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11/19/2020 11:58 pm  #741


Re: History of the National Football Association - 1974-75 Season

An expansion soon would definitely be interesting! However that might be a few years away due to the SF-NFA merger and Cincy, Pittsburgh and St Louis being added




 
 

11/20/2020 12:10 am  #742


Re: History of the National Football Association - 1974-75 Season

Huge fan of the Update for Detroit, the colors are a huge improvement and although I'd like to see the script come back on helmets in some capacity down the line I do think the Air Force style logo is an improvement



 

11/20/2020 11:02 pm  #743


Re: History of the National Football Association - 1974-75 Season

I have a quick turn around, here's the 1968-69 season!

1968-69 NFA Season

Before the season, the first Hall of Fame class was announced and the members were honored before the Fall Classic game. The founding 6 inductees are: George Roosevelt, James MacIntosh, Elijah Kingston, Eugene Addams, Quentin Brookes, and Mike Bennett.
Here’s a bit of a summary of each of their careers: 

George Roosevelt was a quarterback who played from 1919-1931 for the New York Cannons, Detroit Cougars, Dayton Braves and the Milwaukee Lakers. He won a total of 5 AFA championships, 3 with New York and 2 with Milwaukee. He was widely considered the best player of his time and never finished a season with a losing record. A WW1 vet, he was a caring person on and off the field and easily slipped into an assistant coaching role after his career had finished. 

James MacIntosh was a halfback who played for 7 seasons from 1932-1939. He played all but 1 season with the Cleveland Lions, his last season was spent with Boston Gaels. He won only 1 AFA championship, in 1935 with Cleveland, but he finished with the highest rushing yards of any AFA player in every season of his career. His career would sadly end with a gruesome shoulder injury in 1939, but he would quickly join the Gaels coaching staff after retiring midseason. He would become the head coach for the Gaels from 1941-44 before taking over in college, coaching Ohio University to 2 National Championships in 1950 and 1952. 

Elijah Kingston is the first NFA player on the list. As we know he went to 6 Champions Bowls, winning 3 of them, 1 with the Gaels and 2 with the Ironmen. In total he played 9 seasons in football from 1944-1952. His first 2 seasons were with the Providence Whalers in the New England Football League. The same summer when the NFA was founded, in 1946, he signed with the Gaels. This would be the season he took off. He would win the first ever NFA MVP in 1950. Kingston finished his career as the all time passing yards leader, he’s since been passed up by both Scott Hogg and Eugene Addams but the feat itself is still awardable.

Quentin Brookes played from 1950-1963, a hearty 13 season career spent between the New York Cannons and the Pittsburgh Ironmen. Brookes along with the others on the list, was one of the best in his position at the time. He won the first ever MOR award and would be the first running back to win the MVP when he did it in 1953. He would also will the Cannons to a championship that same season putting up one of the best seasons by a back ever.  

Mike Bennett was another player who played a long accoladed season. He played 14 seasons from 1945-1957, all of them with Pittsburgh. Bennett was never highly acknowledged for all the work he put in for the team, but he was thought of as one of the best defensive players to ever play the game at the end of his career. He would help fuel the Ironmen to 2 Champions Bowls in ‘50, and ‘52, putting up some big time performances.  

Finally, Eugene Addams. He’s unequivocally deserving of this selection. Despite some struggles later in his career, he’s one of the most successful to play the game. As a rookie he won the MOR award, and then he would win 2 of the next 4 MVPs. He played 10 seasons with the Hornets from 1953-63 and 4 final years with the Minneapolis Blue Ox. He won 2 Champions Bowls and went to 4. While Ox fans may know him for playoff disappointment, most fans know him for trampling their teams in the regular season. 


Now onto the season! 

North Division: 
After clinching the first North Division title last year, Milwaukee returns to the top of the division. Although at first it didn't seem like it would, only winning 3 of their first 7, however they would catch on fire the second half of the season, QB William Brown puttin up similar numbers to last year. They would only lose 1 more game to finish the season and enter the postseason as one of the hottest teams. Speaking of hot teams, Chicago starts off looking really good, winning 2 of their first 3 with an impressive win over Cleveland to open up their campaign. But after Philadelphia came to town and delivered a big beat down, they’d fall off. They’d only win 2 more games the rest of the season and promising second year QB Lloyd Brown would suffer a shoulder injury that led him to miss 3 of the last 4 games of the season. Chicago wasn't the only one getting injured, both Detroit and Cleveland would see their starting QB’s go down mid season. Stephan Hall was injured from weeks 5-9 which took a lot of momentum out of the Detroit offense, and Curtis Mueller missed the first 3 games and another 2 towards the end of the season which added 4 losses to the teams record. Pittsburgh took advantage of their division rivals being injured and went on a 4 game winning streak in the middle of the season, with big wins over Boston, Detroit and Chicago that propelled them to a winning record for the first time since 1964. But a really tough second half schedule left them below 500 for the second year in a row.  

Northeast Division: 
Much like last year, the Northeast Division was a bloodbath. 4 teams were competing for the division title and a playoff spot and 3 of them got in. Philadelphia would finish atop the standings when the dust would settle. QB Oscar Washington would finish the season in the running for the MVP, finishing behind Lincoln and Murray. Murray, who would finish on top for a second year in a row, the first to do it since Scott Hogg in 61, would lead the Pirates to the 2nd overall seed in the postseason and second in the division behind the Hornets, with only 2 losses. The Pirates followed up a historic year last year with another great one this year. The defense finished pretty much tied with New York for best in the league and the offense was in the top 10 once again. New York would start the season 7-0-1 with a tie coming on a hot and humid day in Washington during week 3. The team, like every Cannons team before it, was led by a great defense. CB Andy Stafford, who was drafted in the mid rounds of the 1964 draft, emerged as one of the position’s best, after the original starter went down with a knee injury in week 1. He’d end up picking QB Donald McCloud off twice in an impressive Cannons victory in Boston, and would finish the league leading the league in interceptions. Boston would lose that week 1 matchup but would go almost undefeated against teams outside of their division that included a commanding win over Chicago. That leaves Baltimore. The Bulldogs, who are trying to convince the city to build them a new stadium, forget that on field performance matters, or just forgets how to okay football in general, and puts up no wins through 10 weeks. A close upset victory at home over an up and coming Whales team would finally put them in the win column but they’d only win 1 more to end the season. They also finished with the worst attendance in the league for the first time since the 62 season. However their fate might have already been decided before the season ended because in early December, owner Jim Crain met with officials from Atlanta interested in bringing football back to the city. Not much is known at the moment but Commissioner Cherry has announced that if Crain were to attempt to move the team it would activate the Coffee Rule, which was out in place after Pittsburgh’s sudden relocation to Milwaukee in 1964. For a refresher the rule states that any team attempting to relocate must have approval from the board of owners and a new relocation council. More about this will be explained in the offseason.  

South Division: Things in the South were fairly surprising this year. Miami entered the season as favorites to win the division but ended up as third and missed the postseason completely. The winner actually ended up as the Kings, who beat out the Explorers based on their head to head matchups. St. Louis was ranked as the worst team in the league coming into the season but, powered by the veterans they were criticized for picking in the expansion draft, they managed to surprise everyone and win 9 games. QB Darryl Simpson had played as a backup on the Zephyrs for a few years and saw little time. Last year he played decently but he had his best season this year. He was tied with QB Roy Frazier of the Sabres for most TD’s this season in the division and led the Kings to a 9-4-1 record. The team they just bested, Houston, would also flip the script and have a good year, finishing with the same record. The Explorers had a great rookie year from QB Zachary Ingram who was a part of their explosive offense. But the main cog in the machine was RB Ollie Smith who put himself in the conversation as one of the best in the league. Coming out of pretty much nowhere, Smith was undrafted and didn't break 500 yards in a season up until this year. He’s been in Houston since the SFL days though and finally got to be the captain of the offense after QB Marvin Briggs signed elsewhere in the offseason. He and Elijah Boone had a great game in week 2 which saw the Explorers come away with a big win. Miami would go on to win the next 3 however as Boone would continue his stellar play. But the team wouldn't go without struggles. The offense would really have some rough days mid season. For example they had a 4 game stretch in which they won in Minneapolis before losing in New York but then came home and beat LA only to lose to Milwaukee the next week. They’d finish with 5 losses and a tie and just miss the playoffs. Cincinnati was pretty uneventful except for the development of Roy Frazier. Frazier, if he sticks to plan, he looks like a potential Top Star candidate and a franchise QB. Despite the roster outside of Frazier not playing well, which led to Cincy only winning 4 games this year, all their losses were close games and 3 of they're 4 wins were against teams with winning records. Lastly, Texas fell apart this season. The team was old and it affected them more than thought. After cruising through last summer hoping they’d be in the conversation for the division title last year, they’ll have to go back over the roster and think about rebuilding instead.. Their only wins came against the Ox and Sabres.  

West Division: The biggest thing to note this season in the West was the complete collapse of the Ox. After throwing a washed up Doug Emmonds at QB last season and only winning 6 games you think they’d learned their lesson. Instead they passed on a QB in the draft and tried to win again with QB Jim Sandusky. This worked even worse than last year as they'd start out 0-6 and only win a total of 3 games. On top of the division were the Tigers for the second year in a row. Los Angeles’s season was pretty much a rerun of the last few. Keith Lincoln once again played well although the ankle injury he suffered in the semifinals last year proved to be more than a 1 time thing, he sat out 2 games this year with complications. Making their second straight playoff appearance were the Whales. RB Sid Snell continued to improve and had solidly joined the ranks of some of the best backs in the league during a time where the league has seen a big influx of talented backs. Seattle and Colorado round off the rest of the division, Seattle having a surprisingly better year despite nobody of note improving on the team. Colorado saw QB Wilson Richmond have some good games and improve as he split time with QB Rudolph Perry. 




Postseason Previews:  

8.Houston Explorers at 1.Philadelphia Hornets:
The Hornets are the clear favorites coming into the game. The Explorers are young and while Ollie Smith could have a good day on the ground, he nor Zachary Ingram most likely won’t be able to keep up with the Hornets offense. Expect Oscar Washington to tear apart the Explorers weak defense too, in one of the last games played at Wilkes Stadium. Final Score: 31-9, Philadelphia wins.  

7.St. Louis Kings at 2.Washington Pirates:
Unlike the Explorers, this Southern Division team is a bit more experienced. Although this is the teams first playoff appearance, I expect them to do a little better than Houston. They’ll stay within the game through 2 but Washington will pull through in the second half thanks to their tiring defense. A couple turnovers and a couple Murray touchdowns will keep them at least a score ahead all times. Final Score 24-14, Washington wins.  

6.New York Cannons at 3.Los Angeles Tigers:
These teams didn't get a chance to play each other in the regular season this year but we can imagine how this game might go. The Tigers have struggled with powerful defenses, both this season and historically, these teams matched up in the 1964 Champions Bowl and the outcome was widely in favor of New York, the Cannons winning that game 19-3. That was 4 years ago and both teams are fairly similar, if not the Cannons somehow improving on defense. Despite traveling across the country for this one, I think NY can pull out a similar win. Expect a tough battle either way though. Final score 12-10, New York wins.  

5.Milwaukee Barbarians at 4.San Francisco Whales:
Same place and time as last year when the Barbarians beat the Whales to win their first playoff game. Milwaukee was fortunate enough last time to hold RB Sid Snell to minimal yards and have the San Fran offense make some rookie mistakes. I don't think the Whales make the same mistakes this year though as they've improved on both sides of the ball. I think San Francisco wins comfortably behind a big performance from both QB John Leonard and Snell, reversing the outcome of last year's game, and this time being the ones to win their first playoff game.. Final Score 27-10, San Francisco wins. 

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

     Thread Starter
 

11/20/2020 11:30 pm  #744


Re: History of the National Football Association - 1974-75 Season

Well at least the Zephyrs started out well, but I didn't have my hopes up too high for them lol.

Surprised that the South got jumbled up a bit since last since, did not expect St Louis to win the division in their second year with Miami already in their division. 

A bit late, but I love all the new updates, with Detroit and LA being my favorites. For Cleveland, I can see where you are coming from on comparisons between the Eagles and Jets, but I think it's just different enough from them where it works

Keep up the good work! The playoffs should be interesting to follow!



Founder of the EFL and the AFL
 

11/20/2020 11:37 pm  #745


Re: History of the National Football Association - 1974-75 Season

C’mon Cleveland, you have to be good again someday! This was definitely an interesting year, like the new graphic for the season standings. Curious about the Bulldogs possibly moving to Atlanta, wonder how that could go. As for the playoffs going with the Hornets vs the Pirates in the Victory Bowl




 
 

11/21/2020 8:42 am  #746


Re: History of the National Football Association - 1974-75 Season

Explorers in the playoffs! Let’s put the Hornets where they belong.



Owner of the Indiana Cardinals (2005 AltBA Champions) the owner of the Memphis Kings, and new owner of the Milwaukee Mallards! #HoosierBirds #KingUp #QuackQuack
 

11/21/2020 11:09 am  #747


Re: History of the National Football Association - 1974-75 Season

First off, I really like the new standings chart you have there, looks really good and I love the touch of including the team helmets!  Hope that standings style stays!

As for the playoffs, the road to the NFA Championship seems to run through the Northeast division, as you can make a legit claim that the Hornets, Pirates, and Cannons might be the 3 favorites to win it all!  In fact, I'm predicting we'll see the Philadelphia Hornets and Washington Pirates being the championship matchup this year, with Washington repeating as champs!

Speaking of the Northeast division, it's gonna be interesting to see what the Baltimore Bulldogs' fate will be.  While I like the team's old school feel to it, they do seem like they've never been a good franchise despite having 2 chances now.  If I was guessing, I think they will move to Atlanta.   If that happens, it'll be sad to see them go, but on the bright side, (for me at least), maybe that could mean a return of the Atlanta Copperheads, (a favorite design of mine)!  

Course, if all that happens, then the question would be if Atlanta would stay in the Northeast or if realignment would have to happen, (perhaps moving Atlanta to the South division, moving Cincinnati to the North and perhaps moving Pittsburgh to the Northeast???).

Definitely excited to see what happens!

 

Last edited by Stickman (11/21/2020 11:10 am)




 

11/21/2020 11:45 am  #748


Re: History of the National Football Association - 1974-75 Season

Let's go back-to-back Pirates! 

Interesting to see Baltimore possibly relocate to Atlanta, they would probably have to move out the Northeast and to echo Stickman, Cincy would probably go to the North and Pittsburgh to the Northeast. Kinda feel bad for Baltimore however, 2 teams that just can't stick around. 


 

11/21/2020 12:23 pm  #749


Re: History of the National Football Association - 1974-75 Season

Dr. Pepper, the Whales helmet logo looks awfully similar to the California Whales logo of the AFA, was that your inspiration for the logo?

Last edited by Sevsdast (11/21/2020 12:24 pm)



Owner of the Indiana Cardinals (2005 AltBA Champions) the owner of the Memphis Kings, and new owner of the Milwaukee Mallards! #HoosierBirds #KingUp #QuackQuack
 

11/21/2020 8:23 pm  #750


Re: History of the National Football Association - 1974-75 Season

LOVE the new standings graphic, huge step up in presentation. Nice work! Hopefully a good learning experience for Pittsburgh to show they can win.



AHS Admin. Creator of the THLPUCHWHA: Redux and Retroliga.
 

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