racking up 9 tackles.

Providence Gold Stars - 9, Buffalo Blue Wings - 24 - New Providence Stadium - July 23, 1966 - 7 PM ET - SNF - Weather: Mostly Cloudy
1st Q
0-7 BUF - PTD QB Charles Lemieux -> WR Daniel Irons
2nd Q
3-7 PRO - FG K Elvis Franklin
3-10 BUF - FG K Ryan Perch
3rd Q
6-10 PRO - FG K Elvis Franklin
6-17 BUF - RTD RB Jimmy Golden
9-17 PRO - FG K Elvis Franklin
4th Q
9-24 BUF - PTD QB Charles Lemieux -> WR Zachariah Pembroke

The Blue Wings grabbed another win on the back of RB Jimmy Golden’s return to the lineup.
Providence’s offence struggled especially when they got within scoring range; they were only able to get into the redzone once in the game, and immediately got shut down.
QB Charles Lemieux has continued to take another step forward showing that he is legit one of the best QBs in the league and it isn’t just Golden carrying the load.

Boston Independents - 17, Toronto Steelheads - 28 - Richardson Stadium - July 24, 1966 - 1 PM ET - Weather: Clear
1st Q
0-7 TOR - PTD QB Todd Baker -> WR Edmund Landry
7-7 BOS - PTD QB Nathaniel Braddock -> RB Kendall Morgan
2nd Q
14-7 BOS - PTD QB Nathaniel Braddock -> WR Alexei Dubois
14-14 TOR - RTD RB Max Tracy
3rd Q
17-14 BOS - FG K Johnnie Berg
17-21 TOR - RTD RB Max Tracy
4th Q
17-28 TOR - PTD QB Todd Baker -> WR Samuel Petri

The Steelheads grabbed their second straight win, upsetting the Independents on the road.
The game was very back and forth in the first half that left the game tied at 14, however, in the second half, Toronto’s defence stepped up and allowed the offence to build up a lead.
Boston certainly won’t be happy about a 2-3 start to the season, which may be a starting point for some further changes to the team in the near future if they can’t turn this around.

London Tigers - 20, Montreal Rouge - 17 - Western Fair Stadium - July 24, 1966 - 4 PM ET - Weather: Clear - GAME OF THE WEEK
1st Q
7-0 LDN - QB Riley Kiernan -> RB Austin Andrews
7-3 MTL - FG K Arthur Kettinger
2nd Q
10-3 LDN - FG K Nimrod Handsworth
10-10 MTL - RTD RB Hugo Hughes
3rd Q
17-10 LDN - PTD QB Riley Kiernan -> WR Russell Wilcox
4th Q
17-17 MTL - PTD QB Gene Bishop -> WR Derek Cross
20-17 LDN - FG K Nimrod Handsworth

The Tigers picked up a narrow win over the Rouge on the back of a last-minute field goal from K Nimrod Handsworth.
RB Austin Andrews continued his strong performance this season with a receiving touchdown and 104 yards on the ground.
RB Hugo Hughes also made an impression by getting more carries in this game, scoring a touchdown and putting up 67 yards on the ground over RB Scott Mallard-White, who had only 47 yards despite getting more carries.
WR Derek Cross also finally found the endzone for the first time this season, this comes after leading the team last season with 8 touchdowns on the year.

Injury Report
DL Ted Madison BUF - Day-to-Day
DB Ezra Power BUF - Day-to-Day
DB Aquilio Ruiz HFX - Day-to-Day
OL Jeffrey Uduike LDN - 2 Weeks
LB Gene Bensen LI - 5 Weeks
LB Le'Darius Wynn LOU - 1 Week
WR Carter Henderson OTT - 1 Week

Players of the Week

OFF: RB Dareion Fields LI - 4 Rushing Touchdowns, 186 Rushing Yards

DEF: DB Jackson Miles LDN - 1 Interception, 7 Tackles, 3 Passes Defended

Standings
WEST
Buffalo 4-1
Toronto 3-2
London 3-2
Indiana 2-3
Pittsburgh 1-4
Louisville 0-5

EAST
Long Island 5-0
Halifax 5-0
Montreal 2-3
Ottawa 2-3
Boston 2-3
Providence 1-4

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

Week 6 Games - RIVALRY WEEK
LI (5-0) @ HFX (5-0) - JUL 29 - 7 PM ET - Friday Night Football
PIT (1-4) @ TOR (3-2) - JUL 30 - 12 PM ET
IND (2-3) @ LOU (0-5) - JUL 30 - 3:30 PM ET
BOS (2-3) @ PRO (1-4) - JUL 30 - 7 PM ET - Saturday Night Football
OTT (2-3) @ MTL (2-3) - JUL 31 - 1 PM ET
LDN (3-2) @ BUF (4-1) - JUL 31 - 4 PM ET

1966 Week 6

Halifax Mariners - 24, Long Island Raiders - 17 - Atlantic Stadium - July 29, 1966 - FNF - 6 PM ET - Weather: Mostly Cloudy
1st Q
3-0 HFX - FG K Albert Wickerweaver
3-7 LI - PTD QB Stanley Troyer -> WR Casey Coleman
2nd Q
3-14 LI - RTD RB Dareion Fields
10-14 HFX - RTD RB Ronald O’Sullivan
3rd Q
10-17 LI - FG K Henderson Schumacher
4th Q
17-17 HFX - PTD QB Lyle Painter -> RB Ronald O’Sullivan
24-17 HFX - PTD QB Lyle Painter -> WR Jav Kerrigan

It seems that WR Jav Kerrigan is making a habit of coming up clutch with another great touchdown. 
The Mariners ended up taking the win in the battle of the unbeaten squads moving them to the top of the league for the first time in many seasons.
The Raiders had a strong start to the game being up 14-3, but Halifax figured out the defence and managed to score 17 in the second half to take the win.
The teams do have one more match this season (week 11) so the division is still wide open.
*Fun Fact: The Mariners’ win over the Raiders is their first win over the team since Week 8 of 1956 (22-19) when they still were the Athletics.

Toronto Steelheads - 23, Pittsburgh Blacksmiths - 20 - Anderson Stadium - July 30, 1996 - 12 PM ET - Weather: Partly Cloudy
1st Q
3-0 TOR - FG K Bob Randall
3-7 PIT - PTD QB Magnus Torrensen -> WR Nathan Murray-Lawrence
2nd Q
10-7 TOR - RTD RB Lukas Ivarsson
10-10 PIT - FG K Al Highlander
3rd Q
13-10 TOR - FG K Bob Randall
20-10 TOR - PTD QB Todd Baker -> WR Edmund Landry
4th Q
20-13 PIT - FG K Al Highlander
20-20 PIT - RTD RB Stavros Black
23-20 TOR - FG K Bob Randall

The Steelheads topped the Blacksmiths for the second time this season after K Bob Randall nailed the game-winning kick in the fourth to hold off the Pittsburgh comeback.
Toronto’s 3rd straight win keeps them in a great position in the West right behind Buffalo, and with Max Tracy returning to the lineup next week, they should be even better moving forward.
As for the Blacksmiths, they started QB Magnus Torrensen this week and the QB had 1 touchdown and a pick in the start, keeping the team in the game until the end.

Louisville Thunder - 11, Indiana Victors - 27 - Thunder Stadium - July 30, 1966 - 3:30 PM ET - Weather: Clear
1st Q
0-3 IND - FG K Ross Poindexter
3-3 LOU - FG K Frank Hughes
3-10 IND - PTD QB Tom Applewhite -> WR Ed Edwards
2nd Q
3-17 IND - RTD RB Raymond Green
4-17 LOU - Single K Frank Hughes
3rd Q
4-24 IND - RTD RB Raymond Green
4th Q
11-24 LOU - RTD RB Rodney Clark
11-27 IND - FG K Ross Poindexter

The Victors bounced back from their loss to the Royals with a strong win on the road in Louisville.
RB Raymond Green had a strong outing against the weaker front 7 of the Thunder, scoring two touchdowns.
DB Kelly Kirkland had another strong game for Indy with a pick and 6 tackles.
The Thunder decided to change things up and gave QB Nikolas Diakos his first start; the young QB performed alright but struggled to get a footing in until the final quarter.

Providence Gold Stars - 29, Boston Independents - 24 - New Providence Stadium - July 30, 1966 - 7 PM ET - SNF - Weather: Cloudy
1st Q
3-0 PRO - FG K Elvis Franklin
3-7 BOS - PTD QB Nathaniel Braddock -> WR Evan Clanton
6-7 PRO - FG K Elvis Franklin
2nd Q
13-7 PRO - PTD QB Connor O’Rourke -> WR Cedric Peterson
13-10 BOS - FG K Johnnie Berg
3rd Q
20-10 PRO - PTD QB Connor O’Rourke -> WR Cedric Peterson
23-10 PRO - FG K Elvis Franklin
23-17 BOS - RTD RB Kendall Morgan
4th Q
23-24 BOS - PTD QB Nathaniel Braddock -> TE Tobias Lindholm
29-24 PRO - PTD QB Connor O’Rourke -> WR Owen Paisley

The Gold Stars pulled off their second win of the season on the back of a 3 touchdown performance from QB Connor O’Rourke.
WR Cedric Peterson also had a great game with 2 of the touchdowns, while LB Kurt Warlock had his first career forced fumble for the defence.
Boston’s struggles continued, though they were able to get a late lead, the defence was not able to stop the Gold Stars offence to hold on.
There was also some more aggression in this game between the teams as they both have had frustrating starts and they may have taken it out a bit on each other; this included quite the shoving battle between WR Alexei Dubois and DB Dennis Kirchner.

Montreal Rouge - 22, Ottawa Royals - 19 - Mount Royal Stadium - July 31, 1966 - 1 PM ET - Weather: Partly Cloudy
1st Q
7-0 MTL - PTD QB Gene Bishop -> WR Taylor Karis
2nd Q
7-3 OTT - FG K Ira Foster
7-6 OTT - FG K Ira Foster
3rd Q
7-13 OTT - PTD QB Landon Ross -> WR Marshall Leonard
14-13 MTL - RTD RB Hugo Hughes
4th Q
14-16 OTT - FG K Ira Foster
14-19 OTT - FG K Ira Foster
20-19 MTL - PTD QB Gene Bishop -> WR Derek Cross
22-19 MTL - 2PT QB Gene Bishop -> WR Yahui Sun

A close duel between the Rouge and Royals came down to a final drive where QB Gene Bishop found WR Derek Cross in the endzone of the game-winning score.
The crowd at Mount Royal Stadium made a great atmosphere for the rivalry showdown that went back and forth; even when Ottawa made some plays there were cheers as the fans made the trip down.
RB Hugo Hughes continued to outperform Scott Mallard-White which could lead to the team continuing to lean into the younger RB for the future.
QB Landon Ross looked alright, but still has not really shown that he can get the team to the next level which brings more questions to the Royals heading into the second half of the season.

Buffalo Blue Wings - 34, London Tigers - 28 - Milton Charles Stadium - July 31, 1966 - 4 PM ET - Weather: Partly Cloudy - GAME OF THE WEEK
1st Q
7-0 BUF - PTD QB Charles Lemieux -> WR Daniel Irons
10-0 BUF - FG K Ryan Perch
10-7 LDN - RTD RB Austin Andrews
2nd Q
17-7 BUF - RTD RB Jimmy Golden
3rd Q
17-14 LDN - PTD QB Riley Kiernan -> WR Max Sutton
20-14 BUF - FG K Ryan Perch
20-21 LDN - RTD RB Austin Andrews
4th Q
27-21 BUF - PTD QB Charles Lemieux -> TE Paul Arturberry
27-28 LDN - PTD QB Riley Kiernan -> WR Dwayne Alexander
34-28 BUF - PTD QB Charles Lemieux -> WR Julius Drake

Another classic Buffalo-London battle came down to the wire with the Blue Wings narrowly coming out on top off of a WR Julius Drake touchdown in the final minute.
QB Riley Kiernan went toe-to-toe with QB Charles Lemieux as they kept up with each other throughout the contest, but it was Lemieux who got the last laugh with a clutch last-second drive. 
RB Austin Andrews also continued to play well with another couple of touchdowns to give London a great chance at victory, however, they came up just short and will be looking for revenge next week.

Injury Report
DL Austin Antonio BOS - 11 Weeks
DB Mordecai King BOS - Day-to-Day
DB Lou Lake BUF - 3 Weeks
OL Johannes König - 2 Weeks
DL Bernard King HFX - Day-to-Day
LB George Yokoi LDN - Day-to-Day
DL Olympus Heights LDN - Day-to-Day
DL Keith Gavelstein LDN - Day-to-Day
DL Jordan Buckner OTT - Day-to-Day
DL Mickey Daly PIT - 8 Weeks
DL Dale Rothery TOR - Day-to-Day

Players of the Week

OFF: QB Connor O’Rourke PRO - 3 Passing Touchdowns, 268 Passing Yards

DEF: DL Pat Butler HFX - 1 Forced Fumble, 6 Tackles, 2 Sacks

Standings
WEST
Buffalo 5-1
Toronto 4-2
Indiana 3-3
London 3-3
Pittsburgh 1-5
Louisville 0-6

EAST
Halifax 6-0
Long Island 5-1
Montreal 3-3
Providence 2-4
Ottawa 2-4
Boston 2-4

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

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

1966 Week 7

Pittsburgh Blacksmiths - 31, Louisville Thunder - 13 - Riverfront Stadium of Pittsburgh - August 4, 1966 - 7 PM ET - TNF - Weather: Cloudy
1st Q
7-0 PIT - RTD RB Stavros Black
2nd Q
14-0 PIT - RTD RB Carter Roy
14-3 LOU - FG K Frank Hughes
21-3 PIT - PTD QB Magnus Torrensen -> WR Jack Duncan
3rd Q
21-10 LOU - RTD RB Rodney Clark
28-10 PIT - PTD QB Magnus Torrensen -> WR Nathan Murray Lawrence
4th Q
28-13 LOU - FG K Frank Hughes
31-13 PIT - FG K Al Highlander

The Blacksmiths rolled to their 2nd win of the season, taking down the lowly Thunder.
QB Magnus Torrensen was strong in his second start of the season, tossing a pair of touchdowns in the second half.
QB Nikolas Diakos started once again for the Thunder and he was not great, throwing 2 interceptions in the first half before being pulled for QB Rigobert St-Hilaire. 
The struggles only seem to pile on for the Thunder who now slip to 0-7 with their season likely done.

Toronto Steelheads - 29, Halifax Mariners - 27 - Anderson Stadium - August 5, 1966 - 7 PM ET - FNF - Weather: Mostly Cloudy - GAME OF THE WEEK
1st Q
3-0 TOR - FG K Bob Randall
6-0 TOR - FG K Bob Randall
6-7 HFX - PTD QB Lyle Painter -> WR Shane Steadman
2nd Q
9-7 TOR - FG K Bob Randall
9-14 HFX - PTD QB Lyle Painter -> WR Jav Kerrigan
3rd Q
16-14 TOR - RTD RB Max Tracy
19-14 TOR - FG K Bob Randall
19-21 HFX - RTD RB Ronald O’Sullivan
4th Q
26-21 TOR - PTD QB Todd Baker -> TE Jesse Butler
26-27 HFX - PTD QB Lyle Painter -> WR Shane Steadman
29-27 TOR - FG K Bob Randall

Just one week after ending the Raiders’ unbeaten season, the Mariners’ own perfect record was taken down by the Steelheads. 
Toronto came to fight and with a steady offence and strong game from K Bob Randall, they were able to squeeze out a close win to improve to 5-2 on the season, claiming their 4th straight win.
Halifax was right in the fight until the end but came up just short off of a missed 2-point conversion attempt that would have had the game tied.

Indiana Victors - 20, Long Island Raiders - 16 - Victory Stadium - August 6, 1966 - 3 PM ET - Weather: Clear
1st Q
0-3 LI - FG K Henderson Schumacher
3-3 IND - FG K Ross Poindexter
2nd Q
3-6 LI - FG K Henderson Schumacher
6-6 IND - FG K Ross Poindexter
3rd Q
13-6 IND - RTD RB Raymond Green
13-13 LI - DTD INT DB Alexander Bradley
4th Q
13-16 LI - FG K Henderson Schumacher
20-13 IND - PTD QB Tom Applewhite -> WR Ed Edwards

The Victors came away with a huge win over the Raiders who now have dropped two straight. 
Outside of their second straight loss, the Raiders also lost RB Dareion Fields to a potential regular season-ending injury; the injury certainly affected the Raiders' offence who was only able to put up a single field goal against the Victors defence without Fields.
RB Eric Sydney came in for Fields and did fumble twice while Troyer threw an interception.
DB Alexander Bradley kept them in the game with the first defensive touchdown of the season.
WR Ed Edwards ended up being the hero for the Victors who made a great catch to score the game-winning score with DB Rutherford Winters all over him.

Montreal Rouge - 20, Boston Independents - 18 - Mount Royal Stadium - August 6, 1966 - 7 PM ET - SNF - Weather: Partly Cloudy
1st Q
7-0 MTL - RTD RB Scott Mallard-White
2nd Q
7-7 BOS - PTD QB Nathaniel Braddock -> WR Alexei Dubois
10-7 MTL - FG K Arthur Kettinger
3rd Q
10-10 BOS - FG K Johnnie Berg
17-10 MTL - PTD QB Gene Bishop -> WR Taylor Karis
4th Q
17-17 BOS - PTD QB Nathaniel Braddock -> WR Evan Clanton
20-17 MTL - FG K Arthur Kettinger
20-18 BOS - Single K Johnnie Berg

The Rouge escaped their matchup against Boston with a win after K Johnnie Berg missed the potential game-tying kick, which WR James Hess caught in the endzone before sacrificing a single point.
Braddock was solid for the Independents, but the rest of the team struggled with mistakes that ultimately cost them the game.
QB Gene Bishop continues to look better with each game and has put the Rouge in a great position in the East to push for the playoffs.

Ottawa Royals - 14, Providence Gold Stars - 28 - Royals Stadium at Brewer Park - August 7, 1966 - 1 PM ET - Weather: Partly Cloudy
1st Q
7-0 OTT - RTD RB Wally Morton
7-7 PRO - PTD QB Connor O’Rourke -> WR Owen Paisley
2nd Q
7-14 PRO - PTD QB Connor O’Rourke -> WR Owen Paisley
3rd Q
7-21 PRO - RTD RB Rashed Smith
4th Q
14-21 OTT - PTD QB Lee Rogers -> WR Marshall Leonard
14-28 PRO - PTD QB Connor O’Rourke -> WR Cedric Peterson

The Gold Stars grabbed their second straight win with a 3 touchdown performance from QB Connor O’Rourke. 
It is an important win for the Gold Stars who now have a step on the bottom two spots in the East Division and keep pace with the Rouge.
Ottawa decided to change things up this week and started QB Lee Rogers over Landon Ross; Rogers was able to get the offence rolling a little more, but it was not enough to overcome a fairly strong Gold Stars’ defence.

London Tigers - 22, Buffalo Blue Wings - 30 - Western Fair Stadium - August 7, 1966 - 4 PM ET - Weather: Clear
1st Q
0-7 BUF - RTD RB Jimmy Golden
0-14 BUF - PTD QB Charles Lemieux -> WR Julius Drake
2nd Q
3-14 LDN - FG K Nimrod Handsworth
3-17 BUF - FG K Ryan Perch
6-17 LDN - FG K Nimrod Handsworth
3rd Q
9-17 LDN - FG K Nimrod Handsworth
9-20 BUF - FG K Ryan Perch
12-20 LDN - FG K Nimrod Handsworth
12-23 BUF - FG K Ryan Perch
4th Q
18-23 LDN - PTD QB Riley Kiernan -> WR Max Sutton
20-23 LDN - 2PT QB Riley Kiernan -> WR Dwayne Alexander
20-30 BUF - RTD RB Jimmy Golden
23-30 LDN - FG K Nimrod Handsworth

The Tigers hoped to get their revenge on the Blue Wings, but Nimrod Handsworth’s leg was not good enough to get them over the top.
Buffalo continued to roll with their 5th straight win as RB Jimmy Golden was able to break into the endzone twice in the game.
The game did have quite the back and forth through the middle two quarters where there were 7 straight field goals made.
London’s season could get worse at this point as they did lose RB Austin Andrews who had been easily the team’s best offensive weapon this season. 

Injury Report
DB Mordecai King BOS - 10 Weeks
LB Kyle Essena BOS - 9 Weeks
WR Joshua Lafleur HFX - 6 Weeks
RB Austin Andrews LDN - 7 Weeks
RB Dareion Fields LI - 5 Weeks
LB Kenneth Mercer PRO - Day-to-Day

Players of the Week

OFF: K Bob Randall TOR - 5 Field Goals, 2 Extra Points

DEF: DB Neville Falkner PRO - 1 Interception, 2 Passes Defended, 8 Tackles

Standings
WEST
Buffalo 6-1
Toronto 5-2
Indiana 4-3
London 3-4
Pittsburgh 2-5
Louisville 0-7

EAST
Halifax 6-1
Long Island 5-2
Montreal 4-3
Providence 3-4
Boston 2-5
Ottawa 2-5

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

Week 8 Games
HFX (6-1) @ BOS (2-5) - AUG 11 - 7 PM ET - Thursday Night Football
MTL (4-3) @ LI (5-2) - AUG 12 - 7 PM ET - Friday Night Football
OTT (2-5) @ BUF (6-1) - AUG 13 - 3 PM ET
IND (4-3) @ TOR (5-2) - AUG 13 - 7 PM ET - Saturday Night Football
PRO (3-4) @ PIT (2-5) - AUG 14 - 1 PM ET
LOU (0-7) @ LDN (3-4) - AUG 14 - 4 PM ET

1966 Week 8

Boston Independents - 17, Halifax Mariners - 31 - OT - Richardson Stadium - August 11, 1966 - 7 PM ET - TNF - Weather: Cloudy
1st Q
3-0 BOS - FG K Johnnie Berg
3-7 HFX - PTD QB Lyle Painter -> WR Nick Nacker
2nd Q
6-7 BOS - FG K Johnnie Berg
6-14 HFX - RTD RB Ronald O’Sullivan
3rd Q
12-14 BOS - RTD RB Kendall Morgan
14-14 BOS - 2PT QB Nathaniel Braddock -> WR Alexei Dubois
4th Q
17-14 BOS - FG K Johnnie Berg
17-17 HFX - FG K Albert Wickerweaver
OT
17-24 HFX - RTD RB Don Gregson
17-31 HFX - DTD FUM S Jay Shepherd

The Independents bounced back to put up a strong fight against the division’s top team, but unfortunately were not able to do anything in the extra frame and fell behind by 14.
The Mariners had to face adversity in Boston with RB Ronald O’Sullivan getting taken out late in the game, but RB Don Gregson would come through with a big touchdown in relief and DL Wayne Baxton forcing a fumble and allowing S Jay Shephard to take the fumble back for the score.
With the win, the Mariners continue to put themselves in a great position in the East, holding off the Raiders for another week.
As for Boston, they are reeling with their 5th straight loss and could see their season slipping away.

Long Island Raiders - 20, Montreal Rouge - 17 - Long Island Stadium - August 12, 1966 - 7 PM ET - FNF - Weather: Partly Cloudy
1st Q
0-7 MTL - PTD QB Gene Bishop -> WR Taylor Karis
2nd Q
7-7 LI - PTD QB Stanley Troyer -> WR Casey Coleman
10-7 LI - FG K Henderson Schumacher
10-10 MTL - FG K Arthur Kettinger
3rd Q
10-17 MTL - RTD RB Scott Mallard-White
17-17 LI - RTD RB Eric Sydney
4th Q
20-17 LI - FG K Henderson Schmacher

The Raiders bounced back from their back-to-back losses with a win at home against Montreal.
They were able to overcome the absence of RB Dareion Fields with RB Eric Sydney having a much better game with no fumbles.
Montreal had a chance to win the game, but the Raiders found a way to climb back into the game and take a late lead.

Buffalo Blue Wings - 27, Ottawa Royals - 10 - Milton Charles Stadium - August 13, 1966 - 3 PM ET - Weather: Partly Cloudy
1st Q
7-0 BUF - PTD QB Charles Lemieux -> WR Julius Drake
14-0 BUF - RTD RB Jimmy Golden
2nd Q
14-3 OTT - FG K Ira Foster
17-3 BUF - FG K Ryan Perch
3rd Q
24-3 BUF - RTD RB Jimmy Golden
24-10 OTT - RTD RB Corbyn Knight
4th Q
27-10 BUF - FG K Ryan Perch

Buffalo rolled on with a strong win over the Royals to maintain their spot at the top of the West Division.
RB Jimmy Golden had his way with the Royals’ defence scoring a pair of touchdowns and 110 rushing yards.
The Royals struggled with both of their QBs in Lee Rogers and Landon Ross, who both were flipped in and out to see who could get rolling.

Toronto Steelheads - 31, Indiana Victors - 27 - Anderson Stadium - August 13, 1966 - 7 PM ET - SNF - Weather: Partly Cloudy - GAME OF THE WEEK
1st Q
0-3 IND - FG K Ross Poindexter
7-3 TOR - PTD QB Todd Baker -> WR Ben Roland
2nd Q
10-3 TOR - FG K Bob Randall
17-3 TOR - RTD RB Max Tracy
17-10 IND - RTD RB Raymond Green
3rd Q
24-10 TOR - RTD RB Max Tracy
24-13 IND - FG K Ross Poindexter
4th Q
24-20 IND - PTD QB Tom Applewhite -> WR Silas Peyton
24-27 IND - PTD QB Tom Applewhite -> WR Ed Edwards
31-27 TOR - PTD QB Todd Baker -> RB Max Tracy

Max Tracy balled out in a huge win for the Steelheads who aim to keep pace with the Blue Wings at the top of the division.
Tracy had 3 touchdowns in the game and over 125 yards combined through the air and on the ground.
QB Tom Applewhite did lead quite the comeback for the Victors who were able to take a lead in the 4th quarter, but their defence was unable to stop the Toronto offence from scoring right back.

Pittsburgh Blacksmiths - 31, Providence Gold Stars - 21 - New Providence Stadium - August 14, 1966 - 1 PM ET - Weather: Cloudy
1st Q
3-0 PIT - FG K Al Highlander
6-0 PIT - FG K Al Highlander
2nd Q
6-7 PRO - RTD RB Rashed Smith
6-14 PRO - PTD QB Connor O’Rourke -> WR Owen Paisley
12-14 PIT - PTD QB Magnus Torrensen -> WR Nathan Murray-Lawrence
14-14 PIT - 2PT RB Stavros Black
3rd Q
17-14 PIT - FG K Al Highlander
17-21 PRO - RTD RB Rashed Smith
4th Q
24-21 PIT - RTD RB Stavros Black
31-21 PIT - PTD QB Magnus Torrensen -> WR Jack Duncan

Pittsburgh came through with a huge win on home field managing to put up 31 points against one of the better defences in the league.
QB Magnus Torrensen continued to show off his talents with a pair of touchdowns which puts him at 6 through 3 starts.
RB Stavros Black also played a large role in the win with the game-winning touchdown and a 2-pointer.
As for Providence, this is a disappointing loss, despite a good performance from RB Rashed Smith who made the Gold Stars’ run-game exist for the first time in a while.

London Tigers - 24, Louisville Thunder - 7 - Western Fair Stadium - August 14, 1966 - 4 PM ET - Weather: Partly Cloudy
1st Q
3-0 LDN - FG K Nimrod Handsworth
2nd Q
10-0 LDN - PTD QB Riley Kiernan -> WR Max Sutton
17-0 LDN - RTD RB Alex Warren
3rd Q
4th Q
24-0 LDN - PTD QB Riley Kiernan -> WR Russell Wilcox
24-7 LOU - RTD RB Rodney Clark

The Tigers bounced back from their back-to-back losses to the Blue Wings with a strong win against the Thunder.
RB Alex Warren stepped up in the absence of RB Austin Andrews and was able to make the most of the weak front-7 of the Thunder.
Kiernan also looked better in this game with a pair of touchdowns through the air.
Louisville continued to look hopeless. 
Their defence was strong out of the gate, but slowly the Tigers were able to move the ball on the ground and Louisville could not compete.
QB Nikolas Diakos played the full game this time, but it’s unlikely he sees the field again, especially with QB Leonidas Dumont finally due to return from injury.

Injury Report
OL Alen Williams BUF - 8 Weeks
LB Orion Carter BUF - 4 Weeks
RB Ronald O’Sullivan HFX - 6 Weeks
DL Fred Webster IND - 9 Weeks
DB Jackson Miles LDN - Day-to-Day
OL Jerry Winecoff LI - 2 Weeks
OL Amos Sewell OTT - Day-to-Day
OL Peter Kingsley OTT - 4 Weeks
WR Cedric Peterson PRO - Day-to-Day

Players of Week

OFF: RB Max Tracy TOR - 2 Rushing Touchdowns, 1 Passing Touchdown, 88 Rushing Yards, 37 Receiving Yards

DEF: LB Dallas Dillard LDN - 1 Interception, 1 Forced Fumble, 10 Tackles 

Standings
WEST
Buffalo 7-1
Toronto 6-2
Indiana 4-4
London 4-4
Pittsburgh 3-5
Louisville 0-8

EAST
Halifax 7-1
Long Island 6-2
Montreal 4-4
Providence 3-5
Boston 2-6
Ottawa 2-6

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

Week 9 Games
PIT (3-5) @ OTT (2-6) - AUG 19 - 7 PM ET - Friday Night Football
BUF (7-1) @ HFX (7-1) - AUG 20 - 12 PM ET
*BUF clinches playoff spot with Win or LDN Loss + PIT Loss
*HFX clinches playoff spot with Win or LDN Loss or IND Loss
TOR (6-2) @ MTL (4-4) - AUG 20 - 3:30 PM ET
*TOR clinches playoff spot with Win + IND Loss
LDN (4-4) @ LI (6-2) - AUG 20 - 7 PM ET - Saturday Night Football
*LI clinches playoff spot with Win
BOS (2-6) @ IND (4-4) - AUG 21 - 1 PM ET
LOU (0-8) @ PRO (3-5) - AUG 21 - 4 PM ET

1966 Trade Deadline
Heading into the deadline there was lots of talk about running backs being the hottest commodity in the trade market with Long Island, Halifax, and London all with regular-season ending injuries to their star backs. Boston, Ottawa, Louisville, Pittsburgh all had backs that they were willing to move, so there was a lot of talk between the 7 teams ahead of the deadline. Around the league, there was a lot of excitement and anxiety about where players may end up.

Monday, August 15, 1966 - 4:10 PM ET
A minor trade was made between the Thunder and Rouge on the eve of the trade deadline that saw the Rouge add DL Troy Hunt to boost their depth on the D-line in exchange for a 4th Round Pick in this upcoming draft.

Tuesday, August 16, 1966 - 1:03 PM ET
It was quiet for the morning of the deadline with some moves seeming to rely heavily on some other deals getting done. The first domino to fall was with Boston’s RB Kendall Morgan. Morgan was likely the best RB available, being a former 3rd overall pick and a long-time starter for Boston. With his long tenure and Boston’s unwavering loyalty to their players, they gave him a bit of say on where to go and he wanted to be in Long Island. The Raiders were probably in the best position out of the teams available, plus they run the ball a lot, meaning Morgan will be important. In return for the star RB, Boston will get Long Island’s 1st Round Pick, OL Aaron Sharpless, and RB Henri Létourneau. RB Tresean Jones is expected to pick up the starting role for the Independents for the remainder of the season.

Tuesday, August 16, 1966 - 3:48 PM ET
With Morgan gone, it started to open the door, however, it still took until almost 4 O’clock for another trade to go through. Now this trade may have been delayed more so because of the sheer size of the deal. Halifax and Ottawa had been talking about several deals for a while now, but they never pulled the trigger. However, now that the season was coming to a close, everything seemed to align and the two squads would combine the deals to make a mega 8-piece trade (6 players, 2 picks). The deal would see the Mariners grab RB Wally Morton to replace RB Ronald O’Sullivan (who is out for the season), WR Sam Nash to replace the injured WR Joshua Lafleur, LB Douglas MacDougall, a local Maritimer, to boost their LB core, and QB Lee Rogers for more insurance behind QB Lyle Painter. Going back to Ottawa was QB Michael Benedict, who is expected to get a couple of starts down the stretch, LB Enzo Morello, for some youth on the defence, and Halifax’s 1st and 3rd Round Picks from the upcoming draft. The deal is huge but should work out well for both squads as Halifax is shooting for the Cup and the Royals are continuing to work on their rebuild. 

Tuesday, August 16, 1966 - 4:03 PM ET
Shortly after the Royals-Mariners trade, the Royals went over to Louisville to grab a RB to replace Wally Morton. RB Stuart Beasley was acquired by the Royals from the Thunder in exchange for the Royals’ 5th Round Pick in this year’s draft.

Tuesday, August 16, 1966 - 4:45 PM ET
As the deadline rolled around there was one last trade sent through. The London Tigers were still looking for a running back to replace Austin Andrews. Both Kendall Morgan and Wally Morton had both been traded and so there were fewer options available. In the end, it worked out for GM Joseph Johnson of the Tigers who was able to negotiate a much better deal with the Blacksmiths for RB Cody Barnes. The trade originally saw the Tigers having to trade a 3rd rounder and DB Gord Honk, but Johnson got them to go down to a 4th rounder instead since there was no other team that was going to make a trade for Barnes.

1966 Week 9

Ottawa Royals - 11, Pittsburgh Blacksmiths - 20 - Royals Stadium at Brewer Park - August 19, 1966 - 7 PM ET - FNF - Weather: Partly Cloudy
1st Q
0-3 PIT - FG K Al Highlander
2nd Q
0-10 PIT - RTD RB Starvos Black
7-10 OTT - PTD QB Landon Ross -> WR Marshall Leonard
3rd Q
7-17 PIT - PTD QB Magnus Torrensen -> WR Nathan Murray-Lawrence
4th Q
8-17 OTT - Single K Ira Foster
11-17 OTT - FG K Ira Foster
11-20 PIT - FG K Al Highlander

Pittsburgh rolled to their 3rd straight win, making it their longest win streak to this point.
QB Magnus Torrensen continued to show off with another big win which is turning many heads around the league to see if he could be an option for the future for a team. 
QB Landon Ross remained the starter as the recently acquired QB Michael Benedict was still learning the playbook for the time being; Ross performed alright in the first half but was unable to help the Royals overcome the Blacksmiths.

Halifax Mariners - 26, Buffalo Blue Wings - 35 - Atlantic Stadium - August 20, 1966 - 12 PM ET - Weather: Partly Cloudy
1st Q
0-7 BUF - PTD QB Charles Lemieux -> WR Zachariah Pembroke
7-7 HFX - RTD RB Wally Morton
2nd Q
10-7 HFX - FG K Albert Wickerweaver
13-7 HFX - FG K Albert Wickerweaver
13-14 BUF - RTD RB Jimmy Golden
3rd Q
13-21 BUF - RTD RB Jimmy Golden
19-21 HFX - RTD RB Don Gregson
4th Q
19-28 BUF - RTD RB Jimmy Golden
26-28 HFX - PTD QB Lee Rogers -> WR Shane Steadman
26-35 BUF - PTD QB Charles Lemieux -> WR Julius Drake

A battle between the two top teams in the league was a close one, but the Blue Wings edged out the Mariners for their 6th straight win.
RB Jimmy Golden was a key piece for the Blue Wings as he was able to get past the strong Halifax D-line.
RB Wally Morton was solid in his first start with the Mariners, scoring a touchdown and rushing for 78 yards.
QB Lee Rogers also had to make his Mariners debut as QB Lyle Painter took a tough hit in the 4th quarter that prevented him from returning; he did throw a touchdown on the drive that Painter was injured on.
*BUF clinches playoff spot

Montreal Rouge - 30, Toronto Steelheads - 25 - Mount Royal Stadium - August 20, 1966 - 3:30 PM ET - Weather: Mostly Cloudy - GAME OF THE WEEK
1st Q
3-0 MTL - FG K Arthur Kettinger
3-3 TOR - FG K Bob Randall
10-3 MTL - RTD RB Hugo Hughes
2nd Q
10-6 TOR - FG K Bob Randall
13-6 MTL - FG K Arthur Kettinger
20-6 MTL - QB Gene Bishop -> WR Taylor Karis
3rd Q
20-13 TOR - PTD QB Todd Baker -> WR Samuel Petri
20-16 TOR - FG K Bob Randall
4th Q
27-16 MTL - PTD QB Gene Bishop -> WR Derek Cross
27-19 TOR - FG K Bob Randall
27-25 TOR - PTD QB Todd Baker -> WR Edmund Landry
30-25 MTL - FG K Arthur Kettinger

The Rouge ended the Steelheads’ 5-game win streak with a huge win on home field to solidify their position in the last Eastern playoff spot.
QB Gene Bishop was strong with a pair of touchdowns while RB Hugo Hughes got it done on the ground.
Toronto on the other hand was slow out of the gate, mostly because of a strong performance from S Garet deVale who had a pick and 8 tackles. 
The Steelheads picked it up in the second half, coming back down 14 at the break to pull within two, however, the Rouge did an excellent job of running out the clock with the combination of Hugo Hughes and Scott Mallard-White.

Long Island Raiders - 31, London Tigers - 16 - Long Island Stadium - August 20, 1966 - 7 PM ET - SNF - Weather: Clear
1st Q
7-0 LI - RTD RB Kendall Morgan
7-3 LDN - FG K Nimrod Handsworth
2nd Q
14-3 LI - PTD QB Stanley Troyer -> WR Troy York
14-6 LDN - FG K Nimrod Handsworth
3rd Q
17-6 LI - FG K Henderson Schumacher
17-9 LDN - FG K Nimrod Handsworth
24-9 LI - RTD RB Kendall Morgan
4th Q
24-16 LDN - PTD QB Riley Kiernan -> TE Tranquille Rousseau
31-16 LI - PTD QB Stanley Troyer -> WR Casey Coleman

The Raiders crushed the Tigers on Saturday night due to a big boost in the run game with RB Kendall Morgan. 
Morgan had a pair of touchdowns in his Raiders debut and helped the offence get back to what they do best.
The Tigers looked flat on their side for the most part; Riley Kiernan was able to move the ball aright, but the team lacked the ability to find the endzone against the Raiders defence which left them too far behind.
LB William Washington II had another great day for the Raiders with a sack and 11 tackles.
*LI clinches playoff spot
*HFX clinches playoff spot with LDN’s Loss (first playoff appearance since 1960..Gene Bishop was their QB)

Indiana Victors - 26, Boston Independents - 20 - Victory Stadium - August 21, 1966 - 1 PM ET - Weather: Mostly Cloudy
1st Q
3-0 IND - FG K Ross Poindexter
3-3 BOS - FG K Johnnie Berg
2nd Q
10-3 IND - PTD QB Tom Applewhite -> TE Emmanual Hines
10-6 BOS - FG K Johnnie Berg
10-13 BOS - RTD RB Tresean Jones
3rd Q
13-13 IND - FG K Ross Poindexter
20-13 IND - RTD RB Raymond Green
4th Q
23-13 IND - FG K Ross Poindexter
23-20 BOS - PTD QB Nathaniel Braddock -> WR Felix Fontaine
26-20 IND - FG K Ross Poindexter

The Independents fell yet again, losing their 6th straight game and calling a lot into question for the team heading into this offseason, as they will officially not go to the playoffs for the first time since 1956.
RB Tresean Jones was not too bad in his first career start for the Independents, scoring a touchdown and rushing for 83 yards.
Indiana had a good game, especially on defence with DB Cameron Taylor grabbing an interception in one of his best games of the season and LB Marshall Langenbrunner having 7 tackles and a forced fumble.

Providence Gold Stars - 16, Louisville Thunder - 14 - New Providence Stadium - August 21, 1966 - 4 PM ET - Weather: Mostly Cloudy
1st Q
3-0 PRO - FG K Elvis Franklin
6-0 PRO - FG K Elvis Franklin
2nd Q
6-7 LOU - PTD QB Leonidas Dumont -> WR Lloyd Lane
13-7 PRO - PTD QB Connor O’Rourke -> WR Cedric Peterson
3rd Q
13-14 LOU - RTD RB Rodney Clark
4th Q
16-14 PRO - FG K Elvis Franklin

It almost seemed that QB Leonidas Dumont’s return to the lineup might have been the key to getting a win for the Thunder this season, however, Providence’s defence shut them down after their second touchdown.
QB Connor O’Rourke only needed to get into field goal range to take the win and stay in the fight for the playoffs.
Both teams had a little trouble with keeping the ball with 5 total turnovers in the game. 

Injury Report
S Manuel Ray BUF - 1 Week
QB Lyle Painter HFX - Day-to-Day
LB Harvey Phillips LI - 2 Weeks
LB Gideon Jura LDN - Season
DL Chester Avery TOR - 2 Weeks

Players of the Week

OFF: RB Jimmy Golden BUF - 3 Rushing Touchdowns, 103 Rushing Yards

DEF: S Garet deVale MTL - 1 Interception, 8 Tackles, 4 Passes Defended

Standings
WEST
Buffalo 8-1 -x
Toronto 6-3
Indiana 5-4
Pittsburgh 4-5
London 4-5
Louisville 0-9

EAST
Halifax 7-2 -x
Long Island 7-2 -x
Montreal 5-4
Providence 4-5
Boston 2-6
Ottawa 2-6

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

Week 10 Games
OTT (2-7) @ HFX (7-2) - AUG 25 - 7 PM ET - Thursday Night Football
BUF (8-1) @ LOU (0-9) - AUG 26 - 7 PM ET - Friday Night Football
*BUF clinches West Division with Win or TOR Loss
IND (5-4) @ MTL (5-4) - AUG 27 - 3 PM ET
*MTL clinches playoff spot with Win + PRO Loss + PIT Loss + LDN Loss
*IND clinches playoff spot with Win + PIT Loss + LDN Loss + PRO Loss
LI (7-2) @ PIT (4-5) - AUG 27 - 7 PM ET - Saturday Night Football
LDN (4-5) @ BOS (2-7) - AUG 28 - 1 PM ET
PRO (4-5) @ TOR (6-3) - AUG 28 - 4 PM ET
*TOR clinches playoff spot with Win + LDN Loss

1966 Week 10

Halifax Mariners - 17, Ottawa Royals - 20 - Atlantic Stadium - August 25, 1966 - 7 PM ET - TNF - Weather: Partly Cloudy
1st Q
0-3 OTT - FG K Ira Foster
2nd Q
3-3 HFX - FG K Albert Wickerweaver
10-3 HFX - PTD QB Lyle Painter -> WR Jav Kerrigan
3rd Q
10-10 OTT - RTD RB Corbyn Knight
4th Q
10-17 OTT - PTD QB Michael Benedict -> WR Colby Bancana
17-17 HFX - PTD QB Lyle Painter -> WR Sam Nash
17-20 OTT - FG K Ira Foster

The final Thursday Night game started slow in the first half, but by the 4th quarter, the game came to an electrifying conclusion. 
QB Michael Benedict made his first start for the Royals in a game against his former team just a couple of weeks after being traded.
He had a great game with a touchdown and game-winning drive to give the Royals the shocking upset win.
The Mariners looked a little shaky in this one with QB Lyle Painter having to shake off the injury he suffered last weekend which allowed the Royals to stay in the fight.
WR Sam Nash did find the endzone for the first time this season to help the Mariners tie up the game late.

Louisville Thunder - 22, Buffalo Blue Wings - 27 - Thunder Stadium - August 26, 1966 - 7 PM ET - FNF - Weather: Clear
1st Q
0-3 BUF - FG K Ryan Perch
7-3 LOU - RTD RB Rodney Clark
2nd Q
7-10 BUF - RTD RB Jimmy Golden
14-10 LOU - PTD QB Leonidas Dumont -> WR Piers Key
3rd Q
14-13 BUF - FG K Ryan Perch
20-13 LOU - RTD RB Rodney Clark
22-13 LOU - 2PT QB Leonidas Dumont -> TE Christopher Gist
4th Q
22-20 BUF - RTD RB Jimmy Golden
22-27 BUF - PTD QB Charles Lemieux -> WR Julius Drake

The Thunder gave the Blue Wings a run for their money taking a shocking 22-13 lead heading into the final quarter, however, QB Charles Lemieux picked apart the defence to get into the endzone twice to steal the game.
The win for the Blue Wings gave them the West Division, which was decided before the final week of the season for the first time since 1958. 
QB Leonidas Dumont had his best game in a while with a pair of touchdowns and no interceptions on the day, but it was just not enough and Louisville fell to a stunning 0-10.
LB Le’Darius Wynn had his first career forced fumble in the game for the Thunder
*BUF clinches West Division

Montreal Rouge - 9, Indiana Victors - 28 - Mount Royal Stadium - August 27, 1966 - 3 PM ET - Weather: Mostly Cloudy
1st Q
0-7 IND - RTD RB Raymond Green
3-7 MTL - FG K Arthur Kettinger
2nd Q
3-14 IND - RTD RB Raymond Green
3rd Q
6-14 MTL - FG K Arthur Kettinger
6-21 IND - PTD QB Tom Applewhite -> WR Ed Edwards
9-21 MTL - FG K Arthur Kettinger
4th Q
9-28 IND - RTD RB Raymond Green

The Victors came through with an important win over the Montreal Rouge.
Their defence rallied for a stellar performance keeping the Rouge down to just 9 points; they were helped with the fact that QB Gene Bishop left the game early with an injury.
QB Mike Key replaced him and just could not get the ball going, throwing a pair of interceptions.
DB David Jones and DB Kelly Kirkland had each of the picks for the Victors.
RB Raymond Green had a great day for Indiana with 3 touchdowns on the ground, running all over the Rouge defence.
It is a tough loss to swallow for the Rouge who now could be without their starting QB for the rest of the season and Providence, Pittsburgh, and London breathing down their neck.

Pittsburgh Blacksmiths - 14, Long Island Raiders - 24 - Riverfront Stadium of Pittsburgh - August 27, 1966 - 7 PM ET - SNF - Weather: Clear
1st Q
2nd Q
7-0 PIT - PTD QB Magnus Torrensen -> WR Nathan Murry-Lawrence
7-3 LI - FG K Henderson Schumacher
7-10 LI - RTD RB Kendall Morgan
3rd Q
7-17 LI - PTD QB Stanley Troyer -> TE Micheal Bowman III
4th Q
14-17 PIT - RTD RB Stavros Black
14-24 LI - RTD RB Kendall Morgan

The Raiders were able to end the Blacksmiths 3-game win streak and retake the top spot in the East Division.
RB Kendall Morgan continued to play well for the Raiders, scoring a pair of touchdowns.
Pittsburgh did not look too bad, but they just were not good enough to get past the very good Raider defence.

Boston Independents - 27, London Tigers - 30 - Richardson Stadium - August 28, 1966 - 1 PM ET - Weather: Clear
1st Q
0-3 LDN - FG K Nimrod Handsworth
7-3 BOS - PTD QB Nathaniel Braddock -> WR Evan Clanton
2nd Q
7-10 LDN - RTD RB Cody Barnes
7-13 LDN - FG K Nimrod Handsworth
7-20 LDN - PTD QB Riley Kiernan -> TE Tranquille Rousseau
3rd Q
7-23 LDN - FG K Nimrod Handsworth
14-23 BOS - PTD QB Nathaniel Braddock -> WR Alexei Dubois
4th Q
14-30 LDN - PTD QB Riley Kiernan -> WR Max Sutton
20-30 BOS - PTD QB Nathaniel Braddock -> WR Felix Fontaine
27-30 BOS - PTD QB Nathaniel Braddock -> WR Alexei Dubois

Despite Nathaniel Braddock’s best effort to come back in the 4th quarter (and 4 touchdown performance), it was not enough to top the Tigers leaving the team at 2-8 heading into the final few games of the season.
The defence could not stop the Tigers throughout the game which left them in the 16-point hole in the 4th, which leaves a lot of fans heavily questioning HC Johnathan Fox, who is supposed to be a defence-centred coach.
London kept themselves in the fight with this win; RB Cody Barnes was also a little more comfortable in his second game with the Tigers.

Toronto Steelheads - 21, Providence Gold Stars - 31 - Anderson Stadium - August 28, 1966 - 4 PM ET - Weather: Partly Cloudy
1st Q
7-0 TOR - RTD RB Max Tracy
10-0 TOR - FG K Bob Randall
2nd Q
10-3 PRO - FG K Elvis Franklin
10-10 PRO - RTD RB Rashed Smith
13-10 TOR - FG K Bob Randall
3rd Q
13-17 PRO - PTD QB Connor O’Rourke -> WR Owen Paisley
13-24 PRO - PTD QB Connor O’Rourke -> WR Cedric Peterson
4th Q
19-24 TOR - RTD RB Max Tracy
21-24 TOR - 2PT QB Todd Baker -> WR Ben Roland
21-31 PRO - PTD QB Connor O’Rourke -> WR Owen Paisley

A 3 touchdown performance from QB Connor O’Rourke gives the Gold Stars a huge win to pull them within striking distance of the final playoff spot in the East Division.
The Steelheads did a good job of breaking through the Gold Stars defence with RB Max Tracy, but by the end of the game Providence locked it down to hold on for the win.
It does become a tough loss for the Steelheads who are now sliding into a vulnerable spot in 2nd in the division after starting 6-2.

Injury Report
DB Adam Levesque IND - Day-to-Day
LB Pepper Burress HFX - 1 Week
QB Gene Bishop MTL - 3 Weeks
TE Hunter Ziegelbauer MTL - Day-to-Day
DL Bartolo Cruz PRO - 4 Weeks

Players of the Week

OFF: QB Nathaniel Braddock BOS - 4 Passing Touchdowns, 371 Passing Yards

DEF: DB Kelly Kirkland IND - 1 Interception, 7 Tackles

Standings
WEST
Buffalo 9-1 -y
Toronto 6-4
Indiana 6-4
London 5-5
Pittsburgh 4-6
Louisville 0-10

EAST 
Long Island 8-2 -x
Halifax 7-3 -x
Montreal 5-5
Providence 5-5
Ottawa 3-7
Montreal 2-8

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

Week 11 Games
MTL (5-5) @ OTT (3-7) - SEP 2 - 7 PM ET - Friday Night Football
*MTL clinches playoff spot with Win + PRO Loss + LDN Loss
PIT (4-6) @ BUF (9-1) - SEP 3 - 3 PM ET
PRO (5-5) @ BOS (2-8) - SEP 3 - 7 PM ET - Saturday Night Football
HFX (7-3) @ LI (8-2) - SEP 4 - 2 PM ET
*LI clinches East Division with Win
TOR (6-4) @ LDN (5-5) - SEP 5 - 2 PM ET - Labour Day
*TOR clinches playoff spot with Win
LOU (0-10) @ IND (6-4) - SEP 5 - 6 PM ET - Labour Day
*IND clinches playoff spot with Win + LDN Loss

*Also surprisingly Ottawa is still alive, but it’s very slim chances
1 - Ottawa must win both of their final games (VS. MTL, @ BOS)
2 - Ottawa must beat Montreal by more than 3 points.
3 - Providence must lose both of their games (@ BOS, VS LI)
4 - Montreal must also lose in Week 12 (VS. HFX)
5 - Pittsburgh must lose to Buffalo this week
6 - London must lose to Toronto this week
7 - Pittsburgh must beat London in week 12.
8 - In the end, Ottawa would have to finish with a better point differential than both Providence and Montreal….not very possible (MTL +4, PRO -9, OTT -44)
This scenario would give Ottawa the final spot in the East Division playoffs

1966 Week 11

Ottawa Royals - 17, Montreal Rouge - 26 - Royals Stadium at Brewer Park - September 2, 1966 - 7 PM ET - FNF - Weather: Partly Cloudy
1st Q
0-3 MTL - FG K Arthur Kettinger
0-10 MTL - RTD RB Scott Mallard-White
2nd Q
0-13 MTL - FG K Arthur Kettinger
3-13 OTT - FG K Ira Foster
3rd Q
10-13 OTT - PTD QB Michael Benedict -> TE Ryan Hatcher
10-16 MTL - FG K Arthur Kettinger
10-23 MTL - RTD RB Scott Mallard-White
4th Q
17-23 OTT - RTD RB Corbyn Knight
17-26 MTL - FG K Arthur Kettinger

The Rouge came away with an important win over the Royals behind a great performance from RBs Scott Mallard-White and RB Hugo Hughes. 
The two backs were used for 70% of Montreal’s offence in this game as they took advantage of the weaker Royals' D-line.
QB Mike Key had the start for Montreal but only threw for 76 passing yards on the day with the run-game being so successful.
QB Michael Benedict looked solid for the Royals again, though he needed to get to the second half to find a bit of a rhythm against the Rouge defence that stepped up.

Buffalo Blue Wings - 34, Pittsburgh Blacksmiths - 19 - Milton Charles Stadium - September 3, 1966 - 3 PM ET - Weather: Cloudy
1st Q
3-0 BUF - FG K Ryan Perch
3-3 PIT - FG K Al Highlander
10-3 BUF - PTD QB Charles Lemieux -> WR Julius Drake
2nd Q
10-6 PIT - FG K Al Highlander
17-6 BUF - PTD QB Charles Lemieux -> TE Paul Arturberry
17-13 PIT - PTD QB Magnus Torrensen -> TE Tanner Tint
3rd Q
24-13 BUF - RTD RB Théodore Lemieux
24-16 PIT - FG K Al Highlander
4th Q
27-16 BUF - FG K Ryan Perch
27-19 PIT - FG K Al Highlander
34-19 BUF - DTD INT DB Ezra Power

Buffalo decided to rest a few starters in the second last game of the season, namely RB Jimmy Golden and DL Lonnie Vincent. 
It did not slow them down as they cruised to a solid win over the Blacksmiths to be the first team to top 10 wins since 1962.
Pittsburgh still put up a fight and made it a one-score game heading into the final quarter, but the Blue Wings pulled away with a huge Ezra Power pick-6.

Boston Independents - 6, Providence Gold Stars - 23 - Richardson Stadium - September 3, 1966 - 7 PM ET - SNF - Weather: Cloudy
1st Q
0-7 PRO - PTD QB Connor O’Rourke -> WR Cedric Peterson
0-10 PRO - FG K Elvis Franklin
2nd Q
3-10 BOS - FG K Johnnie Berg
3-13 PRO - FG K Elvis Franklin
3rd Q
3-20 PRO - PTD QB Connor O’Rourke -> WR Owen Paisley
4th Q
6-20 BOS - FG K Johnnie Berg
6-23 PRO - FG K Elvis Franklin

The Gold Stars’ defence had a brilliant game against Nathaniel Braddock and the Independents' defence.
They only allowed 6 points and forced 4 turnovers; DB Neville Falkner had one pick and S Paul Christopher, DL Craig White, and LB Viktor Falkensteig each had a forced fumble. 
QB Connor O’Rourke didn’t need to do a lot, but he still threw 2 touchdowns and 205 yards in the win, which is Providence’s 3rd straight (and 5th in their last 6) which keeps them right in the battle for the playoffs heading into the final week.
Boston looked bad throughout the game, Braddock had his worst game in a long while just one week after a stellar performance in the loss to London.

Long Island Raiders - 27, Halifax Mariners - 17 - Long Island Stadium - September 4, 1966 - 2 PM ET - Weather: Cloudy
1st Q
0-3 HFX - FG K Albert Wickerweaver
7-3 LI - RTD RB Kendall Morgan
14-3 LI - PTD QB Stanley Troyer -> WR Casey Coleman
2nd Q
14-10 HFX - PTD QB Lyle Painter -> WR Shane Steadman
17-10 LI - FG K Henderson Schumacher
3rd Q
17-17 HFX - RTD RB Wally Morton
4th Q
24-17 LI - RTD RB Kendall Morgan
27-17 LI - FG K Henderson Schumacher

A late forced fumble from LB Deon Wiggins ended up being the deciding play in a battle for the East Division crown.
The turnover allowed the Raiders to extend their lead to 10 and pretty much end the game.
RB Kendall Morgan continued to put up scores with his new team with another 2 touchdowns in this game.
The Mariners are in a tough spot after losing 4 of their last 5 games putting them in a position to potentially lose 2nd place in the division.
QB Lyle Painter has cooled off since the start of the season and will need to step up big time if the team wants to be fighting for a title.
*LI clinches East Division
*FUN FACT: this is the first time the East Division has had a back-to-back winner since 1958-1959 (Ottawa)

London Tigers - 15, Toronto Steelheads - 28 - Western Fair Stadium - September 5, 1966 - 2 PM ET - Labour Day - Weather: Mostly Cloudy
1st Q
3-0 LDN - FG K Nimrod Handsworth
3-7 TOR - RTD RB Max Tracy
2nd Q
3-14 TOR - PTD QB Todd Baker -> WR Edmund Landry
3rd Q
3-21 TOR - RTD RB Max Tracy
9-21 LDN - PTD QB Riley Kiernan -> WR Fredrick St.Pierre
4th Q
9-28 TOR - RTD RB Max Tracy
15-28 LDN - PTD QB Riley Kiernan -> WR Russell Wilcox

The Tigers had to face several blows to their roster during a vital game against the Steelheads.
K Nimrod Handsworth left the game after taking a hit on a punt in the 1st quarter, leaving the Tigers without a kicker, S Niel Graham also left with a brutal season-ending injury, and WR Max Sutton was also taken out by a big hit from S Charles Clerk.
Toronto took advantage of the battered Tigers and put up 28 to end their 2-game slide and finally book their ticket into the playoffs.
RB Max Tracy had a big day with 3 touchdowns and 129 rushing yards.
The loss for the Tigers is costly as an Indiana win could end their season.
*TOR clinches playoff spot

Indiana Victors - 35, Louisville Thunder - 28 - Victory Stadium - September 5, 1966 - 6 PM ET - Labour Day - Weather: Partly Cloudy
1st Q
7-0 IND - PTD QB Tom Applewhite -> WR Ed Edwards
7-7 LOU - RTD RB Rodney Clark
2nd Q
14-7 IND - RTD RB Raymond Green
14-14 LOU - RTD RB Rodney Clark
3rd Q
21-14 IND - PTD QB Tom Applewhite -> WR Ed Edwards
28-14 IND - RTD RB Raymond Green
28-21 LOU - PTD QB Leonidas Dumont -> WR Piers Key
4th Q
28-28 LOU - PTD QB Leonidas Dumont -> WR Lloyd Lane
35-28 IND - PTD QB Tom Applewhite -> TE Emmanual Hines

A touchdown duel in Indiana came down to the wire after Louisville came back from a 14-point deficit, but the Victors ended up getting the last laugh with TE Emmanuel Hines heroically breaking into the endzone for the game-winning score.
WR Ed Edwards had a big day with a pair of touchdowns and 93 yards, despite facing a very strong Louisville secondary.
Louisville’s secondary did get the best of QB Tom Applewhite a couple of times with a pair of picks.
RB Rodney Clark was a star for the Thunder who unfortunately now fall to 0-11 with a risk of being the 4th team to go winless in NAAF history.
*IND clinches playoff spot
*LDN is officially out of the playoffs

Injury Report
WR German Maksimov BOS - Day-to-Day
DL Timmy Kerr BOS - Day-to-Day
OL Johannes König BUF - Season
WR Jav Kerrigan HFX - Day-to-Day
WR Max Sutton LDN - Day-to-Day
K Nimrod Handsworth LDN - Day-to-Day
S Niel Graham LDN - 6 Weeks
DB Jayden Mills LOU - 1 Week
DL Khalid Al-Amin PIT - 7 Weeks

Players of the Week

OFF: RB Max Tracy TOR - 3 Rushing Touchdowns, 129 Rushing Yards

DEF: LB Deon Wiggins LI - 1 Forced Fumble, 8 Tackles, 1 Sack

Standings
WEST
Buffalo 10-1 -y
Toronto 7-4 -x
Indiana 7-4 -x
London 5-6
Pittsburgh 4-7
Louisville 0-11

EAST
Long Island 9-2 -y
Halifax 7-4 -x
Montreal 6-5
Providence 6-5
Ottawa 3-8
Boston 2-9

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

Week 12 Games
OTT (3-8) @ BOS (2-9) - SEP 10 - 12 PM ET
*Losing team gets the 2nd overall pick
HFX (7-4) @ MTL (6-5) - SEP 10 - 3:30 PM ET
*MTL clinches playoff spot with Win or PRO Loss
*Winner will host the East Division Semi-Final
LI (9-2) @ PRO (6-5) - SEP 10 - 7 PM ET - Saturday Night Football
*PRO clinches playoff spot with Win + MTL Loss
LDN (5-6) @ PIT (4-7) - SEP 11 - 12 PM ET
TOR (7-4) @ LOU (0-11) - SEP 11 - 3:30 PM ET
*TOR clinches 2nd in the West with Win or IND Loss
IND (7-4) @ BUF (10-1) - SEP 11 - 7 PM ET - Season Finale
*IND clinches 2nd in the West with Win + TOR Loss

1966 Week 12

Boston Independents - 16, Ottawa Royals - 19 - Richardson Stadium - September 10, 1966 - 12 PM ET - Weather: Clear
1st Q
0-3 OTT - FG K Ira Foster
3-3 BOS - FG K Johnnie Berg
2nd Q
3-6 OTT - FG K Ira Foster
3-13 OTT - PTD QB Michael Benedict -> TE Ryan Hatcher
3rd Q
6-13 BOS - FG K Johnnie Berg
9-13 BOS - FG K Johnnie Berg
4th Q
9-16 OTT - FG K Ira Foster
16-16 BOS - RTD RB Tresean Jones
16-19 OTT - FG K Ira Foster

The Royals and Independents had a battle of field goals to close out the season, in the end, Ottawa would get the last laugh to secure their 4th win of the season.
QB Michael Benedict was not as good in this game as he was in the previous 2, but he did still perform enough to get the win.
QB Oscar Rigano got the start for Boston, a long-awaited opportunity for the veteran, and played pretty good overall, but still made some key mistakes.
DB Sergio Alvarez had a pick for the Royals closing out a strong rookie season in style.

Montreal Rouge - 24, Halifax Mariners - 23 - Mount Royal Stadium - September 10, 1966 - 3:30 PM ET - Weather: Mostly Cloudy
1st Q
0-3 HFX - FG K Albert Wickerweaver
2nd Q
7-3 MTL - RTD RB Hugo Hughes
7-10 HFX - PTD QB Lyle Painter -> WR Jav Kerrigan
14-10 MTL - RTD RB Scott Mallard-White
3rd Q
14-13 HFX - FG K Albert Wickerweaver
17-13 MTL - FG K Arthur Kettinger
4th Q
17-20 HFX - RTD RB Wally Morton
17-23 HFX - FG K Albert Wickerweaver
24-23 MTL - PTD QB Mike Key -> WR Derek Cross

WR Derek Cross created a Montreal miracle, scoring a game-winning touchdown with just 12 seconds remaining.
Mike Key aired out a prayer to Cross down the field with the Mariners barring down on the WR, but he managed to come down with the catch and then take it the rest of the way for a touchdown to give Montreal the win and book their ticket to the playoffs.
The Mariners were shocked by the loss, especially since they were up 17-23 at that point; they come limping into the playoffs having lost their last 4 games and will now have to return to Montreal next weekend.
S Garet deVale was an important part of the Montreal defence in the win as he grabbed both a pick and a forced fumble along with 7 tackles.

Providence Gold Stars - 20, Long Island Raiders - 7 - New Providence Stadium - September 10, 1966 - 7 PM ET - SNF - Weather: Clear
1st Q
7-0 PRO - PTD QB Connor O’Rourke -> WR Owen Paisley
2nd Q
10-0 PRO - FG K Elvis Franklin
10-7 LI - RTD RB Kendall Morgan
3rd Q
17-7 PRO - PTD QB Terry Bourbon -> WR Doug Piva
4th Q
20-7 PRO - FG K Elvis Franklin

The Gold Stars found that they would be out of the playoffs just moments before their game against the Raiders, so QB Connor O’Rourke got the start, but was eventually replaced by QB Terry Bourbon in the later parts of the game.
The Raiders gave QB Sammy Townsend the start to give him a chance to get comfortable in the offence in case of a catastrophic injury to QB Stanley Troyer.
He did not perform that great, throwing 2 interceptions and having a fumble as Providence’s defence needed to get some frustration out about missing the playoffs.
DB Perry Ferris did get his first-career interception finally in the last game of the season.

Pittsburgh Blacksmiths - 18, London Tigers - 13 - Riverfront Stadium of Pittsburgh - September 11, 1966 - 12 PM ET - Weather: Clear
1st Q
0-3 LDN - FG K Nimrod Handsworth
3-3 PIT - FG K Al Highlander
2nd Q
10-3 PIT - PTD QB Louis Vaughn -> WR Nathan Murray-Lawrence
3rd Q
10-6 LDN - FG K Nimrod Handsworth
10-13 LDN - PTD QB Ulysses Lawyer -> WR Max Sutton
4th Q
11-13 PIT - Single K Al Highlander
18-13 PIT - PTD QB Louis Vaughn -> WR Jack Duncan

It was a huge opportunity for two young QBs as Louis Vaughn and Ulysses Lawyer each got their first career start against each other.
In the end, this year’s first overall pick ended up coming out on top with a great 2 touchdown performance making the fans of Pittsburgh excited about the future of the team.
Lawyer did alright for the Tigers but struggled to move the ball in the first half.
Pittsburgh came through with the win to give them a 5-7 record on the season which was a massive improvement on last season’s 2 wins (this also included a strong 4-2 record on home field this season).

Louisville Thunder - 27, Toronto Steelheads - 17 - Thunder Stadium - September 11, 1966 - 3:30 PM ET - Weather: Cloudy
1st Q
0-3 TOR - FG K Bob Randall
7-3 LOU - PTD QB Leonidas Dumont -> WR Lloyd Lane
2nd Q
7-10 TOR - RTD RB Max Tracy
10-10 LOU - FG K Frank Hughes
17-10 LOU - PTD QB Leonidas Dumont -> WR Piers Key
3rd Q
20-10 LOU - FG K Frank Hughes
4th Q
20-17 TOR - RTD RB Max Tracy
27-17 LOU - RTD RB Rodney Clark

The Thunder entered the final quarter of the game with a 10-point lead, however, unlike the last few games the team held on for the win to prevent the winless season.
QB Leonidas Dumont played well for the Thunder, as he has since returning from his injury, and finally, it was enough to get the team a win.
Toronto struggled defensively to stop the Thunder offence and could not get the win on the road which opened up the door for the Victors to potentially take 2nd in the West Division.

Buffalo Blue Wings - 14, Indiana Victors - 26 - Milton Charles Stadium - September 11, 1966 - 7 PM ET - Weather: Clear
1st Q
7-0 BUF - RTD RB Jimmy Golden
7-3 IND - FG K Ross Poindexter
7-6 IND - FG K Ross Poindexter
2nd Q
7-9 IND - FG K Ross Poindexter
14-9 BUF - PTD QB Jack Owens -> TE Paul Arturberry
3rd Q
14-12 IND - FG K Ross Poindexter
14-19 IND - PTD QB Tom Applewhite -> WR Denis Langlois
4th Q
14-26 IND - RTD RB Raymond Green

The Victors made a lot of errors in the redzone which led to 4 straight field goals to start the game, but when the pressure started to mount about winning this game, they pulled through with a pair of late touchdowns to clinch 2nd in the West.
The defence gets a lot of praise for how they played in the second half, as they shut down the Buffalo offence that was having their way in the first half.
Buffalo did start QB Jack Owens in this game, and he did a good job in the first half, though getting a big help from RB Jimmy Golden who made up most of the offensive yards in the game.

Injury Report
OL Stanley Witt BOS - Day-to-Day
DB Dean Hawkins BUF - Day-to-Day
WR Orlando Barrack IND - 2 Weeks
LB Jeremy Trudeau MTL - 5 Weeks
WR Edmund Landry TOR - Day-to-Day

Players of the Week

OFF: QB Leonidas Dumont LOU - 2 Passing Touchdowns, 212 Passing Yards

DEF: S Garet deVale MTL - 1 Interception, 1 Forced Fumble, 7 Tackles

Standings
WEST
Buffalo 10-2 -y
Indiana 8-4 -x
Toronto 7-5 -x
Pittsburgh 5-7
London 5-7
Louisville 1-11

EAST
Long Island 9-3 -y
Montreal 7-5 -x
Halifax 7-5 -x
Providence 7-5
Ottawa 4-7
Boston 2-10

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

Playoff Preview
EAST DIVISION SEMI-FINAL
Montreal Rouge VS. Halifax Mariners
It will be a rematch of this past week’s crucial battle between the Rouge and Mariners. Same teams, same place. QB Gene Bishop is questionable to return for the game and the Rouge are likely going to have to rely on QB Mike Key to pull through in the playoffs. But with the strong run-game and S Garet deVale having a career season, the Rouge will not be counted out. As for the Mariners, they are looking to finally end their slide, as they have lost their last 4 games to slip to 3rd in the East after a 6-0 start. QB Lyle Painter is going to need to step up and the D-line will have to find a way to shut Montreal’s run-game down. It’s going to be a very intense matchup, but I think the Mariners will get revenge and win their first playoff game since 1956.
My Pick: Mariners

WEST DIVISION SEMI-FINAL
Indiana Victors VS. Toronto Steelheads
Much like the East Semi-Final, the Victors stole home field at the very last moment. They will be rolling in on 4 straight wins and a franchise-best 8-4 season. Their offence has been all-around good, and the defence has made many strides. Indiana should be comfortable in their first home playoff game. As for Toronto, it’s been a rocky second half, but they are still hungry to win the McCallister Cup on home field. The coaching staff for this team has managed to surprise the league by getting a team that isn’t the most skilled into the playoffs in 3 straight seasons, so they can’t be underestimated. However, Indiana is the hot hand and I think they will get the win in this one.
My Pick: Victors