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Description
This image is part of a large project in which I am attempting to write the entire history of a fictional football league, the American Football Association, from its founding at the end of World War II through today and beyond.

The progression of the entire league, as well as season standings and a written history can be found at boards.sportslogos.net/topic/9…
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Over the 1966 offseason, news leaked from the league office that the Richmond Royals had filed to relocate to Baltimore, and that Washington Wasps owner Keith Elias had waved his territorial right to block the move. Elias, who was an old friend of the King family, evidently viewed the move as an even trade. He assumed that any support that he lost to the Royals in Maryland, he would gain in Virginia. To help shore up support for the Wasps in the state, he announced that the Wasps would begin playing one game each year in Richmond, in the old Royals stadium (which was still owned by the King family).

The move would be effective immediately, with the Royals sharing Victory Stadium with the Baltimore Bishops baseball team.

1967 also saw the addition of the Miami Suns and Texas Stallions to the AFA. The two teams took very different tactics in building their rosters. Miami, after hiring Detroit offensive coordinator Lucky Patterson as their head coach, attempted to put together a small, fast, offensive team.

Texas, on the other hand, chose Victor Szczepanski, who had been head coach of the 1949 Pittsburgh Miners when the team won their first championship. Since then, Szczepanski had failed head coaching stints in Washington and Houston. He had retired as defensive coordinator in New York in 1965, after coming to the conclusion that he would never receive another head coaching position. There was no doubt that Szczepanski could build a powerhouse defense, but he was criticized for not understanding modern offensive football, still preferring the Wing offense that had been dead since the early 1950s. Where the Suns went for speed, the Stallions went for power, and had the heaviest team in the league in 1967.

The other team that saw major changes was the New Orleans Krewe. Realizing that he had an aging squad that was good enough to ensure a medium place in the draft order, but not good enough to compete for a championship, owner Dwayne Carp traded off virtually all of his big name players. Most notably, quarterback Woody Woods was sent to Seattle for a second round pick, and former two-time MVP defensive end Mosiah Lynch was sent to Buffalo for a third and fourth round pick. The end result was a team virtually without veteran leadership, but with 10 draft picks in the first five rounds in the 1968 draft.

The 1967 season was one of the most even years that the AFA had ever seen. Two of the five divisions titles were resolved by tiebreakers, and in only one did the second-place team finish more than a single game behind the division champion. The season saw a number of surprising results, with four teams winning their first division title of the 1960s: San Francisco and New York won their divisions for the first time since 1956, Washington since 1957, and Cleveland since 1959. The only division champion to repeat was St. Louis (and technically they didn’t even do that—they had moved to the Central Division between 1966 and 1967).

Houston, Pittsburgh, and Philadelphia won the wildcard spots. Significantly, Detroit missed the playoffs for the first time of the decade, finally ending their run of consecutive championship appearances at 7, and ending their dream of hosting the title game in their own stadium. Similarly, Colorado, the 1965 AFA Champions, missed the playoffs for only the second time in team history after an injury-plagued campaign. Both powerhouses face serious questions moving forward with several key players in their mid-30s and/or coming off of serious injuries. Many wonder if either team will ever be able to return to form.

In the quarterfinals, all four home teams won. St. Louis and New York (first and fourth seeds) comfortably defeated Cleveland and Pittsburgh, respectively. Washington fought off a late comeback attempt by Philadelphia, while Houston managed a 6-3 victory over San Francisco in what was almost indisputably the worst playoff game in AFA history. Pittsburgh Miners coach Gus Koch later joked that both teams played so poorly that neither of them should truly have been considered a winner, and that the Miners should have been allowed to advance to the Semifinals.

Houston’s poor play continued into the semifinals, where they were crushed by the Aces 27-3 in St. Louis. The other semifinal game was an absolute thriller, with each of the 9 scores resulting in a lead change. In the end, the Wasps were able to secure a 27-24 with 10 unanswered points in the fourth quarter. This was Washington’s first championship appearance, St. Louis’s first since 1953. It would also be the first championship game to be played in a Dome, Detroit’s Michigan Domed Stadium.

The championship game featured St. Louis’s potent offense, led by young quarterback Maximus Daniels, against Washington’s suffocating defense and clock-chewing ground attack. In the end, it was not an especially exciting game. Washington scored first, and never looked back on their way to a 23-14 victory. The player of the game was Washington cornerback Sylvester Pool, who effectively shut out Aces star receiver James Cone, allowing only two receptions for 23 yards and a touchdown, while picking up three interceptions.

Description
This image is part of a large project in which I am attempting to write the entire history of a fictional football league, the American Football Association, from its founding at the end of World War II through today and beyond.

The progression of the entire league, as well as season standings and a written history can be found at boards.sportslogos.net/topic/9…
--------------

Over the 1966 offseason, news leaked from the league office that the Richmond Royals had filed to relocate to Baltimore, and that Washington Wasps owner Keith Elias had waved his territorial right to block the move. Elias, who was an old friend of the King family, evidently viewed the move as an even trade. He assumed that any support that he lost to the Royals in Maryland, he would gain in Virginia. To help shore up support for the Wasps in the state, he announced that the Wasps would begin playing one game each year in Richmond, in the old Royals stadium (which was still owned by the King family).

The move would be effective immediately, with the Royals sharing Victory Stadium with the Baltimore Bishops baseball team.

1967 also saw the addition of the Miami Suns and Texas Stallions to the AFA. The two teams took very different tactics in building their rosters. Miami, after hiring Detroit offensive coordinator Lucky Patterson as their head coach, attempted to put together a small, fast, offensive team.

Texas, on the other hand, chose Victor Szczepanski, who had been head coach of the 1949 Pittsburgh Miners when the team won their first championship. Since then, Szczepanski had failed head coaching stints in Washington and Houston. He had retired as defensive coordinator in New York in 1965, after coming to the conclusion that he would never receive another head coaching position. There was no doubt that Szczepanski could build a powerhouse defense, but he was criticized for not understanding modern offensive football, still preferring the Wing offense that had been dead since the early 1950s. Where the Suns went for speed, the Stallions went for power, and had the heaviest team in the league in 1967.

The other team that saw major changes was the New Orleans Krewe. Realizing that he had an aging squad that was good enough to ensure a medium place in the draft order, but not good enough to compete for a championship, owner Dwayne Carp traded off virtually all of his big name players. Most notably, quarterback Woody Woods was sent to Seattle for a second round pick, and former two-time MVP defensive end Mosiah Lynch was sent to Buffalo for a third and fourth round pick. The end result was a team virtually without veteran leadership, but with 10 draft picks in the first five rounds in the 1968 draft.

The 1967 season was one of the most even years that the AFA had ever seen. Two of the five divisions titles were resolved by tiebreakers, and in only one did the second-place team finish more than a single game behind the division champion. The season saw a number of surprising results, with four teams winning their first division title of the 1960s: San Francisco and New York won their divisions for the first time since 1956, Washington since 1957, and Cleveland since 1959. The only division champion to repeat was St. Louis (and technically they didn’t even do that—they had moved to the Central Division between 1966 and 1967).

Houston, Pittsburgh, and Philadelphia won the wildcard spots. Significantly, Detroit missed the playoffs for the first time of the decade, finally ending their run of consecutive championship appearances at 7, and ending their dream of hosting the title game in their own stadium. Similarly, Colorado, the 1965 AFA Champions, missed the playoffs for only the second time in team history after an injury-plagued campaign. Both powerhouses face serious questions moving forward with several key players in their mid-30s and/or coming off of serious injuries. Many wonder if either team will ever be able to return to form.

In the quarterfinals, all four home teams won. St. Louis and New York (first and fourth seeds) comfortably defeated Cleveland and Pittsburgh, respectively. Washington fought off a late comeback attempt by Philadelphia, while Houston managed a 6-3 victory over San Francisco in what was almost indisputably the worst playoff game in AFA history. Pittsburgh Miners coach Gus Koch later joked that both teams played so poorly that neither of them should truly have been considered a winner, and that the Miners should have been allowed to advance to the Semifinals.

Houston’s poor play continued into the semifinals, where they were crushed by the Aces 27-3 in St. Louis. The other semifinal game was an absolute thriller, with each of the 9 scores resulting in a lead change. In the end, the Wasps were able to secure a 27-24 with 10 unanswered points in the fourth quarter. This was Washington’s first championship appearance, St. Louis’s first since 1953. It would also be the first championship game to be played in a Dome, Detroit’s Michigan Domed Stadium.

The championship game featured St. Louis’s potent offense, led by young quarterback Maximus Daniels, against Washington’s suffocating defense and clock-chewing ground attack. In the end, it was not an especially exciting game. Washington scored first, and never looked back on their way to a 23-14 victory. The player of the game was Washington cornerback Sylvester Pool, who effectively shut out Aces star receiver James Cone, allowing only two receptions for 23 yards and a touchdown, while picking up three interceptions.