1968 NAAF Season Preview

1968 NAAF Season Preview

1968 Schedule
The 1968 schedule has a new look to it with Week 7 being split into two weeks. Half of the teams will get a bye week in Week 7, the other half in Week 8. The season will kick off in Buffalo between the defending champs and the Indiana Victors. This will be the first time the Victors will play in the season opener. Friday Night will kick off with a classic, London-Long Island duel. Saturday will see the Royals head to Providence before Halifax and Louisville will battle on Saturday Night. The double header on Sunday will start with Pittsburgh hosting Boston and then finish off with Montreal heading to Toronto.

As for other notable games, Canada Day will feature the Royals and Tigers in Week 2. The 4th of July game will be played in Week 3 between Boston and Long Island. The first official Thursday Night Football game will be played in Week 5 between Halifax and Toronto. Rivalry Week will still happen in Week 6, with Buffalo and London continuing their back-to-back tradition with their rematch in Week 7. Labour Day will feature 2 games starting with Toronto and Ottawa, before the classic Indiana-Louisville matchup. Finally, Week 13 makes a return and will be played the weekend the Division Semi-Finals are usually played. The season finale will be between the Thunder and the Blue Wings on the 15th of September.

1968 Preseason Power Rankings

1 - Buffalo Blue Wings
1967 Record: 10-2 (1st West)
1967 Result: Won McCallister Cup
The 1968 season looks like it could be a very competitive season as ranking the teams 2-12 was difficult. The only easy pick was the Blue Wings as the top team in the Preseason Power Rankings. Despite losing a few key pieces in the offseason in DL Tournel Guay and WR Zachariah Pembroke, it doesn’t look like the Blue Wings are going to be slowing down. They feel confident that the much younger WR core led by Jimmy Jack, Sebastian Dassler, and Tracy Driscoll should make up for Pembroke’s loss while some younger pieces in DL Albert Sullivan and DL Ned Hedman should help fill the hole left by Guay on the D-line. On top of having young reinforcements, they still boast some of the best players in the league with QB Charles Lemieux, RB Jimmy Golden, and DL William Sanderson, who should continue to make the team easily the best in the league.

Captains
C - QB Charles Lemieux
A - DL Lonnie Vincent
A - DB Dean Hawkins*

2 - Louisville Thunder
1967 Record: 6-5-1 (3rd West)
1967 Result: Lost West Division Final
The Thunder have quickly gone from being a McCallister Cup finalist to the worst team in the league and then back to a team that should be able to compete for the McCallister Cup again. The emergence of QB Buck Murphy last season gives the Thunder a lot of hope heading into this season to improve on last year. On top of that, they made some key moves in re-signing both WR Lloyd Lane and WR Casey Coleman which should make the Thunder offence as electrifying as last season. They also should get some more help out of the backfield with RB Théodore Lemieux stepping in as a starter. While the Thunder offence should be quite strong, they do have some concerns with a much weaker LB core this season after losing LB Calvin Hardy. They will be relying on some younger talents in LB Le’Darius Wynn and LB Brian O'Flaherty to fill the hole. Louisville is an exciting young team that could very well be a contender with the Blue Wings this season.

Captains
C - DB Jayden Mills
A - S Johnny Berger
A - OL Taylor Forbes

3 - Long Island Raiders
1967 Record: 8-3-1 (1st East)
1967 Result: Lost McCallister Cup
The Raiders are not dramatically different from last season. Many of the key pieces are back in RB Dareion Fields, LB William Washington II, and DB Rutherford Winters. They did lose a veteran in DB Alexander Bradley but added a sturdy replacement in DB Nick Ulbach. The defence should be just fine, but all eyes will be on the QB position. The Raiders moved on from QB Stanley Troyer after 5 seasons and are going to be looking to two younger QBs to carry the load. 3rd year QB Ivan Sanchez has been deemed the starter for the season, a player that GM Wayne Tillman has liked right out of college making some smart moves in the 1966 draft in order to get him. He’s got a good arm which may allow the Raiders to open up the playbook this season and escape the run-first mentality. QB Landon Ross, a former starter for the Royals, will be there to help Sanchez if he struggles, being a very similar QB to Troyer which may work for the Raiders if need be. If Sanchez works out, the Raider could easily be back in the McCallister Cup again, but it will be his first season of professional experience, so there also could be some growing pains.

Captains
C - RB Dareion Fields
A - LB William Washington II
A - OL Elliot Winterbottom

4 - Boston Independents
1967 Record: 5-7 (5th East)
1967 Result: Missed Playoffs
The past couple of seasons have been very rocky for the Boston Football Club, with multiple staff changes and back-to-back playoff misses. This season, there should be more stability as Levi Bray enters his second season as the team’s head coach. In the offseason, they did add a new weapon for QB Nathaniel Braddock in WR Zachariah Pembroke, who should give Braddock more to work with. Along with Pembroke, the Independents have a revamped backfield with RB Rodney Clark and RB Reggie Whitehead stepping in. It’s likely that the younger Whitehead gets more snaps, but the pair should be a significant upgrade for the Boston run game. On defence, Boston is still strong in the secondary with one of the best crews in the league led by DB Oliver Langstrom, however, their weakness will still be on the D-line as they have one of the weakest in the league. With Boston’s strong secondary, it is very likely teams will run the ball a lot against the Independents this season which may be tough for them to manage. The revamped offence should make up for the deficit on defence as Boston does look prime for a return to the postseason.

Captains
C - QB Nathaniel Braddock
A - OL Graham Chambers
A - S Ernie Osborne

5 - Indiana Victors
1967 Record: 6-6 (4th West) 
1967 Result: Missed Playoffs
Indiana had a disappointing start to the season last year going 1-5, but they still were competitive having lost 4 of those 5 games by less than a score. They were able to recover to a 6-6 record by the end of the season as they finally started to finish games. The team as a whole doesn’t see a lot of changes this offseason, but the addition of WR Evan Clanton in the WR core should help them out. They showed last season that they could compete, but the pressure is starting to mount for QB Tom Applewhite as he enters his 3rd full season as the starter. The big question will be if the 26-year-old can be the guy to close out these tight games for the Victors. If Applewhite can take the next step, the Victors could easily see themselves as a contender for the Cup this season.

Captains
C - DB Kelly Kirkland
A - OL Viktor Stahl
A - LB Terrence Patton

6 - Providence Gold Stars
1967 Record: 7-5 (2nd East) 
1967 Result: Lost East Division Final
The Gold Stars are hoping to improve on last season’s East Division Final appearance. They bring back probably the league’s 3rd best defence, behind Long Island and Buffalo, with many young stars in LB Kurt Warlock, DL Bartolo Cruz, and S Paul Christopher. Of course, they still have the vets like DL Craig White and DB Neville Falkner to round out the defence. Offensively, however, is where the Gold Stars could have some concerns. QB Connor O’Rourke is 37 years old and his arm is not what it used to be. On top of that, star WR Cedric Peterson is also starting to slow down hitting the age of 32. The team will likely have to rely a little more on RB Rashed Smith to carry some of the load. Smith did have a stronger season last year but will need to maintain that this season to keep the Gold Star offence rolling. Although if things are not going great under O’Rourke, there will be some pointing to the 25-year-old QB Ulysses Lawyer to potentially step in as he is looked at to be the future for the Gold Stars.

Captains
C - QB Connor O’Rourke
A - DB Neville Falkner
A - LB Victor Falkensteig*

7 - Montreal Rouge
1967 Record: 7-5 (3rd East)
1967 Result: Lost East Division Semi-Final
For many, last season was a bit of an overachievement for the Rouge. However, great coaching from Jimmy Sargent helped a barebones defence be considerably strong last season. In the offseason, GM Martin Gagneaux looked to make improvements and did a fine job bringing in DL Tournel Guay from Buffalo and several other key veterans in LB Calvin Hardy, DB William Quincy, and LB George Yokoi. The new defensive pieces should certainly give Sargent a lot more to work with this season, however, all of those players mentioned are getting older and could start to see some decline in the next season or two. Offensively, the team is still solid with the arm of QB Gene Bishop leading the way and the legs of RB Hugo Hughes taking it out of the backfield. They do get a nice upgrade in the WR core with WR Russell Wilcox replacing the aging WR Derek Cross. Montreal is certainly a bit of a wild card this season both having the potential to be a strong contender, but also the potential to completely miss the postseason.

Captains
C - OL Mathieu Roy
A - WR Taylor Karis
A - S Garet deVale

8 - Halifax Mariners
1967 Record: 5-7 (4th East)
1967 Result: Missed Playoffs
The Mariners have been disappointing over the last couple of seasons. So, this offseason they made a change at the coaching position. Ben McMillan is in and as a head coach, McMillan has never missed the postseason. McMillan will be given a very similar team to what the Mariners fielded last season, but the team hopes that he can bring some more consistency to the defence which has some strong pieces in DL Wayne Baxton, DL Pat Butler, DB Joe Robinson, and DB Aquilio Ruiz. The Mariners’ defence has been very inconsistent in the last couple of seasons having some games where they look like a top 3 defence and then others where they are almost not even there. Offensively, nothing much changes other than OL Kane Warwick stepping in to replace OL Harrison Ward. It could be a breakout season for WR Edward Webb as he is expected to start at the WR3 position, after being drafted in the 2nd round in 1966. If McMillan can step in and point the Mariners in the right direction, then they should easily be fighting for 1st in the East, but after the last two seasons, it’s not unreasonable to be skeptical of the team.

Captains
C - OL Ward Briscoe
A - DB Joe Robinson
A - DL Pat Butler

9 - Ottawa Royals
1967 Record: 5-7 (6th East)
1967 Result: Missed Playoffs
The Royals could easily be a dark horse contender this season. Their young defence headlined by DL Bernhard Hartmann, DB Sergio Alvarez, and LB Sam Wheeler has the potential to be a top-tier defence this season after showing flashes of it last season. Their defence was a huge reason the team jumped out to a 4-0 start last season. Of course, the bigger focus will be on offence for the Royals, which was the reason they failed to make the playoffs after the 4-0 start. The Royals have great weapons in WR Marshall Leonard and RB Corbyn Knight, as well as a strong, young O-line led by OL Amos Sewell and OL Matt Helmut. However, their big issue last season was at the quarterback position. QB Michael Benedict was serviceable but ended up leading the league in interceptions, so the Royals were open to looking at other options, in fact, they had 5 QBs all fighting for a starting job. QB Michael Benedict, rookie QB Drake Young, 1967 1st rounder QB Martin Keller, 1966 2nd rounder QB Michael Miranda, and the undrafted QB Tyrion Gainsborough. It was a very close battle according to Head Coach Jean Matieau, but the team would land on the undrafted Tyrion Gainsborough to be the starter in Week 1. It’s a shocking decision considering the younger talent and the amount they are paying Benedict, but if it pans out it will be a great decision. Gainsborough will be the first undrafted QB to start a game since the draft-era began, as well as the first non-North American to start a game, as he was born in London, England. Gainsborough is also the grandson of "The Gains Report" creator Lawrence Gainsborough. 

Captains
C - S Randall Green
A - WR Marshall Leonard
A - LB Sam Wheeler

10 - London Tigers
1967 Record: 7-5 (2nd West)
1967 Result: Lost East Division Semi-Final
Last season was pretty strong for the Tigers, however, entering the 1968 season, they look like they could take a huge step backwards. QB Riley Kiernan is 38 years old and could be on his last legs in the league, the WR core has been declining over the last few seasons, while the defence is becoming more barebones than ever. The Tigers are likely on the verge of a full rebuild with a lot of their veterans on the verge of retirement. However, we have seen GM Joseph Johnson be able to pull a team out of nowhere so it’s not a complete lost cause. There are still some younger pieces in WR Cole Fletcher, DL Mo Kahn, and DB Bernard Wilkins who could all bring a little life to the team. If some of the younger players take a step forward, and the veterans can maintain form, the Tigers still have playoff potential.

Captains
C - QB Riley Kiernan
A - DB Jackson Miles
A - OL Emil Jennings

11 - Toronto Steelheads
1967 Record: 2-10 (6th West)
1967 Result: Missed Playoffs
Toronto was aggressive in the offseason following their worst season since joining the NAAF. They ended up with 3, 1st round picks, adding LB Judge Barrett, WR Sterling Underhill, and OL Alan Farquharson. The rookie will be a great injection of youth into the team next to RB Max Tracy, DB Dwayne James, and S Charles Clerk. While the young talent is good, Toronto did a good job of fixing easily their worst position, the O-line. They boasted easily one of the worst O-lines in league history last season, but this offseason they bring in the rookie in Farquharson, as well as OL Wolfgang Vander Waal and OL Fabrice Beaufort. Those players next to veteran OL Gregory Farrell should provide a lot more protection to QB Todd Baker and open up the run game for their star RB Max Tracy. Toronto certainly has potential, but they are still likely another season away from being a true playoff team, but they should be better than last year.

Captains
C - QB Todd Baker
A - OL Gregory Farrell
A - DB Orville Blake

12 - Pittsburgh Blacksmiths
1967 Record: 3-9 (5th East)
1967 Result: Missed Playoffs
It’s going to be a make-or-break season for Ted McMahon at the helm of the Blacksmiths. Pittsburgh had a strong season in 1966 but took a step back in 1967. Fans in the city are starting to get a little restless with the team, as they have not had success in far too long. So, Coach McMahon will be riding the hot seat this season. While the coach will have some pressure, there is a lot of pressure falling onto QB Louis Vaughn will be looked at the most to take a big step this season. The former 1st overall pick is in his 3rd season and needs to prove that he was worth that selection. Elsewhere other young players are going to have to step up with WR Taylor Austin needing to be a true #1 threat, as well as younger defensive pieces in DL Matthias Hartmann and LB Patrick Hamilton. In the end, Pittsburgh has potential, it is just a matter of if they can take the step forward to become a playoff contender.

Captains
C - QB Louis Vaughn*
A - OL Erik Nelson*
A - DL Sammy Pickett

Wally’s 1968 Predictions
WEST
Buffalo 10-2 -y
Indiana 7-5 -x
Louisville 7-5 -x
Pittsburgh 5-7
Toronto 2-10
London 2-10

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

Playoffs
DSF
LOU over IND
HFX over LI

DF
LOU over BUF
BOS over HFX

50th McCallister Cup - Boston
LOU over BOS

Buffalo holds the West hostage all season, but the Thunder upset them in the Division Finals
Boston narrowly wins a very competitive East, they get back to the McCallister Cup at home but fall short against a red-hot Thunder team.

1968 Hall of Fame Class

1968 Hall of Fame Class

As training camps were getting underway, the 1968 Hybrid Football Hall of Fame class was announced. 6 new members would be joining the original 12 members. So without further adieu here is the class of 1968.

Member #13: QB Bruce Woodard - Providence, RI - Votes: 6 of 11
Woodard’s career began with the Providence Gold Stars in 1939. He was the backup QB for a season before he took over as the starting QB in 1940. He would lead the Gold Stars to a New England Championship in 1941, after winning as a backup in 1939. Unfortunately, his career was interrupted by the USA’s involvement in World War 2. However, once he returned to the field he would lead the Gold Stars to 3 straight championship appearances. However, he was unable to beat Boston in all 3 games. He made the shift to hybrid football in 1949, where he was able to get back to the championship again, but still fell to the Independents in the final. After a couple of early ends to the season, Woodard would have a career year in 1953, leading the Gold Stars to their best NAAF season to date and earning his lone MVP. Despite the great season, Providence fell short in the McCallister Cup again. He would only play one more year with his hometown team before they let him walk to make room for the younger QB Connor O’Rourke. Woodard would land in Ottawa as the backup to QB Jean Matieau. He would only play one game for the Royals, but he earned player of the week in that final game of the season. He would get his 3rd Cup win as the backup for the Royals later that season. The next season, he would play for the Rouge where he would make several starts but was eventually sat in favour of the younger QB Rigobert St-Hilaire. Woodard would call it a career after that as one of the league's first star QBs. 

Member #14: RB Arthur Conner - Buffalo, NY - Votes: 5 of 11
Conner was a bright star in the Blue Wings' offence throughout the 1950s. In the early years of the NAAF, Conner was often overshadowed by the play of RB Élisée Marchal and RB Joel Bonner. He would finally make his mark on the league in the 1952 season, helping the Blue Wings to secure their first McCallister Cup title, rushing for 146 yards and a touchdown, earning him McCallister Cup MVP and Playoff MVP. Following the ‘52 season, Conner became a staple at the top of the rushing categories for the next 6 seasons. In that time, he would win both of his Offensive Player of the Year Awards (1955, 1957), and have 3 of his 4 All-Star seasons. In 1957, he would win his second McCallister Cup with Buffalo after being named an alternate captain. He would play just one last season before calling it a career. Conner, on top of his excellent play, was a very kind person who many teammates loved. In retirement, he continues to give back to the city of Buffalo helping many of the less fortunate.

Member #15: WR Peter Brooks - Taunton, MA - Votes: 5 of 11
While Brooks never got the individual accolades that most of his Hall of Fame counterparts did, he was still an excellent player throughout his career. Early in his career, he would rise to the top of the Gold Stars’ receiving core, ultimately leading to the team trading veteran WR Eugene Burns, and become the team’s #1 target. He developed great chemistry with both QB Bruce Woodard and later QB Connor O’Rourke and was the only WR that was able to hold his own against the Royals’ WR Allen Atkins. Unfortunately, Brooks was never able to win a championship with the Gold Stars through 10 seasons with the club. He would go cup-hunting with a new team in 1959, signing with the Long Island Raiders. He was unsuccessful in the venture and retired after the 1960 season. Brooks was an excellent WR and will likely be one of the best players to never win the Cup. 

Member #16: DB Oscar Patterson - Buffalo, NY - Votes: 5 of 11
Patterson’s career in the NAAF was not a very long one, having spent more seasons in the NYFL with Buffalo. Patterson spent his entire career with the Blue Wings through both leagues and was easily a fan-favourite. His fun-loving personality helped him connect with fans, often seen interacting with them hours after a game. He made his mark on the NAAF in the 1952 season, when he famously painted a pair of white wings on his usually all-blue helmet. In the ensuing game, Patterson would have 2 interceptions, including a pick-6 to get a huge win over Montreal. The rest of the team started following suit adding wings to their own helmets. The look became a bit of a superstition as the Blue Wings would not lose another game en route to their first-ever McCallister Cup. The helmet design would stick and inspire other teams to add logos/designs to their helmets the following season. Patterson’s legacy was strong with his play, but he is also honoured for his revolutionary idea. 

Member #17: RB Laurent Brazeau - Montreal, QC - Votes: 5 of 11
Brazeau entered the NAAF as a complete underdog. He had a strong season in 1949 with a Quebec City-based amateur team. The performance caught the eye of Joseph Johnson, the GM/Head Coach of the Toronto Tigers. Johnson brought Brazeau on and the power back instantly became a star for the team. He would win Rookie of the Year in the 1950 season, helping the Tigers improve on their 0-8 ‘49 season. The very next year, he would win the Offensive Player of the Year Award. The league finally started to catch up with Brazeau, but he continued to be a strong force for the Tigers over the next 4 and a half seasons. In 1956, Brazeau would be traded to the Providence Gold Stars as the Tigers went to retool. Brazeau would help the Gold Stars into the playoffs and would score in his only career playoff game. Following the ‘56 season, Brazeau would be drafted by the Indiana Victors in the 1957 Expansion Draft. He would spend his final 2 seasons with the Victors being reunited with his Tigers’ QB Duane Logan and being named Alternate Captain. Brazeau was unable to have much team success, but he was still a very strong player in his own right. 

Member #18: HC/GM Guy Clarke - Montreal, QC - Votes: 5 of 11
Clarke was the Head Coach and General Manager of the Montreal Rouge for what seemed like forever. His brutal, bone-crushing defences dominated Quebec football for many years. It was that defence that helped give the Rouge their name, based on their reputation of having opponents bleeding after their games. His defensive mind carried over into the NAAF where he continued to make the Rouge one of the toughest teams to play against. Clarke’s schemes would be the first to stop the Boston Independents, ending their historically long win-streak in the NAAF’s first season. Clarke and HOF HC Peter McDuffin duelled it out over the early years of the NAAF, meeting in the McCallister Cup 2 times. In 1951, Clarke would lead the Rouge to the first and only unbeaten NAAF season. They would go 9-0-1 in the regular season before winning back-to-back playoff games to win the McCallister Cup. 2 years later, the Rouge would be back in the McCallister Cup where the defence would shut down QB Bruce Woodard and the Gold Stars to upset them in Providence. Clarke would slowly lose interest in the team after the age started to show following their second McCallister Cup win. He would finally step away from the team after a rough 1955 season, ending a long and memorable career. 

1968 Free Agency Part 2

1968 Free Agency Part 2

Following the NAAF draft, the offseason quieted down. The remaining top 25 free agents would sign with long-time Rouge WR, Derek Cross, signing with the Raiders, joining Robert Lang and John Rivera as WRs who have played for both teams. QB Ulysses Lawyer would land in Providence in hopes of being in the running for the starting job when Connor O’Rourke calls it a career. The last top 25 player was S Peter Sellers who would land with the Mariners to shore up their depth in the secondary.

There would be only a couple of trades. After sending RB Reggie Whitehead to Boston, Indy was in need of a running back to help out Raymond Green. They would head over to Pittsburgh and would acquire RB Ed Finley in exchange for their 1969 3rd Round Pick and prospect DL Raymond Pushor. 

A second RB trade would also occur between the Thunder and Raiders with the Thunder sending RB Lando Blake to the Raiders in exchange for a 5th Round Pick in 1969. 

Many other moves were made, but the biggest development was the introduction of the next step of the NAAF’s partnership with the semi-professional leagues in the North East. Those of course are the New England Semi-Pro Football Championship and the Eastern Canadian Semi-Pro Football League. Over the past couple of seasons, players on NAAF reserve lists have been allowed to sign contracts with the semi-pro teams to continue to play while not being dressed in the NAAF. The system has helped a lot of younger players continue to have game experience and improve their chances of getting a full-time spot in the NAAF. However, it has also helped players in the semi-pro leagues take on better talent and improve themselves. So, the next stage of their partnership will allow teams to offer tryouts to players in the semi-pro leagues to join training camp and have a shot for the roster. It will be interesting to see how the players fair at training camp and if any can crack a roster this season.

1968 NAAF Draft

1968 NAAF Draft

Round 1

1 - Toronto Steelheads | LB Judge Barrett | UHamilton - Hamilton, ON - Darknes
Judge Barrett becomes just the second linebacker to ever be selected with the #1 pick, following Scotty Williams, who was the first pick back in 1952. Barrett is also the first Canadian picked 1st overall since OL Jean-Baptiste Desjardins in 1962. The Steelheads have desperately needed a new defensive leader. They hoped to get that from LB Sebastian Andrews III, but he has not gotten it done. Barrett is a great piece to build a defence around. He’s extremely intelligent and knows the plays inside and out, having a perfect idea of where everyone is supposed to be. On top of that, Barrett knows the rules just as well, knowing where to bend them to give him any advantage he can. While his brain is impressive, his physical abilities are just as great, being a great open-field tackler, while also having the athletic ability to move quickly on the field. It would be shocking if Barrett was not a franchise player for the Steelheads.

2 - Pittsburgh Blacksmiths | DL Arthur Bradshaw | Western New York - Batavia, NY - DireBear
For the second year in a row, the Blacksmiths take a Defensive Lineman with their first pick of the draft. Matthias Hartmann was not quite as great as his brother and rookie of the year Bernhard Hartmann, but adding a talent such as Bradshaw may help to create a strong duo on the line as the two develop. Bradshaw brings excellent skill to the line. In his final season in college, he had set a school record for sacks using his great hands and speed to cause many issues for offensive linemen in college. Bradshaw seems like raw talent and should hopefully give the Blacksmiths a long-term leader on the line.

3 - Ottawa Royals | QB Drake Young | UHamilton - Brantford, ON - ZO82
Despite drafting QB Martin Keller 7th overall last season, the Royals decided they could not pass up the opportunity to draft Drake Young. It appeared that the Royals were not very impressed with Keller in his first season after trading for QB Robert Humphrey at the deadline and sending Keller to the reserve list. Either way, they get one of the best college QBs over the past few years in Drake Young. Young brings a lot to the table, being an accurate passer, a good decision-maker, with a solid arm. However, the most important element of his game is his poise in the pocket and ability to improvise and not let the pressure get to him. Those traits are often what separate the great QBs from the good. Hopefully, the Royals finally have a long-term answer at QB. 

4 - Louisville Thunder (from Boston) | LB Daniel Timothy | Rhode Island State - Bristol, RI - Dan O'Mac
The Thunder were jumping for joy when the Royals passed on LB Daniel Timothy. GM Robbie Wilson immediately hung up on GM Joseph Johnson of the Tigers after the Royals picked Drake Young. The Thunder were eying one of the linebackers but didn’t think one would be there and had been looking at potential trade options. However, they do land the 2-sport linebacker out of Rhode Island State. Timothy is looked at as a little more raw than Barrett, but his senior season showed that he was good at coverage over the middle. His smaller frame for a LB, due to being a baseball player as well, allows for more mobility, but he does need to hit the gym to help with his tackling. He’s also quite smart and can be a signal-caller for a defence. Louisville lost their #1 LB in Calvin Hardy to Montreal, so they are hoping Timothy will be able to fill those shoes someday soon.

5 - Halifax Mariners | OL Kane Warwick | New England - Sleepy Hollow, NY - Darknes
The Mariners made a strong choice in Kane Warwick at 5th overall. After losing OL Harrison Ward and OL Wolfgang Vander Waal, the team had a hole on their O-line. Luckily, they were able to snag the top OL prospect in the draft. Warwick is not all that big, but he never quits. His junior and senior years at New England were very impressive standing out as one of the best blockers in college. Warwick is a passionate player that should be a great addition to the Mariners’ locker room this season. 

6 - Indiana Victors | WR Jake Abbredezzi | UHamilton - Niagara, ON - NoE38
The Victors had a choice of the top 2 WRs in the draft. After losing WR Orlando Barrack to Pittsburgh, the team desperately needed a #3 option. In the end, they chose Jake Abbredezzi out of UHamilton. Abbredezzi was Drake Young’s favourite target this past season, catching 12 touchdowns this past season. This was with Abbredezzi missing 2 and a half games with injury. Abbredezzi has the physical traits of a solid all-around WR. He’s quick and had great ball carrier vision from his time as a RB in high school. He also played QB making him a very versatile piece for an offence. The big concern with Abbredezzi however, is his health, as he had missed at least a couple of games in each one of his years at UHamilton.

TRADE ALERT
The first round had been pretty quiet, but by pick 7, the first trade of the draft occurred. Montreal knew that there was a market for a team to move up to take the other WR, Sterling Underhill, so they took advantage and traded back. They had fielded offers from Pittsburgh, Providence, and Toronto. In the end, the Steelheads would send the 10th overall pick and the 18th overall pick to the Rouge in order to move up to 7th overall. 

7 - Toronto Steelheads (from Montreal) | WR Sterling Underhill | Haynes - New Haven, CT - Enigmajones 
Toronto would grab Underhill with the newly acquired pick. Toronto has desperately needed a new star in the WR core to help with their offensive struggles from last season. Underhill seems like a great fit for the Steelheads. He still thrived in a Haynes offence that did not have any consistency at QB this season. Underhill has a great catch radius which is very helpful for a team that may have the QB under pressure a lot. Toronto certainly had that last season with easily the worst O-line in the league. Hopefully, Underhill can make the quick transition to the next level and help the Steelheads quickly.

8 - London Tigers | DL Mo Kahn | Maine State - Portland, ME - Stickman
London toyed with the idea of trading up to get QB Drake Young, but the Royals beat them to it. Fortunately, they still landed a guy they liked with the 8th overall pick. Mo Kahn should bring a boost to a very weak D-line that London has struggled to improve in the last couple of seasons. Kahn may be considered a bit of a reach, being projected as an early 2nd round option, but clearly, the need for DL was much more important. Kahn has the makings of a very good D-lineman, with great strength and speed to get around the O-line, however, a big concern is his injury history having only played a full season once in college. His knee issues could start eating into his skill which may make this pick not look too great in the long run.

TRADE ALERT
The second trade of the draft saw the Steelheads make another jump back into the first round. They would make a swap with the Louisville Thunder to move up to 9th overall. In return, the Thunder would receive picks 13 and 27.

9 - Toronto Steelheads (from Louisville) | OL Alan Farquharson | Rhode Island State - Warwick, RI - Dan O’Mac
After taking a LB and WR with their first two picks, the Steelheads would aim to solve one of their biggest issues, the offensive line. In order to do that they would take Alan Farquharson out of Rhode Island State. Farquharson is a big guy, got lots of strength, and he often bullied O-linemen. Well, bullying also extends to his past, being suspended a few times in high school, which may mean a not-so-friendly personality, but Toronto should get a solid O-lineman out of Farquharson. 

10 - Montreal Rouge (from Providence via Toronto) | DB Lamar Brown | New England - Concord, NH - Kingsfan11
Montreal finally came up to pick and they would grab Lamar Brown out of New England. They were in dire need of depth in the secondary, especially after DB Quentin Xavier retired. Brown is on the larger side of DBs, at least in terms of his frame and muscle. He uses his body to punish wideouts but does have the agility to be strong in coverage as well. If Brown can bring his physicality to the NAAF, he could be a game-changer for the Rouge defence.

11 - Long Island Raiders | OL Doyle MacInnis | Haynes - Rockland, ME - Dan O’Mac
The Raiders had a weaker O-line over the past season, so they would look to add some help with MacInnis. MacInnis is a strong interior lineman, who is a specialist in creating holes for running backs. His specialty is what makes him a great fit for the run-heavy Raiders offence.

12 - Buffalo Blue Wings | OL Ty Barrett | UHamilton - Hamilton, ON - Darknes
With the final pick of the first round, the Blue Wings drafted Judge Barrett’s cousin, Ty Barrett, to help out on the O-line. Buffalo’s weakest position was easily on the line, so the addition of Barrett should help out. Barrett is a muscle man who likes to overpower his opponent in blocks rather than use technical skill. He did that very well in college, but there are some worries that he may not stand up to the stronger NAAF D-lineman and could become penalty prone. 

Round 2

The second round would kick off with the Louisville Thunder’s first pick of the draft. They would take Louisville State DB Oswald Murray, continuing their pattern of taking players from the local university. Murray is a strong man-to-man defender that should be able to lock down WRs he is matched up against. Pittsburgh would pick a DB of their own in Zed McLaughlin out of Nova Scotia. McLaughlin didn’t get a lot of recognition initially at Nova Scotia, but as the draft approached many scouts started to see his skill on the field and clearly, Pittsburgh thought so too and grabbed him to shore up their secondary. 

Following Pittsburgh’s pick, the Royals and Rouge would make a swap with the Rouge acquiring picks 15 and 36 in exchange for picks 19 and 31. Montreal would take OL Shane Willis with the pick to add to their O-line. 

Another trade would occur right after in the biggest deal of the draft. The Boston Independents would acquire former 6th overall pick, RB Reggie Whitehead, in exchange for WR Evan Clanton, the 16th overall pick and a 4th rounder in 1969. Boston should have a RB of the future to replace Tresean Jones, while Indiana gets a reliable WR in Clanton to go along with their first-round pick in Abbredezzi to help solidify their WR core for this season. 

With the 16th pick, the Victors would draft DB Carl Odebell out of Indiana Tech. Odebell is looked at as a bit of a reach at 16, but the Victors really liked him and after the top 3 DBs were off the board they had to make the move up to make sure they got him. He could be a bit of a project DB which works with Indy having some strong veterans still able to start for them at the moment. Montreal was back on the clock for back-to-back picks. They would go off the board a bit but filled positions of need with DL Alan Franjkovic and LB Aloysius King IV. The pick of Franjkovic, threw a wrench in Ottawa’s plans as they had hoped to still get him at pick 19. Instead, they would take local talent, TE Luiss de Brands out of Rideau in hopes of giving some support to the commonly injured TE Ryan Hatcher. 

London would pick WR Jessie Lambert next to pair up with WR Cole Fletcher for the future of their WR core. Pittsburgh would then grab a TE themselves in Sid Sydney fearing they may start to fly off the board. Providence would finally have their first selection of the draft and played it safe with OL Bobby Shields to add to their O-line. The Raiders would draft a WR out of Nova Scotia in Frank Drysdale in hopes of striking gold again at the position after trading Casey Coleman last season. 

Through all of this, there were several top prospects that were in free fall in the draft. Most notably was S Jarrett Sutherland, but the bigger story was the plethora of running backs that had not been taken yet. Buffalo would be the first to take one. Many expected them to pick Shannon West out of the local Western New York, but instead, they would get Jasper Dickerson out of Toronto. Buffalo appears to like Dickerson’s all-around style more than West’s pound-the-rock style.

Round 2 Picks
13 - LOU (From TOR) | DB Oswald Murray | Louisville State* - Evansville, IN - Jayhawk
14 - PIT | DB Zed McLaughlin | Nova Scotia - Zealand, NB - idm
15 - MTL (from OTT) | OL Shane Willis | Toronto - Stratford, ON - Edgeworth
16 - IND (from BOS) | DB Carl Odebell | Indiana Tech* - Santa Claus, IN - JamHeronArk
17 - MTL (from HFX) | DL Alan Franjkovic | Toronto - Toronto, ON - ZO82
18 - MTL (from IND via TOR) | LB Aloysius King IV | Rockefeller - South Bend, IN - JamHeronArk
19 - OTT (from MTL) | TE Luiss de Brands | Rideau - Ottawa, ON - NoE38
20 - LDN | WR Jessie Lambert | Western New York - Indianapolis, IN - DireBear
21 - PIT (from LOU) | TE Sid Sydney | UHamilton - Guelph, ON - Wallflower
22 - PRO | OL Bobby Shields | West Mass State - Albany, NY - DireBear
23 - LI | WR Frank Drysdale | Nova Scotia - Digby, NS - idm
24 - BUF | RB Jasper Dickerson | Toronto - Toronto, ON - Kingsfan11

Round 3

The 3rd round would be focused on the top players that had fallen. S Jarrett Sutherland would finally get picked by the Blacksmiths as they could easily have a starting safety out of the 3rd round. Before the real drama kicked off, Louisville continued their pattern of drafting Louisville State players with pick 27. At 28, the Independents were slated to have their first pick of the draft, however, they would move back yet again with a trade with the Tigers. They would pick up picks 32 and 44 in exchange for the 28th pick. The Tigers would take LB Gerrard Miller with the selection. 

Boston would finally make their first selection at 32, being the second latest any team has made their first pick of the draft ever and took OL Mackens Stevenson. 

As for the drama, it really revved up when the Halifax Mariners elected to go way off the board and select Majeure Montreal RB Rene Lyons over the much higher-ranked Shannon West and Neil Bradley. West reportedly was very displeased while waiting to be drafted, questioning the NAAF teams if they had their heads on straight. Luckily for West, he would finally be picked at 30 by the Victors who aim to replace Whitehead as the backup RB to Raymond Green. RB Neil Bradley would not be far behind West and would go to Louisville. 

As for a couple of other notable picks, the Royals would draft DL Wallace Cutt out of Hamilton to pair back up with former teammate DL Bernhard Hartmann, and Montreal would draft the first French-born player in S Etienne LaMond.

Round 3 Picks
25 - TOR | DL Daniel Myers | Rhode Island State - Woonsocket, RI - Darknes
26 - PIT | S Jarrett Sutherland | Western New York - Erie, PA - Kingsfan11
27 - LOU (from OTT via TOR) | OL Kash Wilder | Louisville State - Louisville, KY - ZO82
28 - LDN (from BOS) | LB Gerrard Miller | King’s - New York City, NY - Kingsfan11
29 - HFX | RB Rene Lyons | Majeure Montreal - Montreal, QC - Darknes
30 - IND | RB Shannon West | Western New York - Rochester, NY - Dan O’Mac
31 - OTT (from MTL) | DL Wallace Cutt | UHamilton - Hamilton, ON - JamHeronArk
32 - BOS (from LDN) | OL Mackens Stevenson | Allegheny - Pittsburgh, PA - Stickman
33 - LOU | RB Neil Bradley | New England - Boston, MA - NoE38
34 - PRO | LB Austin Ford | Haynes - Bridgeport, CT - idm
35 - MTL (from LI) | WR Izzy Woods | Montreal Provincial - Montreal, QC - Wallflower
36 - MTL (from BUF via OTT) | S Etienne LaMond | St-Laurent - Nice, FR - Dan O’Mac

Round 4

In the last 2 rounds, there were no trades that occurred as the teams would rattle off their picks. Boston continued to have a somewhat questionable draft, grabbing TE Spencer Griepentrog out of New England, while still not addressing issues on the DL, however, they would get a DL out of Adam Thweatt, which many questioned considering he was one of the lowest-ranked prospects. The Raiders once again showed their willingness to draft Division 2 prospects and grabbed Porter Pikesville out of Scranton State College. 

Round 4 Picks
37 - TOR | LB Grover Smith | St. George - Orangeville, ON - Dan O’Mac
38 - PIT | DB William Cunningham | Brooklyn Metropolitan* - Newark, NJ - ZO82
39 - LDN (from OTT) | OL Felton McDowell | Haynes - Bridgeport, CT - idm
40 - BOS | TE Spencer Griepentrog | New England - Worcester, MA - Dan O’Mac
41 - PIT (from HFX) | WR Devin Smith | Western New York - Jamestown, NY - ZO82
42 - IND | S Geno Aranda | King’s* - New York City, NY - vladee
43 - OTT (from MTL) | LB Wallace Jordan | Northern Indiana* - Indianapolis, IN - DireBear
44 - BOS (from LDN) | DL Adam Thweatt | Maine State - Bath, ME - idm
45 - LOU | WR Raul Creek | Montreal Provincial - Montreal, QC - DireBear
46 - TOR (from PRO) | DB Felix Roy | St-Laurent - Quebec City, QC - Kingsfan11
47 - LI | DL Porter Pikesville | Scranton State College (DIV II)** - Wilkes-Barre, PA - Jayhawk
48 - BUF | DB Davey Woods | The Colonial College* - Wilmington, DE - Dan O’Mac

Round 5

The second QB to be drafted would have to wait until the 5th round, when the Gold Stars took Cambridge of Boston QB, Mac Ennis. Shortly after Boston would pick up Daryl Plum out of Upstate. Many of the remaining picks were teams looking a bit off the board or getting any last positions of need. Buffalo would close out the draft with TE Ben Gibson being the final selection.

Round 5 Picks
49 - PRO (from TOR) | QB Mac Ennis | Cambridge of Boston - Wellesley, MA - Dan O’Mac
50 - PIT | DL Brock Dyson | New England - Salem, MA - vladee
51 - OTT | OL Martin Graw | Majeure Montreal - Sorel-Tracy, QC - idm
52 - BOS | QB Daryl Plum | Upstate - Binghamton, NY - DireBear
53 - MTL (from HFX) | LB Donte Chino | St. Paul* - Austin, MN - Scratch
54 - HFX (from IND) | DL Jimmy Snack | Jersey State* - Blandford, MA - Dan O’Mac
55 - MTL | RB Maxwell Greenfield | Northern Indiana* - Indianapolis, IN - idm
56 - LDN | DB Alex Pollard | London - Barrie, ON - Wallflower
57 - LOU | LB Jethro Gibson | Erie - Erie, PA - Darknes
58 - PRO | WR Mark Taylor | Newark College (DIV II) - Newark, NJ - Kingsfan11
59 - LI | DL John Dough | Haynes - Hartford, CT - idm
60 - BUF | TE Ben Gibson | Major Cincinnati* - Cincinnati, OH - ZO82

Undrafted Players
TE Dean Carroll | Vermont Republic - Plattsburgh, NY - Enigmajones
OL Marshall Craig | Atlantic State Of Massachusetts - Plymouth, MA - DireBear
S Bennett Drill | Concord-Manchester - Manchester, NH - QCS
OL Robin Beard | Northern West Virginia - Cumberland, MD - DireBear
S Pete Gunner | Cape Cod College (DIV II) - Mashpee, MA - Jayhawk
QB Emmitt Jackson | Petersburg College (DIV II) - South Hill, VA - Wallflower
LB Marc Hand | Nova Scotia - Halifax, NS - idm

1968 Draft Preview

1967 College Hybrid Football Results

Ahead of the 1967 College season, there was a change in the America East Hybrid Conference. After back-to-back seasons of being unable to field a team, Hempstead University dropped out of the conference. To take their place, Upstate University, based out of Albany, would move from the Atlantic Coast Athletic Conference to the AEHC. Upstate has stronger relationships with Haynes, Western New York, and Vermont Republic in comparison to the ACAC schools, so it made sense for them to make the shift over. 

Canada East Hybrid Conference
WEST
(1) Hamilton Howlers
(5) Toronto Dukes
Rideau Rams
St. George Maples
London Foresters
Kitchener-Waterloo Provincial Beavers

EAST
(6) Majeure Montreal Insulaires
(9) St-Laurent Cavaliers de Riviere
(10) Montreal Provincial Panthers
Nova Scotia Armada
New Brunswick Pirates
Mont-Bellevue Geais Bleus

CEHC Playoffs
WF (1) UHAM 34-21 (5) TORU
EF (6) MMTL 14-17 (9) ST-L

CEHC Championship
(1) UHAM 40-10 (9) ST-L

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

AEHC Playoffs
(2) WNY 24-13 (7) HAY
(3) UNE 20-17 (4) RISU

AEHC Championship
(2) WNY 24-21 (3) UNE

Hybrid Football Championship
(1) UHAM 30-20 (2) WNY

1968 Draft Preview
The University of Hamilton Howlers dominated this College Hybrid Football season. They claimed their second straight Hybrid championship in a more dominating fashion than last season. They were led by 2 bright stars in LB Judge Barrett and QB Drake Young. Barrett is the perfect leader for the defence. He is extremely intelligent, knowing all the rules and plays by heart. That knowledge he uses to gain any advantage he can, even some that are a little on the edge of the rules. Regardless, he has immense talent and will make for an important piece to any defence. As for Drake Young, some are saying this is the next big QB coming into the NAAF. Young has played extremely well over the past two seasons, leading UHamilton to the back-to-back titles. He’s got all the things you want skill-wise, but there appears to be that extra edge to his game, especially in crucial moments where he can make something out of nothing. Young also appears to be as humble as they come, often giving his teammates credit before himself. Young will certainly be a tempting player for a few teams this draft. Hamilton also has some other talents in Judge Barrett’s cousin OL Ty Barrett, and one of Young’s favourite targets in WR Jake Aberdezzi.

While Judge Barrett looks to be a great defensive acquisition, it was DL Arthur Bradshaw, who had a standout season with Western New York, that topped the Gains Report. He set a new school record for sacks in a season, en route to the team’s first Hybrid Football Championship appearance. Bradshaw is a threat on the line and should not be on the board for long, especially with the demand at the position. Western New York’s season was also helped by good play from S Jarrett Sutherland, whose loud style of play often set the tone for many games this season. Offensively the school also had a great season from WR Jessie Lambert, the younger brother of Blue Wings LB Randall Lambert, and a breakout year from RB Shannon West. West is a grinding back that can just pound the rock down the field. There are some concerns about his health due to his style of play. However, West isn’t worried, “I’m the best there is, nothing stops Shannon West,” he says.

New England had a down season this year, but the school still has a couple of solid prospects in OL Kane Warwick and DB Lamar Brown. Warwick is easily the best OL prospect in the draft. While he isn't the biggest OL, he keeps fighting and improving with every snap and it's clear he's got a high ceiling. They did have a strong season out of RB Neil Bradley who could make an impact at the next level. Unlike Shannon West, he isn’t able to pound the rock, having a lot of runs be stopped at the line, but if he gets out of the backfield he can create problems for teams with his agility. He also never fumbled the ball at all during his senior year, earning him the nickname “Lobster” for his claw-like grip. There was one other RB in Jasper Dickerson who led the Dukes to a solid season, being the main focus on offence throughout the year. He’s got explosiveness and a bit more strength than Bradley has which makes him a more complete back compared to the others. 

Rhode Island State has some interesting prospects in OL Alan Farquharson and LB Daniel Timothy. Former RISU, and current Providence Head Coach, Garrett Boone, raved about Timothy, from recruiting him to the school in one of his last seasons. Timothy played well for both the school's football team and baseball team, his batting ability had led him to get drafted into baseball out of high school, but decided to continue with college. He was quiet on the football field at first, but he put more time into football in his last couple of seasons which showed on the field boosting the 2-sport athlete to the top of the Gains Report. There is some concern with Timothy potentially jumping to baseball instead of the NAAF, however, due to focusing on football, his baseball abilities have dwindled pretty much shutting the door on a long-term professional baseball career.

The last player to mention out of the top 10 is WR Sterling Underhill, who had a very strong season for the Haynes Colonials despite having an inexperienced QB this season. He often made catches that were not accurate at all and used his smarts to make things easier on his QB. It is those small things that make Underhill stand out player. 

Now outside of the potential franchise-changing QB of Drake Young, there really isn’t anything to look for in this season’s draft at the position. The next best-ranked QB is Mac Ennis. Ennis took over for last year’s 1st round QB David Simmons at Cambridge of Boston. Ennis jumped up the rankings late after a strong 3-touchdown performance against 3rd ranked New England, however, most of his other games were forgettable.

Some may put QB Daryl Plum above Ennis, as he is much more consistent, leading the Upstate Bluebirds to a respectable season while adjusting to the new rule set. The main reason Ennis is put ahead of Plum is that he showed an ability to improvise, a few times this season. Either way, Ennis seems to have some unlocked talent.

The lowest-ranked is a Division 2 QB in Emmitt Jackson. There’s not much on him, but he’s coming all the way from Virginia and set several school records including the most rushing yards in a game for the school as a QB. However, many take that with a grain of salt being from a Division 2 school.

Overall a lot of talented defenders early on with some nice offensive pieces that could make a difference for several teams. 

The Gains Report’s Top 25
1 - DL Arthur Bradshaw - Western New York - Brad Cumberland - DireBear
2 - LB Judge Barrett - UHamilton - Sterling Brantley - Darknes
3 - LB Daniel Timothy - Rhode Island State - George Stefanakis - Dan O’Mac
4 - QB Drake Young - UHamilton - Barry Williams - ZO82
5 - OL Kane Warwick - New England - Sterling Brantley - Darknes
6 - WR Jake Aberdezzi - UHamilton - Timmy Bjarnathan - NoE38
7 - WR Sterling Underhill - Haynes - Kenneth Jones - Enigmajones
8 - S Jarrett Sutherland - Western New York - Vincent Desjardins - Kingsfan11
9 - OL Alan Farquharson - Rhode Island State - George Stefanakis - Dan O’Mac
10 - RB Shannon West - Western New York - George Stefanakis - Dan O’Mac
11 - OL Doyle MacInnis - Haynes - George Stefanakis - Dan O’Mac
12 - DB Lamar Brown - New England - Vincent Desjardins - Kingsfan11
13 - RB Jasper Dickerson - Toronto - Vincent Desjardins - Kingsfan11
14 - DL Mo Kahn - Maine State - Johnny Armando - Stickman
15 - DB Zed McLaughlin - Nova Scotia - Ivan di Marco - idm
16 - OL Ty Barrett - UHamilton - Sterling Brantley - Darknes
17 - DB Oswald Murray - Louisville State* - Jayson Hawkins - Jayhawk
18 - OL Shane Willis - Toronto - Travis Ronnigen - Edgeworth
19 - WR Jessie Lambert - Western New York - Brad Cumberland - DireBear
20 - OL Kash Wilder - Louisville State* - Barry Williams - ZO82
21 - RB Neil Bradley - New England - Timmy Bjarnathan - NoE38
22 - TE Luiss de Brands - Rideau - Timmy Bjarnathan - NoE38
23 - OL Bobby Shields - West Mass State - Brad Cumberland - DireBear
24 - DL Alan Frankjovic - Toronto - Barry Williams - ZO82
25 - DB Carl Odebell - Indiana Tech* - James Herr-O'Nark - JamHeronArk
—-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
27 - TE Sid Sydney - UHamilton - Wally Flowers - Wallflower
34 - OL Geno Aranda - King’s* - Vlad Valasiuk - vladee
44 - QB Mac Ennis - Cambridge of Boston - George Stefanakis - Dan O’Mac
47 - QB Daryl Plum - Upstate* - Brad Cumberland - DireBear
50 - LB Donte Chino - St.Paul* - Roger Roy - Scratch
56 - S Bennett Drill - Concord-Manchester - Jimmy Yamamoto - QCS
67 - QB Emmitt Jackson - Petersburg College (DIVII) - Wally Flowers - Wallflower

Draft Order
1 - Toronto Steelheads - OL, LB, DL
2 - Pittsburgh Blacksmiths - DL, WR, OL, TE
3 - Ottawa Royals - QB, LB, DL
4 - Louisville Thunder (from Boston) - LB, DB, OL
5 - Halifax Mariners - OL, RB, LB
6 - Indiana Victors - WR, OL
7 - Montreal Rouge - DB, DL, LB
8 - London Tigers - DL, LB, WR, QB
9 - Louisville Thunder - LB, DB, OL
10 - Toronto Steelheads (from Providence) - OL, LB, DL
11 - Long Island Raiders - OL, DL, LB
12 - Buffalo Blue Wings - OL, RB, DB

Boston Independents - 1st Pick: 16th - RB, DL, OL
Providence Gold Stars - 1st Pick: 22nd - OL, WR, QB

1968 Hall of Fame Class Vote

1968 Hall of Fame Class Vote

Hey everyone, time for you to have a say in who shall be inducted into the NAAF this offseason. 

So here is how it works:
- You will get to pick up to 8 players to vote into the Hall of Fame.
- The top 5 most voted for will automatically be voted in, however, more may make it if they get enough votes.
- I may add a 6th member of my choosing especially if I feel a player deserves getting in that doesn’t get the vote.

The link to the vote form is below. A google sheet link is at the top. That sheet includes the list of current Hall of Famers, and then a sheet of eligible players. The list looks similar to the retirement sheet with all the same information. I have also included their retirement blurb to get a better idea about the player, though you may need to scroll through it. You can use that information to help decide which players you wish to vote for. 

In terms of which players I have made eligible. I had the stipulation that a player had to either win an award or be an All-Star at some point as well as be retired for at least 5 seasons. Also with All-Stars note that some positions are easier to get an All-Star, like OL where there are 10 All-Stars each year versus RB and QB where there are only 2 each. So a RB or QB with multiple All-Stars is quite impressive.

Either way, I hope you have fun voting and we will see how this all shakes out.