1956-57 NAFA Season Summary

On Monday, October 1, 1956, the Montreal Saints were sold to an ownership group based in Detroit, MI. They will be relocating the franchise to Detroit.

Regular Season Standings

West Division
1. Indianapolis Chiefs: 8-2-0
2. Cleveland Lumberjacks: 6-4-0
3. Chicago Cougars: 5-3-2
4. Toronto Nationals: 5-4-1
5. Minneapolis Black Bears: 3-6-1

East Division
1. St. Louis Knights: 8-2-0
2. New York Blues: 6-3-1
3. Philadelphia Americans: 4-5-1
4. Montreal Saints: 1-7-2

East Division Summary

The St. Louis Knights won the East Division for the second year in a row, and it was much of the same this season. They boasted a very balanced offensive attack to go a along with a very good defense. They did have a breakout MVP season from 3rd-year halfback Armando Powers who led the NAFA in rushing touchdowns with 16. The Mighty Blues from New York finished in second once again. They had a bumpy start, trading away young, up-and-coming halfback Aubrey Lyons after a week 2 loss to the Philadelphia Americans. After the game, Lyons approached Coach Tom Evans and proceeded t engage in a shouting match with him over how many carries he was getting in comparison to the veteran Lester Riley. His relationship with the ownership and team was destroyed, and he was traded to the Cleveland Lumberjacks in exchange for a future first round pick and their halfback Jesse Taylor. The Blues were then screwed when Riley went down with injury the next week. Taylor was forced to take a large load of the carries in his absence for the next 5 weeks, severely hampering their run offense. The Americans came in third once again. Quarterback Milton Gilbert had a solid year, but it was difficult as he had little help on defense. The Americans let up a league worst 24 ppg. The Montreal Saints came in last, and will be relocating after this season. Hopefully they can find a new spark in Detroit and win some more games.

West Division Summary

The Indianapolis Chiefs surprised everyone this year, winning the West Division and looking like the best team in the league. After their halfback, quarterback, and multiple defensive players got healthy after a tumultuous 1955-56 campaign, the Chiefs put together the best season in franchise history (by far). They were led by their elite backfield, which combined for the most yards of any NAFA backfield. In second were the Cleveland Lumberjacks, who have made a complete 180 degree turnaround over the past few years. This has been made possible by second-year QB Stuart Hunter who threw for 26 touchdowns and just 4 interceptions. The addition of Aubrey Lyons via trade also boosted the Jacks' offense, reinvigorating their weak run game. Finishing in third were the reigning-champs, the Chicago Cougars. Kristopher Knight had his worst season yet in a Cougar uniform, and the passing attack couldn't pick up enough slack in order to lead them to a playoff spot. In fourth were the Toronto Nationals, who's years of dominance have came to a close. Halfback Wayne Hill's body is beginning to run out of gas, as he played just 4/10 games this season, due to 3 different injuries. The new expansion franchise known as the Minneapolis Black Bears finished in last. They had a solid defense that gave some of the best offenses trouble, allowing just 10 points to Indianapolis and 14 to St. Louis. However, their offense was abysmal, scoring >10 points just 3 times.

End-of-Season Awards
This was the first season the NAFA handed out end-of-season awards.

Most Valuable Player: Armando Powers | St. Louis Knights | HB
Rookie of the Year: Neal Jennings | Philadelphia Americans | WR
Coach of the Year: Buddy Thompson | Indianapolis Chiefs

Postseason Summaries

East Division Final: St. Louis Knights 24, New York Blues 14
December 29, 1956 | St. Louis, MO | Sportsman's Park

St. Louis' balanced attack wasn't so balanced in the East Final, as their run-game was non-existent for most of the night. Armando Powers finished with just 14 carries for 35 yards and a touchdown. Quarterback Victor Jackson went 23/28 for 233 yards and 2 touchdowns. In the losing effort, the Blues' offense struggled, amassing just a single touchdown off of a broken play in which Lester Riley recovered a strip-sack and bringing it 53 yards to the house. Their other score was off of a punt return late in the fourth quarter.

West Division Final: Cleveland Lumberjacks 17, Indianapolis Chiefs 3
December 30, 1956 | Indianapolis, IN | Miami Stadium

Chiefs fans were very disappointed following the loss as Miami Stadium is the host of Continental Bowl IX. Their team's offense was horrible all game. Their star-studded backfield did more bad than good, as quarterback Marcus Riley threw three interceptions and halfback Ted Goodwin fumbled twice. One of the interceptions was returned for a Lumberjack touchdown. Cleveland's offense wasn't amazing either, as their only drive inside the Indianapolis 35 came in the third quarter and ended in a 27-yard TD pass by Stuart Hunter.



Continental Bowl IX: St. Louis Knights 31, Cleveland Lumberjacks 23
January 6, 1957 | Indianapolis, IN | Miami Stadium

28,655 fans packed into Miami Stadium in the first sellout crowd in Continental Bowl History. NAFA fans were excited to finally see two new faces in the Continental Bowl. The Knights, with their recent success and the Lumberjacks, the Cinderella story franchise who was win-less just a few years ago. It was an exciting game, which set the record for total yards in a Continental Bowl with 811 yards (STL - 422, CLE - 389). The Knights led at halftime 24-7. To open up the second half, the 'Jacks quickly scored a touchdown on a 73-yard pass from Stuart Hunter to receiver Marshall Ray. They then followed that with a safety on the ensuing drive. With the score sitting at 24-16, the Knights stayed aggressive, advancing the ball deep into Lumberjack territory before a missed field goal ended their drive. Cleveland then marched right back down the field, cutting the lead to 24-23 on another Stuart Hunter touchdown pass. The 'Jacks elected to take the PAT and not go for two, and the reason for this is still unknown (at the time it seemed it may cost them the game, but it wound up being insignificant). St. Louis chewed clock for the rest of the game. They faced three third-and-longs on their final drive, but were able to convert all three. After wasting all of Cleveland's timeouts, the Knights scored on a 3-yard rush by Armando Powers, sealing the victory with just :15 remaining.

Congratulations to the St. Louis Knights on winning Continental Bowl IX. They are the fourth franchise to win one.

Thanks for viewing, C&C is appreciated. The 1957 NAFA Off Season will consist of the reveal of two new identities (Detroit and Ottawa), so stay tuned!

Last edited by DoctaC (7/01/2019 9:48 pm)

It really is nice to see a new combination of teams in the Continental Bowl!   Shame the Lumberjacks couldn't quite cut it, but it's awesome seeing that turnaround!   St. Louis winning is cool too.

Disappointing to see the loss of the Saints, but I am glad to see Detroit will get a team.  Perhaps Sparks will be the nickname given you put it in italics?   That'd be a unique one for sure!

If it wasn't 1956, I'd think that the name of the team would be the Detroit Ignition (i.e. spark the ignition) but I do get the feeling this is going to have something to do with the automotive industry.

Man, those Ottawa unis are wild. I love it though! You always seem to come up with creative things that also somehow fit the era. I think if you significantly fattened up the stroke on the logo more of the "O" would come out. Great set.

Detroit looks nice. I like that mustard and maroon look for them.

Here are the other 8 NAFA teams in the new format for anyone interested: