All things Figment - from the pages of The Figment Sporting Journal - Page 57

Tiger Fan · 08-23-2025, 07:53 PM

MAY 1, 1964

SURPRISE CUP WIN FOR VALIANTS

It was a long 13 year wait but the Montreal Valiants once more can be called Challenge Cup champions. The Vals last lifted hockey's cherished mug way back in the spring of 1951 and despite making the playoffs in five of the last six years, this win certainly comes as a surprise. Montreal finished fourth during the regular season in a year that saw the playoff clubs divided by just 10 points with defending Cup champ Toronto and the long-struggling New York Shamrocks both falling out of contention by Christmas.

The Valiants win came in what was supposed to be a transition year as long-time star Jocko Gregg was phased out and the club was breaking in a rookie coach following Ted Grafton's surprise resignation at the conclusion of last season. Newcomer Matt McGranahan, who had never coached a pro team before, made enough of the right moves that he made things seem easy, and won a Challenge Cup in his debut season.

Much of the credit for the Vals success can be placed squarely on the shoulders of Nathan Bannister. The 34-year-old netminder should no signs of age catching up with him as he played in 52 games and while his record was a middling 23-22-6, one shudders to think where the Vals might have ended up without him as 10 of Bannister's 24 victories came with the veteran from Sudbury, ON., recording shutouts. 10 shutouts is the highest single season total ever recorded by a Montreal netminder and the third most in league history.

Having the trio of Mark Moggy, Jean Tremblay and Gilles Thibault patrolling the Vals blueline certainly helped Bannister as the 22-year-old Moggy was named to the post-season all-star team for the fourth time in his young career and was joined by the veteran Thibault on the second team pairing. The Vals lacked offense with only three players - Scott Ducek (28-19-47), Matt Mercier (20-17-37) and Charlie Hamblin (16-19-35) topping 15 goals on the season but this was to be a season of transition up front after Jocko Gregg's expulsion to Syracuse. The 37-year-old managed just 28 points a year ago so the Vals decided to part ways with the man who sits sixth all-time in career NAHC points in order to make room for some youngsters. Gregg played just 25 games for the minor league Lancers, but did notch 20 points, and is expected to retire over the summer.

The Vals are looking to their future with four rookie forwards seeing plenty of action in 63-64. The best of which might well be 20-year-old Clyde Raines, Montreal's first round pick last summer. The young center suited up for 59 games as a rookie and accumulated 16 points. He and 23-year-old winger Ed Halliday (5-18-23), a 1960 second rounder, both look to have promising futures ahead of them.

*** Several Stars Depart ***

Jocko Gregg of Montreal was not the only high profile player to leave the NAHC prior to the 1963-64 campaign. Toronto parted ways with Lou Galbraith after the veteran of 933 career games scored just once in 37 outings the previous season. Like Gregg, Galbraith went to the Hockey Association of America but suited up for just 8 games for the Cleveland Eries. Toronto also sent down 34-year-old Ken Jamieson, and it appears unlikely the 13-year veteran will return to the NAHC. Finally, Detroit cut longtime star Louis Rocheleau after 14 seasons with the Motors. The 37-year-old bolted to the Great West League and scored 21 goals for the Vancouver Bears.

While Montreal enjoyed the playoff success, the top regular season team was the Boston Bees, but just barely, as the Bees nosed out Detroit by two points for first place. It marked the Bees return to the playoffs after missing the postseason each of the past three years. Boston had plenty of offense with Neil Wilson (22-53-75) and Jimmy Rucks (36-38-74) leading the way. Both were named first team all-stars after finishing second and third in league scoring behind Detroit's Hobie Barrell. The 30-year-old Wilson won the Yeadon Trophy for gentlemanly play combined with skill. Rucks enjoyed the most productive season of his 12 year career and is closing in on becoming one of the top ten point producers in NAHC history. Also a fixture in Denny Arena is goaltender Oscar James. The ageless wonder turned 40 during the season but still played 41 games while recording a 2.13 goals against average and the top save percentage in the league.

Second place Detroit got another great season out of its two star players in Hobie Barrell (37-47-84) and Robert Ling (15-30-45). The 22-year-old Barrell, son of former big league baseball catcher Fred Barrell, led the loop in scoring for the second year in a row and also won his second McDaniels Trophy as league MVP. Ling, 25, joined Detroit from New York two years ago and was the top point getter among blueliners for the second straight season while joining Barrell on the first all-star team. Opposing clubs may have much more to fear from the Motors in the near future as the club had all three finalists for the McLeod Trophy, presented to the top rookie. Charles Bozek (20-38-58) was the winner but teammates Jack Dennyson (11-25-36 in 49 games) and Cody Walsh (17-15-32) were also quite impressive in their NAHC freshman campaigns. The newcomers helped ease concerns regarding the continued decline in production from veterans Alex Monette (7-29-36) and captain Nick Tardif (7-11-18). In net Detroit once more relied on former Toronto veteran Charlie Dell (27-16-5, 2.52).

Third place Chicago extended its streak of qualifying for the playoffs to five years, and the Packers have reached the postseason eleven out of the last thirteen years but have not won a Challenge Cup since year one of that stretch back in 1952. Chicago relied heavily on its big duo of Pete Bernier (23-40-63) and Ken York (24-30-54) as the twosome finished fourth and sixth in league scoring and each was named to the second all-star team. Finding a third member for that line has been challenging with veteran Ray Weller (8-20-28) along with 23-year-old Tommy Gordon (17-15-32) and 24-year-old Derek Noel (7-22-29) all having an opportunity at various times. Chicago does possess a solid defense corps led by Pete's brother Guy Bernier (10-24-34), who won his first Dewar Trophy as top rearguard at the age of 32. Joining him on the top pairing is the rapidly improving 27-year-old Danny Connaughton (7-9-16) with his defense-first focus complimenting the more offensive-minded Bernier nicely.

Montreal's fourth place finish meant the end of the Toronto Dukes' 13 year playoff streak. The Dukes won four of their NAHC best 12 Challenge Cups during that streak but age appears to finally be catching up to the club. Both Lou Galbraith and Ken Jamieson have moved on so the club is being forced to get younger, and the league's elder statesman Quinton Pollack may be reaching the end of the line at the ripe old age of 41. Pollack scored just 35 points in 63-64, the worst output of his career which left many wondering if the nine-time McDaniels Trophy winner might call it quits. Pollack has little left to prove: He topped the 550 goal mark and recorded his 750th assist and 1,301st career point last year. He is number one in league history in points but perhaps will take motivation to return because he trails Tommy Burns (564 goals, 1,193 games played) by 13 goals and 55 games played to take over top spot in each of those categories as well.

Pollack failed to lead the Dukes in scoring for the first time in what feels like forever as his 35 points ranked second behind Andrew Williams (17-25-42), a versatile 24-year-old in his second full season who can handle duty either on the right wing or the blueline. 25-year-old Lou Turner (11-19-30) and 24-year-old Hank Knackstedt (10-19-29) also give Duke fans hope for the future. 32-year-old netminder Mike Connelly (18-34-13, 2.54) had a save percentage that rivaled Boston's Oscar James without the talent in front of him and he was rewarded for his hard work -starting a league high 66 games in net- and fine play with the first Juneau Trophy of his career as top goaltender.

While missing the playoffs felt strange to the Dukes, it was old hat for the New York Shamrocks. The Greenshirts finished last in the league for the fourth straight season and have made the playoffs just once in the past decade and it is 15 years since New York last won a playoff series. New York is a young team and there is some potential, but the concern is the Shamrocks do what they have done often in the past - trade away young players who go on to enjoy much greater success elsewhere. 24-year-old winger Alex Kalmakoff (19-27-46) is one the club could build around while 23-year-old Johnny Hawker (15-26-41), selected second overall by New York in 1959, has the makings of a budding star.

PLAYOFFS

First place Boston finished just 10 points ahead of fourth place Montreal but during the regular season the Bees dominated their opening round playoff foes. Boston won nine and tied two of the 14 regular season meetings so the Bees were heavy favourites to reach the Challenge Cup finals for the first time since their Cup winning 1959-60 campaign.

Someone forgot to tell Montreal that they were overmatched as the Vals, behind a goal and an assist from defenseman Jean Tremblay and a terrific 36 save effort by Nathan Bannister took the series opener 3-1, shocking the 14,434 that had crowded into Denny Arena to witness the event.

Jean's brother Yan Tremblay scored the opener in game two and when Scott Ducek's powerplay marker made it 2-0 for the visitors early in the second period the situation at Denny Arena grew very tense. Boston did bounce back as veteran Ben Voyechek finally beat Bannister midway through the middle frame and then the Bees put the game away with three third period goals to take the contest 4-2 and even the best-of-seven semi-final series at one win apiece.

Boston dominated the third game, winning 5-1 behind a goal and an assist from both Nick Quinn and Jack Gariepy but game four was all Montreal as the Valiants outshot the Bees 39-18 and won the contest 4-2 behind the strength of a pir of Charlie Hamblin goals. Deadlocked at two, the clubs took the train back to Boston for the all-important fifth game. It was another terrific effort from the inspired Vals, and a surprisingly lackadaisical one from the regular season champs as Montreal won 5-3 with young Ed Halliday, who scored just 5 times all season, netting a pair of third period goals to clinch the win for the Valiants. Bannister was at the top of his game for what proved to be the series finale, outdueling Oscar James 2-1 thanks to first period goals from Yan Tremblay and Charlie Hamblin as the Vals closed out the series in six games.

Detroit and Chicago were the other semi-final opponents. The two clubs had split their season series with each winning six and the two remaining games each ending in a draw. Just two points separated the two clubs during the regular season.

Detroit took the opener 4-1 at Thompson Palladium as four different Motors including Hobie Barrell scored for the winners. The score could have been much worse were it now for the heroics of Andrew Bomberry in the Chicago net as Detroit outshot its rivals 50-13 in the contest.

Chicago coach Mark Nader clearly read his troops the riot act as it was a much more inspired Packers team that took the ice in game two. Chicago scored four times in the opening period, include two from Archer Cook, and rolled to a 6-3 victory that allowed them to return home with a split. That would turn out to be the Packers only bright moment of the series as Barrell scored twice in game three to lead a 5-3 Detroit win and rookie Charles Bozek was the hero of game four, scoring in overtime to give Detroit a 4-3 victory. The Motors wrapped the series up with a 4-2 win in game five and they were back in the Challenge Cup final for the fourth consecutive season.

Detroit had won the Cup in 1961 and 1962, with the 1962 win coming over Montreal, but the Motors came up short against Toronto a year ago. Montreal would be their opponent as the Valiants were looking for their first Cup win in over a decade.

The series opened in Detroit and the Motors led 2-1 after twenty minutes but Montreal's Tony Delvecchio tied the contest with his first goal of the playoffs midway through the third period. Exactly ten minutes into the overtime the Vals got the game winner as Jeff Gaudreault beat Detroit netminder Charlie Dell with a point shot. The Motors were reeling 15 minutes into game two as after Charles Bozek spotted Detroit a quick lead 46 seconds into the contest, the Valiants replied with four of their own and would go on to take the game 5-3, sweeping the Motors in the first two games on the road.

The series would not return to the Motor City as first period goals from Jean and Yan Tremblay helped Montreal to a 4-2 victory in the third game and the series sweep was completed with a 3-1 win two nights later. Scott Ducek, who led all playoff performers with 13 points, had a goal and an assist in the series clinching victory while Yan Tremblay had two helpers.

FALCONS CLAIM SECOND FBL TITLE IN THREE YEARS

Basketball still may land a distant second behind hockey at Toronto's Dominion Gardens but with the ice team reeling this season, the cage Falcons could not have picked a better year to be the best in their sport. Often overlooked in its hometown, the Toronto basketball club is certainly respected around the Federal Basketball League as the club, which spent much of the 1950's wallowing at the bottom of the loop, has now won the FBL title twice in the past three seasons.

Things are looking up for the FBL as a whole because the loop has finally developed some long-term stability as when things tip-off in November it will mark 10 years without a franchise folding. Teams coming and going were a staple of the first decade of the FBL, which was born out of the shadows of WWII in 1946. At one point there were as many as 18 clubs in the loop, but many perished after a year or two. Toronto was a city where there were some worries about the chances of survival after six straight last place finishes but that turned around with the rise from last to first in 1961-62 and the Falcons standing as a productive member of the FBL nest was reaffirmed this year.

With the high draft picks that come from finishing last for a half a dozen years one would expect the team to turn things around and Toronto certainly did as three of their starters -guards Jim Bromberg and Bill Spangler along with forward Bill Hash- were first overall picks but the Falcons management also found treasure in other team's cast-offs as the two big men Fred Lillard and Turk Bodiford were both picked up on waivers after being released by Washington and Boston respectively. Lillard and Spangler both ranked in the top ten in scoring this season as the Falcons had the most productive offense in the FBL.

Detroit, led by a breakout year from second year center Jack Sayler, finished a distant second in the West Division, a full 13 games behind the front-running Falcons. St Louis, which reached the league finals a year ago after upsetting Toronto in the opening round, returned to the playoffs by riding on the coat-tails of FBL scoring champ Bill Melton. The Rockets have not missed the post-season since the spring of 1953. That left the Chicago Panthers to bring up the rear in the West Division for the third consecutive season.

The Philadelphia Phantoms not only led the East Division but their 57-23 record was two games better than the Falcons for top spot overall. Long-time star Mel Turcotte was moved to more of a supporting role this season as there is plenty of young talent in Philadelphia like center Dan Holland to take over. New York, led by high scoring forwards Howie Farrell and Ken Robinson, finished second while Boston, league champs a year ago, dropped to third place. The Washington Statesmen, long a power in the league, have fallen on hard times recently and missed the playoffs for the third year in a row. Washington won a league-low 22 games, but that is actually a 4-victory improvement over their dreadful showing a year ago.

*** PLAYOFF RECAP ***

It took Detroit the maximum five games to outlast the St Louis Rockets in their opening round series while in the East it was third place Boston that got the jump on the New York Knights, as the Centurions prevailed three games to one. Boston was no match for the Phantoms in round two as Philadelphia swept the semi-final series in four games although two were decided by just a single point. Detroit had a little more luck against Toronto as, after dropping the first two games, the Mustangs won the next two at home. That would only serve to prolong the series as Toronto, behind 27 points from Fred Lillard, won 97-88 at Dominion Gardens in game five and wrapped up the series two nights later with a dominant second half keying the Falcons 101-83 romp.

The finals opened in Philadelphia and the home team won easily as a dominant 28-14 third quarter showing led the Phantoms to a 95-73 victory. Percy Carner led the way with 25 points for the winners. Game two was much closer but Carner again led the scoring for the Phantoms with 21 points as the hosts won 80-78 spoiling a 27 point night from Toronto's Bill Spangler.

The series shifted to Canada for the next two games and the momentum also turned. Spangler had 27 points for the second game in a row but this time it was part of a winning effort as the Falcons topped Philadelphia 89-82 for their first win of the series. Two days later the series was tied as the Falcons pulled out a 71-60 victory with Spangler's 17 points adding with Lillard's 22 to propel Toronto to even the series.

As they did the previous round the Falcons took control of the series with a game five victory. Unlike against Detroit, this one was on the road in Philadelphia as the Falcons rode a strong first quarter to a 77-72 victory. Center Turk Bodiford led the way for the visitors with 23 points while Lillard chipped in with 18 along with 11 boards.

Game six saw the Falcons looking to win the title on their home court but they trailed by 7 at the half. The margin was cut to a single point with 15 minutes left to play and fans were treated to an exciting back-and-forth fourth quarter that was not decided until the final seconds. Tied at 100 with 21 seconds left in regulation the Falcons had the ball and worked guard Jim Bromberg, the 1962 playoff MVP, free for a look with 5 seconds remaining. It clanged off the rim but Bill Hash was there to clean up and his quick tip bounced around the rim before finally settling through the netting to give the Falcons a dramatic 102-100 victory. Fred Lillard, who had a game high 26 points in the deciding contest, was named the playoff MVP. The Philadelphia loss spoiled a terrific 34-point outing from Phantoms forward Percy Carner.

LUTHER GORDON AT END OF STELLAR CAREEER

Luther Gordon, widely considered to be the best big man ever to play in the Federal Basketball League, has officially called it quits after a stellar career with the Chicago Panthers. Gordon has not played since October of 1962 when he was waived by the Panthers after 12 outstanding seasons with the club. He had held out hope that perhaps he could catch on with another club this past season but the years of toil on his legs has robbed the 36-year-old of much of the great skills he once possessed.

Hailing from Brooklyn, Gordon was a high school legend and seemed destined to be a star in the college basketball ranks but his struggles with the books prevented him from being eligible for the AIAA in 1946, so he spent two seasons at Brooklyn Community College. By the spring of 1948 as a junior transfer Gordon was the most highly sought after recruit in the nation, ranked the number one recruit prospect by the OSA, and he eventually committed to Liberty College where he was tabbed to replace Ward Messer, who had moved on to the Detroit Mustangs after leading Liberty College to the final four as a junior and the elite eight as a senior when he was named the winner of Barrette Award as National Player of the Year.

Gordon was up to the task of replacing a college legend by becoming one himself. He played just two years at Liberty College but won the Barrette Award both seasons and was a two-time first team All-American. The Bells went 28-4 in Gordon's debut year, reaching the regional finals before bowing out. Gordon led the nation, averaging 18.8 points per game and was 6th nationally in rebounds.

A year later Liberty College was 33-0 entering the national title game against a Noble Jones College club that featured Charlie Barrell and also was a perfect 33-0 entering the title game. No school had ever won the national title with a perfect season prior to that season but that was obviously about to change. Gordon had a decent game, but his 8 points and 7 rebounds were well below his normal output, and his Bells came up just short of a title, falling 65-60 to the Colonels in what would be Gordon's final college game. He once more led the nation in scoring, averaging 19.9 points per game while also finishing in the top ten in rebounds.

*** Panthers Earn Right to Select Gordon ***

The Chicago Panthers were a bad team in 1949-50, the fourth season of the Federal Basketball League, but they were not the worst. Turned out three of the FBL's 18 teams had a poorer record than Chicago's 25-43 but all three of those clubs -despite knowing that a potential franchise changing player like Gordon was available in the draft- lacked the funds to continue operation and folded. Thus, Luther Gordon fell right into the Panthers lap.

His first game came in early November 1950 in Philadelphia against the Phantoms and Gordon immediately made his presence felt. Chicago lost 80-60 and clearly had some holes to fill but Gordon scored 15 points and added a game high 18 rebounds. He would end up leading the FBL in scoring as a rookie with 25.7 ppg and also finished fourth in rebounds. He swept the awards, winning league MVP, rookie of the year and was named a first team All-Star. It was just the beginning as Gordon would go on to win 5 MVP awards and be named All-League first team 8 times in his career. He won just won league title with the Panthers. That came in the spring of 1957 and he was named playoff MVP while leading the post-season scoring parade with a 23.6 ppg average.

Luther Gordon walks away having scored 17,185 points and trails only Ziggy Rickard's 17,475 in that category. He is the only player in FBL history to record at least 16,000 points and 10,000 boards while sitting second behind only current Philadelphia Phantom Mel Turcotte in career rebounds. Gordon also continues to have a presence in the college record book as his 677 points scored as a senior at Liberty College remains an AIAA record.

COLLEGE BASKETBALL RECAP
AVIATORS FLY HIGH IN AIAA CAGE ACTION

For the first thirty-odd years of collegiate basketball the Central Ohio Aviators were hardly a factor, often just considered an afterthought even in their hometown of Columbus as the Aviators football team drew most of the attention. There was a moment of glory in the spring of 1947 when the Central Ohio cagers reached the semi-finals of the AIAA year end tournament and the school won just its second Great Lakes Alliance title since 1910. They reached the national semi-finals again in 1959 but two years later they were at the bottom of the GLA after struggling through an 11-18 season. But back to back twenty win seasons and a pair of strong recruiting classes set the stage for the best season the school has ever enjoyed as Central Ohio went 27-8 and accomplished something the Aviators football squad has yet to achieve, win an AIAA national championship.

The year started strong as the Aviators won the Jack Easton Tip-Off, one of the most prestigious of the season opening tournaments, and entered section play in January with a sparkling 13-1 record. The Great Lakes Alliance slate is tough on even the best of teams and the Aviators struggled mightily, losing three of their first five conference outings and finished just 9-7 in section play (22-8) overall.

Despite their struggles in conference, their early season showing garnered plenty of attention and Central Ohio was one of seven teams from the GLA to be selected for the 32 team tournament field. They had to travel to the West Region but did surprisingly earn a #2 seed behind West Coast Athletic Association power Coastal California. Just as they had during the early part of the regular season, the Aviators got hot. First it was a 58-41 victory over South Valley State in the opening round of the tourney, a game that saw senior guard Al Overstreet led the way with 16 points. Next up was a 67-51 victory over Charleston Tech with Overstreet scoring 12 and junior forward Buzz Humphrey notching 14.

A familiar foe was their opponent in the regional final as the Aviators met up with Great Lakes Alliance rival Detroit City College, which had upset the number one seeded Dolphins two days earlier. The Aviators built a big lead early and held on for a 50-42 victory, avenging the conference loss to the Knights earlier in the season.

The region win earned the Aviators a trip to New York City for their third ever final four. It was a star-studded field that included Carolina Poly, a veteran of 13 final fours and a National Champion six times. CC Los Angeles was also there and the Coyotes -like Carolina Poly- were making their 14th appearance in the semi-finals and had won it all on four occasions. The final member of the quartet was Indiana A&M. The Reapers, like Central Ohio, were still searching for their first national championship but were back in the semi-finals for the second time in three years.

The semi-final game saw Central Ohio as an underdog against Carolina Poly but the Aviators led by 4 at the half and made that margin stand up with a 71-67 victory keyed by senior forward Joe Woodman's career best 17-point evening. The second semi-final was also an upset as the Reapers made it an all-Great Lakes Alliance final with a 64-58 victory over CCLA.

The Reapers had split their two games during the regular season with the Aviators and the rubber match saw a very determined group of Aviators ready to taste AIAA tournament victory for the first time. Central Ohio had a dominant first half, leading 42-26 at the break and rolled to a 60-48 victory and a national title for the first time in school cage history. Woodman, the surprise star of the semi-final and an Indiana native who grew up cheering for the Reapers, was named the MVP of the title game to mark quite an end to his collegiate career. It also continues to signal a changing of the guard in college basketball as the Aviators become the fifth team in the past seven years to be a first-time tournament champion.

Next up will be the return of baseball with the 1964 FABL season.

Tiger Fan · 08-27-2025, 07:18 PM

1964 IN FIGMENT BASEBALL
October 15, 1964

LITTLE CHANGES, RIGHT DOWN TO THE PLAYOFF TIEBREAKER, FOR POWERFUL PIONEERS IN '64
St Louis Beats Keystones in Fed Playoff, Then Little Trouble With Stars For 3rd Straight WCS

Do not bet against the St. Louis Pioneers in a one-game winner-take-all playoff. That is clearly the lesson to be learned as the mighty Pioneers won their third consecutive World Championship Series but was perhaps more impressive is that for the second year in a row, and third time in the past decade and a half the Pioneers needed to win a playoff game to claim the Federal Association flag. And for the third time they were successful as Frenchy Mack and a pair of relievers combined on a 4-hit gem to blank the Philadelphia Keystones 4-0. Beating the Continental Association champion Los Angeles Stars 4 games to one in the WCS and improving to 12-2 against the CA over the past three October's looked easier than claiming the Fed flag for the Pioneers.

It was a slow start to the season for the two-time defending champions as by mid-June the Pioneers found themselves in fourth place, trailing front-running Detroit as well as Philadelphia and Boston. That changed quickly as the Dynamos were first to fall off the pace, ruining a 32-20 start with a 14-31 stretch that sent them tumbling to the second division by August. Boston battled for a much longer stretch and the Minutemen were just 2 games back as late as August 15. A 10-16 September ended the Minutemen's pennant hopes.

St. Louis and Philadelphia were separated by no more than a game for most of the final month of the campaign. The Keystones, who finished fourth each of the past two seasons, swept a three-game series in Pittsburgh the final weekend while the Pioneers won just two of three at home against the Los Angeles Suns to leave the two clubs knotted at 96-66 when the regular season was set to conclude on October 4. However, just as it was a year ago when the Pioneers nipped Washington 8-7, a tie-breaker was necessary to claim the Federal Association crown.

*** Mack Leads Pioneers To Tie-Breaker Win ***

Frenchy Mack, the Pioneers ace who won the Allen Award each of the previous two seasons, was set to take the hill while the Keystones were forced to counter with Joe Kienle (15-9, 3.17) because ace and likely 1964 Fed Allen Award favourite Jorge Arellano (22-11, 2.80) was needed in the Pittsburgh series. Mack set the Keystones down in order in the top of the first and was staked to the only run he and his bullpen mates would need when St. Louis went up 1-0 in the bottom of the first on doubles from Jerry Smith (.220,3,24) and Bob Bell (.327,48,121). Smith, now 36, started just 60 games this season after being such a huge piece of the Pioneers previous two WCS winners. Bell (.327,48,121), 26 and just coming into his prime, led the Fed in homers and rbi's and seems a lock to win his third Whitney Award as league MVP. He has led the Fed in round-trippers each of the past four seasons and the 192 he has hit so far is 56 more than the another Pioneers slugging star- great Max Morris- had hit by the end of his age 26 season.

Philadelphia finally got its first hit off Mack with one out in the third inning but it took until the 7th inning before the Keystones moved a man as far as second base and they never would get anyone to third. Still leading 1-0, Mack gave the ball to John Gibson in the seventh and Gibson, along with Charlie Blake, would close out the shutout. The Pioneers bats made the relievers job much easier with a 3-run outburst in the home half of the seventh frame. An error helped load the bases for Bill Bather (.236,10,38) to deliver a two-run single and Danny Davis (.309,29,106) rounded out the scoring with an run scoring knock of his own.

The Federal Association has required four tie-breakers over it's history and everyone of them has involved either the Pioneers or Keystones.

The Pioneers' 97 wins were 8 off the Federal Association record-tying pace set by last years club but did mark their fourth consecutive season with at least 90 victories. It should be noted the 1962 and earlier campaigns only had 154 games while starting a year ago with expansion the slate was hiked to 162. St. Louis strength remained on the mound where there is plenty of depth behind co-aces Frenchy Mack (18-7, 1.53) and Billy Hanson (20-10, 2.61). 22-year-old Harry Johnson (18-8, 1.89) made a case for being considered a third member of the Pioneers aces as the 1960 first rounder followed up a 7-inning audition a year ago with a dominant frosh campaign. Steve Madden (13-12, 3.53) and Danny Daniels (12-10, 3.78) round out a rotation that is tough to top.

With pitching like St. Louis possesses, the club does not need an elite offense but certainly has some key ingredients in all-stars Bob Bell (.327,48,121) and Danny Davis (.309,29,106). Bill Tutwiler (.293,10,42) was acquired from Boston at the deadline in 1963 and fit right in at the top of the order as a table-setter. Also don't overlook the contribution of Ramon Tejada (.218,12,61). In his first season as everyday shortstop, the 25-year-old Dominican stabilized the defense in a key position that has often been a question mark for the Pioneers.

The Philadelphia Keystones won one more game than they did a year ago but still had nothing to show for it. Veteran Jorge Arellano (22-11, 2.80) had his best season since winning 21 games for the 1957 New York Gothams and teamed with William Davis (16-12, 3.23) and Joe Kienle (15-9, 3.17) to give the Keystones three solid starters on the mound but the strength of the club was its power hitting. Lead off man Harry Dellinger (.270,32,72) led the team in homers but any of the top seven in the batting order were dangers to go deep. Veterans Buddy Miller (.248,14,54) and Lloyd Coulter (.209,15,69) endured their struggles this season but youngsters Andy Parker (.310,23,89) and Bobby Phelps (.258,25,81) looked poised to take the baton, or the bat if you prefer, as the Keystones look poised to continue their rich tradition of all-star sluggers.

Injuries cost Frank Kirouac (.310,26,86) much of last season but the 26-year-old bounced back this year with a terrific campaign for the Boston Minutemen. It was another young outfielder injury -this one to centerfielder Frank McCarroll (.247,18,43)- that perhaps doomed the Minutemen to dropping out of contention in August. McCarroll ripped up his knee just after the all-star break and Boston skipper Dick Dunn tried multiple options but could not find an acceptable replacement. Many fans might have wanted the Minutemen to pull the trigger on a major deal to replace their centerfielder since the club was right in the flag mix, but it did not happen as the only July move pulled off by the Minutemen was a minor league deal. There is great hope going forward, especially if McCarroll can recover as well as Kirouac did from his injury. Pitching, often the weakness of the New England nine, looks like it soon may be a strength with a pair of top ten prospects in Bill Dunlop and John McCormick on the way and 21-year-old Bob Scott (9-5, 2.62) looking very good in his big league debut season.

The New York Gothams ended up tied for third with Boston and Washington as they finished over .500 for the first time since 1957. With 21-year-old Ray Stevens (15-9, 2.94), 22-year-old Charlie Walker (13-10, 3.87) and 23-year-old Jack White (15-9, 3.08) on the big club there is plenty of hope for the future. The club needs, offense, in particular some power as despite finishing second in the Fed in batting average and fourth in on-base percentage, the Gothams were 7th in runs scored. 24-year-old outfielder George James (.298,17,74) led the club in homers and rbi's in his first full season so perhaps he holds part of the solution.

It was a disappointing season for the Washington Eagles who went from 104 wins and within an extra-inning loss of going to the WCS for the first time in almost two decades, to slipping into a three-way tie for third place at 85-77. The offense, led by infielders Tom Lorang (.324,36,113) and George Whaley (.290,27,107) was the best in the Fed but the pitching, especially the bullpen, led the Eagles down. Owen Lantz (14-10, 2.87), Bob Ball (16-10, 3.03) and Dick Adams Jr. (13-8, 3.01) give them hope but there is worry a late season elbow strain suffered by Adams might impact his future, especially considering he has had elbow troubles in the past.

Six must be their lucky number as for the third year in a row that is where the Chicago Chiefs finished in the Federal Association standings. The Chiefs are building for the future and somewhat in transition right now as 36-year-olds Ed Bloom (.222,6,43) and Rod Shearer (.233,21,85) start to slow and replacements have not yet arrived. The pitching, led by a strong season out of 33-year-old southpaw Vern Osborne (18-12, 3.04) and 23-year-old Roy Brandt (9-15, 2.72), who made the all-star team in his second season, was the highlight of the Chiefs summer.

The Pittsburgh Miners have not won a pennant since 1940 and are now 63 years since their only World Championship Series title. It is hard to imagine much changing in that regard after an 83-79 season. After winning 90 games a year ago, there was finally some excitement in a city that seems to have lost interest in its baseball team, but fate was cruel to the Miners as two of their rising young stars suffered devastating injuries that ended their season prematurely and perhaps will impact their careers. That would be 23-year-old hurler Hank Griswold (5-3, 3.57) who tore his rotator cuff and will likely miss the start of next season along with 25-year-old first baseman Gale Schmitt (.339,18,92), who celebrated winning the Fed batting title and making the all-star team but blew out his knee in September. The Miners are young, and have some talent, so perhaps fate will smile on Pittsburgh and allow both of those players to recover fully and lead the team back into contention - something that has not been a serious focus of conversation since the Lefty Allen, Jack Cleaves years of the late 1930s.

We knew it was coming, just a matter of when but reality set it for the Detroit Dynamos as the team of the 1950s appears to be about to enter a long, and potentially painful rebuilding phase. Sure Jim Norris (15-13, 2.95) is still around from the glory days and there is talent in Ray Waggoner (.299,29,88), Joe Holland (.239,15,70) and the long-running middle infield duo of Dick Tucker (.264,16,70) and Joe Reed (.238,12,51). The 8th place finish also cost long-time Detroit General Manager Harris Dixon his job. Dixon joined the Dynamos in 1946, coming over from Pittsburgh, and played a big role in shaping the club that won 4 WCS and 6 pennants in a seven year span beginning in 1952.

The Minneapolis Millers and Los Angeles Suns each improved upon last year's record but the pair of third year clubs each have a long way to go to gain much respect in the Fed. The Suns went 62-100 and while an improvement on last year's 53 win campaign, it pales in comparison to their 66-88 debut season. Los Angeles does have 5 prospects ranked in the OSA top 100 but all except for 9th ranked Jim Thurman, a 21-year-old outfielder, are still a few years away from the big leagues. A pair of 27-year-old righthanders in Red Burtch (11-12, 2.96) and waiver pickup Joe Cipolla (13-9, 2.73) are the closest thing the Suns have to front of the rotation arms while former San Francisco Sailor Bob Gray (.227,17,53) and promising rookie Sam Forrester (.275,14,47), just 21 and a former second round pick of the Washington Eagles, led the struggling Suns offense.

The Minneapolis Millers finished dead last for the third year in a row but can take some solace in the fact that they won more games (60) than either of their Continental Association expansion counterparts. There is hope for the future in the form of a pair of second year outfielders in 20-year-old John Edwards (.283,24,76) and 22-year-old Frank Bradshaw (.278,12,73). Bradshaw was drafted second overall in 1963 while Edwards was selected with the third pick of the 1962 FABL draft. Another youngster to watch for is Ossie Schrieber, an 18-year-old southpaw selected first overall out of a Nebraska high school in June. Schrieber, ranked #4 overall by OSA in their prospect pipeline, looked solid going 7-3 in his pro debut at Class C this summer.

It was, at least until the WCS, a truly dominant season from the Continental Association champion Los Angeles Stars. They won 108 games and finished 14 ahead of the second place Cincinnati Cannons to claim their first flag on the west coast. There were some lean years after the move west as the Stars, who had won the WCS just two years prior to their 1954 sojourn to Southern California, finished dead last in the CA each of their first six seasons on the west coast. They were second a year ago but a distant 15 games back of the front-running Kansas City Kings but this time around Los Angeles finally gets to celebrate a pennant.

If there is a team that has the depth of young starting pitching that the St Louis Pioneers possess, it would be the Los Angeles Stars. 22-year-old rookie Freddy Bradshaw (16-8, 3.11) joined a group that includes 23-year-old Harry Stout (17-5, 3.01), 25-year-old Cal Johnston (17-9, 3.14), 26-year-old Dewey Allcock 15-4, 2.86) and 27-year-old Floyd Warner (11-4, 3.48). A major back injury suffered by Warner in September dampens the excitement slightly. There is also plenty of offense, the most productive run scoring unit in all of baseball. Don Hall (.297,27,93), a 27-yearo-old outfielder, finally got to play everyday again after two years as a backup and made the most of his opportunity, joining a deep core that includes Ralph Barrell (.318,45,123), Bobby Garrison (.325,29,102), Bob Griffin (.337,17,77) and Lou Allen (.251,30,109). Griffin won the CA batting crown at the tender age of 23 while Barrell, already a six-year veteran at the age of 24, led the loop in homers and rbi's for the first time in his career.

The Cincinnati Cannons were the best of the rest, finishing second for the fourth time since their last of three straight pennants in 1946. They have the pitching to compete perhaps with the Stars but the offense lags a step behind especially with some concern that two-time Whitney Award winner Dallas Berry (.244,21,80) had an off-year by his standards at age 33 and missed the final month of the season with an injury. On the flip side of the ledger, the Cannons have to be thrilled with the breakout season enjoyed by 21-year-old Marcus Middleton (19-8, 2.92) in his second full big league campaign.

The San Francisco Sailors won the CA flag two years ago before dipping to fourth in 1963. This time around the went 92-70 but that was only good enough for third place. The Sailors don't hit a lot of homeruns but they do get on base and scratch out runs -only the Los Angeles Stars scored more in all of FABL. Third baseman Ernie Carter (.304,18,100) and second sacker Heinie Spitler (.332,7,58) are rising young stars to join outfielder John Kingsbury (.311,18,112) and shortstop Carolos Jaramillo (.287,6,54) who are at their peak. The quartet is assisted by veterans Ray Rogan (.300,7,36) and Edwin Hackberry (.233,13,59). The mound staff is led by 32-year-old Hank Lacey (14-11, 2.75) and a pair of 25-year-olds in George Fuller (18-6, .289) and Charlie Lawson (10-12, 3.48) but depth in the rotation is a concern.

The Chicago Cougars claimed fourth spot with a 91-71 record, finishing in the first division for the sixth time in the last seven years. Chicago has seemed snakebit many times in its distant past and has not won a WCS since 1931 nor a CA pennant since 1941. The Cougars have a good nucleus of talent but seem to be still a step away from challenging for a flag as there is a lot of competition at the top of the Continental. 26-year-old Henry Watson (.291,28,105) may not get the publicity of some of the other big name outfielders in the league but he has quietly made the CA all-star team three of the past four years.

Finishing fifth has to be the latest in a series of disappointments for the Kansas City Kings. With a group like Hank Williams (.304,35,101), Ken Newman (.282,21,80), Beau McClellan (16-9, 3.16), Jack Halbur (15-9, 2.97) there is plenty of veteran talent but age is going to catch up to it soon. It may have already arrived for Stan Kleminski (.248,4,44) and Charlie Rodgers (.225,3,24) with the latter seeing his quest for the all-time doubles record starting to slow. Rogers hit 12 two baggers this season and the 35-year-old now has 555 for his career, leaving him 46 shy of Dave Trowbridge's standard.

More pressing to the group of veteran Kings is finally winning a WCS, something that has eluded the franchise since its only series win came when they were based in Brooklyn in 1937. The Kings of the past decade had their chances, capturing the CA flag on four occasions but they came up short against the Fed each time. One might blame injury as the reason they did not compete for the pennant this season as Gene Bailey, the 24-year-old who emerged as the ace a year ago with 21 victories and an Allen Award, made just 11 starts this season before should troubles ended his campaign. One has to think Bailey's full recovery is essential if the Kings are to win another pennant before the window closes on their veteran core.

Sure expansion might have helped pad the wins, but three years in a row over the .500 mark is a big accomplishment for the Toronto Wolves, who finished 6th at 84-78. Prior to this stretch the Wolves had not reached the breakeven point in a season since 1945. Tom Reed (.261,26,71), at 33 is still the leader of the offense but he had help this year from the likes of Ed Savage (.320,23,88), Phil Story (.259,19,90) and Sid Cullen (.238,17,66). There is hope for the future on the mound after Bill Medley's (17-4, 3.36) second straight 17 win season at the tender age of 24. Another 24-year-old, Jimmy Blair (18-12, 3.03) also impressed. The downside is the Wolves minor league system is considered at the moment to be the worst in baseball.

Much like their Canadian compatriots, there has been little to get excited about for the Montreal Saints. The club last won a pennant in 1921 and have only finished second once since then so an 81-81 season, even if it is only good for 7th place, is still considered a slight success around Stade Montreal. John Mullins (14-11, 3.53) had a solid first full season in the big leagues as a 21-year-old and 22-year-old catcher Henry Woods (.268,16,75) failed to duplicate his terrific rookie numbers of a year ago but is still considered one of the best young catchers in the league.

How the mighty have fallen. Like the Detroit Dynamos in the Fed, the Cleveland Foresters were the class of the Continental Association for a decade but now have landed on hard times. From 1949 thru 1961 the Foresters won 8 pennants and 3 WCS titles but retirements and age have caught up. Its hard to stay on top when you are drafting in the bottom of the first round so often and the Foresters are no exception. There are some youngsters on the way but it will take time as Adrian Czerwinski (5-11, 4.25), Earl Howe (.233,21,72) and John Low (.251,7,49) among others, are starting to fade.

The Dallas Wranglers won 54 games this season, one more than their expansion partners from New York. The Wranglers best player is probably 32-year-old outfielder Armando Estrada (.283,19,65) who was acquired from the Gothams over the winter. The key for the expansion clubs is to build through the draft and early indications are the Wranglers may have stumbled at least in comparison to the other three newcomers. Dallas ranks 16th in its minor league system and, unlike Minneapolis, the Suns and Imperials, they do not have a prospect ranked in the top 15.

The New York Imperials, unlike Dallas, have what is considered the number one farm system in baseball and it includes four of the top 15 prospects in the sport. The Imperials were beyond awful in their debut year, going 38-116 but they won 54 games a year ago and then dropped slightly to 53 wins this season. There is little talent on the big league roster outside of slugger Turk Ramsey (.312,22,55) and 20-year-old rookie shortstop George Love (.242,10,44) but wins are not the priority at this stage. Getting Love experience, and the same for youngsters like Art Roberts (5-11, 4.63) and top ten prospect Tony Nava, who made his debut in September while still just 20 years old. The key for the Imperials, like the other three newcomers, is to draft well and focus on the future.

MILESTONES

NO-HITTERS
Joe Kienhle of the Keystones no-hit the Chiefs 3-0 July 31. no walks, only baserunner reached on an error
Bud Henderson of Detroit no-hit the LA Suns 1-0 on June 3. Henderson fanned 5 and walked 1.

They were the first no-hitters since 1961 and the first year with multiple no-hitters since 1957 had three of them.

300 WINS
Cleveland's Adrian Czerwinski beat Cincinnati 5-4 at Forester Stadium on April 23 for his 300th career victory. He is 17th player to win 300.

2000 HITS
John Low - Cleveland
Lloyd Coulter- Keystones

1964 FABL ALL-STAR GAME
Fed Finally Gets July Bragging Rights

When it comes to October the Federal Association clearly has the last laugh, as Fed clubs entered the 1964 season with victories in 9 of the previous 10 World Championship Series including six in a row. July, home of the annual all-star game, was a much different story as the Continental Association had won the last three and seven of the past eight all-star games.

This, the 31st annual all-star game was special because it would be contested in the same stadium as the very first game. The Feds won that one by an 8-5 score at Chicago's Whitney Park and would end the Continental streak with a 5-2 victory this time around.

The CA took an early 1-0 lead when Detroit's Jim Norris, the Fed starter on the mound, got himself in trouble early. John Kingsbury of San Francisco singled and moved to second when Kansas City's Hank Williams drew a 4-pitch walk. An error by Fed second baseman Tom Lorang of Washington, normally a third baseman by trade, loaded the bases with nobody out but Norris got out of the jam with minimal damage as the only CA run came on a Bonnie Chapin sac fly.

It stayed 1-0 until the fourth inning when Washington's George Whaley ripped a 3-run homer off of Carl Johnston of the Los Angeles Stars to give the Feds a league they would never relinquish. A fielder's choice scored a run in the 6th inning to cut the lead to 3-2 but the Federal Association put the game away with two runs on three hits in the top of the ninth. Otey Stephens of Boston was credited with the victory while Johnston took the loss. Lorang, who committed that first inning error but also had 4 hits, an rbi and a run scored, was named the game's most valuable player.

1964 WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP SERIES
St Louis Wins over Los Angeles Stars 4-1

The St. Louis Pioneers have been almost unstoppable in WCS play. They won their third consecutive WCS title and have a 12 games to 2 lead on their three Continental Association counterparts over that span. Two years ago the Pioneers ousted San Francisco in 5 games and a year ago they swept the Kansas City Kings four straight. This time around it was another new opponent in the Los Angeles Stars but again the Pioneers had a relatively easy time, winning in 5 games.

GAME ONE

The series opened on the west coast, being played in Los Angeles for the first time. The Stars took a 2-0 lead in the fourth inning with both runs coming courtesy of a Lou Allen round-tripper off of St Louis reliever Mel Hill. Hill had been forced to take over in the inning after starter Billy Hasson was forced to leave with a stiff back. St Louis got a run back in the 6th when Danny Davis homered for the Pioneers and then tied the game when Steve Schultz hit an rbi single to plate Bob Bell with two-out in the top of the 8th. In the top of the 10th Bill Bather homered off of Stars reliever Jim Schoolfield and that run held as the Pioneers pen took care of business in the bottom of the 10th securing the 3-2 St Louis victory.

GAME TWO

L.A. scored first again with Lou Allen playing the pivotal role, driving in 2-runs with a 2-out double off of St. Louis starter Steve Madden. Stars starter George Johnston allowed just 2-hits over 6 innings and left with a 2-1 lead as Bill Tutwhiler had homered in the Pioneers third.

The Stars blew a tight game open in the bottom of the seventh, plating 3 runs to take a 5-1 lead, which stood up as the final score. Madden created his own trouble in the seventh with a lead-off walk to Bob Griffin. It was followed by a single to Lew Smith and then another single from to Mike Forst that scored Griffin. Ed Moore also delivered a 2-run single before Madden closed out the inning. Against Johnston and two relievers, the Pioneers managed just 3 hits.

GAME THREE

Back in St Louis it was the Pioneers that had the quick start. Starters Dewey Allcock of Los Angeles and Frenchy Mack of St Louis, who was fresh off his win over the Keystones in the Fed playoff tiebreaker, each had quiet first innings. The Pioneers exploded in the second, plating 4 runs on five hits off of Allcock including a Danny Daniels double and a Ramon Tejada three-bagger.

The Stars fought back in the top of the third as Lou Allen hit his second homer of the series, a two-run shot, that was followed immediately by a Ralph Barrell homerun and the St Louis lead was cut to 4-3. An inning later it was tied as Mack continued to struggle on the mound. Bob Griffin led off the inning with a single for LA and he scored on Mike Forst's rbi double.

It stayed tied 4-4 until Bob Bell, who hit a FABL best 48 homers during the season, cranked a 3-run shot off Allcock to put St Louis ahead 7-4. John Gibson, who had relieved Mack in the 7th inning, pitched a perfect 8th and 9th frames to earn the victory.

GAME FOUR

A little better pitching effort from the Pioneers, which was more like their standard method of operation. Danny Daniels went 7 and two-thirds while allowing 2 runs on 5 hits and the bullpen closed it out in a 4-2 St Louis win to put them on the cusp of a third straight series title.

St Louis took a 1-0 lead in the second following an rbi double off the bat of Sam Ruggles. Bobby Garrison's rbi double with two out after Lou Allen had single allowed the Stars to tie the game in the top of the sixth but St. Louis was gifted two runs in the bottom of the inning when LA starter Freddy Bradshaw suddenly couldn't find the strike zone. Two slap singles and an error clearly unnerved Bradshaw and before the bullpen could get ready he had walked Ruggles to plate one run and then issued another free pass to Danny Daniels to score a second run. A Bob Bell homer an inning later added icing to the cake and completed the St Louis scoring. The Stars got a run late thanks to an error but could not get any closer.

GAME FIVE

For five and a half innings it was a scoreless duel between a pair of youngsters with 23-year-old Harry Stout on the mound for the visitors against the Pioneers 22-year-old rookie righthander Harry Johnson. Both teams had base runners early but the kids did the job until St. Louis got to Stout in the 6th. Grady Smith, another St Louis rookie, led-off with a pinch-hit double and scored when the next batter, Bill Tutwiler, singled. Tutwiler would also score before the inning was done, racing home on a Bob Bell sacrifice fly to put St Louis ahead 2-0. The Pioneers would blow the game open with four more runs the next inning and it ended 6-0, giving St. Louis its third consecutive WCS title.

Tiger Fan · 09-01-2025, 08:39 AM

DECEMBER 20, 1964

A RIVAL GRID LEAGUE EMERGES
National Football Association Debuts as Rival to AFA

The American Football Association, long the undisputed monarch of the autumn sports scene, suddenly found itself staring at a fresh challenge to its supremacy. For the first time in nearly 15 years, the AFA is not alone atop the professional gridiron world.

Founded in 1920, the venerable AFA has weathered storms before. The most notable came in the postwar years, when the Continental Football Conference tried to stake its claim from 1946 through 1949. Though the CFC folded after a brief but spirited run, it left behind a lasting footprint: three of its clubs were absorbed into the AFA, with two of them—the Kansas City Cowboys and San Francisco Wings—still going strong on the league map today.

Since 1950, the AFA has enjoyed an unchallenged hold on the pro football public. That unbroken run ended in the fall of 1964, as the brand-new National Football Conference burst onto the scene in September with eight ambitious franchises and designs on carving out its own place in the Sunday spotlight.

Only two of the eight NFC teams would go head-to-head in the same city as an AFA club. That would be Los Angeles and New York, markets considered essential by the new loop in order to be truly considered "big-league." Thus the Los Angeles Olympians and New York Titans were born. They would be joined in the NFC by the Cincinnati Riverman, who would be the second team to call the Queen City home as the AFA's Los Angeles Tigers had spent the 1940's based in Ohio. Rounding out the NFC were the Dallas Stallions, Denver Mountaineers, Miami Mariners, Minnesota Lakers and San Diego Admirals.

*** Quick Deal on Championship Game ***

Unlike the American Football Association's relationship with the old Continental Conference, which was icy from the get-go and never did thaw, the AFA owners seemed to grudgingly accept the newcomers, even in Los Angeles and New York, where there would be direct competition with a club from each loop.

Whether it was to prove its superiority or to take advantage of the television revenue a football version of the "World Championship Series" might generate, the AFA quickly agreed to a true championship game that would feature the champion from each league. A championship classic between the winners of the two leagues was something the CFC asked time and again from the original grid loop but was continuously rebuffed. The AFA did get something in return for agreeing the play the title game with the National Football Association - an agreement that the NFA clubs would honour AFA contracts and not attempt to raid players from the established circuit, something that sent salaries spiraling the last time the AFA had competition. The two sides also agreed to a shared draft of collegiate players, which would further eliminate the bidding wars that caused heavy expenses when the CFC made its debut.

The two loops would play completely separate regular seasons and hold their own league title game between the division winners. The only meeting between the two leagues, aside from a few preseason exhibitions, would be that best on best championship game in late December.

With the eight new clubs representing the NFA, it was decided that a weighted lottery would be used to determine the selection order. The top choice in the college draft ended up going to the Washington Wasps, who opted for Whitney College safety Don Larson. Larson would start all 14 games for the Wasps as a rookie and record 72 tackles. Larson would receive some consideration as defensive rookie of the year but the nod went to another Great Lakes Alliance graduate in linebacker Ed Hardy, who was selected 8th overall by the Los Angeles Tigers. It was little surprise that seven of the eight NFA clubs selected quarterbacks in the draft led by the Miami Mariners who had the third choice. Miami opted for Steve Giles from Eastern Kansas, who officially became the NFA's first player.

RAMBLERS ONCE MORE CLASS OF AFA

The addition of a championship game with the NFA winner meant getting off to a fast-start was essential for AFA clubs as league decided against three weeks of playoffs and eliminated the old semi-final week which meant only the winner of each of the two divisions would qualify for the playoffs, not the first and second place clubs that had been the norm for more than a decade.

The St. Louis Ramblers, who won their first-ever league title last year, were adapters of the quick start philosophy and won 10 of their first 11 games. St Louis had the most prolific offense in the league led not only by halfback Dean Turgeon, who was the playoff MVP in their title win a year ago and rushed for 1,352 yards this season, but also by the return of quarterback Jim Driver. The 1959 first round pick out of Liberty College was limited to just 5 games a year ago but was healthy and appeared in all 14 regular season games for the third time in the past four seasons. Driver was second in the AFA with 2,132 passing yards and topped the loop with 18 touchdown throws.

Counted in those 10 wins in the first 11 weeks for the Ramblers was a pair of victories over Houston. They would prove key as the Ramblers stumbled down the stretch with back-to-back losses in Kansas City and Pittsburgh before rebounding with a season ending victory in San Francisco. The Drillers were just 7-3 after ten games, including the two losses to St Louis, but their offense finally caught up with their dominant defense and Houston finished the season on a 4-game winning streak which left them tied with the Ramblers for top spot in the West Division at 11-3. In the past that meant they would meet in the divisional playoff, but no longer as St Louis claimed the tie-breaker on head-to-head record and went straight to the AFA championship game for the right to face the winner of the NFA.

Detroit was third in the West at 8-6 as the Maroons broke in a new quarterback in 1963 first overall selection Dave Owen. With Owen ready to play every day the Maroons long and rocky road with Sled Hicks came to an end as the 28-year-old, who never quite seemed to live up to his potential in Detroit, was cut and signed with the Los Angeles Olympians of the NFA. All Hicks did was lead the new loop in passing yardage and was named to the end of year NFA All-Pro team, something he never did accomplish in the Motor City.

The Los Angeles Tigers finished fourth in the West after going 6-8 for the third straight season while the 5-9 Chicago Wildcats missed the playoffs for the second year in a row, something that had only happened once before since 1953. San Francisco and Kansas City rounded out the division as each has had its struggles in recent years.

The Philadelphia Frigates were the class of the East Division, going 10-4 and returning to the postseason after a three year drought. Only the Ramblers scored more points than the Frigates who were led by fifth year quarterback Jack Osterman. The former first rounder out of College of San Diego made the All-Pro game for the 5th year in a row while throwing for a league high 2,585 yards. Ed Tunstall was Osterman's favourite target and he accumulated 1,106 receiving yards, more than 400 more than any other player in either the AFA or NFA. Rounding out the big offensive trio in Philadelphia was veteran Frigates halfback Doug Lucy became just the sixth player in modern AFA history to surpass 10,000 career yards after gaining 1,233 in this his 12th season with the Frigates.

The New York Stars beat the Frigates twice in 1964 but at 9-5 overall, lost the division by a single game to their Philadelphia rivals. The Stars featured linebacker Billy Board, an 11 year veteran out of Central Ohio who was named the league's Defensive Player of the Year. The New York offense had some struggles, particularly late in the season when they dropped three of their final four games including a devasting 17-14 loss to the 3-10-1 Pittsburgh Paladins at Gothams Stadium which cost them a division title.

The Washington Wasps, at 8-6, finished third in the East Division followed by Buffalo and Boston, both at 7-7. For the Americans it ended a two-year streak of reaching the league championship game. Cleveland and Pittsburgh rounded out the East and for the two rust belt rivals there has been little to cheer about in quite some time. Paladins have gone a dozen years without postseason action while for the Finches it is 17 and counting with Cleveland having to go all the way back to their only title team -in 1947- for their last playoff berth.

*** Record-Breaking Season For Lakers Herrod ***

The NFA was without a doubt a far inferior product compared with the brand of football played in the AFA. The eight teams were comprised of cast-offs from the established loop along with a few high-profile rookies selected in the 1964 draft. Two of the cast-offs made history as, with quality quarterbacking at a premium, NFA clubs found success running the ball. As result a pair of AFA backs rewrote the record book with Minnesota's Harmon Harrod rushing for a pro record 1,938 yards and Duffy Knotts of the Los Angeles Olympians gained 1,933.

Entering the season the AFA record for rushing yards in a season was 1,649 established by Bryan Mitre of the New York Stars in 1957. It was not just the new loop that focused on the run this season as in 1964 no less than five players, highlighted by Harrod, surpassed the high-water mark entering the season. Jerry Walsh from the NFA's debutant New York Titans had 1,761 but the other two to surpass Mitre's mark came from the AFA as Chicago's George Hornback ran for 1,827 while Greg Heller of Detroit's gained 1,657.

Harrod was the top dog as the former St. Magnus star returned to the state he played his college ball in by joining the Minnesota Lakers after three seasons as a backup with the Detroit Maroons. Harrod also established a new mark for rushing touchdowns by scoring 18 as he, along with rookie quarterback Jody Lofgren - a first round pick out of Rainier College- led the Lakers to a league best 12-2 record. The Los Angeles Olympians chased the Lakers all season but fell just short. The Olympians were led by former Detroit signal-caller Sled Hicks and Duffy Knotts, who spent the previous four seasons as the backup halfback of the Pittsburgh Paladins.

The Miami Mariners topped the East Division with a 10-4 mark, relying on a strong defense and a pair of rookie quarterbacks in first rounder Steve Giles along with a surprising undrafted local product from Western Florida by the name of Sam John. The New York Titans, featuring veteran back Jerry Walsh who ran for over 1600 yards for Washington two years ago before retiring only to be lured back by the Titans after sitting out the 1963 campaign, finished second at 7-7.

PLAYOFFS

Dean Turgeon was the most valuable player of the playoffs last season as he helped the long-suffering St. Louis Ramblers to finally win their first AFA title after 30 years in the league. Turgeon, a 29-year-old halfback who started his career in Washington before joining the Ramblers four years ago, came up with another dominant post-season effort in the AFA playoff game between the Ramblers and the East Division champion Philadelphia Frigates. Turgeon ran for 143 yards on 21 carries and scored two touchdowns to pace the Ramblers to a 41-13 drubbing of Philadelphia.

The NFA playoff also featured a dominant rusher as Harmon Harrod, who had set the regular season rushing record the week before, ran over around and through the Miami Mariners as his Minnesota Lakers claimed a 20-10 victory. In all Harrod carried the ball 28 times for 153 yards and scored the game's first touchdown.

Doing the same thing a week later against the Ramblers was another story as Harrod and the Lakers were dumped 27-3 as St Louis claimed its second consecutive title. Give the debutant Lakers some credit, as most expected the outcome to be even more lobsided. Minnesota did keep St Louis off the scoresheet for the first quarter and only trailed 10-0 at the break.

The Gateway City had now won 3 World Championship Series in baseball and two football titles in the past three years. Harrod was held to 50 yards rushing by the Ramblers defense. Turgeon rushed for 86 yards against the Lakers and that showing, combined with his huge effort the week prior against Philadelphia, earned the veteran Ramblers star his second straight playoff MVP award.

Tiger Fan · 09-01-2025, 08:47 PM

JANUARY 2, 1965

COWPENS STATE SURPRISE NATIONAL CHAMP IN YEAR OF CHANGE

Just as professional football entered a new era in the fall of 1964, the college game also experienced its own shake-ups—though nothing so earth-shattering as the arrival of a rival league. For the first time in nearly two decades, the familiar landscape of the collegiate conferences saw a round of reshuffling as several schools switched conferences and it was decided, after several years of debate, to add more games.

The American Intercollegiate Athletic Association, governing body for the nation’s major colleges, had long wrestled with the question of expanding the football schedule. Traditionalists warned that piling on more games would tip the scales against the “student” side of the student-athlete equation. But with television dollars growing louder than the voices of caution, the verdict was inevitable. Beginning in 1964, most schools added an extra game or two, pushing the standard regular season to 11 contests, with some still tacking on the traditional Classic.

That change in scheduling played a leading role in two conferences expanding their rosters to a more convenient eight members. The Southwestern Alliance —made up of six Texas powers plus Arkansas A&T— stuck close to home by welcoming the College of Waco Cowboys, a rising program that had proven itself as an independent. The Cowboys, fresh off an 8-2 campaign and their third top-25 finish in seven years, were a natural fit for the SWA.

Meanwhile, the Plains Athletic Association reached across state lines to bring in the Eastern Oklahoma Pioneers, an old rival of Oklahoma City State that immediately spices up the conference race. The Pioneers, long a strong program in the Midwestern Conference, went .500 last fall but have three New Year’s Day appearances in the last seven years to their credit. Their arrival gives the Plains circuit new punch and puts it closer to the ranks of the nation’s elite groupings, alongside the SWA, the Great Lakes Alliance, the Deep South, the South Atlantic, and the West Coast Athletic Association.

Not all the moves were expansion. Out west, the WCAA trimmed back to eight members after saying farewell to Idaho A&M. The Pirates had struggled badly in recent years —going just 4-46 between 1958 and ’62— before showing brief signs of life with a 6-4 record last fall. But the die had been cast long before and the Pirates were jettisoned. With Idaho A&M gone, the WCAA now boasts a clean eight-school slate, allowing each club to meet all seven rivals and crown a more deserving champion for the annual East-West Classic in Santa Ana.

That leaves only the Great Lakes Alliance, with its 10 members, and the sprawling Deep South, at an even dozen, as the lone major circuits outside the eight-team model now favored across the country.

*** All Eyes on Georgia Baptist ***

As the season began it was the defending national champion Georgia Baptist Gators that was once more tabbed as the squad to beat. The Gators were on the verge of a dynasty, if they were not already there, with 3 national titles to go along with a fifth and sixth ranking nationally over the past five years. In that span the Gators had posted an 50-5 record including a pair of perfect 11-0 seasons. With what was widely considered to be the best defense in the nation and a strong offense led by junior quarterback Jack Forsythe the Gators were the preseason favourite to win another title.

The early stages of the season did little to change that opinion as Georgia Baptist rolled to a 7-0 start that included Deep South Conference road wins over Western Florida and Mississippi A&M as well as an impressive 38-13 dismantling of what at the time was a 6-1 St Blane team fresh off an impressive win of its own when the Fighting Saints thumped Rome State 44-10. Senior halfback Charlie Radley, who would run for more than 1,500 yards during the season, reeled off 139 and 4 touchdowns as the Saints had no answer for the Gators ground game in what ended a 38-13 Baptist victory.

As it turned out that was the high point of the Gators season as Georgia Baptist was proved to be human a week later by a gutsy College of Omaha eleven that handed the Gators their first loss in over two years 24-17. The Gators would also lose to Deep South rival Cumberland two weeks later but still finished atop the conference and were invited to play on New Year's Day for the sixth consecutive season.

The two losses had left the Gators ranked sixth entering the Classic games. On the top was an Oklahoma City State school that was a perfect 11-0 and the only unbeaten team left in the nation. The Wranglers were 11-0 and Plains Athletic Association champions as they prepared to face 10-1 Cowpens State, winners of the South Atlantic crown and ranked third, in the Sunshine Classic. It would be the second year in a row the Sunshine Classic would determine the national champion as the Gators finished off their perfect season last year with a win over the same Oklahoma City State Wranglers who looked to turn the same trick and complete a perfect season on New Year's Day in Miami.

All that stood in the Wranglers way was Cowpens State. The Fighting Green were a decent program, long-time members of the South Atlantic Conference but had never finished higher than the #11 ranking they earned a year ago following an 8-2 season. The Green won the SAC title for the first time in five years after posting a 7-1 section record, only marred by an early season 21-14 loss on the road at Maryland State. That would be Cowpens State only blemish as they entered New Year's with a 10-1 record that included an impressive 31-0 shutout of east coast independent power Commonwealth Catholic.

The Fighting Green did not stand out in any facet of the game but they were good at everything and did not beat themselves with turnovers. Halfback Hubert Clary, a sophomore who gained 1,507 yards and ran for an AIAA best 23 touchdowns on the year, along with junior quarterback Roger Flora were named to the South Atlantic All-Conference team and were the closest things to star players on Cowpens State. The school was not expected to win the conference title, let along play for the national championship.

Oklahoma City State was also a slightly unexpected choice for an unbeaten team entering the Classic games. The Wranglers did play in the Sunshine Classic three of the previous four years but were outside the top 25 a year ago and just two years removed from a dreadful 2-8 campaign. The key game of their season had to be the 20-13 victory on the road over a 4-1 at the time Eastern Kansas club that ultimately decided the Plains Athletic Association title. The win improved the Wranglers to 6-0 and aside from needing a late touchdown to beat American Atlantic 26-22 a week later they were not tested the rest of the way. Even College of Omaha, which had the key upset win over Georgia Baptist, did not provide a huge threat to the Wranglers in the regular season finale on Thanksgiving Weekend, as Oklahoma City State led all the way in a 23-14 victory.

The Sunshine Classic, played in just that on a warm afternoon in Miami, saw the Wranglers take an early lead by driving for a field goal on their opening possession but they Wranglers knew they were in for a game when Cowpens State's rushing game, led by Clary and senior Leroy Avers drove for a touchdown on their second possession of the game. In the end the difference was the Cowpens State held the Wranglers to field goals as the Fighting Green went up 27-9 early in the fourth period, that was keyed by a trio of 1-yard scoring runs from touchdown king Clary. The Wranglers finally found the endzone with just over 3 minutes left but by then it was much too late and Cowpens State celebrated its first national title.

*** East-West Classic Foes Entered Santa Ana Feeling They Deserved Title Consideration ***

The Oklahoma City State stumble in the Sunshine Classic certainly jolted alive the title hopes of both the Coastal California Dolphins and Central Ohio Aviators as the two prepared to kick-off the East-West Classic in Santa Ana, CA., later that afternoon. Both schools were 10-1 entering the game with the Dolphins, winners of the West Coast Athletic Association title, ranked second, two spots ahead of the Great Lakes Alliance champs from Columbus, OH.

If past appearances in Santa Ana are any indication, neither school entered the East-West Classic with a load of confidence. The Dolphins had lost 24-9 to Minnesota Tech a year ago and also lost the last time they played in the game, back in 1944 when Central Ohio had beaten them 24-17 to culminate the Aviators perfect season that year. More recently the Aviators had little luck in Santa Ana either, losing each of their four previous New Year's Day trips west including two years ago against Lane State.

Someone had to win and if it was the Dolphins one would have to think they would move up a spot to number one with the Wranglers loss in the Sunshine Classic, giving Coastal California its record sixth national title but first since 1932. It did not happen as Scott Perry ran for 120 yards and two second half touchdowns to lead Central Ohio to a 24-14 victory. The Aviators, now 11-1 like Cowpens State, would move up in the polls but only two spots and finished second in the final rankings behind the Fighting Green. Georgia Baptist, which beat Southwestern Alliance champion Texas Gulf Coast 14-3 in the Oilman Classic, would finish third followed by Minnesota Tech and Oklahoma City State to round out the top five. The Dolphins finished 6th.

COLLEGE FOOTBALL NOTES

The Sunshine Classic victory that sealed the number one ranking for Cowpens State was the first time the Fighting Green had ever won on New Years. They had played in two other Classic's but ended up on the losing end both times.
Pittsburgh State, which beat Chesapeake State 26-6 in the Lone Star Classic, Charleston Tech -winners in the Cajun Classic and Bayside Classic champ Eastern Kansas also won for the first time on New Year's Day.
Payne State's Vern Rebovich became just the third back to top the 2000 yard rushing mark with 2,238 on the season. It helped earn the senior the Christian Trophy as college football player of the year.
Minnesota Lakers senior quarterback Ed Corsetti threw 17 touchdown passes this season. Only three teams a QB has thrown more in a season with the record being 26 established by Bayou State's George Girard in 1956.
Staying with in the Great Lakes Alliance, defensive end Larry Parker, a sophomore at Central Ohio, set a conference record with 11 sacks this season. In the AIAA since the stat began being tracked in 1950, only Renie Marquardt of St Patrick's (14 in 1954) and Spokane State's Andy Walsh (12 in 1953) have ever recorded more.
It looks like the Georgia Baptist run will continue for the foreseeable future. Recruits won't officially commit until the spring but it appears the Gators have inked eight five-star recruits out of the upcoming class including Brian Eagle, a quarterback out of Riverdale, GA., who is ranked the top recruit in the country according to the OSA. Aside from the Gators, only Mile High State and Miami State, with three 5-star commitments, have landed more than one of them so far.

KING RULES MIDDLEWEIGHT DIVISION

Lyman King, the pride of Oakland, Cal., extended his hold on the middleweight division with three more successful title defenses in 1964. That makes the 27-year-old, who first claimed the title in 1962 before briefly losing it and then getting it back in 1963, the only champion in the American Boxing Federation's three major division to both start and end 1964 as champion.

The heavyweight title now also resides on the west coast as Norm Robinson, a 29-year-old power puncher who grew up in Los Angeles and owns a 33-2 career record, may be at the start of a long run as champion of boxing's marquee division. Robinson, who made his pro debut nearly seven years ago, had his first title chance in 1960 but was no match for then-champion George Galleshaw.

The current champ will be the first to admit he was not yet ready and he lost again in his first fight after the schooling from Galleshaw, dropping a decision to Bert Parks. Since then Robinson has won seven straight fights, five by knockout, culminating in a unanimous decision over Steve Leivers at New York's Bigsby Garden in late September that made Robinson the top fighter in the world.

The welterweight division saw Brandon Dart take the crown away from former champ Matt Leach. It took two bouts for that to happen as the pair battled to a majority draw in Chicago on April 30th. A rematch was hastily arranged in Las Vegas and Dart, a 25-year-old who was born in Wales but grew up in New York City beat fellow New York Leach in a unanimous decision to claim the title. Whether he holds on to it remains to be seen as Dart had to settle for a technical draw with yet another New Yorker, Charlie McMichael after an accidental head butt opened a large gash over the challengers right eye in the penultimate 14th round. At the time of the stoppage, the judges were equally split on the outcome with one favouring the champ by a point, another seeing McMichael ahead by 2 points and the third scoring the bout dead even up to that point. It is expected a rematch will be staged in the spring.

The Year That Was
Current events from 1964

Jan 3- Senator Barry Goldwater of Arizona announced he will seek the Republican nomination for president.
Jan 8- In his first State of the Union Address, President Johnson declares a "War on Poverty."
Jan 9- Armed clashes between US troops and Panamanian civilians in the Panama Canal Zone precipitates a major international crisis, resulting in the deaths of 21 Panamanians and 4 US soldiers.
Jan 11- For the first time, the US Surgeon General's office reports that smoking may be hazardous to one' health.
Jan 16- John Glenn, the first American to orbit the Earth, resigns from the space program and a day later announces that he will run for the US Senate in Ohio.
Jan 28- A US Air Force jet training plane that strays into East Germany is shot down by Soviet fighters killing all 3 crew members.
Feb 1- The Beatles vault to #1 in the US singles charts for the first time with "I Want to Hold Your Hand." A week later they arrive at JFK Airport in New York, with 4,000 fans waiting in what marks the first occurrence of "Beatlemania" in the US.
Feb 26- John Glenn is suffers an inner ear injury after slipping on a rug in his home, forcing him to withdraw from the race for a Senate nomination.
Mar 4- Teamsters boss Jimmy Hoffa is convicted of jury tampering and receives a jail sentence.
Mar 9- The first Ford Mustang ins manufactured/
Mar 14- A Dallas jury finds Jack Ruby guilty of killing Kennedy assassin Lee Harvey Oswald.
May 19- The US State Department reports that more than 40 hidden microphones have been found embedded in the walls of the US Embassy in Moscow.
Jul 2- President Johnson signs the Civil Rights Act of 1964 into law, abolishing racial segregation in the United States
Jul 27- The US sends 5,000 more military advisors to South Vietnam, bringing the total number of US forces in that country to 21,000.
Aug 7- Days after North Vietnam aircraft attacked two American Navy ships, Congress passes the Gulf of Tonkin Resolution, giving the President broad war powers to deal with North Vietnamese attacks on US forces.
Aug 27- President Johnson is nominated with US Senator Hubert Humphrey as his running mate is nominated at the Democratic National Convention.
Oct 14- Martin Luther King Jr. becomes the youngest recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize.
Nov 3- With over 60 percent of the popular vote, President Johnson defeats Republican challenger Barry Goldwater in the Presidential Election.
Dec 1- President Johnson and his top-ranking advisors agree on a 2-phase bombing plan to attack North Korea.

Tiger Fan · 09-04-2025, 08:22 AM

MAY 2, 1965

VALIANTS REPEAT AS CHALLENGE CUP CHAMPS

The Montreal Valiants finished fourth a year ago, but that was good enough to qualify for the playoffs under rookie coach Matt McGranahan who then led the club to playoff upset victories over regular season champion Boston and Detroit to capture the Challenge Cup. A year later, McGranahan's Vals put together one of the most dominant regular seasons the NAHC has ever seen and went on to win their second consecutive Challenge Cup and the seventh in franchise history.

Montreal finished with 104 points -the first team to top the century mark- and a record 44 victories, one more than the previous mark held by the 1958-59 Toronto Dukes who ended up with 97 points. The Valiants led the NAHC in goals with 218 and were led by Scott Ducek (34-46-80), a 27-year-old center who won his first league scoring title and was rewarded with the McDaniels Trophy as the NAHC's most valuable player, ending a two-year hold by Detroit's Hobie Barrell (30-38-68) on both of those. Montreal also benefited from strong seasons from 23-year-old Ed Haliday (17-43-60) and Tim Bernard (29-30-59), a 26-year-old rookie signed from the Great West League.

However, the Valiants biggest asset was its play in its own end. Montreal surrendered just 133 goal against all season- less than two per game and 47 less than the second best club in that category, the Chicago Packers. All four defense spots on the First and Second All-Star teams were claimed by Vals with 3-time Dewar Trophy winner Mark Moggy (11-27-38) joined by Jack Charest (7-13-20) on the first team and Gil Thibault (8-15-23) and Jeff Gaudreault (3-26-29) comprising the second squad blueline pairing. Ducek was also a first-team all-star as was goaltender Nathan Bannister, who put together a season for the ages at the age of 34. Bannister played in 60 games, going 38-8-14 with a sparkling 1.94 goals against average. The 38 victories was the most a netminder had ever accumulated in an NAHC season and his 9 shutouts were tied for the fourth highest number in league history. Bannister was rightly rewarded with the 4th Juneau Trophy of his career.

Montreal finished 22 points clear of the second place Chicago Packers in a season that did not have much drama regarding its outcome, as the positioning of the top four became quite evident very early. The Packers relied on a trio of veterans to lead them in forwards Ken York (29-29-58), Pete Bernier (18-40-58) and Pete's brother, defenseman Guy Bernier (11-24-35) but had little hope of keeping pace with the Vals.

Boston was third, eleven points back of Chicago but four points ahead of the fourth place Detroit Motors. The Bees said good-bye to goaltender Oscar James after 17 seasons in the Boston net, during which he posted a 388-317-48 record while winning a pair of Juneau Trophies and helping the Bees to two Challenge Cup wins. James' departure left a giant hole between the pipes for the Bees and 28-year-old Francois Campeau (20-22-10, 2.89) had difficulty stepping into the number one role in his second NAHC season. The Bees did still have some offensive stars, led by 31-year-old Neil Wilson (13-48-61) and a very impressive performance from 21-year-old Bruce Callahan (33-14-47) who played just 63 games but finished just 1 shy of Montreal's Ducek in goals while playing in his first full NAHC campaign.

Detroit also had a shift in net as veteran Charlie Dell gave way to rookie Ben Nachbauer (17-16-12, 2.60), who did a decent job as the 36-year-old Dell was relegated to backup duties. Hobie Barrell (30-38-68) still led Detroit in scoring and finished fourth in the league but the 24-year-old's numbers were clearly down from his previous three seasons. Hobie's big brother Benny (14-36-50) made up somewhat, enjoying the second most productive season of his seven years in the Motor City. The Motors secondary scoring seemed to dry up as the club only managed to outscore the last place Toronto Dukes this season.

It was just an awful year for the Dukes, who won just 16 games and finished in last place for the first time since the 1946-47 season. The only real thing to cheer about in Hogtown was Quinton Pollack (27-38-65), who bounced back and scored 27 goals after netting just 14 the year before. That allowed the 42-year-old, who entered the season already as the NAHC all-time point producer to surpass former Chicago great Tommy Burns for the goal scoring lead as well. Pollack now has 578 goals, 14 more than Burns finished with, and 1,366 points. Burns is second in that category as well with 1,220.

There were two other things to get excited about in Toronto. One would be Andrew Williams (20-52-72) as the 25-year-old set a career high in points while splitting time between defense and right wing. The other was 24-yer-old third year winger Hank Knackstedt (27-37-64) who took a step forward after experiencing a sophomore slump a year ago.

That leaves the often forgotten New York Shamrocks. The good news is the Greenshirts did not finish last, nosing out Toronto by two points for fifth place and ending a string of four straight seasons in the cellar. The bad news is New York once again missed the playoffs and it is now 10 out of the past 11 years New York has failed to crack the top four. The Shamrocks have not won a playoff series in 16 years. And more bad news as Johnny Hawker (9-20-24), age 24, who had a pretty solid season a year ago, suffered a major shoulder injury and missed the first half of the 1964-65 campaign. The good news is 25-year-old winger Alex Kalmakoff (18-52-70) took another step forward by finishing third in league scoring and being the first Shamrock to be named to the NAHC's first all-star team in a decade.

NAHC PLAYOFFS

A year ago the Montreal Valiants took everyone by surprise in the playoffs but that was certainly not the case this time around. As it turned out it did not matter as no one could stop the Vals with Montreal needing only one more than the minimum eight games needed to claim the Challenge Cup.

First up for the Valiants was the Detroit Motors, the club Montreal swept in the NAHC finals last April. The opener was all Montreal as the hosts outshot Detroit 36-15 and outscored them 5-0. There was not a lot for Nathan Bannister to do in the Vals net but he did pick up another shutout after earning nine of them during the regular season. Alex Bates, a third line center who scored just 3 times in 38 regular season games, scored twice in the postseason opener and for good measure also added an assist.

Game two saw the Vals outshoot Detroit in a similar manner as the series opener and claim a 4-2 victory. Mark Moggy paced the victors, who led 4-0 after forty minutes before Detroit finally beat Bannister with two in the third, as Moggy set up three of the Montreal goals.

A change of venue for the third game did little to change the series as Bannister notched his second shutout in three games with another 5-0 Montreal win. This one was closer than the score indicated as the Vals added 3 goals in the closing minutes of the third period with Detroit desperately trying to generate some offense. Detroit finally got a win in game four as the Motors, despite surrendering a 2-0 lead after forty minutes, won 3-2 thanks to a Jimmy Nonis overtime goal just over six minutes into the extra frame.

Two nights later back in Montreal the Valiants ended the series with an 8-3 rout of the Motors. Ed Haliday and Alex Bates -the game one scoring star- each had two goals and an assist in the victory while regular season scoring champ Scott Ducek also enjoyed a 3-point evening.

*** Packers and Bees Go the Distance ***

The other semi-final was a drawn out affair that went the full seven games with every contest being won by the home team. Chicago took a 2-0 series lead with a 7-4 win in the opener followed by a 5-2 victory but Boston bounced back with a pair of one goal victories, both in regulation time, on the Denny Arena ice to even things up. Games five and six each required overtime. In Chicago Ken York was the hero with a marker in the opening minute of the overtime period to give the Packers a 4-3 win in the fifth game but two nights later in Boston the Bees once more evened things up. That one also ended in 4-3 score with Mitchell Cook, a veteran defenseman who rarely finds the back of the net, scoring the winner in overtime for the Bees.

Game seven at Lakeside Auditorium was tied at one after twenty minutes but the Packers blew it open with three second period goals. Chicago added two more in the final twenty minutes, both by Ken York who scored 8 times in the series, and the Packers advanced to the Challenge Cup finals for the third time in six years with a 6-2 game seven victory over Boston.

*** Montreal Too Strong For Packers in Final ***

After setting a regular season record for wins and points in a season it seemed there would be no stopping the Montreal Valiants from winning a second straight Challenge Cup. The Chicago Packers did their best but were clearly overmatched, marking the fifth straight time the Packers lost a series with the Cup on the line. Chicago's only Challenge Cup title came in 1952. Since then they have made five other appearances but until this year had never met Montreal in a Cup final.

Game one was a thriller at the Montreal Arena, with the hosts scoring the opening goal just over three minutes into the contest but Chicago equalized before the period came to an end. The two teams traded goals in the middle frame as well but despite combining for 25 shots in the third period, neither team could get the winner. It finally came just under 4 minutes into the overtime period as Matt Mercier scored for the Vals with an assist from Mark Moggy, who setup all three Montreal goals on the evening.

Game two was also decided by a single goal but it came in regulation as Scott Ducek set up Vals rookie Tim Bernard with the game winner on the powerplay with just over three minutes remaining in the third period to make the final 4-3 Montreal. Chicago's Ken York, who had 8 goals in the series against Boston, scored his 9th of the playoffs in the loss.

The series shifted to Chicago and the Packers led 1-0 after twenty minutes thanks to a Tommy Gordon goal but Jeff Gaudreault and Clyde Raines scored in the second period to give the Valiants a 2-1 lead. Rookie Bernard iced the win with an insurance marker late in the third to make the final 3-1 and put Montreal up three games to none in the series.

It was May 1, the latest an NAHC season had ever gone, when the puck dropped for game four. It was desperation time for the hometown Packers but the wind went out of their sails early when Montreal scored twice - goals from Colton Keil and Roy Forgeron- in a two minute span midway through the opening period. The Packers did fight back with two of their own in the second period to tie the game and Ken York sent the Chicago crowd into a frenzy when he gave the Packers a 3-2 lead early in the third with his 10th goal of the playoffs. That would be the high point for the hometown crowd as Montreal responded with three quick goals, two of them from the rookie Bernard both set up by Ducek, and the Valiants would complete the sweep with a 5-3 victory.

That marks the seventh time the Montreal Valiants have won the Challenge Cup and the fourth since 1950. Only Toronto with 12 and Boston with 9 Cups have won more than the Vals. As for Chicago they are now 1-7 all-time in Challenge Cup final series.

AN ALL-OUT OFFENSIVE IS LAUNCHED IN FBL
Record Setting Season From Robinson as Scoring Soars

The focus of the 1964-65 Federal Basketball League season could be summed up in one word- offense - as the game opened up and fans were treated to a scoring display never seen in the sport. The tempo of play had been increasing ever year for the past decade, but it reached a fever pitch in the most recent season. Add in stricter enforcement of rules to inhibit defenders from gaining an unfair advantage and a widening of the lane from 12 to 16 feet and the result was FBL teams ended up scoring a little more than 30 points more a game this time around than they averaged the previous season.

The 1964-65 season was also witness to one of the best divisional races the loop has ever seen along with a record-setting scoring performance from New York forward Ken Robinson. In the end the same two clubs that played for the league title a year ago - the Toronto Falcons and Philadelphia Phantoms- once more met for the championship but this time the outcome was reversed as the Phantoms were crowned kings of the FBL for the third time in franchise history.

Much of the attention all season was focused on Robinson as the 27-year-old native of Indianapolis by way of Bluegrass State rewrote the league record book by averaging 33.9 points per game. Robinson suited up for all 80 contests for the New York Knights and scored 50 or more points in 10 games during the regular season including a league-record 65 points in a 136-111 win over Boston in November.

Certainly scoring was up around the league as the style of play changed but that did not make Robinson's accomplishments any less amazing. Entering the season only three times had an FBL player scored at least fifty points in a single game. They would be Detroit's Ward Messer with 55 in 1948, Millard Caldwell equaled Messer's output in a game three years later and the third was Luther Gordon, when the former Chicago great popped in 50 points in a 1957 contest. As mentioned Robinson reached the half century mark or better ten times in 1964-65 but it was hardly a common occurrence around the league as the only other player to scored 50 in a game this season was Dan Holland of Philadelphia, who landed right on that magic 50 mark a week before Robinson's 65 point outing. The result is there have now been 14 incidents of a player scoring 50 or more points in a single game and ten of them belonged to Ken Robinson.

Robinson's 33.9 ppg average smashed the old record set by Richard Campbell in 1946-47 when the Chicago Panthers big man averaged 28.3 ppg. Bert LaBrecque of Boston was second in scoring this year, but ended just shy of Campbell's old record at 28.2 ppg.

*** Playoff Race in East Goes Down to Wire ***

Despite the heroics of Robinson, who is in his 5th year with the Knights after being selected fifth overall in the 1959 college draft, New York failed to make the playoffs. The Knights, who finished second in the East Division a year ago, found themselves trailing the Washington Statesmen by a single game for the third and final playoff spot with two games remaining in the season. The two clubs would play each other in a season-ending home and home series to determine who would qualify for the postseason.

The Knights hosted the Statesmen at Bigsby Garden on the Saturday and Robinson put on a clinic, scoring 50 points for the 10th and final time this season, as New York won a shootout 143-124. The two clubs were tied and the winner of the Sunday game in the nation's capital would move on to the playoffs. Robinson was "held" to 39 points and it was not enough as Washington, which got 46 out of Sam Pisani and 30 from Ralph Peck, would claim its first postseason berth in four years with a 122-107 victory, ending the Knights season.

There was also excitement at the top of the East Division standings as well as Philadelphia and Boston fought it out all year for top spot. The Centurions beat Philadelphia in Boston's Denny Arena on the final day of the regular season to leave both clubs deadlocked at 47-33 but the Phantoms earned top spot and the first-round bye that comes with it by virtue of a better head-to-head record against Boston during the regular season.

There was a little less drama in the West Division as Toronto, winners of the league title in two of the past three seasons, clinched top spot in the regular season for the third time in four years. Detroit was second, just two games ahead of third place Chicago but the Mustangs had clinched homecourt advantage for the opening round with 8 games remaining in the regular season. A five-game Mustangs losing streak to end the campaign certainly tightened up the final standings. The St Louis Rockets finished a distant fourth with the worst record in the league.

*** PLAYOFF RECAP ***

The opening round of the playoffs proved a bit of a surprise as each of the third-place teams were victorious. Maybe it wasn't really a surprise that Chicago swept its three-game series with Detroit after the Mustangs limped down the stretch with five consecutive losses and 9 defeats in their final 11 regular season games. The Mustangs collapse can be directly linked to the season-ending injury suffered by veteran Detroit forward Frank Black in late March.

The East also saw the road team advance, but that series went the distance. The Washington Statesmen surprised Boston, a team that finished 10 games ahead of them during the regular season, with a 102-91 win in the opener. The Centurions rebounded to win game two and even the series and then split the two games in the nation's capital to set up a decisive fifth game in Boston's Denny Arena. It was knotted a 55 at the half but the visitors pulled away in the second half and won by 9 points, giving Washington its first playoff series victory since the spring of 1959.

Washington's luck would run out against Philadelphia in the semi-finals, but the Statesmen certainly made the division champs sweat. Philadelphia won each of the first three games in the best-of-seven series, but Washington battled back with three wins of its own to force a seventh game. Dan Holland scored 28 points and Billy Stephenson added 20 as the Phantoms overcame an 8-point deficit at the half to take the series with a 124-116 victory.

The west semi-final had far less drama as the Toronto Falcons, led by the All-League guard tandem of Bill Spangler and Jim Bromberg, easily disposed of the Chicago Panthers in five games to set up a rematch of last year's finals, one in which Toronto had prevailed over Philadelphia in six games.

The series opened in Dominion Gardens and the host Falcons won easily, outscoring the Phantoms 122-100 keyed by a 28-point effort by Spangler. That would turn out to be the only win that Toronto would get in the series as the Phantoms won the next four games to win their third-ever FBL championship. Phantoms center Dan Holland, who won an AIAA championship and a Barrette Award as college MVP while at Carolina Poly, was named the playoff MVP after averaging nearly 28 points per game in the title series.

COLLEGE BASKETBALL RECAP
A MAMMOTH SEASON FOR REDWOOD

While the bulk of the attention in the West Coast Athletic Association over recent years has focused on Rainier College and CC Los Angeles, which have combined for nine titles in the annual AIAA collegiate basketball tournament, or perhaps Coastal California and Lane State -who regularly contend as well- a fifth school from the WCAA should not be overlooked.

That would be the Redwood University Mammoths, who won their second AIAA tournament title this year. For the first thirty-five years of college cage history the Mammoths barely made an impression on the sport. From 1910 until 1945 Redwood qualified for the season ending AIAA tournament just three times and never did win a tournament game. Things changed quickly and it started in the spring of 1946 when the Mammoths were added to the tournament for the fourth time and since then have only missed joining the field of 32 twice. They won their first National Title in the spring of 1948 and reached Bigsby Garden, the annual site of the semi-finals and finals, three times in a four-year span beginning in 1957, setting and tying a school record with 31 victories in each of those campaigns. They shattered the school mark this time around with a 33-4 season that also saw the Mammoths go 13-1 in WCAA play to win their fifth conference title since the end of WWII.

Paced by All-American junior forward Ron Bohall, the Mammoths lumbered through the Midwest Region as the number one seed, dominating Lawrence State, nipping North Carolina Tech by two points before defeating the region's second seed Detroit City College 67-57 to qualify for the final weekend in New York. Three of the four regions followed script with the top seed and number two reaching the regional finals. Joining the Mammoths as number one seeds in the final four were the Noble Jones College Colonels, who advanced from the South. Second seed Western Iowa won the West Region, downing Lane State 63-46. The fourth member of the semi-final group was a complete surprise as Academia Alliance champ Dickson, an 8th seed that entered the tournament with a 17-15 record, got hot at the right time and knocked off number one Maryland State in the opening round. Wins over Hamman and region #2 seed Mississippi A&M followed, and the Maroons were in the national semi-finals for the second time in school history.

Redwood put an end to the Dickson Cinderella-run by trouncing the Maroons 69-47 in the semi-finals. All-American Bohall and senior center Carey Seward each had 15 points to key the Mammoths victory. Noble Jones College downed Western Iowa 63-44 to send the Colonels to the national title game for the first time since the Charlie Barrell-led undefeated 1949-50 Noble Jones squad won the national crown. There would be no title for the Colonels this time around as Redwood prevailed by a 67-61 margin.

Tiger Fan · 09-09-2025, 08:22 PM

EDITOR'S NOTE

Last fast-forward Figment did I found it a real challenge to stay up to date with the players I inherited on the Detroit Dynamos, the FABL club I run. So, as we wait for the 1965 baseball recap as part of our new fast-forward, which should come in the next day or two, I wanted to start a new annual update I plan on posting.

It is an effort to help myself (and hopefully you the reader as well as other GMs in the league) stay more on top of who many of the key players in FABL are when we go back to weekly sim play with GMs. Just for me I am going to keep a running recap going on the progress of the Detroit first round selections between 1962 and our resumption in 1975. And for the league as a whole, I will track the progress of the top ten prospects as each year gets added into the books. Hopefully a few Dynamos will start showing up on that list but what I think it will do is give us all just a little more familiarity with some of the players who turn into the superstars of the game when we complete the fast-forward.

For those who just glance at posts the fast-forward was necessitated because we have switched through so many versions of OOTP (since OOTP19 I believe) that the league talent balance became quite messed up. Our commissioner devised a system to correct that but it meant the ratings for many players had to be adjusted. To be fair to all GM's it was decided a fast-forward a decade would be the best way to deal with it. It is the second fast-forward we have dealt with due to the file troubles but hopefully the last one.

LONG REBUILD BEGINS AT THOMPSON FIELD

With the exit of long time General Manager Harris Dixon and the Detroit Dynamos finishing eighth in the Federal Association for the first time since 1936, the eyes of Detroit baseball fans must turn fully towards the future. The club is now paying the price for winning six pennants and four World Championship Series titles in a seven year stretch last decade. It was a good run but sooner or later stars age and drafting so late in the first round year after year catches up with you and a rebuild is necessary.

At this stage the rebuild does not look like it will happen quickly. Detroit still has some talent on the big-league roster including 34-year-old Jim Norris, who should eventually earn a place in the Boone County baseball hall, as well as Ray Waggoner and rising young star Ed MacNaughton. However, there is little to get overly excited about on the farm.

Barring a miracle pennant push in the coming seasons, the late October edition of this column will focus on the future as we check in with the Dynamos recent first-round draft selections and update their top prospect list. Presently, as mentioned above, the situation is bleak with the Dynamos farm system ranking 19th among the 20 FABL clubs with only the Toronto Wolves having less in their prospect cupboard.

Here is a look at how 1964 went for recent Detroit first round selections.

DETROIT DYNAMOS FIRST ROUNDERS

1962 1st Rounder: SKIPPER ATKINS, HS RHP, 7th overall:

Atkins is not a great prospect according to OSA, ranked 144th at the end of the 1964 season and 7th in a weak Dynamos farm system. OSA projects him to have a future in the back of the rotation. Now 20, he split the '64 season between A and AA, going 10-7, 3.90 at Terre Haute before moving up to Akron where he was 5-1 but with a subpar 83 ERA+. He dropped off as OSA had the Philadelphia native as the #45 prospect on Opening Day 1964.

1963 1st Rounder: SAM MacDONALD, HS RHP, 18th overall

Like Atkins, MacDonald is a righthander drafted out of high school ball in Philadelphia. Born in Baltimore, OSA admits he is very raw but feels he does have a shot at being a top of the rotation arm someday. Ranked 65th in the end of 1964 prospect pipeline and #2 in Detroit's system behind only 1964 second round pitcher Danny Wilson. MacDonald can be a high strikeout pitcher but needs to harness his control which is almost non-existent after a year and a half at class C where he walked 109 in 142 innings.

1964 1st Rounder: DON AYERS, HS OF, 16th overall

Nicknamed Funky, the Cleveland native was another high school first rounder taken by the Dynamos. Detroit has had a lot of busts in drafting corner-OF/1B types (see Tommy Allenby, John Morrison, Dino Sharp, Joe Fulgham or Ralph Capriotti) and early indications are Ayers can be another name to add to that list. Scouting report says Ayers could still be a productive regular on a contender, but the scouting service ranks him at #194 on the prospect pipeline so I am not holding out hope. He did put up some decent numbers in 55 games at Class C after being drafted (.333/.421/.400) so perhaps there is a chance he pans out.

CURRENT (OCT 1964) TOP TEN DETROIT PROSPECTS

OSA TOP TEN OVERALL PROSPECTS

No Dynamos will make this list but let us glance around the league at who just might be the top players to close out the 1960s and beyond. Here is a look at the current top ten prospects as determined by OSA. Only two of them, #1 Bill Dunlop and #7 Tony Nava, were listed in the top ten at this time last year. Of the eight to leave the list three became FABL regulars and five just dropped further down the list this year.

Below are brief bios of the top ten from this season as well as a list of the top 20 from this year and running collection of top ten rankings beginning in the fall of 1963. This list will be updated each year.

1- BILL DUNLOP - 22, RHP Boston Minutemen

Selected 6th overall in 1963 (so final human GM draft) the former Carolina Poly star known as "The Tobacco Twister" is drawing rave reviews from OSA, which believes that Dunlop could someday end up as one of the truly elite arms in the game. He went 8-2 with a 150 ERA+ to dominate Class C as a rookie pro in 1963 after an 11-3, 2.22 draft year for Carolina Poly. That earned him the number one prospect ranking at the conclusion of 1963 and while he briefly dropped to #2 last April his outstanding work at three levels (A, AA, AAA) going 15-3 with a 2.71 era bumped Dunlop back to the top of the list. Only potential concern his he missed a month with an injury, but it was to his hamstring and not his golden arm.

2- KEN McDONOUGH- 19, RHP Kansas City Kings

Tennessee native was drafted 20th overall by the AI GM in 1964, OSA calls McDonough one of the best pitching prospects in any organization. He had a decent first pro season (6-5, 107 ERA+) at Class C Marshalltown and made a solid late season start in Class B. He is a high school arm and they may be prone to bigger talent drops in v26 but McDonough is certainly one to watch as the latest of a good crop of Kansas City pitchers.

3- BERT ALEXANDER- 19, LHP, San Francisco Sailors

A West Coast kid, Alexander played his high school ball in Santa Monica, and despite still being 19 he has already had 3 years in the pros. Drafted 18th overall in 1962, he made a nice jump up the prospect pipeline after debuting at #33 in the fall of 1962 and staying around that number (he was #30 in the spring) before a big climb this season. He spent two and a half seasons in Class C and was given his first taste of A ball this year. Just three starts so not sure we sure worry at all that he really struggled in Class A but OSA is very, very high on him.

4- OSSIE SCHRIEBER- 18, LHP, Minneapolis Millers

OSA calls his talent rare and predicts he will be in more than one Allen Award discussion down the road. Millers pipeline is thin, with just two top 100 prospects although they do have their young outfield duo of John Edwards and Frank Bradshaw already playing with the big club. There are a lot of holes on the Minneapolis mound but the 1964 first overall draft pick will likely be brought along much slower than Edwards and Bradshaw were. To start with he just turned 18 last month after being selected out of a Nebraska high school where he did not lose a game in two years on the mound. Schrieber was pretty solid in his debut, going 7-3 with a 134 ERA+ at class C St Cloud.

5- JOHNNY STILES- 19, RHP, Washington Eagles

The run on pitchers at the top continues. Selected 15th overall back in 1962, the Detroit native has bounced around the top 100 prospect list quite a lot. He was #34 shortly after signing but then fall to 91 at the beginning of the 1963 season before rebounding to 46 last April. OSA thinks he can be a staff ace and if so the Eagles may have quite a rotation in a couple of years with Stiles joining Owen Lantz, Bob Ball and Dick Adams Jr.

6- JOHN McCORMICK- 20, LHP, Boston Minutemen

The Minutemen are the first of two teams to place a pair of players in the top ten and they could be quite imposing by the time the new decade starts if both arms pan out. McCormick, a Tennessee native, was selected in the second round of the 1962 draft and, while OSA admits there is still a lot of room for growth, they project McCormick developing into an elite arm. McCormick is a little behind top prospect Dunlop, but also two years younger, but like The Tobacco Twister he pitched at 3 levels in 1964, topping at Class A where he was extremely impressive 2-1, 1.48, 283 ERA+ in 3 starts.

7- TONY NAVA- 21, 2B, New York Imperials

The first of back to back Imperials prospects in the top ten. The expansion club has the top ranked farm system in the league with 6 players ranked in the top 28 by OSA highlighted by the Cuban born infielder. Nava, was selected first overall in 1963 out of Valley State and is said to have tremendous power potential for a middle infielder. He showed that off in September when he was rewarded with a call-up by the Imperials. Nava hit just .217 in 14 big league games but did go yard twice. Looking at his defensive numbers at AAA Jersey City (.945 eff, -7.4 ZR) raise some flags that he may need to be shifted to first base or the outfield.

8- GEORGE VALIQUETTE- 22, LF, New York Imperials

For the second year in a row the Imperials drafted a college position player, opting for the Angels College (Los Angeles, CA.) outfielder with their top pick (4th overall). Like Nava, OSA sees high power potential and a good batting eye in Valiquette, who dominated the Class B level but struggled in a brief stint at AAA as a first year pro.

9- JIM THURMAN- 21, LF, Los Angeles Suns

With high draft picks in their early years you expect the four expansion clubs to be well represented in the top prospects list and the LA Suns join the mix with 1963 second rounder Thurman. The Denver native played his college ball close to home at Mile High State and has plenty of upside according to OSA. He had a decent showing as a rookie pro in 1963 splitting time between class C and B and did the same mix again this year but with much better results. With the Suns (and other 3 new clubs) adding high level minors this season it is expected Thurman may be pushed to AAA and perhaps end up with the big league club in September.

10-HUB RUSSELL- 18, RHP, Chicago Cougars

It has become pretty common through the years for a young Cougars pitcher to be featured in the top ten prospect list by OSA and the lates is their 1963 first rounder. Selected 11th overall out of a Louisville (KY) high school, Russell spent most of his two pro seasons in Class C. Interesting perhaps to note is he was unsuccessful in a bid to increase his endurance last winter at development camp but even without that bump he jumped from 30th on the previous ranking list to inside the top ten. OSA says he has 3 quality pitches and the potential to anchor a big-league rotation someday.

Next recap should be the 1965 baseball season. Can the St Louis Pioneers win a fourth consecutive WCS? Only the current edition of the Pioneers and the 1924-26 New York Stars have won 3 straight world titles. Will the Pioneers be the first to claim four in a row?

Tiger Fan · 09-10-2025, 11:03 AM

1965 IN FIGMENT BASEBALL
October 28, 1965

KEYSTONES TOP SAILORS IN SEVEN GAME WCS

For half a century they shared a hometown but the Keystones and Sailors never met in a World Championship Series while both were based in Philadelphia. They came close as the Keystones won Federal Association pennants in 1927 while the Sailors won the first of three straight Continental crowns a year later. Even after the Sailors cast their gaze to the Pacific Ocean with a move to San Francisco in 1953 there were some close calls but it was not until 1965 the Keystones and Sailors would finally meet.

The result was a hard-fought seven game World Championship Series that saw the Federal Association dominance of the WCS continue. The Philadelphia Keystones prevailed after the Sailors had rallied from a three games to one deficit with a pair of victories to stretch the series to its limit. When the dust settled the outcome was just as it has been for each of the past eight years and 11 of the past dozen: a Federal Association club was crowned World Champion.

For a change it was not the St. Louis Pioneers who saw their three year title run come to an end as St Louis, while still second in the Fed, found itself unable to keep up with the Keystones blistering 23-6 finish that stretched what was just a half game lead on the Pioneers on September 1st, to a double-digit bulge when the campaign came to a conclusion.

The Sailors had an equally hot finish and it was needed as their lead on the second place Los Angeles Stars was just a single game as late as September 23nd. However an 8-2 run to close out the campaign allowed the Sailors to finish 4 games ahead of their California counterparts.

*** Power & Pitching Propel Philadelphia ***

The Philadelphia Keystones came oh so close a year ago, falling to St Louis in a tiebreaker to determine the Federal Association pennant winner. There was no extra game required this time around as the Keystones won 100 games for the first time in franchise history and finished 10 ahead of the second place Pioneers. Philadelphia won its second pennant this decade and the Keystones have finished no worse than fourth since 1960.

Power bats have always been a trademark of the Keystones, dating back to the days of Bobby Barrell and Rankin Kellogg, and the '65 edition was no exception. With power everywhere in the lineup except, surprisingly at first base (although there is a youngster poised to change that in Jesse Walker), the Keystones had plenty of bashers who could beat you. Second sacker Andy Parker (.314,32,87) is already a five-year veteran at the age of 25 and not only finished second in Whitney Award voting but also was a Diamond Defense Award winner with his glove. Add-in young outfielder Bobby Phelps (.242,19,78) along with veterans Harry Dellinger (.271,18,55), Dick Christian (.240,23,74) and a slowing but still productive Buddy Miller (.266,14,74) and there is plenty of offense.

Couple the Philadelphia bats with big seasons from veteran moundsmen Jorge Arellano (17-5, 3.02), William Davis (15-9, 2.81) and Charlie Rushing (18-11, 3.00) plus a nice first full season out of 25-year-old Fritz Walsh (11-6, 3.86) and you have the recipe required to dethrone the Pioneers.

St Louis was in the race until the final couple of weeks as the familiar names of Frenchy Mack (19-10, 2.24), Danny Davis (.275,24,111) and Bob Bell (.288,18,77) continue to lead the Pioneers. Mack won his fourth consecutive Allen Award as the starting pitching was still a St Louis strong point. Billy Hasson (13-12, 2.99) had some tough luck with his record this season after winning 20 a year ago while Steve Madden (8-12, 4.84) saw his ERA climb for the second year in a row but veteran southpaw John Gibson (14-6, 2.33) filled a hole with his transition to the rotation after spending his first decade in the majors pitching exclusively out of the bullpen.

The Washington Eagles have not won a pennant since 1946 after finishing third for the third time in the past five years. Any team with Tom Lorang (.283,35,96) and George Whaley (.278,31,120) should not want for offense and another all-star year from 25-year-old catcher Howdy Oakes (.308,15,83) certainly helps in that regard. At the moment if Washington has an offensive weakness it is in the outfield but a pair of October trades may help. Short-term the Eagles are counting on Turk Ramsey (.242,12,48) to have a bounce back year after coming over from the New York Imperials while long-term the Eagles brass has to be thrilled with the acquisition of highly touted teen Roberto Lopez. The 18-year-old was Boston's first round pick in June and has a high ceiling, high enough that the Eagles parted with Dick Adams Jr. (5-2, 3.88), a 25-year-old who was a 13 game winner for Washington in 1964 but ran into some injury troubles this season. Some might worry about the Adams deal, especially if he recovers fully as pitching depth has long been a concern in the nation's capital but the Eagles had some success in that area in 1965 with Jim Stewart (17-11, 2.58), Owen Lantz (13-10, 3.82) and Tom Arencibia (11-7, 3.19) leading the way.

Like Washington, it has been a while since the fourth place Chicago Chiefs won a pennant. That would be back in 1949 and they have only finished in second place once since then. After three straight seasons heading the second division the Chiefs are perhaps on the rise with an 85-77 finishing landing them in fourth place this time around. Christmas arrived in February for Chiefs fans with the news that Charlie Barrell was picked up in a trade from Los Angeles. The Heartbreak Kid is no spring chicken, he turned 35 during the season, but Barrell (.256,16,63) is a member of baseball's first family and a proven leader even though he has not been an all-star since 1962.

The last time the Chiefs had a teenage phenom on the mound they won a WCS with 19-year-old Al Miller joined by veteran Rabbit Day. We are not sure teen Augie Hicks (18-7, 2.46) and 34-year-old Vern Osborne (19-12, 3.22) belong in the same discussion as the two Hall of Famers but Chiefs fans can hope the duo might lead them to a serious pennant race.

The New York Gothams topped .500 for the second consecutive season, something that has not happened since 1956-57. New York has not had a buzz about a rookie pitcher since Ed Bowman won 23 games as a 22-year-old in 1942. Now Bunny Mullins (20-7, 2.68), who did not turn 21 until July, became the first Gothams newcomer to win 20 since Bowman and has Gothams fans buzzing about the club's future. They still have a long ways to go to contend but there is some good young talent in New York alongside Mullins such as 24-year-old Jack White (12-6, 2.79) and 25-year-old first baseman Steve Burris (.272,23,78).

Certainly chants of 1901 continue to haunt the Pittsburgh Miners, who have not won a World Championship Series in 64 years and are now 25 years removed from their last pennant. There are rumblings the past few years that the team may be sold and moved as the Miners continue to linger close to the bottom in attendance year after year. Despite that, they have one of the most exciting offenses in baseball this year and led the Fed in runs scored. Whitney Award winning second baseman Dixie Turner (.343,31,115) is a big reason why as the 24-year-old claimed his first batting crown. 26-year-old first baseman Gene Schmitt (.300,19,99) also impressed once again. The pitching is another story altogether and a major weakness.

The Boston Minutemen had high hopes for 1965 after snapping a 3-year string of sub-.500 seasons with an 85-77 showing in 1964 that landed them in third place. The Minutemen slipped slightly, but still crossed the breakeven mark with an 82-80 campaign that forced them to settle for a sixth place tie with Pittsburgh. Excitement was quickly tempered when the Minutemen got off to a slow start, going 5-9 in April, but they found a new ace for their mound. Armed with a great nickname (The Tobacco Twister) and an even better assortment of pitchers, Bill Dunlop (23-8, 2.60) was hardly an unknown commodity but the 1963 first rounder out of Carolina Poly who was tabbed the top prospect in the game more than lived up to expectations. The 23-year-old won 16 of his first 20 decisions and was an easy choice for Rookie of the Year while finishing second behind only Pioneers star Frenchy Mack in the Allen Award balloting.

Offensively the Minutemen relied on veteran Frank Kirouac (.284,33,99) and a pair of 25-year-olds in George Wagner (.282,30,103) and Frank McCarroll (.251,22,60). The offense was solid and was not what held the Minutemen back from a better showing. Despite the stellar debut season from Dunlop the Minutemen lacked the pitching and the defense to mount a serious challenge for the Fed flag. They took steps to hopefully address both needs somewhat with a pair of deals immediately after the signing. First they acquired Dick Adams Jr. (5-2, 3.88) from Washington in exchange for a minor league prospect. Adams Jr. is 25 and went 23-13 with an era under 3.00 over the previous two seasons but ran into injury trouble this year. The Minutemen are banking on the former top ten prospect making a complete recovery.

The second move saw Boston address a position that was a major concern since Joe Kleman was dealt to St Louis in 1963. That would be shortstop and the solution hopefully is Joe Reed (.261,19,54). The 7-time all-star is now 32 and owns three Diamond Defense Awards for his work at shortstop in the Motor City. With Detroit going for a complete rebuild the ten-year veteran was acquired for a package of prospects and will be counted on to upgrade the Boston infield while also bringing another solid bat to the lineup.

Speaking of the Detroit Dynamos it was another awful year for the franchise that dominated the Federal Association last decade. Detroit won 75 games, one more than a year ago, but once more managed to finish ahead of just the two third year clubs. It marked the first time since 1942-43 that the Dynamos finished below .500 for two consecutive seasons.

The Dynamos had a new General Manager in Bob Caldwell and he was tasked with rebuilding what was a year ago the second worst farm system in baseball. In that regard Caldwell succeeded as the system is now considered the deepest in the sport. It came at a cost as long-time stars were dealt in a frenzy as soon as the WCS came to an end. First it was the heart of the franchise Jim Norris (16-15, 4.08) who was dispatched to the Chicago Cougars. Next up Reed went to Boston and finally it was 25-year-old Bill Anthony (.258,10,63) who was sent to the New York Imperials after a decent first full season in the big leagues. The return netted a number of top 200 prospects that quickly elevated the farm system. This after long-time second baseman Dick Tucker was dealt to Dallas before the 1965 season began.

Don't be surprised if more deals are made with veteran hurlers John Jackson (11-15, 3.21) and Bud Henderson (12-11, 4.16) along with 1B-OF Ray Waggoner (.282,16,82) likely high on the list to depart. Detroit did add one big name in a trade prior to the start of the 1965 season. The Mad Professor, Adrian Czerwinski (9-9, 24 sv) wanted out of Cleveland - a club struggling much like the Dynamos- and the 313 game winner was moved to the Motor City. He is 40 years old now and landed in the Detroit bullpen instead of the rotation marking the first time in his career he pitched in relief. Czerwinski had some success in the role as well, notching a Fed best 24 saves. Still it feels strange to not see the sure-fire future Hall of Famer not end his career in Forester green.

That leaves the two newcomers to the Fed at the bottom of the pile. It was year four for the Minneapolis Millers and Los Angeles Suns. Minneapolis won a club record 69 games but remains a long way from being considered a threat to finish with even a .500 record. The Millers have some talent to build around in their young outfielders Frank Bradshaw (.309,8,64) and John Edwards (.293,16,84) but it will be a long journey supplementing that talent through the draft. They selected another outfielder in Tennessee native Jay Hunter with the third pick of this year's draft and Hunter cracked the top 25 prospect list.

The Suns win total dropped by 8 from a year ago as they dipped to 54-100 and they also have some solid prospects highlight by OSA #5 Jim Perrin, an 18-year-old pitcher selected with the fourth pick in the 1965 draft. The big league roster remains a collection of other team's cast-offs with only 22-year-old outfielder Sam Forrester (.232,24,66) looking like a player that could still be starting for the team half a decade from now.

The San Francisco Sailors took a page out of the Pioneers book, winning the Continental Association flag because of the top pitching staff in the loop. It was career seasons from the big four starters that pushed the Sailors to the pennant. Ed Power (18-6, 2.33) is in his second season with San Francisco at the age of 34 after stops with the Cougars, Pittsburgh and expansion Minneapolis. Four years ago with the Miners he lost 18 games, now for the first time in his career he won 18. Sonny Stoyer (15-3, 2.29) was an even bigger surprise as after going 31-25 with a 5.02 era over parts of six seasons in Cleveland he headed west and like Power was a first time all-star. 37-year-old Sam Ivey (13-12, 3.21) was a 20-game winner for the Keystones back in 1956 but had not accomplished a lot since then. The Keystones waived him over the winter and he found new life in San Francisco. Rounding out the top four was Frank Young (11-10, 3.27), a 34-year-old former Forester who was strong in the pen for the Sailors a year ago and found a home in the rotation this time around. The bullpen relied on a pair of cast-offs by the Dallas Wranglers in Allen Brown (FABL best 27 saves) and Whitey Stewart (12-4, 2.53). That mixture somehow gave the Sailors the best pitching staff in the CA. The San Francisco offense also had some breakout performances led by 24-year-old second baseman Sam Barnes (.307,7,39) who won the CA batting crown in his first season as an everyday player.

The Los Angeles Stars challenged the Sailors all year before fading late. The Stars relied on a powerful offense that featured CA MVP Ed Moore (.306,30,103) along with Lew Smith (.273,25,88), Lou Allen (.255,24,84) and Bobby Garrison (.283,18,77). Cal Johnson (18-10, 3.32), Floyd Warner (15-5, 2.93) and Harry Stout (15-10, 3.41) headed the pitching staff.

The Chicago Cougars .586 winning percentage was the club's best since their near miss in the 1946 pennant race but the Cougars remain without a flag since 1941. There is plenty of talent all over the diamond led by shortstop Tom Halliday (.305,8,65), first baseman Bill Grimm (.238,33,83) and outfielders Jerry McMillan (.268,18,61) an Henry Watson (.269,22,88). Time is running out on aging mound aces Arch Wilson (16-7, 2.29) and Pug White (11-8, 2.62) but the Cougars may have decided to go all in for the 1966 flag with a late October deal to bring Jim Norris (16-15, 4.08) over from Detroit.

The Kansas City Kings have won four pennants since their move from Brooklyn in 1952 but are still looking for the franchise's second World Championship Series title. The first and only one came way back in 1937. The Kings stayed close to the leaders all season but always seemed to be looking up at someone despite winning 90 games. They are a veteran club and have had success recently but one has to think the window is closing rapidly as stars like Hank Williams (.297,30,86) begin to age.

The fifth place Toronto Wolves ended up 12 games off the pace, making it 17 consecutive seasons the Wolves have finished at least ten games off the pace. There is hope as stars Sid Cullen (.289,33,107), Phil Story (.257,18,75) and Phil Colantuono (19-12, 3.11) are all in their prime and the minor league system, worst in FABL a year ago, may be on the upswing with 18-year-old righthander Bill Aldrich their top prospect after he was surprisingly released by the Chicago Cougars.

The Cincinnati Cannons dropped from 94 wins a year ago to 76-86 this time around. The Cannons offense has a pair of big guns in 34-year-old outfielder Dallas Berry (.259,36,107) and 24-year-old first baseman Mark Boyd (.273,30,81), who seems to have fully recovered from a concussion that cost him most of last season. 22-year-old righthander Marco Middleton (16-11, 2.96) failed to duplicate his 19 win Allen Award season from a year ago but was still very good and even threw his first career no-hitter.

There is hope for the new clubs as the Dallas Wranglers became the first 1962 expansion team to finish above 9th place. The Wranglers went 75-87, topping both Cleveland and Montreal as well as their expansion mates New York. Veteran infielder Dick Tucker (.290,16,75) added leadership and made the all-star team for the sixth time in his career.

The Cleveland Foresters parted ways with franchise legend Adrian Czerwinski prior to the season and won just 71 games but that was an improvement on the club that struggled to a 64-98 record in 1964. The decade of dominance that saw Cleveland win 8 pennants and 3 WCS titles in a 13 year span from 1949-61 is clearly over and the club seems to be returning to its dark days of the 1940s when they finished last six times in a nine year stretch. Some of the names are still familiar from the dynasty teams: Jake Pearson (12-15, 4.29), Earl Howe (.245,13,62), Paul Williams (.246,18,60), Hal Kennedy (.242,8,38) and John Low (.289,16,60) but age is catching up to them and at the moment there does not appear to be a new group poised to replace them.

The Montreal Saints have not won the Continental Association pennant since 1921 and they have not finished within 25 games of first place in the past six years. There have been tough times over the past four decades for the Saints and countless youth movements but none have succeeded. The pitching staff, as it always seems to be in Montreal, has some young prospects but for one reason or another they generally fail to thrive. Maybe it will be different this time around and one or more of John Mullins (10-13, 3.14), Dixie Campbell (6-11, 3.55) and John Roberts (11-10, 4.14) -all 24 or younger catch fire. Maybe catcher Henry Woods (.251,15,76), just 23 himself, becomes the next Adam Mullins and top prospect Wally Austin turns into Pablo Reyes and the Saints finally contend again. One can hope for better things for a franchise that since it finished just 2 games out in the wild 5-team 1930 pennant race, has ended a season less than six games out of first just once in the past 35 years. Then again maybe the Saints don't survive in Montreal and end up moving as attendance is once again the worst in the league among the 16 established franchises.

That brings us to the last place New York Imperials who saw their record fall to 48-114 after showing some small signs of hope the previous two years. The novelty may be wearing off in the Big Apple also as the club drew just over 860,000 fans - lowest in the four year history and 17th overall in the league. The shine on some of their prospects also seems to be fading although 21-year-old second baseman George Love (.269,21,76) had a pretty good season at the plate in his second full campaign but his defense remains a cause for concern.

A year ago the Imperials had a pair of top ten prospects in second baseman Tony Nava and outfielder George Valiquette along with two others in the top 15 in pitcher Fritz Dunn and outfielder Andy Bailey. Nava (.261,1,11) spent the entire season in New York but dipped from 6th to 31st in the prospect rankings by opening day and faces the challenge of playing the same position as George Love. Valiquette spent much of the season on the injured list and dropped completely out of the top prospect list after splitting the season between A and AA. Bailey was traded to Washington with Turk Ramsey for 22-year-old pitcher Hank Taylor, who is not considered to be a solid prospect while Fritz Dunn remains a hope. He fell slightly in the prospect rankings from 14th to 20th. Then there is 1965 first overall selection Jake Poole, an 18-year-old with a high ceiling and ranked 11th currently by OSA. The problem? Just like Love and Nava Poole is a second baseman although if his defense is as porous as that of the other two even putting all three on the field at second base at the same time may not be enough.

MILESTONES AND OTHER NOTABLES
AWARDS

Ed Moore (.306,30,103) of the Los Angeles Stars won the Continental Whitney Award for the first time in the 28-year-old outfielder's career. The Fed also gave us a first-time winner in Pittsburgh shortstop Dixie Turner (.343,41,115) who also won his first batting crown. 39-year-old Arch Wilson (16-7, 2.29) of the Chicago Cougars was an Allan Award recipient for the first time in his career and quite possibly the oldest first-time winner ever. In the Fed, the Pioneers may not have won a fourth consecutive pennant but 28-year-old Frenchy Mack (19-10, 2.24) claimed his 4th straight Allan, nosing out impressive Boston rookie Bill Dunlop (23-8, 2.60). Dunlop did win the Kellogg as top newcomer in the Fed while CA honours went to slugging 21-year old first baseman Bill Grimm (.238,33,83) of the Chicago Cougars.

NO-HITTERS

Larry Barker of Minneapolis became the first pitcher from one of the four newest teams to throw a no-hitter. It came against the Chicago Chiefs on July 15. On the same day another expansion team player, George Tolle of Dallas, had 8-rbi's in a win over the Chicago Cougars. The single game FABL RBI record is 9, accomplished nine times.
Marco Middleton of Cincinnati no-hit Toronto on August 13. Middleton also tossed a 1-hitter earlier in the season.
Frenchy Mack of St Louis no-hit the Los Angeles Suns September 25.

200 WINS
Jim Norris, Detroit

2500 HITS
Ken Newman, Kansas City
Sherry Doyal, Cleveland

2000 HITS
Bill Morrison, Detroit

400 HOME RUNS
Dallas Berry, Cincinnati

1965 FABL ALL-STAR GAME
LONGBALL HELPS FEDS TO 3-1 WIN IN MID-SEASON CLASSIC

The Continental Association stars outhit their counterparts from the Federal Association but a pair of homeruns proved the difference as the Feds won for the second year in a row, taking a 3-1 decision. The game, played for the first time at Dyckman Stadium, home of the New York Imperials, was the 32nd annual edition of the contest which made its debut in 1933. Despite the two-game losing skid, the Continental Association leads the series 18-14.

Dixie Turner, the impressive young Pittsburgh second baseman making his all-star game debut, got things started with a solo homerun off of veteran Chicago Cougars southpaw Pug White, who started on the hill for the CA. The score remained 1-0 until the Continental stars pulled even in the top of the third frame. Another Cougar, Tom Halliday greeted Los Angeles Suns hurler Mike Peter with a lead-off triple. Peter would fan Ernie Carter and induce a flyball out from Floyd Warner that was not deep enough for Halliday to try and score but Bob Griffin of the Los Angeles Stars would get the job down with two-out, delivering a sharp single to plate Halliday with the equalizer.

The score would not stay tied for long as Washington's Tom Lorang put the Feds up 2-1 with a solo homer in the bottom of the third. It came off of yet another Cougar - veteran righthander Earle Turner.

The CA would not score again but they had some chances with the best coming in the top of the fifth with two out and the bases loaded but Bobby Garrison of Stars popped out to end the threat. An inning later the Continentals had Kansas City veteran Hank Williams, playing in his 8th all-star game, perched on third base with one out but veteran Keystones hurler Slick Willie Davis lived up to his nickname by getting out of the jam with a strikeout followed by a harmless pop fly.

The Feds added an insurance run in the bottom of the sixth inning when Andy Parker of the Philadelphia Keystones drew a 1-out walk, stole second and would score on a single from Boston's Frank Kirouac to make the score 3-1. The Feds could have added more but Kirouac was thrown out at third trying to advance two bags on a Dick Christian base hit with 2-out.

The CA had one more chance in the top of the eighth when they put the tying runs on base but Roy Brandt of the Chicago Chiefs pitched his way out of trouble and the game ended 3-1 for the Federal Association. Tom Halliday of the Cougars, who went 2-for-3 including a triple with a run scored and a walk, was named player of the game.

1965 WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP SERIES
KEYSTONES TRIM SAILORS IN SEVEN GAME SERIES

The Philadelphia Keystones and San Francisco Sailors met for the first time in the 1965 World Championship Series. It marked the seventh appearance all-time for the Keystones with their most recent one being a triumph in six games over the Cleveland Foresters. Philadelphia has won four of their previous six WCS appearances and also won the Federal Association crown in 1892, the year before the WCS was introduced. The Sailors were still based in Philadelphia when they appeared in the first two WCS, staged in 1893 and 1894. They lost both of them but won over Washington in 1897. The Sailors also claimed three other WCS titles, in 1928, 1930 and 1951. This will be their 11th appearance in the WCS with the most recent coming in 1962 when they fell to St. Louis.

The last time a WCS went the distance was in 1958 when Detroit needed the maximum seven games to defeat Kansas City. 1958 also marked the start of a nine stretch -including this Keystones win in 1965- that the Federal Association champ prevailed in the WCS.

GAME ONE

A battle between the top pitching staff opened with a 7-1 rout as the Sailors received a rough welcome in their return to Philadelphia for the first time since 1953. Keystones starter Jorge Arellano was perhaps surprisingly lifted in the top of the sixth inning while tossing a 3-hit shutout and holding on to a 2-0 lead but the Keystones bullpen did the job and was given breathing room when the host erupted for three runs in the bottom of the sixth frame. Catcher Dick Christian homered and drove in three runs to lead the offense with Harry Dellinger also going yard for the winners.

GAME TWO

The Sailors snapped a scoreless tie with 4 runs in the top of the fourth, keyed by 2-run singles off the bats of Harry Myers and Carlos Jaramillo and led 5-0 after six innings but could not hold the lead as the Keystones scored twice in the seventh, twice in the eighth and tied the game with a Dick Christian homer with one out in the bottom of the ninth. The score stayed that way until the 14th inning and Christian would start the rally by drawing a one out walk off Sailors reliver Whitey Stewart. Lloyd Coulter followed with another walk and then Al Coulter (no relation) slapped a walk-off run scoring single to give the Keystones a 6-5 victory and a 2-0 series lead.

GAME THREE

It was San Francisco's turn to rally as the Sailors overcame a 2-0 deficit and pulled out a 3-2 victory. The winning run came in the bottom of the eighth and all happened with two out as Sam Barnes singled, moved to second when Keystones closer Bill Parkhurst issued a free pass to Ron Turner and then scored on a John Kingsbury base hit. Whitey Stewart redeemed himself for the game two loss, by pitching a 1-2-3 top of the ninth to close out the Sailors victory.

GAME FOUR

It was another extra innings affair as the two clubs were tied at 3 after nine frames. Three straight singles by the Keystones in the top of the 11th provided the winning run a 4-3 win that sent Philadelphia to within a game of winning the series. Jesse Walker contributed the game winning hit -one of 5 hits he had on the day while also driving in 3 of the four Philadelphia runs. The five hits tie a WCS record and was the 10th time a player had a five-hit series game. Others to do it included T.R. Goins and George Cleaves.

GAME FIVE

The Keystones celebration would have to wait as the Sailors plated 4 runs in the bottom of the second with Sam Barnes' 2-run triple being the big blow. The final score would be 6-1 sending the series back east with the Sailors trailing 3 games to two.

GAME SIX

In a must win game on the road, the San Francisco Sailors did just that - holding off the Keystones by a 4-3 score to force a seventh game. Bobby Phelps had put Philadelphia ahead 3-2 in the bottom of the seventh with an rbi single to plate Harry Dellinger but the Sailors got to Bill Parkhurst quickly in the top of the 8th. Carlos Jaramillo drew a 4-pitch walk to start the inning and then, with one out, Ron Turner ripped a two-run homer to put the visitors ahead 4-3. Philadelphia put a man on base in each of its final two at bats but could not generate the tying run.

GAME SEVEN

The capacity crowd at Broad Street Park was quieted early when the Sailors opened the scoring in the second inning when Ernie Carter hit a solo homerun off of Keystones veteran starter William Daivs and the lead doubled to 2-0 in the top of the fourth when Carter delivered an rbi single.

The Keystones, with just one hit through three innings - a single by their pitcher Davis- finally solved Sailors starter Sam Ivey in the bottom of the fourth. First Andy Parker belted a 1-out homer and then Jesse Walker followed immediately with a long ball of his own and the game was quickly tied at 2. It also opened the floodgates as Harry Dellinger delivered another home run, this one a 2-run shot, an inning later and Philadelphia plated two runs for the third straight inning with a pair in the sixth. Three runs in the bottom of the eighth inning sealed the deal as the Keystones waltzed to a 9-3 victory.

Jesse Walker, the Keystones 23-year-old rookie first baseman who entered the series with just 42 big league games under his belt, was named the series MVP. The 1960 second-round draft pick hit four homers in the series, one shy of former Keystone legend Bobby Barrell's 1946 WCS record, while batting .423 with 7 rbi's and 7 runs scored.

Next up a look at the Prospect Pipeline and then the 1965 recap from the gridiron.

Tiger Fan · 09-10-2025, 04:24 PM

October 28, 1965
LOOKING AT THE 1965 DRAFT CLASS AND TOP PROSPECTS

In an effort to keep Figment fans somewhat aware of the future stars of the FABL here is the second edition of an annual feature as we move through the fast-forward towards the resumption of weekly sims and human GM's in the mid-1970s.

First off here is a list of the players selected in the first round of the June 1965 draft and where they rank according to OSA as their first professional season comes to a close. There is a wide range, spanning from #2 on the pipeline for Pete Rosenbaum, a high school shortstop drafted second overall by the Dallas Wranglers, all the way down to Dick Carman, the 10th overall selection of the Chicago Chiefs who has fallen to 394th on the OSA list of top prospects.

OSA TOP TEN PROSPECTS
October 1965

If the last couple of years are any indication there are going to be an awful lot of highly touted prospects that simply fail to live up to expectations. For the second year in row our tracking of the top prospects has seen some major shifts amongst what OSA considers to be the cream of the crop.

A year ago at this time only two players that appeared on the October 1963 top ten list were still ranked in the top ten a year ago. They were #1 Tony Nava, who fell to 7th in the 1964 rankings and #2 Bill Dunlop, who climbed to #1 in 1964. Three others who were on the 1963 list made it to FABL so were no longer considered minor league prospects but that left five others, who all dropped out of the top ten.

The volatility was even more pronounced this time around as only one player who appeared on the October 1964 top ten list remains there a year later. That would be Kansas City Kings pitching prospect Ken McDonough, who was second a year ago and dropped slightly to third this year.

Three others including Bill Dunlop and Tony Nava, who both appeared in the top ten in October 1963 and again in October 1964, have moved on to the big leagues are no longer categorized as minor league prospects. Dunlop, 23-year-old pitcher who was #2 in 1963 and topped the 1964 list, had quite a debut in the big leagues. The Tobacco Twister as he is known for his roots at Carolina Poly, won the Kellogg Award as the top rookie in the Federal Association and finished second in Allen Award balloting following a 23-8 campaign. Nava, 22, was #1 on the 1963 list and seventh last year, made the New York Imperials and hit .261 in 107 games, primarily as a pinch-hitter. He has the ability to hit in the big leagues but defense may be an issue and he is faced with competition for the second base job with the Imperials.

The third graduate was 20-year-old righthander Johnny Stiles, who was promoted by the Washington Eagles in June and went 1-1 with 2 saves in 21 relief appearances. OSA feels he can be a solid closer but at his age - Stiles was still 19 when he made his big league debut- perhaps another year of high pressure appearances in the minors might have aided his development.

*** Six Players Suffered Big Drop-Offs

That accounts for four of the top ten from a year ago while the other six all plunged, some extremely far. Bert Alexander, a 20-year-old San Francisco Sailors prospect dropped from third a year ago to #34 on the pipeline. Cougars teenage pitcher Hub Russell fell from 10th to 25th and Los Angeles Suns outfielder Jim Thurman, 21, was 9th a year ago but now sits 41st.

Then we have the three that dropped like rocks. Ossie Schrieber, a high school lefthander that was ranked the 4th best prospect in the game is now 123rd and only the third highest ranked pitcher in the Minneapolis Millers system after he regressed as a 19-year-old repeating the year at Class C. Another high school drafted pitcher, 21-year-old John McCormick of Boston slipped from 7th to 178th but OSA reports still give him a chance of panning out.

Then we have New York Imperials 23-year-old outfielder George Valiquette. A year ago the 1964 fourth overall draft pick had a sky high ceiling and was ranked 8th on the list. Now, after having his struggles at the plate and dealing with a hip injury, OSA has given up on the Los Angeles native. Valiquette is considered a bench player at best and was not named in the top 500 prospects. OSA places him 27th among Imperials prospects.

So more than ever it appears being named a top ten prospect is no guarantee of big league success. Here are the top prospects as of today and a comparison with last year's top ten list.

A CLOSER LOOK AT THE TOP TEN

1-EARL SKAINS- 21, LF PITTSBURGH MINERS

Originally selected in the third round of the 1962 draft, Skains has endured his share of challenges including a broken kneecap that cost him parts of two seasons. He has climbed the prospect pipeline steadily, ranked 100th in 1963, 80th a year later and 34th on opening day 1964. In 1965 he hit 39 homers including 22 in 88 games at AAA Houston while batting .293 at three levels and looks like he may be ready to step in to the Pittsburgh outfield full-time in April. PSA thinks he has the skills to play centerfield and could be elite at his position. Certainly one to watch and maybe a candidate to follow 1964 to prospect Bill Dunlop as Federal Association rookie of the year.

2- PETE ROSENBAUM - 18, RHP Dallas Wranglers

Another in a long line of Philadelphia-area high school stars to be drafted in the opening round. Rosenbaum is still just 18 after being selected second overall this past June. He impressed at Class C as a rookie pro and OSA feels the sky is the limit for Rosenbaum.

3- KEN McDONOUGH- 19, RHP Kansas City Kings (was #2 last year)

1964 recap: Tennessee native was drafted 20th overall by the AI GM in 1964, OSA calls McDonough one of the best pitching prospects in any organization. He had a decent first pro season (6-5, 107 ERA+) at Class C Marshalltown and made a solid late season start in Class B. He is a high school arm and they may be prone to bigger talent drops in v26 but McDonough is certainly one to watch as the latest of a good crop of Kansas City pitchers.

1965 recap: Still has the makings of a future ace but there is cause for concern as McDonough made just four starts at Class C before blowing out his elbow, which ended his season. It was his first injury but one that many pitchers never fully recover from so we would be much less confident about his future now.

4- BILL MORRISON- 18, RHP Cleveland Foresters

Not to be confused with the veteran Detroit outfielder by the same name, this Bill Morrison is a Danville, Pa. native drafted fifth overall by the Cleveland Foresters, a team neck deep into a rebuild. He was 2-2 with a 106 ERA+ in 9 starts at Class C and will clearly need some time to work on his control but if everything breaks right OSA suggests he could anchor a rotation.

5- JIM PERRIN- 18, RHP, Los Angeles Suns

A third high school pitcher drafted high last June (Perrin was the fourth pick). Perrin dominated Class C but then was overmatched following a late promotion to the B level. High school arms always worry us but the risk may be worth it for a team like the Suns that needs to have some big wins at the draft table. OSA says Perrin has elite stuff and should be a top of the rotation arm if all goes according to plan.

6- PETE BRUCE- 23, C Cincinnati Cannons

Elite catchers are hard to find but OSA feels the Cannons nabbed a future all-star in the much travelled Bruce. He was originally drafted out of high school by the Chicago Chiefs in round five back in 1960. Likely caught in a numbers game he was waived by the Chiefs three years later and then shortly afterwards by Montreal after a brief stint in the Saints system. Cincinnati nabbed him in the summer of 1964 and Bruce promptly suffered broken ribs that ended his season prematurely. All this time he never cracked the top 100 but he ripped the cover off the ball and moved through four levels of minors this past season and suddenly is giving off Tom Bird vibes as a catcher who seemed to be going nowhere when he suddenly put it all together. He is one worth watching as it will be interesting to see if the current scouting assessment is accurate.

7- CLIFF COLEMAN - 24, LF Chicago Cougars

24 is getting a little old to be considered a prospect, especially when Coleman was drafted six years ago out of high school. A 14th round pick who made his debut on the prospect pipeline at 9 in April, can Coleman be another late bloomer? 33 homers and a .651 slugging percentage in 118 games at AAA this past season, numbers that earned the San Francisco native a chance to make his big league debut last month - he hit 3 homers and batted .379 in 18 games with the Cougars- and it looks like Chicago has found itself a diamond in the rough.

8- STEVE PRATHER- 21, CF Dallas Wranglers

The second Wrangler to crack the top ten this year, Prather was a 1962 fourth round draft pick that OSA feels could be a very productive big league centerfielder. He is another late bloomer, first cracking the top 100 prospect list this spring, a year after he dealt with a fractured foot. It looks like he has the elite defensive skills needed to stick in centerfield and the Cleveland native is described by OSA as a pure hitter who will hit for a high average.

9- GEORGE McKINNEY- 20, RHP, Cincinnati Cannons

Like Dallas, the Cannons also place two players on this year's top ten list. He is another of those Philadelphia born pitchers but was not drafted until the fifth round in 1963. McKinney has yet to pitch above Class A but OSA feels he should rank among the best starting pitcher prospects in any organization. He had a 17 strikeout game at Class B this year, where he fanned 122 in 104 innings of work.

10- DANNY WILSON- 19, RHP Detroit Dynamos

The rebuilding Dynamos are hoping that Wilson, a New York City native selected in the second round in 1964, can develop into the ace that the OSA feels he has the potential to become. He was ranked 18th in the prospect pipeline a year ago and moves up into the top 10 after repeating the season at Class C.

TRACKING THE DYNAMOS FIRST ROUNDERS

This was a year of transition in Detroit as the Dynamos dove head first into their rebuild and traded a number of stars away including pitching ace Jim Norris and the long-time middle infield duo of Joe Reed and Dick Tucker. Tough moves to make but needed and the result was an influx of prospects that moved the needle on the Detroit minor league system from 19th a year ago to the deepest in FABL this time around. Of course accumulating prospects is only step one as they now need to develop and reach their potential.

Here is a look at how 1965 went for recent Detroit first round selections followed by a list of the organization's current top prospects.

1962 1st Rounder: SKIPPER ATKINS, HS RHP, 7th overall:

1964 recap: Atkins is not a great prospect according to OSA, ranked 144th at the end of the 1964 season and 7th in a weak Dynamos farm system. OSA projects him to have a future in the back of the rotation. Now 20, he split the '64 season between A and AA, going 10-7, 3.90 at Terre Haute before moving up to Akron where he was 5-1 but with a subpar 83 ERA+. He dropped off as OSA had the Philadelphia native as the #45 prospect on Opening Day 1964.

1965 recap: Now 21, Atkins fell further in the eyes of the league scouting service, who now rank him 249th despite a solid showing at AA (6-4, 2.85) and moderate success in his first taste of AAA (4-4, 4.24). OSA says perhaps he could fit into the back of a rotation, but probably not someone you want to guarantee a spot to.

1963 1st Rounder: SAM MacDONALD, HS RHP, 18th overall:

1964 recap: Like Atkins, MacDonald is a righthander drafted out of high school ball in Philadelphia. Born in Baltimore, OSA admits he is very raw but feels he does have a shot at being a top of the rotation arm someday. Ranked 65th in the end of 1964 prospect pipeline and #2 in Detroit's system behind only 1964 second round pitcher Danny Wilson. MacDonald can be a high strikeout pitcher but needs to harness his control which is almost non-existent after a year and a half at class C where he walked 109 in 142 innings.

1965 recap: He suffered a big drop in the eyes of OSA as well, falling all the way to 297th overall and 28th in the Detroit system. It feels like he didn't get a fair shake as MacDonald was not injured, but dumped back to Class C for a third season and only pitched 47 innings, going 2-2 with a 106 ERA+. Seems like he has been written off by Detroit management.

1964 1st Rounder: DON AYERS, HS OF, 16th overall:

1964 recap: Nicknamed Funky, the Cleveland native was another high school first rounder taken by the Dynamos. Detroit has had a lot of busts in drafting corner-OF/1B types (see Tommy Allenby, John Morrison, Dino Sharp, Joe Fulgham or Ralph Capriotti) and early indications are Ayers can be another name to add to that list. Scouting report says Ayers could still be a productive regular on a contender, but the scouting service ranks him at #194 on the prospect pipeline so I am not holding out hope. He did put up some decent numbers in 55 games at Class C after being drafted (.333/.421/.400) so perhaps there is a chance he pans out.

1965 recap: He also dropped, falling to 267th overall and 26th among Detroit prospects. Still just 18 but he was also overlooked, playing just 12 games all season despite being healthy. Ayers made the most of his limited chances, slashing .438/.438/.750 but clearly feels like he does not fit into Detroit's plans.

1965 1st Rounder: PETE MORRIS, College OF, 6th overall

Finally a top ten pick again for the Dynamos but you know their track record with drafting corner outfielders. OSA says he has the tools to make an impact in the majors and at 22nd overall, he is Detroit's third highest ranked prospect at the moment. He came out of San Francisco Tech and went straight to AAA, but had a learning curve to deal with in batting just .229 with 3 homers in 89 games.

CURRENT (OCT 1964) TOP DETROIT PROSPECTS

Tiger Fan · 09-12-2025, 04:30 PM

FIGMENT FIRST FAMILY STILL MAKING AN IMPACT ON UNIVERSE

It has been 75 years since Rufus Barrell left his family farm in Egypt, GA. and moved to Savannah to try his hand at a professional baseball career. Rufus never pitched in an official big-league game, blowing out his arm in an exhibition a few days prior to what would have been his big-league debut. It turned out he made it to the Baseball Hall of Fame anyway, as a builder, scout and innovator of the sport. Three of his children would eventually join him in the Boone County baseball museum as Bobby became one of the greatest power hitters the game has ever seen, Tom was a pitcher like his dad and won three Allen Awards while Harry was a ten-time all-star selection at shortstop.

The children of Rufus and Alice Barrell, ten in all, spawned a generation of talented athletes in nearly every sport imaginable and even now, three-quarters of a century later, the Barrell name figures prominently across the sporting world.

Let's take a look at the current generation of Barrell's active across four sports.

BASEBALL

HARRY BARRELL - Manager Pittsburgh Miners

Harry is one of three of Rufus' sons to go into managing after their baseball career came to an end. Fred and Tom have both retired but Harry, now age 51, followed up his Hall of Fame playing career in which he amassed 3,028 hits over 21 seasons with Brooklyn and Boston while winning a World Championship Series with the Kings in 1937 by spending the past 14 seasons as a skipper. Harry began his managerial career with Boston while still occasionally playing for the Minutemen and guided them to back-to-back WCS titles in 1959 and 1960. After a rough 1961 campaign he was let go but immediately signed by the Pittsburgh Miners, for whom he continues to manage. Among his player on the Pittsburgh roster is his son Reid Barrell.

REID BARRELL- Third Base Pittsburgh Miners

The 25-year-old has been around baseball clubhouses all his life. He was born in Brooklyn in 1940 while Harry was playing for the Kings and played his high school ball in Boston while his dad was with the Minutemen. Reid, a third baseman, was selected 7th overall by the Miners in the 1958 FABL draft (dad Harry has bragging rights as he went first overall in the 1931 draft). Reid made his debut in Pittsburgh in 1962 -the same year Harry was hired as manager of the club-. The Miners have been roughly a .500 club over the past four years but did go 90-72 in Reid's second season - the highest winning percentage the franchise has seen since 1942 when another Barrell, Reid's uncle Tom, was pitching for the club.

Reid is not a future Hall of Famer by any stretch of the imagination but has some pop in his bat, averaging a little over a dozen homers per seasons through his first four years in the majors while batting .240.

RALPH BARRELL - Third Base Los Angeles Stars

Like Reid, cousin Ralph is a 25-year-old third baseman but has a much higher upside and already owns a Whitney Award. Ralph is the eldest son of Philadelphia Keystones Hall of Fame slugger Bobby Barrell and also has a younger brother, Bobby Jr., playing college football at Coastal State.

Born in Philadelphia, Ralph is one of the many first rounders to come out of the competitive Philadelphia high school baseball scene. He was selected second overall by the Los Angeles Stars in the 1958 draft, five spots ahead of his cousin Reid. Despite missing a month of his rookie season of 1959 with an injury, Ralph finished second to Toronto's Sid Cullen in voting for the Kellogg Award as top newcomer. He was just 19 at the time but hit .305 with 19 homers in 85 games for the Stars.

Another injury in 1960 stole a good chunk of his sophomore season as well but Ralph has been healthy since. He socked 35 homers for the Stars in 1961 and did the same in 1962 while also batting .305 that season, numbers that earned Ralph his first of three straight trips to the All-Star Game. 1964 was Ralph's best season to date as he led the Continental Association in homers with 45 and rbi's with 123 while batting .318 and won the Whitney Award as CA Most Valuable Player. He helped the Stars win their first pennant in 12 years but they fell to St Louis in five games in the WCS.

The Stars expected more of the same this past season from their slugging third baseman who entered his age 25 season with 193 homers (dad Bobby had just 128 at the same point in his career) but while Bobby took off with a 53 homer season and a second of his six career Whitney Awards as a 25-year-old, son Ralph struggled mightily. There was no injury, at least none disclosed, but Ralph saw his average dip over 100 points from the previous season to .209 while hitting just 11 homers in 121 games. Ralph struggled so badly he even lost his starting job for a spell to a journeyman by the name of Larry Klinker.

The Stars finished in second place, four games back of their in-state rivals from San Francisco and many felt the difference that cost them a second straight pennant was the production drop-off from Ralph. He will clearly face a lot of scrutiny next April when the 1966 campaign begins.

CHARLIE BARRELL - First Base Chicago Chiefs

Known as "The Heartbreak Kid" Charlie is the son of the late Joe Barrell, a former football star who played Tarzan in the movies, and screen actress Dorothy Bates. He is also the half-brother of 359 game winner and future Hall of Famer Deuce Barrell and Roger Cleaves, a former catcher who is currently the manager of the Washington Eagles.

Charlie may well be the best natural athlete out of all the Barrell's and that is saying something considering this clan. Born in Los Angeles he ended up playing his high school sports in Washington DC while living with his uncle Dan's family. A three-sport star in high school, he opted to go to college in Georgia where he attended Noble Jones and was not just a baseball star but also a guard on the Colonels basketball team and quarterback of the football team.

At Noble Jones College he won a collegiate basketball national title in the spring of 1950, helping the Colonels to the only perfect season in AIAA basketball history when, despite being just a sophomore, he scored a game high 15 points as Noble Jones College beat a Liberty College team that featured basketball legend Luther Gordon 65-60 in the title game. Both schools entered the championship game undefeated, and it is still considered one of the biggest games in college cage tournament history. Two years later Charlie would be named a second team All-American his senior year as well as the Deep South Conference player of the year.

Barrell was also a three time All-American on the baseball diamond and although he did not win one, Charlie was nominated for the Christian Trophy each of his three seasons with the Colonels baseball club. He led the Colonels baseball team to the collegiate World Championship Series each of his three years and they reached the finals twice but came up short both times.

Success did not come as easily on the gridiron as the Colonels were just 3-8-1 Charlie's junior year but as a senior he did lead them to a 6-4 record.

He would also be the only person ever to play three sports professionally. The Chicago Panthers basketball team drafted Charlie second overall in 1952 and he would play parts of seven seasons with the Panthers, where he teamed up with his old rival Luther Gordon to win a Federal Basketball League title in the spring of 1957, although by that point Charlie was focused on baseball and would leave the Panthers at the start of spring training. There is no doubting his basketball talent had Charlie focused on it, as in the only year he played more than 55 games, 1953-54, Charlie was named All-League First Team. In all he played 316 professional basketball games, all for Chicago.

Charlie's pro football career was much less successful. Lured by a big money contract offer from Thomas X. Bigsby and the urging of his mother, Charlie joined the Los Angeles Tigers for the 1952 season. He started all 12 games but had limited success, completing just 28% of his passes and throwing for 995 yards but a strong defense allowed the Tigers to finish with a 7-5 record. A year later he lost his starting job to John Stanphill and left the team after three games to join the basketball Panthers. Charlie never did go back to football.

On the diamond is where Charlie found his most success. Originally drafted by the Cincinnati Cannons first overall in 1951 - the club his half-brother Deuce starred for- Charlie quickly became frustrated when the Cannons left him in the minors and bounced him all around the organization. Following the 1952 season, when he was threatening to leave baseball and just focus on basketball, the Cannons made a blockbuster trade with the New York Stars, sending Charlie to the Big Apple in a multi-player deal that saw future Hall of Famer Bill Barrett move to the Queen City.

The Stars immediately promoted him to the majors and in 1953 Charlie would win the Kellogg Trophy after a .310,25,101 season. The club moved to Los Angeles the following year and Charlie spent the next 11 seasons on the west coast, winning a Continental Association batting title in 1955, a Diamond Defense Award in 1960 and was named to the all-star team 8 times. In the later years one of his Stars teammates was his cousin Ralph.

Charlie, now 35, had slowed the past couple of seasons and lost his starting job in Los Angeles in 1964 so prior to the 1965 season he was dealt and would return to the location of his basketball stardom by joining the Chicago Chiefs. Charlie started 122 games for the Chiefs, more than he did the previous two years with the Stars, hitting .256 with 16 homers and may just spend a few more seasons playing first baseman at Whitney Park.

ROGER CLEAVES - Manager Washington Eagles.

The son of the late Joe Barrell and Charlotte Cleaves, Roger was born into baseball royalty as his half-siblings are three Hall of Famers in Deuce Barell (not eligible yet for Hall but a lock to be elected), George Cleaves and Jack Cleaves along with 3-sport star Charlie Barrell. He is also the grandson of two more Hall of Famers in Rufus Barell and George Theobald.

Cleaves served in the Pacific as a marine in World War II which delayed his baseball debut for three years after being selected by the Philadelphia Keystones in the 7th round of the 1942 draft. Cleaves spent 1946 in the minors before joining the Keystones in 1947 where his teammates included Bobby Barrell. He hit 29 homers as a rookie and fit right in with the power-happy Keystones, spending a decade in Philadelphia as their starting catcher and being named to the Federal Association all-star team nine times. Cleaves finished out his career with the Chicago Cougars, retiring after the 1959 season at the age of 35. He spent just one year as a minor league manager before the Washington Eagles came calling and he has been their skipper for the past five seasons, compiling a 517-418 record. His grandfather George Theobald, is the winningest manager in FABL history.

BOBBY BARRELL - broadcaster, Los Angeles Stars radio

The Hall of Famer retired from the Philadelphia Keystones following the 1952 season and worked on a few World Championship Series television broadcasts in the mid-fifties before joining the Los Angeles Stars as their full-time radio voice. Now 55, Bobby hit a single season record 64 homers in 1947 and retired with 639 round-trippers, second only to the great Max Morris. Bobby remains third all-time in career hits as well, finishing with 3,815. His son Ralph plays for the Stars while a second son, Bobby Jr., is a highly touted college football lineman.

BASKETBALL

Basketball and the Barrell's got their start together as Rollie Barrell, a former golfer turned sport magnate, was one of the founders of both the first professional basketball loop and the modern fay Federal Basketball League where he was the original owner of the Detroit Mustangs. Rollie, who still owns the football Detroit Maroons, has sold his basketball interest and no longer is associated with the league. Charlie Barrell, as noted above, had a decent career with the Chicago Panthers and won a FBL title. However, at this time there is just one Barrell family member with active pro basketball ties.

STEVE BARRELL - Forward Boston Centurions

The youngest of two sons of former FABL player and commissioner and current athletic director at Chicago Poly Dan Barrell, Steve has spent the past seven seasons with the Boston Centurions of the Federal Basketball League. A high school star first in Washington DC and the in Chicago after his father took the job with Chicago Poly, Barrell committed to his father's school and started 98 games over four seasons with the Catamounts. Chicago Poly only made the AIAA tournament once during Steve's tenure - his freshman season- and he did score 9 points in a 60-51 victory over Oklahoma City State which remains the Catamounts only tournament win since 1940.

Boston selected Barrell second overall in the 1958 FBL draft and he earned a starting job that first training camp and has been a fixture in the Centurions starting five ever since. He was named FBL rookie of the year in 1958-59 and has been named to the All-League First Team four times in his career. In the spring of 1962 the Centurions won their first and so far only FBL championship and Steve Barrell was named the post-season Most Valuable Player. He is presently 29 years old and looks to still have a number of years left as a key player in the league.

HOCKEY

Despite their Georgia roots the Barrell family has made its mark on the ice, dating as far back as the early days of the North American Hockey Confederation when Jack Barrell moved to Canada to live with his grandmother before becoming one of the first star players in the NAHC. Jack, now retired, also enjoyed a long coaching career in Detroit and Toronto. One of Jack's daughters ended up marrying Quinton Pollack, who is still active in the NAHC at the age of 42 and is the league's all-time scoring leader. Quinton is, of course, a Barrell by marriage only so a detailed career recap will not be included here but there is a good chance that Quinton's son John Barrell Pollack will be signed by a team in the Canadian Amateur Hockey Association, which is the steppingstone to being drafted by an NAHC club. The younger Pollack is 15 and expected to play in the CAHA in 1965-66.

BENNY BARRELL - Center Detroit Motors

The eldest son of former big league baseball catcher and manager Fred Barrell, both Benny and his younger brother Hobie took quickly to hockey while growing up in Detroit and Toronto during their father's stint as a scout in the Motor City and a manager of the Toronto Wolves. Quinton Pollack was a big influence on the boys during their years in Toronto and both Benny and Hobie would go on to star in the Canadian Amateur Hockey Association before each was drafted by Detroit.

Benny, 27, spent four years in junior with the Hull Hawks before being selected 4th overall by the Motors in the 1956 NAHC amateur draft. He missed half of his rookie season as a 21 year old in Detroit with a fractured jaw, limiting him to 41 games. Benny scored just 3 goals and 6 assists that season. He has been with the Motors ever since and has started producing a little more offense, topping the 50 point plateau in two of the past three seasons and has recorded 259 points to date in 421 NAHC games.

More a supplemental player rather than a star, Benny did win the Yeadon Trophy for gentlemanly play in 1963 and has been a part of two Challenge Cup winning teams in Detroit.

HOBIE BARRELL - Left Wing Detroit Motors

Unlike his big brother, Hobie has been a scoring star right from the get-go. He scored 294 points in three seasons of junior with the Halifax Mariners including 105 to finish second in the league in 1959-60 as an 18-year-old when much of the competition was two years older. The 1960 NAHC draft featured two franchise-altering type talents in scoring sensation Hobie and elite defenseman Mark Moggy. Montreal had first pick in the draft and the Valiants opted for the rearguard, allowing Hobie to end up joining his brother Benny in the Motor City.

Neither the Vals nor the Motors can be disappointed with their choice. Moggy beat Barrell out for the rookie of the year award that first season and has won three Dewar Trophy's as top defenseman while helping Montreal win each of the last two Challenge Cups. Barrell has won two McDaniels Trophy's as league MVP and led the NAHC in scoring twice while helping Detroit win two Cups and make the finals on two other occasions. And each of them are just 24 years old.

Hobie has been a first team All-Star selection each of the past four years, has already accumulated 353 points including 163 goals in his five seasons. He scored a career best 42 goals three years ago and is one of just seven players in NAHC history to top the forty goal mark (Quinton Pollack is another). He had 83 points three years ago and 84 points two seasons ago. Only two players - Quinton Pollack and Tommy Burns- have ever accumulated more points in a season. Hobie did have what has to be considered a down year by his standards - but a career year for nearly every other player in the league- last season when he tallied just 30 goals and 68 points in the recently completed 1964-65 season.

Barrell's 18 playoff points in the 1961-62 postseason, which came in 11 games, tied Tommy Burns 1951-52 mark for the most ever record in a single postseason. Hobie also notched 17 points in a playoff year on two different occasions.

At this stage it does not look like Quinton Pollack will ever retire but if he does perhaps Hobie Barrell will someday challenge him for all of the NAHC career scoring records.

Hobie and Benny's father Fred, does not get to many of their games as the now 59 year old former FABL catcher and manager left baseball to return to the CIA, after he was believed to be working as a spy during WWII, and is currently based in Bonn, West Germany.

FOOTBALL

Barrell's have played a key role in the evolution of pro football. Joe was among the early stars of the game and Jack spent sometime moonlighting on the gridiron before hockey season started. Dan was a college star and an Olympic decathlete before suffering a devastating injury on the football field that caused him to turn his attention to baseball. A fourth of Rufus Barrell's sons also became involved in the game, but as an owner. Rollie Barrell was and remains majority owner of the Detroit Maroons of the American Football Association although at age 69 he is retired and his 35-year-old daughter Alice Barrell (Robertson) is now the Maroons president.

Among Rollie's former Detroit players is Tom Bowens, who married Rufus' only daughter Betsy. Bowens was a star end for the Boston Americans and later Detroit and spent some time as the head coach of the Maroons before moving west to coach the CC Los Angeles Coyotes of the AIAA.

GEORGE BOWENS - Wide Receiver, Los Angeles Tigers

Tom and Betsy's son George spent four seasons playing college ball for his dad at CC Los Angeles. An end like his father, George made 70 catches and scored 14 receiving touchdowns in four years with the Coyotes, including 7 scoring grabs his senior year. As a senior Bowens was fifth in the nation in receiving yards and tied for second in touchdown catches and was named to the West Coast Athletic Association All-Conference team. He played on New Year's Day just once, winning the Lone Star Classic as a freshman, while the Coyotes had some ups and downs during George's tenure, bottoming out at 2-8 his junior season but they went 5-5 in his final year.

Bowens did not have to travel far to turn pro. In fact he could continue to live at home with his parents as the Los Angeles Tigers selected him with the seventh pick of the second round in the 1963 AFA draft. Bowens has been brought along slowly by the Tigers, making six catches as a rookie but just 2 this past season as he remains buried on their depth chart behind 1961 first rounder Tony Riat and long-time Tigers star Rod Hamilton.

TOM BOWENS JR - Two-Sport star in High School, Los Angeles, Ca.

George's younger brother is a high school senior this year and a top recruit in both football and basketball. He has not committed to a college, but the expectation is he joins his father at CC Los Angeles.

BOBBY BARRELL JR - Defensive End, Coastal State University

The pressure of trying to live up to the name of a baseball Hall of Famer for a father and a Whitney Award winner as a brother perhaps was the impetus that prompted Bobby Barrell Jr. to select a different sport to focus on. Blessed with the size and strength of his father, all 6'3", 250 pounds of it, made Bobby an imposing figure on the gridiron and he developed into one of the best defensive linemen ever to come out of the Philadelphia high school leagues. As a high school senior Bobby Jr. was ranked number 4 in the nation by the OSA, a football offshoot of the scouting service his grandfather helped pioneer, and was a highly sought after as a recruit in 1961.

He decided to stay closer to hope and ventured to Florence, SC, to play for Coastal State. That was despite a push from many schools including those of his uncle's Dan Barrell, to join Chicago Poly, and Tom Bowens to come west and play at CCLA. With the Eagles, Bobby Jr. earned a starting role right away and now, as he prepares for his senior season, he has started 31 of 32 games at Coastal State and is likely to be playing on Sunday's a year from now.

The Eagles went 7-3 his freshman season followed by a 10-1 campaign in 1963 that included a Cajun Classic victory over Western Florida that boasted Coastal State to second in the final rankings, its highest finish ever. Bobby Jr. was named Defensive Player of the Game in that Cajun Classic victory. The 1964season was a step back as the Eagles struggled through a 6-5 campaign although Bobby was named one of the team captains. Bobby and the rest of the Coastal State Eagles are looking for a much better showing in his senior season. He is a potential first round AFA draft pick next spring.

DAN BARRELL - Athletic Director, Chicago Poly University

The 61-year-old former Olympic decathlete and big league baseball player joined Chicago Poly as its athletic director and, for a spell, football coach, after being ousted from his short tenure as President of FABL. One of his sons, Steve, played basketball at Chicago Poly before turning pro with the Boston Centurions. Dan's eldest son, Michael, attended Rome State where he played both football and basketball and is now serving in the military.

The Catamounts are an independent school and have had their ups and downs but under Dan's leadership they did win a College World Championship Series title in 1959. It was Chicago's Poly's first national title in any team sport since their basketball squad won two: in 1916 and 1925. A year ago the Catamount cagers went 21-11 and qualified for the AIAA tournament for the first time in a decade. The school has only had modest success on the gridiron and has yet to play in a New Year's Day Classic game but they did go 8-2 and were ranked 16th in 1962. Last year the Catamounts football team posted a 6-5 record and there is some optimism for the current campaign with quarterback Chuck Miller (1079 yds, 13 TD) and halfback Robert Ellington (1294 yds rushing) coming back to lead an offense that returns eight starters.

Tiger Fan · 09-14-2025, 11:20 AM

JANUARY 2, 1965

OVERTIME WIN LIFTS BUCKS TO NATIONAL TITLE
Travis College Tops Bayou State in Oilman Classic 47-44

The addition of overtime to eliminate tie games in collegiate football has been a way of life since 1952 but it rarely has come into play on New Years Day and never for a game whose outcome determined the national title. Never that is until January 1, 1966 when Travis College outlasted Bayou State 47-44 in a marathon title game that required four round of overtime to determine a winner. The Bucks, thanks to a 6-yard Devon Lorenz touchdown run after the Cougars were forced to settle for a field goal with their fourth OT possession, earned the win in the Oilman Classic and coupled with Noble Jones College falling 35-30 to College of Omaha in the Sunshine Classic, were number one.

It marked the fifth time in school history that Travis College led the way in football but this was the Bucks first national title since 1953 and quite a turnaround for Coach Karl Ogden's squad that went just 5-6 a year ago. The Bucks finished 11-1 with the only blemish on their record being a 31-24 loss to Southwestern Athletic Association rival Darnell State. With 5 football titles the Bucks are in rare company, joining Coastal California, Georgia Baptist and Noble Jones College as the only schools to do so.

Noble Jones College appeared to have the inside track towards becoming the first six time national champion as the Colonels entered their New Year's Day meeting with College of Omaha ranked #1 in the nation despite having already suffered two losses on the season. Dominant showings late in the season against ranked Deep South Conference foes Georgia Baptist (26-3 win) and Cumberland (36-3) helped propel the Colonels to top spot, ahead of South Atlantic Conference champion Charleston Tech at second and Bayou State in third with Travis College sitting in fourth.

The Bucks took care of business against Bayou State while each of the top two ranked schools came up short on New Years. The Colonels dug themselves a hole early in Miami, falling behind College of Omaha 35-10 early in the third period before staging a furious comeback which fell just short. Meanwhile in New Orleans the third Deep South school to earn a New Years invite, Georgia Baptist, put on a defensive clinic in a dominant 22-0 whitewashing of the second ranked Charleston Tech Admirals.

When the dust settled with Travis College(11-1) on top of the pile it was the Central Ohio Aviators(10-2), Grafton Scholars (10-0), College of Omaha Raiders (10-2) and St. Blane Fighting Saints (10-2) that rounded out the top five. Central Ohio, which finished second in the final rankings for the second year in a row and have now spent each of the past six years ranked in the top ten, won its second straight East-West Classic, blasting West Coast Athletic Association champ Portland Tech 24-3 and put a sour ending to what was the Magpies first WCAA title and East-West Classic appearance since 1920.

The Aviators can't help but feel this was a missed opportunity as they stumbled out of the gate, losing September contests on the road at Western Florida and Minnesota Tech, before reeling off 10 straight victories culminating in their win in Santa Ana. It was an odd year for Minnesota Tech as the Lakers, classic participants each of the past two seasons and ranked 4th a year ago, knocked off Central Ohio in their Great Lakes Alliance opener but did not win another conference game and finished 3-8.

Grafton has suddenly emerged as a school to fear in a conference that really has become an afterthought when talking college football. The Scholars went 10-0 for the second time in three years and after being ranked 4th two seasons ago they finish third in the polls this time around. No Academia Alliance school has finished number one since 1928 when George Fox turned the trick in what was the first season of the Brunson Polling System.

Plains Athletic Association champion College of Omaha finished third thanks to their Sunshine Classic victory over then number Noble Jones College. It was just the third New Year's Day appearance for the Raiders who previously lost to Alabama A&M in the 1956 Sunshine Classic and beat Colorado Poly in the now-defunct San Joaquin Classic back in 1952. It was also the first time the school finished ranked in the top twenty since 1952.

Number five was the St. Blane Fighting Saints with their highest finish since they were fifth in the 1956 rankings. It also marked back-to-back ranked seasons -they were 18th a year ago- for Frank Dugger's Saints since their run of five straight ranked finishes ended in that same 1956 season. It may be a beginning of a resurgence for what was one of the most powerful programs of the 1940s but fell on hard times the past few years. St. Blane had an outstanding recruiting class led by freshman quarterback Jack Denson, who stepped right in as the starter and meshed nicely with senior end Jim Whitehead and fellow frosh Rich Ramirez to give the Saints a potent passing attack. The Saints beat Western Iowa 34-13 in the Bayside Classic, which marked their first New Year's action in nine years.

COLLEGE FOOTBALL NOTES

The Minnesota Tech Lakers suffered one of the worst drop-offs in recent memory. The Lakers went 10-2 a year ago following a 9-2 campaign in 1963, finishing in the top ten both times and winning a pair of Classic games. This season Coach Tim Hillman's Lakers started well enough, beating Alabama Baptist, GLA rival Central Ohio and St Patrick's to start 3-0 and begin visions of a third straight New Year's Day appearance. It did not happen as the Lakers imploded and lost their final 8 games of the season. The result was a 3-8 season, worst by a Lakers squad since going 0-9 in 1951. A big reason for the freefall was the absence of 1964 Great Lakes Alliance all-star quarterback Ed Corsetti, who threw for 17 touchdowns a year ago. Corsetti was the first round pick of the National Football Association's Cincinnati Riverman and had a decent rookie season in pro ball.
Quite a debut season for freshman Bulein quarterback Bob Fullerton. He led the AIAA in passing yardage with 1,520 with a big reason being his teammate Horace Reuter. The sophomore end set a college record with 987 receiving yards in 1965 including one game when Reuter had 11 catches for a single game record 287 yards. It came in a season-ending 45-14 win over Huntington State.
CC Los Angeles has had its struggles in recent years under Coach Tom Bowens, as the former AFA receiving star and ex-Detroit Maroons coach saw his college mark dip to 49-44 after a 4-7 campaign. Bowens son Tom Jr. joined the team but was used sparingly as a freshman. Like his dad, Tom Junior is a wide receiver.

BOSTON AMERICANS CLAIM PRO GRID CROWN
Veteran Back Sova Becomes Modern Rushing Leader

There seems to be no slowing down Kevin Sova as the Boston Americans halfback had another big season, rushing for 1,269 yards and helping the Americans to win their second pro football title in the past four years and fifth in franchise history. Sova, who has been in the Yanks backfield since 1953 after finishing up a stellar college career at Carolina Poly, surpassed the 1,000 yard rushing mark for the sixth time and with 12,983 career yards on the ground he is now the modern-day (post 1950) all-time rushing leader. Sova would add another 180 yards in two playoff games to help the Americans defeat Houston for the AFA title and then the NFA champion New York Titans in the second annual meeting between the winners of each league.

The Americans won ten of their first twelve games before a two-game slump to end the season but they had already clinched the East Division title by that point. Boston did not dominate the league as they were around the middle of the pack in team offense and team defense but their strength was a running game that chewed up time off the clock and did just enough to ensure they claimed top spot in the division with a two game bulge on the second place New York Stars.

Sova was joined on the AFA All-Star roster by two of the linemen that cleared holes for him in tackle Jim Gabor and center Jeff Gebhardt. The passing game was not a priority but that did not stop Bob Bosco from finishing fourth in the loop with 674 yards receiving. Just two Boston defenders earned All-Star game invites. They would be defensive backs Frank Wetheim and Junior Erickson. Wertheim was a rookie, a first round selection out of Central Ohio.

The New York Stars had the best rushing defense in the entire AFA but their 8-6 record was only good enough for second place and it marked the second year in a row Coach Dolph Ulrich's squad failed to make the playoffs after a string of six straight seasons with playoff football. Veteran quarterback Orlin Youngs continues to lead the offense of what was a streaky team. The Stars were blinked out due primarily to a five-game losing skid in the middle of the season. They rebounded with 5 straight wins including a 28-14 road win late in the year over Boston but by then it was too late to catch the Americans.

Buffalo finished 7-7 for the second straight season, tying the franchise record for victories as the Red Jackets completed their fifth campaign. The defense looks ready to take the next step but the Buffalo offense is not, especially at quarterback where they tried two former first round draft picks in Roy Leathers and John Simoneau but neither appears to be the answer.

Philadelphia tied Buffalo for third place as the Frigates, division winners a year ago, missed the playoffs for the fourth time in the past five years. Rookie quarterback Jim Clark, selected 20th overall out of Northern California, had the opportunity to learn on the job after Jack Osterman, who started the past five seasons and made the All-Star game each of them, threatened to retire. Osterman was eventually released and signed with the New York Stars to backup Orlin Youngs. With a rookie under center, the Frigates running game worked overtime and with some success as both emerging third year halfback Larry Lewis and veteran Doug Lucy topped the 1,000 yard mark on the season.

After improving their record each of the past two seasons the Washington Wasps took a step back with a 6-8 season - the reverse of their record a year ago. The Wasps had some success through the air, both on offense with quarterback Pat Roberts enjoying his most productive season, and on defense where only four other teams surrendered less passing yards but the running game, especially stopping it, was an issue.

Pittsburgh and Cleveland both struggled and tied for last in the East Division at 5-9. The Paladins have now gone 13 years without seeing a playoff game but that is nothing compared to the Cleveland Finches, who has not played in the postseason since 1947.

*** Houston Continues to be a Model Franchise in AFA West ***

If you were tasked with developing the perfect expansion team look no further than the Houston Drillers for the blueprint on how to do just that. The Drillers joined the AFA along with the Buffalo Red Jackets in 1961 and both clubs struggled immediately as they were each forced to field a team with scraps and cast-offs from the established 12 AFA teams at the time. Houston went just 3-11 in that debut campaign but they laid the groundwork for what was to come.

What happened in 1962 shocked the AFA establishment as the Drillers went 10-4 and made it all the way to the AFA championship game before falling to Boston. The missed the playoffs in both 1963 and 1964 but went 8-6 and 11-3 over those two seasons. A 10-4 finish this time around sent Houston to the AFA title game for the second time in four years. Since the Drillers 3-11 debut, they have posted a dominant 39-17 record with two playoff berths in a four year span.

It was key decisions made in 1961 turned out to be what built the Drillers into a power. First off they managed to snag young quarterback Miller Bogert from the Chicago Wildcats and all Bogert has done was make the postseason All-Star Classic roster twice and provide a steady hand for the offense. Houston does not need Bogert to do a lot, just play it safe as the Drillers biggest strength has been a defense anchored by John Padgett and Lou Lawlor.

Padgett was a second round pick out of Darnell State in the Drillers first draft of 1961. His relentless pressure on opposing quarterbacks has earned him four consecutive appearances in the All-Star Classic and with a league leading 15 sacks this season he was named football's Defensive Player of the Year. Drafting Padgett and signing the veteran linebacker Lawlor after Washington had cast him aside made the Drillers defense one to be feared.

Wise drafting since 1961 has helped flesh out the Drillers roster and 1965 first round Vern Rebovich was no exception. The 1964 Christian Trophy winning halfback out of Payne State did not miss a beat moving to the pros, as the rookie rushed for 1,114 yards in his debut season.

Houston was good enough in 1965 that the Drillers dethroned the two-time defending champion St Louis Ramblers, who finished second in the West Division at 8-6, two games back of front-running Houston. The writing was clearly on the wall in early November when the Ramblers, at 6-3 and just coming off a disappointing road loss to last place Detroit, hosted a 7-2 Drillers team in a game that would set the tone for the four weeks of the season. A tone was certainly set as Houston decimated the defending champs, blanking them 43-0 while the Drillers defense held the Ramblers to just 85 yards in total offense.

Chicago ended up tied with St. Louis for second place as the Wildcats ended a two-year stretch of losing seasons by finishing at 8-6. There is some hope for the future in the Windy City as Chip Fitch, Chicago's 1961 first rounder, enjoyed a solid season after the former Pittsburgh State quarterback had his struggles a year ago. What did Chicago in this time was their poor home record as the Wildcats went just 3-4 at Cougars Park compared to a 5-2 road mark.

The San Francisco Wings have now missed the playoffs for six consecutive seasons after finishing fourth at 7-7. Third year halfback Arlo Gauthier finished among the rushing leaders with 1,122 yards as the Wings offense seldom took to the air and relied on its rushing game. Their downfall was a defense that simply surrendered too many points in key games.

The Los Angeles Tigers and Kansas City Cowboys tied for fifth at 6-8 and defense was an issue for both. For the Tigers it was their fourth consecutive 6-8 finish while for the Cowboys, who have made the playoffs just once since the end of the Pat Chappell era well over a decade ago, it was an improvement on the previous two seasons when Kansas City went 3-11 and 4-10. There is hope for the future as the Cowboys may have found themselves the type of powerful runner they had not seen since their Continental Conference days with Mike Peel. That would be in the form of Leroy Avens, a burly 216 pound ball carrier selected first overall out of Cowpens State in April. Avens was named Offensive Rookie of Year after he gained 1,187 yards and scored 6 touchdowns in his debut season in Kansas City.

That leaves the Detroit Maroons in last place at 5-9. It has been a crazy past few seasons for longtime Maroons coach Sam Wiggins and his squad. In the past five years the inconsistent Maroons have posted records of 12-2, 4-10, 10-4, 8-6 and now 5-9. Using that pattern perhaps the Maroons will contend next season but with a defense as bad as they were in 1965 - no team in either the AFA or NFA surrendered more points- it is hard to imagine a quick turnaround for Rollie Barrell's club this time.

**** Little Middle Ground in the NFA ***

In the sophomore National Football Association teams are either very good or very bad. There are some explosive offenses in the loop, notably in Los Angeles, Minnesota and New York -each winners of 11 games this season- but there are also some awful clubs as three of the eight teams -Cincinnati, Dallas and San Diego- each surrendered well over 300 points against and combined to go 8-34 on the season.

The East Division belonged to the New York Titans who went head to head with the established Stars for support in the Big Apple and played a very exciting brand of football. The Titans found a marquee star in Elvin McGoldrick, a 5'9" jitterbug of a back who had previously enjoyed success in Kansas City. The 27-year-old zigged and zagged his way to 1,416 yards and a league best 15 touchdowns which resulted in McGoldrick being named the Most Valuable Player in football. The Titans also got a strong season out of veteran quarterback Garton Bird, who had enjoyed early success with the Los Angeles Tigers before being unable to find his rhythm with Buffalo. Bird found a nice connection with former Noble Jones College star receiver Don Bernard that added another dimension to the Titans offense beyond just the running of McGoldrick.

The Miami Mariners, who won the NFA East a year ago, slipped to 8-6 and second place in the NFA East Division this time around. Cincinnati and Dallas brought up the rear in the East Division. The Rivermen had just an awful defense while the Stallions were bad all around. The defense had its troubles and former Cleveland Finches quarterback Bran Wechsler could not move the Dallas offense.

The NFA West was a battle between the defending league champion Minnesota Lakers and the Los Angeles Olympians. Both clubs had plenty of offense and strong defenses. Minnesota had the best run defense in either association while the offense featured second year quarterback Jody Lofgren throwing to Billy Morris, an undrafted rookie signed a year ago out of Darnell State, who led the NFA with 68 catches this season. The Lakers had the ground game covered as well, with former New York Stars back Ephraim Stanek, who ran for 1,443 yards which was second in pro football behind only Los Angeles Olympians Duffy Knotts, who was named top offensive player after rushing for 1,592 yards. Sled Hicks, a Detroit castoff, was named to the All-Star Classic for the second year in a row after the Olympians quarterback threw a league high 18 touchdown passes and for 2,332 yards.

The Denver Mountaineers improved to 7-7 after winning just 4 games a year ago and even beat Los Angeles once this season but they have a long ways to go to compete with the two powers in their division. There are few bright spots in San Diego as the Admirals finished 3-11 for the second consecutive season but they do have a young team led by linebacker Mike Krugman. The third round pick from Bluegrass State had 109 tackles and was named the defensive rookie of the year.

PLAYOFFS

Minnesota won the National Football Association title a year ago and the Lakers went 11-3 this season but they needed the tie-breaker of a better divisional record to keep their championship hopes alive this season. The Lakers and the Los Angeles Olympians, also 11-3, split their two meetings this season but the Lakers got the nod to face East Division champion New York because they went 5-1 against West Division opponents while the Olympians were only 4-2.

The New York Titans, on the other hand, had a playoff berth locked up before the calendar turned to December and they looked to be quite a foe for the Lakers. At least they did until it was learned that New York quarterback Garton Bird would miss the game with an injury. That was huge as it meant backup John Mehl would get his first start of the season and that the Minnesota defense could focus on stopping MVP halfback Elvin McGoldrick.

It worked for three quarters as the Lakers, who were a perfect 7-0 at home, lead 13-0 at the break and refused to allow New York to move the ball. Minnesota quarterback Jody Lofgren had a strong game, completing 24 of 35 passes for 202 yards but a pair of interceptions proved costly and led to 10 New York points in the second half.

Mehl completed just 6 passes all day but two of them came on the same drive that bled from the end of the third quarter to the early moments of the fourth period. The first was a 42-yard catch and run by Don Bernard that was the Titans longest play of the day from scrimmage and it was quickly followed by a 24-yard pass to Ziggy Sines setting up a first and goal on the Minnesota one-yard line with New York trailing 13-3 at the time. McGoldrick had a terrible game, he carried the ball just 6 times for 7 yards but one of those yards resulted in a score that narrowed the Minnesota lead to 13-10 with 13 minutes left in the game. Two long Bob Bialecki field goals put New York ahead by 3 points with 1:48 to play when Lofgren made his second crucial mistake, getting picked off again deep in his own territory which allowed McGoldrick to score his second one-yard touchdown run of the afternoon and give the Titans a 23-13 win in a game that was dominated everywhere but where it matters most by the Lakers.

*** Yanks Prove Too Much For Houston Once Again ***

The Houston Drillers and Boston Americans hooked up in the American Football Association championship game for the second time in four years. Boston won the first meeting 27-20, putting an end to a Cinderella second season in the league for the young Drillers. Once more the Yanks would crush the Drillers dreams. Due to scheduling quirks the West Division Drillers and East Division Americans had never met in the regular season.

Few things went right for the Drillers on this day. First, starting quarterback Miller Bogert was injured and completed just 3 of 7 passes for 21 yards. His replacement Bob Newberry did not have much more success. Meanwhile the Drillers defense had its troubles containing Boston back Kevin Sova, who ran for a game high 107 yards. The two defenses were strong, each forcing three turnovers but the only one that led to points for either side came when the outcome was pretty much decided. Boston quarterback Bob McKoon threw an interception while ahead 20-0 with less than 4 minutes left in the game. The Drillers turned it into a Vern Rabovich touchdown run but all that did was avoid the shutout as the Americans prevailed 20-7.

AFA-NFA CLASSIC GAME

The American Football Association and National Football Association seemed to have a very good relationship and it was becoming very easy to think of them as one entity- certainly a far cry from the bitter battle of the post-war era when the Continental Football Conference attempted to challenge the AFA.

They agreed that the shared title game between the two, set for the week after each crowned its association champion, would continue and perhaps even become permanent. They shared awards, held a common draft and faced each other in an All-Star Game. Yes, it was easy to consider the two a single entity, but not when they were on the field together. The NFA played an exciting brand of football, with an emphasis on the passing game and creating marketable star players, but just as the inaugural meeting last December showed, the 1965 showdown between Association champs proved there was still gap in talent. However, that gap seems like it may be closing as the New York Titans offense outperformed the Boston Americans in this year's title game but the veteran loop still came out on top. Boston won by a 17-3 score despite the fact the New York Titans, who hosted the contest at Empire Stadium, had more rushing yards, more passing yards and dominated the time of possession.

After neither club accomplished much on its first series of the game the Americans struck for a big play on their second possession. It came with New York focusing on playoff MVP Kevin Sova after the Boston back gained 12 yards on first down. With the Titans defense creeping in expecting another Sova carry, Yanks quarterback Bob McKoon crossed them up and threw a 53-yard pass to wideout Jack Amodeo. A play later Sova did indeed get the ball, and finished off the scoring drive with a 9-yard run to give the AFA champs an early lead.

New York would answer with a field goal to cut the Boston lead to 7-3 but early in the second quarter the Americans added a second touchdown, this one on a 2-yard pass from McKoon to Bob Bosco to cap a 10-play, 59-yard drive. A missed 25-yard field goal but Titans kicker Bob Bialecki was compounded when Boston's kicker, Mike Marshall, was successful on a 34-yarder of his own late in the second period to put the Americans ahead 17-3.

That would prove to be the end of the scoring although the Titans had some opportunities in the second half but failed to capitalize. The biggest blow to the hosts came midway through the fourth quarter when regular season MVP back Elvin McGoldrick ran for 38-yards and deep into Boston territory only to fumble away the ball as he was hauled down.

QUISENBERRY TAKES FOURTH TURN WITH MIDDLEWEIGHT TITLE

George Quisenberry became the first man ever to hold an ABF World Title on four different occasions when the 29-year-old Toronto born middleweight knocked out reigning champ Ed Eads in the 7th round of their title bout in Philadelphia last August. Quisenberry, who finished the year off with a successful defense in Cleveland, scoring a 13th round TKO win over Bill Sanderson, had held the title on three previous occasions.

Quisenberry first won the middleweight title in 1958 when he scored a unanimous decision over Frenchman Yohan Revel. Quisenberry's time at the top was short-lived, as after beating Joe Clarke that August he would lose to George Hatchell in his second title defense four months later. In the fall of 1959 Quisenberry was back, beating Mark McCoy, another multi-time title holder, in McCoy's first defense after the veteran Kansas City boxer had wrestled the title away from Hatchell.

Quisenberry would then enjoy his longest run as champion, with seven successful defenses over a two and a half year stretch before Lyman King knocked him out in a January 1962 battle at New York's Bigsby Garden. Quisenberry would fight King again nearly a year later and they would battle to a majority draw, allowing King to retain his crown, but that led to a rematch and this time Quisenberry would dominate the 15-round title fight, also at Bigsby Garden, and win a unanimous decision to claim the title for the third time. It was another very short run at the top as Quisenberry, fighting in his hometown of Toronto, was knocked out in the first round of his first defense by Marc Maisonneuve.

King would regain the middleweight crown with a 5th round TKO of Maisonneuve in November of 1963 - in what was King's first fight since losing to Quisenberry nine months earlier. King would hold the title throughout 1964 but in May of 1965 he was outpointed by Ed Eads. The Texan would hold the title just three months as he lost his first title defense to Quisenberry in August.

There was much more stability in the other two divisions in 1965 as both Norm Robinson and Brandon Dart each made three successful title defenses last year. Robinson, the heavyweight champ, won all three of his defenses by stoppages - knocking out Walt Phillips in Las Vegas in January, and scoring TKO wins over Bill Mayville in May and Jim Hatfield in September. Dart, who has made five successful defenses since winning the welterweight title in the spring of 1964, outpointed Charlie McMichael in Boston in Mary, knocked out the previously unbeaten Billy Dvorak in Detroit in June and won by a third round TKO over Kyle Johnson in Las Vegas in October.

It was a tough end for Billy Dvorak. The Columbia, MD., born 25-year-old started 1965 25-0 and ranked 4th in welterweight division. Had a title shot against Brandon Dart but was knocked out for fist pro loss. Dvorak's next fight was against another young contender by the name of George Henry and it was a hard fought battle that saw Dvorak lose a decision but broke his right wrist so badly in the bout that he spent the rest of the year undergoing multiple surgeries and the expectation is he will never be healed sufficiently to fight at a high level again.

The Year That Was
Current events from 1965

Jan 4- President Lyndon Johnson proclaims his "Great Society" during his State of the Union Address. The focus was on a series of domestic policies whose main goal was the total elimination of poverty and racial injustice.
Jan 20- President Johnson begins his first full term and Hubert Humphrey is sworn in as Vice President.
Feb 20- Ranger 8 crashes into the Moon after a successful mission of photographing possible landing sites for the Apollo program missions.
Feb 21- Malcolm X is assassinated in New York City
Mar 7- In what will become known as Bloody Sunday, some 200 Alabama State Troopers clash with 525 civil rights demonstrators in Selma, Alabama.
Mar 8- Some 3,500 American troops arrive in Vietnam, become the first American combat troops in the nation.
Mar 16- Police clash with some 600 marchers in Montgomery, Alabama as more than 1,500 demonstrate at the city courthouse.
Mar 21- Martin Luther King leads a 3,200 Civil Rights activists in a four-day march from Selma to the Alabama state capitol in Montgomery.
Apr 11- The Palm Sunday Tornado outbreak leaves more than 250 dead after an estimated 51 tornadoes hit six US states.
Apr 28- US troops are sent to the Dominican Republic to thwart the possibility of another Communist takeover similar to Cuba.
Jun 3- Gemini 4 astronaut Ed White makes the first US space walk.
Jul 28- President Johnson orders an increase in US troops in Vietnam from 75,000 to 125,000 and doubles the number of men drafted per month to 35,000.
Jul 30- Johnson since the Social Security Act of 1965, establishing Medicare and Medicaid.
Aug 6- The Voting Rights Act of 1965 is signed into law, outlawing literacy tests and other discriminatory voting practices.
Aug 11- The Watts riots begin in Los Angeles
Aug 18 - Operation Starlite : the first major American ground battle in Vietnam commences.
Aug 26- President Johnson announces the end of draft deferment for newly married men.
Sep 9 - 76 die as Hurricane Betsy roars ashore near New Orleans and becomes known as "Billion Dollar Betsy" after it becomes the first storm to cause over $1 billion in damages.
Oct 16- Anti-war protests draw 100,000 in 80 US cities and around the world.
Nov 6 - Cuba and the United States agree to start an airlift for Cubans who want to go to the US. Over six years 250,000 take advantage of this program.
Nov 14- Battle of the la Drang becomes the first major engagement between American and North Vietnamese forces.
Nov 27- Tens of thousands of war protesters picket the White House and then march on the Washington Monument.
Dec 15 - Gemini 6 and Gemini 7 perform the first controlled rendezvous in Earth orbit.

Next up will be the 1965-66 Hockey and Basketball recaps.

Tiger Fan · 09-17-2025, 10:09 AM

MAY 2, 1966

PACKERS CLAIM CUP IN SUPRISE FINAL MATCHUP WITH BEES
Shock Two-Time Defending Champ Montreal in Semis

It had been 14 years since the Chicago Packers last won the Challenge Cup, awarded to the North American Hockey Confederation champions. It was not for a lack of opportunity as since they last hoisted hockey's holy grail in the spring of 1952, the Packers made five other trips to the finals, only to come up short each time. That changed this year in a season that a Cup title was a very unexpected surprise. But when you are the Chicago Packers and had only won the Cup once before in the franchise's forty year history, you will take a Challenge Cup win any way you can get it.

As the season progressed it seemed almost a foregone conclusion that the mighty Montreal Valiants, winners of the previous two Challenge Cups, would make it a hat trick. Montreal set an NAHC record a year ago with 104 points during the regular season and the Vals were not far off that pace this time around either. Third-year coach Matt McGranahan, who had not known a season that did not end in a title, once more led the Vals to the best regular season mark in the league: the Valiants 41-19-10 record was good for 92 points and a six point bulge on a resurgent Toronto Dukes club.

Montreal's bread and butter was its defense with veteran goaltender Nathan Bannister (38-17-10, 2.12) standing tall behind the loop's best defense that featured Mark Moggy (10-26-36), Gil Thibault (12-20-32), veteran Jean Tremblay (7-33-40) and Jeff Gaudreault (9-17-26). Moggy owns 3 Dewar Trophy's, presented to the top rearguard in the league, but this year he had to settle for runner-up as the winner was his blueline partner Thibault.

The Valiants also had an offense to match their defensive prowess with Scott Ducek, the 28-year-old pivot who had a breakout season and won the McDaniels Trophy a year ago, following up his big year with one that nearly matched it. Ducek (33-45-78) centered the Vals top line between second year left winger Tim Bernard (25-39-64) and 26-year-old rookie right winger Pete Fortin (25-43-68). Undrafted out of junior, Fortin was a classic late-bloomer, perfecting his skills with four years of toiling in the minors before catching Montreal's attention when he was invited to camp on a tryout basis. All Fortin did was capture the McLeod Trophy as top rookie and make the post-season first all-star team where he lined up alongside blueliners Moggy and Thibault. Gaudreault and Tremblay made the second time, marking the second season in a row that Montreal claimed each of the four all-star defense slots. Ducek also made the second team.

*** Big Turnaround In Toronto as Welcombe Sells Club ***

After two years of missing the playoffs, something unheard of in Toronto, changes came to the Dukes. Surprisingly in was not the coach that was removed as Ari Bear returned for a sixth season, nor was it a blockbuster trade as most of the same cast returned. Instead it was the owner as David Welcombe announced that he was selling the club after more than two and half decades. Welcombe decided age was catching up to him and he traded the quest for the Challenge Cup for the quest for the perfect cheddar.

"I have always wanted to own a cheese shop," Welcombe said at the press conference announcing the sale. "Work in one, run one. I think that may be the best retirement plan for me."

Under Welcombe's stewardship the Dukes won 8 Challenge Cups and before he left, Welcombe announced that he was donating a trophy to the league. It will be presented to the player judged to be the Most Valuable in the playoffs and would simply be known as the "David Welcombe Trophy."

Taking over the Dukes was 48-year-old Ian Linterman from Thornhill, On. Linterman made is fortune with the Canadian department store chain named Linterman's and officially became the Dukes owner just prior to the start of the regular season.

Perhaps it was the new owner but more likely it was a renewed commitment to defense, coupled with a bounce-back season from Dukes goaltender Mike Connelly (34-19-10, 2.31) that propelled Toronto back into the playoffs with a second place finish. Connelly won his second Juneau Trophy as the league's top netminder and erased a dreadful year a season ago from his memory. Add in a 43-year-old Quinton Pollack (38-45-83), who already owns practically every record in the book, playing like he was a decade younger and won his 10th McDaniels Trophy and led the league in scoring for the 9th team, claiming the newly-minted Denny Trophy. Pollack actually finished tied with Boston's Neil Wilson (25-58-83) in points but wins the Denny Trophy on the tiebreaker of more goals scored.

The Chicago Packers, fresh off of a Cup Final loss to Montreal a year ago, finished in third place with the veteran forward duo of Pete Bernier (24-46-70) and Ken York (37-25-62) leading the way. Chicago's impending success in the post-season this time around perhaps was foreshawowed by the final two months of the regular season when the Packers went 16-6-1 to overtake Boston for third.

The Bees stumbled down the stretch, dropping five of their final six games but by then they had already secured a playoff berth. Captain Neil Wilson (25-58-83) was once again the head Bee in the hive, and the 32-year-old's 58 assists this season were two shy of the decade old record set by, who else, Quinton Pollack. A pair of young forwards in Bruce Callahan (26-21-47) and Nick Quinn (23-20-43) had strong seasons, although Quinn's came to a premature end in late February when the 24-year-old suffered a hand injury. Goaltending remains a concern in Boston ever since Oscar James retired two years ago but there is hope that 23-year-old Alex Daoust, their 1962 second round pick, is ready to assume the full-time starter role after getting some experience as a backup to Francois Campeau this season.

Goaltending was the problem in Detroit as veteran Charlie Dell retired and the Motors had hoped another former Toronto Dukes netminder in Justin MacPhee (19-36-7, 3.52). MacPhee burst onto the NAHC scene in 1959-60 and won both the Juneau and McLeod Trophies as a 28-year-old rookie. It was his only year as a number one goalie until Detroit acquired him this season to replace another former long-time Toronto backup in Dell. The plan failed miserably as MacPhee had an awful season but a struggling Detroit defense did little to alleviate his woes. The Motors have lost a lot of the big scorers they had from their back-to-back Cups to start the decade but Hobie (37-40-77) and Benny Barrell (18-29-47) a still around and 21-year-old center Carl Simon (17-26-43) shows promise.

The New York Shamrocks finished last for the fifth time in the past six years. New York's woes have been well documented and include just one trip to the playoffs in the last eleven years. They did acquire long-time Montreal backup goaltender Tim Burrows (12-36-6, 3.72) but the 33-year-old found life much tougher playing behind the weak New York defense compared to Montreal's all-star foursome. Perhaps the least known all-star in the league is Alex Kalmakoff (20-30-50) the 26-year-old Shamrocks forward and the only New York player selected to a post-season all-star team in over a decade. Kalmakoff was named to the second team for the second time in three years after being a first team selection a year ago.

NAHC PLAYOFFS

The first place Montreal Valiants had gone 16-3 over the playoffs the past two years and were 9-2-3 against the Boston Bees as they prepared to commence their bid for a third straight Cup, something that had not been accomplished since the Bees won three in a row from 1941-43. All started well for the Vals as defenseman Mark Moggy had two goals and an assist in a 4-2 victory in the series opener but third period goals from Tom Gagnon and Bruce Callahan plus some standout goaltending by Francois Campeau allowed the Bees to steal a game on the road with a 3-1 victory.

The clubs would split the two games in Beantown before Boston shocked the Vals 2-1 in game five to move within a win of a series upset. Ed Halliday had a 3-point night on the road in game six as the champs refused to go quietly, sending the series to the distance with a 5-2 victory. The Bees, sensing an upset, outshot Montreal for the first time in the series and rode a 21-save shutout from Campeau to a 3-0 victory.

The other semi-final had the second place Toronto Dukes meeting the third place Chicago Packers. The two clubs were nearly even head to head with the Packers winning 7, the Dukes 6 and the final game ending in a draw. Chicago came out flying on the road at Dominion Gardens, scoring 4 times in the first 17 minutes of game one and coasting to a 6-2 victory. Toronto regrouped and evened the series heading to the Windy City with a 3-1 victory.

The third game was a marathon, as it needed four overtime periods to declare a winner. It was well after midnight when Chicago's Matt McGrath mercifully ended things with a goal after 122 minutes and 59 seconds of hockey. The final was 3-2. Game four would also end in a 3-2 score but this time the winner came in regulation, courtesy of Quinton Pollack, to allow the Dukes to even the series at two.

Game Five was another overtime session, and nearly as long as the third game. The two teams were tied at 5 after regulation and it stayed that way until 8 minutes into the third overtime when Chicago's Ken York set up Tommy Gordon with the game winner. York would score twice while Pete Bernier would assist on all three goals in game six as the Packers wrapped up the series with a 3-0 victory behind the shutout goaltending of Andrew Bomberry.

*** Bees and Packers Evenly Matched as Surprise Finalists ***

It was the third place Chicago Packers and fourth place Boston Bees that met in the finals. It marked the fourth time the duo would face off with the Challenge Cup on the line. Chicago won its first-ever Cup by beating Boston in 1952 but since then the Bees had won three Cups with the Packers standing on the ice to watch the victory celebration. Boston held a slight advantage in the regular season series, going 6-5-1 against Chicago.

Each had momentum entering the series. The Bees fresh off a game seven shutout of first place Montreal while the Packers were celebrating a grueling series against Toronto. Both clubs were likely worn out from the semi-finals as game one began, so of course it resulted in overtime. Guy Bernier had scored late in the third period to tie the contest at two but it was the Bees who would find overtime magic as just 2:41 into the first overtime David Bertrand beat Chicago goalie Bomberry.

Boston entered the third period of game two with a 2-1 lead as the Bees were looking to steal both games at Lakeside Auditorium. The Packers had other ideas and rallied with three goals in the final eight minutes to even the series with a 4-2 victory.

The series shifted to Denny Arena and the Bees outshot Chicago 50-33 and outscored them 4-1 in game three to take the series lead but Chicago bounced back with a 3-2 overtime victory in game four. This one also ended fairly quickly as just over 11 minutes into the extra period Ray Weller got the winner for the visitors.

Game Five might have been Boston's most dominant showing as the Bees outshot Chicago 45-19 and carried the play but somehow lost 4-0. Andrew Bomberry obviously was outstanding in the Packers net and Chicago got first period goals from Pete Bernier, Matt McGrath and J.P. Morrisette and then relied on Bomberry. Boston would force a game seven with a 4-3 win on home ice in the sixth game. The Bees needed third period goals from Jean Lebel and Bruce Callahan -his 10th of the playoffs- to ensure a return to Chicago.

Not since Alex Monette scored 4 goals to allow Detroit to beat Toronto 4-3 in game six and win the 1954 Challenge Cup had a single player come up with such a dominant performance in a Cup clinching game than the show put on display by Ken York in game seven of this series. The 29-year-old Chicago winger entered game seven already have scored 10 goals and a playoff record 19 points but he was just getting started as York scored a hat trick in game seven and had his Packers up 4-1 after forty minutes. The Bees stormed back with 3 unanswered third period goals to send the game into overtime. It would have been a moment that surpassed even Monette's 1954 achievement had York added a fourth goal. He did not, but his teammate J.P. Morisette did score, setting off a wild celebration at Lakeside Auditorium as the Packers won 5-4 and claimed the Challenge Cup for the second time in their long history.

Ken York, who finished with 13 goals and 22 points was named the first winner of the David Welcombe Trophy, presented to the most valuable player of the playoffs. Heavy consideration was given also to his linemate Pete Bernier, who had 2 goals and a record 17 assists in the 13 playoff games.

PHANTOMS DO IT AGAIN!
Back to Back FBL Titles as Philadelphia Again Stops Toronto in Finals

The Federal Basketball League expanded to nine teams for the 1965-66 season and followed big league baseball and football by taking the show west. The Los Angeles Condors became the loop's newest team and despite a grueling travel schedule as the only club on the west coast they actually fared pretty well, finishing with a 30-50 record but avoided last place in the five team West Division. Mostly a collection of spare parts deemed expendable by the existing teams, the Condors did land a star player in the expansion draft by nabbing Bill Knick from the Chicago Panthers. Knick had led the FBL in rebounding in 1964-65 and he, along with former Toronto Falcons center Lonnie Tait, gave the Condors a pair of big men that could hold their own in the league. Knick finished among the top five in both scoring average (24.6) and rebounding (12.2) and became the Condors leader. The Condors also may have found a gem rookie guard Taffy LaBarbera, who averaged 12.8 points per game after the Dickson College star was ignored in the FBL draft and made the club as a free agent.

While Los Angeles provided something new to follow in the league, much of what happened in 1965-66 was very similar to the previous season as once more the Philadelphia Phantoms and Toronto Falcons were the top teams in the sport. Unlike a year ago when the Phantoms finished tied with Boston for first place, this season saw the defending league champions dominate the East Division during the regular season. Philadelphia went 58-22 and finished eleven games ahead of the second place Washington Statesmen. Five-time All-Star forward Dan Holland, who was playoff MVP last year and in 1961 when the Phantoms also were crowned champions, led the way with 25.8 points per game and was among the rebound leaders as well. Holland had plenty of help on offense as three other Philadelphia starters: Lenny Stanley, George Price and Percy Carner, all averaged over 17 points per game.

The Statesmen were a distant second but it was Washington's highest finish since their 1958-59 championship team led the East Division. The Statesmen were led by guard Ralph Peck, who finished in the top ten in both points and assists and was named league MVP. Peck is just 26, the same age as backcourt mate Joe Godfrey who, along with 27-year-old center Sam Pisani accounted for most of the scoring. The excitement for the future was tempered somewhat when Peck suffered a broken leg in the playoffs.

There were no real races at all in the East Division as the Boston Centurions finished comfortably in third to claim the final playoff spot, well behind Washington but comfortably ahead of the last place New York Knights. Longtime Cents Steve Barrell and Bert LaBrecque continue to be the heart of the team and 26-year-old Art Owens, a former CC Los Angeles star, showed promise as the starting center after spending the past three seasons as a back-up.

The New York Knights missed the playoffs for the second year in a row with about the only bright spot being Ken Robinson as the smooth-shooting forward led the FBL in scoring for the second straight season. A year ago Robinson became the first player to ever average more than 30 points per game in an FBL season and this year he did it for a second time.

*** Toronto Tops The West ***

Just as the Philadelphia Phantoms ran away with the East Division, the Toronto Falcons did the exact same in the West. In fact, Toronto's 58-22 regular season record was equal to that of their foes from Philadelphia. Guard Bill Spangler, an 8 year veteran, once more was the head Falcon and he made his fifth appearance on the league's first all-star team. This season marked the fourth time in the past five years that Toronto led the way in the West.

Detroit finished in second place for the third straight season but the Mustangs were 14 games back of Toronto. Detroit had little pressure to hold second as they finished nine games ahead of third place Chicago. The Mustangs had the highest scoring offense in the league but they did not show the same exuberance on defense, allowing more points than every other club except for the New York Knights. Jack Sayler and Charlie DeSantis each averaged more than 20 points per game for the Mustangs. The Panthers did not score as much as Detroit but did have a pair of 20-point men of their own in Bob Christensen, who also led the league in rebounding, along with Dick Brown. Chicago also had the league's most productive playmaker in guard Mark Robinson, who led the loop in assists for the second consecutive season.

Los Angeles, as mentioned above, managed to finish ahead of the woeful St. Louis Rockets for fourth place. The Rockets were bitten hard by the injury bug with starters Harry Garlick and Jerry Kosior each missing significant portions of the season.

*** PLAYOFF RECAP ***

With the dominant showing by division leaders Philadelphia and Toronto the feeling was the first two runs of the playoffs would have no bearing on the final outcome with the Phantoms and Falcons seemingly destined for a rematch of last season's title series, won by Philadelphia in five games.

That being said there was some entertaining basketball being played in the opening round of the Eastern playoffs. The Washington Statesmen beat Boston 109-91 in the opener of their best-of-five set as Sam Pisani scored 28 points and regular season MVP Ralph Peck added 26 but the Centurions, who finished 11 games behind the Statesmen in the regular season, stole game two on the road with a 96-89 victory in a contest that saw Boston guard Steve Barrell come within one rebound of a triple double. The series shifted to Beantown for the crucial third game. It went down to the wire with Barrell once more playing a key role as the veteran guard scored the final two of his 15 points on the evening with 3 seconds left to lift the Centurions to a 90-89 victory. Game four was do or die for the Statesmen and they responded well, leading 49-41 early in the third quarter when disaster struck. Ralph Peck, the heart of the Washington club, fell awkwardly in great pain and after a several minute delay was stretchered off the court. The result would later be diagnosed as a broken leg and the stunned Statesmen seemed to fall apart as Boston outscored them 53-35 the rest of the way as the Centurions clinched the series.

The opening round on the West Division side of the playoffs was far less dramatic as Detroit swept the Chicago Panthers three straight to advance to face Toronto. Detroit, riding the momentum from the Chicago sweep took a three games to one lead on the Falcons in the best-of-seven second round but Toronto, led by guard Bill Spangler who scored, 26,23 and 32 points in the next three games, roared back to take the series in seven. Philadelphia also lost the opener of their series with Boston and fell in game five as well but in the end proved far too much for the Centurions and won the series in six.

The finals pitting Philadelphia against Toronto were a rematch of the previous season's title series - the first time that has happened since Washington beat Toronto in seven games in both the spring of 1950 and 1951 finals. The series opened in Toronto and the scoring star was an unlikely hero as the hometown Falcons claimed a 97-88 victory. Bill Spangler was banged up early in the game so he was limited to just 15 minutes and 8 points. His backup Will Brooks, who had helped Western Iowa to an AIAA championship game appearance several years back, made the most of his opportunity as the 27-year-old guard scored a playoff personal best 21 points to more than make up for Spangler's absence.

Before the second game Toronto learned that the injury to Spangler was much more serious than first thought. The First-Team All League guard had suffered a broken bone in his foot and was done for the season. Philadelphia pulled out a 96-93 victory in game two to even the series with center George Price, who had 18 points and 18 boards, leading the way.

The series would not cross the border into Canada again as Toronto, without its best player, was no match for the Phantoms. Philadelphia, led by 36 points from guard Lenny Stanley and 27 from Price, took game three in a rout, winning 126-104. The fourth game was just as lobsided with Price dominating the Falcons to the tune of 22 points, 12 rebounds and 8 blocked shots in a 99-71 Phantoms victory and they wrapped up the series two nights later, beating Toronto 122-102. Price, who just completed his seventh season but first as a full-time starter at center for the Phantoms, was named the playoff MVP.

The Phantoms title also allowed the city of Philadelphia to leap-frog Toronto for fifth place among professional sports titles won by city's. The City of Brotherly Love now owns 18 pro sport titles, including four from the Phantoms, while Toronto is one back at 17, the vast majority of which come from hockey's Toronto Dukes but the cage Falcons have won a pair FBL titles. New York, of course, with its multiple sports teams leads the way with 29 wins followed by Boston, Detroit and Chicago.

COLLEGE BASKETBALL RECAP
DETROIT CITY COLLEGE CROWNED COLLEGE CAGE CHAMP

The Detroit City College Knights have long been known as a football power in the Great Lakes Alliance so perhaps it comes as a great surprise that since the Knights last were crowned national champion on the gridiron in 1955, they have won not one but two AIAA basketball tournaments. The latest came last month when the Knights capped off a 26-3 season with a 65-61 victory over Noble Jones College in the championship game which is contested annually at New York's Bigsby Garden.

It was a special season for DCC even before the tournament began as the Knights 15-1 section record allowed them to claim the Great Lakes Alliance basketball title for the first time in 24 years. The only section loss came early in conference play when they were thumped 66-46 on the road against Indiana A&M but the veteran loaded roster that was built by coach Ken Benford to make a deep tournament run this year did just that.

Forward Les Hoeft, a 6'9" tower of strength out of Newton, NJ, was one of three seniors in the starting lineup which was rounded out by a pair of juniors. Hoeft, who would average 14.3 points per game and 7.2 rebounds, would be named the Great Lakes Alliance player of the year and earn Second Team All-American status. Many are predicting Hoeft may well be the first overall selection in the upcoming Federal Basketball League draft.

He did nothing to hurt his draft stock in the tournament as Hoeft was the clear leader of the Knights postseason run. He led the way with 12 points and 12 boards as DCC, the top seed in the Midwest Region, opened the tournament with a 59-36 clobbering of Central Athletic Association champion Fond du Lac. The games grew tougher but Hoeft and his mates were up for the challenge with the big forward scoring a team high 17 points in the second round 70-53 win over Northern California. He would be one of three Knights to score 12 in a nail-biting 54-53 victory over Charleston Tech in the regional final.

In New York for the final four the Knights had to contend with a pair of Deep South Conference schools. The semi-finals were also a tight game but Hoeft scored 18 points in a 61-58 victory over Mississippi A&M. The other semi-final saw Noble Jones College narrowly hold off North Carolina Tech 42-41. It marked the second consecutive year the Colonels would reach the title game but they followed up last year's loss to Redwood with another defeat. Noble Jones College strategy was to double-team Hoeft all game and it was successful in that they held him to just 6 points and only 7 shot attempts. The problem was that left another talented Detroit City College senior wide-open most of the game and guard Bill DuMont poured in 24 points to key the victory.

With the victory Detroit City College becomes one of just 14 schools to win at least two AIAA tournaments since the event debuted in 1909. Noble Jones College has now lost three of the four title games the school has ever appeared in with the lone victory coming in that famous 1949-50 season when the Charlie Barrell led Colonels topped Liberty College in a battle of unbeaten teams.

THREE TO WATCH

Here are three players you may be hearing quite a lot about in the future. Dick Van Der Linden of Rainier College was the Barrette Award winner as the AIAA Basketball Player of the Year this season and among the leading scorers in the nation. The Seattle native was a freshman All-American and a four year starter for the Majestics. The forward averaged 18.4 points per game and graduates as the all-time leading scorer for Rainier College. He is expected to be a first round pick in the upcoming Federal Basketball League draft.

Another likely first round selection, and a candidate to go number one overall is Les Hoeft. The 6'8" senior led the Detroit City College Knights to their second-ever AIAA tournament win and was named a second team All-American selection.

Finally we have a freshman who may end up making his mark as a pro on the gridiron instead of the hardwood. That would be Tom Bowens Jr., son of the legendary Boston Americans and Detroit Maroons end and current head football coach at CC Los Angeles. Tom Jr. was a multi-sport start at Hollywood High School and was an easy recruit for his father to land. Junior did see some action as a freshman last fall on the CCLA grid squad, but where he stood out was on the basketball court where Bowens, a guard, started all 29 games for the Coyotes and averaged 8.7 points per game. CCLA struggled with a 14-15 record and missed the AIAA tournament for the first time in four years but with a pair of freshmen in Bowens and forward Ernie Gibson, along with a sophomore and two juniors in the starting lineup the Coyotes may be a force to reckon with over the next couple of years.

FLASHBACK 1959 AIAA COLLEGE BASKETBALL TITLE GAME
Nine Future FBL Players Appeared In Game

Many talk about the 1950 AIAA title game between Noble Jones College and Liberty College - the only time two undefeated teams met for the national championship- as one of the best collections of college basketball talent on the court at once. It was 65-60 victory for Noble Jones College and both teams had some future pro stars.

The Colonels were led by then-freshman Charlie Barrell, who would go on to win a title in the Federal Basketball League as well as play some pro football but is best known as a 7-time all-star with FABL's Los Angeles Stars and currently a member of the Chicago Chiefs. Barrell was joined on that Noble Jones squad by Arlie Noonan and Mike Miller, each of whom would enjoy productive pro careers. Noonan was a first round pick of Detroit in 1951 and spent nine seasons with the Mustangs, winning an FBL title and playing in over 400 games while Miller spent a decade with the Chicago Panthers, primarily as a back-up behind Luther Gordon.

Gordon of course also factored in that 1950 title tilt as he was the star center and two-time AIAA college player of the year who was the heart of the Liberty College Bells team. He is regarded as one of the best, if not the best, pro basketball player of all time, winning the FBL MVP award five teams and seven scoring titles. Forward Edgar Stillwell also played for Liberty College in that game before going on to have a brief FBL career with Toronto.

However, when it comes to future pro talent coming out of a single college basketball championship game it may be tough to match the 1959 contest between Carolina Poly and Western Iowa. The "Bird Game" was won 59-51 by the Cardinals over the Canaries but how is this for a collection of pro talent to be on the same college basketball court:

Western Iowa was led by senior forward Bob Christensen, senior guard Jerry Blake and junior center Bill Knick. They also had sophomore guards by the name of Art Schempp and Will Brooks. Four of them started and played at least 29 minutes in the title game with the exception being Brooks who had 11 minutes off the bench. All five also are enjoying FBL careers. Four players from Carolina Poly went on to either be drafted or play pro ball. The most notable is current Philadelphia Phantoms center Dan Holland, who was playoff MVP twice and owns three FBL championship rings. Peter Neilson was a starting guard on that Cardinals team and is now a teammate of Holland's in Philadelphia while Everett Carman, a forward, is currently playing for the expansion Los Angeles Condors. A fourth Cardinals player, forward Gary Woodall was drafted by St Louis but never played a regular season FBL game.

Here is a look at each of them:

WESTERN IOWA

BOB CHRISTENSEN - He was a second team All-American that season and the leader of the Canaries. He would be drafted third overall by the Chicago Panthers in 1959 and led the FBL in rebounds each of the past two years while also being named First-Team All-League twice. Now 29, Christensen is a key piece of the Panthers team.

JERRY BLAKE - Selected by Toronto in round two of the 1959 draft, Blake remains with the Falcons, primarily as a backup but has played in 416 games over the past 7 seasons, won a pair of FBL titles and reached the finals on two other occasions including this season.

BILL KNICK - Knick was drafted by the New York Knights with the sixth pick in the 1960 draft. He spent two seasons as a backup in the Big Apple before being waived and signed by Chicago where he was reunited with Christensen. Knick was named First-Team All-League in his second season with Chicago and led the league in rebounds his third year. Exposed in the expansion draft, he was selected by the Los Angeles Condors and finished in the top six in the league in both points per game and rebounds this past season.

ART SCHEMPP - Selected second overall by the New York Knights in 1961, Schempp has been a starting guard in New York for each of the past three seasons.

WILL BROOKS - Brooks was the first overall pick by Toronto in the 1962 FBL draft. A teammate of Blake, he has been the first guard off the bench for Toronto through most of his five year career and owns two FBL championship rings.

CAROLINA POLY

DAN HOLLAND - Selected 4th overall by the Philadelphia Phantoms in the 1960 draft, Holland has led the Phantoms to three FBL titles and was named playoff MVP twice. He was among the league scoring and rebound leaders last season, his sixth in the league, averaging 25.8 ppg and 13.2 rpg. In college not only was he an AIAA tournament champion as a junior but Holland was also National Freshman of the Year in 1956 and National Player of the Year and first team All-American as a senior in 1959-60.

PETER NEILSEN- Selected 6th overall by Detroit in the 1961 FBL draft, Neilsen played just one game for the Mustangs before being waived. Philadelphia signed him in 1964, and he has spent the past two seasons as a reserve guard and teammate of Dan Holland on back-to-back FBL title winners.

EVERETT CARMAN - A sophomore on the Carolina Poly championship squad, the forward was a St Louis Rockets second round pick in 1961 but was waived at training camp. He played semi-pro ball for the next couple of years before Boston signed him part way through the 1964-65 season. Carman appeared in 34 games that year for the Centurions but played sparingly and was exposed in the expansion draft. He did do enough to impress the expansion Los Angeles Condors and won a starting job in training camp. He averaged 10.0 per game over 66 games for the Condors this past season where he was a teammate of Bill Knick.

GARY WOODALL - Was drafted by St Louis in round two of the 1960 FBL draft but was cut in training camp. Is still active in semi-pro leagues and hopes to crack an FBL roster one day but at 28 time is running out for the forward.

Tiger Fan · 09-21-2025, 11:32 AM

1966 IN FIGMENT BASEBALL
October 28, 1966

STARS BRING GLORY WEST
Los Angeles Captures First Coast Championship

The Los Angeles Stars completed a season for the ages, one in which they dominated Continental Association rivals, taking over first place for good on June 2 and never surrendering it as they finished two shy of the FABL single season record with 110 victories. The Stars would add four more wins in October, defeating a surprising Federal Association champion in the Pittsburgh Miners to accomplish something a west coast club had never done in any sport - win a championship in a major sport, unless of course you count the Great Western Baseball League's short-lived three year experiment as a self-proclaimed major league, which few, if any, do.

The west coast has been home to big-time professional football for two decades and baseball has been a fixture in California since 1954 when the former New York Stars and San Francisco Sailors sojourned to Los Angeles and San Francisco respectively. Each of the those clubs won a Continental Association flag- the Sailors in 1962 and again last year while the Stars won in 1964- but none of those pennants were followed up by a World Championship Series victory. As important as the series win was for fans in California, it may have been even more crucial to the psyche of teams and managers in the Continental Association, who could not be blamed for developing a bit of an inferiority complex. You see, entering the '66 series, the Federal Association representative had won seven consecutive WCS titles and ten of the previous eleven. To further rub salt in the wound, the Feds had also claimed three straight and four of the past five all-star games as well.

The Los Angeles Stars World Championship Series victory over the Pittsburgh Miners in six games, also gave the franchise sole possession of the most WCS titles in FABL history. The Stars, who last won the WCS while still based in New York in 1946, had entered the season tied with the Detroit Dynamos at nine WCS wins, but now become the first club to win ten. And looking at the talent on their roster there could be more celebrations coming for Los Angelenos in the next few years.

A recent ranking from OSA, the official scouting service of FABL, declared that five of the eight starting position players on the Stars are ranked amongst the top twenty players in baseball and three of the top eight pitchers according to OSA are also Stars. The stats certainly seemed to back up that line of thinking in 1966, as the Los Angeles Stars led FABL, and by a sizeable margin, in both scoring the most runs and surrendering the fewest.

Continental foes have to cower in fear at the fact that not only are the Stars so talented, but they are also quite young. Shortstop Lew Smith (.295,24,79) is just 23, first baseman Bobby Garrison (.296,23,118) is 24, third sacker Mel Johnson (.287,29,103) and catcher Bob Griffin (.309,11,83) are both 25. The "old men" in the lineup are 29-year-old Ed Moore (.291,31,92), who finished second in Whitney Award voting after winning it a year ago, and fellow outfielder Lou Allen (.248,24,85) who is 31. The big three on the mound are far from ancient either as Floyd Warner (19-7, 2.36) is 30, Cal Johnston (14-3, 2.75) is 27 and George Dunnigan (20-5, 2.69) is just 24. Even number four starter Paddy Williamson (17-8, 3.03), who did not crack the OSA list of top twenty hurlers, is only 26.

The Chicago Cougars won a franchise record 99 games, topping the ninety victory mark for the fourth straight season, but they still finished a distant second, 11 games back of the front-running Stars. The Cougars strength was on the mound as long-time Cougars starter Pug White (10-8, 2.43) was joined by newcomers Jim Norris (17-8, 3.49) and Hal Adams (15-8, 2.95), a pair of seasoned vets who were acquired in deals at the end of last season. The future is bright for Bill Grimm (.288,31,105) as the 22-year-old first baseman had a breakout season in his second campaign. There is talent on offense with the likes of Dode Cahill (.278,21,76), Henry Watson (.284,17,62) and Jerry McMillan (.277,18,59) but surpassing the Stars in a bid to win their first pennant since 1941 will not be an easy task going forward.

Losing seven time Diamond Defense Award winning shortstop Carlos Jaramillo (.278,8,35) for nearly two months with an injury -the club went just 19-29 during his absence- ended any hopes the [b]San Francisco Sailors{/b] might have had of repeating as Continental Association flag winners. San Francisco was 4.5 games back of Los Angeles when Jaramillo went down in early July and were 17.5 back when he returned to the lineup on September 1. Injuries also cost Whitey Stewart (18-2, 2.49) a few starts and somehow, despite his stellar numbers, the 35-year-old finished just fourth in CA Allen Award balloting.

The fourth place Toronto Wolves received an MVP season out of centerfielder Sid Cullen (.316,36,114) who became the first Wolves player to win a Whitney Award since Hall of Famer Fred McCormick won back-to-back in 1938-39. The Wolves still have some holes in their lineup and many of the key pieces like Cullen, Tom Reed (.266,15,47) and catcher Dixie Williams (.273,13,53) are on the wrong side of thirty but 24-year-old Stan Merrick (.295,15,78) looks a player they can build around. The Toronto pitching, led by Danny Horne (18-8, 2.76), Jimmy Pepper (16-8, 2.68) and Marty Bean (13-7, 3.24) looked solid.

The Cleveland Foresters, the class of the CA for the 1950s, ended a three year stay in the second division as they finished fifth at 86-76, breaking the .500 mark for the first time since 1962. The transition from the aging stars of their glory years, ones that saw the Foresters win 3 World Championship Series and 8 pennants in a 13 year stretch, is underway with rookie of the year Andy Babel (.298,11,74) heading the group ready to take over for veterans Sherry Doyal (.298,3,41) and Hal Kennedy (.266,5,57) who were fixtures for most of the championship run.

Kansas City finished sixth and below .500 for the first time since 1960. The Kings are just three years removed from their most recent pennant winning season but one can't help but feel the window is closing. Hank Williams (.276,22,67) made the all-star team for the ninth time at the age of 32 but his production dropped for the third consecutive year. Charlie Rogers retired before the season started and 39-year-old Stan Kleminski (.213,4,56) and 37-year-old Ken Newman (253,18,76) may not be far behind him.

The seventh place Cincinnati Cannons have not won a pennant since 1945 and despite having one of the best young arms in the game in two-time Allen Award winning 23-year-old Marco Middleton (20-10, 2.61) it has hard to imagine the streak being snapped soon. The Cannons outfield is a strength with Bonnie Chapin (.285,17,54), Dallas Berry (.270,30,85) and 25-year-old Mark Boyd (.234,31,82) and they may have discovered a late bloomer in 27-year-old third baseman Pablo Vazquez (.255,15,60), who impressed in his first full season in the majors.

The Dallas Wranglers suffered a drop-off in their fifth season in the big leagues, going just 67-95 after winning a franchise best 75 games a year ago. They have some talent in the farm system but it is going to be a long wait before the club is able to challenge the leaders. One bright spot was the play of 22-year-old catcher John Vance (.319,11,76), who led the CA in batting average in his third full season with the Wranglers. Another 22 year old, rookie second baseman Slick Dunn (.315,12,56) led the CA with 200 hits and became the franchise's first Kellogg Award winner.

No the Montreal Saints are not an expansion team, they just play that way. The Saints finished with just 67 wins and not ended a season higher than 7th place this decade. The woes stretch far further back than that as Montreal has not won a pennant since 1921, the longest such drought in FABL. The farm system is not that good either. Aside from 25-year-old righthander John Roberts (15-12, 3.31) and veteran outfielder Harry Swain (.283,18,81) there is very little to be excited about in Stade Montreal.

That leaves the New York Imperials to finish in last place for the third straight season. The Imperials have the worst record of any of the four 1962 expansion clubs at 245-557, 47 games behind the Minneapolis Millers who are the next worst. High draft picks have stocked the cupboards but the team needs patience waiting for them to develop. Second baseman George Love (.288,26,82) is the best of the group and already a three-year veteran with the big club. Ideally they would find a suitor for their other young star in Tony Nova who, like Love, really is only suited to play second base.

*** Fed Flag Major Accomplishment For Miners, But Fail To Erase 1901 ***

It has not been easy being a Pittsburgh Miners fan through the years. The Miners have won the World Championship Series just once in their history, tied with the Kings for the lowest total among the 16 original FABL franchises, and that was way back in 1901. No other professional team in any of the big four team sports has had such a lengthy streak without a title - heck, none of the other three sports leagues were even active the last time the Miners won a WCS.

In comparison to the WCS, the pennant drought has been a mere moment, but it still stretched back twenty-six years. While the Miners ultimately fell short once again in the WCS, they did erase the stigma of going the longest without a Fed flag -that distinction now passes on to the Washington Eagles who last won in 1946- with what only can be considered a very unexpected twenty-victory improvement over last year that resulted in the Miners first pennant since 1940.

Pittsburgh got off to a quick start, going 34-14 to start the season and with a 62-29 record at the all-star break their lead on Chicago and Boston was 12.5 games at the midpoint. They limped down the stretch, finishing the season 8-12 but still finished six games ahead of the Chicago Chiefs, who came in second. A September injury that prematurely ended the season of eventual Whitney Award winner Dixie Turner (.314,31,94) was a big factor and can be considered the latest setback to prolong that 65 year and counting WCS drought. Who knows how the Miners might have fared against the Los Angeles Stars in the series had Turner been available.

Pittsburgh seemed to succeed at every facet of the game during the regular season. The pitching staff was a mixture of experience in Jimmy Blair (15-8, 2.82), Bill Scott (15-10, 3.32) and Clarence Miller (13-5, 2.55) along with youthful exuberance provided by 22-year-old second year starter Jack Kotarski (16-8, 2.86) and 24-year-old Manny Espinosa (16-7, 3.27). Turner was without a doubt the heart of the Miners offense but the supporting cast was also strong with Earl Skains (.274,15,84), Gale Schmitt (.299,11,75) and Eddie Thomas (.288,10,84) leading the charge.

The Chicago Chiefs finished second on the strength of a 22-8 month of August that allowed them to creep to within shouting distance of a then slumping Miners team but ended up finishing six games back. Still, the 96 win season resulted in a .593 winning percentage - the best the Chiefs have seen since their dominant 1938 World Championship club. The future looks bright as they had the most productive offense in the Federal Association and aside from Charlie Barrell (.263,28,103) and Al Padgett (.257,21,83) none of the regulars in the Chicago lineup are over 28. Barrell, now 36, had a bounce back season in his second year in the Windy City after a decade in Los Angeles, and keyed a powerful heart of the batting order that also featured John Butts (.310,18,80), Bob Starr (.291,26,83) and Joe Siniscalchi (.290,25,111). The pitching, with young star Augie Hicks (16-11, 3.20) and veteran Vern Osborne (17-13, 3.40) was also solid.

The Washington Eagles have come close to ending a pennant drought that now reaches twenty years but have just not quite been able to get over the top despite having arguably the best player in the game in Tom Lorang (.304,33,100). It only feels like Lorang has been around forever as he just completed his seventh big league season but in truth he just turned 25 years of age two months ago. With George Whaley (.288,28,108), Howdy Oakes (.276,20,70) and Al Marino (.270,21,86) all in or approaching their prime there is still plenty of time for Washington to claim a flag. What the Eagles need is what it seems like they are always in a shortage of - quality pitching. There is some hope that Tom Arencibia (8-7, 3.02) can get back to the promise he displayed as a rookie before an arm injury cost him the entire 1964 season. Perhaps Jim Stewart (9-18, 3.89) was just a victim of bad luck as the run support certainly dried up for the 31-year-old who won 32 games over the previous two seasons. There is also hope that converted reliever Jack Kessler (18-6, 3.42) really is as good a starter as his 1966 record indicated.

Boston continues to be a middle of the pack team as the Minutemen ended up fourth with an 85-77 record. There is a lot to like about the club which features perhaps the best young pitcher in the game in Bill Dunlop (15-10, 2.55) as "The Tobacco Twister" won the Allen Award a season after collecting the Kellogg Award as top rookie. With Frank Kirouac (.259,34,85) being joined by two veterans with WCS experience in John Low (.275,14,53) and Joe Reed (.247,12,65) one can't help but feel that the Boston brass expected a better showing this season.

It looks like the St Louis Pioneers reign at the top of the Federal Association is officially over as the club that won three consecutive WCS titles from 1962-64 and finished second a year ago slipped to fifth place. The .506 winning percentage was the Pioneers worst showing since 1957. The pitching staff is still among the deepest in the Fed with Frenchy Mack (13-9, 2.53), Billy Hasson (10-15, 3.28), John Gibson (15-8, 3.20) and Steve Madden (9-10, 2.75) still leading the way but the offense has fallen on hard times. Bob Bell (.275,24,89) and Danny Davis (.251,19,81) continue to play key roles as does 38-year-old Jerry Smith (.280,17,51) but there are holes elsewhere in the lineup.

The defending WCS winning Philadelphia Keystones fell from a 100 win season to finishing at .500. Charlie Rushing (20-7, 2.59) was not the reason as the 31-year-old had another strong season on the mound but Jorge Arellano (11-16, 4.28) had a big drop off. Youngsters Jesse Walker (.280,27,72) and Bobby Phelps (.266,26,89) give hope for a quick turn around next season but age seems to have caught up with 36 year-old Buddy Miller (.208,2,17) as the 10-time all-star was primarily limited to pinch-hitting opportunities.

The seventh place New York Gothams continue to search for the winning elixir to bring them back to their glory days in the early to mid 1950s and there is hope they can build around a pair of young hurlers in 22-year-old Bunny Mullins (16-8, 2.95) and 25-year-old Harry Hayward (12-12, 3.61) but the offense is in desperate need of an upgrade. One bright spot there was 26-year-old outfielder Steve Burris (.265,24,77), a 1958 first round draft pick. Rookie Roy Johnson (.273,14,58) is a 23-year-old converted catcher who had a decent debut in the big leagues playing first base.

The Minneapolis Millers finished ahead of one of the non-expansion teams for the first time in franchise history. They have two exceptional homegrown talents in 22-year-old John Edwards (.254,11,63) and 24-year-old Frank Bradshaw (.274,7,72) but they need the system to continue to pump out young talent. Pitcher Jay Page (8-16, 3.93) a rule five acquisition from Cleveland, made a decent impression on a club desperate for starting pitching as a 24-year-old.

The dynasty days of the Detroit Dynamos are long gone as the team of the 1950s that won 6 pennants and 4 WCS in a seven year span is now starting to look like the awful Dynamos clubs of the mid-1930s. Virtually all the stars from the glory days are either gone or, as in the case of Roy Waggoner (.241,9,27), John Jackson (10-16, 4.05) and Bud Henderson (5-16, 5.17) fading fast. It will be a long rebuild although trades, such as those sending Jim Norris and Joe Reed away last year, have helped strengthen a farm system that produced this years Kellogg Award winner in shortstop Ben Baker (.292,13,77), who led the Fed with 37 doubles.

While the Stars shined bright in Los Angeles, the Federal Association Suns seem to be in a permanent eclipse as they finished last for the second year in a row after beginning their existence with three straight ninth place showings. Like the other three new clubs, years of drafting high in the opening round has allowed them to accumulate some prospect depth so they cling to the hope that enough of the high draft picks will pan out. Sam Forrester (.273,33,81) looks like one who has the 23-year-old outfielder has improved each of his three seasons in the big leagues.

MILESTONES AND OTHER NOTABLES
AWARDS

Toronto outfielder Sid Cullen (.316,36,114), who led the Continental Association in homeruns and finished second in the other two triple crown categories, was named the Whitney Award winner for the loop. Cullen garnered 17 of the 20 first place votes to claim his first Whitney. The other three went to Ed Moore (.291,31,92) of the Los Angeles Stars, who was last year's Whitney winner. Cincinnati Cannons pitcher Marco Middleton (20-10, 2.61) is just 23 years of age but he won his second Allen Award in the past three years. The CA Kellogg Award winner, presented to the top rookie, went to Dallas second baseman Slick Dunn (.315,12,56), who was an unanimous choice.

Dixie Turner (.314,31,94) of the pennant winning Pittsburgh Miners won his second consecutive Federal Association Whitney Award. Turner won the award despite missing the final two weeks of the season, and the WCS, with a hamstring injury.The Allen Award went to Boston's Bill Dunlop (15-10, 2.55), a year after Dunlop won the Kellogg Award. This time around the Kellogg went to Detroit shortstop Ben Baker (.292,13,77)

NO-HITTERS
Bob Reed (13-13, 3.40) became the first Minneapolis Millers hurler to toss a no-hitter, when he blanked the Philadelphia Keystones 4-0 on September 14.

200 WINS
Beau McClellan of Kansas City

2500 HITS
Paul Williams of Cleveland

2000 HITS
Tom Carr of the Chicago Cougars
Dallas Berry of Cincinnati

300 HOME RUNS
Hank Williams of Kansas City

1966 FABL ALL-STAR GAME
FEDS WIN THIRD STRAIGHT ALL-STAR GAME

Offense may down in baseball this year but that was certainly not the case in the All-Star Game as the Federal Association bats were in peak form, rapping out 19 hits as the Feds downed their counterparts from the Continental Association by an 11-5 score. It marked the third consecutive win for the Federal Association and its fourth victory in the past five years.

The Continental stars actually led 2-0 thanks to a first inning rbi single from Cleveland rookie Andy Babel and a second inning solo home run off the bat of Los Angeles Stars slugger Ed Moore. The Feds had just one him, a lead-off single from Philadelphia Keystones outfielder Harry Dellinger, through two innings but that changed quickly in the third. With Whitey Stewart of San Francisco on the mound, Federal Association bats exploded for 5 runs on 6 innings in the frame, with Earl Skains delivering a triple and John Edwards a double as part of the outburst.

The Continental stars tied the game at five with a big inning of their own in the sixth. Hank Williams and Lew Smith greeted Boston hurler John Swift with back to back singles to start the inning before Los Angeles Stars catcher Bob Griffin evened the contest with one swing of the bat, taking a Swift offering over the right field fence in Pittsburgh's Fitzpatrick Park.

It took little time for the Federal Association to answer as Bob Bell of St Louis led-off the seventh with a solo homerun to put the Federal Association ahead 6-5. Three singles and a Howdy Oakes double later and the Fed lead was 9-5. They would round out the scoring with a Jesse Walker 2-run homer in the ninth.

NOTES - Boston outfielder Frank Kirouac, who went 3-for-4 with a walk and two runs scored, was named the Most Valuable Player of the game. Kansas City outfielder Hank Williams was playing in his 9th all-star game. Only 17 players have been named to the all-star team more often. Williams has been named to the CA team every year since 1958 and, at just 33 years of age, may just have a few more all-star game appearances before his career ends.

1966 WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP SERIES
STARS SHINE BRIGHT

It was a rematch of the 1923 World Championship Series - well, sort of- as the formerly New York and now Los Angeles Stars prepared to meet the Pittsburgh Miners. They were two organizations with a far different history. The Stars had won the WCS a record nine times- a mark they shared with the Detroit Dynamos- and had reached the WCS just two years ago. Pittsburgh, on the other hand, had won the WCS just once, way back in 1901, and were tied with the Kansas City Kings for the fewest WCS titles among the original 16 FABL clubs. The Miners entered with a 64 year series drought, the longest title-free stretch of any team in any of the major pro sports leagues and had not won a pennant in 25 years. They also held the worst series record in history, going to the WCS eight times but winning just one.

So clearly, no pressure on the current group of Pittsburgh Miners although to make matters worse, Pittsburgh would have to play the WCS without their best player, second baseman Dixie Turner, who would go one to be named Federal Association Whitney Award winner for the second year in a row. The 25-year-old had suffered a hamstring injury in mid-September ending his season while the Miners limped home with just 3 wins in their last 8 regular season games. The Stars on the other hand were healthy, on a 19-8 run since September 1, and were looking to be the first California based team to win a championship in a major league.

GAME ONE

The series opened at Bigsby Stadium in Los Angeles and the home side, led by catcher Bob Griffin's 4-hits and 2 rbi's jumped out to a 5-1 lead to chase Pittsburgh starter Jimmy Blair early. Floyd Warner, on the hill for the Stars, held the Miners in check until the 8th inning when he ran into big trouble allowing a lead-off double by Jack Abasi followed by singles from Gale Schmitt and Mike Whisman. Stars skipper Charley McCullough, the former big league infielder who had won a WCS title as a manager with Cleveland in 1957, quickly went to his bullpen. It wasn't pretty and reliever Paddy Williamson did let both Schmitt and Whisman score but when the dust settled the Stars still led, although only by a single run at 5-4. It held up as Williamson, aided by a doubleplay ball in the ninth inning earned the save and the Stars drew first blood with that 5-4 victory.

GAME TWO

Just as they had in the opener the Stars took an early lead in game two. This time it was doubles from Bill Bell and Lew Smith that keyed a 2-run second inning and put Los Angeles up 3-1. Pittsburgh would close the margin to just a single run but Paddy Williamson would pitch three shutout innings to earn his second save as the Stars scored an insurance run late and prevailed 4-2.

GAME THREE

Back home at Fitzpatrick Park the Miners got their first win of the series, downing Los Angeles 6-4 thanks to a 4-run outburst in the bottom of the third inning. The big blow was a two-run homer off the bat of John Moreland, a shortstop who missed the first half of the season with an injury and only hit two longballs during the regular season.

GAME FOUR

Pittsburgh evened the series with an 8-2 pounding of the vistors. Reid Barrell's bases-loaded three run double in the bottom of the 8th inning off Dewey Allcock was the key hit that put the game away.

GAME FIVE

The game one rematch between Floyd Warner and Jimmy Blair saw plenty of excited fans in Fitzpatrick Park, thinking perhaps a win today would put their heroes on the path to ending 65 years of WCS frustration. The mood turned bleak very quickly as Blair, just as he did in the series opener, got into big trouble. It was even earlier this time as the Stars plated 3 runs in the top of the first inning when Bobby Garrison smacked a 2-run triple. In Blair's defense a pair of errors right off the bat put the Miners behind the eight-ball. When the inning ended it was 3-0 and by the time Pittsburgh came to bat in the second inning they were trailing 6-0. Clyde Fisher, who made an error in the first to allow the lead-off man to reach, committed another miscue in the second to help set the stage for a three-run double from Garrison, who finished the game with 5 rbi's, tying a Continental Association post-season record.

The final score was 7-3 as Warner earned his second win of the series and Williamson closed it out for his third save.

GAME SIX

By this point you just knew, given their post-season history, that the Miners were going to lose. Even when Pittsburgh opened the scoring when game five goat Clyde Fisher scored on a ground out in the top of the third inning. Los Angeles answered when yet another Pittsburgh error set up a Lew Smith sacrifice fly. The Stars went ahead 2-1 on a Mel Johnson homerun to lead off the bottom of the fourth. Give Fisher some credit as he hit a solo shot of his own to tie things up once more at 2 in the top of the fifth but Johnson put LA ahead for good with an rbi single in the bottom of the fifth inning.

Any faint hopes of a Pittsburgh comeback disappeared when the Stars scored three times in the seventh with all runs plated on Bob Bell's two-out, bases loaded double and the game, and the series, ended with a 6-2 Los Angeles victory.

Bobby Garrison, who had the big 5-rbi effort in game five, was named series MVP after going 10-for-26 with a homer, a triple, four doubles and four runs scored in the series.

Next up a look at the Prospect Pipeline and then the 1966 recap from the gridiron.

Tiger Fan · 09-21-2025, 08:17 PM

October 28, 1966
LOOKING AT THE 1966 DRAFT CLASS AND TOP PROSPECTS

In an effort to stay abreast of who the top stars may be in the game a decade from now when human GMs return here is an update on the first round picks both from the current June 1966 draft and from that of last year. As was the case a year ago we are listing below the 20 players selected in the opening round of the latest draft and showing where they slot on the OSA prospect pipeline as of the end of their first professional season. Just as last year there is quite a variance as the picks range from #1 according to OSA to as low as 280th on the current prospect pipeline. According to OSA the best prospect is actually the fourth pitcher chosen and ninth player overall in Cincinnati Cannons first rounder Charlie Wolf. The 22-year-old lefthander out of Carolina Poly actually made his FABL debut in September, tossing a dozen innings of relief out of the Cannons pen after going 5-2 with a 1.70 era in 8 starts at the Class A level.

We also list an update on the 1965 class, for which there have not been many dramatic shifts but we did see one of the players, Gothams pick Roy Johnson, spend the entire season in the big leagues. With his path to play catcher in FABL currently blocked by Gothams veteran Tom Brizzolara, the club elected to move the 23-year-old former Minns College star to first base. The Houston native handled his defensive responsibilities well enough and it let New York get Johnson's bat (.273,14,58) into the lineup. He did not get any votes for the Federal Association Kellogg Award but Johnson did show he has some decent big league potential, especially if he can hit like that when he is moved back behind the plate.

Here are the 1966 first rounders and where they rank on the current pipeline, along with the 1965 first rounders and were they rank now as well as where they ranked a year ago.

OSA TOP TEN PROSPECTS
October 1966

For the dual purpose of staying up to date with who the top FABL players are as we move towards 1975 while also doing a bit of an assessment on the volatility of top prospects in OOTP26, here is our annual look tracking the prospect pipeline's top 10. We now have four years of top ten lists to work with and the lists have already given us a pair of Kellogg Award winners (top rookie) in 1964 #1 Bill Dunlop and 1963 #10 Andy Babel. So far out of 34 players to be named at least once on the top ten list we have seen 14 (including 1966 #1 ranked Charlie Wolf and #3 Joe McCarthy who debut in August of this, their draft year) make FABL so far. We have also seen one of them, 1964 8th ranked George Valiquette, an outfielder with the New York Imperials, fall out of the top 500 entirely despite suffering no serious injuries and being drafted 4th overall in 1964, so make of that what you will.

Here is the current list of top ten prospects alongside those of 1963-65. The bottom section shows what happened to players who were in the top ten the previous year but did not return to it. For some it was because they made FABL and were no longer considered prospects. For others it was simply a drop in the eyes of the scouts.

A CLOSER LOOK AT THE CURRENT TOP TEN

1:CHARLIE WOLF- LHP, Cincinnati Cannons, age 22

Roy Lantz spent 15 years in pro baseball but never reached the big leagues. You have to think the centerfielder by trade was watching and assessing pitchers every waking moment during his playing days. How else would the Cincinnati Cannons 55-year-old scouting director have assembled a cast of young arms like he has?

Let's start with Marco Middleton, who to be fair was drafted the year before Lantz moved to the Cannons from the New York Gothams, but now at the age of 23 has won two straight Continental Association Allen Awards. You also have George McKinney, a top ten prospect a year ago, that slipped down to 50th this year but did a decent job out of the bullpen in AAA last season and may be in Cincinnati come next April. Not bad having a 5th round selection ranked even at #50 on the pipeline.

Then you have 1966 third round selection Joe McCarthy, a cerebral sort who played his college ball at Dickson of the Academia Alliance and will be discussed more shortly because he cracked the top ten prospect list. But the prize prospect has to be Charlie Wolf, who was drafted 8th overall by the Cannons in June and tops the current OSA list. Wolf, a lefthander, replaced Boston Minutemen star Bill Dunlop as the ace at Carolina Poly before following in his footsteps as a number one ranked prospect. Now the Cannons are hoping Wolf can stay on the same course as Dunlop and win a Kellogg and a Whitney Award in the near future.

He already made his big league debut, getting the call for 12 innings of relief work over the final month after completely dominating the competition at Class A where he went 5-2, 1.70 in 8 starts after his college season had completed. If all pans out the Cannons rotation may rival that of the St Louis Pioneers at the start of the decade.

2: HOWIE WESTON - LHP, New York Imperials, age 18

Pitching seems to dominate the current top ten list and it includes the first overall selection from the June draft. That would be Weston, an 18-year-old from Jersey City, NJ, who has the potential to be "an impact starter" according to OSA. Perhaps he is the pitcher the young Imperials franchise can build around and they, like Cincinnati, have two arms crack the current top ten.

3: JOE McCARTHY - RHP, Cincinnati Cannons, age 22

The Dickson College right hander could be the steal of the 1966 draft if he lives up to the expectations piled upon him by OSA which feels McCarthy "has the makings of a future ace." Like his teammate and top prospect Charlie Wolf, the Cannons fast-tracked the former college hurler to the big leagues after a 6-3 start at AAA Indianapolis. Called up in md-August, McCarthy ended up with a no decision despite throwing 7 strong innings in a 2-1 win over Kansas City in his debut. He had some challenges in his next three starts but seemed to get back on track when moved to the bullpen. It stands to reason there is a very good chance both top prospect Wolf and #3 McCarthy will be in the Cincinnati rotation next year.

4: PEDRO ORTIZ - RHP, Detroit Dynamos, age 19

Selected 7th overall, Ortiz immediately became the prize jewel in the Dynamos growing collection of prospects. Detroit had another pitcher crack the top ten a year ago in Danny Wilson, and the now 20-year-old still is ranked 16th so if the two young arms can pan out perhaps Detroit's rebuild can be accelerated. The worry is high school arms are very unpredictable but on the positive Ortiz, who hails from Brooklyn, actually looked better in two September starts at AA than he did in his rookie league debut. OSA feels Ortiz can be a top of the rotation arm but is perhaps a little optimistic suggesting a 1967 big league debut for the teen.

5: PETE BRUCE - C, Cincinnati Cannons, age 24

The first non-pitcher becomes our third Cincinnati Cannon in the top five. Bruce is actually up one spot from his 6th place listing a year ago and if he pans out could be a huge steal for the Cannons. Both the Chiefs and Saints released him before the Cannons signed the Wisconsin native in 1964. A strong development camp where he focused on improving his contact only seems to have strengthened Bruce's standing and he, just like the two Cannons pitchers, made his big league debut last September after hitting .273 with 14 homers in 110 games at AAA Indianapolis. In 24 games with the Cannons, Bruce hit .263 and delivered his first two big league homers.

6: PETE ROSENBAUM - RHP, Dallas Wranglers, age 19

The first of three straight Wranglers to crack the top ten, Rosenbaum returns to the list after being ranked second a year ago. He was selected second overall in the 1965 draft and spent his first pro season in rookie ball. A strong showing at the level this season earned Rosenbaum a promotion to Class A and all he did there was go 4-0 with a 1.25 era in 5 starts. OSA goes as far as suggesting the Philadelphia native could be a future Allen Award winner.

7:STEVE PRATHER - CF, Dallas Wranglers, age 22

Like Rosenbaum and Bruce, Prather makes a second straight appearance in the top ten, moving up one slot from where he was a year ago. A 1962 fourth round draft pick, the Cleveland native has spent the past two and a half seasons in AAA and seems to be destined for a starting role in Dallas next year after he slashed .326/.396/.519 in 141 games with Denver last year. OSA does not see stardom for Prather but with plus speed he can be a "productive regular on a contending team."

8: NICK PARKER- LF, Dallas Wranglers, age 18

The Dallas run continues with their first round pick, sixth overall from the June draft. A Chicago native, the teen is said to have all-star power potential but it may take some time for him to fill out his 6'3" frame. Parker hit .295 with 3 homers in 61 games at the rookie league level.

9:RUSTY ROBERTSON- SS, Minneapolis Millers, age 22

Drafted fourth overall in June out of tiny Erie County College, Robertson has the potential to be a .250 hitter and a shortstop who makes defense look easy. He debut at AAA, playing 89 games at that level and did not look out of place, batting .289 with 9 homers. His defense was acceptable to possibly stick at short throughout his career.

10: JOSE VELAZQUEZ - RHP, New York Imperials, age 19

Rounding out the top ten is another teenage Imperials draft pick from June. That would be second rounder Velazquez, who played his high school ball in Philadelphia and OSA scouts have been raving about his "golden arm." He had his ups and downs in rookie ball, going 3-3 with a 5.09 era but the Imperials have no reason not to be patient with Velazquez.

BASEBALL HALL OF FAME UPDATE

It has been a while since the Hall of Fame inductees were mentioned so here is a quick look at each of those added over the past five years. In 1961 no one made the cut with Ward Messer coming the closest, the former Gothams star was named on 65% of the ballot but that was well below the 75% inclusion required for induction to the ball hall located in Boone County, Illinois.

In 1961 Messer again fell short but there was one candidate who was successful. That was first-time eligible pitcher Joe Hancock. The college star at Henry Hudson was the first overall selection in the 1933 FABL draft by the Toronto Wolves. Hancock would spent 13 and a half seasons with the Wolves before a deadline deal in 1952 sent him to Detroit. He was 38 at the time but would pitch for the Dynamos for six more seasons before retiring in 1957. His career record was 294-210 and including four 20-win campaigns and a 1939 Allen Award. An eight time all-star, Hancock was a key contributor to the Dynamos dynasty in the mid-1950s, winning three WCS rings in Detroit to go with the one he collected with the Wolves in 1940.

In what became a trend in recent years the 1963 class also consisted of just one new addition to the Hall. This time it was Walt Messer as the Gothams star finally got the call. Messer, who's brother Ward had a successful pro basketball career, was selected second overall by the Gothams in the 1936 draft. He made his big league debut at the age of twenty and would be an eight time all-star during a career that spanned 2220 games. Messer finished with 2,518 hits, 430 homers and 1,500 rbi's while batting .299. He won a pair of WCS titles with the Gothams in 1942 and 1956 while earning the MVP award for the 1942 WCS.

In 1964 the lone inductee was first time nominee Al Miller, who appeared on more than 98% of the ballots cast. A 1933 first round pick of the Chicago Chiefs out of Hartford High School where he was a teammate of fellow future big league hurlers John Edwards and Pepper Tuttle, Miller made his big league debut in 1935 at the age of 19. He would spend his entire 23 year big league career with the club that drafted him and finished with a 327-256 career record. Miller was named to the All-Star team 11 times, won three WCS titles and twice was named the Federal Association Allen Award winner.

The lone 1965 inductee Bill Barrett was a near unanimous (99.4% of the vote) choice. Selected 4th overall out of a New Jersey high school by the New York Stars in 1938, it took just 13 games of A ball for the Stars to realize Barrett belonged in the big leagues so he made his FABL debut in his draft year as an 18-year-old. He starred in the New York outfield until just before the 1953 season when he was part of a blockbuster trade that sent him to Cincinnati and multi-sport star Charlie Barrell the other way. At the age of 36 he was moved back to New York where he finished out his career with the Gothams. Included in his four and a half years with the Gothams was Barrett's amazing 1957 campaign when he led the Federal Association with a .389 batting average and won the last of his five career Whitney Awards. In 2,679 career games, Barrett had 493 homers, 1,759 rbi's and 2,961 career hits. He was named to the all-star game a record 15 times and was a part of three WCS winners including the 1939 series when Barrett was named playoff MVP.

In 1966 another former Gotham joined the Hall with Ed Bowman being the only inductee. Bowman spent his entire career with the Gothams, posting a 322-253 career record and winning a pair of Allen Awards. He was a third round draft pick in 1938 and won his first Allen his rookie season by posting a 23-8 record. A 12-time all-star game selection, Bowman helped the Gothams to three pennants and a World Championship Series win in 1942.

TRACKING THE DYNAMOS FIRST ROUNDERS

Since 1962 we have been tracking the yearly progress (or lack thereof) for the Detroit Dynamos first round selections in the annual June draft. The Dynamos were a power in the Federal Association not all that long ago but have been getting progressively worse each season and at 66-96 just endured their worst season since going 62-92 way back in 1942. The only good news is the farm system is being rebuilt but it looks like it will be quite some time before the Dynamos can even consider the chances of adding to their nine World Championship Series titles. One bright spot was Ben Baker as the 1960 second rounder finally got a chance to play everyday in the big leagues and put together a Kellogg Award winning season in 1966 while also making the all-star team. Baker becomes the fifth Dynamos player to be named Federal Association rookie of the year since the awards creation in 1946. He joins Wally Hunter, Edwin Hackberry, Jack Miller and Ray Waggoner.

Here is a look at how 1966 went for recent Detroit first round selections followed by a list of the organization's current top prospects.

1962 1st Rounder: SKIPPER ATKINS, HS RHP, 7th overall:

1964 recap: Atkins is not a great prospect according to OSA, ranked 144th at the end of the 1964 season and 7th in a weak Dynamos farm system. OSA projects him to have a future in the back of the rotation. Now 20, he split the '64 season between A and AA, going 10-7, 3.90 at Terre Haute before moving up to Akron where he was 5-1 but with a subpar 83 ERA+. He dropped off as OSA had the Philadelphia native as the #45 prospect on Opening Day 1964.

1965 recap: Now 21, Atkins fell further in the eyes of the league scouting service, who now rank him 249th despite a solid showing at AA (6-4, 2.85) and moderate success in his first taste of AAA (4-4, 4.24). OSA says perhaps he could fit into the back of a rotation, but probably not someone you want to guarantee a spot to.

1966 recap: He held relatively steady on the OSA list in his age 22 season, checking it at 251st on the pipeline and is considered Detroit's 13th best prospect. OSA still believes his ceiling is the back end of a rotation after Atkins spent the entire year in AAA Atlanta, going 9-12 with a 4.05 era. He is still young enough that we hope he can contribute at some point but it is becoming more and more clear he will not deliver first round results should he get to the big leagues.

1963 1st Rounder: SAM MacDONALD, HS RHP, 18th overall:

1964 recap: Like Atkins, MacDonald is a righthander drafted out of high school ball in Philadelphia. Born in Baltimore, OSA admits he is very raw but feels he does have a shot at being a top of the rotation arm someday. Ranked 65th in the end of 1964 prospect pipeline and #2 in Detroit's system behind only 1964 second round pitcher Danny Wilson. MacDonald can be a high strikeout pitcher but needs to harness his control which is almost non-existent after a year and a half at class C where he walked 109 in 142 innings.

1965 recap: He suffered a big drop in the eyes of OSA as well, falling all the way to 297th overall and 28th in the Detroit system. It feels like he didn't get a fair shake as MacDonald was not injured, but dumped back to Class C for a third season and only pitched 47 innings, going 2-2 with a 106 ERA+. Seems like he has been written off by Detroit management.

1966 recap: MacDonald does not come close to cracking the OSA top 500 anywhere and shows as the 62nd ranked prospect in Detroit's organization. It seems like the AI Dynamos management has given up on him completely as MacDonald pitched just 28 innings in 1966 and was beat up pretty badly in his only two starts at the Class A level. OSA still thinks he warrants a look with a ceiling of someone who might challenge for a depth starting spot but it is probably best at this point the Dynamos just cut ties with him.

1964 1st Rounder: DON AYERS, HS OF, 16th overall:

1964 recap: Nicknamed Funky, the Cleveland native was another high school first rounder taken by the Dynamos. Detroit has had a lot of busts in drafting corner-OF/1B types (see Tommy Allenby, John Morrison, Dino Sharp, Joe Fulgham or Ralph Capriotti) and early indications are Ayers can be another name to add to that list. Scouting report says Ayers could still be a productive regular on a contender, but the scouting service ranks him at #194 on the prospect pipeline so I am not holding out hope. He did put up some decent numbers in 55 games at Class C after being drafted (.333/.421/.400) so perhaps there is a chance he pans out.

1965 recap: He also dropped, falling to 267th overall and 26th among Detroit prospects. Still just 18 but he was also overlooked, playing just 12 games all season despite being healthy. Ayers made the most of his limited chances, slashing .438/.438/.750 but clearly feels like he does not fit into Detroit's plans.

1966 recap: Another bust and it is frustrating to see the AI management just bury these high draft picks and never give them an opportunity to play. Ayers, now ranked 348th overall and 22nd among Detroit prospects, is just 19 years old and he needs to play but instead languished on the bench all season, appearing in 34 games and getting just 93 plate appearances split between rookie ball (which class C has been renamed) and Class A. He did not do much with the limited opportunity he was given but Ayers is clearly going to be another bust.

1965 1st Rounder: PETE MORRIS, College OF, 6th overall

1965 recap: Finally a top ten pick again for the Dynamos but you know their track record with drafting corner outfielders. OSA says he has the tools to make an impact in the majors and at 22nd overall, he is Detroit's third highest ranked prospect at the moment. He came out of San Francisco Tech and went straight to AAA, but had a learning curve to deal with in batting just .229 with 3 homers in 89 games.

1966recap:Promising. Now 24 years of age, Morris is considered Detroit's fourth best prospect and #43 overall. He spent the entire season in AAA Atlanta, batting .277 with 15 homers and 57 rbi's. Morris hit for the cycle in an April game and his 126 OPS for the season gives fans some hope he will eventually contribute in Detroit. OSA feels Morris has the tools to be a first division starter but the only red flag is Morris is said to lack ambition.

1966 1st Rounder: PEDRO ORTIZ, High School Pitcher, 7th overall

The 19-year-old from Brooklyn is drawing rave reviews from OSA, which immediately named him the Dynamos top prospect and he presently slots in at #4 overall. Ortiz is one of two Detroit pitchers in the top 16 (1964 second rounder Danny Wilson is the other one) and the scouting service raves that Ortiz has a golden arm and should be a top of the rotation pitcher. We can hope as the Dynamos certainly are in need of one. Ortiz went 5-5 with a 4.30 era (124 ERA+) in 12 starts at rookie ball after his high school season came to an end. He earned a late season promotion to Class A and was dominant going 2-0 with a 0.56 era and a 797! ERA+. OSA says Ortiz could be in the big leagues sometime next season which is a Carl Potter like pace and if Ortiz can become anything close to what Potter did in his first six seasons in Detroit back in the 1940s Dynamos fans will be in for a treat.

CURRENT (OCT 1966) TOP DETROIT PROSPECTS

Tiger Fan · 09-23-2025, 11:12 AM

JANUARY 2, 1967

PRO FOOTBALL GROWS AGAIN
Atlanta and Milwaukee Bring AFA/NFA To 24 Teams

Football's popularity continued to soar with a number of cities clamoring for expansion clubs. The American Football Association and National Football Association each added one time prior to the 1966 season to bring the loops to 24 teams and there were plenty of rumblings that more would be on the way. The two newcomers would be the Milwaukee Stags, who will join the AFA's East Division, boosting that group to a whooping eight teams, along with the Atlanta Firebirds. The Firebirds would become the fifth member of the NFA's East Division.

Milwaukee had a rough go of things playing in perhaps the toughest division in the sport. The Stags went 2-12 and finished last in the East but perhaps they set themselves up well for the future with the selection of quarterback Russ Burgess with the second pick in the draft. The Central Ohio starter led the Aviators to three straight Classic game appearances and had them ranked second in the nation each of the past two seasons although he did miss a good chunk of his senior campaign with an injury. He started 9 games as a rookie and had his struggles at times but he, along with fellow rookie Bill Davis, a halfback out of Ferguson, gained valuable experience.

Four straight wins to end the season gave the Pittsburgh Paladins top spot in the East at 10-4, a game ahead of the defending champion Boston Americans who struggled down the stretch with two losses in their final four outings. It was quite a turnaround for the Paladins who won just five games a year ago and had not made the playoffs in 13 years. Pittsburgh got off to a hot 5-1 start, although much of it was overlooked as the local sports fans were focused on the baseball Miners pennant run and World Championship Series. Following the disappointment of yet another Miners WCS failure -they have not won a title since 1901- focus was squarely on the Paladins and a breakout season from third year back High Brasfield, who ran for a career best 1,317 yards. Even with Brasfield's big year the Pittsburgh offense was average at best. The Paladins defense was another story with 4 Pittsburgh defenders making the All-Pro Game after the club surrendered the fewest points and least rushing yards in the AFA.

Boston probably ended up with a better record than they should have as the club certainly struggled at times and was doomed by late season road losses to the Los Angeles Tigers and Houston Drillers. Bob McKoon, who played very well in the title season, lost his job at quarterback to his former back-up Willie Matthews, and Matthews struggled mightily. Veteran Kevin Sova (1,183 yds rushing) was still a steady back but this was clearly a down year for the Americans.

Washington, at 8-5-1, nosed out a pair of 8-6 teams in New York and Buffalo for third place. For the sixth year Red Jackets the 8-6 finish marked their first showing over .500 and much of the credit for that goes to fourth year halfback Tom Fraley, who finished second behind only Harmon Harrod of Minnesota in rushing and was named the Player of the Year.

Cleveland, which hasn't made the playoffs since 1947, continued to struggle as the Finches 6-7-1 Finches have finished over .500 just once since 1955. Philadelphia continued to slide, going from a playoff berth two years ago to 7-7 last season and now finished in seventh place at 4-10 ahead of only expansion Milwaukee in the East Division. It also marked the first time in six years that halfback Doug Lucy failed to top the 1,000 yard rushing mark for the Frigates.

*** Ramblers Class of West Division ***

1966 marked the fifth consecutive year that either the St. Louis Ramblers or Houston Drillers led the way in the West Division and once more it was a battle between the two rivals, although the Kansas City Cowboys attempted to crash the party. The Ramblers, league champs in 1963 and 1964, finished in top spot at 11-3 thanks to the most productive offense in the league. St. Louis benefitted from a strong season from Matt Harris in his first season as full-time quarterback. The 1964 first round selection threw for 1,434 yards with veteran end William Robertson, who caught 35 passes for 643 yards, becoming his favourite target. Halfback Jeff Pierini took much of the heat off of the passing game as the Ramblers kept defenses guessing with Pierini rushing for a career best 1,366 yards.

Houston had plenty of talent on both sides of the ball with quarterback Miller Bogert (2,163 yds passing), receiver Dan Hackbarth (595 yds receiving) and second year halfback Vern Rebovich (1,204 rushing) leading the offense. The defense, of course, was built around Joh Padgett who tied for the AFA sack lead with 17 and was named Defensive Player of the Year for the third time in his six year career. An awful early season 13-10 loss to expansion Milwaukee had the Ramblers in chase mode and they simply could not keep up with St. Louis.

Kansas City football fans have not had a lot to cheer about, not since the days of Pat Chappell well over a decade ago, but maybe things are on the upswing as their 9-5 record was the best the club has produced since 1951. A big reason for the turn around was the showing of rookie defensive end Bobby Barrell Jr. The son of the baseball Hall of Famer tied for the sack lead with 17 and was named the Defensive Rookie of the Year.

San Francisco finished fourth at 8-6 in what was the Wings best showing since a 9-3 campaign in 1957. Los Angeles meandered through a 6-8 season despite big seasons from quarterback Morton Swenson and third year linebacker Ed Hardy with Chicago and Detroit rounding out the division. The sixth place Wildcats went 5-9 while the Maroons, who seem to have holes everywhere and look worse than an expansion team, won just one game all season and surprisingly it was over Kansas City.

*** Miami, Minnesota Set Pace in NFA ***

The National Football Association completed its third season and the level of play does seem to be improving. The loop never lacked for excitement with plenty of offense and that continued this season with the return to form of Harmon Harrod. Detroit's 1960 fourth round pick out of St. Magnus never could earn regular playing time with the Maroons but joined Minnesota in 1964 and rushed for 1,938 yards and 18 touchdowns. Injuries slowed him a year ago but Harrod was back and at the top of his game again this season and he led pro football with 1,866 yards on the ground. His work helped Minnesota lead the West Division with an 11-3 record.

After going 11-3 each of their first two seasons the Los Angeles Olympians slipped to 8-6 this time around but held off Denver for second place. The San Diego Admirals are nothing if not consistent as they finished with a 3-11 record for the third consecutive season.

The Miami Mariners, led by the solid quarterback work of Steve Giles and a terrific pass defense won the East Division for the second time in three years while compiling a 12-2 record. The defending NFA champion New York Titans and the Cincinnati Rivermen tied for second at 7-7, just a game ahead of an impressive debut for the expansion Atlanta Firebirds. The Dallas Stallions brought up the rear in the East for the third year in a row and the franchise all-time record is now just 6-36.

PLAYOFFS

The Pittsburgh Paladins were playing in their first AFA championship game since 1951 while the St. Louis Ramblers were in the title game for the third time in the past four years. Experience did not matter much early as the clubs battled through a tight first half that concluded with the Paladins holding a slim 14-10 lead.

The Pittsburgh defense took over in the second half with 3 sacks of St. Louis quarterback Matt Harris and a huge interception that Jerry Worcester returned for a touchdown in the closing minutes to put the game away. Pittsburgh held the Ramblers scoreless after the break and went on to win the game by a 34-10 count. It marked the fourth time the Paladins have won the AFA title.

The NFA title game was very similar in that the Miami Mariners took over control in the second half and went on to win 22-14. The Lakers have played in all three NFA championship games, beating Miami in the inaugural event, but now have lost the last two.

AFA-NFA CLASSIC GAME

For what is believed to be the first time in pro football history the championship game required overtime. The NFA had never won in the three years the new loop has challenged the champion of the long-running AFA but the Miami Mariners certainly made this one interesting. The Mariners led 20-10 with six minutes remaining in regulation but ended up falling by a 23-30 count when Pittsburgh Paladins kicker Mike Purnell was successful on a game winning 32-yard field goal with 21 seconds remaining in the first overtime. It was Purnell's third successful field goal in the game including a 42-yarder with 2:55 left in regulation to force the overtime.

As the fourth quarter progressed it looked like Miami might earn the first victory for the National Conference. The Mariners led 20-10 but with a little less than 10 minutes remaining in the fourth period, Pittsburgh defender Pat Lamb recovered a fumble by Miami receiver Bill Jenks at the Mariners 31 yard line. Seven players later the Paladins Larry Babyak scored on a six-yard touchdown run to cut the deficit to 20-17. The Pittsburgh defense forced a quick three and out by Miami and following a nice punt return by Frankie James the Paladins ended up in field goal range where Purnell made no mistake and tied the contest.

Bob Ferguson, the Pittsburgh linebacker who had 16 tackles and was named the playoff MVP, made a huge stop on a Miami fourth and short in overtime to help set up the game winning field goal and give the Paladins the victory.

SAINTS WIN FIRST GRID TITLE SINCE '47
Perfect 12-0 Season Puts St Blane Back On Top

It was a long time coming but the St. Blane Fighting Saints are once more at the top of the collegiate football pile. The Saints completed a perfect 12-0 season with a 21-10 victory over Plains Athletic Association champion Eastern Kansas in the Sunshine Classic and finish the season ranked number one for the first time since 1947.

Eight times in an eleven year span beginning with the first of back-to-back unbeaten national title wins in 1946, St Blane finished the season ranked in the top ten. In a four year stretch they went 34-2-1 and were a fixture on the New Years Day calendar. It felt like the Saints run at the top of the collegiate table would never end....until it did.

In 1956 St. Blane finished 9-2 and ranked 5th in the nation, closing out their season with a 28-3 victory over Lubbock State in the Lone Star Classic on New Years Day. Few imagined at the time it would be the last New Years Day appearance for St. Blane in a decade as the Saints dipped to 7-3 the following season and did not appear in the top twenty of the final polls over the next eight years. The Saints record over that stretch was 51-31, certainly nothing to sneeze at but far off their pace the previous decade where they went on an 81-15-4 run. This was a school that had produced three Christian Trophy Winners in Mike O'Rourke, Ricky McCallister and Bobby Leonard, two Ipswich Trophy winners in Jack O'Sullivan and Finn O'Boyle along with more All-Americans than you could count. Only the mighty Rome State team of the same era would be in a class comparable to that of the Fighting Saints.

In 1957 the Saints dipped to 7-3 and missed a New Years invitation for the first time in the 1950s. Aging coach Virgil Dragon had done wonders with the Saints, particularly on the recruiting side, but this turned out to be more than just a one year hiccup. Under Dragon they went 7-3 again in 1958 and then followed that up with three consecutive four loss seasons. When they bottomed out at 5-5 in 1962 the aging Dragon retired and Frank Dugger was hired despite having struggled at St. Ignatius.

It would take some time but Dugger got the Saints to 7-4 in 1964 and they finally returned to the top twenty, finishing the season ranked 18th. Still no Classic Game invite but that changed a year ago when the Saints, led by a terrific couple of recruiting classes, finished 10-2 and won the Bayside Classic, defeating Western Iowa 34-13 and finished fifth in the polls.

Big things were expected from Dugger and the Saints this year and they delivered. Right from the get go as they opened with a tough game right off the bat, hosting a Georgia Baptist team that would go on to finish 7-4 and ranked 15th in the nation. St Blane beat the Gators 17-7 behind the strength of a 137-yard rushing day from sophomore halfback Charlie MacBean. MacBean would go on to rush for 1,400 yards, just 61 shy of the school record, while also establishing a modern Saints record for rushing touchdowns with 15. They also enjoyed great success through the air as quarterback Jack Denson, another sophomore, enjoyed a terrific season.

The Saints dealt with some tight games including back to back three point wins over Chicago Poly and Commonwealth Catholic but they finished with their first perfect season since 1947, and now are the proud owners of their third National Title.

*** Mavericks Surprise of the Deep South ***

St Blane was not the only school that benefitted from young talent. Pre-1940 records a spotty but it is believed that Northern Mississippi won the Deep South Conference title for the first time in school history and played on New Years Day for the first time ever. The Mavericks went 11-1, fielding a young roster full of underclassmen include sophomore quarterback Duane Gray and finished ranked 2nd in the nation after cracking the top twenty the previous year (18th) for the first time since being ranked 20th in a war-shortened 1944 season.

The Deep South is considered the toughest conference in the AIAA and has produced the national champion in six of the last eleven seasons, a fact that left many in the south suggesting rather vociferously that the Mavericks and not St Blane should have been ranked #1. Sure the Fighting Saints did not lose, they conceded, but the Northern Mississippi schedule was far more difficult and included wins over ranked teams Detroit City College, Bayou State and Noble Jones College with the lone blemish a hard-luck 15-13 loss on the road to Georgia Baptist in a game the Mavericks did not surrender a touchdown and came within a missed fourth quarter two-point conversion of forcing overtime.

Detroit City College may have lost to Northern Mississippi but the Knights did finish 8-4 including 7-1 in Great Lakes Alliance play which allowed them to return to Santa Ana for the East-West Classic for the first time since 1961. A 33-10 victory in the Motor City over Central Ohio in their annual Thanksgiving weekend matchup proved the difference and earned DCC the conference title despite both schools losing once in section play. The Knights improved to 5-1 all-time in the East-West Classic with a 30-6 drubbing of West Coast Athletic Association flag winner Portland Tech, marking the second year in a row the Magpies came up short in Santa Ana.

It was a down year for the WCAA as none of the eight schools in the conference finished ranked in the top 25 and none won more than seven games. Coastal California, led by the nation's passing leader in junior William Scott, went 5-2 to tie the Magpies for top spot in the WCAA but a 31-20 loss in Portland was the tie-breaking difference to send the Magpies back to the East-West Classic for what was the 51st edition of the oldest classic game in college football.

The Academia Alliance continues to surprise but this time it was Dickson College doing the leg work. The Maroons would cap a 9-1 season with a 31-17 victory over Chicago Poly in the Lone Star Classic, earning the school the fifth spot in the final polls and comes on the heels of two perfect 10-0 seasons from Academia Alliance foe Grafton in the past four seasons. A school from the AA had not won a national title since George Fox turned the trick in 1928, but Dickson and Grafton combined to make it three top five finishes in the past four years for the section. You have to go back to 1957 when Dickson ended up 6th for the last time an Academia Alliance school cracked the top ten.

In the South Atlantic Conference, the Maryland State Bengals put together their best season since their national champion 10-1 squad of 1961. The Bengals went 11-1 with a late turnover against Charleston Tech leading to the only loss as in a 29-27 defeat at the hands of Admirals, otherwise we may be celebrating a second Bengals national title. A 34-13 thumping of Deep South power Western Florida in the Cajun Classic was certainly an emphatic finish to Maryland State's season.

COLLEGE FOOTBALL NOTES

William Scott of Coastal California led the nation in passing yardage (1,332) and touchdown tosses (13) but he missed out on All-American status because Rob Winkowski, a sophomore quarterback at Petersburg, had a dominant season in his own way. Winkowski was less of a passer -he threw the ball just 60 times in 11 games- than he was a second halfback, finishing among the AIAA ball carrier leaders with 1,553 yards on the ground. He also called his own number for 14 touchdown runs.
Continuing a longstanding trend of a terrific twosome in their backfield was the Rome State Centurions. The military academy has had some great rushing tandems and produced four Christian Trophy winners including current honoree Kermit Reynolds. The sophomore led the nation with 1,888 yards rushing and second place belonged to his teammate Melvin Garland, a senior who carried the ball for 1,778 yards. Each scored 12 touchdowns for the 7-4 Centurions.
As a sophomore on the grid, Tom Bowens Jr. is starting to show the same prowess he did as a freshman on the basketball court. Bowens Jr., son of the current CC Los Angeles football coach and former AFA receiving star, made the WCAA all-freshmen team in basketball last season and will be heavily counted on by the Coyotes cagers again this season but spent most of his time in the fall watching from the bench. That changed his sophomore season as Bowens started all eleven games and made 21 catches after making just one as a freshman. His dad needs Junior to continue to progress as the Coyotes went 5-6, their third straight losing season and have not played on New Years since 1959.
Eastern Oklahoma freshman Julius Thomas had quite an introduction to the college game. In the season opener, a 23-13 victory for the Pioneers of Central Carolina, Thomas set an AIAA record with a 99-yard punt return. Sadly, he did not score on the play as he was caught on the 1-yard line, but the Pioneers would get a touchdown two plays later. Later in the season Bryan Foley of Redwood would also have a 99-yard punt return. The previous record was 98 established by Brunswick's Steve Pier in 1962.

ROBINSON CONTINUES TO RULE HEAVYWEIGHT DIVISION

The powerful Los Angeles born heavyweight Norm Robinson continues to rule over his division with an iron fist. The 31-year-old champion made four more successful title defenses in 1966 and, just like his three defenses a year ago, none of them required Robinson to go the full 15 rounds.

The last time Robinson was pushed the distance was in the fall of 1964 when he scored a clear decision over Steve Leivers to wrestle the American Boxing Federation world title away from the Brit. In 1965 he scored knockout or TKO wins over Walt Phillips, Bill Mayville and Jim Hatfield and added four more victims to his list this year beginning with an 8th round TKO over New Englander Harry Rankin in Las Vegas in mid-January. It marked Rankin's second title shot but the 27-year-old is now 0-2 with the belt on the line and 32-4 overall after being stopped by Robinson.

Next up for the champ was a bout in his hometown of Los Angeles in May against Elvin Caldwell. It should have been an easy night for the champ and he did end it when he floored Caldwell in the 10th round but Robinson got into trouble when he walked into a hard right hand from the Alabama fighter and was sent to the canvas himself in the eighth round. It was the first time Robinson had been knocked down in four and a half years but all that did was serve to get his attention and the champ ended things in the 10th, a round he completely dominated and one that ended with Caldwell out cold on the canvas.

He would beat former champ George Galleshaw, avenging the loss Robinson took to the Syracuse native with the title on the line back in 1960 when Robinson was young, cocky and a perfect 26-0 entering the fight, but clearly not yet ready for the likes of Galleshaw. There was no question of Robinson's readiness on this August night at New York's Bigsby Garden and fight fans were sent home early when Robinson knocked out the former champ in the fourth round.

Robinson finished off his year with a 7th round knockout of Jorge German in the Argentine's American debut in December. That title defense, Robinson's seventh, puts the current champ into select company as only three heavyweights have made more consecutive title defenses without a loss than Robinson. They would be the legendary Hector Sawyer (18), Joey Tierney (11) and Alvin Carbey (11).

*** Changes atop Middle and Welterweight Divisions ***

While Robinson gave some continuity to the heavyweight class the middleweights and welterweights each saw 1966 as a year of transition. Brandon Dart, the Welsh born by New York raised welterweight who had held his title just as long as Robinson ruled the heavyweights, saw his reign come to an end just last month when fighting in London, England the 27-year-old Dart was upset when Mark Nock scored an 11th round TKO victory.

The middleweight division tossed the title around like it was a hot potato. No one seemed to want it. George Quisenberry lasted just two rounds in his first defense of the year as, after being warned for low blows multiple times by referee Zeb Barley, he was disqualified, and challenger Charlie Kincaid awarded the title when another Quisenberry infraction sent Kincaid writhing in pain. Kincaid promptly lost a decision to Guy Williams in his first defense and Williams returned it to Lyman King when the Oakland born fighter scored a unanimous decision over Williams in December. King is no stranger to the title, having held it twice previously in his career. He has not yet announced when he will make his first title defense.

The Year That Was
Current events from 1966

Jan 10 - The home of civil rights activist Vernon Dahmer in Mississippi is firebombed. Dahmer and his family escape but he dies the next day from severe burns. A KKK wizard would not be convicted of the murder until 1998.
Jan 12- President Johnson states that the United States should stay in South Vietnam until Communist aggression there is ended.
Jan 19- US troops in Vietnam now total 190,000
Mar 7- French president Charles De Gaulle asks Johnson for negotiations about the state of NATO equipment in France.
Mar 29- Leonid Brezhnev demands that American troops leave Vietnam
Apr 29- US troops in Vietnam now total 250,000
May 28 - Fidel Castro declares martial law in Cuba because of a possible US attack.
Jun 8- 16 die, hundreds are injured and more than $100 million in damages as Topeka, Kansas is devasted by an F5 tornado.
Jun 29 - In Vietnam, US planes begin bombing Hanoi
Aug 5 - Martin Luther King leads a civil rights march in Chicago, during which he is struck by a rock thrown from an angry white mob.
Aug 5 - Caesars Palace hotel and casino opens on the Las Vegas strip.
Aug 10 - Lunar Orbit 1, the first US spacecraft to orbit another world, is launched
Sep 1 - Ralph Baer writes a four-page document that lays out the basic principles of creating a video game for television, the beginnings of a multi-billion dollar industry.
Nov 8- Screen actor Ronald Reagan is elected the Governor of California
Nov 12- Gemini 8, with Buzz Aldrin aboard, splashes down safely in the Atlantic Ocean
Dec 15- Walt Disney dies while producing The Jungle Book, the last animated feature under his personal supervision.

Tiger Fan · 09-26-2025, 07:25 AM

MAY 2, 1967

NAHC TO DOUBLE IN SIZE
Six New Clubs Set for '67=68 Season

The most seismic hockey news of the winter didn’t come from the rink, but from the boardroom. After years of speculation and back-room chatter, the North American Hockey Confederation has pulled the trigger: the loop will jump from six to twelve clubs next season.

It marks the end of an era. The NAHC has skated along with six outfits since 1943, when the Brooklyn Eagles folded mid-war. Now, nearly a quarter-century later, the league is finally ready to step out of its old winter coat and into something a little bolder.

The new faces? Barring last-minute wrinkles in arena deals, the roster of expansion cities will be Los Angeles, Minneapolis, Philadelphia, San Francisco, St. Louis, and Vancouver. The names already have a touch of swagger: Stingrays, Voyageurs, Rogues, Mariners, Archers, and Totems.

Three of those markets—Los Angeles, San Francisco, and Vancouver—were longtime homes of the Great West Hockey League. The GWHL responded by kicking out those three clubs- the Hollywood Stars, San Francisco Gulls and Vancouver Bears- leaving each city with no hockey until joining the NAHC next year. One of the three surviving teams protested the move so vehemently that they left the GWHL. That would be the Seattle Emeralds, who bolted for the new Prairie Hockey Association, a mixture of teams from the Canadian prairie provinces and the Western United States

The GWHL did manage to stay afloat although now with a much lower caliber of play that what was displayed in the Prairie loop. The two remaining holdovers Portland and Tacoma were joined by new clubs in Kelowna, Victoria, Spokane and Salt Lake City allowing the league to continue as a six-team outfit.

Expansion will send ripples through the minors elsewhere, too. Philadelphia’s selection means the HAA’s Rascals are on the move. They finished out the 66-67 schedule in the City of Brotherly Love and evened reached the league finals before being knocked off by the Cleveland Eries. Do not expect the Rascals back come autumn when the NAHC comes to Philly. Baltimore is already whispered as the next stop for the replacement HAA organization.

So, the NAHC, once a six-team winter lodge, is now preparing for the wide-open frontier. Come next fall, hockey’s old guard will share the stage with a half-dozen upstarts. The stakes just got bigger, and the ice a whole lot more crowded.

*** Valiants Rule NAHC Regular Season Again ***

For the third consecutive season the Montreal Valiants finished with the best regular season record in the NAHC. Montreal's 90 points was seven better than the defending Challenge Cup champion Chicago Packers collected. As has been the case throughout the Vals strong run, which included two Cups in the past three years, team defense was key. Montreal surrendered just 154 goals against over the 70 games season - no one else allowed fewer than 211 against. Nathan Bannister (32-15-7, 2.17) was terrific in net and won his 5th Juneau Trophy. Age has not caught up to the goaltender, he is 36 but still played in 56 of the 70 games. Having a defense led by Dewar Trophy winner Mark Moggy (11-33-44) -he has four of them already at age 25- along with fellow first team all-star Gil Thibualt (13-21-34) certainly helps keep a goaltender feeling young. 29-year-old center Scott Ducek (42-39-81) led the NAHC in goals and set a career high in points as did 28-year-old Tim Bernard (23-46-69). Injuries limited last year's rookie of the year Pete Fortin (16-31-47) to 49 games but another Val forward won the McLeod Trophy this season. That would be Ray Dupuis (12-23-35) giving Montreal each of the last three rookie award winners.

Chicago won the Challenge Cup for just the second time in team history last spring and the Packers looked strong once more this season. Ken York (35-45-80) was named a second team all-star for the fifth consecutive season and teams well with Pete Bernier (20-44-64) and Matt McGrath (25-26-51) on the Packers top line. Chicago had its challenges at times keeping the puck out of its own net and goalie Andrew Bomberry (31-21-8, 3.05) had his ups and downs but no team scored more goals than the Packers this season.

After a pair of down years - by his standards only- Detroit's Hobie Barrell (39-55-94) was back at the top of his game and won his third McDaniels Trophy as league MVP while leading the NAHC in points to claim the Denny Trophy also for the third time. Barrell's 94 points was the third highest single season total ever recorded, and he teamed nicely with center Charles Bozek (18-52-70) who finished fifth in league scoring and enjoyed the best season of his career to date. Detroit missed the playoffs a year ago costing coach Harry Remington his job and the club seemed to respond well to what newcomer Albert Leung was preaching. Detroit finished third but just 2 points in arrears of Chicago and the Motors 81 total points was just 5 shy of the franchise record.

Boston was comfortably settled in fourth place , 16 points behind Detroit but 9 ahead of fifth place Toronto. The Bees reached the finals a year ago and pushed Chicago to a game seven before falling agonizingly short when Chicago's J.P. Morissette scored the Cup winner in overtime. Neil Wilson (22-45-67) remains the Bees leader and is now just two points shy of 500 for his career but the biggest season for a Boston player came from 25-year-old Nick Quinn (32-35-65) as the fifth year Bees forward was named to the NAHC's first all-star team.

It was an awful year for Toronto as the Dukes missed the playoffs for the third time in the past four years. A 7-16-2 start put Toronto behind the eight ball early and they never could recover. Goalie Mike Connelly (24-36-5, 3.13) has a big drop off from his Juneau Trophy winning form of a year ago and there are rumblings that the 35-year-old may no longer have the reflexes needed to play the position. One player not showing the effects of age is Quinton Pollack (22-51-73) who continues to be one of the best players in the game even at the age of 44. Many assume Pollack wants to stick around to play with or against his son Jack. The 17-year-old made his debut with the Kingston Cadets of the Canadian Amateur Hockey Association, notching 27 points in 54 games. Jack Pollack, a center, was selected first overall by the Cadets in the junior draft. He still has a couple of seasons to go before he becomes eligible for the NAHC draft.

That leaves, who else but the New York Shamrocks in the cellar once more. When you score the fewest goals in the league this season and surrender the most the outcome is usually not good and it wasn't as New York won just 17 games and has not made the playoffs since the spring of 1960. And remember this is a league where four of the six teams qualify for post-season play every year.

NAHC PLAYOFFS

For the second year in a row the first vs fourth matchup featured the Montreal Valiants against the Boston Bees. A year ago the Bees pulled off the upset in seven games and this one also went the distance. There was no indication that would happen after Montreal won the series opener in an 8-2 rout behind a 4-point night from Scott Ducek but five of the final six games were decided by a single goal and two needed overtime. Boston took a 3 games to two lead in the series with a marathon 3-2 victory in game five. David Bertrand of the Bees got the game winner midway through the third overtime period. Montreal would not suffer the same fate as last year as the Vals bounced back with a 5-2 victory in game six and then won the seventh game 2-1 with Ducek again the offensive star, scoring the game winner and setting up Pete Fortin's first period marker.

The other series saw Chicago face Detroit and it would also go the full seven games. The Packers led the series 3-1 before Detroit held off elimination in game five when Colin MacMillan's second goal of the game, 13 minutes into the second overtime, gave the Motors life with a 4-3 victory. Hobie Barrell would score a hat trick as Detroit evened the series with a 4-1 victory on home ice setting up a seventh game in the Windy City. Chicago would score first but the Motors scored the next four goals including one from Hobie Barrell and a pair from his brother Benny Barrell and Detroit held on for a 4-2 victory. The Motors have now won each of their last four playoff series with the Packers.

*** Detroit and Montreal Renew Acquaintances ***

The final would mark the fourth time in the past ten years that the Montreal Valiants and Detroit Motors met with the Challenge Cup up for grabs. Detroit beat Montreal in the spring of 1958 and 1962 while the Vals knocked off the Motors in the 1964 Cup final. Montreal finished nine points ahead of third place Detroit in the regular season and the Valiants won the regular season series between the pair, going 8-5-1 against Detroit.

The series opener at the Montreal Arena began with a scoreless first period before Colin MacMillan, with his third of the playoffs, got Detroit on the scoreboard early in the second stanza. Roger MacKinnon tied the game for Montreal 8 minutes later and in a game that saw the Vals outshoot Detroit 34-16 the only other goal came on a powerplay point shot from the Vals Jean Tremblay early in the third to make the final 2-1 Montreal.

A four-goal third period outburst, including two from Colin MacMillan, allowed Detroit to even the series with a 5-3 road win in the second game. Detroit then took full control of the series at Thompson Palladium with a pair of identical 4-1 victories. Game three saw Hobie Barrell led the way with 2 goals and an assist and Barrell had a goal and an assist in game four as well, but the story in that one was Detroit netminder Justin MacPhee, who faced 44 Montreal shots.

Montreal answered in game five as Gil Thibault scored three times and added an assist while Mark Moggy had 3 helpers in a resounding 6-1 Vals victory. Back to Detroit for game six and another must win for Montreal. The Vals scored three in the first period, including two from Colton Keil and went on to win by a 5-3 score.

For the second year in a row the Cup final would not only need a seventh game to determine a winner but would also require overtime. Jim Drury game the hometown Vals a 1-0 lead with the only goal of the first period and Montreal still led by a single goal after 40 minutes as Hobie Barrell, with his 11th of the playoffs, and the Vals Gil Thibault, with his 6th, traded second period goals.

Detroit dominated the third period, outshooting Montreal 18-5 in the frame and the Motors were rewarded with the tying goal. It came off the stick of captain Jack Doctorow in a rare showing of offense from the blueline stalwart. It took 7:13 seconds of overtime to declare a champion and it was Detroit after Carl Simon, who scored just 8 times in the regular season, scored his fourth of the playoffs to give Detroit its seventh Cup win, tying the Motors with Montreal for third most Cups in NAHC history.

The game promises to be much different a year from now when the league doubles in size and you can't ask for a much more exciting Cup final, especially game seven needing overtime, to bring an end to the six-team era in the NAHC.

PRO CAGE LOOP ADDS ANOTHER COAST CLUB
San Francisco Swells FBL To Ten Teams

Expansion is all the rage as the popularity of pro sports, and television networks eager to spend big bucks for the rights to televise games, has seen a rapid growth in all pro leagues over the past few years. since the start of the decade Football has grown from a 12-team loop to now two separate leagues and twice as many teams. Baseball added four clubs five years ago to boost its ranks to 20 with every indication that up to four more may be admitted to FABL over the next couple of years. Hockey had stayed consistent with its six clubs ever since the Brooklyn Eagles folded during World War II but that will change next season with news the NAHC plans to double in size to 12 teams. Basketball got in on the act a year ago when the Los Angeles Condors joined the Federal Basketball League and they were at it again as another new west coast club - called the San Francisco Miners- began play last fall, as the cage loop grew to ten teams with expectations that more, perhaps many more, would be soon to follow.

Expansion clubs have generally struggled mightily with the lone exception being football's Houston Drillers but the debut for the Los Angeles Condors a year ago was not all bad. The club managed to win 30 games and avoid last place in the West Division while also featuring an All-League second team selection in forward Bill Knick. It would be a tough act for the Miners to follow and they would prove to certainly have their struggles.

The Miners .215 winning percentage was the worst the FBL had seen since the Chicago Panthers awful 15-65 showing in the 1961-62 season but there were some positives. 30-year-old forward Chet Bancroft, a backup the past two years in Toronto, looked like a player they could build around after leading the team in scoring with a 26.4 points per game average and former Boston Centurions center Earl Arsenault, 27, also impressed.

The addition of the Miners to the West Division meant things got much easier for the four returning clubs as the Toronto Falcons, who had finished first in the West in the regular season four out of the last five years and represented the west in the league finals four times in that span, were shifted to the East Division to make room for San Francisco.

Chicago and Detroit fought for top spot all year but in the end it was the Panthers, thanks to a victory over the Mustangs in the final game of the season to conclude a 10-game winning streak for the Windy City quintet, who finished first, nosing out the Mustangs by a single game and earning the first round playoff bye. The Panthers had an offense that could almost compare to Detroit's, which had long been the premier scoring outfit in the league, but Chicago also had something Detroit did not, a defense that was the stingiest in the West Division. Playmaking guard Mark Robinson, who led the FBL in assists for the third consecutive season and forward Bob Christensen, a Western Iowa alum who is consistently among the loop's top rebounders, led the way for Chicago while Detroit relied on veterans Jack Sayler, Bill Vaughn and defensive specialist Frank Black.

There was also a battle for the final playoff spot as the second year Los Angeles Condors continued to impress although they did slump late in the season with losses in seven of their last ten outings. The St Louis Rockets were unable to seize the opportunity as they lost 12 of their final 16 games and missed the playoffs for the third year in a row. The Condors added to a growing core with the selection of former Bayou State star guard Phil Brouwer with their first round draft pick. The New Orleans native started 72 games as a rookie and joined a core group that featured rebound leader Bill Knick and a breakout star in 27-year-old forward Pepper Whitney. St Louis did have the rookie of the year in John Branther, a forward selected first overall out of Maryland State who averaged 17.8 ppg in his FBL debut campaign but the club lacked consistency.

*** Centurions End Phantoms Three Year Run Atop East ***

The Boston Centurions won the FBL title for the first time in franchise history in the spring of 1963 but since then had to take a backseat to the Philadelphia Phantoms as Ghosts galloped to three straight appearances in the finals and a pair of titles. That changed this season as the Centurions, who boasted by a wide margin the best defense in the league, held of the Phantoms for top spot. Philadelphia had the star power in league MVP Dan Holland and fellow first-team All-League selection George Price but the Centurions led by the familiar core of Steve Barrell, Art Owens, Charlie Brock and Ken Theobald would not be denied. The result was a 23 game improvement over the previous season for Boston and a franchise record 59-21 finish, good for a five game bulge on Philadelphia.

While Toronto had dominated the West Division, the Falcons had a much harder time flying straight in the East. Toronto dipped to just 37 victories, 21 off the pace set last year and their lowest total in six years. Much of the blame for the Falcons drop off can be attributed to the fact that veteran forward Bill Hash missed over half the season with a broken leg. Toronto did do enough to nose out Washington for the final playoff berth as the Statesmen continue a so far futile search to rediscover the magic that made them a league power in the initial decade of the FBL.

The league desperately wants a contender in the Big Apple to increase interest in the sport but the New York Knights have failed to provide one as they missed the playoffs for the third consecutive season and have won just a single playoff series since 1957. New York does have one of the games most dynamic players in 29-year-old forward Ken Robinson, who has led the FBL in scoring each of the past three seasons but receives little in the way of secondary support.

*** PLAYOFF RECAP ***

The first round in the West Division marked the Los Angeles Condors first exposure to playoff basketball. It did not go well for the second year franchise as the Detroit Mustangs swept the series with three easy victories. The East series was highly anticipated as it marked the fourth year in a row the Philadelphia Phantoms and Toronto Wolves would meet in the post-season. Each of the previous three were in the league finals and Philadelphia won the last two.

League MVP Dan Holland had 30 points in the opener as the Phantoms won easily by a 130-112 count but Toronto rebounded with a pair of game winning shots at the buzzer, from Jim Bromberg in a 105-103 victory in the second game and Bill Spengler to claim a 115-113 win two nights later. The Falcons had a little more breathing room to wrap up the series in game four as Bromberg poured in 32 points in a 120-112 win.

It would be Toronto's last win of the postseason as the semi-final series with Boston was a rout for the Centurions, who won four straight games and all by at least nine points. In the West Chicago was well rested and ready for Detroit. Each team won twice at home to start the best-of-seven and that trend continued with Chicago's 119-110 victory at Lakeside Auditorium in game five. The Panthers than broke Detroit's serve with a series clinching 113-101 win on the road keyed by a 36-point effort from Chicago forward Dick Brown.

*** Finals Goes the Distance ***

Chicago continued its winning ways with a road victory to open the finals. The Panthers won 118-111 despite a 37-point effort from Boston forward Charlie Brock. Mark Robinson had 29 points and 11 assists to lead the visitors. Boston evened the series two nights later with a 106-98 win in which Art Owens scored 29 points and Steve Barrell came one rebound shy of a triple double - he had 13 points and 10 assists.

The teams also split the next two games in Chicago with Boston taking the third game 121-98 before the hosts bounced back with a 109-90 win in game four. Chicago moved to with a single victory of claiming their first title since 1956-57 after pulling out a 94-91 victory in the final game of the series to played at Lakeside Auditorium.

Boston returned home with no margin for error, trailing 3 games to two. Outscoring Chicago by 23 points in the second quarter turned game six into a rout although Chicago did make it respectable with a late charge when most of the Centurions starters were on the bench. The final score was 126-116 with Boston center Art Owens scoring 45 points and adding 12 rebounds setting up the first game seven in the finals since 1961-62 when Boston came up short against Toronto.

The Centurions came out on fire, playing a stifling defense that allowed them to open up an 11 point lead in the first quarter and they never slowed, downing the Panthers 119-94 behind 22 points from Charlie Brock and 21 from Steve Barrell, who would be named playoff MVP for the second time in his career.

COLLEGE BASKETBALL RECAP
A REPEAT FOR DETROIT CITY COLLEGE

When Detroit City College upset #1 seed and Great Lakes Alliance rival Indiana A&M 71-57 in the championship game of the 1966-67 AIAA basketball tournament it put the Knights in some pretty exclusive company. The title was the Knights third and made DCC one of just nine schools to win the AIAA cage crown at least three teams. It was also the Knights second consecutive win as they upended Noble Jones College in the title tilt a year ago. That puts DCC in an even more select group as only five other schools had won back-to-back titles. The leader in that group is the 1921-23 North Carolina Tech Techsters, who won three straight championship games. The others are Rainier College, which is the only school to go back-to-back twice, Liberty College, Carolina Poly and Brunswick, which did it back in 1910-11 when the number of top division teams was far smaller than it is today.

While a year ago Detroit City College was one of the top teams in the country and won the highly competitive Great Lakes Alliance for the first time in 24 years, this years edition of the Knights was on the bubble to gain entry into the tournament after going 19-11 during the regular season. The Knights were without their top player from a year ago, second team All-American center Les Hoeft, had graduated and was a first round Federal Basketball League draft pick of the Chicago Wildcats.

In Hoeft's place senior Herman Bergmann stepped up and was named a first team All-American while fellow senior Andy Zoubek, who started just 3 games in his first three years at DCC, had a breakout season as a senior and earned a spot on the All-American second team. Led by those two the Knights got hot at the right time and ran the table in the tournament despite having a horrendous path that saw them face five teams all ranked higher than them during the regular season including the #1, #3 and #4 teams in the nation.

Tabbed as a five seed they faced North Carolina Tech in their opener and knocked off the Techsters 73-61 behind a 17 point showing from senior guard Kettle Schmucker who, like Zoubek, was a backup his first three seasons. Next up was the West Regions top seed in Coastal California and the Knights won 47-45 on a game-winning shot from the right corner from Gary Holderbaum backup guard who would score just 4 points in the win.

The West Region final had a decidedly Midwest flavor as it pitted DCC against its bitter Great Lakes Alliance rival Central Ohio. The Aviators had prevailed in the two regular season meetings between the two foes but the outcome was much different this time as Zoubek scored a game high 16 points and Bergmann added 13 along with 9 boards as the Knights prevailed 64-56.

That brought DCC to New York's Bigsby Garden for the second year in a row and a national semi-final meeting with Carolina Poly, which was considered the top team in the nation. Bergmann had another big game with 14 points while guard Rusty Booker added 15 as DCC dominated the Cardinals to the tune of 60-43.

The National Championship game saw Detroit City College facing another team they knew well in Great Lakes Alliance champion Indiana A&M. The Knights actually upset the Reapers in their only regular season meeting this year but that one occurred in front of friendly fans at Detroit's Thompson Palladium. This time it was on neutral ground in New York but the result was the same as DCC led pretty much all the way and pulled out a 71-57 victory to claim back to back titles.

size="6"]COLLEGE BASKETBALL NOTES[/size]

You have to go back to the 1910-11 season to find a team seeded lower than fifth to win the AIAA tournament. Since then, just four number five seeds have claimed the title: the current edition of Detroit City College, 1961-62 Lubbock State, 1939-40 Rainier College and 1915-16 CC Los Angeles.
Herman Bergmann, who had a strong tournament for DCC, is expected to follow in the footsteps of former teammate Les Hoeft as the first-team All-American is tabbed as a first-round pick in the upcoming FBL draft.
It is a family affair at Mississippi A&M as the Generals landed top five recruit Jim Mitchell. The forward out of Houston, TX is the younger brother of current Generals sophomore forward Chuck Mitchell. Like his brother, Chuck was a top five recruit a couple of years ago. He has been a two year starter at Mississippi A&M and is considered to be a highly touted FBL prospect.
Another sophomore said to have pro potential is Tom Bowens Jr. of CC Los Angeles. The question is will that pro potential be realized on the court or the football field? The son of CCLA football coach and former AFA star Tom Bowens made the WCAA all-rookie team in basketball last season but with the added responsibility of being a starting wide receiver on his dad's team this year, the young Bowens found himself as a reserve guard on the Coyotes cage club this time around. He still got plenty of playing time off the bench, slightly exceeding last year's minutes by averaging more than 24 per game and scored at a 9.7 ppg clip but junior college transfer Ken Nagle took over as the starting shooting guard.

Next up will be the review of the 1967 baseball season.

Tiger Fan · 10-02-2025, 10:02 AM

1967 IN FIGMENT BASEBALL
November 1, 1967

FED RACE GOES DOWN TO WIRE AGAIN
Chiefs Win Fed by 1 Game, Stars Roll Over CA Foes

The Federal Association has provided some great pennant races in recent years including back to back seasons that required a tie-breaker game to determine the flag winner. The Fed did not require an extra game this season but the Chicago Chiefs and Pittsburgh Miners hooked up on the final day of the season for a winner take all game that proved to be the culmination of one of the greatest comebacks FABL has seen.

On September 9 the Chicago Chiefs were third in the Federal Association, nine and a half games back of the defending champion Pittsburgh Miners. The Washington Eagles were also in the mix, 3 back of Pittsburgh and in second place. Amazingly, just three weeks later the Chiefs, on a 14-2 run entered the final weekend of the series with a one game lead on Pittsburgh and 3 on Washington. The Miners had lost 13 of their previous 18 games and four in a row to fall out of first place as they headed to Chicago for a season ending two game series.

Pittsburgh needed to win them both and they did snap their losing skid with a 7-4 victory on Saturday, leaving the two clubs tied heading into Sunday's pennant decider. Chicago veteran Vern Osborne (21-7, 2.85) pitched a very effective game and a 3-run homer off the bat of outfielder Joe Siniscalchi in the fifth inning blew the game open, sending Chicago to a 5-1 victory and their first trip back to the World Championship Series since 1949.

The Chicago Chiefs finished the regular season on a 21-5 run, led by the big bats of Siniscalchi (.260,31,98) and Bob Starr (.248,35,98) and a pitching staff led by Osborne, Nate Carr (14-5, 2.00) and Augie Hicks (17-6, 2.87), who perhaps is bringing out memories of Al Miller for Chiefs fans after Hicks surpassed the 50 career win mark while still being just 21 years of age. Second place Pittsburgh had a full season of Dixie Turner (.307,33,95), unlike a year ago when injury ended the three-time Whitney Award winner's season in early September. Second year outfielder Earl Skains (.274,24,87) and pitcher Jack Kotarski (21-11, 2.88) are both just 23, which bodes well for the Miners future.

It was not as bad as Pittsburgh's September collapse but the Washington Eagles clearly missed a great chance to end a pennant drought that stretches back to 1946 as they fell out of the race with an 11-14 September. The Eagles added Ed MacNaughton (.304,11,30) from Detroit to an already strong offense although he missed much of the first half of the season with an injury. A full season of MacNughton in 1968 would make the Eagles offense, already the most productive in the Fed in 1967, even better. Tom Lorang (.293,34,98) and catcher Howdy Oakes (.273,17,92) are the other big producers. On the mound Jack Kessler (17-7, 2.62) had a strong season while 32-year-old Jim Stewart (19-12, 2.78) bounced back nicely from an 18 loss season a year ago.

The fourth place St. Louis Pioneers may not be as good as they were earlier in the decade when they won three consecutive World Championship Series titles but it is clear that Frenchy Mack (17-9, 2.08) is still at the top of his game. The 29-year-old became the first pitcher to win five Federal Association Allen Awards. Billy Hasson (14-8, 2.41) did not win an Allen this season but he owns three of them and continues to be effective at age 33. The St. Louis offense still has Bob Bell (.311,16,94) but it also has a lot of holes in it.

The Philadelphia Keystones finished in fifth place and did something immediately after the season conclude that is rarely done by the Keystones: trade away a franchise icon. Buddy Miller has three Whitney Awards and was a ten-time all-star selection as a Keystone but at 37 his playing time was greatly reduced this season and last week was dealt to Montreal. A team that has traded many of its star players away is the Detroit Dynamos, who climbed to sixth place after finishing 9th a year ago. Ed MacNaughton was the latest to be dealt, going to Washington over the winter. John Jackson (18-9, 3.31) is still in Detroit and the 43-year-old is now just three victories shy of 200 for his career while giving every indication he plans on pitching again next season. For the most part in Detroit it is a youth movement with second year shortstop Ben Baker (.304,15,84) leading the way.

The New York Gothams finished seventh for the second year in a row and fourth time in the past six years. After the season ended they added veteran outfielder Dallas Berry (.222,11,32), who had his struggles with Cincinnati this year but is a two-time Whitney Award winner but is likely well past the point where he can help upgrade a New York offense that relies heavily on Steve Burris (.281,28,87) and Isaiah Redbird (.245,20,57). Bunny Mullins (14-9, 2.26) made the all-star team for the third consecutive season and at 23 should be the ace of the Gothams staff for years to come.

The Los Angeles Suns finished 8th and won 75 games, both high water marks for the franchise that celebrated its sixth season in 1967. 25-year-old outfielder Sam Forrester (.281,34,85) is the franchise's first real star player. It was a year to forget for the Boston Minutemen, who finished 9th and had their lowest winning percentage in 16 years. Bill Dunlop (9-17, 3.48), who won a Kellogg and an Allen Award his first two seasons in the league, had an awful third season in the majors. The last place Minneapolis Millers finished with the worst record in baseball at 56-106 and won 12 less games than they did a year ago. Expansion teams certainly have it tough, but the Millers seem to be making far less progress than the other three that joined with them in 1962
.

*** Stars Shine With Best Half Decade in History ***

The Los Angeles Stars won their third pennant in the past four years and may well have just completed the best five years in FABL history. Their 109-53 season left them a whooping 23 games ahead of the second place Toronto Wolves and gave Los Angeles a five-year record of 521-289. Sure the expansion era has added 8 games to the slate each campaign and made wins easier to come by, but no one in the history of the sport has won as many games over any five year span.

When 97 wins is considered the low point- the Stars won 97 in both 1963 and 1965- you have to be doing something right. Three pennants and two second place finishes is the result. The Cleveland Foresters of the 1950s won seven pennants in eleven years and had a five year stretch of the three flags and two second place finishes but that also included a mediocre 79-75 season right in the middle of that stretch. To find a CA team with a pedigree that approaches the current edition of Stars regular season winning record you need to go back to the 1934-38 Brooklyn Kings, who finished second by just a single game twice in a row before reeling off three straight flag winning performances. Those Kings won at least 90 games five years in a row but their .612 winning percentage over that span pales compared to the Stars current .643 pace over the past half decade.

Los Angeles shows no signs of slowing down with pitchers Floyd Warner (23-3, 1.94), George Dunningan (20-4, 2.16) and Bob Hollister (12-15, 2.60) all cracking the OSA list of top 20 arms along with three position players making the hitters list. They are Bobby Garrison (.268,33,127), CA Whitney Award winner Lew Smith (.298,28,84) and Bill Bell (.288,7,75). All but Warner, who won the Allen Award and just turned 31 last month, are under the age of thirty.

The CA race in 1967 was effectively over by June 1 as the Stars had already built a nine game lead by that point and were never challenged. There was plenty of competition for second place with the Toronto Wolves nosing out three rivals to claim their highest finish in the standings since 1945. Veteran outfielder Sid Cullen (.270,24,89) failed to duplicate his Whitney Award winning performance of 1966 but remained the Wolves offensive catalyst while journeyman righthander Chris Sargent (18-10, 3.50) delivered the best season of his career at the age of 38.

Kansas City still has Hank Williams (.280,17,53), who was named to his 10th all-star team, and Stan Kleminski's (.209,0,10) 3000th career hit to celebrate but the big talk in the Midwest revolved around rumours the club was about to be sold and moved, with Atlanta and Seattle being the prime destination options.

The Montreal Saints, keyed by second year players Jim Hendricks (.322,5,78) and John Newton (.278,14,87) and a strong showing on the mound by 26-year-old John Roberts (16-11, 2.60), had a 16 game improvement and moved from ninth a year ago to fourth place this time around. It was the opposite story for the fifth place San Francisco Sailors who finished just two games over .500 after a 95 win season a year ago. Most of the Sailors key players are on the wrong side of thirty and their window of contention appears to closing rather quickly.

A trio of teams tied for sixth place with 77-85 records. They included the Cleveland Foresters and Chicago Cougars. Both had drop-offs from the previous season with Chicago's being the most dramatic as the Cougars went from a 99-win team that had enjoyed four straight seasons of at least 90 victories, to losing 22 more games in 1967 than they did the previous year.

While neither the Foresters nor the Cougars were happy with their showing, the third team in that group set a franchise record for wins. That would be the Dallas Wranglers who became the first of the 1962 expansion clubs to win more than 75 games in a season. Steve Prather (.272,9,75) won the Kellogg Award as top CA rookie and joins catcher John Vance (.206,8,73) and pitcher Sam Helsel (17-11, 2.70) as the young stars on the club.

The other '62 expansion club - the New York Imperials were just 4 games back of the Wranglers and own the top minor league system in the sport which will hopefully surround young star George Love (.260,25,65) with talent in the near future.

Finally we have the Cincinnati Cannons who somehow found a way to be even worse than they were a year ago. One might be tempted to place much of the blame for the last place finish squarely on the shoulders of Marco Middleton (11-16, 3.23), who tailed off in his age 24 season after winning the Allen Award two of the previous three years but in truth his run support was among the lowest in the league and Cincinnati's offense as a whole was the least productive in the Continental Association.

MILESTONES AND OTHER NOTABLES
'67 DRAFT A FAMILY AFFAIR

Most FABL drafts include a handful of players with relatives who blazed a trail for them by spending time in FABL themselves but the 1967 crop seemed to be a little extra special in that regard.

The biggest name when talking family connections, as often is the case happens to be a Barrell. This time it is 18-year-old Rufus "Ace" Barrell III. Ace, who starred in the Cincinnati High School circuit the past three years, is the son of former Cannons star and new Hall of Famer Deuce Barrell. Deuce won 359 games in a 20-year career with Cincinnati and Cleveland that included 5 Allen Awards. Ace was selected by the Montreal Saints in the third round.

There are two other pitchers in this class with big league ties. Ernie Jones, a high school lefthander who's dad Johnnie Jones and uncle Donnie Jones both had all-star careers with the Chicago Cougars, is one with the other being Barry Schneider. Barry's dad Bart spent over a decade in the minors but never made it to FABL. He was the only Schneider triplet not to make it big as Barry's uncles Skipper and Buddy Schneider each had productive careers. Ernie Jones will be a minor league teammate of Ace Barrell's as he was Montreal's 6th round selection while Schneider went to the San Francisco Sailors in the 9th round.

The current class also includes Dick Ward, who is a grandson of Hall of Famer Joe Ward and nephew of Kid Ward, who had a brief stint with the Kings in both Brooklyn and after the move to Kansas City. Dick is an 18-year-old centerfielder who was selected in round 13 by the Boston Minutemen. His dad was Joe's elder son Dick Ward Sr., who did not play professional baseball.

Next up is another centerfielder in Joe Landry who actually was the first of those with family connections to be drafted, going to the Pittsburgh Miners in round two. Joe is the grandson of former St. Louis Pioneers star Roger Landry and son of Cotton Landry, who made it as high as the AA level in the Brooklyn Kings organization. Finally we have shortstop Dale Robbins, who's dad, also named Dale, had a brief stint with the Detroit Dynamos and the New York Stars.

AWARDS

After finishing third in Whitney Award balloting a year ago, Los Angeles Stars shortstop Lew Smith (.298,28,84) was an unanimous choice to as the top batter in the Continental Association. The 24-year-old led the CA in runs scored with 115 and WAR at 8.2. Smith ended up missing the final two weeks of the season and the WCS after suffering a late season shoulder injury. It marked the second time in as many years a Whitney Award winner was sidelined for the WCS as that was the case for Pittsburgh infielder Dixie Turner, who was the Federal Association Whitney Award winner in 1966. Turner (.307,33,95) won it again this time around, marking the third straight season the 26-year-old has been the Fed Whitney winner. Turner is the first Fed player to win three consecutive Whitney Awards since St. Louis slugger Max Morris won four in a row from 1920-23. It was six straight overall for Mighty Mo, who won the CA Whitney in 1918 and 1919 prior to his trade from Cleveland.

Floyd Warner (23-3, 1.94) was the obvious choice for the Continental Association Allen Award. It was the first Allen win for the 31-year-old Los Angeles Stars righthander. It was tight race for the Fed Allen Award with Frenchy Mack (17-9, 2.08) of St Louis outpointing the New York Gothams Bunny Mullins (14,9,2.26). Mack, who now joins select company with five career Allen Awards, collected 11 of the 20 first place votes with Mullins earning 8 and the final one went to Chicago Chiefs' pitcher Nate Carr (14-5, 2.00). Only retired stars Adrian Czerwinski, with six, and Deuce Barrell, who earned five, compare with Mack for Allen wins.

The Kellogg Awards for top rookie went to 23-year-old outfielder Steve Prather (.272,9,75) of the Dallas Wranglers in the CA and 24-year-old Pittsburgh outfielder Ed Reeves (.302,3,42) in the Federal Association. Charley McCullough of the Los Angeles Stars and Dutch Becker of the Chicago Chiefs were the Theobald Award winners as top skippers in each of the two associations. McCullough has won the award five times while Becker earned his second straight Theobald in the Fed.

HALL OF FAME

Deuce Barrell is the latest member of his family to join the Baseball Hall of Fame after appearing on 99.4% of the ballots and being the lone inductee for 1967. 75% is needed for induction with former Cougars great Leo Mitchell finishing second at 66% and Sal Pestilli, who played for a number of teams being the only other player to be named on at least half of the ballots.

Deuce Barrell joins his uncles Bobby, Harry and Tom along with his grandfather Rufus Barrell. A five-time Allen Award winner, Deuce went 359-222 over his lengthy career with the Cincinnati Cannons and Cleveland Foresters. He shares the FABL record for WCS games started with Adrian Czerwinski at 17 and holds the mark for most career WCS losses with 11.

KEYSTONES TRADE BUDDY MILLER

Buddy Miller will not finish out his career as a Philadelphia Keystone. The 37-year-old who was the Keystones first round selection back in 1948, had spent his entire 17-year career with the Stones, playing in 2,200 games and recording 2,686 hits. Only Hall of Famers Bobby Barrell and Zebulon Banks ever played more games for Philadelphia. Miller was dealt in late October to the Montreal Saints. A strong bet as a future Hall of Famer, Miller won 3 batting titles, 3 Whitney Awards and a pair of WCS titles with Philadelphia. Miller had only 110 at bats in 1967 and, likely with an eye towards more playing time, okayed the deal to the Saints in exchange for a pair of young prospects.

NO-HITTERS

The lone no-hitter thrown in 1967 came from Hank Walker and marked the first no-hitter ever credited to a Dallas Wranglers pitcher. The 35-year-old journeyman was a waiver claim by Dallas a year ago but did not last the full 1967 season in Texas as the Wranglers dealt him to Philadelphia at the trade deadline, a little more than a month after Walker no-hit the Chicago Cougars.

3000 CAREER HITS

Stan Kleminski became the 16th player in FABL history to surpass the 3,000 career hit mark. The 40-year-old Kansas City Kings infielder delivered a pinch-hit rbi single off Cincinnati's Charlie Wolf in extra-innings of a game that ended in a 7-5 loss to the Cannons. Kleminski made his big league debut as a teenager with Detroit in 1946 and also spent time in Cleveland before joining the Kings in 1963. He is presently the active career hits leader with 3,015 but his former Detroit teammate Edwin Hackberry (2,973) of the San Francisco Sailors is closing in.

2500 HITS
Ed Farmer, Kansas City

1967 FABL ALL-STAR GAME
FEDS HOLD OFF LATE CA CHARGE FOR ANOTHER ALL-STAR WIN

A pair of Continental Association homeruns in the top of the 8th inning made the game exciting but was not quite enough as the stars of the Federal Association triumphed over their counterparts from the Continental 4-3 in the 1967 FABL all-star game. It marked the fourth year in a row that the Federal Association won the annual challenge between the two loops.

The Federal Association took a 4-0 lead into the eighth frame and had surrendered just five Continental Association hits before Hank Williams got the CA on the board when he homered off Pittsburgh's Bud Andrews to lead off the eighth. For Williams, it was the 10th time the Kansas City Kings outfielder was named to the Continental Association club, making him one of just 18 players to appear in 10 or more all-star contests.

A single by Cincinnati's Bill Ballard followed by a 2-out, 2-run homerun from Mel Johnson of the Los Angeles Stars cut the Fed lead to 4-3 but the CA could not get the equalizer as Andrews settled down and retired the final four batters he faced for a 2-inning save that proved to have much more drama than Andrews likely hoped for.

The Feds took a 2-0 lead in the second inning on a Bob Starr two-run single. Starr, a 27-year-old all or nothing Chicago Chiefs outfielder who led FABL in homeruns with 35 and strikeouts with 162, would also hit a solo homerun later in the day and be named the player of the game. He joins Hank Barnett (1942) and Rod Shearer (1954) as the only Chiefs to win the All-Star Game MVP award.

The Federal Association added single runs in the third and sixth innings with the former on a run-scoring single from John Edwards of Minneapolis and the latter via the Starr homerun.

1967 WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP SERIES
CHIEFS COOKING IN WCS WIN: STARR STEALS THE SHOW

You can likely be forgiven if you were not familiar with the name Bob Starr prior to the start of the 1967 baseball season. That has to have changed now as all Starr did this season was win the All-Star Game MVP, the World Championship Series MVP, help the Chiefs end a long championship drought by hitting 4 homeruns, one shy of Bobby Barrell's 1945 record, in the WCS and leading FABL in regular season homeruns with 35.

The 27-year-old outfielder comes from very humble beginnings as he was a 10th round draft pick out of Latin High School in Chicago in 1958. He was thrilled to be selected by one of his hometown teams, but it was the Cougars and not the Chiefs who drafted Starr. He took a few years to develop but started to show some promise by cracking OSA's top 100 prospect list in 1962 and reaching the AA level. That spring he was traded from one Chicago team to the other as part of a package for pitcher Dick Champ. Midway through the 1963 season he made his big league debut with the Chicago Chiefs and he has teamed with fellow outfielder Joe Siniscalchi to provide a pair of potent bats in the heart of the Chiefs lineup.

The Chiefs were making their sixth WCS appearance and had won four of their previous five with the most recent victory coming back in 1949. Los Angeles is the all-time leader with 10 WCS wins including last year when they defeated St Louis in six games. The Chiefs and Stars had never faced each other in the WCS prior to this season.

The Stars would be playing with one hand tied behind their back as shortstop Lew Smith, who would be named the Whitney Award winner in the CA, would miss the series after suffering an injury in mid-September.

GAME ONE

A dramatic start to the series as the Stars rallied with a pair of runs in the top of the eighth inning to tie the game at 5. It would not require extra innings and Bob Starr was the hero, although all he had to do was stand at the plate and then jog to first base after drawing a bases-loaded walk from Stars reliever Dutch Lane to give the Chiefs a 6-5 walk-off victory.

GAME TWO

After getting three rbi's in the series opener, Bob Starr added two more along with a pair of runs scored and 3 hits as he led the Chiefs to a 6-3 victory in game two. Charlie Barrell, the veteran infielder who spent most of his career with the Stars, also drove in two runs for Chicago.

GAME THREE

Los Angeles needed someone to step up in game three and that someone was Bob Hollister. The 32-year-old righthander was acquired at the trade deadline from Boston and would twirl a complete game 5-hit shutout to get the Stars on the board with a 3-0 victory.

GAME FOUR

Despite Bob Starr's best efforts, the Los Angeles Stars tied the series with a 6-5 victory. Starr, went 4-for-5 with 2 homers and 4 rbi's but it was not enough as Los Angeles evened the series with the narrow victory.

GAME FIVE

Los Angeles led 5-1 after three innings but after that it was all Chicago as the visitors scored seven unanswered runs to take 3 games to two series lead with an 8-5 victory.

GAME SIX

Another game that saw Los Angeles surrender the lead. The Stars led 4-2 entering the bottom of the eighth inning but back-to-back doubles from Charlie Barrell and Joe Flanagan followed by a rbi single off the bat of Ricardo Castillo allowed the Chiefs to tie the game up. Los Angeles went quietly in the top of the ninth leading to the Chiefs second walk-off win of the series. The game winning hit was a rbi single from Charlie Barrell to plate Tom Spruill with the series-winning run.

For Barrell, who more than a decade ago won a Federal Basketball League title for Chicago while playing for the cage Panthers it marked the end of a terrific baseball career. Charlie, who also briefly played pro football, announced his retirement after the series. He was an 8-time All-Star and won the Kellogg Award his rookie season. In all, Barrell appeared in 1,835 big league games and had 1,993 hits including 252 homeruns. He won a CA batting title in 1954 with the Stars. This was the first, and as it turned out, only WCS win of his career.

Barrell hit .304 in the series, but the MVP was Starr, who homered to put Chicago on the scoreboard early in game six and finished 12 hits, a .462 batting average, 10 rbi's and 4 homers in the series.

Next up a look at the Prospect Pipeline and then the 1967 recap from the gridiron.

stratonapba · 10-02-2025, 12:14 PM

Betting in 1968, That The Kansas City Kings could be relocated to Oakland, CA or Seattle, WA in the Figment League Baseball World.

Tiger Fan · 10-03-2025, 11:38 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by stratonapba

Betting in 1968, That The Kansas City Kings could be relocated to Oakland, CA or Seattle, WA in the Figment League Baseball World.

Likely a very good guess. However, the original plans called for Pittsburgh to move to Atlanta around this time but with the Miners suddenly a very good ballclub it appears the shift to Georgia is off for them so perhaps that may change things for Kansas City. There is also another 4-team expansion coming in the near future as well.

Thank you for following along.

Tiger Fan · 10-03-2025, 11:43 AM

November 1, 1967
LOOKING AT THE 1967 DRAFT CLASS AND TOP PROSPECTS

In an effort to stay abreast of who the top stars may be in the game once 1975 rolls around and human GMs return, here is an update on the first round picks both from the current June 1967 draft and from that of the last few year. As was the case a year ago we are listing below the 20 players selected in the opening round of the latest draft and showing where they slot on the OSA prospect pipeline as of the end of their first professional season.

Here are the 1967 first rounders and where they rank on the current pipeline, along with the 1965 and 1966 first rounders with an update on how each has progressed through the pipeline.

OSA TOP TEN PROSPECTS
October 1967

For the dual purpose of staying up to date with who the top FABL players are as we move towards 1975 while also doing a bit of an assessment on the volatility of top prospects in OOTP26, here is our annual look tracking the prospect pipeline's top 10 over the past few years.

A CLOSER LOOK AT THE CURRENT TOP TEN

1: EDDIE YANDOW - RHP, Detroit Dynamos, age 22: Selected third overall by Detroit out of Springfield State, Randow had a great debut as a pro. Assigned immediately to AAA Atlanta, he posted a 12-5 record and a 2.83 era in 20 starts. OSA says Yandow "has the makings of a future ace."

2: PETE ROSENBAUM - RHP, Dallas Wranglers, age 20 - Cracks the top ten for the second year in a row. The 1965 second overall draft pick split his first full pro season between rookie ball and Class A. Like Yandow, the OSA believes Rosenbaum has a chance to be an ace.

3: JIM WHITE - RHP, New York Imperials, age 20 - A fifth round pick in 1965, White is a surprise breakout pitcher that OSA feels "should rank among the best pitching prospects in any organization."

4: HOWIE WESTON - RHP, New York Imperials, age 19 - The first overall pick of the 1965 draft jumped all the way from rookie ball to AAA in 1967. Another of the many elite righthanders that OSA sees on the rise.

5: DON PERRY - RHP. Chicago Cougars, age 22 - Selected in the first round of the 1967 draft by the Gothams, Perry was dealt to the Cougars a couple of weeks ago. The former Arkansas A&T hurler made his pro debut at AAA in July and went 8-7 with a 3.41 era. OSA says he has a "golden arm".

6: BILL ALDRICH - RHP, Toronto Wolves, age 21 - The much travelled Aldrich becomes the sixth straight righthander to top the prospect list. A second round pick of Kansas City in the 1963 draft, he was dealt to the Chicago Chiefs organization a year later. The Chiefs waived him after a year and he signed with Toronto. A strong development program in Toronto helped boost Aldrich into the top ten. Despite the promise and five years in the minors Aldrich has still not pitched above Class A. OSA believes he can "become a great starting pitcher."

7: NICK PARKER - OF, Dallas Wranglers, age 19 - A return member to the top ten, the 1966 first rounder was 8th on the top ten list at this time last year. He profiles as an "everyday left fielder who can make an impact on a top-tier team."

8: JAKE POOLE- 2B, New York Imperials, age 20 - First overall selection in the 1965 draft, Poole is the third Imperials player to crack this year's top ten. Poole has not played above A ball yet but OSA feels he can "fill a key role for a contending team."

9:JIM PERRIN- RHP, Los Angeles Suns, age 20 - A Chicago native selected 4th overall out high school in the 1965 draft, Perrin was included in the top ten prospect list two years ago but slipped to 13th last year before returning to the top ten. OSA sees an Allan Award or two potentially in Perrin's future.

10: PEDRO ORTIZ - RHP, Detroit Dynamos, age 20 - Selected 7th overall in 1966, Ortiz immediately became the prize jewel in the Dynamos growing collection of prospects until passed in June with the drafting of Eddie Yandow, who tops the current prospect list. OSA feels Ortiz can be a top of the rotation arm, but he spent all of last season in rookie ball so needs time to grow.

TRACKING THE DYNAMOS FIRST ROUNDERS

Since 1962 we have been tracking the yearly progress (or lack thereof) for the Detroit Dynamos first round selections in the annual June draft. The Dynamos were a power in the Federal Association not all that long ago but have been getting progressively worse each season, bottoming out (hopefully) at 66-96 in 1966. The just completed 1967 season saw a rebound of sorts as the Dynamos posted their best record since 1963 in going 78-84.

The team also moved on from one of its former first round picks as 1959 16th overall selection Ed MacNaughton was traded to Washington last fall. MacNaughton was a three-time all-star with Detroit so the Dynamos certainly need at least one of the three youngsters they received from the Eagles in return to pan out. Detroit did get a major leaguer in the deal in 25-year-old catcher Harvey Van Orden but he is far from a replacement for MacNaughton's bat as Van Orden slashed just .245/.309/.373 but did become the Dynamos number one catcher. Two of the prospects were first rounders by Washington in Buddy Ensey and Bill Tubbs. Both are outfielders. Ensey is 20 and is ranked 102th on the pipeline in October of 1967 after being selected 13th overall in the 1965 draft. Tubbs was the 14th pick in 1966 and the 19-year-old is 176th on the pipeline.

Detroit's top pick this year may just be the kind of player that can jump start a franchise revival. That would be Eddie Yandow, a 22-year-old pitcher selected third overall out of Springfield State. Detroit has not selected as high in the draft since 1948 when the Dynamos picked Ralph Capriotti with the third pick. Capriotti, an outfielder, was a bust, only making the majors because of expansion and he played 119 career games for Minneapolis. Perhaps a better sign for Yandow is the fact that Billy Hasson, the three time Allen Award winner from the St Louis Pioneers, is also a former Springfield State pitcher.

As for Yandow, he shot right to the top of the prospect pipeline and is number one after an outstanding 12-5, 2.83 showing in 20 starts at AAA. I expect him to be in the Dynamos rotation next year. Yandow is joined in the top ten by another Detroit hurler as last year's first rounder Pedro Ortiz now 20 years of age, spends his second season near the top of the prospect pipeline. He is 10th. Led by those two the Dynamos minor league system moves up one spot from a year ago, jumping into third best among the 20 FABL ballclubs.

Here is a look at how 1967 went for recent Detroit first round selections followed by a list of the organization's current top prospects.

1962 1st Rounder: SKIPPER ATKINS, HS RHP, 7th overall

1964 recap: Atkins is not a great prospect according to OSA, ranked 144th at the end of the 1964 season and 7th in a weak Dynamos farm system. OSA projects him to have a future in the back of the rotation. Now 20, he split the '64 season between A and AA, going 10-7, 3.90 at Terre Haute before moving up to Akron where he was 5-1 but with a subpar 83 ERA+. He dropped off as OSA had the Philadelphia native as the #45 prospect on Opening Day 1964.

1965 recap: Now 21, Atkins fell further in the eyes of the league scouting service, who now rank him 249th despite a solid showing at AA (6-4, 2.85) and moderate success in his first taste of AAA (4-4, 4.24). OSA says perhaps he could fit into the back of a rotation, but probably not someone you want to guarantee a spot to.

1966 recap: He held relatively steady on the OSA list in his age 22 season, checking it at 251st on the pipeline and is considered Detroit's 13th best prospect. OSA still believes his ceiling is the back end of a rotation after Atkins spent the entire year in AAA Atlanta, going 9-12 with a 4.05 era. He is still young enough that we hope he can contribute at some point but it is becoming more and more clear he will not deliver first round results should he get to the big leagues.

1967 recap: Well Skipper made it to Detroit. After going 9-7 with a 1.98 era in 26 starts for Atlanta, he was a September call-up and made four big league starts, going 2-0 with a 4.35 era. Skipper is now 23 and still projects poorly according to OSA, which calls him a "spot starter" but his September showing does give us reason for cautious optimism.

1963 1st Rounder: SAM MacDONALD, HS RHP, 18th overall

1964 recap: Like Atkins, MacDonald is a righthander drafted out of high school ball in Philadelphia. Born in Baltimore, OSA admits he is very raw but feels he does have a shot at being a top of the rotation arm someday. Ranked 65th in the end of 1964 prospect pipeline and #2 in Detroit's system behind only 1964 second round pitcher Danny Wilson. MacDonald can be a high strikeout pitcher but needs to harness his control which is almost non-existent after a year and a half at class C where he walked 109 in 142 innings.

1965 recap: He suffered a big drop in the eyes of OSA as well, falling all the way to 297th overall and 28th in the Detroit system. It feels like he didn't get a fair shake as MacDonald was not injured, but dumped back to Class C for a third season and only pitched 47 innings, going 2-2 with a 106 ERA+. Seems like he has been written off by Detroit management.

1966 recap: MacDonald does not come close to cracking the OSA top 500 anywhere and shows as the 62nd ranked prospect in Detroit's organization. It seems like the AI Dynamos management has given up on him completely as MacDonald pitched just 28 innings in 1966 and was beat up pretty badly in his only two starts at the Class A level. OSA still thinks he warrants a look with a ceiling of someone who might challenge for a depth starting spot but it is probably best at this point the Dynamos just cut ties with him.

1967 recap: MacDonald held steady and remains the 62nd ranked Detroit prospect according to OSA. He clearly does not factor in the long range plans for the Dynamos as 1967 was another wasted season with MacDonald throwing just 7 innings all year, at the rookie league level. He has not been injured but has been used for just 35 innings over the past two years. OSA seems to still have hope in MacDonald, calling him a back of the rotation starter. My fear is the Dynamos GM does exactly what he did with Danny Wilson as Detroit released the pitcher who was ranked 16th overall a year ago and he signed with the Kansas City Kings.

1964 1st Rounder: DON AYERS, HS OF, 16th overall

1964 recap: Nicknamed Funky, the Cleveland native was another high school first rounder taken by the Dynamos. Detroit has had a lot of busts in drafting corner-OF/1B types (see Tommy Allenby, John Morrison, Dino Sharp, Joe Fulgham or Ralph Capriotti) and early indications are Ayers can be another name to add to that list. Scouting report says Ayers could still be a productive regular on a contender, but the scouting service ranks him at #194 on the prospect pipeline so I am not holding out hope. He did put up some decent numbers in 55 games at Class C after being drafted (.333/.421/.400) so perhaps there is a chance he pans out.

1965 recap: He also dropped, falling to 267th overall and 26th among Detroit prospects. Still just 18 but he was also overlooked, playing just 12 games all season despite being healthy. Ayers made the most of his limited chances, slashing .438/.438/.750 but clearly feels like he does not fit into Detroit's plans.

1966 recap: Another bust and it is frustrating to see the AI management just bury these high draft picks and never give them an opportunity to play. Ayers, now ranked 348th overall and 22nd among Detroit prospects, is just 19 years old and he needs to play but instead languished on the bench all season, appearing in 34 games and getting just 93 plate appearances split between rookie ball (which class C has been renamed) and Class A. He did not do much with the limited opportunity he was given but Ayers is clearly going to be another bust.

1967 recap: Ayers slipped further, falling to 404th on the pipeline and has now turned 20. He played at three levels in 1967, ranging from rookie ball to High A, but only slashed .236/.384/.348 in 70 games. OSA feels he is on the bubble for holding down a big league role but we feel pretty confident he is yet another first round outfielder who turned out to be a bust.

1965 1st Rounder: PETE MORRIS, College OF, 6th overall

1965 recap: Finally a top ten pick again for the Dynamos but you know their track record with drafting corner outfielders. OSA says he has the tools to make an impact in the majors and at 22nd overall, he is Detroit's third highest ranked prospect at the moment. He came out of San Francisco Tech and went straight to AAA, but had a learning curve to deal with in batting just .229 with 3 homers in 89 games.

1966 recap: Promising. Now 24 years of age, Morris is considered Detroit's fourth best prospect and #43 overall. He spent the entire season in AAA Atlanta, batting .277 with 15 homers and 57 rbi's. Morris hit for the cycle in an April game and his 126 OPS for the season gives fans some hope he will eventually contribute in Detroit. OSA feels Morris has the tools to be a first division starter but the only red flag is Morris is said to lack ambition.

1967 Recap: With MacNaughton shipped out to Washington, Morris made the jump to Detroit as a reserve. The 25-year-old hit .233 in 146 big league at bats and while the clock has to be ticking rapidly, OSA still believes Morris can become an above-average big league outfielder.

1966 1st Rounder: PEDRO ORTIZ, High School Pitcher, 7th overall

1966 recap: The 19-year-old from Brooklyn is drawing rave reviews from OSA, which immediately named him the Dynamos top prospect and he presently slots in at #4 overall. Ortiz is one of two Detroit pitchers in the top 16 (1964 second rounder Danny Wilson is the other one) and the scouting service raves that Ortiz has a golden arm and should be a top of the rotation pitcher. We can hope as the Dynamos certainly are in need of one. Ortiz went 5-5 with a 4.30 era (124 ERA+) in 12 starts at rookie ball after his high school season came to an end. He earned a late season promotion to Class A and was dominant going 2-0 with a 0.56 era and a 797! ERA+. OSA says Ortiz could be in the big leagues sometime next season which is a Carl Potter like pace and if Ortiz can become anything close to what Potter did in his first six seasons in Detroit back in the 1940s Dynamos fans will be in for a treat.

1967 recap: Ortiz remains in the OSA top ten prospect list for a second year, slotting in right at #10 this time. He repeated rookie ball in his age 19 season, going 7-3 with a sparkling 1.22 era in 13 starts after reportedly doing an outstanding job over the winter increasing his endurance on the mound. OSA believes Ortiz can be an impact starter and I would like to see Detroit challenge him with high A or perhaps even AA next year.

1967 1st Rounder: EDDIE YANDOW, College Pitcher, 3rd overall

The highest draft pick Detroit has had in 17 years certainly seems to be a home run as Yandow not only immediately became Detroit's top prospect but OSA calls him the best prospect in the game at the moment. A Chicago native drafted out of Springfield State, the recently turned 22-year-old went 12-5 with a 2.83 era after debuting at the AAA level. In a perfect world he joins Detroit's rotation in April of 1968 and contends for the Kellogg Award. OSA raves about his command and says Yandow "has the makings of a future ace." I love taking college arms early in the draft and with a little luck, the Dynamos have landed a future all-star.

CURRENT (OCT 1967) TOP DETROIT PROSPECTS

Next up will be the conclusion of the 1967 recaps, as we look at the pro and college football campaigns.

DD Martin · 10-03-2025, 10:54 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Tiger Fan

Likely a very good guess. However, the original plans called for Pittsburgh to move to Atlanta around this time but with the Miners suddenly a very good ballclub it appears the shift to Georgia is off for them so perhaps that may change things for Kansas City. There is also another 4-team expansion coming in the near future as well.

Thank you for following along.

Better not!!!

08-23-2025, 07:53 PM	#1121
Tiger Fan Hall Of Famer Join Date: Dec 2001 Location: Ontario Canada Posts: 9,767	Spring 1964: Hockey and basketball recaps MAY 1, 1964 SURPRISE CUP WIN FOR VALIANTS It was a long 13 year wait but the Montreal Valiants once more can be called Challenge Cup champions. The Vals last lifted hockey's cherished mug way back in the spring of 1951 and despite making the playoffs in five of the last six years, this win certainly comes as a surprise. Montreal finished fourth during the regular season in a year that saw the playoff clubs divided by just 10 points with defending Cup champ Toronto and the long-struggling New York Shamrocks both falling out of contention by Christmas. The Valiants win came in what was supposed to be a transition year as long-time star Jocko Gregg was phased out and the club was breaking in a rookie coach following Ted Grafton's surprise resignation at the conclusion of last season. Newcomer Matt McGranahan, who had never coached a pro team before, made enough of the right moves that he made things seem easy, and won a Challenge Cup in his debut season. Much of the credit for the Vals success can be placed squarely on the shoulders of Nathan Bannister. The 34-year-old netminder should no signs of age catching up with him as he played in 52 games and while his record was a middling 23-22-6, one shudders to think where the Vals might have ended up without him as 10 of Bannister's 24 victories came with the veteran from Sudbury, ON., recording shutouts. 10 shutouts is the highest single season total ever recorded by a Montreal netminder and the third most in league history. Having the trio of Mark Moggy, Jean Tremblay and Gilles Thibault patrolling the Vals blueline certainly helped Bannister as the 22-year-old Moggy was named to the post-season all-star team for the fourth time in his young career and was joined by the veteran Thibault on the second team pairing. The Vals lacked offense with only three players - Scott Ducek (28-19-47), Matt Mercier (20-17-37) and Charlie Hamblin (16-19-35) topping 15 goals on the season but this was to be a season of transition up front after Jocko Gregg's expulsion to Syracuse. The 37-year-old managed just 28 points a year ago so the Vals decided to part ways with the man who sits sixth all-time in career NAHC points in order to make room for some youngsters. Gregg played just 25 games for the minor league Lancers, but did notch 20 points, and is expected to retire over the summer. The Vals are looking to their future with four rookie forwards seeing plenty of action in 63-64. The best of which might well be 20-year-old Clyde Raines, Montreal's first round pick last summer. The young center suited up for 59 games as a rookie and accumulated 16 points. He and 23-year-old winger Ed Halliday (5-18-23), a 1960 second rounder, both look to have promising futures ahead of them. * Several Stars Depart * Jocko Gregg of Montreal was not the only high profile player to leave the NAHC prior to the 1963-64 campaign. Toronto parted ways with Lou Galbraith after the veteran of 933 career games scored just once in 37 outings the previous season. Like Gregg, Galbraith went to the Hockey Association of America but suited up for just 8 games for the Cleveland Eries. Toronto also sent down 34-year-old Ken Jamieson, and it appears unlikely the 13-year veteran will return to the NAHC. Finally, Detroit cut longtime star Louis Rocheleau after 14 seasons with the Motors. The 37-year-old bolted to the Great West League and scored 21 goals for the Vancouver Bears. While Montreal enjoyed the playoff success, the top regular season team was the Boston Bees, but just barely, as the Bees nosed out Detroit by two points for first place. It marked the Bees return to the playoffs after missing the postseason each of the past three years. Boston had plenty of offense with Neil Wilson (22-53-75) and Jimmy Rucks (36-38-74) leading the way. Both were named first team all-stars after finishing second and third in league scoring behind Detroit's Hobie Barrell. The 30-year-old Wilson won the Yeadon Trophy for gentlemanly play combined with skill. Rucks enjoyed the most productive season of his 12 year career and is closing in on becoming one of the top ten point producers in NAHC history. Also a fixture in Denny Arena is goaltender Oscar James. The ageless wonder turned 40 during the season but still played 41 games while recording a 2.13 goals against average and the top save percentage in the league. Second place Detroit got another great season out of its two star players in Hobie Barrell (37-47-84) and Robert Ling (15-30-45). The 22-year-old Barrell, son of former big league baseball catcher Fred Barrell, led the loop in scoring for the second year in a row and also won his second McDaniels Trophy as league MVP. Ling, 25, joined Detroit from New York two years ago and was the top point getter among blueliners for the second straight season while joining Barrell on the first all-star team. Opposing clubs may have much more to fear from the Motors in the near future as the club had all three finalists for the McLeod Trophy, presented to the top rookie. Charles Bozek (20-38-58) was the winner but teammates Jack Dennyson (11-25-36 in 49 games) and Cody Walsh (17-15-32) were also quite impressive in their NAHC freshman campaigns. The newcomers helped ease concerns regarding the continued decline in production from veterans Alex Monette (7-29-36) and captain Nick Tardif (7-11-18). In net Detroit once more relied on former Toronto veteran Charlie Dell (27-16-5, 2.52). Third place Chicago extended its streak of qualifying for the playoffs to five years, and the Packers have reached the postseason eleven out of the last thirteen years but have not won a Challenge Cup since year one of that stretch back in 1952. Chicago relied heavily on its big duo of Pete Bernier (23-40-63) and Ken York (24-30-54) as the twosome finished fourth and sixth in league scoring and each was named to the second all-star team. Finding a third member for that line has been challenging with veteran Ray Weller (8-20-28) along with 23-year-old Tommy Gordon (17-15-32) and 24-year-old Derek Noel (7-22-29) all having an opportunity at various times. Chicago does possess a solid defense corps led by Pete's brother Guy Bernier (10-24-34), who won his first Dewar Trophy as top rearguard at the age of 32. Joining him on the top pairing is the rapidly improving 27-year-old Danny Connaughton (7-9-16) with his defense-first focus complimenting the more offensive-minded Bernier nicely. Montreal's fourth place finish meant the end of the Toronto Dukes' 13 year playoff streak. The Dukes won four of their NAHC best 12 Challenge Cups during that streak but age appears to finally be catching up to the club. Both Lou Galbraith and Ken Jamieson have moved on so the club is being forced to get younger, and the league's elder statesman Quinton Pollack may be reaching the end of the line at the ripe old age of 41. Pollack scored just 35 points in 63-64, the worst output of his career which left many wondering if the nine-time McDaniels Trophy winner might call it quits. Pollack has little left to prove: He topped the 550 goal mark and recorded his 750th assist and 1,301st career point last year. He is number one in league history in points but perhaps will take motivation to return because he trails Tommy Burns (564 goals, 1,193 games played) by 13 goals and 55 games played to take over top spot in each of those categories as well. Pollack failed to lead the Dukes in scoring for the first time in what feels like forever as his 35 points ranked second behind Andrew Williams (17-25-42), a versatile 24-year-old in his second full season who can handle duty either on the right wing or the blueline. 25-year-old Lou Turner (11-19-30) and 24-year-old Hank Knackstedt (10-19-29) also give Duke fans hope for the future. 32-year-old netminder Mike Connelly (18-34-13, 2.54) had a save percentage that rivaled Boston's Oscar James without the talent in front of him and he was rewarded for his hard work -starting a league high 66 games in net- and fine play with the first Juneau Trophy of his career as top goaltender. While missing the playoffs felt strange to the Dukes, it was old hat for the New York Shamrocks. The Greenshirts finished last in the league for the fourth straight season and have made the playoffs just once in the past decade and it is 15 years since New York last won a playoff series. New York is a young team and there is some potential, but the concern is the Shamrocks do what they have done often in the past - trade away young players who go on to enjoy much greater success elsewhere. 24-year-old winger Alex Kalmakoff (19-27-46) is one the club could build around while 23-year-old Johnny Hawker (15-26-41), selected second overall by New York in 1959, has the makings of a budding star. PLAYOFFS First place Boston finished just 10 points ahead of fourth place Montreal but during the regular season the Bees dominated their opening round playoff foes. Boston won nine and tied two of the 14 regular season meetings so the Bees were heavy favourites to reach the Challenge Cup finals for the first time since their Cup winning 1959-60 campaign. Someone forgot to tell Montreal that they were overmatched as the Vals, behind a goal and an assist from defenseman Jean Tremblay and a terrific 36 save effort by Nathan Bannister took the series opener 3-1, shocking the 14,434 that had crowded into Denny Arena to witness the event. Jean's brother Yan Tremblay scored the opener in game two and when Scott Ducek's powerplay marker made it 2-0 for the visitors early in the second period the situation at Denny Arena grew very tense. Boston did bounce back as veteran Ben Voyechek finally beat Bannister midway through the middle frame and then the Bees put the game away with three third period goals to take the contest 4-2 and even the best-of-seven semi-final series at one win apiece. Boston dominated the third game, winning 5-1 behind a goal and an assist from both Nick Quinn and Jack Gariepy but game four was all Montreal as the Valiants outshot the Bees 39-18 and won the contest 4-2 behind the strength of a pir of Charlie Hamblin goals. Deadlocked at two, the clubs took the train back to Boston for the all-important fifth game. It was another terrific effort from the inspired Vals, and a surprisingly lackadaisical one from the regular season champs as Montreal won 5-3 with young Ed Halliday, who scored just 5 times all season, netting a pair of third period goals to clinch the win for the Valiants. Bannister was at the top of his game for what proved to be the series finale, outdueling Oscar James 2-1 thanks to first period goals from Yan Tremblay and Charlie Hamblin as the Vals closed out the series in six games. Detroit and Chicago were the other semi-final opponents. The two clubs had split their season series with each winning six and the two remaining games each ending in a draw. Just two points separated the two clubs during the regular season. Detroit took the opener 4-1 at Thompson Palladium as four different Motors including Hobie Barrell scored for the winners. The score could have been much worse were it now for the heroics of Andrew Bomberry in the Chicago net as Detroit outshot its rivals 50-13 in the contest. Chicago coach Mark Nader clearly read his troops the riot act as it was a much more inspired Packers team that took the ice in game two. Chicago scored four times in the opening period, include two from Archer Cook, and rolled to a 6-3 victory that allowed them to return home with a split. That would turn out to be the Packers only bright moment of the series as Barrell scored twice in game three to lead a 5-3 Detroit win and rookie Charles Bozek was the hero of game four, scoring in overtime to give Detroit a 4-3 victory. The Motors wrapped the series up with a 4-2 win in game five and they were back in the Challenge Cup final for the fourth consecutive season. Detroit had won the Cup in 1961 and 1962, with the 1962 win coming over Montreal, but the Motors came up short against Toronto a year ago. Montreal would be their opponent as the Valiants were looking for their first Cup win in over a decade. The series opened in Detroit and the Motors led 2-1 after twenty minutes but Montreal's Tony Delvecchio tied the contest with his first goal of the playoffs midway through the third period. Exactly ten minutes into the overtime the Vals got the game winner as Jeff Gaudreault beat Detroit netminder Charlie Dell with a point shot. The Motors were reeling 15 minutes into game two as after Charles Bozek spotted Detroit a quick lead 46 seconds into the contest, the Valiants replied with four of their own and would go on to take the game 5-3, sweeping the Motors in the first two games on the road. The series would not return to the Motor City as first period goals from Jean and Yan Tremblay helped Montreal to a 4-2 victory in the third game and the series sweep was completed with a 3-1 win two nights later. Scott Ducek, who led all playoff performers with 13 points, had a goal and an assist in the series clinching victory while Yan Tremblay had two helpers. FALCONS CLAIM SECOND FBL TITLE IN THREE YEARS Basketball still may land a distant second behind hockey at Toronto's Dominion Gardens but with the ice team reeling this season, the cage Falcons could not have picked a better year to be the best in their sport. Often overlooked in its hometown, the Toronto basketball club is certainly respected around the Federal Basketball League as the club, which spent much of the 1950's wallowing at the bottom of the loop, has now won the FBL title twice in the past three seasons. Things are looking up for the FBL as a whole because the loop has finally developed some long-term stability as when things tip-off in November it will mark 10 years without a franchise folding. Teams coming and going were a staple of the first decade of the FBL, which was born out of the shadows of WWII in 1946. At one point there were as many as 18 clubs in the loop, but many perished after a year or two. Toronto was a city where there were some worries about the chances of survival after six straight last place finishes but that turned around with the rise from last to first in 1961-62 and the Falcons standing as a productive member of the FBL nest was reaffirmed this year. With the high draft picks that come from finishing last for a half a dozen years one would expect the team to turn things around and Toronto certainly did as three of their starters -guards Jim Bromberg and Bill Spangler along with forward Bill Hash- were first overall picks but the Falcons management also found treasure in other team's cast-offs as the two big men Fred Lillard and Turk Bodiford were both picked up on waivers after being released by Washington and Boston respectively. Lillard and Spangler both ranked in the top ten in scoring this season as the Falcons had the most productive offense in the FBL. Detroit, led by a breakout year from second year center Jack Sayler, finished a distant second in the West Division, a full 13 games behind the front-running Falcons. St Louis, which reached the league finals a year ago after upsetting Toronto in the opening round, returned to the playoffs by riding on the coat-tails of FBL scoring champ Bill Melton. The Rockets have not missed the post-season since the spring of 1953. That left the Chicago Panthers to bring up the rear in the West Division for the third consecutive season. The Philadelphia Phantoms not only led the East Division but their 57-23 record was two games better than the Falcons for top spot overall. Long-time star Mel Turcotte was moved to more of a supporting role this season as there is plenty of young talent in Philadelphia like center Dan Holland to take over. New York, led by high scoring forwards Howie Farrell and Ken Robinson, finished second while Boston, league champs a year ago, dropped to third place. The Washington Statesmen, long a power in the league, have fallen on hard times recently and missed the playoffs for the third year in a row. Washington won a league-low 22 games, but that is actually a 4-victory improvement over their dreadful showing a year ago. * PLAYOFF RECAP * It took Detroit the maximum five games to outlast the St Louis Rockets in their opening round series while in the East it was third place Boston that got the jump on the New York Knights, as the Centurions prevailed three games to one. Boston was no match for the Phantoms in round two as Philadelphia swept the semi-final series in four games although two were decided by just a single point. Detroit had a little more luck against Toronto as, after dropping the first two games, the Mustangs won the next two at home. That would only serve to prolong the series as Toronto, behind 27 points from Fred Lillard, won 97-88 at Dominion Gardens in game five and wrapped up the series two nights later with a dominant second half keying the Falcons 101-83 romp. The finals opened in Philadelphia and the home team won easily as a dominant 28-14 third quarter showing led the Phantoms to a 95-73 victory. Percy Carner led the way with 25 points for the winners. Game two was much closer but Carner again led the scoring for the Phantoms with 21 points as the hosts won 80-78 spoiling a 27 point night from Toronto's Bill Spangler. The series shifted to Canada for the next two games and the momentum also turned. Spangler had 27 points for the second game in a row but this time it was part of a winning effort as the Falcons topped Philadelphia 89-82 for their first win of the series. Two days later the series was tied as the Falcons pulled out a 71-60 victory with Spangler's 17 points adding with Lillard's 22 to propel Toronto to even the series. As they did the previous round the Falcons took control of the series with a game five victory. Unlike against Detroit, this one was on the road in Philadelphia as the Falcons rode a strong first quarter to a 77-72 victory. Center Turk Bodiford led the way for the visitors with 23 points while Lillard chipped in with 18 along with 11 boards. Game six saw the Falcons looking to win the title on their home court but they trailed by 7 at the half. The margin was cut to a single point with 15 minutes left to play and fans were treated to an exciting back-and-forth fourth quarter that was not decided until the final seconds. Tied at 100 with 21 seconds left in regulation the Falcons had the ball and worked guard Jim Bromberg, the 1962 playoff MVP, free for a look with 5 seconds remaining. It clanged off the rim but Bill Hash was there to clean up and his quick tip bounced around the rim before finally settling through the netting to give the Falcons a dramatic 102-100 victory. Fred Lillard, who had a game high 26 points in the deciding contest, was named the playoff MVP. The Philadelphia loss spoiled a terrific 34-point outing from Phantoms forward Percy Carner. LUTHER GORDON AT END OF STELLAR CAREEER Luther Gordon, widely considered to be the best big man ever to play in the Federal Basketball League, has officially called it quits after a stellar career with the Chicago Panthers. Gordon has not played since October of 1962 when he was waived by the Panthers after 12 outstanding seasons with the club. He had held out hope that perhaps he could catch on with another club this past season but the years of toil on his legs has robbed the 36-year-old of much of the great skills he once possessed. Hailing from Brooklyn, Gordon was a high school legend and seemed destined to be a star in the college basketball ranks but his struggles with the books prevented him from being eligible for the AIAA in 1946, so he spent two seasons at Brooklyn Community College. By the spring of 1948 as a junior transfer Gordon was the most highly sought after recruit in the nation, ranked the number one recruit prospect by the OSA, and he eventually committed to Liberty College where he was tabbed to replace Ward Messer, who had moved on to the Detroit Mustangs after leading Liberty College to the final four as a junior and the elite eight as a senior when he was named the winner of Barrette Award as National Player of the Year. Gordon was up to the task of replacing a college legend by becoming one himself. He played just two years at Liberty College but won the Barrette Award both seasons and was a two-time first team All-American. The Bells went 28-4 in Gordon's debut year, reaching the regional finals before bowing out. Gordon led the nation, averaging 18.8 points per game and was 6th nationally in rebounds. A year later Liberty College was 33-0 entering the national title game against a Noble Jones College club that featured Charlie Barrell and also was a perfect 33-0 entering the title game. No school had ever won the national title with a perfect season prior to that season but that was obviously about to change. Gordon had a decent game, but his 8 points and 7 rebounds were well below his normal output, and his Bells came up just short of a title, falling 65-60 to the Colonels in what would be Gordon's final college game. He once more led the nation in scoring, averaging 19.9 points per game while also finishing in the top ten in rebounds. * Panthers Earn Right to Select Gordon * The Chicago Panthers were a bad team in 1949-50, the fourth season of the Federal Basketball League, but they were not the worst. Turned out three of the FBL's 18 teams had a poorer record than Chicago's 25-43 but all three of those clubs -despite knowing that a potential franchise changing player like Gordon was available in the draft- lacked the funds to continue operation and folded. Thus, Luther Gordon fell right into the Panthers lap. His first game came in early November 1950 in Philadelphia against the Phantoms and Gordon immediately made his presence felt. Chicago lost 80-60 and clearly had some holes to fill but Gordon scored 15 points and added a game high 18 rebounds. He would end up leading the FBL in scoring as a rookie with 25.7 ppg and also finished fourth in rebounds. He swept the awards, winning league MVP, rookie of the year and was named a first team All-Star. It was just the beginning as Gordon would go on to win 5 MVP awards and be named All-League first team 8 times in his career. He won just won league title with the Panthers. That came in the spring of 1957 and he was named playoff MVP while leading the post-season scoring parade with a 23.6 ppg average. Luther Gordon walks away having scored 17,185 points and trails only Ziggy Rickard's 17,475 in that category. He is the only player in FBL history to record at least 16,000 points and 10,000 boards while sitting second behind only current Philadelphia Phantom Mel Turcotte in career rebounds. Gordon also continues to have a presence in the college record book as his 677 points scored as a senior at Liberty College remains an AIAA record. COLLEGE BASKETBALL RECAP AVIATORS FLY HIGH IN AIAA CAGE ACTION For the first thirty-odd years of collegiate basketball the Central Ohio Aviators were hardly a factor, often just considered an afterthought even in their hometown of Columbus as the Aviators football team drew most of the attention. There was a moment of glory in the spring of 1947 when the Central Ohio cagers reached the semi-finals of the AIAA year end tournament and the school won just its second Great Lakes Alliance title since 1910. They reached the national semi-finals again in 1959 but two years later they were at the bottom of the GLA after struggling through an 11-18 season. But back to back twenty win seasons and a pair of strong recruiting classes set the stage for the best season the school has ever enjoyed as Central Ohio went 27-8 and accomplished something the Aviators football squad has yet to achieve, win an AIAA national championship. The year started strong as the Aviators won the Jack Easton Tip-Off, one of the most prestigious of the season opening tournaments, and entered section play in January with a sparkling 13-1 record. The Great Lakes Alliance slate is tough on even the best of teams and the Aviators struggled mightily, losing three of their first five conference outings and finished just 9-7 in section play (22-8) overall. Despite their struggles in conference, their early season showing garnered plenty of attention and Central Ohio was one of seven teams from the GLA to be selected for the 32 team tournament field. They had to travel to the West Region but did surprisingly earn a #2 seed behind West Coast Athletic Association power Coastal California. Just as they had during the early part of the regular season, the Aviators got hot. First it was a 58-41 victory over South Valley State in the opening round of the tourney, a game that saw senior guard Al Overstreet led the way with 16 points. Next up was a 67-51 victory over Charleston Tech with Overstreet scoring 12 and junior forward Buzz Humphrey notching 14. A familiar foe was their opponent in the regional final as the Aviators met up with Great Lakes Alliance rival Detroit City College, which had upset the number one seeded Dolphins two days earlier. The Aviators built a big lead early and held on for a 50-42 victory, avenging the conference loss to the Knights earlier in the season. The region win earned the Aviators a trip to New York City for their third ever final four. It was a star-studded field that included Carolina Poly, a veteran of 13 final fours and a National Champion six times. CC Los Angeles was also there and the Coyotes -like Carolina Poly- were making their 14th appearance in the semi-finals and had won it all on four occasions. The final member of the quartet was Indiana A&M. The Reapers, like Central Ohio, were still searching for their first national championship but were back in the semi-finals for the second time in three years. The semi-final game saw Central Ohio as an underdog against Carolina Poly but the Aviators led by 4 at the half and made that margin stand up with a 71-67 victory keyed by senior forward Joe Woodman's career best 17-point evening. The second semi-final was also an upset as the Reapers made it an all-Great Lakes Alliance final with a 64-58 victory over CCLA. The Reapers had split their two games during the regular season with the Aviators and the rubber match saw a very determined group of Aviators ready to taste AIAA tournament victory for the first time. Central Ohio had a dominant first half, leading 42-26 at the break and rolled to a 60-48 victory and a national title for the first time in school cage history. Woodman, the surprise star of the semi-final and an Indiana native who grew up cheering for the Reapers, was named the MVP of the title game to mark quite an end to his collegiate career. It also continues to signal a changing of the guard in college basketball as the Aviators become the fifth team in the past seven years to be a first-time tournament champion. Next up will be the return of baseball with the 1964 FABL season. __________________ Cliff Markle HOB1 greatest pitcher 360-160, 9 Welch Awards, 11 WS titles

08-27-2025, 07:18 PM	#1122
Tiger Fan Hall Of Famer Join Date: Dec 2001 Location: Ontario Canada Posts: 9,767	1964 Baseball Season Recap 1964 IN FIGMENT BASEBALL October 15, 1964 LITTLE CHANGES, RIGHT DOWN TO THE PLAYOFF TIEBREAKER, FOR POWERFUL PIONEERS IN '64 St Louis Beats Keystones in Fed Playoff, Then Little Trouble With Stars For 3rd Straight WCS Do not bet against the St. Louis Pioneers in a one-game winner-take-all playoff. That is clearly the lesson to be learned as the mighty Pioneers won their third consecutive World Championship Series but was perhaps more impressive is that for the second year in a row, and third time in the past decade and a half the Pioneers needed to win a playoff game to claim the Federal Association flag. And for the third time they were successful as Frenchy Mack and a pair of relievers combined on a 4-hit gem to blank the Philadelphia Keystones 4-0. Beating the Continental Association champion Los Angeles Stars 4 games to one in the WCS and improving to 12-2 against the CA over the past three October's looked easier than claiming the Fed flag for the Pioneers. It was a slow start to the season for the two-time defending champions as by mid-June the Pioneers found themselves in fourth place, trailing front-running Detroit as well as Philadelphia and Boston. That changed quickly as the Dynamos were first to fall off the pace, ruining a 32-20 start with a 14-31 stretch that sent them tumbling to the second division by August. Boston battled for a much longer stretch and the Minutemen were just 2 games back as late as August 15. A 10-16 September ended the Minutemen's pennant hopes. St. Louis and Philadelphia were separated by no more than a game for most of the final month of the campaign. The Keystones, who finished fourth each of the past two seasons, swept a three-game series in Pittsburgh the final weekend while the Pioneers won just two of three at home against the Los Angeles Suns to leave the two clubs knotted at 96-66 when the regular season was set to conclude on October 4. However, just as it was a year ago when the Pioneers nipped Washington 8-7, a tie-breaker was necessary to claim the Federal Association crown. * Mack Leads Pioneers To Tie-Breaker Win * Frenchy Mack, the Pioneers ace who won the Allen Award each of the previous two seasons, was set to take the hill while the Keystones were forced to counter with Joe Kienle (15-9, 3.17) because ace and likely 1964 Fed Allen Award favourite Jorge Arellano (22-11, 2.80) was needed in the Pittsburgh series. Mack set the Keystones down in order in the top of the first and was staked to the only run he and his bullpen mates would need when St. Louis went up 1-0 in the bottom of the first on doubles from Jerry Smith (.220,3,24) and Bob Bell (.327,48,121). Smith, now 36, started just 60 games this season after being such a huge piece of the Pioneers previous two WCS winners. Bell (.327,48,121), 26 and just coming into his prime, led the Fed in homers and rbi's and seems a lock to win his third Whitney Award as league MVP. He has led the Fed in round-trippers each of the past four seasons and the 192 he has hit so far is 56 more than the another Pioneers slugging star- great Max Morris- had hit by the end of his age 26 season. Philadelphia finally got its first hit off Mack with one out in the third inning but it took until the 7th inning before the Keystones moved a man as far as second base and they never would get anyone to third. Still leading 1-0, Mack gave the ball to John Gibson in the seventh and Gibson, along with Charlie Blake, would close out the shutout. The Pioneers bats made the relievers job much easier with a 3-run outburst in the home half of the seventh frame. An error helped load the bases for Bill Bather (.236,10,38) to deliver a two-run single and Danny Davis (.309,29,106) rounded out the scoring with an run scoring knock of his own. The Federal Association has required four tie-breakers over it's history and everyone of them has involved either the Pioneers or Keystones. The Pioneers' 97 wins were 8 off the Federal Association record-tying pace set by last years club but did mark their fourth consecutive season with at least 90 victories. It should be noted the 1962 and earlier campaigns only had 154 games while starting a year ago with expansion the slate was hiked to 162. St. Louis strength remained on the mound where there is plenty of depth behind co-aces Frenchy Mack (18-7, 1.53) and Billy Hanson (20-10, 2.61). 22-year-old Harry Johnson (18-8, 1.89) made a case for being considered a third member of the Pioneers aces as the 1960 first rounder followed up a 7-inning audition a year ago with a dominant frosh campaign. Steve Madden (13-12, 3.53) and Danny Daniels (12-10, 3.78) round out a rotation that is tough to top. With pitching like St. Louis possesses, the club does not need an elite offense but certainly has some key ingredients in all-stars Bob Bell (.327,48,121) and Danny Davis (.309,29,106). Bill Tutwiler (.293,10,42) was acquired from Boston at the deadline in 1963 and fit right in at the top of the order as a table-setter. Also don't overlook the contribution of Ramon Tejada (.218,12,61). In his first season as everyday shortstop, the 25-year-old Dominican stabilized the defense in a key position that has often been a question mark for the Pioneers. The Philadelphia Keystones won one more game than they did a year ago but still had nothing to show for it. Veteran Jorge Arellano (22-11, 2.80) had his best season since winning 21 games for the 1957 New York Gothams and teamed with William Davis (16-12, 3.23) and Joe Kienle (15-9, 3.17) to give the Keystones three solid starters on the mound but the strength of the club was its power hitting. Lead off man Harry Dellinger (.270,32,72) led the team in homers but any of the top seven in the batting order were dangers to go deep. Veterans Buddy Miller (.248,14,54) and Lloyd Coulter (.209,15,69) endured their struggles this season but youngsters Andy Parker (.310,23,89) and Bobby Phelps (.258,25,81) looked poised to take the baton, or the bat if you prefer, as the Keystones look poised to continue their rich tradition of all-star sluggers. Injuries cost Frank Kirouac (.310,26,86) much of last season but the 26-year-old bounced back this year with a terrific campaign for the Boston Minutemen. It was another young outfielder injury -this one to centerfielder Frank McCarroll (.247,18,43)- that perhaps doomed the Minutemen to dropping out of contention in August. McCarroll ripped up his knee just after the all-star break and Boston skipper Dick Dunn tried multiple options but could not find an acceptable replacement. Many fans might have wanted the Minutemen to pull the trigger on a major deal to replace their centerfielder since the club was right in the flag mix, but it did not happen as the only July move pulled off by the Minutemen was a minor league deal. There is great hope going forward, especially if McCarroll can recover as well as Kirouac did from his injury. Pitching, often the weakness of the New England nine, looks like it soon may be a strength with a pair of top ten prospects in Bill Dunlop and John McCormick on the way and 21-year-old Bob Scott (9-5, 2.62) looking very good in his big league debut season. The New York Gothams ended up tied for third with Boston and Washington as they finished over .500 for the first time since 1957. With 21-year-old Ray Stevens (15-9, 2.94), 22-year-old Charlie Walker (13-10, 3.87) and 23-year-old Jack White (15-9, 3.08) on the big club there is plenty of hope for the future. The club needs, offense, in particular some power as despite finishing second in the Fed in batting average and fourth in on-base percentage, the Gothams were 7th in runs scored. 24-year-old outfielder George James (.298,17,74) led the club in homers and rbi's in his first full season so perhaps he holds part of the solution. It was a disappointing season for the Washington Eagles who went from 104 wins and within an extra-inning loss of going to the WCS for the first time in almost two decades, to slipping into a three-way tie for third place at 85-77. The offense, led by infielders Tom Lorang (.324,36,113) and George Whaley (.290,27,107) was the best in the Fed but the pitching, especially the bullpen, led the Eagles down. Owen Lantz (14-10, 2.87), Bob Ball (16-10, 3.03) and Dick Adams Jr. (13-8, 3.01) give them hope but there is worry a late season elbow strain suffered by Adams might impact his future, especially considering he has had elbow troubles in the past. Six must be their lucky number as for the third year in a row that is where the Chicago Chiefs finished in the Federal Association standings. The Chiefs are building for the future and somewhat in transition right now as 36-year-olds Ed Bloom (.222,6,43) and Rod Shearer (.233,21,85) start to slow and replacements have not yet arrived. The pitching, led by a strong season out of 33-year-old southpaw Vern Osborne (18-12, 3.04) and 23-year-old Roy Brandt (9-15, 2.72), who made the all-star team in his second season, was the highlight of the Chiefs summer. The Pittsburgh Miners have not won a pennant since 1940 and are now 63 years since their only World Championship Series title. It is hard to imagine much changing in that regard after an 83-79 season. After winning 90 games a year ago, there was finally some excitement in a city that seems to have lost interest in its baseball team, but fate was cruel to the Miners as two of their rising young stars suffered devastating injuries that ended their season prematurely and perhaps will impact their careers. That would be 23-year-old hurler Hank Griswold (5-3, 3.57) who tore his rotator cuff and will likely miss the start of next season along with 25-year-old first baseman Gale Schmitt (.339,18,92), who celebrated winning the Fed batting title and making the all-star team but blew out his knee in September. The Miners are young, and have some talent, so perhaps fate will smile on Pittsburgh and allow both of those players to recover fully and lead the team back into contention - something that has not been a serious focus of conversation since the Lefty Allen, Jack Cleaves years of the late 1930s. We knew it was coming, just a matter of when but reality set it for the Detroit Dynamos as the team of the 1950s appears to be about to enter a long, and potentially painful rebuilding phase. Sure Jim Norris (15-13, 2.95) is still around from the glory days and there is talent in Ray Waggoner (.299,29,88), Joe Holland (.239,15,70) and the long-running middle infield duo of Dick Tucker (.264,16,70) and Joe Reed (.238,12,51). The 8th place finish also cost long-time Detroit General Manager Harris Dixon his job. Dixon joined the Dynamos in 1946, coming over from Pittsburgh, and played a big role in shaping the club that won 4 WCS and 6 pennants in a seven year span beginning in 1952. The Minneapolis Millers and Los Angeles Suns each improved upon last year's record but the pair of third year clubs each have a long way to go to gain much respect in the Fed. The Suns went 62-100 and while an improvement on last year's 53 win campaign, it pales in comparison to their 66-88 debut season. Los Angeles does have 5 prospects ranked in the OSA top 100 but all except for 9th ranked Jim Thurman, a 21-year-old outfielder, are still a few years away from the big leagues. A pair of 27-year-old righthanders in Red Burtch (11-12, 2.96) and waiver pickup Joe Cipolla (13-9, 2.73) are the closest thing the Suns have to front of the rotation arms while former San Francisco Sailor Bob Gray (.227,17,53) and promising rookie Sam Forrester (.275,14,47), just 21 and a former second round pick of the Washington Eagles, led the struggling Suns offense. The Minneapolis Millers finished dead last for the third year in a row but can take some solace in the fact that they won more games (60) than either of their Continental Association expansion counterparts. There is hope for the future in the form of a pair of second year outfielders in 20-year-old John Edwards (.283,24,76) and 22-year-old Frank Bradshaw (.278,12,73). Bradshaw was drafted second overall in 1963 while Edwards was selected with the third pick of the 1962 FABL draft. Another youngster to watch for is Ossie Schrieber, an 18-year-old southpaw selected first overall out of a Nebraska high school in June. Schrieber, ranked #4 overall by OSA in their prospect pipeline, looked solid going 7-3 in his pro debut at Class C this summer. It was, at least until the WCS, a truly dominant season from the Continental Association champion Los Angeles Stars. They won 108 games and finished 14 ahead of the second place Cincinnati Cannons to claim their first flag on the west coast. There were some lean years after the move west as the Stars, who had won the WCS just two years prior to their 1954 sojourn to Southern California, finished dead last in the CA each of their first six seasons on the west coast. They were second a year ago but a distant 15 games back of the front-running Kansas City Kings but this time around Los Angeles finally gets to celebrate a pennant. If there is a team that has the depth of young starting pitching that the St Louis Pioneers possess, it would be the Los Angeles Stars. 22-year-old rookie Freddy Bradshaw (16-8, 3.11) joined a group that includes 23-year-old Harry Stout (17-5, 3.01), 25-year-old Cal Johnston (17-9, 3.14), 26-year-old Dewey Allcock 15-4, 2.86) and 27-year-old Floyd Warner (11-4, 3.48). A major back injury suffered by Warner in September dampens the excitement slightly. There is also plenty of offense, the most productive run scoring unit in all of baseball. Don Hall (.297,27,93), a 27-yearo-old outfielder, finally got to play everyday again after two years as a backup and made the most of his opportunity, joining a deep core that includes Ralph Barrell (.318,45,123), Bobby Garrison (.325,29,102), Bob Griffin (.337,17,77) and Lou Allen (.251,30,109). Griffin won the CA batting crown at the tender age of 23 while Barrell, already a six-year veteran at the age of 24, led the loop in homers and rbi's for the first time in his career. The Cincinnati Cannons were the best of the rest, finishing second for the fourth time since their last of three straight pennants in 1946. They have the pitching to compete perhaps with the Stars but the offense lags a step behind especially with some concern that two-time Whitney Award winner Dallas Berry (.244,21,80) had an off-year by his standards at age 33 and missed the final month of the season with an injury. On the flip side of the ledger, the Cannons have to be thrilled with the breakout season enjoyed by 21-year-old Marcus Middleton (19-8, 2.92) in his second full big league campaign. The San Francisco Sailors won the CA flag two years ago before dipping to fourth in 1963. This time around the went 92-70 but that was only good enough for third place. The Sailors don't hit a lot of homeruns but they do get on base and scratch out runs -only the Los Angeles Stars scored more in all of FABL. Third baseman Ernie Carter (.304,18,100) and second sacker Heinie Spitler (.332,7,58) are rising young stars to join outfielder John Kingsbury (.311,18,112) and shortstop Carolos Jaramillo (.287,6,54) who are at their peak. The quartet is assisted by veterans Ray Rogan (.300,7,36) and Edwin Hackberry (.233,13,59). The mound staff is led by 32-year-old Hank Lacey (14-11, 2.75) and a pair of 25-year-olds in George Fuller (18-6, .289) and Charlie Lawson (10-12, 3.48) but depth in the rotation is a concern. The Chicago Cougars claimed fourth spot with a 91-71 record, finishing in the first division for the sixth time in the last seven years. Chicago has seemed snakebit many times in its distant past and has not won a WCS since 1931 nor a CA pennant since 1941. The Cougars have a good nucleus of talent but seem to be still a step away from challenging for a flag as there is a lot of competition at the top of the Continental. 26-year-old Henry Watson (.291,28,105) may not get the publicity of some of the other big name outfielders in the league but he has quietly made the CA all-star team three of the past four years. Finishing fifth has to be the latest in a series of disappointments for the Kansas City Kings. With a group like Hank Williams (.304,35,101), Ken Newman (.282,21,80), Beau McClellan (16-9, 3.16), Jack Halbur (15-9, 2.97) there is plenty of veteran talent but age is going to catch up to it soon. It may have already arrived for Stan Kleminski (.248,4,44) and Charlie Rodgers (.225,3,24) with the latter seeing his quest for the all-time doubles record starting to slow. Rogers hit 12 two baggers this season and the 35-year-old now has 555 for his career, leaving him 46 shy of Dave Trowbridge's standard. More pressing to the group of veteran Kings is finally winning a WCS, something that has eluded the franchise since its only series win came when they were based in Brooklyn in 1937. The Kings of the past decade had their chances, capturing the CA flag on four occasions but they came up short against the Fed each time. One might blame injury as the reason they did not compete for the pennant this season as Gene Bailey, the 24-year-old who emerged as the ace a year ago with 21 victories and an Allen Award, made just 11 starts this season before should troubles ended his campaign. One has to think Bailey's full recovery is essential if the Kings are to win another pennant before the window closes on their veteran core. Sure expansion might have helped pad the wins, but three years in a row over the .500 mark is a big accomplishment for the Toronto Wolves, who finished 6th at 84-78. Prior to this stretch the Wolves had not reached the breakeven point in a season since 1945. Tom Reed (.261,26,71), at 33 is still the leader of the offense but he had help this year from the likes of Ed Savage (.320,23,88), Phil Story (.259,19,90) and Sid Cullen (.238,17,66). There is hope for the future on the mound after Bill Medley's (17-4, 3.36) second straight 17 win season at the tender age of 24. Another 24-year-old, Jimmy Blair (18-12, 3.03) also impressed. The downside is the Wolves minor league system is considered at the moment to be the worst in baseball. Much like their Canadian compatriots, there has been little to get excited about for the Montreal Saints. The club last won a pennant in 1921 and have only finished second once since then so an 81-81 season, even if it is only good for 7th place, is still considered a slight success around Stade Montreal. John Mullins (14-11, 3.53) had a solid first full season in the big leagues as a 21-year-old and 22-year-old catcher Henry Woods (.268,16,75) failed to duplicate his terrific rookie numbers of a year ago but is still considered one of the best young catchers in the league. How the mighty have fallen. Like the Detroit Dynamos in the Fed, the Cleveland Foresters were the class of the Continental Association for a decade but now have landed on hard times. From 1949 thru 1961 the Foresters won 8 pennants and 3 WCS titles but retirements and age have caught up. Its hard to stay on top when you are drafting in the bottom of the first round so often and the Foresters are no exception. There are some youngsters on the way but it will take time as Adrian Czerwinski (5-11, 4.25), Earl Howe (.233,21,72) and John Low (.251,7,49) among others, are starting to fade. The Dallas Wranglers won 54 games this season, one more than their expansion partners from New York. The Wranglers best player is probably 32-year-old outfielder Armando Estrada (.283,19,65) who was acquired from the Gothams over the winter. The key for the expansion clubs is to build through the draft and early indications are the Wranglers may have stumbled at least in comparison to the other three newcomers. Dallas ranks 16th in its minor league system and, unlike Minneapolis, the Suns and Imperials, they do not have a prospect ranked in the top 15. The New York Imperials, unlike Dallas, have what is considered the number one farm system in baseball and it includes four of the top 15 prospects in the sport. The Imperials were beyond awful in their debut year, going 38-116 but they won 54 games a year ago and then dropped slightly to 53 wins this season. There is little talent on the big league roster outside of slugger Turk Ramsey (.312,22,55) and 20-year-old rookie shortstop George Love (.242,10,44) but wins are not the priority at this stage. Getting Love experience, and the same for youngsters like Art Roberts (5-11, 4.63) and top ten prospect Tony Nava, who made his debut in September while still just 20 years old. The key for the Imperials, like the other three newcomers, is to draft well and focus on the future. MILESTONES NO-HITTERS Joe Kienhle of the Keystones no-hit the Chiefs 3-0 July 31. no walks, only baserunner reached on an error Bud Henderson of Detroit no-hit the LA Suns 1-0 on June 3. Henderson fanned 5 and walked 1. They were the first no-hitters since 1961 and the first year with multiple no-hitters since 1957 had three of them. 300 WINS Cleveland's Adrian Czerwinski beat Cincinnati 5-4 at Forester Stadium on April 23 for his 300th career victory. He is 17th player to win 300. 2000 HITS John Low - Cleveland Lloyd Coulter- Keystones 1964 FABL ALL-STAR GAME Fed Finally Gets July Bragging Rights When it comes to October the Federal Association clearly has the last laugh, as Fed clubs entered the 1964 season with victories in 9 of the previous 10 World Championship Series including six in a row. July, home of the annual all-star game, was a much different story as the Continental Association had won the last three and seven of the past eight all-star games. This, the 31st annual all-star game was special because it would be contested in the same stadium as the very first game. The Feds won that one by an 8-5 score at Chicago's Whitney Park and would end the Continental streak with a 5-2 victory this time around. The CA took an early 1-0 lead when Detroit's Jim Norris, the Fed starter on the mound, got himself in trouble early. John Kingsbury of San Francisco singled and moved to second when Kansas City's Hank Williams drew a 4-pitch walk. An error by Fed second baseman Tom Lorang of Washington, normally a third baseman by trade, loaded the bases with nobody out but Norris got out of the jam with minimal damage as the only CA run came on a Bonnie Chapin sac fly. It stayed 1-0 until the fourth inning when Washington's George Whaley ripped a 3-run homer off of Carl Johnston of the Los Angeles Stars to give the Feds a league they would never relinquish. A fielder's choice scored a run in the 6th inning to cut the lead to 3-2 but the Federal Association put the game away with two runs on three hits in the top of the ninth. Otey Stephens of Boston was credited with the victory while Johnston took the loss. Lorang, who committed that first inning error but also had 4 hits, an rbi and a run scored, was named the game's most valuable player. 1964 WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP SERIES St Louis Wins over Los Angeles Stars 4-1 The St. Louis Pioneers have been almost unstoppable in WCS play. They won their third consecutive WCS title and have a 12 games to 2 lead on their three Continental Association counterparts over that span. Two years ago the Pioneers ousted San Francisco in 5 games and a year ago they swept the Kansas City Kings four straight. This time around it was another new opponent in the Los Angeles Stars but again the Pioneers had a relatively easy time, winning in 5 games. GAME ONE The series opened on the west coast, being played in Los Angeles for the first time. The Stars took a 2-0 lead in the fourth inning with both runs coming courtesy of a Lou Allen round-tripper off of St Louis reliever Mel Hill. Hill had been forced to take over in the inning after starter Billy Hasson was forced to leave with a stiff back. St Louis got a run back in the 6th when Danny Davis homered for the Pioneers and then tied the game when Steve Schultz hit an rbi single to plate Bob Bell with two-out in the top of the 8th. In the top of the 10th Bill Bather homered off of Stars reliever Jim Schoolfield and that run held as the Pioneers pen took care of business in the bottom of the 10th securing the 3-2 St Louis victory. GAME TWO L.A. scored first again with Lou Allen playing the pivotal role, driving in 2-runs with a 2-out double off of St. Louis starter Steve Madden. Stars starter George Johnston allowed just 2-hits over 6 innings and left with a 2-1 lead as Bill Tutwhiler had homered in the Pioneers third. The Stars blew a tight game open in the bottom of the seventh, plating 3 runs to take a 5-1 lead, which stood up as the final score. Madden created his own trouble in the seventh with a lead-off walk to Bob Griffin. It was followed by a single to Lew Smith and then another single from to Mike Forst that scored Griffin. Ed Moore also delivered a 2-run single before Madden closed out the inning. Against Johnston and two relievers, the Pioneers managed just 3 hits. GAME THREE Back in St Louis it was the Pioneers that had the quick start. Starters Dewey Allcock of Los Angeles and Frenchy Mack of St Louis, who was fresh off his win over the Keystones in the Fed playoff tiebreaker, each had quiet first innings. The Pioneers exploded in the second, plating 4 runs on five hits off of Allcock including a Danny Daniels double and a Ramon Tejada three-bagger. The Stars fought back in the top of the third as Lou Allen hit his second homer of the series, a two-run shot, that was followed immediately by a Ralph Barrell homerun and the St Louis lead was cut to 4-3. An inning later it was tied as Mack continued to struggle on the mound. Bob Griffin led off the inning with a single for LA and he scored on Mike Forst's rbi double. It stayed tied 4-4 until Bob Bell, who hit a FABL best 48 homers during the season, cranked a 3-run shot off Allcock to put St Louis ahead 7-4. John Gibson, who had relieved Mack in the 7th inning, pitched a perfect 8th and 9th frames to earn the victory. GAME FOUR A little better pitching effort from the Pioneers, which was more like their standard method of operation. Danny Daniels went 7 and two-thirds while allowing 2 runs on 5 hits and the bullpen closed it out in a 4-2 St Louis win to put them on the cusp of a third straight series title. St Louis took a 1-0 lead in the second following an rbi double off the bat of Sam Ruggles. Bobby Garrison's rbi double with two out after Lou Allen had single allowed the Stars to tie the game in the top of the sixth but St. Louis was gifted two runs in the bottom of the inning when LA starter Freddy Bradshaw suddenly couldn't find the strike zone. Two slap singles and an error clearly unnerved Bradshaw and before the bullpen could get ready he had walked Ruggles to plate one run and then issued another free pass to Danny Daniels to score a second run. A Bob Bell homer an inning later added icing to the cake and completed the St Louis scoring. The Stars got a run late thanks to an error but could not get any closer. GAME FIVE For five and a half innings it was a scoreless duel between a pair of youngsters with 23-year-old Harry Stout on the mound for the visitors against the Pioneers 22-year-old rookie righthander Harry Johnson. Both teams had base runners early but the kids did the job until St. Louis got to Stout in the 6th. Grady Smith, another St Louis rookie, led-off with a pinch-hit double and scored when the next batter, Bill Tutwiler, singled. Tutwiler would also score before the inning was done, racing home on a Bob Bell sacrifice fly to put St Louis ahead 2-0. The Pioneers would blow the game open with four more runs the next inning and it ended 6-0, giving St. Louis its third consecutive WCS title. __________________ Cliff Markle HOB1 greatest pitcher 360-160, 9 Welch Awards, 11 WS titles

09-01-2025, 08:39 AM	#1123
Tiger Fan Hall Of Famer Join Date: Dec 2001 Location: Ontario Canada Posts: 9,767	December 1964 DECEMBER 20, 1964 A RIVAL GRID LEAGUE EMERGES National Football Association Debuts as Rival to AFA The American Football Association, long the undisputed monarch of the autumn sports scene, suddenly found itself staring at a fresh challenge to its supremacy. For the first time in nearly 15 years, the AFA is not alone atop the professional gridiron world. Founded in 1920, the venerable AFA has weathered storms before. The most notable came in the postwar years, when the Continental Football Conference tried to stake its claim from 1946 through 1949. Though the CFC folded after a brief but spirited run, it left behind a lasting footprint: three of its clubs were absorbed into the AFA, with two of them—the Kansas City Cowboys and San Francisco Wings—still going strong on the league map today. Since 1950, the AFA has enjoyed an unchallenged hold on the pro football public. That unbroken run ended in the fall of 1964, as the brand-new National Football Conference burst onto the scene in September with eight ambitious franchises and designs on carving out its own place in the Sunday spotlight. Only two of the eight NFC teams would go head-to-head in the same city as an AFA club. That would be Los Angeles and New York, markets considered essential by the new loop in order to be truly considered "big-league." Thus the Los Angeles Olympians and New York Titans were born. They would be joined in the NFC by the Cincinnati Riverman, who would be the second team to call the Queen City home as the AFA's Los Angeles Tigers had spent the 1940's based in Ohio. Rounding out the NFC were the Dallas Stallions, Denver Mountaineers, Miami Mariners, Minnesota Lakers and San Diego Admirals. * Quick Deal on Championship Game * Unlike the American Football Association's relationship with the old Continental Conference, which was icy from the get-go and never did thaw, the AFA owners seemed to grudgingly accept the newcomers, even in Los Angeles and New York, where there would be direct competition with a club from each loop. Whether it was to prove its superiority or to take advantage of the television revenue a football version of the "World Championship Series" might generate, the AFA quickly agreed to a true championship game that would feature the champion from each league. A championship classic between the winners of the two leagues was something the CFC asked time and again from the original grid loop but was continuously rebuffed. The AFA did get something in return for agreeing the play the title game with the National Football Association - an agreement that the NFA clubs would honour AFA contracts and not attempt to raid players from the established circuit, something that sent salaries spiraling the last time the AFA had competition. The two sides also agreed to a shared draft of collegiate players, which would further eliminate the bidding wars that caused heavy expenses when the CFC made its debut. The two loops would play completely separate regular seasons and hold their own league title game between the division winners. The only meeting between the two leagues, aside from a few preseason exhibitions, would be that best on best championship game in late December. With the eight new clubs representing the NFA, it was decided that a weighted lottery would be used to determine the selection order. The top choice in the college draft ended up going to the Washington Wasps, who opted for Whitney College safety Don Larson. Larson would start all 14 games for the Wasps as a rookie and record 72 tackles. Larson would receive some consideration as defensive rookie of the year but the nod went to another Great Lakes Alliance graduate in linebacker Ed Hardy, who was selected 8th overall by the Los Angeles Tigers. It was little surprise that seven of the eight NFA clubs selected quarterbacks in the draft led by the Miami Mariners who had the third choice. Miami opted for Steve Giles from Eastern Kansas, who officially became the NFA's first player. RAMBLERS ONCE MORE CLASS OF AFA The addition of a championship game with the NFA winner meant getting off to a fast-start was essential for AFA clubs as league decided against three weeks of playoffs and eliminated the old semi-final week which meant only the winner of each of the two divisions would qualify for the playoffs, not the first and second place clubs that had been the norm for more than a decade. The St. Louis Ramblers, who won their first-ever league title last year, were adapters of the quick start philosophy and won 10 of their first 11 games. St Louis had the most prolific offense in the league led not only by halfback Dean Turgeon, who was the playoff MVP in their title win a year ago and rushed for 1,352 yards this season, but also by the return of quarterback Jim Driver. The 1959 first round pick out of Liberty College was limited to just 5 games a year ago but was healthy and appeared in all 14 regular season games for the third time in the past four seasons. Driver was second in the AFA with 2,132 passing yards and topped the loop with 18 touchdown throws. Counted in those 10 wins in the first 11 weeks for the Ramblers was a pair of victories over Houston. They would prove key as the Ramblers stumbled down the stretch with back-to-back losses in Kansas City and Pittsburgh before rebounding with a season ending victory in San Francisco. The Drillers were just 7-3 after ten games, including the two losses to St Louis, but their offense finally caught up with their dominant defense and Houston finished the season on a 4-game winning streak which left them tied with the Ramblers for top spot in the West Division at 11-3. In the past that meant they would meet in the divisional playoff, but no longer as St Louis claimed the tie-breaker on head-to-head record and went straight to the AFA championship game for the right to face the winner of the NFA. Detroit was third in the West at 8-6 as the Maroons broke in a new quarterback in 1963 first overall selection Dave Owen. With Owen ready to play every day the Maroons long and rocky road with Sled Hicks came to an end as the 28-year-old, who never quite seemed to live up to his potential in Detroit, was cut and signed with the Los Angeles Olympians of the NFA. All Hicks did was lead the new loop in passing yardage and was named to the end of year NFA All-Pro team, something he never did accomplish in the Motor City. The Los Angeles Tigers finished fourth in the West after going 6-8 for the third straight season while the 5-9 Chicago Wildcats missed the playoffs for the second year in a row, something that had only happened once before since 1953. San Francisco and Kansas City rounded out the division as each has had its struggles in recent years. The Philadelphia Frigates were the class of the East Division, going 10-4 and returning to the postseason after a three year drought. Only the Ramblers scored more points than the Frigates who were led by fifth year quarterback Jack Osterman. The former first rounder out of College of San Diego made the All-Pro game for the 5th year in a row while throwing for a league high 2,585 yards. Ed Tunstall was Osterman's favourite target and he accumulated 1,106 receiving yards, more than 400 more than any other player in either the AFA or NFA. Rounding out the big offensive trio in Philadelphia was veteran Frigates halfback Doug Lucy became just the sixth player in modern AFA history to surpass 10,000 career yards after gaining 1,233 in this his 12th season with the Frigates. The New York Stars beat the Frigates twice in 1964 but at 9-5 overall, lost the division by a single game to their Philadelphia rivals. The Stars featured linebacker Billy Board, an 11 year veteran out of Central Ohio who was named the league's Defensive Player of the Year. The New York offense had some struggles, particularly late in the season when they dropped three of their final four games including a devasting 17-14 loss to the 3-10-1 Pittsburgh Paladins at Gothams Stadium which cost them a division title. The Washington Wasps, at 8-6, finished third in the East Division followed by Buffalo and Boston, both at 7-7. For the Americans it ended a two-year streak of reaching the league championship game. Cleveland and Pittsburgh rounded out the East and for the two rust belt rivals there has been little to cheer about in quite some time. Paladins have gone a dozen years without postseason action while for the Finches it is 17 and counting with Cleveland having to go all the way back to their only title team -in 1947- for their last playoff berth. * Record-Breaking Season For Lakers Herrod * The NFA was without a doubt a far inferior product compared with the brand of football played in the AFA. The eight teams were comprised of cast-offs from the established loop along with a few high-profile rookies selected in the 1964 draft. Two of the cast-offs made history as, with quality quarterbacking at a premium, NFA clubs found success running the ball. As result a pair of AFA backs rewrote the record book with Minnesota's Harmon Harrod rushing for a pro record 1,938 yards and Duffy Knotts of the Los Angeles Olympians gained 1,933. Entering the season the AFA record for rushing yards in a season was 1,649 established by Bryan Mitre of the New York Stars in 1957. It was not just the new loop that focused on the run this season as in 1964 no less than five players, highlighted by Harrod, surpassed the high-water mark entering the season. Jerry Walsh from the NFA's debutant New York Titans had 1,761 but the other two to surpass Mitre's mark came from the AFA as Chicago's George Hornback ran for 1,827 while Greg Heller of Detroit's gained 1,657. Harrod was the top dog as the former St. Magnus star returned to the state he played his college ball in by joining the Minnesota Lakers after three seasons as a backup with the Detroit Maroons. Harrod also established a new mark for rushing touchdowns by scoring 18 as he, along with rookie quarterback Jody Lofgren - a first round pick out of Rainier College- led the Lakers to a league best 12-2 record. The Los Angeles Olympians chased the Lakers all season but fell just short. The Olympians were led by former Detroit signal-caller Sled Hicks and Duffy Knotts, who spent the previous four seasons as the backup halfback of the Pittsburgh Paladins. The Miami Mariners topped the East Division with a 10-4 mark, relying on a strong defense and a pair of rookie quarterbacks in first rounder Steve Giles along with a surprising undrafted local product from Western Florida by the name of Sam John. The New York Titans, featuring veteran back Jerry Walsh who ran for over 1600 yards for Washington two years ago before retiring only to be lured back by the Titans after sitting out the 1963 campaign, finished second at 7-7. PLAYOFFS Dean Turgeon was the most valuable player of the playoffs last season as he helped the long-suffering St. Louis Ramblers to finally win their first AFA title after 30 years in the league. Turgeon, a 29-year-old halfback who started his career in Washington before joining the Ramblers four years ago, came up with another dominant post-season effort in the AFA playoff game between the Ramblers and the East Division champion Philadelphia Frigates. Turgeon ran for 143 yards on 21 carries and scored two touchdowns to pace the Ramblers to a 41-13 drubbing of Philadelphia. The NFA playoff also featured a dominant rusher as Harmon Harrod, who had set the regular season rushing record the week before, ran over around and through the Miami Mariners as his Minnesota Lakers claimed a 20-10 victory. In all Harrod carried the ball 28 times for 153 yards and scored the game's first touchdown. Doing the same thing a week later against the Ramblers was another story as Harrod and the Lakers were dumped 27-3 as St Louis claimed its second consecutive title. Give the debutant Lakers some credit, as most expected the outcome to be even more lobsided. Minnesota did keep St Louis off the scoresheet for the first quarter and only trailed 10-0 at the break. The Gateway City had now won 3 World Championship Series in baseball and two football titles in the past three years. Harrod was held to 50 yards rushing by the Ramblers defense. Turgeon rushed for 86 yards against the Lakers and that showing, combined with his huge effort the week prior against Philadelphia, earned the veteran Ramblers star his second straight playoff MVP award. __________________ Cliff Markle HOB1 greatest pitcher 360-160, 9 Welch Awards, 11 WS titles Last edited by Tiger Fan; 09-01-2025 at 08:44 AM.

09-01-2025, 08:47 PM	#1124
Tiger Fan Hall Of Famer Join Date: Dec 2001 Location: Ontario Canada Posts: 9,767	1964 Comes to a Close JANUARY 2, 1965 COWPENS STATE SURPRISE NATIONAL CHAMP IN YEAR OF CHANGE Just as professional football entered a new era in the fall of 1964, the college game also experienced its own shake-ups—though nothing so earth-shattering as the arrival of a rival league. For the first time in nearly two decades, the familiar landscape of the collegiate conferences saw a round of reshuffling as several schools switched conferences and it was decided, after several years of debate, to add more games. The American Intercollegiate Athletic Association, governing body for the nation’s major colleges, had long wrestled with the question of expanding the football schedule. Traditionalists warned that piling on more games would tip the scales against the “student” side of the student-athlete equation. But with television dollars growing louder than the voices of caution, the verdict was inevitable. Beginning in 1964, most schools added an extra game or two, pushing the standard regular season to 11 contests, with some still tacking on the traditional Classic. That change in scheduling played a leading role in two conferences expanding their rosters to a more convenient eight members. The Southwestern Alliance —made up of six Texas powers plus Arkansas A&T— stuck close to home by welcoming the College of Waco Cowboys, a rising program that had proven itself as an independent. The Cowboys, fresh off an 8-2 campaign and their third top-25 finish in seven years, were a natural fit for the SWA. Meanwhile, the Plains Athletic Association reached across state lines to bring in the Eastern Oklahoma Pioneers, an old rival of Oklahoma City State that immediately spices up the conference race. The Pioneers, long a strong program in the Midwestern Conference, went .500 last fall but have three New Year’s Day appearances in the last seven years to their credit. Their arrival gives the Plains circuit new punch and puts it closer to the ranks of the nation’s elite groupings, alongside the SWA, the Great Lakes Alliance, the Deep South, the South Atlantic, and the West Coast Athletic Association. Not all the moves were expansion. Out west, the WCAA trimmed back to eight members after saying farewell to Idaho A&M. The Pirates had struggled badly in recent years —going just 4-46 between 1958 and ’62— before showing brief signs of life with a 6-4 record last fall. But the die had been cast long before and the Pirates were jettisoned. With Idaho A&M gone, the WCAA now boasts a clean eight-school slate, allowing each club to meet all seven rivals and crown a more deserving champion for the annual East-West Classic in Santa Ana. That leaves only the Great Lakes Alliance, with its 10 members, and the sprawling Deep South, at an even dozen, as the lone major circuits outside the eight-team model now favored across the country. * All Eyes on Georgia Baptist * As the season began it was the defending national champion Georgia Baptist Gators that was once more tabbed as the squad to beat. The Gators were on the verge of a dynasty, if they were not already there, with 3 national titles to go along with a fifth and sixth ranking nationally over the past five years. In that span the Gators had posted an 50-5 record including a pair of perfect 11-0 seasons. With what was widely considered to be the best defense in the nation and a strong offense led by junior quarterback Jack Forsythe the Gators were the preseason favourite to win another title. The early stages of the season did little to change that opinion as Georgia Baptist rolled to a 7-0 start that included Deep South Conference road wins over Western Florida and Mississippi A&M as well as an impressive 38-13 dismantling of what at the time was a 6-1 St Blane team fresh off an impressive win of its own when the Fighting Saints thumped Rome State 44-10. Senior halfback Charlie Radley, who would run for more than 1,500 yards during the season, reeled off 139 and 4 touchdowns as the Saints had no answer for the Gators ground game in what ended a 38-13 Baptist victory. As it turned out that was the high point of the Gators season as Georgia Baptist was proved to be human a week later by a gutsy College of Omaha eleven that handed the Gators their first loss in over two years 24-17. The Gators would also lose to Deep South rival Cumberland two weeks later but still finished atop the conference and were invited to play on New Year's Day for the sixth consecutive season. The two losses had left the Gators ranked sixth entering the Classic games. On the top was an Oklahoma City State school that was a perfect 11-0 and the only unbeaten team left in the nation. The Wranglers were 11-0 and Plains Athletic Association champions as they prepared to face 10-1 Cowpens State, winners of the South Atlantic crown and ranked third, in the Sunshine Classic. It would be the second year in a row the Sunshine Classic would determine the national champion as the Gators finished off their perfect season last year with a win over the same Oklahoma City State Wranglers who looked to turn the same trick and complete a perfect season on New Year's Day in Miami. All that stood in the Wranglers way was Cowpens State. The Fighting Green were a decent program, long-time members of the South Atlantic Conference but had never finished higher than the #11 ranking they earned a year ago following an 8-2 season. The Green won the SAC title for the first time in five years after posting a 7-1 section record, only marred by an early season 21-14 loss on the road at Maryland State. That would be Cowpens State only blemish as they entered New Year's with a 10-1 record that included an impressive 31-0 shutout of east coast independent power Commonwealth Catholic. The Fighting Green did not stand out in any facet of the game but they were good at everything and did not beat themselves with turnovers. Halfback Hubert Clary, a sophomore who gained 1,507 yards and ran for an AIAA best 23 touchdowns on the year, along with junior quarterback Roger Flora were named to the South Atlantic All-Conference team and were the closest things to star players on Cowpens State. The school was not expected to win the conference title, let along play for the national championship. Oklahoma City State was also a slightly unexpected choice for an unbeaten team entering the Classic games. The Wranglers did play in the Sunshine Classic three of the previous four years but were outside the top 25 a year ago and just two years removed from a dreadful 2-8 campaign. The key game of their season had to be the 20-13 victory on the road over a 4-1 at the time Eastern Kansas club that ultimately decided the Plains Athletic Association title. The win improved the Wranglers to 6-0 and aside from needing a late touchdown to beat American Atlantic 26-22 a week later they were not tested the rest of the way. Even College of Omaha, which had the key upset win over Georgia Baptist, did not provide a huge threat to the Wranglers in the regular season finale on Thanksgiving Weekend, as Oklahoma City State led all the way in a 23-14 victory. The Sunshine Classic, played in just that on a warm afternoon in Miami, saw the Wranglers take an early lead by driving for a field goal on their opening possession but they Wranglers knew they were in for a game when Cowpens State's rushing game, led by Clary and senior Leroy Avers drove for a touchdown on their second possession of the game. In the end the difference was the Cowpens State held the Wranglers to field goals as the Fighting Green went up 27-9 early in the fourth period, that was keyed by a trio of 1-yard scoring runs from touchdown king Clary. The Wranglers finally found the endzone with just over 3 minutes left but by then it was much too late and Cowpens State celebrated its first national title. * East-West Classic Foes Entered Santa Ana Feeling They Deserved Title Consideration * The Oklahoma City State stumble in the Sunshine Classic certainly jolted alive the title hopes of both the Coastal California Dolphins and Central Ohio Aviators as the two prepared to kick-off the East-West Classic in Santa Ana, CA., later that afternoon. Both schools were 10-1 entering the game with the Dolphins, winners of the West Coast Athletic Association title, ranked second, two spots ahead of the Great Lakes Alliance champs from Columbus, OH. If past appearances in Santa Ana are any indication, neither school entered the East-West Classic with a load of confidence. The Dolphins had lost 24-9 to Minnesota Tech a year ago and also lost the last time they played in the game, back in 1944 when Central Ohio had beaten them 24-17 to culminate the Aviators perfect season that year. More recently the Aviators had little luck in Santa Ana either, losing each of their four previous New Year's Day trips west including two years ago against Lane State. Someone had to win and if it was the Dolphins one would have to think they would move up a spot to number one with the Wranglers loss in the Sunshine Classic, giving Coastal California its record sixth national title but first since 1932. It did not happen as Scott Perry ran for 120 yards and two second half touchdowns to lead Central Ohio to a 24-14 victory. The Aviators, now 11-1 like Cowpens State, would move up in the polls but only two spots and finished second in the final rankings behind the Fighting Green. Georgia Baptist, which beat Southwestern Alliance champion Texas Gulf Coast 14-3 in the Oilman Classic, would finish third followed by Minnesota Tech and Oklahoma City State to round out the top five. The Dolphins finished 6th. COLLEGE FOOTBALL NOTES The Sunshine Classic victory that sealed the number one ranking for Cowpens State was the first time the Fighting Green had ever won on New Years. They had played in two other Classic's but ended up on the losing end both times. Pittsburgh State, which beat Chesapeake State 26-6 in the Lone Star Classic, Charleston Tech -winners in the Cajun Classic and Bayside Classic champ Eastern Kansas also won for the first time on New Year's Day. Payne State's Vern Rebovich became just the third back to top the 2000 yard rushing mark with 2,238 on the season. It helped earn the senior the Christian Trophy as college football player of the year. Minnesota Lakers senior quarterback Ed Corsetti threw 17 touchdown passes this season. Only three teams a QB has thrown more in a season with the record being 26 established by Bayou State's George Girard in 1956. Staying with in the Great Lakes Alliance, defensive end Larry Parker, a sophomore at Central Ohio, set a conference record with 11 sacks this season. In the AIAA since the stat began being tracked in 1950, only Renie Marquardt of St Patrick's (14 in 1954) and Spokane State's Andy Walsh (12 in 1953) have ever recorded more. It looks like the Georgia Baptist run will continue for the foreseeable future. Recruits won't officially commit until the spring but it appears the Gators have inked eight five-star recruits out of the upcoming class including Brian Eagle, a quarterback out of Riverdale, GA., who is ranked the top recruit in the country according to the OSA. Aside from the Gators, only Mile High State and Miami State, with three 5-star commitments, have landed more than one of them so far. KING RULES MIDDLEWEIGHT DIVISION Lyman King, the pride of Oakland, Cal., extended his hold on the middleweight division with three more successful title defenses in 1964. That makes the 27-year-old, who first claimed the title in 1962 before briefly losing it and then getting it back in 1963, the only champion in the American Boxing Federation's three major division to both start and end 1964 as champion. The heavyweight title now also resides on the west coast as Norm Robinson, a 29-year-old power puncher who grew up in Los Angeles and owns a 33-2 career record, may be at the start of a long run as champion of boxing's marquee division. Robinson, who made his pro debut nearly seven years ago, had his first title chance in 1960 but was no match for then-champion George Galleshaw. The current champ will be the first to admit he was not yet ready and he lost again in his first fight after the schooling from Galleshaw, dropping a decision to Bert Parks. Since then Robinson has won seven straight fights, five by knockout, culminating in a unanimous decision over Steve Leivers at New York's Bigsby Garden in late September that made Robinson the top fighter in the world. The welterweight division saw Brandon Dart take the crown away from former champ Matt Leach. It took two bouts for that to happen as the pair battled to a majority draw in Chicago on April 30th. A rematch was hastily arranged in Las Vegas and Dart, a 25-year-old who was born in Wales but grew up in New York City beat fellow New York Leach in a unanimous decision to claim the title. Whether he holds on to it remains to be seen as Dart had to settle for a technical draw with yet another New Yorker, Charlie McMichael after an accidental head butt opened a large gash over the challengers right eye in the penultimate 14th round. At the time of the stoppage, the judges were equally split on the outcome with one favouring the champ by a point, another seeing McMichael ahead by 2 points and the third scoring the bout dead even up to that point. It is expected a rematch will be staged in the spring. The Year That Was Current events from 1964 Jan 3- Senator Barry Goldwater of Arizona announced he will seek the Republican nomination for president. Jan 8- In his first State of the Union Address, President Johnson declares a "War on Poverty." Jan 9- Armed clashes between US troops and Panamanian civilians in the Panama Canal Zone precipitates a major international crisis, resulting in the deaths of 21 Panamanians and 4 US soldiers. Jan 11- For the first time, the US Surgeon General's office reports that smoking may be hazardous to one' health. Jan 16- John Glenn, the first American to orbit the Earth, resigns from the space program and a day later announces that he will run for the US Senate in Ohio. Jan 28- A US Air Force jet training plane that strays into East Germany is shot down by Soviet fighters killing all 3 crew members. Feb 1- The Beatles vault to #1 in the US singles charts for the first time with "I Want to Hold Your Hand." A week later they arrive at JFK Airport in New York, with 4,000 fans waiting in what marks the first occurrence of "Beatlemania" in the US. Feb 26- John Glenn is suffers an inner ear injury after slipping on a rug in his home, forcing him to withdraw from the race for a Senate nomination. Mar 4- Teamsters boss Jimmy Hoffa is convicted of jury tampering and receives a jail sentence. Mar 9- The first Ford Mustang ins manufactured/ Mar 14- A Dallas jury finds Jack Ruby guilty of killing Kennedy assassin Lee Harvey Oswald. May 19- The US State Department reports that more than 40 hidden microphones have been found embedded in the walls of the US Embassy in Moscow. Jul 2- President Johnson signs the Civil Rights Act of 1964 into law, abolishing racial segregation in the United States Jul 27- The US sends 5,000 more military advisors to South Vietnam, bringing the total number of US forces in that country to 21,000. Aug 7- Days after North Vietnam aircraft attacked two American Navy ships, Congress passes the Gulf of Tonkin Resolution, giving the President broad war powers to deal with North Vietnamese attacks on US forces. Aug 27- President Johnson is nominated with US Senator Hubert Humphrey as his running mate is nominated at the Democratic National Convention. Oct 14- Martin Luther King Jr. becomes the youngest recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize. Nov 3- With over 60 percent of the popular vote, President Johnson defeats Republican challenger Barry Goldwater in the Presidential Election. Dec 1- President Johnson and his top-ranking advisors agree on a 2-phase bombing plan to attack North Korea. __________________ Cliff Markle HOB1 greatest pitcher 360-160, 9 Welch Awards, 11 WS titles

09-04-2025, 08:22 AM	#1125
Tiger Fan Hall Of Famer Join Date: Dec 2001 Location: Ontario Canada Posts: 9,767	Spring 1965 MAY 2, 1965 VALIANTS REPEAT AS CHALLENGE CUP CHAMPS The Montreal Valiants finished fourth a year ago, but that was good enough to qualify for the playoffs under rookie coach Matt McGranahan who then led the club to playoff upset victories over regular season champion Boston and Detroit to capture the Challenge Cup. A year later, McGranahan's Vals put together one of the most dominant regular seasons the NAHC has ever seen and went on to win their second consecutive Challenge Cup and the seventh in franchise history. Montreal finished with 104 points -the first team to top the century mark- and a record 44 victories, one more than the previous mark held by the 1958-59 Toronto Dukes who ended up with 97 points. The Valiants led the NAHC in goals with 218 and were led by Scott Ducek (34-46-80), a 27-year-old center who won his first league scoring title and was rewarded with the McDaniels Trophy as the NAHC's most valuable player, ending a two-year hold by Detroit's Hobie Barrell (30-38-68) on both of those. Montreal also benefited from strong seasons from 23-year-old Ed Haliday (17-43-60) and Tim Bernard (29-30-59), a 26-year-old rookie signed from the Great West League. However, the Valiants biggest asset was its play in its own end. Montreal surrendered just 133 goal against all season- less than two per game and 47 less than the second best club in that category, the Chicago Packers. All four defense spots on the First and Second All-Star teams were claimed by Vals with 3-time Dewar Trophy winner Mark Moggy (11-27-38) joined by Jack Charest (7-13-20) on the first team and Gil Thibault (8-15-23) and Jeff Gaudreault (3-26-29) comprising the second squad blueline pairing. Ducek was also a first-team all-star as was goaltender Nathan Bannister, who put together a season for the ages at the age of 34. Bannister played in 60 games, going 38-8-14 with a sparkling 1.94 goals against average. The 38 victories was the most a netminder had ever accumulated in an NAHC season and his 9 shutouts were tied for the fourth highest number in league history. Bannister was rightly rewarded with the 4th Juneau Trophy of his career. Montreal finished 22 points clear of the second place Chicago Packers in a season that did not have much drama regarding its outcome, as the positioning of the top four became quite evident very early. The Packers relied on a trio of veterans to lead them in forwards Ken York (29-29-58), Pete Bernier (18-40-58) and Pete's brother, defenseman Guy Bernier (11-24-35) but had little hope of keeping pace with the Vals. Boston was third, eleven points back of Chicago but four points ahead of the fourth place Detroit Motors. The Bees said good-bye to goaltender Oscar James after 17 seasons in the Boston net, during which he posted a 388-317-48 record while winning a pair of Juneau Trophies and helping the Bees to two Challenge Cup wins. James' departure left a giant hole between the pipes for the Bees and 28-year-old Francois Campeau (20-22-10, 2.89) had difficulty stepping into the number one role in his second NAHC season. The Bees did still have some offensive stars, led by 31-year-old Neil Wilson (13-48-61) and a very impressive performance from 21-year-old Bruce Callahan (33-14-47) who played just 63 games but finished just 1 shy of Montreal's Ducek in goals while playing in his first full NAHC campaign. Detroit also had a shift in net as veteran Charlie Dell gave way to rookie Ben Nachbauer (17-16-12, 2.60), who did a decent job as the 36-year-old Dell was relegated to backup duties. Hobie Barrell (30-38-68) still led Detroit in scoring and finished fourth in the league but the 24-year-old's numbers were clearly down from his previous three seasons. Hobie's big brother Benny (14-36-50) made up somewhat, enjoying the second most productive season of his seven years in the Motor City. The Motors secondary scoring seemed to dry up as the club only managed to outscore the last place Toronto Dukes this season. It was just an awful year for the Dukes, who won just 16 games and finished in last place for the first time since the 1946-47 season. The only real thing to cheer about in Hogtown was Quinton Pollack (27-38-65), who bounced back and scored 27 goals after netting just 14 the year before. That allowed the 42-year-old, who entered the season already as the NAHC all-time point producer to surpass former Chicago great Tommy Burns for the goal scoring lead as well. Pollack now has 578 goals, 14 more than Burns finished with, and 1,366 points. Burns is second in that category as well with 1,220. There were two other things to get excited about in Toronto. One would be Andrew Williams (20-52-72) as the 25-year-old set a career high in points while splitting time between defense and right wing. The other was 24-yer-old third year winger Hank Knackstedt (27-37-64) who took a step forward after experiencing a sophomore slump a year ago. That leaves the often forgotten New York Shamrocks. The good news is the Greenshirts did not finish last, nosing out Toronto by two points for fifth place and ending a string of four straight seasons in the cellar. The bad news is New York once again missed the playoffs and it is now 10 out of the past 11 years New York has failed to crack the top four. The Shamrocks have not won a playoff series in 16 years. And more bad news as Johnny Hawker (9-20-24), age 24, who had a pretty solid season a year ago, suffered a major shoulder injury and missed the first half of the 1964-65 campaign. The good news is 25-year-old winger Alex Kalmakoff (18-52-70) took another step forward by finishing third in league scoring and being the first Shamrock to be named to the NAHC's first all-star team in a decade. NAHC PLAYOFFS A year ago the Montreal Valiants took everyone by surprise in the playoffs but that was certainly not the case this time around. As it turned out it did not matter as no one could stop the Vals with Montreal needing only one more than the minimum eight games needed to claim the Challenge Cup. First up for the Valiants was the Detroit Motors, the club Montreal swept in the NAHC finals last April. The opener was all Montreal as the hosts outshot Detroit 36-15 and outscored them 5-0. There was not a lot for Nathan Bannister to do in the Vals net but he did pick up another shutout after earning nine of them during the regular season. Alex Bates, a third line center who scored just 3 times in 38 regular season games, scored twice in the postseason opener and for good measure also added an assist. Game two saw the Vals outshoot Detroit in a similar manner as the series opener and claim a 4-2 victory. Mark Moggy paced the victors, who led 4-0 after forty minutes before Detroit finally beat Bannister with two in the third, as Moggy set up three of the Montreal goals. A change of venue for the third game did little to change the series as Bannister notched his second shutout in three games with another 5-0 Montreal win. This one was closer than the score indicated as the Vals added 3 goals in the closing minutes of the third period with Detroit desperately trying to generate some offense. Detroit finally got a win in game four as the Motors, despite surrendering a 2-0 lead after forty minutes, won 3-2 thanks to a Jimmy Nonis overtime goal just over six minutes into the extra frame. Two nights later back in Montreal the Valiants ended the series with an 8-3 rout of the Motors. Ed Haliday and Alex Bates -the game one scoring star- each had two goals and an assist in the victory while regular season scoring champ Scott Ducek also enjoyed a 3-point evening. * Packers and Bees Go the Distance * The other semi-final was a drawn out affair that went the full seven games with every contest being won by the home team. Chicago took a 2-0 series lead with a 7-4 win in the opener followed by a 5-2 victory but Boston bounced back with a pair of one goal victories, both in regulation time, on the Denny Arena ice to even things up. Games five and six each required overtime. In Chicago Ken York was the hero with a marker in the opening minute of the overtime period to give the Packers a 4-3 win in the fifth game but two nights later in Boston the Bees once more evened things up. That one also ended in 4-3 score with Mitchell Cook, a veteran defenseman who rarely finds the back of the net, scoring the winner in overtime for the Bees. Game seven at Lakeside Auditorium was tied at one after twenty minutes but the Packers blew it open with three second period goals. Chicago added two more in the final twenty minutes, both by Ken York who scored 8 times in the series, and the Packers advanced to the Challenge Cup finals for the third time in six years with a 6-2 game seven victory over Boston. * Montreal Too Strong For Packers in Final * After setting a regular season record for wins and points in a season it seemed there would be no stopping the Montreal Valiants from winning a second straight Challenge Cup. The Chicago Packers did their best but were clearly overmatched, marking the fifth straight time the Packers lost a series with the Cup on the line. Chicago's only Challenge Cup title came in 1952. Since then they have made five other appearances but until this year had never met Montreal in a Cup final. Game one was a thriller at the Montreal Arena, with the hosts scoring the opening goal just over three minutes into the contest but Chicago equalized before the period came to an end. The two teams traded goals in the middle frame as well but despite combining for 25 shots in the third period, neither team could get the winner. It finally came just under 4 minutes into the overtime period as Matt Mercier scored for the Vals with an assist from Mark Moggy, who setup all three Montreal goals on the evening. Game two was also decided by a single goal but it came in regulation as Scott Ducek set up Vals rookie Tim Bernard with the game winner on the powerplay with just over three minutes remaining in the third period to make the final 4-3 Montreal. Chicago's Ken York, who had 8 goals in the series against Boston, scored his 9th of the playoffs in the loss. The series shifted to Chicago and the Packers led 1-0 after twenty minutes thanks to a Tommy Gordon goal but Jeff Gaudreault and Clyde Raines scored in the second period to give the Valiants a 2-1 lead. Rookie Bernard iced the win with an insurance marker late in the third to make the final 3-1 and put Montreal up three games to none in the series. It was May 1, the latest an NAHC season had ever gone, when the puck dropped for game four. It was desperation time for the hometown Packers but the wind went out of their sails early when Montreal scored twice - goals from Colton Keil and Roy Forgeron- in a two minute span midway through the opening period. The Packers did fight back with two of their own in the second period to tie the game and Ken York sent the Chicago crowd into a frenzy when he gave the Packers a 3-2 lead early in the third with his 10th goal of the playoffs. That would be the high point for the hometown crowd as Montreal responded with three quick goals, two of them from the rookie Bernard both set up by Ducek, and the Valiants would complete the sweep with a 5-3 victory. That marks the seventh time the Montreal Valiants have won the Challenge Cup and the fourth since 1950. Only Toronto with 12 and Boston with 9 Cups have won more than the Vals. As for Chicago they are now 1-7 all-time in Challenge Cup final series. AN ALL-OUT OFFENSIVE IS LAUNCHED IN FBL Record Setting Season From Robinson as Scoring Soars The focus of the 1964-65 Federal Basketball League season could be summed up in one word- offense - as the game opened up and fans were treated to a scoring display never seen in the sport. The tempo of play had been increasing ever year for the past decade, but it reached a fever pitch in the most recent season. Add in stricter enforcement of rules to inhibit defenders from gaining an unfair advantage and a widening of the lane from 12 to 16 feet and the result was FBL teams ended up scoring a little more than 30 points more a game this time around than they averaged the previous season. The 1964-65 season was also witness to one of the best divisional races the loop has ever seen along with a record-setting scoring performance from New York forward Ken Robinson. In the end the same two clubs that played for the league title a year ago - the Toronto Falcons and Philadelphia Phantoms- once more met for the championship but this time the outcome was reversed as the Phantoms were crowned kings of the FBL for the third time in franchise history. Much of the attention all season was focused on Robinson as the 27-year-old native of Indianapolis by way of Bluegrass State rewrote the league record book by averaging 33.9 points per game. Robinson suited up for all 80 contests for the New York Knights and scored 50 or more points in 10 games during the regular season including a league-record 65 points in a 136-111 win over Boston in November. Certainly scoring was up around the league as the style of play changed but that did not make Robinson's accomplishments any less amazing. Entering the season only three times had an FBL player scored at least fifty points in a single game. They would be Detroit's Ward Messer with 55 in 1948, Millard Caldwell equaled Messer's output in a game three years later and the third was Luther Gordon, when the former Chicago great popped in 50 points in a 1957 contest. As mentioned Robinson reached the half century mark or better ten times in 1964-65 but it was hardly a common occurrence around the league as the only other player to scored 50 in a game this season was Dan Holland of Philadelphia, who landed right on that magic 50 mark a week before Robinson's 65 point outing. The result is there have now been 14 incidents of a player scoring 50 or more points in a single game and ten of them belonged to Ken Robinson. Robinson's 33.9 ppg average smashed the old record set by Richard Campbell in 1946-47 when the Chicago Panthers big man averaged 28.3 ppg. Bert LaBrecque of Boston was second in scoring this year, but ended just shy of Campbell's old record at 28.2 ppg. * Playoff Race in East Goes Down to Wire * Despite the heroics of Robinson, who is in his 5th year with the Knights after being selected fifth overall in the 1959 college draft, New York failed to make the playoffs. The Knights, who finished second in the East Division a year ago, found themselves trailing the Washington Statesmen by a single game for the third and final playoff spot with two games remaining in the season. The two clubs would play each other in a season-ending home and home series to determine who would qualify for the postseason. The Knights hosted the Statesmen at Bigsby Garden on the Saturday and Robinson put on a clinic, scoring 50 points for the 10th and final time this season, as New York won a shootout 143-124. The two clubs were tied and the winner of the Sunday game in the nation's capital would move on to the playoffs. Robinson was "held" to 39 points and it was not enough as Washington, which got 46 out of Sam Pisani and 30 from Ralph Peck, would claim its first postseason berth in four years with a 122-107 victory, ending the Knights season. There was also excitement at the top of the East Division standings as well as Philadelphia and Boston fought it out all year for top spot. The Centurions beat Philadelphia in Boston's Denny Arena on the final day of the regular season to leave both clubs deadlocked at 47-33 but the Phantoms earned top spot and the first-round bye that comes with it by virtue of a better head-to-head record against Boston during the regular season. There was a little less drama in the West Division as Toronto, winners of the league title in two of the past three seasons, clinched top spot in the regular season for the third time in four years. Detroit was second, just two games ahead of third place Chicago but the Mustangs had clinched homecourt advantage for the opening round with 8 games remaining in the regular season. A five-game Mustangs losing streak to end the campaign certainly tightened up the final standings. The St Louis Rockets finished a distant fourth with the worst record in the league. * PLAYOFF RECAP * The opening round of the playoffs proved a bit of a surprise as each of the third-place teams were victorious. Maybe it wasn't really a surprise that Chicago swept its three-game series with Detroit after the Mustangs limped down the stretch with five consecutive losses and 9 defeats in their final 11 regular season games. The Mustangs collapse can be directly linked to the season-ending injury suffered by veteran Detroit forward Frank Black in late March. The East also saw the road team advance, but that series went the distance. The Washington Statesmen surprised Boston, a team that finished 10 games ahead of them during the regular season, with a 102-91 win in the opener. The Centurions rebounded to win game two and even the series and then split the two games in the nation's capital to set up a decisive fifth game in Boston's Denny Arena. It was knotted a 55 at the half but the visitors pulled away in the second half and won by 9 points, giving Washington its first playoff series victory since the spring of 1959. Washington's luck would run out against Philadelphia in the semi-finals, but the Statesmen certainly made the division champs sweat. Philadelphia won each of the first three games in the best-of-seven series, but Washington battled back with three wins of its own to force a seventh game. Dan Holland scored 28 points and Billy Stephenson added 20 as the Phantoms overcame an 8-point deficit at the half to take the series with a 124-116 victory. The west semi-final had far less drama as the Toronto Falcons, led by the All-League guard tandem of Bill Spangler and Jim Bromberg, easily disposed of the Chicago Panthers in five games to set up a rematch of last year's finals, one in which Toronto had prevailed over Philadelphia in six games. The series opened in Dominion Gardens and the host Falcons won easily, outscoring the Phantoms 122-100 keyed by a 28-point effort by Spangler. That would turn out to be the only win that Toronto would get in the series as the Phantoms won the next four games to win their third-ever FBL championship. Phantoms center Dan Holland, who won an AIAA championship and a Barrette Award as college MVP while at Carolina Poly, was named the playoff MVP after averaging nearly 28 points per game in the title series. COLLEGE BASKETBALL RECAP A MAMMOTH SEASON FOR REDWOOD While the bulk of the attention in the West Coast Athletic Association over recent years has focused on Rainier College and CC Los Angeles, which have combined for nine titles in the annual AIAA collegiate basketball tournament, or perhaps Coastal California and Lane State -who regularly contend as well- a fifth school from the WCAA should not be overlooked. That would be the Redwood University Mammoths, who won their second AIAA tournament title this year. For the first thirty-five years of college cage history the Mammoths barely made an impression on the sport. From 1910 until 1945 Redwood qualified for the season ending AIAA tournament just three times and never did win a tournament game. Things changed quickly and it started in the spring of 1946 when the Mammoths were added to the tournament for the fourth time and since then have only missed joining the field of 32 twice. They won their first National Title in the spring of 1948 and reached Bigsby Garden, the annual site of the semi-finals and finals, three times in a four-year span beginning in 1957, setting and tying a school record with 31 victories in each of those campaigns. They shattered the school mark this time around with a 33-4 season that also saw the Mammoths go 13-1 in WCAA play to win their fifth conference title since the end of WWII. Paced by All-American junior forward Ron Bohall, the Mammoths lumbered through the Midwest Region as the number one seed, dominating Lawrence State, nipping North Carolina Tech by two points before defeating the region's second seed Detroit City College 67-57 to qualify for the final weekend in New York. Three of the four regions followed script with the top seed and number two reaching the regional finals. Joining the Mammoths as number one seeds in the final four were the Noble Jones College Colonels, who advanced from the South. Second seed Western Iowa won the West Region, downing Lane State 63-46. The fourth member of the semi-final group was a complete surprise as Academia Alliance champ Dickson, an 8th seed that entered the tournament with a 17-15 record, got hot at the right time and knocked off number one Maryland State in the opening round. Wins over Hamman and region #2 seed Mississippi A&M followed, and the Maroons were in the national semi-finals for the second time in school history. Redwood put an end to the Dickson Cinderella-run by trouncing the Maroons 69-47 in the semi-finals. All-American Bohall and senior center Carey Seward each had 15 points to key the Mammoths victory. Noble Jones College downed Western Iowa 63-44 to send the Colonels to the national title game for the first time since the Charlie Barrell-led undefeated 1949-50 Noble Jones squad won the national crown. There would be no title for the Colonels this time around as Redwood prevailed by a 67-61 margin. __________________ Cliff Markle HOB1 greatest pitcher 360-160, 9 Welch Awards, 11 WS titles

09-09-2025, 08:22 PM	#1126
Tiger Fan Hall Of Famer Join Date: Dec 2001 Location: Ontario Canada Posts: 9,767	A step back to October 1964 EDITOR'S NOTE Last fast-forward Figment did I found it a real challenge to stay up to date with the players I inherited on the Detroit Dynamos, the FABL club I run. So, as we wait for the 1965 baseball recap as part of our new fast-forward, which should come in the next day or two, I wanted to start a new annual update I plan on posting. It is an effort to help myself (and hopefully you the reader as well as other GMs in the league) stay more on top of who many of the key players in FABL are when we go back to weekly sim play with GMs. Just for me I am going to keep a running recap going on the progress of the Detroit first round selections between 1962 and our resumption in 1975. And for the league as a whole, I will track the progress of the top ten prospects as each year gets added into the books. Hopefully a few Dynamos will start showing up on that list but what I think it will do is give us all just a little more familiarity with some of the players who turn into the superstars of the game when we complete the fast-forward. For those who just glance at posts the fast-forward was necessitated because we have switched through so many versions of OOTP (since OOTP19 I believe) that the league talent balance became quite messed up. Our commissioner devised a system to correct that but it meant the ratings for many players had to be adjusted. To be fair to all GM's it was decided a fast-forward a decade would be the best way to deal with it. It is the second fast-forward we have dealt with due to the file troubles but hopefully the last one. LONG REBUILD BEGINS AT THOMPSON FIELD With the exit of long time General Manager Harris Dixon and the Detroit Dynamos finishing eighth in the Federal Association for the first time since 1936, the eyes of Detroit baseball fans must turn fully towards the future. The club is now paying the price for winning six pennants and four World Championship Series titles in a seven year stretch last decade. It was a good run but sooner or later stars age and drafting so late in the first round year after year catches up with you and a rebuild is necessary. At this stage the rebuild does not look like it will happen quickly. Detroit still has some talent on the big-league roster including 34-year-old Jim Norris, who should eventually earn a place in the Boone County baseball hall, as well as Ray Waggoner and rising young star Ed MacNaughton. However, there is little to get overly excited about on the farm. Barring a miracle pennant push in the coming seasons, the late October edition of this column will focus on the future as we check in with the Dynamos recent first-round draft selections and update their top prospect list. Presently, as mentioned above, the situation is bleak with the Dynamos farm system ranking 19th among the 20 FABL clubs with only the Toronto Wolves having less in their prospect cupboard. Here is a look at how 1964 went for recent Detroit first round selections. DETROIT DYNAMOS FIRST ROUNDERS 1962 1st Rounder: SKIPPER ATKINS, HS RHP, 7th overall: Atkins is not a great prospect according to OSA, ranked 144th at the end of the 1964 season and 7th in a weak Dynamos farm system. OSA projects him to have a future in the back of the rotation. Now 20, he split the '64 season between A and AA, going 10-7, 3.90 at Terre Haute before moving up to Akron where he was 5-1 but with a subpar 83 ERA+. He dropped off as OSA had the Philadelphia native as the #45 prospect on Opening Day 1964. 1963 1st Rounder: SAM MacDONALD, HS RHP, 18th overall Like Atkins, MacDonald is a righthander drafted out of high school ball in Philadelphia. Born in Baltimore, OSA admits he is very raw but feels he does have a shot at being a top of the rotation arm someday. Ranked 65th in the end of 1964 prospect pipeline and #2 in Detroit's system behind only 1964 second round pitcher Danny Wilson. MacDonald can be a high strikeout pitcher but needs to harness his control which is almost non-existent after a year and a half at class C where he walked 109 in 142 innings. 1964 1st Rounder: DON AYERS, HS OF, 16th overall Nicknamed Funky, the Cleveland native was another high school first rounder taken by the Dynamos. Detroit has had a lot of busts in drafting corner-OF/1B types (see Tommy Allenby, John Morrison, Dino Sharp, Joe Fulgham or Ralph Capriotti) and early indications are Ayers can be another name to add to that list. Scouting report says Ayers could still be a productive regular on a contender, but the scouting service ranks him at #194 on the prospect pipeline so I am not holding out hope. He did put up some decent numbers in 55 games at Class C after being drafted (.333/.421/.400) so perhaps there is a chance he pans out. CURRENT (OCT 1964) TOP TEN DETROIT PROSPECTS OSA TOP TEN OVERALL PROSPECTS No Dynamos will make this list but let us glance around the league at who just might be the top players to close out the 1960s and beyond. Here is a look at the current top ten prospects as determined by OSA. Only two of them, #1 Bill Dunlop and #7 Tony Nava, were listed in the top ten at this time last year. Of the eight to leave the list three became FABL regulars and five just dropped further down the list this year. Below are brief bios of the top ten from this season as well as a list of the top 20 from this year and running collection of top ten rankings beginning in the fall of 1963. This list will be updated each year. 1- BILL DUNLOP - 22, RHP Boston Minutemen Selected 6th overall in 1963 (so final human GM draft) the former Carolina Poly star known as "The Tobacco Twister" is drawing rave reviews from OSA, which believes that Dunlop could someday end up as one of the truly elite arms in the game. He went 8-2 with a 150 ERA+ to dominate Class C as a rookie pro in 1963 after an 11-3, 2.22 draft year for Carolina Poly. That earned him the number one prospect ranking at the conclusion of 1963 and while he briefly dropped to #2 last April his outstanding work at three levels (A, AA, AAA) going 15-3 with a 2.71 era bumped Dunlop back to the top of the list. Only potential concern his he missed a month with an injury, but it was to his hamstring and not his golden arm. 2- KEN McDONOUGH- 19, RHP Kansas City Kings Tennessee native was drafted 20th overall by the AI GM in 1964, OSA calls McDonough one of the best pitching prospects in any organization. He had a decent first pro season (6-5, 107 ERA+) at Class C Marshalltown and made a solid late season start in Class B. He is a high school arm and they may be prone to bigger talent drops in v26 but McDonough is certainly one to watch as the latest of a good crop of Kansas City pitchers. 3- BERT ALEXANDER- 19, LHP, San Francisco Sailors A West Coast kid, Alexander played his high school ball in Santa Monica, and despite still being 19 he has already had 3 years in the pros. Drafted 18th overall in 1962, he made a nice jump up the prospect pipeline after debuting at #33 in the fall of 1962 and staying around that number (he was #30 in the spring) before a big climb this season. He spent two and a half seasons in Class C and was given his first taste of A ball this year. Just three starts so not sure we sure worry at all that he really struggled in Class A but OSA is very, very high on him. 4- OSSIE SCHRIEBER- 18, LHP, Minneapolis Millers OSA calls his talent rare and predicts he will be in more than one Allen Award discussion down the road. Millers pipeline is thin, with just two top 100 prospects although they do have their young outfield duo of John Edwards and Frank Bradshaw already playing with the big club. There are a lot of holes on the Minneapolis mound but the 1964 first overall draft pick will likely be brought along much slower than Edwards and Bradshaw were. To start with he just turned 18 last month after being selected out of a Nebraska high school where he did not lose a game in two years on the mound. Schrieber was pretty solid in his debut, going 7-3 with a 134 ERA+ at class C St Cloud. 5- JOHNNY STILES- 19, RHP, Washington Eagles The run on pitchers at the top continues. Selected 15th overall back in 1962, the Detroit native has bounced around the top 100 prospect list quite a lot. He was #34 shortly after signing but then fall to 91 at the beginning of the 1963 season before rebounding to 46 last April. OSA thinks he can be a staff ace and if so the Eagles may have quite a rotation in a couple of years with Stiles joining Owen Lantz, Bob Ball and Dick Adams Jr. 6- JOHN McCORMICK- 20, LHP, Boston Minutemen The Minutemen are the first of two teams to place a pair of players in the top ten and they could be quite imposing by the time the new decade starts if both arms pan out. McCormick, a Tennessee native, was selected in the second round of the 1962 draft and, while OSA admits there is still a lot of room for growth, they project McCormick developing into an elite arm. McCormick is a little behind top prospect Dunlop, but also two years younger, but like The Tobacco Twister he pitched at 3 levels in 1964, topping at Class A where he was extremely impressive 2-1, 1.48, 283 ERA+ in 3 starts. 7- TONY NAVA- 21, 2B, New York Imperials The first of back to back Imperials prospects in the top ten. The expansion club has the top ranked farm system in the league with 6 players ranked in the top 28 by OSA highlighted by the Cuban born infielder. Nava, was selected first overall in 1963 out of Valley State and is said to have tremendous power potential for a middle infielder. He showed that off in September when he was rewarded with a call-up by the Imperials. Nava hit just .217 in 14 big league games but did go yard twice. Looking at his defensive numbers at AAA Jersey City (.945 eff, -7.4 ZR) raise some flags that he may need to be shifted to first base or the outfield. 8- GEORGE VALIQUETTE- 22, LF, New York Imperials For the second year in a row the Imperials drafted a college position player, opting for the Angels College (Los Angeles, CA.) outfielder with their top pick (4th overall). Like Nava, OSA sees high power potential and a good batting eye in Valiquette, who dominated the Class B level but struggled in a brief stint at AAA as a first year pro. 9- JIM THURMAN- 21, LF, Los Angeles Suns With high draft picks in their early years you expect the four expansion clubs to be well represented in the top prospects list and the LA Suns join the mix with 1963 second rounder Thurman. The Denver native played his college ball close to home at Mile High State and has plenty of upside according to OSA. He had a decent showing as a rookie pro in 1963 splitting time between class C and B and did the same mix again this year but with much better results. With the Suns (and other 3 new clubs) adding high level minors this season it is expected Thurman may be pushed to AAA and perhaps end up with the big league club in September. 10-HUB RUSSELL- 18, RHP, Chicago Cougars It has become pretty common through the years for a young Cougars pitcher to be featured in the top ten prospect list by OSA and the lates is their 1963 first rounder. Selected 11th overall out of a Louisville (KY) high school, Russell spent most of his two pro seasons in Class C. Interesting perhaps to note is he was unsuccessful in a bid to increase his endurance last winter at development camp but even without that bump he jumped from 30th on the previous ranking list to inside the top ten. OSA says he has 3 quality pitches and the potential to anchor a big-league rotation someday. Next recap should be the 1965 baseball season. Can the St Louis Pioneers win a fourth consecutive WCS? Only the current edition of the Pioneers and the 1924-26 New York Stars have won 3 straight world titles. Will the Pioneers be the first to claim four in a row? __________________ Cliff Markle HOB1 greatest pitcher 360-160, 9 Welch Awards, 11 WS titles

09-10-2025, 04:24 PM	#1128
Tiger Fan Hall Of Famer Join Date: Dec 2001 Location: Ontario Canada Posts: 9,767	FABL Prospect Watch - Fall 1965 October 28, 1965 LOOKING AT THE 1965 DRAFT CLASS AND TOP PROSPECTS In an effort to keep Figment fans somewhat aware of the future stars of the FABL here is the second edition of an annual feature as we move through the fast-forward towards the resumption of weekly sims and human GM's in the mid-1970s. First off here is a list of the players selected in the first round of the June 1965 draft and where they rank according to OSA as their first professional season comes to a close. There is a wide range, spanning from #2 on the pipeline for Pete Rosenbaum, a high school shortstop drafted second overall by the Dallas Wranglers, all the way down to Dick Carman, the 10th overall selection of the Chicago Chiefs who has fallen to 394th on the OSA list of top prospects. OSA TOP TEN PROSPECTS October 1965 If the last couple of years are any indication there are going to be an awful lot of highly touted prospects that simply fail to live up to expectations. For the second year in row our tracking of the top prospects has seen some major shifts amongst what OSA considers to be the cream of the crop. A year ago at this time only two players that appeared on the October 1963 top ten list were still ranked in the top ten a year ago. They were #1 Tony Nava, who fell to 7th in the 1964 rankings and #2 Bill Dunlop, who climbed to #1 in 1964. Three others who were on the 1963 list made it to FABL so were no longer considered minor league prospects but that left five others, who all dropped out of the top ten. The volatility was even more pronounced this time around as only one player who appeared on the October 1964 top ten list remains there a year later. That would be Kansas City Kings pitching prospect Ken McDonough, who was second a year ago and dropped slightly to third this year. Three others including Bill Dunlop and Tony Nava, who both appeared in the top ten in October 1963 and again in October 1964, have moved on to the big leagues are no longer categorized as minor league prospects. Dunlop, 23-year-old pitcher who was #2 in 1963 and topped the 1964 list, had quite a debut in the big leagues. The Tobacco Twister as he is known for his roots at Carolina Poly, won the Kellogg Award as the top rookie in the Federal Association and finished second in Allen Award balloting following a 23-8 campaign. Nava, 22, was #1 on the 1963 list and seventh last year, made the New York Imperials and hit .261 in 107 games, primarily as a pinch-hitter. He has the ability to hit in the big leagues but defense may be an issue and he is faced with competition for the second base job with the Imperials. The third graduate was 20-year-old righthander Johnny Stiles, who was promoted by the Washington Eagles in June and went 1-1 with 2 saves in 21 relief appearances. OSA feels he can be a solid closer but at his age - Stiles was still 19 when he made his big league debut- perhaps another year of high pressure appearances in the minors might have aided his development. * Six Players Suffered Big Drop-Offs That accounts for four of the top ten from a year ago while the other six all plunged, some extremely far. Bert Alexander, a 20-year-old San Francisco Sailors prospect dropped from third a year ago to #34 on the pipeline. Cougars teenage pitcher Hub Russell fell from 10th to 25th and Los Angeles Suns outfielder Jim Thurman, 21, was 9th a year ago but now sits 41st. Then we have the three that dropped like rocks. Ossie Schrieber, a high school lefthander that was ranked the 4th best prospect in the game is now 123rd and only the third highest ranked pitcher in the Minneapolis Millers system after he regressed as a 19-year-old repeating the year at Class C. Another high school drafted pitcher, 21-year-old John McCormick of Boston slipped from 7th to 178th but OSA reports still give him a chance of panning out. Then we have New York Imperials 23-year-old outfielder George Valiquette. A year ago the 1964 fourth overall draft pick had a sky high ceiling and was ranked 8th on the list. Now, after having his struggles at the plate and dealing with a hip injury, OSA has given up on the Los Angeles native. Valiquette is considered a bench player at best and was not named in the top 500 prospects. OSA places him 27th among Imperials prospects. So more than ever it appears being named a top ten prospect is no guarantee of big league success. Here are the top prospects as of today and a comparison with last year's top ten list. A CLOSER LOOK AT THE TOP TEN 1-EARL SKAINS- 21, LF PITTSBURGH MINERS Originally selected in the third round of the 1962 draft, Skains has endured his share of challenges including a broken kneecap that cost him parts of two seasons. He has climbed the prospect pipeline steadily, ranked 100th in 1963, 80th a year later and 34th on opening day 1964. In 1965 he hit 39 homers including 22 in 88 games at AAA Houston while batting .293 at three levels and looks like he may be ready to step in to the Pittsburgh outfield full-time in April. PSA thinks he has the skills to play centerfield and could be elite at his position. Certainly one to watch and maybe a candidate to follow 1964 to prospect Bill Dunlop as Federal Association rookie of the year. 2- PETE ROSENBAUM - 18, RHP Dallas Wranglers Another in a long line of Philadelphia-area high school stars to be drafted in the opening round. Rosenbaum is still just 18 after being selected second overall this past June. He impressed at Class C as a rookie pro and OSA feels the sky is the limit for Rosenbaum. 3- KEN McDONOUGH- 19, RHP Kansas City Kings (was #2 last year) 1964 recap: Tennessee native was drafted 20th overall by the AI GM in 1964, OSA calls McDonough one of the best pitching prospects in any organization. He had a decent first pro season (6-5, 107 ERA+) at Class C Marshalltown and made a solid late season start in Class B. He is a high school arm and they may be prone to bigger talent drops in v26 but McDonough is certainly one to watch as the latest of a good crop of Kansas City pitchers. 1965 recap: Still has the makings of a future ace but there is cause for concern as McDonough made just four starts at Class C before blowing out his elbow, which ended his season. It was his first injury but one that many pitchers never fully recover from so we would be much less confident about his future now. 4- BILL MORRISON- 18, RHP Cleveland Foresters Not to be confused with the veteran Detroit outfielder by the same name, this Bill Morrison is a Danville, Pa. native drafted fifth overall by the Cleveland Foresters, a team neck deep into a rebuild. He was 2-2 with a 106 ERA+ in 9 starts at Class C and will clearly need some time to work on his control but if everything breaks right OSA suggests he could anchor a rotation. 5- JIM PERRIN- 18, RHP, Los Angeles Suns A third high school pitcher drafted high last June (Perrin was the fourth pick). Perrin dominated Class C but then was overmatched following a late promotion to the B level. High school arms always worry us but the risk may be worth it for a team like the Suns that needs to have some big wins at the draft table. OSA says Perrin has elite stuff and should be a top of the rotation arm if all goes according to plan. 6- PETE BRUCE- 23, C Cincinnati Cannons Elite catchers are hard to find but OSA feels the Cannons nabbed a future all-star in the much travelled Bruce. He was originally drafted out of high school by the Chicago Chiefs in round five back in 1960. Likely caught in a numbers game he was waived by the Chiefs three years later and then shortly afterwards by Montreal after a brief stint in the Saints system. Cincinnati nabbed him in the summer of 1964 and Bruce promptly suffered broken ribs that ended his season prematurely. All this time he never cracked the top 100 but he ripped the cover off the ball and moved through four levels of minors this past season and suddenly is giving off Tom Bird vibes as a catcher who seemed to be going nowhere when he suddenly put it all together. He is one worth watching as it will be interesting to see if the current scouting assessment is accurate. 7- CLIFF COLEMAN - 24, LF Chicago Cougars 24 is getting a little old to be considered a prospect, especially when Coleman was drafted six years ago out of high school. A 14th round pick who made his debut on the prospect pipeline at 9 in April, can Coleman be another late bloomer? 33 homers and a .651 slugging percentage in 118 games at AAA this past season, numbers that earned the San Francisco native a chance to make his big league debut last month - he hit 3 homers and batted .379 in 18 games with the Cougars- and it looks like Chicago has found itself a diamond in the rough. 8- STEVE PRATHER- 21, CF Dallas Wranglers The second Wrangler to crack the top ten this year, Prather was a 1962 fourth round draft pick that OSA feels could be a very productive big league centerfielder. He is another late bloomer, first cracking the top 100 prospect list this spring, a year after he dealt with a fractured foot. It looks like he has the elite defensive skills needed to stick in centerfield and the Cleveland native is described by OSA as a pure hitter who will hit for a high average. 9- GEORGE McKINNEY- 20, RHP, Cincinnati Cannons Like Dallas, the Cannons also place two players on this year's top ten list. He is another of those Philadelphia born pitchers but was not drafted until the fifth round in 1963. McKinney has yet to pitch above Class A but OSA feels he should rank among the best starting pitcher prospects in any organization. He had a 17 strikeout game at Class B this year, where he fanned 122 in 104 innings of work. 10- DANNY WILSON- 19, RHP Detroit Dynamos The rebuilding Dynamos are hoping that Wilson, a New York City native selected in the second round in 1964, can develop into the ace that the OSA feels he has the potential to become. He was ranked 18th in the prospect pipeline a year ago and moves up into the top 10 after repeating the season at Class C. TRACKING THE DYNAMOS FIRST ROUNDERS This was a year of transition in Detroit as the Dynamos dove head first into their rebuild and traded a number of stars away including pitching ace Jim Norris and the long-time middle infield duo of Joe Reed and Dick Tucker. Tough moves to make but needed and the result was an influx of prospects that moved the needle on the Detroit minor league system from 19th a year ago to the deepest in FABL this time around. Of course accumulating prospects is only step one as they now need to develop and reach their potential. Here is a look at how 1965 went for recent Detroit first round selections followed by a list of the organization's current top prospects. 1962 1st Rounder: SKIPPER ATKINS, HS RHP, 7th overall: 1964 recap: Atkins is not a great prospect according to OSA, ranked 144th at the end of the 1964 season and 7th in a weak Dynamos farm system. OSA projects him to have a future in the back of the rotation. Now 20, he split the '64 season between A and AA, going 10-7, 3.90 at Terre Haute before moving up to Akron where he was 5-1 but with a subpar 83 ERA+. He dropped off as OSA had the Philadelphia native as the #45 prospect on Opening Day 1964. 1965 recap: Now 21, Atkins fell further in the eyes of the league scouting service, who now rank him 249th despite a solid showing at AA (6-4, 2.85) and moderate success in his first taste of AAA (4-4, 4.24). OSA says perhaps he could fit into the back of a rotation, but probably not someone you want to guarantee a spot to. 1963 1st Rounder: SAM MacDONALD, HS RHP, 18th overall: 1964 recap: Like Atkins, MacDonald is a righthander drafted out of high school ball in Philadelphia. Born in Baltimore, OSA admits he is very raw but feels he does have a shot at being a top of the rotation arm someday. Ranked 65th in the end of 1964 prospect pipeline and #2 in Detroit's system behind only 1964 second round pitcher Danny Wilson. MacDonald can be a high strikeout pitcher but needs to harness his control which is almost non-existent after a year and a half at class C where he walked 109 in 142 innings. 1965 recap: He suffered a big drop in the eyes of OSA as well, falling all the way to 297th overall and 28th in the Detroit system. It feels like he didn't get a fair shake as MacDonald was not injured, but dumped back to Class C for a third season and only pitched 47 innings, going 2-2 with a 106 ERA+. Seems like he has been written off by Detroit management. 1964 1st Rounder: DON AYERS, HS OF, 16th overall: 1964 recap: Nicknamed Funky, the Cleveland native was another high school first rounder taken by the Dynamos. Detroit has had a lot of busts in drafting corner-OF/1B types (see Tommy Allenby, John Morrison, Dino Sharp, Joe Fulgham or Ralph Capriotti) and early indications are Ayers can be another name to add to that list. Scouting report says Ayers could still be a productive regular on a contender, but the scouting service ranks him at #194 on the prospect pipeline so I am not holding out hope. He did put up some decent numbers in 55 games at Class C after being drafted (.333/.421/.400) so perhaps there is a chance he pans out. 1965 recap: He also dropped, falling to 267th overall and 26th among Detroit prospects. Still just 18 but he was also overlooked, playing just 12 games all season despite being healthy. Ayers made the most of his limited chances, slashing .438/.438/.750 but clearly feels like he does not fit into Detroit's plans. 1965 1st Rounder: PETE MORRIS, College OF, 6th overall Finally a top ten pick again for the Dynamos but you know their track record with drafting corner outfielders. OSA says he has the tools to make an impact in the majors and at 22nd overall, he is Detroit's third highest ranked prospect at the moment. He came out of San Francisco Tech and went straight to AAA, but had a learning curve to deal with in batting just .229 with 3 homers in 89 games. CURRENT (OCT 1964) TOP DETROIT PROSPECTS** __________________ Cliff Markle HOB1 greatest pitcher 360-160, 9 Welch Awards, 11 WS titles

10-02-2025, 12:14 PM	#1137
stratonapba Bat Boy Join Date: Feb 2022 Posts: 14	Betting in 1968, That The Kansas City Kings could be relocated to Oakland, CA or Seattle, WA in the Figment League Baseball World.

10-03-2025, 11:43 AM	#1139
Tiger Fan Hall Of Famer Join Date: Dec 2001 Location: Ontario Canada Posts: 9,767	1967 Baseball Prospect Watch November 1, 1967 LOOKING AT THE 1967 DRAFT CLASS AND TOP PROSPECTS In an effort to stay abreast of who the top stars may be in the game once 1975 rolls around and human GMs return, here is an update on the first round picks both from the current June 1967 draft and from that of the last few year. As was the case a year ago we are listing below the 20 players selected in the opening round of the latest draft and showing where they slot on the OSA prospect pipeline as of the end of their first professional season. Here are the 1967 first rounders and where they rank on the current pipeline, along with the 1965 and 1966 first rounders with an update on how each has progressed through the pipeline. OSA TOP TEN PROSPECTS October 1967 For the dual purpose of staying up to date with who the top FABL players are as we move towards 1975 while also doing a bit of an assessment on the volatility of top prospects in OOTP26, here is our annual look tracking the prospect pipeline's top 10 over the past few years. A CLOSER LOOK AT THE CURRENT TOP TEN 1: EDDIE YANDOW - RHP, Detroit Dynamos, age 22: Selected third overall by Detroit out of Springfield State, Randow had a great debut as a pro. Assigned immediately to AAA Atlanta, he posted a 12-5 record and a 2.83 era in 20 starts. OSA says Yandow "has the makings of a future ace." 2: PETE ROSENBAUM - RHP, Dallas Wranglers, age 20 - Cracks the top ten for the second year in a row. The 1965 second overall draft pick split his first full pro season between rookie ball and Class A. Like Yandow, the OSA believes Rosenbaum has a chance to be an ace. 3: JIM WHITE - RHP, New York Imperials, age 20 - A fifth round pick in 1965, White is a surprise breakout pitcher that OSA feels "should rank among the best pitching prospects in any organization." 4: HOWIE WESTON - RHP, New York Imperials, age 19 - The first overall pick of the 1965 draft jumped all the way from rookie ball to AAA in 1967. Another of the many elite righthanders that OSA sees on the rise. 5: DON PERRY - RHP. Chicago Cougars, age 22 - Selected in the first round of the 1967 draft by the Gothams, Perry was dealt to the Cougars a couple of weeks ago. The former Arkansas A&T hurler made his pro debut at AAA in July and went 8-7 with a 3.41 era. OSA says he has a "golden arm". 6: BILL ALDRICH - RHP, Toronto Wolves, age 21 - The much travelled Aldrich becomes the sixth straight righthander to top the prospect list. A second round pick of Kansas City in the 1963 draft, he was dealt to the Chicago Chiefs organization a year later. The Chiefs waived him after a year and he signed with Toronto. A strong development program in Toronto helped boost Aldrich into the top ten. Despite the promise and five years in the minors Aldrich has still not pitched above Class A. OSA believes he can "become a great starting pitcher." 7: NICK PARKER - OF, Dallas Wranglers, age 19 - A return member to the top ten, the 1966 first rounder was 8th on the top ten list at this time last year. He profiles as an "everyday left fielder who can make an impact on a top-tier team." 8: JAKE POOLE- 2B, New York Imperials, age 20 - First overall selection in the 1965 draft, Poole is the third Imperials player to crack this year's top ten. Poole has not played above A ball yet but OSA feels he can "fill a key role for a contending team." 9:JIM PERRIN- RHP, Los Angeles Suns, age 20 - A Chicago native selected 4th overall out high school in the 1965 draft, Perrin was included in the top ten prospect list two years ago but slipped to 13th last year before returning to the top ten. OSA sees an Allan Award or two potentially in Perrin's future. 10: PEDRO ORTIZ - RHP, Detroit Dynamos, age 20 - Selected 7th overall in 1966, Ortiz immediately became the prize jewel in the Dynamos growing collection of prospects until passed in June with the drafting of Eddie Yandow, who tops the current prospect list. OSA feels Ortiz can be a top of the rotation arm, but he spent all of last season in rookie ball so needs time to grow. TRACKING THE DYNAMOS FIRST ROUNDERS Since 1962 we have been tracking the yearly progress (or lack thereof) for the Detroit Dynamos first round selections in the annual June draft. The Dynamos were a power in the Federal Association not all that long ago but have been getting progressively worse each season, bottoming out (hopefully) at 66-96 in 1966. The just completed 1967 season saw a rebound of sorts as the Dynamos posted their best record since 1963 in going 78-84. The team also moved on from one of its former first round picks as 1959 16th overall selection Ed MacNaughton was traded to Washington last fall. MacNaughton was a three-time all-star with Detroit so the Dynamos certainly need at least one of the three youngsters they received from the Eagles in return to pan out. Detroit did get a major leaguer in the deal in 25-year-old catcher Harvey Van Orden but he is far from a replacement for MacNaughton's bat as Van Orden slashed just .245/.309/.373 but did become the Dynamos number one catcher. Two of the prospects were first rounders by Washington in Buddy Ensey and Bill Tubbs. Both are outfielders. Ensey is 20 and is ranked 102th on the pipeline in October of 1967 after being selected 13th overall in the 1965 draft. Tubbs was the 14th pick in 1966 and the 19-year-old is 176th on the pipeline. Detroit's top pick this year may just be the kind of player that can jump start a franchise revival. That would be Eddie Yandow, a 22-year-old pitcher selected third overall out of Springfield State. Detroit has not selected as high in the draft since 1948 when the Dynamos picked Ralph Capriotti with the third pick. Capriotti, an outfielder, was a bust, only making the majors because of expansion and he played 119 career games for Minneapolis. Perhaps a better sign for Yandow is the fact that Billy Hasson, the three time Allen Award winner from the St Louis Pioneers, is also a former Springfield State pitcher. As for Yandow, he shot right to the top of the prospect pipeline and is number one after an outstanding 12-5, 2.83 showing in 20 starts at AAA. I expect him to be in the Dynamos rotation next year. Yandow is joined in the top ten by another Detroit hurler as last year's first rounder Pedro Ortiz now 20 years of age, spends his second season near the top of the prospect pipeline. He is 10th. Led by those two the Dynamos minor league system moves up one spot from a year ago, jumping into third best among the 20 FABL ballclubs. Here is a look at how 1967 went for recent Detroit first round selections followed by a list of the organization's current top prospects. 1962 1st Rounder: SKIPPER ATKINS, HS RHP, 7th overall 1964 recap: Atkins is not a great prospect according to OSA, ranked 144th at the end of the 1964 season and 7th in a weak Dynamos farm system. OSA projects him to have a future in the back of the rotation. Now 20, he split the '64 season between A and AA, going 10-7, 3.90 at Terre Haute before moving up to Akron where he was 5-1 but with a subpar 83 ERA+. He dropped off as OSA had the Philadelphia native as the #45 prospect on Opening Day 1964. 1965 recap: Now 21, Atkins fell further in the eyes of the league scouting service, who now rank him 249th despite a solid showing at AA (6-4, 2.85) and moderate success in his first taste of AAA (4-4, 4.24). OSA says perhaps he could fit into the back of a rotation, but probably not someone you want to guarantee a spot to. 1966 recap: He held relatively steady on the OSA list in his age 22 season, checking it at 251st on the pipeline and is considered Detroit's 13th best prospect. OSA still believes his ceiling is the back end of a rotation after Atkins spent the entire year in AAA Atlanta, going 9-12 with a 4.05 era. He is still young enough that we hope he can contribute at some point but it is becoming more and more clear he will not deliver first round results should he get to the big leagues. 1967 recap: Well Skipper made it to Detroit. After going 9-7 with a 1.98 era in 26 starts for Atlanta, he was a September call-up and made four big league starts, going 2-0 with a 4.35 era. Skipper is now 23 and still projects poorly according to OSA, which calls him a "spot starter" but his September showing does give us reason for cautious optimism. 1963 1st Rounder: SAM MacDONALD, HS RHP, 18th overall 1964 recap: Like Atkins, MacDonald is a righthander drafted out of high school ball in Philadelphia. Born in Baltimore, OSA admits he is very raw but feels he does have a shot at being a top of the rotation arm someday. Ranked 65th in the end of 1964 prospect pipeline and #2 in Detroit's system behind only 1964 second round pitcher Danny Wilson. MacDonald can be a high strikeout pitcher but needs to harness his control which is almost non-existent after a year and a half at class C where he walked 109 in 142 innings. 1965 recap: He suffered a big drop in the eyes of OSA as well, falling all the way to 297th overall and 28th in the Detroit system. It feels like he didn't get a fair shake as MacDonald was not injured, but dumped back to Class C for a third season and only pitched 47 innings, going 2-2 with a 106 ERA+. Seems like he has been written off by Detroit management. 1966 recap: MacDonald does not come close to cracking the OSA top 500 anywhere and shows as the 62nd ranked prospect in Detroit's organization. It seems like the AI Dynamos management has given up on him completely as MacDonald pitched just 28 innings in 1966 and was beat up pretty badly in his only two starts at the Class A level. OSA still thinks he warrants a look with a ceiling of someone who might challenge for a depth starting spot but it is probably best at this point the Dynamos just cut ties with him. 1967 recap: MacDonald held steady and remains the 62nd ranked Detroit prospect according to OSA. He clearly does not factor in the long range plans for the Dynamos as 1967 was another wasted season with MacDonald throwing just 7 innings all year, at the rookie league level. He has not been injured but has been used for just 35 innings over the past two years. OSA seems to still have hope in MacDonald, calling him a back of the rotation starter. My fear is the Dynamos GM does exactly what he did with Danny Wilson as Detroit released the pitcher who was ranked 16th overall a year ago and he signed with the Kansas City Kings. 1964 1st Rounder: DON AYERS, HS OF, 16th overall 1964 recap: Nicknamed Funky, the Cleveland native was another high school first rounder taken by the Dynamos. Detroit has had a lot of busts in drafting corner-OF/1B types (see Tommy Allenby, John Morrison, Dino Sharp, Joe Fulgham or Ralph Capriotti) and early indications are Ayers can be another name to add to that list. Scouting report says Ayers could still be a productive regular on a contender, but the scouting service ranks him at #194 on the prospect pipeline so I am not holding out hope. He did put up some decent numbers in 55 games at Class C after being drafted (.333/.421/.400) so perhaps there is a chance he pans out. 1965 recap: He also dropped, falling to 267th overall and 26th among Detroit prospects. Still just 18 but he was also overlooked, playing just 12 games all season despite being healthy. Ayers made the most of his limited chances, slashing .438/.438/.750 but clearly feels like he does not fit into Detroit's plans. 1966 recap: Another bust and it is frustrating to see the AI management just bury these high draft picks and never give them an opportunity to play. Ayers, now ranked 348th overall and 22nd among Detroit prospects, is just 19 years old and he needs to play but instead languished on the bench all season, appearing in 34 games and getting just 93 plate appearances split between rookie ball (which class C has been renamed) and Class A. He did not do much with the limited opportunity he was given but Ayers is clearly going to be another bust. 1967 recap: Ayers slipped further, falling to 404th on the pipeline and has now turned 20. He played at three levels in 1967, ranging from rookie ball to High A, but only slashed .236/.384/.348 in 70 games. OSA feels he is on the bubble for holding down a big league role but we feel pretty confident he is yet another first round outfielder who turned out to be a bust. 1965 1st Rounder: PETE MORRIS, College OF, 6th overall 1965 recap: Finally a top ten pick again for the Dynamos but you know their track record with drafting corner outfielders. OSA says he has the tools to make an impact in the majors and at 22nd overall, he is Detroit's third highest ranked prospect at the moment. He came out of San Francisco Tech and went straight to AAA, but had a learning curve to deal with in batting just .229 with 3 homers in 89 games. 1966 recap: Promising. Now 24 years of age, Morris is considered Detroit's fourth best prospect and #43 overall. He spent the entire season in AAA Atlanta, batting .277 with 15 homers and 57 rbi's. Morris hit for the cycle in an April game and his 126 OPS for the season gives fans some hope he will eventually contribute in Detroit. OSA feels Morris has the tools to be a first division starter but the only red flag is Morris is said to lack ambition. 1967 Recap: With MacNaughton shipped out to Washington, Morris made the jump to Detroit as a reserve. The 25-year-old hit .233 in 146 big league at bats and while the clock has to be ticking rapidly, OSA still believes Morris can become an above-average big league outfielder. 1966 1st Rounder: PEDRO ORTIZ, High School Pitcher, 7th overall 1966 recap: The 19-year-old from Brooklyn is drawing rave reviews from OSA, which immediately named him the Dynamos top prospect and he presently slots in at #4 overall. Ortiz is one of two Detroit pitchers in the top 16 (1964 second rounder Danny Wilson is the other one) and the scouting service raves that Ortiz has a golden arm and should be a top of the rotation pitcher. We can hope as the Dynamos certainly are in need of one. Ortiz went 5-5 with a 4.30 era (124 ERA+) in 12 starts at rookie ball after his high school season came to an end. He earned a late season promotion to Class A and was dominant going 2-0 with a 0.56 era and a 797! ERA+. OSA says Ortiz could be in the big leagues sometime next season which is a Carl Potter like pace and if Ortiz can become anything close to what Potter did in his first six seasons in Detroit back in the 1940s Dynamos fans will be in for a treat. 1967 recap: Ortiz remains in the OSA top ten prospect list for a second year, slotting in right at #10 this time. He repeated rookie ball in his age 19 season, going 7-3 with a sparkling 1.22 era in 13 starts after reportedly doing an outstanding job over the winter increasing his endurance on the mound. OSA believes Ortiz can be an impact starter and I would like to see Detroit challenge him with high A or perhaps even AA next year. 1967 1st Rounder: EDDIE YANDOW, College Pitcher, 3rd overall The highest draft pick Detroit has had in 17 years certainly seems to be a home run as Yandow not only immediately became Detroit's top prospect but OSA calls him the best prospect in the game at the moment. A Chicago native drafted out of Springfield State, the recently turned 22-year-old went 12-5 with a 2.83 era after debuting at the AAA level. In a perfect world he joins Detroit's rotation in April of 1968 and contends for the Kellogg Award. OSA raves about his command and says Yandow "has the makings of a future ace." I love taking college arms early in the draft and with a little luck, the Dynamos have landed a future all-star. CURRENT (OCT 1967) TOP DETROIT PROSPECTS Next up will be the conclusion of the 1967 recaps, as we look at the pro and college football campaigns. __________________ Cliff Markle HOB1 greatest pitcher 360-160, 9 Welch Awards, 11 WS titles