Go Raiders! Really fun, dramatic game!

47th McCallister Cup
Long Island Raiders VS. Louisville Thunder - Milton Charles Stadium - Buffalo, NY - October 3, 1965 - 6 PM ET - Weather: Cloudy 8ºC | 46ºF
1st Q
To no surprise, the game would start with a whole lot of defence. The Raiders looked to punish the Thunder early with several a few (maybe a little too hard) hits to players early. The aggressive play-calling worked well for the Raiders as RB Rodney Clark would get rocked by LB William Washington II and would lose the football. DB Lauri Hayha was able to jump on the ball and the Raiders would have the ball in Thunder territory. The Raiders offence would be able to take advantage with RB Dareion Fields able to break into the endzone to make it 7-0 early for the Raiders. Shortly after the score, things only got worse for the Thunder as WR Sammy Moss would be rocked by DB Alexander Bradley in attempting to make a catch over the middle. Moss was slow to get up and would not return to the game. The game would remain 7-0 after the opening quarter.
LI 7-0 LOU

2nd Q
While the Raiders’ defence was continuing to shut down the Louisville offence, their own run-game was making waves. RB Dareion Fields already had 42 yards in the opening quarter and was adding to it throughout the second. A monster 38-yard run would put the team into K Henderson Schumacher range and they would extend the lead to 10-0 with a field goal shortly after. Playing with a bit more urgency, the Thunder offence was able to pick it up as the second quarter was winding down. RB Rodney Clark was able to make up for his early fumble, breaking loose for 18, before Dumont found WR Lloyd Lane for another 12. They would just get into field goal range by the dying seconds, however, to their disappointment, K Frank Hughes would come up short on the field goal attempt leaving the game at 10-0 heading into the half. 
LI 10-0 LOU

3rd Q
There was plenty of action in the Thunder locker room during the half as HC Emil Riddle was devising a plan to try and finally beat the Raiders’ defence in the second half. Their plan got off to a rocky start on a 2 and out on the opening drive, however, they were able to convert on their next drive and pick up a couple of first downs behind the legs of RB Rodney Clark. They slowly chipped away drive after drive, which both helped their defence rest and tired out the Raiders. Their defence would thank them for the extra rest in picking up an interception. DB Jayden Mills came through with the pick that would set the Thunder up in Raiders’ territory. It would not take too long for the Thunder to pull themselves back to within 3 after QB Leonidas Dumont found WR Piers Key for an 8-yard touchdown pass. Louisville had now managed to get themselves back into the game heading into the closing frame.
LI 10-7 LOU

4th Q
On several occasions, this season, the Raiders’ offence had been the only reason the team had lost games this season with their defence playing so dominantly. The Thunder’s rebound in the 3rd certainly put the pressure on the Raiders’ offence to pick it up and give their defence some support. Noting the several tough games where they could not convert, the offence got it together starting moving down the field. RB Dareion Fields continued to take advantage of the weaker front 7 of the Thunder, while some short quick passes from QB Stanley Troyer helped convert a couple of 2nd down attempts. Soon enough the Raiders were down at the 3-yard line. With how well Fields had been rushing all day, the Thunder expected the Raiders to run and they loaded up the front and brought S Johnny Berger right up to the line. Ultimately, the Raiders would fake the handoff and WR Casey Coleman would break off into the endzone. Troyer quickly threw the ball his way, but S Johnny Berger still was able to get over to make a play. He would hit Coleman aiming to knock the ball loose. Silence fell on the Buffalo crowd as Coleman hit the ground, but a moment later, the young WR would raise the ball up to show he had it. The score would give the Raiders the 17-7 lead. The Thunder would still have loads of time left to make something happen. However, the one issue was having to still go through the amazing Raiders’ defence. They would still make up more ground than they were able to get during the first half, but they still could not break past the Raiders’ defence. They would get a big run out of RB Greg Dix on a fake to RB Rodney Clark, but they would only manage a field goal. Time would slowly run down and the Raiders defence would continue to foil the Thunder’s attempts at scoring. Eventually, DB Rutherford Winters would seal the game with an interception and give the Raiders their second McCallister Cup in Long Island.

Injury Report
WR Sammy Moss LOU - Day-to-Day
DL Bjorn Sigmarsson LOU - Day-to-Day

McCallister Cup MVP

LB William Washington II LI - 1 Forced Fumble, 13 Tackles

With the early hit and forced fumble on RB Rodney Clark, Washington would set the tone of the game and would not look back. He racked up 13 tackles on the day, 2 of which for losses, and was the anchor that would not move as the Raiders defence stuffed the Thunder offence. A well-deserved honour as the game’s MVP. 

1965 McCallister Cup Champions

1965 NAAF Season Recap

***Odd Stat - Every time the Raiders have finished 7-5, the team has played for the McCallister Cup that season. (1958, 1964, 1965).

Ah well, I'm glad Louisville made it to the finals. Congrats to Long Island!

1965 Award Winners

Most Valuable Player - QB Lyle Painter IND
It seemed like the former 1st overall selection had fallen quite far from his solid first few seasons in Long Island, but this season he showed that he still can make a huge impact. After not starting the first 2 games of the season, Painter would step up and would take over and lead the Victors on a 6-4 run to clinch their first-ever playoff spot. He would finish second in the league in passing touchdowns (which was on pace for the league lead had he played the first two games) and finish 3rd in passing yards. Painter is hoping to be able to continue to play at this level into the future and likely with a different team with his contract expiring and the Victors having a future with QB Tom Applewhite.

Playoff MVP - LB William Washington II LI 
Washington had quite the playoff run with the Raiders this season. He narrowly beat out DB Oliver Langstrom of the Thunder for the award (Langstrom had 3 picks in 3 games), with a stat line of 25 tackles and 2 forced fumbles over the Raiders’ two playoff games. Certainly, his play on defence helped the Raiders to only allow 23 points over the two games.

Offensive Player of the Year - QB Nathaniel Braddock BOS
Braddock has been around for quite some time, but he finally has won a regular-season award, taking home the OPOY award. He lead the league in passing touchdowns and passing yards this season and was clearly the best QB through the air this season. A great performance from a great player. 

Defensive Player of the Year - LB William Washington II LI
Washington’s comeback season certainly showed why he was taken 2nd overall back in 1963. He dominated within the Raiders’ defence all season long, leading the league in tackles for the first time. He was an absolute menace for teams to deal with and some may see him as the next great LB right as LB Scotty Williams may be leaving the sport.

Special Teams Player of the Year - K Nimrod Handsworth LDN
Handsworth continues to make an argument to be one of the greatest kickers of all time. He claims his 4th STPOY award this season which puts him only 1 behind K Thomas McFadden for the most of all time. He has continued to dominate like no other kicker and he could likely have several more before his career comes to a close as he is only 28.

Rookie of the Year - DB Aquilio Ruiz HFX
Ruiz narrowly beat LB Marshall Langenbrunner to the ROY award, but he does take home the award after quite an electrifying performance this season. Ruiz showed how dangerous he could be with his speed, sometimes appearing almost out of thin air to take the ball away from offences across the league. Ruiz has got a strong future ahead of him with the Mariners. 

Coach of the Year - Dannell Willis IND
Willis has gone through a few tough seasons since his last COTY award back in 1957, but being able to bring the Victors to the playoffs for the first time earned him his second nod for the award. He did only beat Toronto HC Ronald Martin by one vote to the award, which means there were several great performances at the jobs. 

Breakout Player of the Year - WR Evan Clanton BOS
There was a big hole in Boston’s WR core with the retirement of WR Ellis Lindholm, but Evan Clanton was able to rise to the occasion with a fantastic season as Boston’s new #1 WR. He ended being 3rd in both receiving yards and touchdowns this season, which certainly means he is likely making his mark as a top WR in the NAAF.


1965 All-Stars

WEST ALL-STARS
QB Lyle Painter IND (1)
RB Jimmy Golden BUF (2)
OL Taylor Forbes LOU (3)
OL Gregory Farrell TOR (2)
OL Viktor Stahl IND (1)
OL Jean-Baptiste Desjardins IND (2)
OL Emil Jennings LDN (1)
WR Ed Edwards IND (4)
WR Max Sutton LDN (6)
WR Edmund Landry TOR (2)
TE Emmanual Hines IND (1)

DL William Sanderson BUF (9)
DL Bjorn Sigmarsson LOU (3)
DL Lawrence Armstrong TOR (1)
DL Lonnie Vincent BUF (4)
LB Terrence Patton IND (1)
LB Dallas Dillard LDN (3)
LB Daniel Carpenter TOR (2)
DB Oliver Langstrom LOU (3)
DB Orville Blake TOR (1)
DB Kelly Kirkland IND (5)
S Wesley Jones BUF (1)

K Nimrod Handsworth LDN (4)

EAST ALL-STARS
QB Nathaniel Braddock BOS (1)
RB Dareion Fields LI (6)
OL Graham Chambers BOS (8)
OL Harrison Ward MTL (3)
OL Forrest Green LI (1)
OL Elliot Winterbottom LI (7)
OL Ward Briscoe HFX (4)
WR Cedric Peterson PRO (3)
WR Evan Clanton BOS (1)
WR Taylor Karis MTL (2)
TE Ryan Hatcher OTT (1)

DL Wayne Baxton HFX (3)
DL Craig White PRO (4)
DL Pionk Bjorkkstrand LI (1)
DL Timmy Kerr BOS (3)
LB William Washington II LI (1)
LB Konrad Aust BOS (8)
LB Sam Fitzroy MTL (2)
DB Neville Falkner PRO (5)
DB Rutherford Winter LI (1)
DB Alexander Bradley LI (10)
S Garet deVale MTL (5)

K Ira Foster OTT (1)

1965 League Leaders

Passing Touchdowns
1 - QB Nathaniel Braddock BOS - 24
2 - QB Lyle Painter IND - 21
3 - QB Gene Bishop MTL - 19
4 - QB Riley Kiernan LDN - 19
5 - QB Charles Lemieux BUF - 18

Rushing Touchdowns
1 - RB Jimmy Golden BUF - 19
2 - RB Dareion Fields LI - 16
3 - RB Max Tracy TOR - 16
4 - RB Rodney Clark LOU - 14
5 - RB Scott Mallard-White MTL - 12

Receiving Touchdowns
1 - WR Ed Edwards IND - 12
2 - WR Cedric Peterson PRO - 11
3 - WR Evan Clanton BOS - 10
T4 - WR Max Sutton LDN - 9
T4 - WR Edmund Landry TOR - 9

Interceptions
1 - DB Neville Falkner PRO - 8
2 - DB Rutherford Winter LI - 7
3 - DB Oliver Langstrom LOU - 7
T4 - DB Alexander Bradley LI - 6
T4 - S Garet deVale MTL - 6
T4 - DB Orville Blake TOR - 6

Forced Fumbles
T1 - DL William Sanderson BUF - 7
T1 - LB Konrad Aust BOS - 7
T3 - DL Wayne Baxton HFX - 6
T3 - DL William Washington II LI - 6
T3 - DL Craig White PRO - 6


48th McCallister Cup Host - Anderson Stadium - Toronto, ON - Capacity: 51,220
For the first time, the McCallister Cup is coming to Toronto. A grand stage will be set in the Nation’s biggest city and biggest stadium. Anderson stadium’s mega bowl will be a prime place for the big game. Many are expecting Toronto to become a fairly regular home of the big game considering the size of the stadium and the market that is the city of Toronto.

Oh come on, the championships is in Toronto. That has to bring Rusty back for one more go!