1968 League Meetings Summary

1968 League Meetings Summary

Following the long week of deliberation, Ryan Jameson came forth for his annual State of the League address to reveal the changes that are being put into place for the league’s new season. Here were the main points from the address.

NAAF TO EXPAND TO 14 TEAMS IN 1969

To the surprise of no one, Minneapolis was announced as the first of the two new expansion cities. The city was strongly considered to join the league back in 1965, however, Pittsburgh was awarded the team instead. Minneapolis remained on the NAAF’s radar, and despite the GLFL awarding the city a team the NAAF still came back. The team will be owned by Kris Matheson, who has shown an immense passion for football, exhausting almost every strategy to get a team. He helped get the GLFL team in the city, however, that also came with the city’s baseball owner, Harold Smith, getting the team behind his back. Matheson originally had a part with the team but was cut out following his attempts to build a new stadium, which Smith was not a fan of. Matheson is thrilled to have this opportunity and promised that he will do whatever it takes to give the fans of the team a competitive and successful team to watch. The team will be playing out of a brand new stadium at the University of Minneapolis which the NAAF helped in funding. The stadium is close to completion and they hope the university will be able to play games at their new building soon.

As for the second team, there were long conversations that occurred throughout the week that helped the league take the 6 candidates down to 2 finalists. 

Portland, ME - The first cut was Portland. Overall, the interest for a team was just not that strong and Quebec certainly had a stronger position as an Eastern expansion city at this point.

Des Moines, IA - Des Moines was the next team on the chopping block. The potential ownership’s lack of commitment to the team, as well as uncertainty over the group handling the early struggles and growth of a new team, did not make them as desirable of a location as the other options. 

Grand Rapids, MI - Grand Rapids’ latest bid for an NAAF team was certainly much better than their first back in the mid-50s, but it was not good enough to earn a new team. The uncertainty of if the city will be able to get a new stadium built and being in the heart of GLFL territory were the main points that went against the bid.

Quebec City, QC - Quebec survived to the final 3 bids, primarily because of an argument put forward about the league’s divisional alignment. Mainly, adding an eastern team alongside Minneapolis would help keep the divisions even without displacing any of the current teams. However, the prospects of the Western options won out and Quebec City would be waiting once again.

The final two cities were Omaha, NE and Kansas City, MO. Omaha seemed to have quite an early lead going into the decision day. Having a stadium ready to go and flexibility to potentially start play in the 1968 season gave the NAAF confidence and comfort over the relatively safe pick. However, that advantage became obsolete when Kris Matheson came forward to mention that he would prefer to have his Minneapolis team begin play in 1969 to make sure that everything is in place and ready to go on day 1, instead of rushing it all to completion. Omaha’s big advantage seemed to diminish as Kansas City was now more seriously considered. It became very quickly evident that Kansas City had the advantage now. Firstly, the city is almost 3-times the size of Omaha. Also, they have a proof of concept with the city already having a baseball team, which Omaha did not. Darren Lindell, co-owner of the London Tigers, would go on to put the nail in the coffin, making the point that the larger market would overall benefit the league financially. Mainly, a larger market means more money, and other teams will not have to contribute as much to revenue sharing with the smaller teams in the league. Lindell’s point would win over most of the owners and made it almost a unanimous decision that Kansas City would get the league’s 14th team. 

Jacob Cross will be the owner of the new Kansas City team. Cross is a businessman who has shot into the spotlight within agribusiness over the last few years. His ventures have led him to partner with Powell Mills to help bring the team to Kansas City. The two will help to build a new stadium on the outskirts of the city which is expected to be one of the biggest stadiums football has seen. Cross is excited to have another new opportunity which has come his way over the past decade and will do his best to give Kansas City a great team. 

Jameson did not touch too much on the plans, but it is expected that both teams will likely join the West Division with the Toronto Steelheads likely moving over to the East Division to join Ottawa and Montreal. There are also talks about the playoffs potentially expanding to 8 teams along with the expansion, but that is yet to be decided.

BYE WEEKS ARE HERE

There was a unanimous decision to add a bye week to the season, however, the decision on how the league would implement the bye week had everyone a little more split. The rolling bye weeks had a strong lead early, however, it would be the mid-season half-break that would win the vote in the end. The key reasons were, that it was the fairest system while still having football action for all 13 weeks of the season and it was the easier model to schedule. This means week 7 of the usual schedule will simply be split into two weeks with half of the teams getting a bye one week and the other half getting a bye the next week. 

EXTENSION CLAUSE UP TO $1,000

Another strong decision was made about the NAAF Players’ Extension Clause. The vote was heavily in favour of the league upping the minimum raise amount for players that are extended prior to hitting free agency to $1,000, which is up from $500. This means unless a player waives the clause, a new contract must come with a $1,000 annual salary raise if it is signed prior to the first day of free agency. 

THE COIN TOSS REMAINS

Probably the most divisive topic over the whole week was over whether the NAAF would remove the coin toss at the start of games for the 1968 season. In the end, the traditionalists seemed very against the idea and made sure the league kept the tradition. However, there were some supporters of the change, especially those making the argument to give a little added bonus to the home team while also being almost more fair considering each team would get the first choice for half of their games rather than just a level of random chance. However, it was no use as the coin toss will remain a normal tradition in the league.

ROSTER EXPANSION

Late in the week, there was a last-minute proposal that had come forward in order to allow for the league’s rosters to expand from 40 to 42 players. It’s not a big jump but teams are hoping to have a 3rd Tight End on the roster, with the rising injuries at the position. To keep the roster at a round number they added a flex spot that can be at any position at least for this season.

OTHER ANNOUNCEMENTS

The remaining announcements were basic league announcements for this season:
 - The salary cap for the 1968 season would be increased from $615,000 to $625,000. 
 - With the addition of the bye week, week 13 will occur during the week that the Division Semi-Finals normally occur, thus, the playoffs and McCallister Cup will be pushed a week later than normal.
 - The league will also have the first official Hall of Fame vote this offseason and will announce the class ahead of week 1.

ELSEWHERE…

ACFL

VAN FOSSEN OUT AS COMMISSIONER

Last offseason, the rest of the ACFL owners were close to removing Stephen Van Fossen as the commissioner of the league. However, Van Fossen talked his way out of it with a shiny new plan to continue to march into NAAF territory and expand the league to 14 teams over the next few seasons. Unfortunately for Van Fossen, the plan did not get off to a good start. He had targeted Hamilton, ON and Hartford, CT as the key markets for his plan. Unfortunately, he underestimated the sheer lack of desire from either city to bring on a team. Both cities likely needed new stadiums to be able to support teams long-term. Hamilton specifically had no interest in the American game, and neither city was very confident in the ACFL's potential for success, especially with how the Boston Shamrocks have performed since joining the league. Now, when Van Fossen had initially presented his last-minute idea, he had pushed the idea that he already had potential suitors for teams set in both cities, but it turns out it was a load of bullcrap. Once the other owners had realized that Van Fossen was completely out of his mind, they officially removed him as the league’s commissioner. 

Now their next step, of course, was to appoint a replacement. That decision was certainly an easy one as well. Don Soriano, the owner of the Philadelphia Rebels, was selected as the latest commissioner of the ACFL. Soriano has only been the owner of the Rebels for the last 5 seasons. He had come into control of the team the same year Van Fossen was made commissioner. Early on, the two seemed to get along, however, Soriano was the one that eventually started to question Van Fossen and became the primary advocate for his removal. The two created a divide in the ACFL. Initially, there were more owners on the side of the longtime owner of Van Fossen, but as the problems started to mount, more and more of the owners started to flip and back Soriano. Van Fossen’s last-ditch plan was the final nail in the coffin. Frankly, Soriano may have already known it would fail, which might be why he let Van Fossen go ahead with the plan despite advocating so harshly to remove him. In the end, everything played right into his hands.

Soriano seems to bring stability to the role, having what appears to be a more level head and less of a hyper-focus on the battle with the NAAF. So far, Soriano has made statements about focusing on the existing teams and league rather than another, which likely means the ACFL will cooldown on their attack of the Northeast and potentially retract teams from the area. However, Soriano has not made any changes as of yet and will likely take the season to figure out how to move forward with the ACFL.

GLFL

RESPONSE TO NAAF EXPANSION

With the NAAF’s latest expansion announcement, the GLFL certainly had some eyes on them regarding the decision. After all, the addition of Minneapolis means a direct competition between the Black Bears and the NAAF’s new team and Kansas City had always been looked at as one of the next steps in the GLFL’s growth. League commissioner and Chicago All-Pros owner, Larry Winfield, reassured that the NAAF’s decision was not of concern and would not affect how the GLFL moved forward. Cleveland Captains owner, Jack Attwood had said that he was concerned about the situation and wanted to make sure the league wasn’t falling just sitting by and waiting to get taken over. Winfield’s response was to have Attwood meet with him so he could reassure him that everything is going to be just fine. The older, experienced owner, Winfield, also pointed to the ACFL as an example of what he doesn’t want the GLFL to become. Winfield’s personable approach seemed to work and the situation died down as the league set in for the remainder of their own football season.

1968 League Meetings - Part 1

1968 League Meetings - Part 1

The 1968 NAAF league meetings entered a new format this offseason. The first day or so was dedicated to members of the league, owners, players, and coaches, proposing potential changes to the league’s rules and regulations. After discussions on the topics over the week, they will be voted upon at the end to decide which rules to take into effect. (yes, that means you guys will have a chance to vote on these rules).

Here were the main proposals and news to come from the first day of meetings.

MINNEAPOLIS STADIUM UNDER CONSTRUCTION
Last offseason, the University of Minneapolis and potential football team owner Kris Matheson had put together a proposal for a new stadium at the city’s largest university. The proposal was a strong one, but still wasn’t a sure go, however with the NAAF’s help in producing some funds, the city approved the new building. Over the last year, the stadium had been under construction and should be complete for the University to play some games this season. 

At this point, it seems already set in stone that the NAAF will be adding a Minneapolis team in the near future. However, Jameson is not keen on expanding by 1 team again and would rather have a pair of teams to go forward with. Jameson is hoping to add a team that is also out west to help grow the game along with Minneapolis. However, it has been difficult to find a city with the stadium and potential to have a team, especially with the GLFL taking up most major Midwestern cities. Most proposals the league has seen, have not been all that strong. Most need to build a stadium but may not have the financial backing. The NAAF would normally step in, but they are already running a bit low following the Minneapolis deal.

However, here have been the strongest proposals

Grand Rapids, MI - Back in the 1957 expansion process, David Harrison had been looking to have football return to the city, but a new stadium was very much needed and Harrison was not willing to make it happen for an NAAF team. A decade later, and now his son Daniel Harrison is making a push for the return of football. This time, there is a greater willingness to build a new stadium to house a team, however, Daniel isn’t quite as well off as his father was, so there will certainly be a need for financial support to make it happen.

Des Moines, IA - This proposal is a long shot at this point, however, because of its proximity to Minneapolis, Des Moines has stayed in the conversation. They do have a potential ownership group led by Duncan Brown, but they are not quite as invested in getting a football team to the city. They seem to be more on the safe side and would not be willing to eat too many losses if the team does struggle. However, if it does work then it could be a very interesting spot.

Kansas City, KS/MO - Kansas City is probably the biggest market that is up for grabs at the moment. It also appears to have the best backing behind it. The potential owner Jacob Cross is hoping to bring the team to the city. Despite the city already had a baseball park, they will need a new stadium as the baseball team doesn’t want to have the field changing during the summer season. Luckily, a farming company, Powell Mills, is coming to assist Mr. Cross in helping the funding of the new stadium, however, there are still some concerns behind the overall bid with Powell Mills being a fairly young company, and not the most influential sponsor at this point. 

Omaha, NE - This bid has been a bit more under the radar, but there is a proposal to have the team play out of Major Nebraska University. Harry Colson is a Dean at the university and has a pretty cost-effective proposal, with the school’s stadium that is relatively new and able to field the NAAF’s larger field. As a whole, Omaha is not the biggest market for sure, but it still holds a candle over locations like London and Halifax, which have had success. The best part is, that this proposal could be the cheapest and could even fast-track the expansion to 1968 rather than waiting until 1969 by having the stadium ready to go.

Quebec City, QC - While a move out west is the most likely, there are still the usual suspects out East that may be able to sneak their way into the conversation if the Western markets fail. Quebec City has been a hybrid football heartland that would no doubt support a team. They do still have a good stadium, which has been used for hybrid football for many years now. The stadium is still on the smaller side, but it’s still an option, similar to Omaha, that could fast track the expansion to next season. The downside for Quebec at this point is the concern that a professional team could harm the strong semi-pro/college culture in the city which has been a major help to the development of players of the year. 

Portland, ME - Portland has always found itself in strong contention for a team, but the desire to bring a team to the city has subdued over the years from both the NAAF and the likely ownerships, mainly led by Phillip Dockson, but it remains an option in Jameson’s book. The faltering interest is likely due to the NAAF’s growth and the several failed attempts from the city in the past. This is still a location that does need a new stadium to really be able to house a team long-term. 

I won’t be having an actual vote for the expansion city, but feel free to give your feedback and thoughts, I will still take those into account when making the final decision. 

NEW RULE PROPOSALS

BYE WEEK
The players and coaches came together with a proposal to look at adding a regular bye week to the regular season. The players specifically stated that they liked the bye weeks that were present during the 1964 season when the league had an odd number of teams. They specifically noted how the game is getting faster and more dangerous, and with that comes more injuries. The hope is a week off for teams could help to give a bit more time to recover and some time to see family during the season. A majority of the voting members are in agreement to add a bye week, however, they are not sure when the week should occur. 

There are several options that were looked at which still need to be decided:

Option 1 - Mid-Season Break - The first option would be a simple break between weeks 6 and 7. This would mean there would be no games played during the week and the season would resume in week 7. 
Pros: Simple for Scheduling, Overall fair with everyone having the same week off. Plus more of the league members could take the week off as well.
Cons: Could be a tough one to pass with TV deals

Option 2 - Mid-Season Half-Break - The second option would be a similar break, except week 7 would be split into 2 weeks with half of the teams getting the first week off, and then the next week would be off for the other 6 teams. 
Pros: Still relatively fair, Still games every week, could lead to a higher watch rate with teams having the week off.
Cons: Not quite as fair as the complete break, league members will not be able to have the week off. 

Option 3 - Rolling Bye Weeks - The third option would see a rotation of 2-4 teams getting a bye week between Week 4 and Week 9. (This is similar to how the NFL does it)
Pros: Keeps the most games going throughout the season. 
Cons: Less fair, some teams have early by week while others have later weeks, tougher to schedule.

Option 4 - Trade Deadline Break - Like the first option this would be a hard break with every team getting a break, however, this time the break occurs over the trade deadline.
Pros: Fair week off and allows traded players to have more time to adjust to new teams, better to help players heal later in the season.
Cons: Could be a tough week off for those potentially getting moved instead of being a proper break.

SALARY RULE CHANGES

The NAAF currently has a rule in which a player can call for at least a $500 raise in annual salary if they are to have their contract extended prior to hitting the open market. There are some players that wish to have that raise amount increased to $1,000 for this season. It does seem like a good idea as a whole to help players be paid better, however, there are some other players that feel as though the rule could cause more of those fringe players to enter free agency more frequently and could lead to less stability which isn’t necessarily a good thing for those players. It would help if the salary cap does increase allowing teams to spend more, the new cap is yet to be determined. The existing rule rarely affects the higher paid players as they usually exceed the rise by a significant amount anyway, so there may not be very many benefits to making this change. 

REMOVAL OF COIN TOSS

There is a potential rule change that would see the removal of the traditional coin toss at the start of games. It will likely be replaced with giving the home team the first choice as if they won the coin toss. Of course, the traditionalists in the league are against a change to the classic pre-game event. However, there are just as many who wouldn't mind the change, which just adds to a team having home-field advantage.

1967 Award Winners

1967 Award Winners

Most Valuable Player - S Garet deVale MTL
One of the closest votes yet for the MVP, but with the commissioner’s decision with the tie-breaker, Garet deVale becomes the second defensive player and the first Montreal player since RB Élisée Marchal in 1951 to win the MVP. deVale defined exactly what it means to be the most valuable player on a team, being easily one of the best secondary players in the league while playing on a fairly weak Montreal defence. His league-leading 10 interceptions and 3 defensive touchdowns were outstanding and he absolutely deserves the MVP award.

Playoff MVP - DB Rutherford Winters LI
There were 3 guys who were considered for the playoff MVP: Winters, Charles Lemieux and  Théodore Lemieux, but in the end with 3 interceptions and a forced fumble in just 2 games, Winters was the standout player in the postseason. His play throughout helped the Raiders to their win over the Gold Stars in the East Final and his interception in the McCallister Cup allowed the team to get their lone touchdown of the game. 

Offensive Player of the Year - RB Jimmy Golden BUF
Golden has continued to show he is the Running Back of his generation. Another strong season ends with Golden leading the way in rushing stats with 20 touchdowns and the most rushing yards overall. This is Golden’s first Offensive Player of the Year win, which he will add to his 3 championship rings and MVP win in 1964.

Defensive Player of the Year - LB William Washington II LI
Washington continues to be a dominant defender in the NAAF, and easily the best player on the Raiders’ defence. He took home his second Defensive Player of the Year award, after winning his first in 1965. In 1967, he did lead the league in tackles and had 7 forced fumbles to tie for the league lead.  

Special Teams Player of the Year - K Henderson Schumacher LI
Schumacher won his first STPOY Award since 1959. This is his 3rd win as the league’s best Special Teams player. He came just one field goal away from tying the record for most in a season held by K Nimrod Handsworth. 

Rookie of the Year - DL Bernhard Hartmann OTT
Hartmann was a consistently good player for the Royals throughout the season. His ability to be an impact player throughout the season outshined his competitors, who both had moments of greatness, but also struggled throughout as well. Hartmann is the first Royal to win the Rookie of the Year.

Coach of the Year - Maurice Evanson BUF
Evanson earns his first Coach of the Year award, becoming the 3rd Blue Wing to win the award. While he is gifted with a stellar team, it takes a captain to lead them and Evanson has done that excellently. Following the team’s championship win, he has become the first coach to lead a team to back-to-back 10+ win seasons while winning the championship in both seasons. 

Breakout Player of the Year - QB Buck Murphy LOU
Louisville had a big question going into this season with their QBs, but Buck Murphy came through to answer the question. He exploded into a very strong starting QB in the NAAF leading the 1-11 Thunder to a 6-5-1 finish and playoff appearance in his first season as the starter. Murphy shattered his career-high in pretty much all statistical categories, most notably Passing Touchdowns going from 5 in a season to 26. 

50th McCallister Cup Host - Richardson Stadium - Boston, MA - Capacity: 45,265
The 1968 McCallister Cup will be the 50th edition of the historic game. In honour of this, Boston has been selected as the host. The first-ever McCallister Cup or the New England Championship Game, as it was known at the time, was held in Boston’s Terrence Park, and so Boston felt like the only right choice for the 50th game. The 50th McCallister Cup will be the 19th time the game has been played in Boston and the 14th played at Richardson Stadium.

1967 All-Stars

WEST ALL-STARS
QB Tom Applewhite IND (1)
RB Jimmy Golden (3) 
OL Erik Nelson PIT (1)
OL Taylor Forbes LOU (4)
OL Viktor Stahl IND (3)
OL Jean-Baptiste Desjardins IND (4)
OL Emil Jennings LDN (3)
WR Lloyd Lane LOU (1)
WR Ed Edwards IND (6)
WR Julius Drake BUF (2)
TE Paul Arturberry BUF (2)

DL William Sanderson BUF (11)
DL Bjorn Sigmarsson LOU (5)
DL Johnathan Ellison TOR (1)
DL Lonnie Vincent BUF (6)
LB Dallas Dillard LDN (5)
LB Orion Carter (1)
LB Marshall Langenbrunner IND (2)
DB Ezra Power BUF (2)
DB Cameron Taylor IND (2)
DB Jayden Mills LOU (1)
S Johnny Berger LOU (7)
K Ryan Perch BUF (1)

EAST ALL-STARS
QB Nathaniel Braddock BOS (2)
RB Corbyn Knight OTT (1)
OL Graham Chambers BOS (10)
OL Forrest Green LI (3)
OL Joseph Samberg PRO (1)
OL Elliot Barrett MTL (1)
OL Ward Briscoe HFX (6)
WR Taylor Karis MTL (4)
WR Cedric Peterson PRO (4)
WR Alexei Dubois BOS (1)
TE Tobias Lindholm BOS (1)

DL Wayne Baxton HFX (5)
DL Pionk Bjorkkstrand LI (2)
DL Craig White PRO (6)
DL Lucas Kipling MTL (3)
LB William Washington II LI (3)
LB Conrad Kurst MTL (1)
LB Enzo Morello OTT (1)
DB Neville Falkner PRO (7)
DB Oliver Langstrom LI (4)
DB Sergio Alvarez OTT (1)
S Garet deVale MTL (7)

K Henderson Schumacher (5)

1967 League Leader Stats

Passing Touchdowns
T1 - QB Tom Applewhite IND - 26
T1 - QB Buck Murphy LOU - 26
3 - QB Nathaniel Braddock - 24
4 - QB Gene Bishop MTL - 22
T5 - QB Charles Lemieux BUF - 17
T5 - QB Lyle Painter HFX - 17
T5 - QB Connor O’Rourke PRO - 17

Rushing Touchdowns
1 - RB Jimmy Golden BUF - 20
2 - RB Raymond Green IND - 17
3 - RB Austin Andrews LDN - 16
4 - RB Corbyn Knight OTT - 15
5 - RB Dareion Fields LI - 14

Receiving Touchdowns
1 - WR Lloyd Lane LOU - 14
2 - WR Taylor Karis MTL - 13
T3 - WR Alexei Dubois BOS - 10
T3 - WR Ed Edwards IND - 10
5 - WR Cedric Peterson PRO - 9

Interceptions
1 - S Garet deVale MTL - 10
T2 - DB Oliver Langstrom BOS - 9
T2 - DB Neville Falkner PRO - 9
T4 - DB Cameron Taylor IND - 7
T4 - DB Rutherford Winters LI - 7
T4 - DB Sergio Alvarez OTT - 7

Forced Fumbles
T1 -  LB William Washington II LI - 7
T1 - DL Lucas Kipling MTL - 7
T2 - DL Wayne Baxton HFX - 5
T2 - DL William Sanderson BUF - 5
T2 - LB Conrad Kurst MTL - 5

49th McCallister Cup

49th McCallister Cup

Buffalo Blue Wings VS. Long Island Raiders - Royals Stadium at Brewer Park - October 1, 1967 - 6 PM ET - Weather: Clear - 13ºC | 55ºF

1st Q
Charles Lemieux and Stanley Troyer entered the 1967 McCallister Cup as only the second pair of QBs to face each other in the championship game more than once since the founding of the NAAF. The other pair were Jean Matieau and Riley Kiernan who had met 3 times. Early on, it was Charles Lemieux who was looking more comfortable. After Troyer’s first drive went nowhere, Lemieux would pick up a few first downs to get Buffalo to midfield, but the Raiders’ defence would stop their drive there. K Ryan Perch’s punt would stick the Raiders in deep in their own zone. RB Dareion Fields picked up 14 yards on a pair of hand-offs, but on 2nd and long, Troyer was forced to make a play. As he rolled out he did see WR Chad Anderson gain a step on DB Dean Hawkins, and he fired an accurate pass his way. However, Hawkins managed to cut just in front of the pass and get a hand on the ball. It would flip up and he had enough momentum to get under it and bring in the interception. Charles Lemieux would return to the field and would find WR Julius Drake at the 4-yard line before RB Théodore Lemieux would punch in the touchdown. Following the score, the game settled into a back-and-forth defensive duel for the remainder of the opening quarter with neither team scoring.
BUF 7-0 LI

2nd Q
The second quarter started as the first ended. The defence continued to outplay the offence. However, the cycle was finally broken when RB Dareion Fields made a jaw-dropping cut out of the backfield which made DL Lonnie Vincent overshoot his tackle attempt. Fields would scramble for 38 yards before being brought down by S Wesley Jones. The Raiders would get 3 points out of the drive. The Blue Wings continued to struggle offensively. The Raiders’ defence was getting a lot of pressure on Charles Lemieux with Buffalo’s O-line having a rough day. They would be forced to punt again from their own end of the field. However, on the punt, DB Lauri Hayha would use his speed to get around and block the punt. The Raiders would get the ball in prime scoring range. Fortunately for Buffalo, the defence was able to hold down the fort and stop the Raiders from reaching the endzone. Another K Henderson Schumacher field goal would cut the lead to 1. As halftime approached, the Raiders would hope to get a few more points. QB Stanley Troyer would look to make something happen downfield. He would see WR Larry Mossholder down the field and would launch the ball towards him. The ball was a bit wobbly and would hit Mossholder’s hands/helmet. The ball would pop up and both Mossholder and DB Ezra Power would both jump after it, but Mossholder would get there first and make the catch. The big play would set up Schumacher’s 3rd field goal of the quarter and give the Raiders the lead at halftime.
BUF 7-9 LI

3rd Q
Buffalo was not where they hoped to be in this game, but they quickly got to business on the opening drive of the second half. The Lemieux brothers led the offence down the field to score a field goal and retake the lead. Soon after, Buffalo was back on the offensive with Charles Lemieux making a couple of plays to get the Blue Wings rolling. He would see WR Julius Drake cutting up the sideline and would throw the ball his way. The throw would be looking like a perfect throw overtop of DB Rutherford Winters, however, Winters surprised everyone by reaching up and snagging the interception over his head. Winters’ interception would set the Raiders up in Buffalo territory where RB Dareion Fields would eventually score to give the Raiders a 10-15 lead. The Raiders would go for 2, but DL William Sanderson halted RB Dareion Fields just before the goal line in order to keep the lead to just 5 points. Charles Lemieux would rebound from the interception and get Buffalo back on the board with a field goal just before the end of the quarter to cut the lead to 2.
BUF 13-15 LI

4th Q
The Raiders knew they had to get the offence moving if they wanted to stay ahead of the Blue Wings, so they became a little more aggressive out of the gate. Unfortunately, an errant throw from Stanley Troyer on 2nd and 7 would force the team to punt. Buffalo took the field and were aiming to get back in front, but Charles Lemieux would be chased down by DL Pionk Bjorkkstrand. The sack eventually forced a punt for Buffalo. After stopping the Raiders once again, Charles Lemieux would take the field with adjustments to counter the heavy blitz coming his way. Quick passes and some elusiveness allowed Buffalo to get over midfield. However, after an incompletion setting up an important 2nd down, Lemieux found himself in trouble with the Raider blitz. His receivers were covered so he had to improvise. Lemieux managed to slip a tackle from DL Pionk Bjorkkstrand, before making a move to get out of the broken pocket. His roll to the left didn’t serve him well, running into Dexter Barbarcos, however, he circled back now heading right. He did get a block from OL Fabrice Beaufort but it would not hold the recovering Bjorkkstrand for long who would be chasing after Lemieux. Lemieux rolled out to the right only to have LB Deon Wiggins barrelling down on him from the line of scrimmage. Luckily for Lemieux, he had been looking downfield the whole time and saw that Julius Drake had broken coverage. Lemieux threw the ball mid-stride before taking a brutal hit from Wiggins. The ball was not a perfect throw, but Drake was able to get to it and then pick up 10 more yards before going down. It was one of the best plays in league history. Lemieux, following the hit, was down for a second having the wind knocked out of him. He would be fine otherwise and ready to go on the next play, where he would run for 10 yards after seeing no one to pass to. He kept the offence rolling and would connect with WR Zachariah Pembroke in the endzone a few plays later to give Buffalo the lead 20-15. The score was almost backbreaking for the Raiders, whose offence still was struggling to move the ball. With time not on their side, Troyer was forced to make plays. Troyer fared well overall, connecting on a couple of key passes, but his luck would soon run out when a pass towards WR Troy York would be picked off by DB Nick Ulbach. Buffalo would add a field goal following the Ulbach interception to make it an 8-point game. Troyer still bounced back from the interception with some more quick passes, but he struggled to find anyone down the field. Time would run thin for the Raiders and Buffalo’s defence would hold them off to allow the Blue Wings to be the first back-to-back champions since the Royals in 1956. This win also gives Buffalo the most McCallister Cups in the NAAF era with 5.

Injury Report
None

McCallister Cup MVP

QB Charles Lemieux BUF - 1 Passing Touchdown, 223 Passing Yards, 16 Rushing Yards, 1 Interception

1967 McCallister Cup Champions

1967 Hall of Fame Class

1967 Hall of Fame Class

September 28, 1967

Hybrid Football Hall of Fame - Lansdowne Park - Ottawa, Ontario 

It was a beautiful Thursday Evening in Ottawa as a crowd full of current and former players and coaches, and NAAF owners and executives, along with their families, gathered in the brand new Hybrid Football Hall of Fame building. Commissioner Ryan Jameson would soon take the stand to begin the first Hall of Fame ceremony in the NAAF’s history. 

Jameson would get on stage next to several other key members of the NAAF, like Harold McCallister, the former commissioner of the NEFC, and son of John McCallister, the namesake of the trophy, and Larry Larson, the current leader of the NAAF’s player committee. Jameson would step forward to the stand to begin the ceremony.

Jameson: “Hello everyone, welcome to this outstanding new building we have here. I am very excited for tonight’s event. I have been very excited to have the opportunity to honour the hard working members of the NAAF, especially the players, coaches, and owners who have helped to make this league a premier football competition. Thank you to everyone who was able to be here today, but also thank you to those who were unable to be here. 

Alright, I will not stall too much more. Today we are planning to induct the inaugural class to the Hybrid Football Hall of Fame. 11 members will have their name called today, and will be honoured with a jacket as well as their own plaque that will remain in the hall in their honour. They will gain a spot in this building where we will maintain the plaque along with memorabilia and artifacts that highlight the player’s career.

Okay, let's get started. Now on my left, to your right, you will notice a curtain-covered wall there. I have not seen what is there, but I have been informed that the wall will be the highlight, and the first thing people will see when they enter the hall. So, it is fitting that the first item to be revealed would be this piece of the Hybrid Football Hall of Fame.”

The curtain was pulled off and the wall was revealed. Jameson was awestruck, not saying anything. The crowd looked at the wall and then saw Jameson’s reaction. They began to clap and cheer. Larry Larson stepped to the stand and spoke into the mic.

Larson: “Hey, Ryan. This is a thank you to you. I had worked with the architects to make sure that the first thing that people would see as they entered the building would be the man that made this all happen. You are also the first member of the Hall of Fame.”

Larson turned toward the rest of the crowd:
“Ryan Jameson came to the NEFC with the proposal of a new league and a new version of football. While his proposal had fallen on many deaf ears, Harold here, listened. It soon led to myself and Ryan meeting. When I spoke to him, I saw the passion, the drive. I saw that this was a man who wanted to take on a challenge and was going to have the guts to go up against the established leagues and rules. By the end of our first meeting, I was sold. Soon enough I was taking my first snaps in the NAAF here at Lansdowne Park in Ottawa. Since the founding of the league, Jameson has continued to grow hybrid football, grow the NAAF, and stand strong against the many competitors that we go up against. The owners, players, coaches, and all members of the NAAF, have so much respect for you, for everything you have done. No one questioned me when I told them about this. They knew this was the right choice. The sport and league would not be here without you. Welcome to the Hybrid Football Hall of Fame, commissioner, and friend, Ryan Jameson.”

It took a few moments for Jameson to take in the honour, especially when Larson gave him his jacket. Once he recovered and the crowd settled, he continued with the ceremony.

Jameson: “Firstly, thank you. Thank you to everyone, this is an honour. But I’m not going to let myself be the centre of attention, let's move forward with introducing the inaugural class. 

When selecting the inaugural class, we had some boundaries to determine who would have a chance. The main one being that the player must be 5-years retired before becoming eligible. Otherwise, it came down to who made the biggest impact on the league.

As we put together the first members, we felt it was best to pick at least one player at each position to make up our first 10 players. So without further adieu, let’s get to our first player. 

This first player was one of the NAAF’s first stars. He dominated out of the backfield over the first 3 seasons. In those years, he took home the MVP in each one. As his career went on he would add an offensive player of the year in 1953. He was a superstar for his hometown Rouge for his first 8 seasons in the NAAF, however, after winning a pair of championships with Rouge, he spent two seasons in Providence to close out his career. If you have not figured it out by now, I am talking about Running Back Élisée Marchal, welcome to the Hall of Fame.

Up next, we have a local legend for those from the city of Ottawa. Over the league’s first 8 seasons, there was no real competition over who was the best wide receiver in the league. He spent his entire career with the Royals, earning 7 All-Star nods, an MVP, and of course 3 McCallister Cups. Our next inductee is none other than Wide Receiver Allen Atkins, Welcome to the Hall of Fame Allen.

Next, we will move to our first defensive player. Our next member of the Hall of Fame was the league’s first Defensive Player of the Year. He would go on to win that award 2 more times while playing all 11 seasons in Providence. He also became the team’s first captain in 1957. He was a man that struck fear into QBs around the league. Welcome to the Hall of Fame Defensive Back Lee Wolfe.

Moving on, we must touch on one of the most important positions in any defence, linebacker. The first great player at this position was a member of one of the greatest defences in the league’s history. He was a 2-time Defensive Player of the Year and was an All-Star in 5 of his 7 seasons in the league. A true leader of the Rouge defence, Linebacker Quinton Brewer, welcome to the Hall of Fame.

Alright, I know everyone is waiting for the first quarterback of the class. Okay okay. Our first quarterback of the Hall of Fame came into the league being called the greatest quarterback of all time. He only spent 6 seasons in the NAAF, but he led the Boston Independents to 5 McCallister Cups over those 6 seasons. While his on-field play was stellar, he has also made an impact off the field, being the leader of the players’ committee and continuing to work hard to make the NAAF a premier sports competition. Thank you for all your hard work, my friend, Larry Larson, welcome to the Hall of Fame.

Alright, time to move on to the men in the trenches. Starting with the offensive line. There are plenty of great players that guard the great QBs, but there is one that stands out amongst the rest. In 12 seasons in the NAAF, this lineman was a 12-time All-Star, and a 2-time champion. He spent each of his 12 seasons with the Boston Independents, serving as alternative captain for his final 4 seasons. This player, for many years, was the premier offensive lineman. Welcome to the Hall of Fame, Andrew Furrson. 

Well, we covered the offensive lineman, now we look to the defensive line with our youngest member of the initial class. There were many greats already at the position but the man that became the first true superstar at defensive line dominated over 11 seasons in the league. He began as a member of the Hartford Hawks, where he played 4 seasons but was eventually traded to Buffalo where he spent the remaining 7 seasons. He was able to win a championship along with a Defensive Player of the Year Award in his time with Buffalo and would eventually become the first captain. Welcome to the Hall of Fame, Sean Bowen.

Moving onto the next position, we have the position that usually sees the field the least throughout a game. Kickers are an important part of any team, but this Hartford Hawk/Long Island Raider was one of the best throughout his career. He won 5 Special Teams Player of the Year Awards, which is currently the most won by a single player. The 6-time All-Star would go on to complete his career in Louisville, earning Alternative Captain in those 2 seasons. Welcome to the Hall of Fame, Thomas McFadden.

Now probably, the toughest position to select from was tight end, as they certainly don’t get the same recognition that other positions do. However, our selection was one of the first to make an impact at the position. In 7 seasons, with the Providence Gold Stars, this player was a 4-time All-Star and a master of blocking downfield. Our first tight end is Marion Warren, welcome to the Hall of Fame. 

Okay, the last member of our first 10 players, comes from a position that fits for being the last one, the last one back for that matter, yes, we have our safety. There have been plenty of star safeties that have come up over the years, but the first star was a man who spent all 8 seasons as a member of the Boston Independents. He was a 4-time All-Star and a 2-time Champion, and probably would have been considered for a captaincy if he had not retired just before the letter system was implemented. Our 10th member is Safety Michael O’Brien, welcome to the Hall of Fame. 

The members were given their jackets and got to see their plaques up close.

Jameson: Let’s hear it for the first class of Hybrid Hall of Fame Inductees.

Okay, we are not officially done. These players have done a lot on the field. They have been the stars making the plays and winning the games, but they still didn’t do it without guidance. What would any of these players be without a teacher, a guide, a coach. So for our final member of the inaugural class, we have a legend across all versions of football. A man who dominated the football landscape for many, many years. He won a total of 14 McCallister Cups, 2 of which came in the NAAF. He has coached some of the best players ever including 3 of our inductees today. A 2-time coach of the year, and a true pioneer, we welcome to the Hall of Fame Mr. Peter McDuffin. 

Now, unfortunately, Mr. McDuffin, or Duffie as many called him, is no longer with us, having passed away 3 years ago. But we will leave this honour and this jacket with his family. Duffie was hard-nosed and tough, but also kind and caring, a true embodiment of a leader and teacher. On behalf of everyone in the NAAF, and the NEFC before it, thank you Duffie, and welcome to the Hall of Fame.”

McDuffin’s family came to accept the Hall of Fame jacket. It was eventually taken by McDuffin’s Great-Grandson, 9-year-old Stevie, who put on the jacket and wore it proudly. 

Jameson: “That concludes this inaugural induction ceremony. Thank you, once again, to everyone here tonight and to everyone who was unable to be here. Now, this show is over, and the Hall of Fame is now open. I hope everyone has a great rest of the night, and that we get some great football this weekend.”

There was a collective cheer one last time as the ceremony came to a close. Jameson joined the rest of the class with their plaques and his own jacket as they mingled about throughout the night. 

1967 Playoffs

1967 Division Semi-Finals

Providence Gold Stars VS. Montreal Rouge - New Providence Stadium - September 16, 1967 - 7 PM ET - Weather: Cloudy - 23ºC | 73ºF

1st Q
The loud and proud Providence fan base provided an immediate helping hand to their team by creating a lot of problems for Montreal’s communication. The Rouge would have 3 false starts and no first downs in the first two drives due to the loud stadium. The Gold Stars, on the other hand, got off to a solid start with QB Connor O’Rourke leading them down the field. After a smart play call leading to a WR Doug Piva catch, O’Rourke would finish off the drive on a beautiful pass to WR Cedric Peterson, who had to reach up over DB Jayson Klyde, to score a touchdown. Providence had the early lead, but Montreal was able to bounce back as the 1st quarter was winding down. QB Gene Bishop would notice a bit of a hole downfield and would find WR Yahui Sun for a 42-yard play. A few plays later, RB Hugo Hughes used his speed, while also getting a great block from TE Hunter Ziegelbauer, to get around the outside and into the endzone.
PRO 7-7 MTL

2nd Q
The momentum that Montreal picked up from their touchdown did not last long. Early in the second quarter, QB Gene Bishop would not be able to escape the Providence pass rush and would have the ball knocked loose by DL Ryan Sargent. The fumble allowed the Gold Stars to score a field goal and retake the lead. Montreal would aim to bounce back later in the quarter, but after only one first down Bishop was hit again, this time during his throw by DL Craig White. The ball wobbled over the middle of the field and S Paul Christopher would beat WR Yahui Sun to the ball to get the interception. Providence took the momentum and rolled down the field to get back into striking range. QB Connor O’Rourke would fire home the touchdown by throwing a bullet right into the gut of WR Owen Paisley on the goal line. Paisley grunted as he caught the ball and then fell back into the endzone. The Providence defence would keep up their strong play to shut Montreal down for the rest of the half.
PRO 17-7 MTL

3rd Q
The third became a chance for defence to shine. Both teams were struggling to move the ball with only 53 yards gained by any team in the quarter combined. However, Montreal did still find a way to score after DL Lucas Kipling would strip the ball from QB Connor O’Rourke in field goal range. After just a measly 3 yards gained, K Arthur Kettinger would make it a 1-score game once again.
PRO 17-10 MTL

4th Q
Providence’s offence clicked back into gear to start the final quarter. A long drive would lead to the Gold Stars regaining their 10-point lead on a K Elvis Franklin field goal. Montreal continued to struggle, especially with their top WR Taylor Karis being completely shut down by DB Neville Falkner. Karis had not caught a single ball all day, but he finally had his moment in the 4th. Bishop was scrambling from more pressure and would throw to his favourite target. Karis, who had Falkner right on his back, would reach out and grab the ball while falling forward to make a stellar catch to keep the Rouge drive alive. They wouldn’t get much further, so they would escape with only a field goal, cutting the lead to 7. Montreal’s defence would stop the Gold Stars on the ensuing drive, forcing a 2 and out. WR Yahui Sun would return the punt and would slip past a pair of Gold Star defenders and find open field. Sun scrambled for a 34-yard return giving Montreal great field position and momentum. Bishop would pick up a first down on their first play, however, the second play would be an incomplete pass. On 2nd and 10, Bishop would drop back again and would see Taylor Karis mismatched onto DB Perry Ferris. He fired the pass at his top WR on the crossing route. The pass was slightly behind, but Karis was able to reach out, but only with his right hand as his other arm was pulled by Ferris. The ball would hit Karis’ hand and pop up and into the arms of Neville Falkner. The Gold Stars DB would return it back into Rouge territory before being stopped by RB Hugo Hughes. The Rouge were livid that there should have been pass interference, but nothing was called. Providence’s offence trotted onto the field and would run down the clock for a couple of plays. Eventually, RB Rashed Smith would slip through a hole created by a Rouge mistake and would dart to the endzone untouched. Smith celebrated the score and even waved goodbye to S Garet deVale. It certainly didn’t sit well with the Rouge as it caused some shoving in the dying plays. In the end, the Gold Stars were moving on.

London Tigers VS. Louisville Thunder - Western Fair Stadium - September 17, 1967 - 7 PM ET - Weather: Partly Cloudy - 25ºC | 77ºF

1st Q
QB Buck Murphy took the field for his first career playoff start, ready to go up against QB Riley Kiernan who was making his 16th playoff start. Murphy’s playoff career did not get off to a great start, as his first pass attempt would be picked off by DB Jackson Miles. The Tigers would take the first lead with a field goal following the pick. Murphy was quick to brush off the interception and get the Thunder offence moving. Eventually, Murphy would throw a beautiful toss to WR Lloyd Lane, who made a great cut to get open in the endzone, to score a touchdown and give Louisville the lead.
LDN 3-7 LOU

2nd Q
The second quarter would start with the Tigers cutting the lead to one with a field goal. After their defence made a great stop, they had the ball back with an opportunity to take the lead. Kiernan would drop back from the Tigers’ 41-yard line and toss the ball to the check down in RB Austin Andrews. Andrews caught the ball and turned up field only to be pummelled by LB Calvin Hardy. The ball squirted loose and LB Le’Darius Wynn jumped on it to give Louisville the ball. Unfortunately, they only would get a field goal out of it. The Tigers bounced back from the turnover with a long and methodical drive. RB Austin Andrews would punch in the touchdown to give the Tigers the lead with less than a minute left in the half. Louisville did not have a lot of time to work with, but after a pair of quick plays to WR Casey Coleman and WR Carter Henderson, Buck Murphy would see WR Lloyd Lane open after DB Jackson Miles was caught off balance. Lane would catch the long pass with no one around him and would take it to the house, silencing the crowd in London. 
LDN 13-17 LOU

3rd Q
The Thunder had the momentum coming out of the break. The offence continued to move the ball with poise, getting down to the 24-yard line. The Tigers would make a stop with DB Jackson Miles preventing Lloyd Lane’s 3rd touchdown of the game. K Frank Hughes came out to add to the Thunder lead. However, Hughes’ kick came off awkwardly and missed the uprights. No Tigers were back to return as they didn’t think Hughes would miss the kick so it would go through the endzone for a single. The missed kick seemed to give the Tigers new life. They would get their own field goal on the ensuing drive to pull to within 2-points. Louisville, on their ensuing drive, would start to move the ball again, however, they were faced with more pressure from the Tigers’ defence. Buck Murphy didn’t seem fazed by it as they moved the ball to midfield. On 1st and 10 from the Tigers’ 49-yard-line, Murphy would drop back to pass and DL Richard Blunt would break through the line. Murphy masterfully escaped the sack and saw a man downfield. He tossed the ball to WR Casey Coleman, only he was off balance and the ball was off-target landing in the arms of DB Bernard Wilkins. K Nimrod Handsworth would give the Tigers the lead, following the turnover.
LDN 19-18 LOU

4th Q
The pressure was turned all the way up for the final quarter of play. The teams traded drives but were unable to score until Louisville got a big play out of WR Casey Coleman to set up a touchdown run from RB Rodney Clark. Louisville would go for 2 and Murphy would find Coleman in the endzone to give them a 7-point lead. The Tigers were running out of time and QB Riley Kiernan had to step up. The veteran QB showed his experience by slowly picking apart the Thunder defence while remaining completely calm in the pocket. Time was running thin by the time the Tigers were in the redzone. Kiernan would make a great escape from the Thunder D-line from the 12-yard line, before tossing a touchdown to WR Russell Wilcox, who caught the ball right on the goal line with DB Jayden Mills right on him. The game was now tied, but Louisville still had a sliver of time left. RB George Seahorse would have a strong return on the next kick-off, giving Louisville solid field position. The Tigers sent the pressure, but Murphy remained confident and made several great passes to set up K Frank Hughes to win the game with 2 seconds left. Hughes was still a bit nervous seeing as he missed the previous kick. The home crowd was not helping with the Tigers’ fans trying to make as much noise as possible. The ball was snapped and Hughes took his steps and let his foot connect with the ball. It wasn’t quite right. The ball fluttered through the air and was beginning to veer far left. However, there was enough power behind it that it curved just inside the left upright. The Thunder swarmed their kicker as they were off to Buffalo.  

Injury Report
LB Dallas Dillard LDN - Day-to-Day

Players of the Week

EDSF: DL Craig White PRO - 1 Sack, 1 Forced Fumble, 5 Tackles

WDSF: WR Lloyd Lane LOU - 2 Receiving Touchdowns, 143 Receiving Yards

Division Finals Preview

East Division Final - Long Island Raiders VS. Providence Gold Stars
Head-to-Head: W1 - PRO 23-20 LI
All-Time Playoff Head-to-Head: Have Never Met in the Playoffs
The last time these two franchises played in a playoff game was back in 1941 (27th McCallister Cup) when the Gold Stars topped the Hartford Maroons 20-3. They will finally face off in the NAAF playoffs for the first time this weekend. Both teams bring sturdy defences to the table. Long Island has probably the best crew in the league with Providence being in the top half as well. With defences both being strong, it could come down to offence. In that respect, Providence has the most versatile offence. The Raiders very much stick to the run, especially with QB Stanley Troyer having a down year, while Providence can both air it out and run the ball. With that, I think the Gold Stars will upset the Raiders and head to the McCallister Cup.
My Pick: Gold Stars

West Division Final - Buffalo Blue Wings VS. Louisville Thunder
Head-to-Head: W12 - BUF 23-28 LOU
All-Time Playoff Head-to-Head: 2 Games, both have one 1
Neither of the Blue Wings and Thunder playoff games have been particularly close. Both times the winning team only allowed 6 points. I believe it will be different this go around as both teams have much better offences. Louisville showed this week that they have the resilience to keep fighting, however, it is unlikely that their defence will have as much success against the Blue Wings as they did the Tigers. Even if Louisville puts on a show, I still think the Blue Wings are just that much better and will take the win and head back to the McCallister Cup.
My Pick: Blue Wings

1967 Division Finals

Long Island Raiders VS. Providence Gold Stars - Long Island Stadium - September 23, 1967 - 7 PM ET - Weather: Partly Cloudy - 15ºC | 59ºF
1st Q
It was all defence right from the start of this showdown. The Raiders would punt on their first drive, and then the Gold Stars would give it back after QB Connor O’Rourke was chased down by DL Pionk Bjorkkstrand for a big sack on 2nd down. On the Raiders’ second drive, QB Stanley Troyer would look to make something happen, but his throw down the field was off the mark and DB Neville Falkner easily grabbed a pick. Unfortunately, the Gold Stars did not get anything out of it, as RB Rashed Smith would have the ball punched loose by LB William Washington II leading to another turnover. With both teams struggling to hold onto the football, there would be no scoring in the first quarter.
LI 0-0 PRO

2nd Q
Providence did start to get the ball moving for the first time in the second quarter. QB Connor O’Rourke would get the Gold Stars down to the 24-yard line, before taking a shot at the endzone. WR Cedric Peterson had a bit of space heading towards the front corner of the endzone. O’Rourke would see it and toss the ball his way, however, O’Rourke’s pass was under-thrown and DB Rutherford Winters would cut in front and pick it off. The turnovers just kept coming after that with the Raiders eventually losing the ball after WR Troy York caught a pass and then fumbled due to a hit from LB Victor Falkensteig, and then Providence would give it back when WR Owen Paisley had the ball knocked loose by DB Rutherford Winters following a reception. Following the Paisley fumble, the Raiders would become the first team to score with K Henderson Schumacher hitting on a 41-yard kick. Providence was unable to answer back before the break.
LI 3-0 PRO

3rd Q
After a 1st half with 5 total turnovers, both teams would focus on doing their best to keep possession. It would work overall, with the Raiders getting back into Gold Stars’ territory. From the 32, Troyer would hand it off to RB Dareion Fields and the star RB would find a tiny hole and fly through it. His speed would carry him past several defenders before he slowed down just enough to make DB Perry Ferris look silly with a stellar spin-move before scoring the first major of the game. Providence needed to answer as the Raiders’ offence had found their mojo. O’Rourke looked to start the drive off on a good foot. His first pass was toward WR Owen Paisley who had a deep curl route. As the pass was on the way, DB Lauri Hayha was passing just in front, covering WR Doug Piva and got a hand on it popping it up. Fortunately, he couldn’t catch it and Paisley reacted and dove to make the catch for a first down. After the close call, O’Rourke would keep the drive going. Eventually, he would find WR Doug Piva, who would catch the ball on an in-route before making a quick cut-up field. He would break off a tackle attempt from DB Alexander Bradley before getting some blocking help. Piva would pick up 38 yards on the play. A couple of plays later, O’Rourke would find WR Cedric Peterson in the endzone to keep the Gold Stars in the game.
LI 10-7 PRO

4th Q
The final quarter would be intense, however, there was a return of turnovers early on. O’Rourke would throw his second pick of the game after DL Dean Leanman tipped a pass at the line and LB Ed Krzano would get underneath it, however, Providence would get it right back with Troyer throwing his second pick to DB Elvin Waters. Providence would take advantage of the Waters interception, scoring a field goal to tie the game up. With the game locked at 10, both teams would be desperately trying to score, but yet again defence was faring better than the offence. Eventually, Long Island would pick up some yards but would be forced to punt. Henderson Schumacher’s kick would fly and skip into the endzone. RB Ronnie Byers would be the return man and would have to make sure it gets out of the endzone to not give up a single. He was only able to get to the 5-yard line, before being tackled. O’Rourke would attempt to get the Gold Stars out of the shadow of their own goalposts, but for the 3rd time of the game, he would be picked off, and once again by DB Rutherford Winters, giving the Raiders great field position. The Raiders would try to run the clock as they inched their way down to the 2-yard line. Everyone in the stadium expected them to give it back to RB Dareion Fields, but the Raiders would pull out the play action. As Troyer rolled off the line, LB Kurt Warlock was able to get into the backfield to challenge Troyer. Troyer would be forced to lob the ball into the endzone. It was a risky throw especially with DB Neville Falkner closing in on WR Chad Anderson, but Anderson would reach up and grab it to score a touchdown. The crowd exploded with excitement. The Raiders' defence would hold off the Gold Stars to clinch their 3rd McCallister Cup appearance in 4 years.  

QB Stanley Troyer took the field for the Raiders getting his 4th straight start in a semi-final/division final game, becoming only the 3rd QB (Larry Larson, Jean Matieau) to reach that many.

LI - 54 - LB William Washington II
PRO - 95 - DL Craig White

Buffalo Blue Wings VS. Louisville Thunder - Milton Charles Stadium - September 24, 1967 - 7 PM ET - Weather: Partly Cloudy - 13ºC | 56ºF
1st Q
The thunderous roar of the Blue Wings’ fans ironically gave the thunder a tough time early on with communication. Combined with the aggressive defensive play calling, it was a disastrous first 2 plays for the Thunder as QB Buck Murphy would be sacked before throwing a beautiful pass to the ground on second down. His confusion and frustration may mean that there was supposed to be a receiver there. As for Buffalo, their offence was hitting it off on their first drive. After RB Jimmy Golden gave them a couple of strong runs to put them in scoring range, Lemieux would fire a perfect pass to WR Julius Drake who made the touchdown grab despite both DB Jayden Mills and S Johnny Berger closing in to compete for the ball. Later on, Louisville would be driving with a little more gas in the tank, but the drive would be stalled when S Wesley Jones would pick off an errant Buck Murphy pass. The Blue Wings’ offence picked up right where they left off and drove the field again. However, once they got down to the 5, the Blue Wings would try to get in around the outside with RB Jimmy Golden. S Johnny Berger read the play and went for Golden’s waist. The RB got too confident and tried to jump the tackle, but it would spill disaster and Berger’s speed and where he connected, Golden would lose the ball and fall awkwardly onto the field. DB Bobby Bastian would pick up the fumble and return it 24 yards before QB Charles Lemieux pushed him out of bounds. Golden would remain on the field and would be slow to get off the field.
BUF 7-0 LOU

2nd Q
While the Blue Wing trainers looked at Golden, the Thunder started to put together a strong drive. They would march all the way down to the redzone before Murphy would hit WR Casey Coleman on the post route to score and tie the game up at 7. When the Blue Wings retook the field RB Théodore Lemieux was in place of Golden, as their starting RB was done for the day. Théodore Lemieux came out and put together a string of strong runs for 34 yards on 3 carries. They once again were threatening to score and Charles Lemieux would pull out the play-action from 5 yards out. After faking it to his brother, Charles looked off the defence before firing it over to Théodore. LB Sam Wynn jumped up to make a tackle, but Théodore spun off it and would get into the endzone to make it 14-7. The Thunder hoped to keep the back and forth going on their next drive, but a great play call for the Blue Wings would work to their advantage. S Wesley Jones would be sent in on the safety blitz on second down for the Thunder. While QB Buck Murphy saw it and looked to get the ball off quickly, RB Rodney Clark was a little behind and Jones slipped right past to hit Murphy as he threw. The ball would flutter into the arms of LB Orion Carter. The Lemieux brothers returned to the field and once again and Théodore Lemieux would score a touchdown on a 4-yard run to make it 21-7 at halftime.
BUF 21-7 LOU

3rd Q
The second half would start on the wrong foot for the Blue Wings as WR Tracy Driscoll would bobble the kickoff return. He luckily recovered, but after a short run and a dropped pass from WR Jimmy Jack, Buffalo had their first 2 and out on the day. The Thunder would take over and found themselves looking to shift the momentum back into their favour. It would start well as Murphy threw a contested ball to WR Casey Coleman who would make the grab over DB Dean Hawkins. The Thunder continued down into Blue Wings territory. From 30 yards out, Buck Murphy would huck up another contested ball to his favourite target WR Lloyd Lane. DB Ezra Power did what he could but Lane won the battle and came down with the touchdown. Buffalo was quick to counter with Charles Lemieux leading the Blue Wings back into scoring range. From 40 yards out, Charles Lemieux would make a stellar throw, fitting the ball into a very tight window between 2 Louisville DBs. WR Jimmy Jack made up for his earlier drop and took the pass to the house to put the Blue Wings up by 14 once again.
BUF 28-14 LOU

4th Q
The final quarter became crunch time for the Thunder. However, despite a couple of great plays from the offence, QB Buck Murphy would throw his 3rd interception of the game after getting a little too aggressive. DB Ezra Power came down with it to give Buffalo the ball. Luckily for Louisville, their defence was able to stop Buffalo. Louisville still came out aggressive again, knowing that they needed 2 touchdowns still. QB Buck Murphy was making it work with several key throws getting Louisville back into scoring range. They got down to the 7-yard line, but Buffalo would force back-to-back incompletions, setting up 3rd and Goal. Murphy took the snap and felt pressure coming. He stayed calm and rolled a bit to his left where he saw TE Rex Williamson break off from his block. Murphy threw it to the TE who would take it in for his first career touchdown at a very important time. Louisville still had plenty of time so they gave the ball back to the Blue Wings. Charles Lemieux would have just over 4 minutes to work with. Charles and his brother would attempt to eat up the clock, taking as much time on each snap. However, after a couple of runs, Charles decided to catch the Thunder by surprise and go aggressive. It worked well with WR Julius Drake getting open for an 18-yard play. They kept it going as OC Soni Dionne got the okay from HC Maurice Evanson to go aggressive with still a lot of time left. They would get to the redzone before Théodore got a few more runs to get closer. Then he would find a hole from the 6-yard line to score his 3rd touchdown of the game and give Buffalo the 35-21 lead. At this point, The Thunder had to get really aggressive, they would quickly find themselves on 3rd down again, and Buck Murphy was almost sacked, but he did get the ball away only to fall dead with no one around it for another turnover. Buffalo would hold on to win earning their 3rd McCallister Cup berth in 4 years. 

This win also marks Charles Lemieux’s 5th straight playoff win, he joins Larry Larson and Jean Matieau as the only QBs to complete the feat. He’s tied Larson’s record of 5 straight but is still 3 behind Matieau’s 8 straight.

BUF - 7 - QB Charles Lemieux
LOU - 38 - S Johnny Berger

Injury Report
RB Jimmy Golden BUF - 1 Week
OL Elliot Winterbottom LI - 1 Week
WR Carter Henderson LOU - 2 Weeks
OL Tyler Cunningham PRO - 6 Weeks

Players of the Week

EDF: DB Rutherford Winters LI - 2 Interceptions, 1 Forced Fumble, 5 Tackles, 2 Passes Defended

WDF: RB Théodore Lemieux BUF - 2 Rushing Touchdowns, 1 Receiving Touchdowns, 120 Rushing Yards, 21 Receiving Yards

49th McCallister Cup Preview

Buffalo Blue Wings VS. Long Island Raiders - Royals Stadium at Brewer Park
Head-to-Head 1967: W9 - BUF 27-16 LI
All-Time Playoff Head-to-Head: 2 Games, BUF has won both games
A rematch of the 46th McCallister Cup is what will go down in Canada’s Capital. Both teams have been the dominant teams over the last 4 years. They are the only 2 teams to take home the Cup over the last 3 and will continue that trend regardless of who wins. As for the actual matchup, the two teams should both have strong defences to cause issues for the opposing offence, however, Buffalo seems to have a significant advantage offensively, even if they may not have their star RB in Jimmy Golden. Long Island can play well if RB Dareion Fields gets going, but they will need QB Stanley Troyer to step up in order to win. With several interceptions this week, Troyer certainly doesn’t bring a lot of confidence. Overall, Buffalo as a whole has outplayed just about everyone this season, and I don’t see that changing in this game.
My Pick: Blue Wings

Fun Fact: This McCallister Cup will be the first meeting between the two division winners in the game since the Royals and Raiders met in 1958. 

Before we do get to the 49th McCallister Cup we will have the Hybrid Hall of Fame Unveiling!