1970 Staff Changes

LOUISVILLE THUNDER

To no one’s surprise, the Louisville Thunder would make a change after a massively disappointing 0-12 season this past year. HC Malachi Knowles would be let go from his role after just 3 seasons at the helm. Knowles helped the team to improve in his first year going from a 1-11 season to a playoff spot. However, in the last couple of seasons, the team has taken a step back from that point, going 4-20 over the last two seasons. Both OC Paul McMahon and DB Carroll Moss will follow Knowles out the door. To fill the new roles, GM Robbie Wilson would pick Indiana Victors’ OC Lou Granger for the role. Granger has shown some promise as an offensive tactician, helping QB Tom Applewhite in Indiana continue to put up strong stats. Wilson hopes Granger’s tactics will help the Thunder offence get the full use out of their star WRs Casey Coleman and Lloyd Lane. However, there are some concerns from the local media, specifically highlighting the fact that Knowles also arrived in Louisville out of the OC job in Indiana and worry about seeing more of the same.

Granger would go on to pick Thunder RB coach and former NAAF player, Johnnie Stafford to be the new OC, promoting him from his previous position. As for DC, the Thunder would pull over the GLFL’s Cincinnati Centurions DC Gregory Denman for the role. Denman’s defence in Cincinnati has been top 3 in the GLFL in the last 2 seasons, which is a key reason the Thunder targeted him this season. 

LONG ISLAND RAIDERS

Long Island would see a change at coach after a pair of tough seasons. HC Kerry Holder, who has been at the helm of the Raiders since 1962, is going to be moving on from the team. Holder had a great run with the Raiders, making it to 3 of 4 McCallister Cups between 1964 and 1967, winning one title in 1965. The move appears to be a mutual decision to part ways with Holder hoping for a new and refreshing opportunity and GM/Owner Wayne Tillman looking to get back to winning after a pair of disappointing seasons. Tillman was pretty quick to find a replacement, pulling over Buffalo OC Levi Bray. Bray started his career in the NAAF with the Raiders as their OC for 6 seasons before he took the Head Coaching Job in Boston in 1967. Bray only lasted a year and a half in Boston, going 7-12 over 19 games. Bray, spent last season with Buffalo, leading the league’s highest-scoring offence and capturing a second ring. The pros with Bray are that he is a very crafty offensive coach that can put together some great offensive schemes, which is evident from last season, and the Raiders are hoping to rejuvenate the league’s worse offence. However, he does sometimes struggle with his own ego, often butting heads with star players if they don’t see eye to eye, which is what happened with QB Nathaniel Braddock in Boston. Regardless, Tillman hopes that the more brash Bray can help whip his team back into shape and get back to winning. Bray would decide to keep DC Theo Espinoza in his role but did make a change at OC letting Andrew Glover go in favour of Benny Schwartz. Schwartz worked with Bray and the Raiders back when Bray was originally with the team and returns there now after spending last season with the Washington Potomacs of the ACFL. 

PROVIDENCE GOLD STARS

After 4 seasons with the current regime, the Gold Stars would make a change. Owner David Maxwell had tried to go for a more of a slow build and conservative approach to building a team with the hiring of Peter Brooks for the role, however, it seems that his patience has run out. While the Gold Stars faithful were excited about the hiring initially, since Brooks was a former star WR for the team, they have slowly soured on it due to a lack of improvement in the last couple of seasons. To replace Brooks, Maxwell has hired Timothy Marsh out of Haynes University. Marsh was a lead recruiter for the program at Haynes and consistently was able to bring in talent while competing with larger schools like New England and Rhode Island State. Maxwell liked Marsh’s ambition and felt he was the right hire to bring back a more aggressive front office. 

With Marsh in as GM, HC Garrett Boone’s job was in jeopardy. While Marsh considered continuing with the former Rhode Island State Head Coach, he elected to make a change. He would promote DC Tommie Warner into the new role. Warner was formerly the Head Coach at Haynes University and had worked with Marsh previously, which is the main reason for the hire. Warner is also very popular among the Gold Stars' defensive core, having been a great mentor to a lot of them and developing them into great players. To fill in the now vacated DC role, Warner would bring in Arthur Holmes, also from Haynes University. Holmes was Warner’s defensive coordinator when he was at Haynes, and the two had a great relationship from that time together. Offensively, the team would also let go of Gregory Curtis and replace him with former Long Island Head Coach, Kerry Holder. Holder is regarded as a strong offensive mind with loads of experience in the NAAF, but the Raiders having the league’s lowest-scoring offence last season does create some concern heading into next season. 

BUFFALO BLUE WINGS

With OC Levi Bray heading to Long Island and DC Steve Pallard heading into retirement, the Blue Wings needed a new set of coordinators. HC Maurice Evanson would bring in a familiar face for the offence in former Thunder OC Paul McMahon. McMahon has previously worked with Evanson with the Indiana Victors in the late 50s, as well as at the college level before that. McMahon does have a much more simple offensive scheme than Bray, but Evanson is confident he can help the Blue Wings continue to succeed. On defence, the Blue Wings kept it close to home, promoting D-line coach Maurice Sawyer into the role. Sawyer has been with the team for several years now and should maintain a similar defence to what Pallard had in place previously.

INDIANA VICTORS

With OC Lou Granger heading to Louisville, the Victors would decide to make it essentially a trade, hiring Louisville’s former Head Coach, Malachi Knowles, for the role. As mentioned, Knowles previously worked with the Victors as their OC in 1965 and 1966. Knowles is notable for helping QB Lyle Painter earn MVP in 1965 and then helping QB Tom Applewhite breakout into the team’s star QB the next year. HC Urick Wilkins is hoping for more of the same from the coach as he returns to Indy.

OVERVIEW

Buffalo
OUT
OC Levi Bray - Hired LI
DC Steve Pallard - Retirement
IN
OC Paul McMahon - From LOU OC
DC Maurice Sawyer - From BUF DL Coach

Indiana
OUT
OC Lou Granger - Hired LOU
IN 
OC Malachi Knowles - From LOU HC

Long Island
OUT
HC Kerry Holder - Not Extended
OC Andrew Glover - Fired
IN
HC Levi Bray - From BUF OC
OC Benny Schwartz - From ACFL WSH OC

Louisville
OUT 
HC Malachi Knowles - Fired
OC Paul McMahon - Fired
DC Carroll Moss - Fired
IN
HC Lou Granger - From IND OC
OC Johnnie Stafford - From LOU RB Coach
DC Gregory Denman - From GLFL CIN DC

Providence
OUT
GM Peter Brooks - Fired
HC Garrett Boone - Fired
OC Gregory Curtis - Fired
IN
GM Timothy Marsh - From Haynes Head of Recruitment
HC Tommie Warner - From PRO DC
OC Kerry Holder - From LI HC
DC Arthur Holmes - From Haynes DC

1970 Hall of Fame Vote

Hey, everyone, as I continue to get free agency done slowly, I will start the vote for the Hall of Fame this season. Same rules as usual, pick up to 8 players to vote for, and you can use the sheet linked in the form to look at players' achievements and careers to help make your choice. 

Players in their first year of eligibility:
OL Charlie Bennett - ZO82
K Donald Brewer - Wallflower
OL Ulysses Fairgrove - Darknes
DL Dee Floyd - Captain Mort 3D
OL Moses Griffin - Captain Mort 3D
WR Ellis Lindholm - Darknes
QB Jean Matieau - Wallflower
DB Slay Mitchell - Captain Mort 3D
DB Mingan Oliver - Darknes
OL Cliff Strauztenberger - Dan O’Mac

***VOTE HERE***

Hopefully Ruiz can work with Le'Darius and the rest of the Thunder defense to bring the team back to the forefront of the league!

1970 Draft Preview

Hybrid Conference Results

Canada East Hybrid Conference
WEST
(1) Toronto Dukes
(7) Hamilton Howlers
St. George Maples
London Foresters
Dominion Knights
Sudbury Provincial Miners
Kitchener-Waterloo Provincial Beavers

EAST
(3) Majeure Montreal Insulaires
(8) Nova Scotia Armada
St-Laurent Cavaliers de Riviere
UPNB Pirates
Rideau Rams
Montreal Provincial Panthers
Mont-Bellevue Geais Bleus

CEHC Playoffs
(1) TORU 28-10 (7) UHAM
(3) MMTL 38-7 (8) UNS

CEHC Championship
(1) TORU 33-28 (3) MMTL

The Canada East conference was dominated by a pair of teams, the Toronto University Dukes and the Majeure Montreal Insulaires. Toronto faced pretty much no competition in the West Division, as UHamilton was weaker than usual, and the other schools were also lacking in talent. Majeure Montreal continued its streak of winning the East Division, as they took it for the 3rd consecutive season, led by their star QB Nathan Houle. Nova Scotia was able to beat out St-Laurent for the 2nd playoff spot, marking their first appearance in the CEHC Playoffs. 

In the playoffs, Toronto dominated UHamilton for the 2nd time in the season, while Majeure Montreal pounded Nova Scotia to set up a rematch of the 1968 CEHC championship. In that game, the two schools battled back and forth, but for the second season in a row, the Dukes would be victorious on the back of star WR Cameron Kane’s game-winning touchdown.

America East Hybrid Conference
(2) Western New York Whitetails
(4) New England Cardinals
(5) Haynes Colonials
(6) Rhode Island State Bulldogs
(9) Maine State Acadians
(10) West Mass State Rangers
Upstate Bluebirds
Erie Sailors
Cambridge of Boston Cubs
Concord-Manchester Fighting Pike
Vermont Republic Mountaineers
WNY-Rochester Eagles

AEHC Playoffs
(2) WNY 20-14 (6) RISU
(4) UNE 21-23 (5) HAY

AEHC Championship
(2) WNY 27-15 (5) HAY

The America East conference was much closer with Western New York, New England and Haynes all having shots at the conference’s #1 seed. Maine State and their run game behind RB Tank Ferguson would make a push to get into the top 4 with the WR Charles Toothacre-led West Mass State Rangers following closely behind. RISU would get the final spot despite a much weaker season from the team. 

The playoffs would see Western New York beat RISU in a defensive showdown. In the other game, Haynes would pull off an upset over New England, with QB Al Washington leading a magical game-winning drive. Unfortunately, Haynes’ luck would run out as they were steamrolled by WNY in the next game.

Hybrid Football Championship
(1) TORU 24-13 (2) WNY

The Hybrid Championship would see the Toronto Dukes finally capture their first title since joining the hybrid football conferences. The team was able to crush the Whitetails’ weak offence while their own offence was able to overcome the WNY defence.

The Prospects 

Despite falling just short of the national title, Western New York still has the best prospect coming into the draft with LB Ricky Wildgoose. The hard-hitting LB was a force in the Whitetails’ defence and many see him as having the physical traits to be a menace at the next level. The hybrid football champs, Toronto Dukes, do have several key players also near the top of the class. The aforementioned WR Cameron Kane leads the way as a playmaking WR who can make some great catches and has great physical traits to boot. Behind him are LB Nathaniel Lovelady and DL Matt Brown. Lovelady broke out this season as the team’s central linebacker, who did have some concerns heading into the year as a player that can get a little lost on plays, but this season seemed to show an improvement in that area. As for Brown, he was tabbed as a potential player to be a #1 talent after his sophomore year, but the last two seasons haven’t been as strong for him. He has the physical traits to suggest he can be great but needs to get better in the technical areas if he wants to succeed at the next level. 

New England still has some talent in the class like OL Alan Mitchell who projects as the best O-lineman in the class, as well as DB Byron Knight, who is a physical disrupter in the secondary. However, the strongest school yet to be talked about was Majeure Montreal, which has 4 guys in the top 15. The top prospect is OL Robert Pelletier, who was a vital part of the offensive success this season. Next to him is star LB Jean-Christophe Bain, who has developed into a leader in the LB core, drawing a lot of comparisons to Hall of Fame LB Aengus Lynch. RB Alain Ducharme was on no one's radar up until his senior year when he led the CEHC in rushing yards, so he certainly flew up the rankings and projects as the best RB in a fairly weak class. 

Finally, the team’s QB Nathan Houle is one of the top QB prospects in this year’s class. Houle has slowly developed over the last 3 years to give Majeure Montreal one of their best runs in school history. Houle has a solid arm and accuracy which makes him a great pocket passer, but he does have a strong ability to scramble if he needs to, which makes him a very well-rounded prospect. However, he does tend to shy away from making throws if it is too risky which has led him to back down in key moments.

However, Houle is not the top QB prospect in the class, that would be QB Red “Strawberry” King. The red-headed machine out of Central Ohio in the Conference of the Midwest has made waves with the school's first conference championship in many years. King was projected to be the best QB headed for the GLFL, but he elected to go the Nathaniel Braddock route and enter the NAAF instead, much to the disappointment of the teams of the GLFL. King has a great arm with good accuracy. His poise and leadership are also strong qualities which separate him from Houle. Many teammates have great relationships with King, both on and off the field. He does lack the scrambling ability that Houle has, but he has been able to take over games, unlike Houle. He is joined by his teammate WR Leon Hudson, who is also a very strong prospect at WR with great athletic ability and speed to make him a serious threat.

Houle and King will certainly be the two most sought-after QBs. Behind them are a few other options, but no one is jumping off the page. QB Al Washington’s performance in the AEHC playoffs did help his case, but some see him as a bit raw despite a strong arm. QB Darko Hardonk comes out of Jersey State, but scouts haven’t seen enough from him to really think he’s a franchise guy since he only started his senior season. Finally, is QB Colt Dorsey out of UPNB. Dorsey hasn’t wowed scouts, but he did lead the small school to its best finish in the hybrid conferences this season, finishing 4th in the East.

The Gains Report - Top 25 Prospects
* = American Football School
1 - LB Ricky Wildgoose - Western New York - Jayhawk
2 - OL Alan Mitchell - New England - ZO82
3 - QB Red King - Central Ohio* - QCS
4 - WR Cameron Kane - Toronto - idm
5 - OL Robert Pelletier - Majeure Montreal - Kingsfan11
6 - LB Jean-Christophe Bain - Majeure Montreal - Wallflower
7 - WR Leon Hudson - Central Ohio* - DireBear
8 - LB Nathaniel Lovelady - Toronto - idm
9 - QB Nathan Houle - Majeure Montreal - Kingsfan11
10 - DB Byron Knight - New England - QCS
11 - WR Edward Washington - Rockefeller* - NoE38
12 - LB Dallas Rush - Allegheny* - QCS
13 - RB Alain Ducharme - Majeure Montreal - DireBear
14 - DB Austin Sherebernikoff - Haynes - Timothy_1947
15 - OL Dane Hodgeson - Rhode Island State - JamHeronArk
16 - DL Matt Brown - Toronto - Dan O’Mac
17 - TE Pete Mayfield - North Indiana* - Slapshot Kirby
18 - LB Eric Strohecker - Rhode Island State - RaysUp
19 - LB Tyrone Dye - Major Ohio* - Stickman
20 - DL Haakon Leichenberg - UHamilton - Darknes
21 - S Derrick Fayden - Rhode Island State - Darknes
22 - TE Brandon McPhail - Indiana Tech* - Jayhawk
23 - RB Tank Ferguson - Maine State - Darknes
24 - S Frank Thorpe - Haynes - DireBear
25 - WR Ben Graham - Western New York - TigersFan93
==========================================
29 - WR Charles Toothacre - West Mass State - Scratch
31 - OL Louie DeBois - Nova Scotia - Sevsdast
32 - OL Terry Pennington - New England - Edgeworth
33 - QB Al Washington - Haynes - TheEnigmaticOne
58 - OL Bob Abuoy - Central Pennsylvania* - H-Town

Draft Order and Picks

1 - Louisville Thunder
Picks: 1, 7, 14, 23, 27, 40, 53
Needs: OL, LB, RB, WR

2 - Providence Gold Stars
Picks: 2, 15, 28, 41, 51
Needs: OL, DL, QB, LB

3 - Toronto Steelheads
Picks: 3, 16, 29, 42, 50, 55
Needs: WR, DL, OL, QB

4 - London Tigers
Picks: 4, 17, 30, 43, 46, 47, 54, 56, 58
Needs: QB, OL, DB, WR

5 - Long Island Raiders
Picks: 5, 18, 44, 48, 57
Needs: OL, LB, WR, TE

6 - Montreal Rouge
Picks: 6, 13, 19, 32, 45
Needs: RB, WR, DL, OL

7 - Halifax Mariners - 1st round pick belongs to Louisville
Picks: 20, 33, 59
Needs: TE, RB, DB, QB

8 - Minnesota Serpents
Picks: 8, 21, 31, 34, 49, 60
Needs: OL, DB, TE

9 - Indiana Victors
Picks: 9, 22, 35, 61
Needs: DL, DB, S, RB

10 - Pittsburgh Blacksmiths
Picks: 10, 36, 62
Needs: LB, DL, OL, RB

11 - Boston Independents
Picks: 11, 24, 37, 63
Needs: LB, OL, RB, DL

12 - Ottawa Royals
Picks: 12, 25, 38, 64
Needs: OL, WR, TE, DL

13 - Buffalo Blue Wings - 1st round pick belongs to Montreal 
Picks: 26, 39, 52, 65
Needs: DL, LB, OL, S

Who goes first? Where do you hope your players land? 
Thanks RaysUp! I'm glad the new graphic style is good!

Last edited by Wallflower (3/18/2023 4:41 pm)

QCS wrote:

I'm excited for this draft! Obviously Strawberry is my guy going in but I think there's a good selection for plenty of teams. It's cool to see so many American football-playing players in the top 25. Has there been a significant learning curve for these players? Obviously the games aren't too different but I would imagine there's at least one player that just couldn't get the hang of the new rules.

I think yes and no. I think most of the time the American football prospects get ranked lower, for 1) they are playing a different rule set, and most NAAF teams would probably prefer someone who has played well under the different rule set, but also 2) most of the best American football prospects tend to still go to the ACFL and GLFL, so these guys aren't typically the cream of the crop. So to some extent, there's not only a learning curve but also a development curve that some of those players have to go through. 

Overall, most players make the transition just fine, the difference isn't significant overall. Some transition very well like QB Nathaniel Braddock, and many others in the past because I only started tracking them over the last few seasons. But in recent years, you could look at WR Taylor Austin of the Blacksmiths, who was a 1st round pick in 1966, but only really broke out in the last couple of seasons instead of right away. 

Since I have started tracking the colleges more closely though, I have been making more of a distinction between the two, and more in the direction that I specified above. In the 4 drafts since I have listed the colleges, only 4 American football players have been selected in the first round. So there are some interesting stats behind it, but I think with the NAAF expanding more, there are stronger prospects that are making the choice to go to the NAAF over the other leagues, just like Red King and Leon Hudson, so expect to see more of those guys go higher.