1962 NFA Offseason
10th Annual NFA Draft
1st- DT Dale Hinton- Oregon University- San Francisco Whales 
-Hinton is a safe pick for number 1, solidly a top 3 defender in this draft, he was predicted to be off the board by pick 2. He led the nation in sacks last season and holds the program record for career tackles at Oregon. I wouldn’t be surprised if I looked back on this draft class in 6-7 years and see that he’s one of the best in his position for the Whales. 

2nd- LB Guy Salmon- Oklahoma A&M University- Philadelphia Hornets
-Salmon is the biggest and strongest guy in the draft, having a career record in sacks last season as a member of Oklahoma A&M’s potent defense. He’s definitely a bit of a reach at 2 because of his lower potential, but he’s got maturity and is a much better all around and versatile player than most in the draft. 

3rd- WR Jose Pollard- Texas University- Cleveland Rangers
-Pollard is a good pickup, silently the best player in his position in the draft. As an immigrant from Mexico, he didn’t start playing football until he was 13, but he had some natural speed that helped him manage to make his way onto the Texas roster, climbing the racks until he was the number 1 target last season. 

4th- DT Glen Sawyer- Wisconsin State University- Seattle Lumberjacks
-Sawyer was the best defensive player in the nation for what he played last season. He has maybe the highest potential out of anyone in this draft and overlooking his injury history is a steal at the 4th pick. But he has high potential to also not be that good, he’s had a good few run ins with injuries, missing 4 games last year and 10 over his entire collegiate career. 

5th- G Edwin Jackson- Birmingham Tech University- Los Angeles Tigers
-Jackson is a good addition to the Tigers o-line, the Tigers could’ve easily traded this pick to get someone a little further down the road and with more experience, but Jackson will be pretty good nonetheless. 

Other Notable Picks 
7th- C Lonnie Shannon- Pennsylvania University- Baltimore Bulldogs
13th- QB Daryl Simpson- University of Missouri- Chicago Zephyrs
23nd- WR Rick Christian- Florida State University- Cleveland Rangers (From PIT)
36th- WR Tomas Levine- University of Massachusetts- Pittsburgh Ironmen 

Roster Changes:
-CB John Walker and S Rocco Johnson traded by Cleveland to Pittsburgh for their second round pick and filler players. This is a big signing for Pittsburgh and a sign of the end of an era for the Rangers. While Walker is definitely not in his prime, he’s one of the best to have played his position and Johnson can be a key piece for any future defenses as he’s entering his prime right now. Cleveland has had a top 5 defense the past few years, after a sad season last year it seems as that reign is over. 
-MLB Roger Clark signs with the LA Tigers, he was previously with Gaels. Clark was a big piece for the Gaels defense, he chased the money though as LA was a much more enticing team to sign with in that field. It’s a big pickup for the Tigers who seem to be nearing the end of their rebuild and entering a phase of contention.
-QB Richie Spikes signs with the Whales, previously with Tigers. Spikes was one of LA’s 4 starting quarterbacks over the past 5 years. Spikes was drafted in ‘59, he showed some promise but the next year the Tigers drafted QB Kieth Lincoln, he would be outplayed and lose the starting job. The Whales offer a good chance for Spikes who will most likely start come week 1.
-RB Carl Horner signs with the Zephyrs, previously with Cannons. The Zephyrs pick up a good backup RB to account for RB Alfie Raschall’s frequent injuries the past couple years, Horner played well for the Cannons and it's a bit of a loss for the offense who were weak to begin with.
-QB Grayson Little signs with the Bulldogs, previously played in Canada. Little is a very promising high risk, high reward player. Little has played with the Montreal Dragoons of the Union of Canadian Football the past 4 years, one of the league’s brightest stars is making the jump from Canadian Football to American Football. He’s the first significant player to make the jump as well. He’s coming off back to back Canadian Bowl appearances.
-RB Carson King traded to the Lumberjacks from the Pirates for a few picks. King has regressed the past 2 years and seen his offensive role diminish, the Pirates swindle the Jacks into biting on the RB going into his 9th season after injuries basically put RB Buddy Butler out of commission for good last season.
-QB Marvin Tamer traded to Rangers from Zephyrs for LT David Mann and filler. Zephyrs make another big move, almost as in retaliation for losing in the NFA West Championship last year, the Z-men pick up a big name defender in exchange for a backup QB who didn’t see the field much at all last season. 

Coaching Changes:
-Jim Crain, the owner of the new Baltimore Bulldogs volunteers to become the first head coach, Crain also has a huge voice in the management department and hires Timothy King, previously the QB coach for the Blue Ox as OC and Frank Long, who was the head coach for the University of Delaware last year as DC. 

League News: 
-This year has a major group of big name retirees. The top of the list includes WR Jacob Crosby, WR Markus Newton, WR Elliot Garrison, and QB Jack Lockwood. Crosby spent most of his career with the Tigers but also spent some time for the Hornets, where he was first drafted, he’s retiring after a long 14 year career. Newton spent most of his time between the Cannons and Bombers but started his rookie year out with the Gaels, he’s retiring after injuries have held him down the past 2 years of his 12 year career. Garrison was a weapon for the Zephyrs early in their dynasty but has regressed and fallen out of rotation and is now retiring after a 12 year career. Finally Lockwood spent most of his time playing backup to a slew of different QB’s, most notably even backing up former MVP Elijah Kingston in his last year in Pittsburgh, most recently he started for the Whales the past 2 seasons.
-In a private press conference, former commissioner Joseph Wagner appoints Leonard Cherry as new commissioner of the league.  Cherry has worked with Wagner in the league’s front offense since 1950. Cherry came as a surprise for many as Randy Atwell was expected to take the position. The main difference is between the way each man approaches the players. Cherry is a much more liked person by the players, whereas Atwell is much more disliked. Atwell sees the team owners as the most important parts of the ordeal, whereas Cherry thinks it’s the players and has been in favor of raising salaries and giving more power to the individual player.
-Bulldogs come to an agreement to play in the ULB’s Baltimore Skipjacks’ Chesapeake Bay Park rather than the former Bulldogs’  Baltimore Stadium. “The Bay Park” as it’s known, holds roughly 35,000 people as one of the biggest baseball parks in the country.
-The NFA enters the final year of initial 6 year deal with CBS. Many small market teams have been upset with who gets to be broadcasted. New York, Chicago, Boston and Detroit were the teams who got the most televised games over the past 6 years, in that order. Teams like the Blue Ox, and Pirates, have been upset with their lack of representation despite success on the field compared to Boston and New York who have had much less success but much more televisation. Commissioner Cherry commented on the debate, stating that equal representation will be a big talking piece in future deals.
-Finally, maybe the biggest news is that the Ironmen owner; Joseph Coffee was left in critical condition in the hospital, 2 weeks before the season started, after being involved in a 3 car car accident that killed the driver of his car and another. Coffee only recently acquired ownership of the team from his father in 1960. If Coffee was to pass or not be able to be an owner any longer, Commissioner Cherry, Coffee, and Coffee’s sister have been in talks on who would acquire ownership of the team.  

Preseason Power Rankings:
1.Chicago Zephyrs
2.Washington Pirates
3.Minneapolis Blue Ox
4.Los Angeles Tigers
5.Detroit Bombers
6.Boston Gaels
7.Pittsburgh Ironmen
8.Philadelphia Hornets
9.Baltimore Bulldogs
10.Seattle Lumberjacks
11.New York Cannons
12.Cleveland Rangers
13.San Francisco Whales 

Identity Changes:
-The Bulldogs unveiled their look, they retain the black and red from the previous team but add silver to differentiate itself from the Zephyrs. An angry Bulldog face is the current logo.



C&C appreciated! Glad to be back!

1962-63 NFA Season:
NFA East:
1.Pittsburgh Ironmen: In a season full of surprises and upsets, the Pittsburgh Ironmen clinched the league’s best record, QB Pete Blair while not being talked about as an MVP candidate, was a solid QB, continuing to build on his progression from last year. The defense however was the one that made the huge jump. S Rocco Johnson had his best season and came in second place for MOD. The defensive line was not one to mess with, they had the most sacks in the NFA East and teams went 0-7 on 4th down attempts.
2.Boston Gaels: Boston made their return to the postseason after missing last season, QB Donald McCloud went out and captured the MVP award, after leading the league’s best offense to 9 wins. In 3rd place of that MVP vote was his partner in crime, RB Stevie Parks, who was one of the league’s best rushers and unstoppable. Parks and McCloud finished the season 7-0-1 and began steamrolling their opponents towards the last few weeks of the season. Their defense wasn’t as good as in years past but it was top half in the NFA East.
3.Washington Pirates: After 3 straight postseason appearances, Washington drops behind Pittsburgh and Boston to miss out for the first time since 1958. Emmonds battled a hand injury for the first half of the season and by the time the former MVP could return the Pirates had fallen too far behind. The defense was led by DE Monty Jones who went and captured the MOD in just his 4th season in the league.
4.New York Cannons: The Cannons took a small step back from last season but the team itself played some of the best ball the city has seen in half a decade. Sandusky has continued to improve on his game, having a career year in yardage and TDs.
5.Baltimore Bulldogs: In his first season playing in the NFA, QB Grayson Little didn’t quite live up to the hype. Little didn’t play bad but it was a lot rougher than expected. The Bulldogs struggled to get things together and were under impressed. The defense was one of the weakest in the league, they had the most points scored against them out of every team. They managed to only get 4 wins, which while not great, is the best season a team named the Baltimore Bulldogs has ever had.
6.Philadelphia Hornets: Another sad season in the City of Brotherly Love that saw Philly win only 2 wins. Addams showed obvious aging, as he had his worst season in his career. The Hornets as a team had an overall unmotivated season, the team seemed lost and had given up completely by the end of the season, having the 2 worst blowouts in franchise history since joining the NFA.
7.Cleveland Rangers: Philadelphia wasn’t last however, that crown goes to the Rangers. Cleveland was the worst team in the league, and by a mile, even the San Francisco Whales blew them out in their meeting. However, in week 2 the Owls did manage to upset the Pirates on a last second score that saw one of the highest amounts of T.V. viewers in any regular season game in NFA history. 

NFA West:
1.Detroit Bombers: Coming off their first Champions Bowl victory, the Bombers blow away expectations and become the best team in the league. Henderson was much more washed up than expected but the veteran QB still held it together and led the team to 9 wins and finished on top of the power rankings. Despite Henderson receiving a lot of praise for the wins, the best player on the team and the offensive side of the ball, that finished 2nd in the MVP voting, is RB Charley Rodgers. Rodgers led the league in rushing yards and was 2nd in rushing TD’s. On the other side of the ball the Bombers dominated as well, DE Curly Smith, who was acquired from Philadelphia 2 years ago, bloomed into the best defender on the team and one of the few best in the NFA West.
2.Chicago Zephyrs: Despite missing the Champions Bowl for the first time in 4 years the last season, the Zephyrs didn’t give up, they’re back at it this season. QB Scott Hogg didn’t look his best but the rest of the offense did, RB Aflie Raschall had a good recovery year, his first full season in a few years. Along with Raschall was the best wide receiver pair in the league. The defense was impressive too. The team overall didn’t finish top 3 in power rankings, which was surprising, but they’re definitely a threat to the Bombers in the postseason.
3.Seattle Lumberjacks: Seattle made a huge jump this season, finishing in the top half of the league in power rankings by the end of the season. QB Michael Bauer progressed very well in his sophomore season. However, Seattle was a defensive powerhouse in the west, their young, talented core came out and surprised many with their play, this all culminated with a 6-6 record.
4.Minneapolis Blue Ox: After slipping last season, the slip and slide continued to this year when the Ox continued to disappoint with another 6-6 record. QB Burt O’Connor had to carry an injury bugged team last season so he had an excuse when his quality dropped, but this season the same excuses did not exist. O’Connor who was once a promising talent has stalled the past 2 years, without him the offense hasn’t been the same. The defense also showed their age as the season reached their end.
5.Los Angeles Tigers: One of the most disappointing turnouts this season were the Tigers. A lot of people had them as a dark horse postseason candidate, however the young talent that was the appeal to this team also was the downfall. The lack of experience showed in the Tigers’ big games. Poor decision making by QB Keith Lincoln pulled down the team, but maybe the most frustrating part of the team was the seemingly unprovoked change in coaching styles by head coach Ray Warren who made unusually bad time management mistakes and bad play calls.
6.San Francisco Whales: It was another disappointing year in the bay area. There’s not much to say because the Whales were just bad, there’s no beating around the bush, the team was bad. Going in on QB Richie Spikes wasn’t the best decision this young franchise has made, but they’ve made it clear that this is their guy and they’re going to try and make it work, despite his obvious lack of ability to throw the ball. The defense wasn’t terrible but wasn’t great either, rookie DT Dale Hinton was maybe the most promising player on the team and picked himself up the MOR award. 

1962-63 NFA Standings:
NFA East:
1.Pittsburgh Ironmen- 10-1-1 | 0.875
2.Boston Gaels- 9-2-1 | 0.792
3.Washington Pirates- 8-3-1 | 0.708
4.New York Cannons- 5-6-1 | 0.458
5.Baltimore Bulldogs- 4-8-0 | 0.333
6.Philadelphia Hornets- 2-10-0 | 0.166
7.Cleveland Rangers- 1-11-0 | 0.083 

NFA West:
1.Detroit Bombers- 9-2-1 | 0.792
2.Chicago Zephyrs- 8-4-0 | 0.666
3.Seattle Lumberjacks- 6-6-0 | 0.500
4.Minneapolis Blue Ox- 6-6-0 | 0.500
5.Los Angeles Tigers- 5-6-1 | 0.458
6.San Francisco Whales- 2-10-0 | 0.166 

The Most Valuable Player of the Year award went to QB Donald McCloud of the Boston Gaels.
The Most Outstanding Defender of the Year award went to DE Monty Jones of the Washington Pirates.
The Most Outstanding Rookie of the Year award went to DT Dale Hinton of the San Francisco Whales.
The Most Outstanding Coach of the Year award went to Thomas Woods of the Pittsburgh Ironmen.

C&C Appreciated, how'd your team do?

Man, sucks to see Minne falling. I now worry that they aren't doing much in the offseason and they aren't getting better while everyone else is. 

DP, I think you hate us. Haha. So weird that while our owner is causing fatal collisions, the team is finally doing something right again. Let's hope the team is able to focus on the field and make some postseason noise.

Steelman wrote:

DP, I think you hate us. Haha. So weird that while our owner is causing fatal collisions, the team is finally doing something right again. Let's hope the team is able to focus on the field and make some postseason noise.

Yeah, definitely a weird time in Pittsburgh right now. It was super hard to watch this team struggle for so long, between them and the Tigers, they went through about 10 different quarterbacks it seems, and then when they finally start to do good again, this happens. The postseason games are definitely something to try and get the teams mind off of it, they're trying there best to win it while they're in Pittsburgh. Also, if it's anything to note, if the team does end up moving, Pittsburgh would be one of the best expansion or relocation destinations, so the city wouldn't go too long without a team hopefully.

1962-63 NFA Postseason: 

Boston Gaels at Pittsburgh Ironmen:
10 years after the last Pittsburgh Ironmen home postseason game, where they won the Champions Bowl, the Ironmen face off against the Boston Gaels. A lot was running on this game, with the fate of the Ironmen in the balance, this could be one of the last games the Ironmen play in Pittsburgh. The Gaels won the coin toss and kicked the ball off to Pittsburgh. It wasn’t long for things to start cooking for the Ironmen offense. QB Pete Blair had something to prove, one year removed from one of the most embarrassing offensive performances in his career, Blair looked to start this game off right. He did exactly that, immediately finding a receiver for a 15 yard reception on the first snap from scrimmage. He would keep this pressure up and with the help of sophomore RB Joshua Barlow, the Ironmen would find their way into the endzone with ease for an early 7-0 lead. Boston wasn’t going to back down however. MVP QB Donald McCloud took his team to the Bowl 2 years ago and he’s out to prove that wasn’t a fluke. McCloud and RB Stevie Parks would start an impressive drive, but would run out of gas just before making it to the house. Settling for 3.
The Gaels would start the second kicking said field goal to make the score 7-3. Both teams would fill the second quarter with drives that would start out nice but stutter to a stop as the defensive side of the ball would start to be the highlight of the game. Blair nor McCloud shined as bright as they did in the first, so players like DT Chick Stevenson and S John McGee for the Gaels and DT Bob Daniels for the Ironmen stepped onto center stage. Late into the quarter however, RB Stevie Parks managed to break 2 defenders and dodge another on his way to a 45 yard rushing TD that would give Boston a 10-7 lead going into half. 
Coming out of the break Boston would mount another drive. Led by McCloud who looked like the MVP he was, the Gaels would make it down the field in short time punching in another 7 for a convincing 17-7 lead, silencing any noise Ironmen Stadium was making. Pittsburgh would fail to respond though as Blair threw his first pick of the night, a miscommunication between him and WR James Audrey led to Blair over throwing him and giving the ball straight to the Gaels. Boston would seize this chance and put up another 3 points after a lengthy drive putting them up 20-7. As the quarter came to a close, Pittsburgh started a drive that would hopefully go better than the last.
Go better than the last it did, Pittsburgh would manage to make it to the endzone, in thanks primarily to two big runs by Barlow, and make the score 20-14. The momentum wouldn’t stop there, on defense the Ironmen made their want to win known. After a 12 yard reception from McCloud, WR Joe Winslow would avoid one defender but run directly into two more, fumbling the ball in progress. After clearing the pile up it was obvious Pittsburgh had gotten possession as the momentum of this game had completely shifted. With some time still on the clock, Pittsburgh would have a chance to win it. Blair didn’t panic and led his team confidently down the field, and just like that with less than a minute to go Pittsburgh would retake the lead for the last time as Barlow power through for a 3 yard TD run, giving Pittsburgh the 21-20 win, sending them to the Champions Bowl for the first time in 10 years and securing their fans at least one more game in Pittsburgh.
Chicago Zephyrs at Detroit Bombers:
Detroit came into this game clear favorites. The game would not sway this way however as right out of the gates on the first drive of the game QB Houston Henderson would fumble the ball on a scramble as he tried to get out of bounds. OLB Donny Chandler would pick it up for Chicago and take it all the way to the 15 before being tackled, instantaneously quelling all the hype for Detroit. Now down 0-7 thanks to his mistakes, Henderson had to regain himself and try to retaliate. Unfortunately he would not and the Zephyrs defense would force a 3 and out. Zephyrs would follow this up with another 7, closing out the first quarter extending their lead to 14-0.
The second quarter wouldn’t be as bad defensively for Detroit but the offense would continue to bomb. Rodgers would try to get the ground game going but would get nowhere as if Chicago’s d-line was an impenetrable wall. The Bombers would be shut down and be forced to punt once again, and watch as the Zephyrs would continue to extend the lead to 17-0 on their subsequent drive. Detroit would end the quarter finally getting something on the board when a long field goal barely made it through the uprights. But the best team in the league was still entering half time with a 2 score deficit.
The second half would be a continuation of the first in which the Zephyrs would somehow still manage to dominate. QB Scott Hogg would really get things cooking and pull off one of his better drives this season, going almost perfect on his way to another passing touchdown. On the flipside, the Z-men would only allow a field goal for Detroit as both Rodgers and Henderson continued to show the explosiveness they had previously had all season long. Nearing the end of the third quarter Hogg would find WR Wayne Schick for a 63 yard TD. Another score in a game that for the most part had already been decided. 
Entering the fourth quarter down 31-6, all hope for the Bombers was lost. Henderson tried to mount some sort of comeback but another turnover, this time in the endzone, effectively ended the game with over 9 minutes to go. What would’ve been their first score of the game, turned out to be the last time they’d see the ball all season, as Chicago would cook through all of the remaining time, toying with the Bombers and inching up the field as slowly as possible. What’s most likely one of the last good seasons for him, Henderson would walk off the field in Detroit to the sound of disappointment and utter shock as the Chicago Zephyrs had come down to beat up on their old rivals and make their way to their 6th Champions Bowl in 8 years. Final score; 31-6.

C&C appreciated, how'd your team do?