Empire Football League

  

AFA Announces Hall of Fame - "Class of 2014" The AFA's Hall of Fame selection committee has completed its annual task of reviewing personal profiles of qualified individuals nominated for induction into the Semi-Pro/Minor League Football Hall of Fame as the "Class of 2014".   Information submitted by HOF alumni and subsequent review by the selection committee resulted in the selection of 18 people for enshrinement this year. National Media Release:  http://www.prweb.com/releases/2014/05/prweb11855978.htm    Just click the form below to make a donation/become a sponsor.. http://www.americanfootballassn.com/forms/sponsorship-form.pdf       2014 AFA Sponsor Listing - click here     The Induction Dinner will be well attended and will probably sell out again this year. To order dinner tickets click  2014 Hall of Fame Banquet. http://events.r20.constantcontact.com/register/event?llr=wxx5mvcab&oeidk=a07e9a6qe8c467ad5f8&condition=SO_OVERRIDE   Note: The 2014 AFA Hall of Fame Inductions are scheduled to be held June 26th - 27th (same date annually) and at the same location as last year, the Pro Football HoF.    Gone But Not Forgotten, L.T. Bonner AFA Hall of Fame Class of 1992 L.T. Bonner, sports official, 1932-2014. In a career that spanned four decades, L.T. Bonner officiated athletic contests at every level, from youth via experienced, in sports from football to wrestling.A 1999 Tribune post noted that he was 1 of only 3 officials in Illinois licensed by the Illinois......... http://www.dailynewsen.com/local/lt-bonner-sports-official-1932-2014-h2486776.html    AFA Announces SaveAround Discount Coupons - What is SaveAround? Every day SaveAround presents you with the very best savings at fine establishments in your area. We're able to do this by guaranteeing participating merchants a minimum number of customers. Your purchase is combined with others and the resulting volume purchase is a form of "mutual funding". Every active AFA Alumni will receive an AFA branded coupon as part of their fulfillment package.         AFA Announces Monthly Semipro Football Trivia Contest - The provider of the first correct response via email will receive a gift from the American Football Association.   #8) We joined the NFL together to do the same thing for football as a teammate did for baseball after World War II. We all played  for two minor professional leagues on the West Coast; the Hollywood Bears of the Pacific Coast Pro Football League in 1940, 1941, and 1945 and for the San Francisco Clippers of the American Football League in 1944. Correct Answer: Woody Strode and Ken Washington    #9) I am a well known sports writer who worked for SPORTS ILLUTRATED and ESPN. I played in the minors for the Lake County Rifles. I was paid $25 a game and a six pack of Meister Brau Beer. Who am I?  Research provided by AFA Historian, Steve Brainerd     New Weekly Feature: Semipro Football History Articles By Steven M. Brainerd, AFA Historian It's A Minor Thing Rivals - One of the best things a minor league football can do is develop a strong rivalry with someone, but that is hard to do as most teams come and go after only a few seasons. It can do a lot for. The Binghamton Jets and Scranton Eagles have engaged in many games since 1971. Thru 1981, the two clubs split 28 games even. To the end of the competition. In 2002, the Eagles won 11 and lost only 4. This would include an eight games Eagle winning streak. The start of the series in 1971 proved too tremendous at the gate. The first game in Binghamton drew 8,000, the rematch in Scranton drew in excess of 12,000. The rubber game was Empire League championship in Scranton drew 11,000.    Correction via Chick Rader 4/21:  The sequence is wrong, but thank you for recognizing the Jets - Eagles rivalry.  This rivalry started when Ray Stanton, who formed the Tri-City Jets, and competed in the Empire Football League, met with John Rogan from the Scranton area about forming a team and joining the league.  John brought the idea to me and together we formed the Lackawanna County Eagles and joined the Empire Football League for the 1971 season. The L.C. Eagles hosted the Tri-City Jets in Scranton for their first meeting and beat the Jets, snapping their 60+ games winning streak before 12,000+ fans.  The 2nd game was played in Binghamton where the Jets beat the Eagles.  Since both teams finished the league with one loss, the championship game was held in Scranton, decided by a flip of a coin, and the L.C. Eagles beat the Jets for the Empire Football League championship and again sold out the stadium with 12,000+ fans. It's interesting to note that on that same night, Scranton hosted a world championship fight at the Scranton Armory about one mile away from Scranton Memorial Stadium and both events drew capacity crowds. Chick Rader    More Corrections via Chick Rader 4/29 Steve:  Mr. Rader did not "misremember" the sequence of the Eagles/Jets games in 1971.  The sequence was Jets at Eagles September 25, Eagles won 35-26; Eagles at Jets October 9, Jets won 40-20; Championship game at Scranton Memorial Stadium October 30, Eagles won 26-13. Send me a fax number and I will send you the proof.  One of the conditions John Rogan and I insisted on when negotiating with the Empire Football League was that if we joined, we would not play Binghamton until the second half of the season and the first game would be in Scranton.  The Jets winning streak was 20, not 60 - which was a typo by my assistant who sends out my emails. Regards,  Chick

It's Now Official - the American Football Association Now Offers AFLAC - AFA members now have discounted rates for Aflac benefits available to them.  This plan is perfect for football players needing accident coverage. There are also special opportunities for billing where AFA team owners can pay premiums for their players. Please contact Amy Peters @ 518-331-1309 or email  amy_peters@us.aflac.com for inquiries and application...AFLAC Brochure (click here)

The AFA's Online Auction Now Open!  - The online portion of AFA Monthly Auction is now open. The auction will run from monthly leading up to our live auction at June's Hall of Fame Induction Ceremonies. Proceeds go to American Football Association in order to support annual Hall of Fame Inductions. Auction items range from exotic vacation getaways to donated items guaranteed to delight and surprise. So, tell your friends, family, community. Now is your chance to not only get all the great items you want, but to do it knowing you are helping support our organization and mission. Just click: AFA Online Auction....Just click: 
http://www.biddingforgood.com/AFAWeeklyAuction

The American Football Association Partners with MultiView - The American Football Association is pleased to announce a new opportunity for you - the chance to advertise your company's products and services directly on the AFA website. If you have any questions or are interested in learning more about how to feature your company on the AFA websites, please call Jon Smith, Display Advertising Manager, at 972-402-7023. 

Dave Burch (SCORE Mentor)

American Football Association Hall of Fame - We continue to get phone calls about rings and requests from folks confused about membership in the AFA's Hall of Fame. It appears that after 34 years, a few folks still do not understand the AFA's Hall of Fame membership process. As a result, we have edited and published a more readable copy of our prerequisites and inductees from day one at American Football Association Hall of Fame Listing. By the way, we do NOT process hall of fame ring orders; our supplier does that for us!

Wilson NFL Footballs... New Wilson Footballs are now in stock. The price is $65/ball or $390 per case for new balls plus $20 shipping and handling for a total of $410 per case of six...to download form, click Wilson NFL Footballs.