IKSAN Hall of Fame Nomination

Nomination: Larry Fitzgerald's IKSAN career (2010-2014, 2016)

6 years. 6 of the 9 years in the LOC, Larry Fitzgerald has sported an IKSAN jersey (it might even be 7, the history doesn't show if he played for them in 2009!). No player has had such a tenured career with any team in the LOC.

IKNAN's love affinity with Larry Fitzgerald started in 2010 - as a Cardinals fan himself, he not only became a fan favourite for Coach Sherwood, but all IKNAN fans. In 2010 he cost Coach Sherwood a third round draft pick, number 23 overall. In that season he delivered IKNAN a respectable 152 points, assisting them to an 8-6 record and a playoff appearance. Mostly a steady performer, he did have a few blockbuster appearances, including Week 8 vs Forge Flyers where he shipped 19 points to the 134 total, and Week 11 v IDELES with 15 points in a 94-73 point win. He had an admirable game of IKSAN in week 15, but they couldn't overcome Gridiron Gang.

Fitzgerald has been a special player - mainly because sine Kurt Warner retired he really has not had even a serviceable QB to throw him the ball - but he has still managed to produce. In 2011 Fitzgerald once again joined IKSAN for a 3rd round pick, this time 27 overall, this time delivering an impressive 189 points. Unfortunately in this season IKSAN did not make the playoffs, but Fitzgerald still helped the team to a 7-7 record, with big performances in week 2 (19pts in a 128-142 loss to Forge Flyers), week 10 (27pts in a 96-47 win over Bear Necessities), and week 14 (21pts in a 162-103 win over ADRZ). But he still continued to be a steady contributor.

But after such a good season, naturally Fitzgerald's price would rise - and it would take a 2nd round pick, number 15 overall, to secure his services for IKSAN the next season. Though the price went up, the performance went down - drastically. Fitgerald would only post 103 points for IKSAN in the 2012 season, en route to a 6-8 record with the team and another year without playoffs. Like in real life, Corona bowl glory had eluded both of them up to this point. There were still bright spots in the 2012 season, with a 17 point performance in Week 3 in a 111-87 win over The Tuckfards, and a 15 point performance in Week 6 in a 95-125 loss to The Dream Team. But this was not a steady year for him, and in fact 2012 saw the first non-bye benching of Fitzgerald for IKSAN.

After a bad year, some teams and fans can sour on players they have loved. And no one could have blamed Coach Sherwood for doing so - Fitz was another year older, and he had a seemingly washed up QB in Carson Palmer as his QB. But despite this, Coach Sherwood remained loyal, and selected Fitzgerald once again in the 2nd round of the 2013 draft, number 16 overall. And for this he was rewarded with a 154 point resurgent season from his superstar player. This performance also helped lead IKSAN back to the playoffs with a career best 9-5 record. In Week 1 Fitz turned up with a 20 point game en route to a 114-89 victory over Gridiron Gang. And again in Week 6 with 16 points in a 85-67 victory over The Dream Team. And again in Week 12 with 18 points in a 99-123 loss to Burdettinators. But most importantly, he turned up in the crucial week 14 win to deliver a playoff berth, scoring 16 points and helping IKSAN beat Bear Necessities 146-76.

After another good season you know exactly what is going to happen next - IKSAN drafted Fitzgerald once again - this time back in the 3rd round, with the 28th overall pick. Unfortunately for Coach Sherwood, this was the worst season of his career in an IKSAN jersey. Larry only scored 88 points for IKSAN in 2014, despite the team going 8-6, but ultimately missing out on the playoffs. There were a couple of notable weeks, one coming in Week 6 where Fitzgerald notched 16 points in a 122-77 victory over Forge Flyers, and another in Week 8 where he scored 22 in a 131-102 victory over ADRZ. An injury in Week 13 would sadly sideline him for the rest of the season.

2015 would be the first year in 5 years (perhaps since the founding of the league) that Fitzgerald did not suit up in an IKSAN uniform. Seemingly fallen out of favour with Coach Sherwood, he was drafted by Coach Nunn in the 10th round, number 115 overall, the lowest position he had ever been drafted in the LOC. He went on to have a great season for Coach Nunn however, rebounding for 172 points. This renaissance season lead him back to IKSAN in 2016 for one last run at a title, as he was drafted with the 62nd pick of the draft, in the 6th round.

Despite being of an advanced age at this point (and his quarter back), Fitzgerald went on to have a decent season, worthy of his draft stock, scoring 137 points, but most importantly leading Coach Sherwood's team to an 8-6 record and the ever elusive Corona Bowl. He had a great performance in week 1 and week 5 (20). He only missed two games due to a coaching decision, but outside of these 2 games there was not a lot of production. But he did start in his first Corona Bowl, and chipped in 3 points to the winning effort over ADRZ, 118-99.

After winning the title with IKSAN in 2016, he moved onto greener pastures in 2017, playing for long time rival Coach Leach in a Forge Flyers jersey. Drafted in the 5th round with the 52nd pick of the draft, Larry was a key part of another title season, chipping in 152 points for the Corona Bowl IX winning Forge Flyers, notching 19 points in that game himself.

After so long, The Mighty Fitz (as he came to be known) finally got his title in an IKSAN jersey, and got one more to boot the very next year. As you can see, his career in the LOC with IKSAN is long and storied, and is arguably the most worthy of any players career with a team to be in the hall of fame. Larry Fitzgerald will play in 2018, and perhaps beyond - will the legend of Larry Fitzgerald, star IKSAN wide receiver, continue?

The Southampton Narwhals Hall of Fame Nomination

Nominee: 2015 season - the un-retiring

December 2010. December 2010 was the last time Coach Nunn had donned the fantasy coach headset, after he decided to hang it up at the end of his second season. A founding team, Coach Nunn had a favourable first season, winning their division at 6-7-1, and went 6-8 in 2010. By no means a bad first two years in the league. But Coach Nunn just didn't have the passion for it, and left the league.

But in 2015, a story was developing. There was a space in the league after the 12 team expansion in the off season. Rumours circulated that Coach Nunn was interested in a return to the league. After a meeting with the commissioner, it was confirmed - Coach Nunn would don the fantasy coaching headset and return to the fantasy sidelines, 5 years after he had left.

Many thought Coach Nunn would have some serious rust to knock off - not to mention how intense the competition had become after the 5 years since he had left. But he knocked his first draft out of the park, hitting the ground running. He took Forte, Odell Beckham, Brandin Cooks, Carlos Hyde, Tony Romo, Travis Kelce, Sammy Watkins, and Larry Fitzgerald - a pretty formidable lineup.

But the draft is one thing - how would Coach Nunn fare in his first real fantasy game in 5 years? They faced a tough test in Bear Necessities in Week 1. A tough test, that they were privy to. The Romosexuals, Coach Nunn, in his first game in 5 years, saw off an experienced former champion 123-114. Many of the players I already mentioned turned up in a big way.

The next week was not quite as magical, as they fell to fellow novice team Jeff's Seals, 93-82. Disaster had already struck the team early on this season however, as Tony Romo was injured for a considerable length of time. In Week 3, Joe Flacco took the reigns of Coach Nunn's team and lead them to a 114-91 victory over Patistan. Unfortunately, they rounded out the first month of the season at 2-2 after a 90-55 loss to Gridiron Gang - but by no means a bad record given the circumstances.

Wild inconsistency dogged Coach Nunn's team through the first month of the season - and in Week 5 that was no different, as they exploded again for a 130-128 victory over reigning champ Tom's Tyrants. But again - you guessed it - they dropped another game in Week 6 against IKNAN 83-115, leaving them at 3-3. This time they didn't bounce back though, with the bye weeks starting to kick in, the toughest stretch of Coach Nunn's returning season was about to start.

In Week 7 The Romosexuals faced ADRZ without star RB Matt Forte - and lost 96-69. Staring 3-5 in the face, Coach Nunn inspired a 131-88 victory over another of the LOC's finest in The Tuckfards, planting them at 4-4 and still in the hunt for a playoff spot. But the inconsistency was really holding them back from their potential - as they played third string QB Bridgewater due to a bye for Joe Flacco, leading them to a 115-86 loss against Forge Flyers. They were also without Fitzgerald, Kelce (byes) and Forte and Hyde (injury). The season was really starting to take it's toll on Coach Nunn's roster.

Week 10 brought another loss against Gridiron Gang, 94-81, again due to the injury issues. A coaching error in leaving Joe Flacco benched also cost them the victory, as he would have scored enough points to get the W. Entering Week 11 at 4-6 the pressure was really on to get a win and stay in the playoff race, and lucky for Coach Nunn they faced a Tuckfards team they'd already beaten earlier that season. They got the sweep, as they took the game 89-74.

But once more, the plague of inconsistency crippled their week 12. Tony Romo was back - but his return was not a triumphant one, as he finished with negative points in a 96-68 loss to The Dream Team.

At 5-7, the outlook was looking bleak for achieving a playoff berth. They faced an absolute must win game against Burdettinators in Week 13, with both teams fighting to stay in the race. Coach Nunn delivered a superb performance, edging the game 105-102, staying alive for another week. A spirited play of Alex Smith helped get them over the line in this game.

Week 14 rolled round - one last throw at the dice, they faced IKNAN. It was a nail biting game, with both teams needing a win to keep their hopes alive. The game finished 94-92....in IKNAN's favour. IKNAN made the playoffs, and The Romosexuals went home. As it would turn out, 8-6 would have been the needed record to make the playoffs, with The Romosexuals finishing 6-8.

But 6-8, in a hyper competitive league, after taking 5 years off from the game (and maintaining the record they achieved previously) is no small feat. It was an unqualified success of a season for a Coach re-entering the league, and it was really only the inconsistency that cost them - other than that they had a fine season. Is the un-retiring hall of fame worthy? You decide.

Patistan Hall of Fame Nomination

Nomination: 2016 Regular Season

It was Coach Allen's third season in the LOC, second as head coach of his own team. 2014 and 2015 had been two brutal years, full of mistakes, but most importantly full of learnings. In 2014 Offensive Coordinator Allen went 2-12 with Jeff Seals, before being awarded his own team in 2015 and going 5-9. An improvement, but still room to grow. Well, the growth certainly came in 2016.

Coach Allen left the draft with what was widely regarded as the best team entering the season. And no wonder, with a lineup that consisted of Todd Gurley, Allen Robinson, Mike Evans, Jonathan Stewart, Melvin Gordon, Philip Rivers, and Tevin Coleman who could argue? Despite that good starting lineup, it did not start well.

In Week 1 Patistan faced Burdettinators, and it looked like the struggles of their first 2 seasons would continue as they lost a close one 90-86. He wouldn't know it then, but Todd Gurley only scoring 4 points would be a common theme for the season, as despite being a first round pick he did not live up to the expectation. Week 2 brought more troubles as Coach Allen oversaw his side in another defeat against The Dream Team, 111-74.

Week 3 brought some relief - well, a lot actually, as Patistan notched their first win of the season over arch rival Tuckfards, 127-68, due to great performances from - you guessed it - Gordon, Gurley, Evans, Robinson, and Coleman. Week 4 saw another win for Patistan, 98-91 over Tom's Tyrants, leaving them at a respectable 2-2 after the first month of the season.

The start of the second month was good too, with Patistan claiming their 3rd win of the season over The Brady Bunch in a close game, 101-98. The next game would be Patistan's closest of their career. They faced fellow struggers Forge Flyers in a nail biting game, 85.58-85.48, giving Patistan their 4th win in a row. The pre-season promise from the draft was finally living up to expectation. And this continued next week when they played IKNAN and curb stomped them 131-65 for their 5th win in a row.

For a team that had yet to have a winning season, and only 7 career wins, 5 on the trot is mighty impressive. But it didn't stop there, as they extended it to 6 against Bear Necessities (100-89), 7 against Cash4Gould (142-106), and 8 against Tom's Tyrants (97-79). 8 is where it ended however, as they faced Gridiron Gang in Week 11, a team that has a penchant for taking down the strong teams. Despite losing 123-82, Patistan still found themselves at 8-3 and basically assured of a playoff spot, with the regular season championship also in their sights.

Patistan edged another nail biter against Burdettinators in Week 12, 101.88-101.2. This is where the wins ended in the regular season for Coach Allen, but he'd still done more than enough to secure the regular season championship, and a division win, both a first in his career. The 9-5 record is also still his career best.

Unfortunately in Week 15, Patistan was felled by IKNAN who would go on to win Corona Bowl IX, 107-82. But this takes nothing away from Coach Allen's tremendous accomplishment in his 3rd year.

ADRZ Hall of Fame Nomination

Nominee: 2015 title season

ADRZ was blessed with a pretty formidable draft class in 2015. Jamaal Charles, AJ Green, Russell Wilson, Todd Gurley, Frank Gore, Steve Smith and Delanie Walker was a line up in 2015 that would strike fear into the heart of any opposing fantasy coach. Not a bad draft for a coach that had been hit or miss in his LOC tenure to date.

Despite the eye popping lineup, week 1 was certainly anything but eye popping. In week 1 ADRZ faced a team they've had much experience playing, who joined in the same year as they did, The Dream Team. It was not a classic, with ADRZ getting the win 85-76. Week 2 saw a marked improvement, as Coach Wells saw off Tom's Tyrants to the tune of 102-80, lead by Wilson, Charles Steve Smith, and of all people Torrey Smith.

The good times kept on rolling for ADRZ, as they steam rolled Burdettinators in week 3 154-93, entering week 4 with a perfect record. Wilson, Charles, Gore, Green and Smith all had stellar performances. But this is where reality sunk in for ADRZ as they were felled by an un-managed Jeff's Seals 103-83. The result would not cripple them however, as they got straight back on the horse next week brushing aside IKNAN in a close contest, 106-103.

This crucial victory came at a cost however. Jamaal Charles, a future hall of fame running back, who had previously played for ADRZ in 2011 only to tear his ACL in the first game, had once again torn his ACL. The effects of this could be seen in ADRZ's next game, as they squeaked by Patistan 84-83. Some spirited in season additions in Blake Bortles and Allen Hurns did help solidify the side however, as they were both inserted into the lineup in Week 7, aiding ADRZ to a 96-69 vicotry over The Romosexuals. Finishing the half way point of the season at 6-1 is no small feat.

Coach Wells entered the second half of the season in style - delivering a 145-66 drubbing of Forge Flyers. Eli Manning would score 50 points in this game. ADRZ would notch their second loss in the next week however, falling to The Tuckfards 116-107 in a close fought game. These were the kind of games where Jamaal Charles' presence was really missed. But despite this, ADRZ came roaring back with a 92-79 point victory over Patistan, leaving them at an almost playoff assured 8-2 after Week 10.

ADRZ caught a lucky break in Week 11 against Cash4Gould, winning a low scoring affair. 78-54. There would be no such luck in Week 12 though as they would fall to long time rival Bear Necessities 104-76. This left them at 9-3 in week 12 - virtually assured of a playoff spot. They'd go on to win in Week 13 against Gridiron Gang 121-98, and again in Week 14 against Forge Flyers 142-96.

In the regular season ADRZ finished 11-3, a career best for Coach Wells. Along with this, he was also handed his first regular season championship, first division championship, and second playoff appearance. But as we all know, for a division champion the season does not finish here.

In Week 15 Coach Wells faced the team he opened the season against, The Dream Team. It was a relatively close affair, seeing Coach Wells advance to their first Corona Bowl 116-88. One more game, against IKNAN, stood between them and hoisting the trophy (an opponent they would come to be very familiar with over the next few years). Corona Bowl VIII wasn't even a contest, with ADRZ delivering another strong performance, wining the game and the LOC trophy to boot.

Coach Wells could have never predicted that he would have reached the highest of heights given the up and downs he had faced in his first few years in the league. Only a few teams in the LOC have ever topped 11 wins. Since, ADRZ has gone on to appear in the next 2 Corona Bowls, solidifying himself as one of the best coaches in the LOC - but it all started in 2015.