Forge Flyers Hall of Fame nomination

Nominee: 2017 11-3 title season

Coach Leach is one of the 7 founding coaches of the league. His career got off to a good start, going 6-8 and 8-6 in his first two seasons. 2011 would be some what of a third year leap for the coach, going 10-4 winning a regular season title, and appearing in the playoffs for the first time. They’d lose in the first round, but each year Forge Flyers had improved.

The next 2 seasons were ok. In 2012 they went 6-8, by no means a bad season, and in 2013 they went 8-6, again narrowly missing out on playoffs. But this is where the good seasons stopped, for a while. In 2014 Forge Flyers would post a 2-12 record, the tied worst in a season in LOC history. In 2015 it wouldn’t get much better. They went 3-11, a combined 5-23 over 2 seasons. 2016 was much improved (by comparison), going 6-8, more wins than they had combined over the previous 2 seasons. However this season was really a tale of what could have been.

2017 would make all that pain and angst well worth it though. It started off with a strong draft. Coach Leach was picking from the 4th spot. They selected LeSean McCoy in the first round, Todd Gurley in the second, and Leonard Fournette in the third. These 3 would form a strong foundation for the team all season long. They also added contributors in Larry Fitzgerald, Marcus Mariota and Ben Roethlisberger.

Week 1 got off with a bang. Facing Gridiron Gang, they won 105-79 on the backs of their 3 running backs. Through weeks 1-9, they would only lose 1 game, going 8-1. From weeks 10-12 they would have a bit of a blip, going 1-2, but would then precede to win out, going 11-3, good for a regular season title.

In the first round of the playoffs Forge Flyers faced Gridiron Gang. Coach Leach made some bold decisions, and some crucial additions. He was starting Blake Bortles, Marquise Goodwin, Rick Seals-Jones, and Kenyan Drake. 3 of those players would prove crucial in Forge Flyers first ever playoff victory, to the tune of 157-106. Bortles got 31, Goodwin 12.4, and Drake 17.3. Combined this with the 21.6 points from McCoy and a whopping 42 from Gurley, Forge Flyers was going to their first ever Corona Bowl.

When you get to the title game, it’s easy to shy away and play it safe. You want to win the game, but at the same time you don’t want to lose it. Perhaps those years of pain served Coach Leach well, as he was coaching like a coach that had nothing to lose. He doubled down with his starting of Blake Bortles and Kenyan Drake, as well as bringing Mike Wallace and Antonio Gates in. Once again, these paid off. Bortles got 26, Wallace 6, Drake 6 and Gates 14. McCoy chipped in another 15, Fitzgerald got 19 too. But once again, Gurley stepped up with another 40 points. Forge Flyers won their first title 136-77.

After all the agony of the years before, being a middling LOC team for so long, Coach Leach finally broke the barrier and won the title in impressive fashion, leaving 2 founding teams left without a title. In this magical year, Coach Leach lead his side to 11-3, a regular season championship, a Corona Bowl IX victory, and posted the highest scoring week of the season with 157. A large part of this success was due to the second round pick Todd Gurley, who had those 2 incredible playoff weeks, but was also the RB1 in scoring in 2017. A truly great season worthy of a hall of fame nomination.

Cash4Gould Hall of Fame nomination

Nominee: first draft pick in team history, Ezekiel Elliott, number 2 overall, 2016

The league got its newest member in 2016, Coach Gardner. A new, avid NFL fan, Coach Gardner decided to take on the task of being a fantasy coach, and became the head coach of Cash4Gould. Many of the other teams in the LOC had been there for years, and joining this experienced group and having success straight away would be a tough ask.

One way to aid in that task would be by having a good draft. And they wouldn’t have to wait long before they faced that task, as they owned the 2nd overall pick in the draft. The Brady Bunch had just selected Antonio Brown, so Coach Gardner had a lot to choose from. Rather surprisingly, Coach Gardner opted to take Ezekiel Elliott, the dynamic rookie out of Ohio Stats who now played for the Cowboys, ahead of other players such as Davis Johnson, Todd Gurley, Adrian Peterson, and Odell Beckham Jr.

On draft day, this was viewed as a slight reach. Not a big one, he was certainly expected to go no later than pick 8 in the first round, but you never quite know what you’re going to get when you take a rookie, so there was some risk with this pick. The risk dissipated quickly, though. What Elliott had on his side is that, apart from being a talented running back, he got to run behind one of the best offensive lines in the NFL, and there was a competent rookie QB in Dak Prescott running the show in Dallas.

In Week 1, Coach Gardner won their very first career game, facing experienced coach Phil Merritt. They won 108-93, with a solid if unspectacular 11.2 points from Elliott. In Week 2 they’d lose, but Elliott still had a solid showing with 12.7. Week 3 they’d pick up a win 116-88 over Forge Flyers, with a good 16 point performance from Elliott. But Week 4 was the coming out party. Cash4Gould squeaked our a narrow 75-72 victory over Bear Necessities, but this was lead by Elliott with a 21.7 point performance.

The next week, he scored 29. Cash4Gould would lose this game, but it was clear Coach Gardner had smashed the Elliott pick. In Week 10 Elliott would score a stunning 38.9 points, leading Cash4Gould to another narrow victory over a Bear Necessities. 127-125. At this point they were 4-6, they had a chance at playoffs in their very first season, largely due to Ezekiel Elliott.

Week 12 Elliott showed up big once more, delivering 24 points en route to a 89-74 point victory over The Tuckfards. This left Cash4Gould at 6-6, with a chance at playoffs. They’d win again in Week 13, 86-84 over Burdettinators, with 16.5 points coming from Elliott. They would win again in Week 14, in a low scoring affair, 67-62, with 10.7 points coming from Elliott.

Cash4Gould would finish as the 5th seed, narrowly missing out on playoffs due to slightly less points than its counterparts. But for a rookie coach in the LOC, this goes down as an unqualified success. A large part of that was Ezekiel Elliott, that risky 2nd overall pick that went on to post 293.4 points over the course of the season. As far as the first pick of your career goes, I’d say this is a pretty good one.

Tom's Tyrants Hall of Fame nomination

Nominee: Weeks 13 & 14 in their 2014 season - the two highest scoring weeks in history to date

Without delving too much into the context around these 2 games (because really, these 2 games are part of a stretch of games that are hall of fame worthy also), some context needs to be defined to understand the importance and impressiveness of these two weeks.

It was the 2014 season. A few years removed from Coach Barnes’s 2011 title season. In 2012 Tom’s Tyrant became only the second team to have a 13-1 regular season, only to go out in the first round of the playoffs. 2013 saw a bit of a dip, with an ok 6-8 season that ended without playoffs. Despite that, Coach Barnes had really come into his own as a head coach.

But at the start of 2014, you would have been forgiven for thinking the coach has lost his touch. Despite starting 2-1, come week 8 the coach would be staring 2-5 in the face, and the likely prospect of missing playoffs. But the coach got the teams act together, and they would win all but one game from weeks 8 to 12, putting them firmly back in the playoff race.

However, sitting at 6-6, their bid for playoffs was far from over. They were the 6th seed, behind 8-4 Gridiron Gang and 7-5 Burdettinators. They would need a miracle to make the playoffs. What happened next, is just that.

In Week 13 they faced the 9-3 Tuckfards, who had already won the NFC division. This would be a tough test, and Tom’s Tyrants could not afford to lose. But Tom’s Tyrants more than rose to the occasion. In what is still a record today, Coach Barnes lead the side to 205.88 points, not only the highest weekly score in LOC history, but the ONLY score to ever top 200 points. What got them there was Drew Brees (40.28), Le’Veon Bell (31.4), C.J. Anderson (24.5), T.Y. Hilton (12.2), Tre Mason (34.4), and the Rams defence (36). It’s safe to say Tom’s Tyrants won the game, despite their opponent scoring over 120, and their hopes were still alive.

In Week 14, Tom’s Tyrants were still the 6th seed with a 7-5 record. Burdettinators had won and moved to 8-5, but Gridiron Gang lost and fell to 8-5. The 4th seed was still up for grabs, but IKNAN was also in the hunt at 7-5. The advantage Coach Barnes had was a superior point total, due to that timely 200 point game. All he needed was a win, a Gridiron Gang loss and a Burdettinators loss, and the 4th seed was theirs.

For the second week in a row, it would not be easy. Tom’s Tyrants faced The Dream Team, who had already locked up the third seed with a 9-4 record - but they lost their last 2, so there was a good chance. As it would happen, The Dream Team did have a very good week with 116 points. But Coach Barnes produced another stroke of magic for the second week in a row. Not quite 200, but 198.8 points secured a W,  and due to Gridiron Gang and Burdettinators losses, the final playoff spot. What got them there this time? Drew Brees (14), Le’Veon Bell (41.5), C.J. Anderson (23.8), T.Y. Hilton (25), Rob Gronkowski (14.7), Julio Jones (31.9), Matt Prater (10) and the Rams D (31).

Tom’s Tyrants would go on to win their second title, the only team to win two titles. But it is these 2 weeks, these 2 crucial weeks, which were the epitome of that last gasp playoff run. These two weeks generated the two highest weekly scores in LOC  history, the only game over 200 points, and the only 2 week stretch ever to generate over 400 points. If that’s not hall of fame worthy, I don’t know what is.

The Tuckfards Hall of Fame nomination

Nominee: Jamaal Charles’ Tuckfards career, 2012-2014

Jamaal Charles did not start the 2012 season as a member of The Tuckfards. In fact he was the 2nd round pick of Gridiron Gang, coming off of a season in which he tore his ACL. He was firmly back, however. Come Week 13, Gridiron Gang’s season was over, and The Tuckfards were in the playoff race. Jamaal Charles was traded (along with a 15th round draft pick) for Rashard Mendenhall and a 7th round draft pick (this was before keepers was implemented in the offseason). 

And as they say, the rest was history. In his first game (against none other than Gridiron Gang) he posted 14 points, helping The Tuckfards win 92 - 69. The week after, he upped his game and scored 23 points, again helping secure a 112-89 win for Coach Merritt. These 2 wins proved instrumental in the climax of Coach Merritt’s season, as they finished 9-5 and secured a wild card spot. 

In Week 15 Jamaal Charles posted a barely there 3 points, but The Tuckfards downed Rookie division winner The Dream Team and moved to their first Corona Bowl appearance, Corona Bowl IV, where they faced newcomer Coach Simpson. In this game, Charles most certainly showed up for the occasion, posting 27 points. It wasn’t enough though, as The Tuckfards lost the final 128-98.

In the 2013 season, Coach Merritt elected to keep Charles for a 2nd round pick, a no brained for a first round talent running back. He would prove instrumental in leading The Tuckfards to their career best regular season record of 11-3 and a division title. Coach Merritt owned the second highest scoring team in the league that year, with a whopping 308 points coming from Jamaal Charles. 

In the first round of the playoffs, Jamaal Charles simply exploded. Facing IKNAN, The Tuckfards stunned them to the tune of 161 to 115, with 52 points (yes you read that correctly, 52) coming from Jamaal Charles. Unbelievably, he only had 20 rush yards in that game - but that’s why Jamaal Charles is being nominated, for his true game changing ability.

In the final, Corona Bowl V against long time rival Burdettinators, it was almost destined for Charles to do well again (though obviously not 52 points well). He got The Tuckfards off to a quick start, against a team Coach Merritt had never lost to, and finished off with 20 points. Unfortunately for Coach Merritt, it wasn’t enough, as he lost 162-98 in the final, the second year straight they fell at the final hurdle, and at the time their only ever loss to Coach Burdett.

In 2014 Coach Merritt retained Jamaal Charles, this time for a 1st round pick (due to the pick escalation of the keeper system). It would still be well worth it. The Tuckfards once again won their division, but also won the regular season title with a record of 10-4 and a league high 1661 points. This was buoyed again by Jamaal Charles, with a nice 210 points. 

This season would mark the 5th straight year The Tuckfards appeared in the playoffs, and would be the last season (to date) that they have appeared there. They faced an absolutely white hot Tom’s Tyrants team who had only just scored 205 and 198 points in the 2 weeks prior - with that 205 points coming against Coach Merritt no less. It would be a tough test if Coach Merritt was to make a third straight appearance in the Corona Bowl. 

Jamaal Charles sadly did not deliver a classic in this game, only posting 5.3 points. But he was not alone, as The Tuckfards would only score 82 points in total, losing to the eventual champion Tom’s Tyrants 131-82.

Jamaal Charles was on The Tuckfards 2015 roster - however only in reserve, as he tore his ACL once again and was released by ADRZ who drafted him number 2 over all (the second time ADRZ had drafted him only for him to tear his ACL). In 2016 IKNAN drafted him with the 11th overall pick, but once again he would miss most of the season due to injury. Coincidentally, despite being a first round pick and missing nearly all of every season two years in a row, both ADRZ and IKNAN won the Corona Bowl those years.

In 2017 Jamaal Charles left Kansas for greener pastures, signing for the Denver Broncos, and being drafted by The Southampton Narwhals with the 1st pick of the 15th round. He would remain on Coach Nunn’s roster all season, but only posted 44.5 points.

Jamaal Charles tenure with The Tuckfards was the highlight of his career. He had numerous great appearances for them, and was a huge part of their success from 2012-2014. Unfortunately, he and Coach Merritt couldn’t do quite enough to bring home a title, but he was still a great player, and had a hall of fame career with the team.

Bear Necessities Hall of Fame Nomination

Nominee: 15-1 title season in 2009

Unfortunately for this nomination, the leagues detailed history does not extend back to 2009 - that however does not take away from the impressiveness of this nomination.

Cast your mind back (or if you weren’t part of the league at this time, put on your imagination caps). It was 2009. The league was comprised mostly of secondary schoolers, and all but one member is still in the league. 2 coaches had 2 teams to get us to that magic number of 10. But that doesn’t mean the league wasn’t competitive - in fact, as is the case every year, there was a hot contest for playoff spots.

All teams that is, except Bear Necessities. Given the fact we were all on equal footing, being our first season of fantasy football in its unique format, no one would have expected one team to just dominate the league. But that’s exactly what Bear Necessities did.

Coach Stubbs Sr. Lead Bear Necessities to a then league record 13-1 regular season record (which has only been achieved one other time since). Their only loss came to Gridiron Gang, and no other team reached double digits. It was a dominant year.

But the fun didn’t stop there. They sunk The Tuckfards in the first round (who would themselves go on to make playoffs the next 4 years straight), and faced the Burdettinators in the final, Corona Bowl I. There, the demolition of the league was complete, as Coach Stubbs Sr. Became the first coach to win the league, doing it in the most impressive of ways at 15-1.

To this day, that 15-1 title season is the best season in LOC history, and will likely remain so for some time to come. Some of you might say that these were the early days, the league was easy, it doesn’t mean anything. We’re the Green Bay packers Super Bowls meaningless because they faced a still slightly lagging behind AFC? Were any teams who won the super bowl before the 90s meaningless because free agency didn’t exist then, and teams were able to hold onto their talent without having to worry about salary caps? Of course not. You can only measure a team by the era they play in. And the early days of the LOC still had teams competing, where everyone was on equal footing of fantasy football inexperience. Make no mistake, this 15-1 season was truly impressive, deserves to stand the test of time, and is certainly Hall of fame worthy.

Gridiron Gang Hall of Fame nomination

Nominee: 7 out of 8 wins to clinch playoffs and win Corona Bowl II

In 2009, the leagues inaugural season, Gridiron Gang made the playoffs as a wild card. It was a successful campaign, going 9-4-1, knocking off the title winning Bear Necessities in their only loss of the season. However they went out in the first round of the playoffs to the Burdettinators.

9 months later a new campaign began, and it started out relatively well for Coach Stubbs Jr, finishing the first 5 weeks with a 3-2 record, including 2 wins over would be playoff teams that year, The Tuckfards and Bear Necessities. 117-107 and 101-94 respectively. 

But this is where the rails started to fall off. Gridiron Gang would lose the next 3 games, scoring 74, 93, and 73 across the 3 weeks. This left Coach Stubbs Jr. In a precarious position. Entering week 9 they owned a 3-5 record. With only 6 games to go, and 8 wins usually being the minimum requirement for a chance at playoffs, the pressure to turn it around quickly was on. 

This is where the magical stretch that will be in the history books forever begun. But the start wasn’t pretty. In Week 9 they had a tough match up against fellow playoff hopeful Forge Flyers. The game was not pretty and was a 77-61 slog victory for Gridiron Gang, but it got them the crucial win they needed.

The next week they faced a middling team run by Coach Nunn, but it was anything from an easy game. In one of the narrower games in LOC history, Coach Stubbs Jr. Squeaked out a 105.56-104.10 win, lead by some players you’d expect in LeSean McCoy and good special teams, and some you would not in Mark Sanchez and a late career Chad Ochocinco. 

Back at 5-5, Gridiron Gang were back in the game, but faced a tough Week 11 test against the playoff bound Tuckfards. In a high scoring affair, Coach Merritt dealt a big blow to Gridiron Gang by sinking them 149-137. At 5-6, Coach Stubbs Jr. Didn’t flinch and would not lose a game for the rest of the season. 

In Week 12 Gridiron Gang played another playoff hopeful team, the Burdettinators. It was another close affair in which Coach Stubbs Jr. Took the W 103-96, lead by Tom Brady, Matt Forte, LeSean McCoy, Marques Colston, and Dan Carpenter. At 6-6 with two weeks to go, Gridiron Gang couldn’t afford to lose another game, but faced two playoff teams, including the current champion Bear Necessities in Week 13. They saw them off comfortably 124-76.

Entering week 14, Gridiron Gang had the 4th seed and a tenuous hold on the playoffs. But there were many other teams vying for a playoff spot, so a win was almost essential to ensure a playoff berth. Gridiron Gang faced the Rookie division winning IKNAN so the task would not be easy. But once again led by Tom Brady, LeSean McCoy, Marques Colston, Deion Branch and Malcom Floyd, Gridiron Gang earned a tough fought 113 to 100 victory, and finished with the 3rd seed and a playoff berth. 

Gridiron Gang’s opponent in Week 15, the first week of the playoffs, would be a familiar one. In fact, they had played them the week before, and also in Week 1. They took on rookie division winning IKNAN. But this time the game was far more comfortable, seeing them off with a 98-58 victory. They’d made the Corona Bowl, but would have a decidedly harder test to face.

Corona Bowl II was a family affair. The champion would not leave the Stubbs household, as Coach Stubbs Jr. Took on current champion Coach Stubbs Sr. In a close fought game, Gridiron Gang took the title with a 114-98 victory, lead by once again Tom Brady, Matt Forte, Brandon Marshall, and a classic Coach Stubbs Jr. Contrarian play with Kellen Winslow at tight end, who netted a crucial 22 points. 

Across the course of those 8 weeks, Gridiron Gang won 7 games, played 7 games against teams that finished with a winning record, 5 games of which against playoff teams, scoring less than 97 points only once. This is where Coach Stubbs Jr.’s reputation for knocking off the best teams emerged. Over that magical stretch, he also got creative starting players such as Braylon Edwards, Mark Sanchez, and late career shells such as Kellen Winslow, Deion Branch, Chad Ochocinco, and Jeremy Shockey.

Burdettinators Hall of Fame nomination

Nominee: Peyton Manning, 5th round draft pick, #43 overall, 2013

In 2011, Peyton Manning was a second round pick, 19 overall, and he donned a Dream Team shirt. That season he didn’t score a single point for Coach Nathwani due to a neck surgery that knocked him out for the entire season. Many questioned if Manning would ever play again, let alone if he would be able to play well. 

After 2011, the colts said goodbye to the sherif, as did The Dream Team. Manning left for greener pastures, and joined John Elway, a former super bowl winning QB, in Denver. He was also drafted by Coach Sherwood in the 3rd round, 26th overall. Although a visibly changed Manning, with a weaker arm and a higher reliance on his mind and his accuracy, he delivered on his draft status and promise, returning 362 points which was good for the 5th highest score among QBs in 2012, tossing 35 touchdowns and 4400 yards along the way. However, few would have thought the best was yet to come....

In 2013 Manning remained with Denver, but in the LOC he was on the move again. It was the 5th round, the draft was in full swing. Mike Wallace had just been selected by The Dream Team, and Coach Burdett was on the clock. Moments later the Commissioner announced that Manning would be playing for the Burdettinators in the 2013 season, a pick that was ridiculed greatly by Tuckfards head coach Phil Merritt, who had selected Drew Brees in the 1st round with the 9th overall pick. Aaron Rodgers also went in the 1st at 10, and Cam Newton in the 4th at 39. Manning would go on to outscore all of these players, including the likes of Matt Ryan, Tom Brady, and Russell Wilson who were selected just after him in the 5th round.

In 2013, Manning had the most historic season by a QB ever, both in the NFL and in the LOC. He threw for 5477 yards and 55 TDs, both a single season NFL record. This generated a whopping 520 fantasy points, the highest ever by a player in a single season in the LOC. 

The season started with a bang for Burdettinators, lead by none other than Peyton Manning. Playing the opening game against the current Super Bowl champion Baltimore Ravens, Manning preceded to torch them for 462 yards and 7 TDs, tying an NFL record for touchdowns in a single game. He also torched ADRZ, leading Burdettinators to a 164 to 83 victory. And in case you didn’t already guess, this was the highest weekly score by a team and player in the LOC in 2013.

He didn’t really slow down after that. Manning lead Burdettinators to a joint season high 11-3 record, a regular season championship, a division title, a playoff berth, and the leagues highest scoring team. Coach Burdett also received the coach of the year award. 

The season wasn’t over however, Burdettinators had made it to the playoffs. In the first round they played the 4th seed ADRZ, the team Manning had torched all the way back in Week 1. Burdettinators won the game in convincing fashion 138 to 109 with a team effort - Manning put in a good shift with 22 points, good enough to get them to Corona Bowl V. 

Corona Bowl V was destined to be a classic. Burdettinators faced long time rival Coach Merritt, who they had famously never beaten. The game started with fireworks, as Jamaal Charles got cooking early. But that early jump start for The Tuckfards wouldn’t last long, with Peyton Manning earning 40 points on 400 yards and 4 TDs, leading Burdettinators to a 161 to 97 victory, their first win over The Tuckfards, and a Corona Bowl title. 

Manning was the back bone of this team, and arguably no player has been more important to a team than Manning was to Burdettinators in 2013.