Alternate History Sports » North American Association of Football

Wallflower · 3/16/2021 7:25 pm

43rd McCallister Cup
London Tigers VS. Boston Independents - Royals Stadium at Brewer Park - October 1, 1961 - 6 PM ET - Weather: 16ºC | 62ºF

1st Q
The 43rd McCallister Cup got off to a slow start, however, the intensity was high. London’s offence was faced with a feisty Boston defence that was able to stop them on their first 2 drives of the game. Boston’s offence ran into a similar issue with the Tigers’ defence but was still able to open the scoring on their opening drive with a K Johnnie Berg field goal. On the Tigers’ third drive, they were able to get through the Boston defence. QB Riley Kiernan would lead the offence to their first touchdown of the day finding WR Max Sutton for a score to take the lead 7-3.
LDN 7-3 BOS

2nd Q
The second quarter was much the same with both defences bringing the pressure. This resulted in a couple of turnovers. RB Eric Sydney would cough up a fumble to LB Brent Harper giving Boston the football, but the Tigers would get it back with DB Jackson Miles taking it away from QB Nathaniel Braddock. Neither team got any points off of those turnovers, but they still came away with a field goal each to make it 10-6. As the half approached the Tigers were making their way down the field but Boston’s defence managed to force them to a 3rd and 12. The Tigers would go for the field goal, but K Nimrod Handsworth would be just off the mark. The ball sailed past the uprights and bounced out of the endzone for a single.
LDN 11-6 BOS

3rd Q
With the heavily defensive game in the first half, both teams made adjustments and the second half would bring the offence. Boston would get the first score of the second half, with RB Kendall Morgan getting loose for a 12-yard run to the house. The Independents would miss the 2-point attempt leaving the game at 11-12. The Tigers would retaliate and would find the endzone themselves not too long after. Kiernan would toss his second touchdown of the game finding WR Benedict Spencer for the major. The game would be 18-12 heading into the final quarter.
LDN 18-12 BOS

4th Q
The game had certainly gained a heavy offensive kick, but that didn’t mean the defence wouldn’t still make an impact. London was looking for a quick play on first down. Kiernan would drop back for a pass and would see WR Jack Duncan break to the middle on a deep slant. He would fire the ball that way, however, LB Konrad Aust would jump the route and pick it off. Boston would take over and QB Nathaniel Braddock would only take a few plays to find WR Ellis Lindholm for a touchdown to give them the lead 18-19. At this point, the game’s intensity picked up with both teams’ offences and defences trading blows. The clock was beginning to become for the Tigers who needed to get on the board. QB Riley Kiernan was hoping to get the team into range to get a field goal. He would rely on WR Max Sutton to get the job done. Kiernan would fire a shot to the left side of the field to find Sutton just past DB Carson Scott. Sutton would make the catch and would keep going. Using his speed, Sutton was able to get past S Drew Porter and then take it the rest of the way for a touchdown to give the Tigers a 24-19 lead following a missed 2-point convert. While the big play gave the Tigers a lead, it certainly left a decent amount of time for the Independents to make a push themselves. Braddock would take the field and would have to get the Independents down the field. He would connect on a few plays, but the Tigers made it tough. Luck would fall on his side late, needing to make a play on 3rd down and facing tons of pressure, Braddock would toss a ball over the middle. There certainly were players there for both teams, but TE Tanner Tint would manage to get his hands on the ball and pull it in. Boston was only 17-yards from the endzone. On the next play, Braddock would look to just get closer. He dropped back and had pressure coming, WR Ellis Lindholm took off to the endzone, but the Tigers’ locked him down. Braddock would shift to see WR Clyde McIntosh break to the sideline. He would hit the former Worcester WR with the pass. McIntosh would grab it and spin. As he did DB Bob Ellis would be right on him, but McIntosh was able to hurdle the tackle and take steps toward the endzone. LB Wilson Rockwood-Barnes would come over to make a play, but McIntosh would dive for the endzone and would get it giving the Independents the late lead. They would go for 2 as well, but Braddock didn’t see an option and took the sack from DL Richard Blunt. The Tigers would have one last shot, but they were unable to get back into range. Boston clinched their first title since 1950.

Injury Report
TE Kent Moller LDN - 9 Weeks

McCallister Cup MVP

QB Nathaniel Braddock BOS - 2 Passing Touchdowns, 283 Passing Yards

1961 McCallister Cup Champions

1961 Season Recap

BDoof · 3/16/2021 7:28 pm

So what happened to Worcester?

Rugrat · 3/16/2021 7:32 pm

Great game. Now let's see what happens in Worchester, should be some fun.

Slapshot Kirby · 3/16/2021 8:04 pm

Wow, what a close McCallister Cup we had! Although this pains the New Yorker in me to say this, congratulations to Boston for winning your first championship since 1950! Bring on the offseason, especially where the Athletics end up!

Enigmajones · 3/16/2021 10:38 pm

Goddamn Boston! So close...

Section30 · 3/17/2021 12:09 am

Congrats to Boston, I'm just glad the Tigers didn't take it home lol

Captain Mort 3D · 3/17/2021 2:07 am

Wow huge upset by Boston and props to them for pulling off the great come from behind victory. Really looking forward to this off-season and seeing how things go for Worcester.

ZO82 · 3/17/2021 11:14 am

Well I guess Boston was the team of destiny

QCS · 3/17/2021 11:15 am

Disappointed to see Boston win it, but I'm still proud of the Gold Stars' performance and I'm looking forward to next year!

Wallflower · 3/17/2021 4:46 pm

1961 NAAF Award Nominations

MVP

LB Brent Harper BOS
Brent Harper was certainly the quietest of the MVP candidates, but he made a big impact in Boston. He tied the league lead for forced fumbles with 7 and was 3rd in the league with tackles. However, he earns this spot behind his leadership as the captain of the Independents and keeping their defence strong throughout the season.

QB Riley Kiernan LDN
Kiernan was, far and away, the best at the QB position this season leading the league with 24 passing touchdowns, which ties his career-best. However, the biggest reason he is here is leading the Tigers to their franchise-best 11-1 season. The Tigers' only loss was by one point and Kiernan was able to keep the team rolling without their top RB Clifford Russell at the end of the season. It was a special year for the Tigers’ QB.

QB Leonidas Dumont LOU
Dumont certainly made the most of the final year of his contract. Putting up a career-high 20 passing touchdowns, he was able to lead the Thunder to their best season at 9-3 staying in the fight with the league-best Tigers. Dumont finally showed that he has what it takes to lead the way for the Thunder into the future.

Offensive Player of the Year
QB Riley Kiernan LDN - 24 Passing Touchdowns (1st), 1st in Passing Yards
Kiernan was the clear leader among QBs this season in almost every category
WR Max Sutton LDN - 13 Receiving Touchdown (1st), 1st in Receiving Yards
Sutton continues to show his potential as a #1 receiver dominating the field this season.
QB Leonidas Dumont LOU - 20 Passing Touchdowns (2nd), 3rd in Passing Yards
Dumont had his best season with his first 20 touchdown season.
RB Marcus Devonshire PRO - 16 Rushing Touchdowns (1st), 2nd in Rushing Yards
Devonshire picked up a lot of the offensive weight when O’Rourke went down, which leads to a strong season for the RB.

Defensive Player of the Year
LB Brent Harper BOS - 7 Forced Fumbles (T-1st), 3rd in Tackles
Harper has been ever so consistent and finds a way to get in the right position on every play
DB Jackson Miles LDN - 5 Interceptions (T-2nd), 1 Defensive Touchdown, 1st in Passes Defended
Miles was one of the toughest DBs to throw against this season as he was able to get his hands on a lot of passes.
DB Neville Falkner PRO - 7 Interceptions (1st), 2 Defensive Touchdowns, 2nd in Passes Defended
The 1st overall pick made an immediate impact leading the league in interceptions in his rookie season.
LB Scotty Williams WOR - 5 Forced Fumbles (T-3rd), 2 Interceptions, 2nd in Tackles
Williams didn’t have his same production, but in the team that was the Worcester Athletics, he was about the only spark of hope on that team.

Special Teams Player of the Year
K Johnnie Berg BOS - 27 Field Goals (1st), 20 Extra Points, 1 Single, 102 Points
Berg was strong for Boston this season putting up a league-leading 27 field goals for the team.
K Nimrod Handsworth LDN - 22 Field Goals (4th), 35 Extra Points, 2 Singles 103 Points
Handsworth remained valuable for the Tigers this season knocking down 35 extra points which was the most in the league this season.
K Arthur Kettinger MTL - 23 Field Goals (3rd), 27 Extra Points, 2 Singles, 98 Points
Kettinger had a strong year for the Rouge putting up almost 100 points for them.

Rookie of the Year
DL Bjorn Sigmarsson LOU - 3 Forced Fumbles (1st in rookies), 1st in rookie tackles
Sigmarsson made a strong impact in his first season creating turnovers for the Thunder
OL Taylor Forbes LOU - made way for a strong run game in Louisville.
Forbes proved his value all season with strong protection for QB Leonidas Dumont and creating holes for both of the team’s RBs
DB Neville Falkner PRO - 7 Interceptions (1st in the league), 2 Defensive Touchdowns, 2nd in the league in Passes Defended
Falkner was miles ahead of any of the rookie categories for his position and was at the top of the league in some, a record-setting start for a rookie.

Coach of the Year
HC Roy Aguirre LDN - Record: 11-1
Aguirre continued his success in London with the team’s best regular-season finish and their first division title.
HC Emil Riddle LOU - Record: 9-3
The two-time winner of this award had his best season with the Thunder leading the team to a franchise-best 9-3.
HC Dean Reed MTL - Record: 9-3
Last year’s winner was able to come from behind and win the East Division at the end of the season and got his best finish of his career.

Breakout Player of the Year
QB Charles Lemieux BUF - 11 Passing Touchdowns (T-6th), 8th in Passing Yards
Lemieux took over at the halfway point and made a big impact getting the Blue Wings into the playoffs after a 1-5 start.
WR Piers Key LOU - 9 Receiving Touchdowns (T-3rd), 4th Receiving Yards
Key had bits of potential, but this season he became a true threat in the endzone and was a big part of the Thunder’s success.
S Garet deVale MTL - 5 Interceptions (T-2nd)
deVale went from only 3 interceptions in his first 2 seasons to 5 this season, which put him on the map in the improving Montreal secondary.

44th McCallister Cup Host
Victory Stadium - Indianapolis, IN - Capacity: 48,500 - Last Host: 1958
While the last host for the Victory Stadium in Indianapolis, the coliseum-like stadium makes a great location for a championship game. With the on-field performance being a struggle, the city is hoping another championship game could lead to growing the league and team in the city even more.

Thunder Stadium - Louisville, KY - Capacity: 46,250 - Last Host: None
Louisville is finally putting its name in the hat for hosting duties in the NAAF. Their new stadium has now been broken in and the city would love to have the game come to town.

New Providence Stadium - Providence, RI - Capacity: 65,450 - Last Host: 1953
Providence is hoping to bring the game back to the states (after 3 years in Canada) and into their massive stadium in downtown Providence. The league’s biggest stadium could be the best stage and most helpful financially overall.
***VOTE HERE***

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