Hmmm...a mix of American and Canadian Football? You have some cool stuff going on here! My favorite team for now would have to be the Ottawa Royals because purple is my favorite color. Is there any telling how expansion will be handled in this league? Like if there will be expansion councils or not?

Anyway, I really like what you are doing, and keep up the good work!

Slapshot Kirby wrote:

Hmmm...a mix of American and Canadian Football? You have some cool stuff going on here! My favorite team for now would have to be the Ottawa Royals because purple is my favorite color. Is there any telling how expansion will be handled in this league? Like if there will be expansion councils or not?

Anyway, I really like what you are doing, and keep up the good work!

Thanks!!
I suppose you're gonna be pretty happy with Week 9's results for Ottawa

As for expansion, I wasn't too sure yet, but I have thought about council type stuff and possibly including a vote on certain league decisions that I am unsure about. Like an expansion of the committee that I talked about briefly in the introduction, which would in turn eventually apply to expansion of the league.

If I decide to go in that direction I will talk about it more in the offseason and tie it into the story. If that is something people would be interested in I would love to do that!

1949 SEMI-FINALS

Ottawa Royals @ Boston Independents - Richardson Stadium, September 24th, 1949
1st Q:
Boston came out with power, running the ball down Ottawa’s throat and then passing the ball over top every few plays. The opening drive ended with a Boston field goal off of K Arthur Wall. Ottawa started the game slow and had difficulty moving the ball, however, their defence was able to contain Boston for most of the opening quarter.
3-0 Boston
2nd Q:
A late 1st quarter drive by the Independents came to an end at the start of the 2nd with the first touchdown of the game. RB Joel Bonner (BOS) carried a couple of Ottawa linebackers as he powered his way into the endzone on a 5-yard run. Boston would then add a field goal off of a QB Duane Logan (OTT) interception around 6 minutes before the half. The Royals were looking for any offence after they had fallen behind 13-0. They found a bit after Logan connected with WR Allen Atkins for a 25-yard gain that set them up for a field goal just before the half.
13-3 Boston
3rd Q:
Ottawa took the momentum they gained at the end of the 1st half and came out strong with a couple of good drives. While their first drive ended with a punt, the second drive of the half would end in an WR Allen Atkins touchdown in the back of the endzone. Ottawa was finding their way back, but as they did Boston also turned it up. They countered the Royals score with a touchdown of their own on a slant pass to WR Samuel Floyd who outran the Royal linebackers and into the endzone to give Boston the 10-point lead.
20-10 Boston
4th Q:
Ottawa was not ready to give up as they were in a similar situation a couple of weeks ago against Montreal and had come out victorious. Duane Logan started the 4th by getting the team down the field completing 5 of 6 attempts on the drive, however, it was RB Ray Middleton that found the endzone to cut the lead to 3. Boston got shut down on their next drive giving Ottawa an opportunity to go and take the lead.
The Royals marched again with success but as they entered Boston territory, the Independents tightened up and forced Logan to try and make a play. WR Atkins got loose on the outside on 2nd and 8 and Logan took the shot, however, Boston S Michael O’Brian went in and snagged the ball away from Atkins as the ball was touching his hands. O'Brien came down with the interception and Boston would then roll over the Ottawa defence en route to another RB Joel Bonner touchdown. 
The Royals were not short on time and had to do anything they could, while they got a field goal to make it a one-score game Boston was able to run the clock down so the Royals didn’t have enough time to score by the time they got the ball back. Boston sealed its ticket to the first NAAF Championship Game.
27-20 Boston 

Following the game, several fans started speculating about the Royals purple jerseys being “cursed” as they went 1-4 in them this season only beating the winless Tigers, while they were unbeaten while wearing white. Some of those fans want the Royals to be the second team to wear white at home with that as evidence.


Providence Gold Stars @ Montreal Rouge - Mount Royal Stadium - September 25th, 1949
1st Q:
Both defences were heavily prepared for battle today and shut down any attempts at offence early on. The Rouge focused on getting the ball to RB Élisée Marchal which was helping the team move the ball. Providence had prepared well to stop the run with QB Norris out. On the other side, the Rouge defence continued to be their usual selves stopping the Gold Stars offence leaving the first quarter scoreless.
0-0
2nd Q:
The trend continued into the second quarter, but it was the Gold Stars who were able to break through first after QB Bruce Woodard found WR Eugene Burns downfield for a 40-yard reception that set up a field goal. Providence continued to hold back the Rouge offence and after QB Théophile Béliveau (MTL) threw a pick to S Randy Maynard, they doubled their lead with another field goal.
0-6 Providence
3rd Q:
Montreal tried to adjust to start the third and had QB Béliveau throwing a bit more to free up some space for RB Marchal. While it took a couple of drives, eventually Marchal was able to break through and score a touchdown to give Montreal the lead 7-6. Montreal started to take back momentum and QB Théophile Béliveau started to show some potential and made some plays to keep Montreal moving up the field, but he still wasn’t perfect and was picked off for a second time by DB Lee Wolfe. This would steal the momentum back to the Gold Stars and they started to march downfield. One of the strategies for the Gold Stars was using both of their running backs Gene Fischer and Ellis Love to spread the ball out. They then used a reverse with both backs that sent Love on a 28-yard scramble to set up the eventual 12-yard touchdown run by Gene Fischer. The Gold Stars attempted the 2-point but failed on a knocked down pass from Montreal. 
7-12 Providence
4th Q:
Montreal was becoming desperate and QB Béliveau was becoming a little more gun shy trying not to mess up again. RB Marchal was still finding a decent run here or there but could never break the Providence defence. Providence held strong and would add another field goal to make it an 8-point game. As the clock wound down Montreal began one last push. Marchal had talked to Béliveau about just giving it everything and not letting the big game get to him. The pep talk seemed to help Béliveau as he led them down the field alongside Marchal. The Providence defence, however, was having a good day and was able to slow the Rouge drive forcing two 3rd down attempts as they neared the end zone. Marchal was able to pick up the first one, but on the second 3rd down attempt, the Rouge relied on Béliveau to make the play. The ball was tossed incomplete over the middle which sealed the fate of the Rouge and gave the Gold Stars the huge upset win to send them to the championship. 
7-15 Providence 

Player of the Week:

RB Joel Bonner BOS - 2 Rushing Touchdowns, 114 Rushing Yards

Championship Preview

Providence Gold Stars @ Boston Independents - Richardson Stadium - October 2nd, 1949
 - 3rd meeting between the two rivals this season, Boston won the first two 14-10 and 25-16
 - The two clubs have played in the NEFC final for the last 4 years of the league and were about to clash again in the NAAF playing for the same trophy they always have
 - Boston and Providence are very similar in how their teams are, but in most cases, Boston has a slight edge over the Providence Gold Stars
 - Expect Providence to utilize the dynamic RB duo in Love and Fischer while also moving the ball through the air, and their defence to crack down on RB Joel Bonner to shut down one part of the offence
 - Expect Boston to play like they have all season, run it with Bonner and then throw it over top when you need to. While the style isn’t overly aggressive it is a formula that has worked for them this season. The defence will have to be adaptable to the changes Providence has with their two RBs healthy 

Alright, Gold Stars! Big upset in the Semis. Let's get it done in the Finals!

1949 NAAF Championship

LEAGUE NEWS
As the first championship game approached there was plenty of excitement as the two former NEFC teams were playing in the final, but unfortunate news hit the league on the Wednesday prior to the game. NEFC founder, former commissioner, and father of NAAF committee member Harold McCallister, John McCallister had passed away. It left many players and owners that were part of the older league in shock. QB Larry Larson and HC Peter McDuffin of the Boston Independents had been good friends with the McCallister family along with QB Bruce Woodard of the Gold Stars. Larson spoke about the passing ahead of the game: “It was hard to hear that such a passionate and great man had passed away. It makes this game more important we are playing for his trophy. We are playing this game for John.” 


Providence Gold Stars @ Boston Independents - Richardson Stadium - October 2nd, 1949
Before the kickoff, there was a moment of silence held for John McCallister. The soldout crowd of 46,245 at Richardson Stadium was completely silent for the long pause. Once it was finished, a loud cheer and a salute for the late commissioner ensued. 
1st Q:
As the game got underway both team’s defences started strong shutting down most of the offence. Boston would be able to strike first once again after a long drive headlined by RB Joel Bonner, that put the Independents into field goal range. That was all any team could get in the first leaving the score at 3-0
3-0 Boston
2nd Q:
Providence got their Offence kickstarted in the second with a bit drive lead by QB Bruce Woodard that ended with a game-tying field goal. After Boston countered with a field goal of their own to reclaim the lead, Woodard led the Gold Stars on another drive. He found both WR Eugene Burns and TE Marion Warren a couple of times to keep the ball moving downfield alongside RB Gene Fischer, before finishing the drive with a 13-yard pass to WR Eugene Burns for the first touchdown of the game. The Gold Stars would shut down Joel Bonner and the Boston run game and go into the half with the lead.
6-10 Providence
3rd Q:
Boston came out of the second half more aggressive and started to look to pass more frequently. They had been avoiding the air and the Gold Stars secondary which was one of the best in the league staring DB Lee Wolfe. While their first couple drives were stopped, they were slowly tipping the tables of the field position battle in their favour. Eventually, the Independents were finally able to break through to the endzone after sneaking RB Bonner out and over the middle to catch the ball and take it 11-yards in for the touchdown. The Gold Stars would not let that get to them and would counter with another field goal to tie it heading into the 4th
13-13
4th Q:
The crowd was ecstatic going into the final quarter of the game. Both teams were fighting for everything, but the difference maker was QB Larry Larson. Larson started the 4th playing on another level. He meticulously picked apart the Providence defence with each pass and was helped with runs from RB Bonner. After one drive that was stopped around mid-field. The Independents would go all the way retaking the lead on a 17-yard pass to WR Ethan Walters in the endzone. To counter QB Woodard would become more aggressive but would end up throwing an interception into the hands of Boston S Michael O’Brien. The Independents would capitalize and score another field goal which would all but seal the title. 
23-13 Boston 

Birth of the McCallister Cup
During the trophy presentation after the game, Ryan Jameson would allow Harold McCallister to present the NEFC Championship Trophy, which was officially announced to be renamed the John H. McCallister Cup in memory of his father, to the Boston Independents. This would be the 17th time Boston has won the trophy but the first as known as the McCallister Cup. It was Larry Larson's comments "we are playing for [John McCallister's] trophy" that had spurred the idea into full effect for Ryan Jameson who suggested the name to Harold. 

Championship MVP:

QB Larry Larson BOS - 2 Passing Touchdowns, 212 Passing Yards

Championship Banner:

John H. McCallister Cup:




The trophy was refurbished and added a proper plate with all the former champions from the NEFC then the new level of NAAF Champions. There is a gap between 1941-1946 for the years the trophy wasn't rewarded during WW2. They are big graphics, but making them smaller would make the engraving hard to read (I'll likely add the trophy to the intro and have all the sides there and update them).

1949 Season Summary:

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Hope you all enjoyed the first season of the NAAF!
I will be getting to awards for the season over the next day or two as well as an all-star squad possibly.
Other than that it may be a quiet week as I run through the offseason but as I complete things like the 1950 schedule, and a season preview I will post stuff. I might also start working on sigs for the teams and league.

I would love to hear thoughts about the season, the new things (The cup and season summary) and any questions!
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Last edited by Wallflower (3/09/2020 10:33 pm)