OOTP Developments Forums - View Single Post - All things Figment - from the pages of The Figment Sporting Journal

Jiggs McGee · 12-10-2019, 11:47 PM

THE COLLEGE LEAGUE EXPLAINED

Since I am going to focus a lot on the college league I thought I should pass on a little information about the league structure.

Anyone who looks at the history of the AIAA will see some very familiar school names in the first 15 or so years but that changed recently. The league commissioner, Legendsport, originally set up things with real university names but with plans recently underway to add Figment college football and basketball leagues in the future it was decided that, just like the FABL, the college ranks are better with fictional school names. I believe the commissioner said it best when he explained that fictional school names eliminate preconceived notions of what teams should be like, just as our baseball league does.

So the school names were changed but if you are still looking for a AIAA college baseball team to follow from your own region here is a list of the 40 schools that make up the AIAA baseball league. Note, you might want to read the football history to learn a bit more about some of the schools. All the owners in the league contributed a few school names but the commissioner has gone much further, preparing for the onset of college football and hoops by creating about 300 schools with names, mascots and hometowns.

AIAA BASEBALL

The college league is divided into two conferences: the Northeast Conference and the Continental Conference. There are 5 divisions of 8 teams each and beginning in 1929 they will exclusively play their 50 game schedule within their own conference. The season runs from April until late May and is followed by a College World Championship Series.

NORTHEAST CONFERENCE
The two divisions are the Academia Alliance and the NE Collegiate Division. For the Academia you can think Ivy League while the NE is a mixture of schools from along the northeastern seaboard.

ACADEMIA ALLIANCE
Brunswick Knights from South Brunswick, New Jersey
Dickson Maroons based in Watkins Glen, New York
Ellery Bruins from Cranston, Rhode Island
George Fox Reds are a Philadelphia school
Grafton Scholars based in Hartford
Henry Hudson Explorers from New York City
Pierpont Purple from Bridgeport, CT.
Sadler Bluecoats are in Charlestown, Massachusetts

NORTHEAST DIVISION
Brooklyn State Bears from Brooklyn, NY
Commonwealth Catholic Knights are a Boston school
Frankford State Owls from Frankford, Pennsylvania
Garden State Redbirds are based in Newark, NJ
Liberty College Bells from Philadelphia
St Matthews College Senators are located in Washington DC
St Pancras Lions hail from Albany, New York
St Patrick's Shamrocks are a large Boston school

CONTINENTAL CONFERENCE
The Continental Conference is made up of 24 teams divided into 3 divisions. They are Midwestern Division, Southern Collegiate Division and the Western Collegiate Division. Here are the teams of the Continental Conference.

MIDWESTERN DIVISION
Central Ohio Aviators from Columbus, Ohio
Chicago Poly Panthers from Chicago, Illinois
Detroit City College Knights in Detroit. Michigan
Indiana A&M Reapers are based in Terre Haute, Indiana
Lincoln College Presidents from Springfield, Illinois
St Blane Fighting Saints are a school in Tyrone, Pennsylvania
Whitney College Engineers from Gary, Indiana
Wisconsin State Brewers from Milwaukee

SOUTHERN DIVISION
Bayou State Cougars from Baton Rouge, La.
Cumberland Explorers from Knoxville, Tennessee
Georgia Baptist Gators in Athens, Georgia
Maryland State Bengals based in Baltimore
Mississippi A&M Generals from Jackson, Mississippi
North Carolina Tech Techsters in Raleigh, North Carolina
Northern Mississippi Mavericks are from Oxford, Mississippi
Opelika State Wildcats hail from Opelika, Alabama

WESTERN DIVISION
Boulder State Grizzlies are from Boulder, Colorado
Coastal California Dolphins from Los Angeles
College of San Diego Friars from San Diego
Golden Gate Grizzlies are a San Francisco school
Lubbock State Hawks of Lubbock, Texas
Northern California Miners from Sacramento
Rainier College Majestics are based in Puyallup, Washington
Travis College Bucks are from San Antonio, Texas

Here is a bit more background on the AIAA

THE HISTORY OF AIAA BASEBALL

It's roots certainly trace back much further but what can be referred to as the 'Modern Era' of College Baseball began in 1910. That was the year of the first National College playoff was organized by the American Intercollegiate Athletic Association, or AIAA, which was the governing body of university sports but more importantly it was the time that the professional Federally Aligned Baseball League's decided to institute an amateur draft. Prior to the draft the college squads would often see players bolt in mid-season to join a professional club but some stability came to the sport when FABL agreed to not allow any player who enrolls in college to be drafted prior to his 21st birthday. This gave the AIAA schools some roster stability and certainly increased the quality of play.

While college football had a larger following, baseball has certainly grown in popularity over the past two decades and the 40 AIAA baseball clubs have become the largest source of talent for the FABL draft. While the high school ranks still hold a lead in first overall draft picks, the pendulum has been swinging the other way of late as the last three first round selections have all come from college ranks.

Code:


                   FIRST OVERALL DRAFT PICKS
YEAR  NAME		POS    SCHOOL	 	FABL TEAM
1911  Mark Robinson	SS  Berkeley HS		Philadelphia Sailors
1912  Eddie Andrews	2B  Nashville HS	Philadelphia Keystones
1913  Max Morris      P-OF  Cleveland HS	CLeveland Foresters
1914  Jim Shelton       OF  St Patrick's Coll	Chicago Chiefs
1915  Dan Waldman	P   Nashville HS        Philadelphia Sailors
1916  Roger Landry      3B  Detroit HS		St Louis Pioneers
1917  Elmer Lambert     3B  George Fox Univ.	Philadelphia Keystones
1918  Dick Dover        P   Dickson College     Brooklyn Kings
1919  T.R. Goins        C   Cincinnati HS	Washington Eagles
1920  David Merchant    OF  Chicago Poly        Philadelphia Sailors
1921  Howie Shifflett	2B  Houston HS		Philadelphia Keystones
1922  Rankin Kellogg    1B  Memphis HS		Philadelphia Keystones
1923  Lee Smith	        OF  Garden State Univ   Philadelphia Keystones
1924  Walker Moore      P   Mobile HS		Philadelphia Keystones
1925  Al Wheeler	OF  Decatur HS		Detroit Dynamos
1926  Karl Stevens	OF  Rainier College     Cleveland Foresters
1927  Cliff Moss	OF  Pierpont College    Montreal Saints
1928  Tommy Wilcox      p   Liberty College	Brooklyn Kings

Another thing the college game has had in it's favor is competitiveness. In the 19 year history of the College World Championship Series a total of 15 different teams have emerged as champion.

Code:


 	COLLEGE WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP SERIES
YEAR    WINNER			FINALIST
1910  Maryland State		Frankford State
1911  Lincoln College		Brunswick Univ    
1912  George Fox		Indiana A&M
1913  Golden Gate		Pierpont		
1914  College of San Diego	George Fox	
1915  Indiana A&M		Dickson		
1916  Dickson			Wisconson State
1917  Indiana A&M       	Ellery
1918  Dickson			Wisconsin State
1919  Liberty College   	Detroit City College
1920  Liberty College   	Detroit City College
1921  Northern Cal      	Frankford State
1922  Lubbock State		Pierpont
1923  Garden State		Coastal California
1924  Brunswick			Bayou State
1925  Bayou State		Grafton
1926  Commonwealth Catholic 	Chicago Poly
1927  Opelika State		Commonwealth Catholic
1928  Lubbock State		Liberty College

12-10-2019, 11:47 PM	#3
Jiggs McGee All Star Reserve Join Date: Dec 2019 Posts: 677	The AIAA College Feeder League THE COLLEGE LEAGUE EXPLAINED Since I am going to focus a lot on the college league I thought I should pass on a little information about the league structure. Anyone who looks at the history of the AIAA will see some very familiar school names in the first 15 or so years but that changed recently. The league commissioner, Legendsport, originally set up things with real university names but with plans recently underway to add Figment college football and basketball leagues in the future it was decided that, just like the FABL, the college ranks are better with fictional school names. I believe the commissioner said it best when he explained that fictional school names eliminate preconceived notions of what teams should be like, just as our baseball league does. So the school names were changed but if you are still looking for a AIAA college baseball team to follow from your own region here is a list of the 40 schools that make up the AIAA baseball league. Note, you might want to read the football history to learn a bit more about some of the schools. All the owners in the league contributed a few school names but the commissioner has gone much further, preparing for the onset of college football and hoops by creating about 300 schools with names, mascots and hometowns. AIAA BASEBALL The college league is divided into two conferences: the Northeast Conference and the Continental Conference. There are 5 divisions of 8 teams each and beginning in 1929 they will exclusively play their 50 game schedule within their own conference. The season runs from April until late May and is followed by a College World Championship Series. NORTHEAST CONFERENCE The two divisions are the Academia Alliance and the NE Collegiate Division. For the Academia you can think Ivy League while the NE is a mixture of schools from along the northeastern seaboard. ACADEMIA ALLIANCE Brunswick Knights from South Brunswick, New Jersey Dickson Maroons based in Watkins Glen, New York Ellery Bruins from Cranston, Rhode Island George Fox Reds are a Philadelphia school Grafton Scholars based in Hartford Henry Hudson Explorers from New York City Pierpont Purple from Bridgeport, CT. Sadler Bluecoats are in Charlestown, Massachusetts NORTHEAST DIVISION Brooklyn State Bears from Brooklyn, NY Commonwealth Catholic Knights are a Boston school Frankford State Owls from Frankford, Pennsylvania Garden State Redbirds are based in Newark, NJ Liberty College Bells from Philadelphia St Matthews College Senators are located in Washington DC St Pancras Lions hail from Albany, New York St Patrick's Shamrocks are a large Boston school CONTINENTAL CONFERENCE The Continental Conference is made up of 24 teams divided into 3 divisions. They are Midwestern Division, Southern Collegiate Division and the Western Collegiate Division. Here are the teams of the Continental Conference. MIDWESTERN DIVISION Central Ohio Aviators from Columbus, Ohio Chicago Poly Panthers from Chicago, Illinois Detroit City College Knights in Detroit. Michigan Indiana A&M Reapers are based in Terre Haute, Indiana Lincoln College Presidents from Springfield, Illinois St Blane Fighting Saints are a school in Tyrone, Pennsylvania Whitney College Engineers from Gary, Indiana Wisconsin State Brewers from Milwaukee SOUTHERN DIVISION Bayou State Cougars from Baton Rouge, La. Cumberland Explorers from Knoxville, Tennessee Georgia Baptist Gators in Athens, Georgia Maryland State Bengals based in Baltimore Mississippi A&M Generals from Jackson, Mississippi North Carolina Tech Techsters in Raleigh, North Carolina Northern Mississippi Mavericks are from Oxford, Mississippi Opelika State Wildcats hail from Opelika, Alabama WESTERN DIVISION Boulder State Grizzlies are from Boulder, Colorado Coastal California Dolphins from Los Angeles College of San Diego Friars from San Diego Golden Gate Grizzlies are a San Francisco school Lubbock State Hawks of Lubbock, Texas Northern California Miners from Sacramento Rainier College Majestics are based in Puyallup, Washington Travis College Bucks are from San Antonio, Texas Here is a bit more background on the AIAA THE HISTORY OF AIAA BASEBALL It's roots certainly trace back much further but what can be referred to as the 'Modern Era' of College Baseball began in 1910. That was the year of the first National College playoff was organized by the American Intercollegiate Athletic Association, or AIAA, which was the governing body of university sports but more importantly it was the time that the professional Federally Aligned Baseball League's decided to institute an amateur draft. Prior to the draft the college squads would often see players bolt in mid-season to join a professional club but some stability came to the sport when FABL agreed to not allow any player who enrolls in college to be drafted prior to his 21st birthday. This gave the AIAA schools some roster stability and certainly increased the quality of play. While college football had a larger following, baseball has certainly grown in popularity over the past two decades and the 40 AIAA baseball clubs have become the largest source of talent for the FABL draft. While the high school ranks still hold a lead in first overall draft picks, the pendulum has been swinging the other way of late as the last three first round selections have all come from college ranks. Code: FIRST OVERALL DRAFT PICKS YEAR NAME POS SCHOOL FABL TEAM 1911 Mark Robinson SS Berkeley HS Philadelphia Sailors 1912 Eddie Andrews 2B Nashville HS Philadelphia Keystones 1913 Max Morris P-OF Cleveland HS CLeveland Foresters 1914 Jim Shelton OF St Patrick's Coll Chicago Chiefs 1915 Dan Waldman P Nashville HS Philadelphia Sailors 1916 Roger Landry 3B Detroit HS St Louis Pioneers 1917 Elmer Lambert 3B George Fox Univ. Philadelphia Keystones 1918 Dick Dover P Dickson College Brooklyn Kings 1919 T.R. Goins C Cincinnati HS Washington Eagles 1920 David Merchant OF Chicago Poly Philadelphia Sailors 1921 Howie Shifflett 2B Houston HS Philadelphia Keystones 1922 Rankin Kellogg 1B Memphis HS Philadelphia Keystones 1923 Lee Smith OF Garden State Univ Philadelphia Keystones 1924 Walker Moore P Mobile HS Philadelphia Keystones 1925 Al Wheeler OF Decatur HS Detroit Dynamos 1926 Karl Stevens OF Rainier College Cleveland Foresters 1927 Cliff Moss OF Pierpont College Montreal Saints 1928 Tommy Wilcox p Liberty College Brooklyn Kings Another thing the college game has had in it's favor is competitiveness. In the 19 year history of the College World Championship Series a total of 15 different teams have emerged as champion. Code: COLLEGE WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP SERIES YEAR WINNER FINALIST 1910 Maryland State Frankford State 1911 Lincoln College Brunswick Univ 1912 George Fox Indiana A&M 1913 Golden Gate Pierpont 1914 College of San Diego George Fox 1915 Indiana A&M Dickson 1916 Dickson Wisconson State 1917 Indiana A&M Ellery 1918 Dickson Wisconsin State 1919 Liberty College Detroit City College 1920 Liberty College Detroit City College 1921 Northern Cal Frankford State 1922 Lubbock State Pierpont 1923 Garden State Coastal California 1924 Brunswick Bayou State 1925 Bayou State Grafton 1926 Commonwealth Catholic Chicago Poly 1927 Opelika State Commonwealth Catholic 1928 Lubbock State Liberty College __________________ Lead Columnist of The Figment Sporting Journal The Scripture of Sports