As the ISFL enters it’s 25th season we turn our eyes back and take a look at the league's history. The following list consists of a short description of the 24 previous ISFL seasons including any notable events or milestones I come across. The list will also include the Ultimus winner of that season, the season's MVP, and the regular season champions. (Part 1 will cover seasons 1-12. Seasons 13-24 will be covered in part 2)
S1: The ISFL is officially formed although it goes by the title of NSFL. The league consists of 6 teams divided into 2 divisions. In the NSFC the Colorado Yeti, Yellowknife Wraiths, and Baltimore Hawks vie for dominance. Meanwhile in the ASFC the Arizona Outlaws, Orange County Otters, and San Jose SaberCats jockey for the pole position. The Arizona Outlaws finish the season with the best record of 9-5. They ride that momentum all the way to the league's first Ultimus Bowl where they defeat the Colorado Yeti 29-6. At the award ceremonies Wraiths running back Bubba Nuck takes home the MVP trophy with an outstanding 1,217 rushing yards outpacing his nearest peer by more than 200 yards.
S2: The NSFL’s sophomore season sees the addition of two more teams to the league.The Las Vegas Legion and the Philadelphia Liberty. Both expansion teams finish in last place of their respective divisions. In the NSFC The 3 founding teams all tie with an 8-6 record meanwhile in theASFC the Arizona Outlaws close out the season with an impressive 6 game winning streak finishing with an outstanding 12-2 record. The Outlaws win their second consecutive Ultimus title on the back of this year’s MVP. Defensive End Jayce Tuck was the season leader in both sacks and tackles for loss with 23 and 19 respectively, plus 1 safety for good measure.
S3: Jayce Tuck and the rest of the Outlaws are back again. The Outlaws somehow improve on last season with a 13-1 record en route to completing their 3-peat and establishing the league’s first dynasty. Jayce Tuck wins the MVP award again with 87 tackles, 15 TFLs, and a league leading 32 Sacks. Finally the Baltimore Hawks set a record by being the first team to score more than 6 points against the Arizona Outlaws in the Ultimus. They score 12. The Outlaws score 49.
S4: The Outlaws continue their reign of terror over the rest of the league finishing the regular season 12-2 wrapping up the season with an 8 game winning streak where they score no less than 20 points each game. However in the ASFC finals the Orange County Otters upset the usurping their position as the league's next Ultimus champions. Otter's quarterback Mike Boss is rewarded for his efforts with his first MVP trophy.
S5: The Otters complete their usurpation of the Arizona Outlaws who have their worst season to date finishing 8-6. The Otters meanwhile are regular season champions with an 11-3 record. The Otters rematch with the Yellowknife Wraiths in the Ultimus and in a 15-26 game the Otters win their second title. As for the MVP award in a league first the award is split between Otters QB Mike Boss and Wraiths RB Eric Kennedy.
S6: There is a new challenger in the ASFC. The Las Vegas Legion is gone and in their place stands the New Orleans Second Line. The Otters continue to lord over the rest of the league but they find a worthy rival in the San Jose SaberCats. The two teams tie in the standings with an 11-3 record. In the playoffs the Otters barely fend off the SaberCats in a tense 32-29 victory. The Otters go on to win their third Ultimus against the Philadelphia Liberty and Mike Boss wins his third consecutive MVP title in the process. (Also the Colorado Yeti becomes the first ISFL team to go 0-14)
S7: The Otters continue to dominate. Their 12-2 record puts them a full 7 wins above their nearest division rival and yet they are not the regular season champions. That honor goes to the 13-1 Yellowknife Wraiths. Despite having the best record and the league MVP in quarterback Mat Akselsen the Wraiths are bested in the playoffs by the Philadelphia Liberty who go on to bring an end to the Orange County Otters Dynasty and become the first NSFC team to win an Ultimus. (The Yeti have again gone 0-14. Their last was 30 games ago)
S8: After the disappointment that was last year the Yellowknife Wraiths return with a vengeance. And lead the league with an 11-3 record. A new potential dynasty has risen in the ASFC in the form of the New Orleans Second Line led by their MVP winning Running Back Darren Smallwood. The Wraiths however would not be denied as they steamrolled the Second Line 24-13. (Last Yeti update: Yetis recovered and went a respectable 6-8. Progress)
S9: If last year was the Wraiths revenge tour then this year is the Second Line revenge tour. With a league leading 12-2 record the Second Line tolerated no challengers. At the Ultimus Bowl in the Meme Coliseum in New Orleans the Second Line crushed the Baltimore Hawks 37-24. Finally Carlito Crush of the Orange County Otters became the first wide receiver to win the MVP award leading the league in almost every category.
S10: The Philadelphia Liberty becomes the second team in league history to have a winless season. On the opposite side of the standings the Second Line return to the Ultimus for a third consecutive year with an 11-3 record. Good enough for second place. First place goes to the Baltimore Hawks with a 13-1 record. For the third consecutive year the Ultimus is won by the team that lost it the previous year as the Hawks defeat the Second Line 29-23. As a sort of consolation prize New Orleans QB Borkus Maximus III is crowned league MVP.
S11: After over a decade of existence the NSFL has fallen into a pattern, for the third consecutive year the division leaders are the Baltimore Hawks at 9-5 and The New Orleans Second Line at 11-3. Also for the third consecutive year these two teams face off in the Ultimus finals. With both teams sitting at 1-1 against each other in the Ultimus there is a lot on the line for these two division rivals. These two teams played like the fierce competitors that they are in one of the most exciting Ultimus Bowls in league history. This game has set multiple records that still stand at the time of this writing: Most total points scored with 78 points between the two teams and the first and currently only game in Ultimus history to go into overtime. In the end New Orleans won the game 42-36 in OT. One final anomaly the MVP winner did not come from either of the two Ultimus participants. Instead it was awarded to Colorado Yeti wide receiver Howard Miller.
S12: The Final season we will cover today. The Baltimore Hawks return to the Ultimus for the sixth time. At this point they have participated in half of all Ultimus games. The Second Line however has completely collapsed finishing with a 4-10 record. The Hawks instead face off with this year’s regular season champions the 11-3 Orange County Otters. Led by their MVP winning wide receiver Ricky Adams the Otters win their fourth Ultimus in a 48-24 blowout. This marks the end of one era of ISFL football and the beginning of another. Teams such as the Baltimore Hawks and New Orleans Second Line while still relevant will end up taking a backseat to teams such as the Yellowknife Wraiths and the Orange County Otters.
Hope you enjoyed this retrospective. Keep an eye out for part two.
S1: The ISFL is officially formed although it goes by the title of NSFL. The league consists of 6 teams divided into 2 divisions. In the NSFC the Colorado Yeti, Yellowknife Wraiths, and Baltimore Hawks vie for dominance. Meanwhile in the ASFC the Arizona Outlaws, Orange County Otters, and San Jose SaberCats jockey for the pole position. The Arizona Outlaws finish the season with the best record of 9-5. They ride that momentum all the way to the league's first Ultimus Bowl where they defeat the Colorado Yeti 29-6. At the award ceremonies Wraiths running back Bubba Nuck takes home the MVP trophy with an outstanding 1,217 rushing yards outpacing his nearest peer by more than 200 yards.
S2: The NSFL’s sophomore season sees the addition of two more teams to the league.The Las Vegas Legion and the Philadelphia Liberty. Both expansion teams finish in last place of their respective divisions. In the NSFC The 3 founding teams all tie with an 8-6 record meanwhile in theASFC the Arizona Outlaws close out the season with an impressive 6 game winning streak finishing with an outstanding 12-2 record. The Outlaws win their second consecutive Ultimus title on the back of this year’s MVP. Defensive End Jayce Tuck was the season leader in both sacks and tackles for loss with 23 and 19 respectively, plus 1 safety for good measure.
S3: Jayce Tuck and the rest of the Outlaws are back again. The Outlaws somehow improve on last season with a 13-1 record en route to completing their 3-peat and establishing the league’s first dynasty. Jayce Tuck wins the MVP award again with 87 tackles, 15 TFLs, and a league leading 32 Sacks. Finally the Baltimore Hawks set a record by being the first team to score more than 6 points against the Arizona Outlaws in the Ultimus. They score 12. The Outlaws score 49.
S4: The Outlaws continue their reign of terror over the rest of the league finishing the regular season 12-2 wrapping up the season with an 8 game winning streak where they score no less than 20 points each game. However in the ASFC finals the Orange County Otters upset the usurping their position as the league's next Ultimus champions. Otter's quarterback Mike Boss is rewarded for his efforts with his first MVP trophy.
S5: The Otters complete their usurpation of the Arizona Outlaws who have their worst season to date finishing 8-6. The Otters meanwhile are regular season champions with an 11-3 record. The Otters rematch with the Yellowknife Wraiths in the Ultimus and in a 15-26 game the Otters win their second title. As for the MVP award in a league first the award is split between Otters QB Mike Boss and Wraiths RB Eric Kennedy.
S6: There is a new challenger in the ASFC. The Las Vegas Legion is gone and in their place stands the New Orleans Second Line. The Otters continue to lord over the rest of the league but they find a worthy rival in the San Jose SaberCats. The two teams tie in the standings with an 11-3 record. In the playoffs the Otters barely fend off the SaberCats in a tense 32-29 victory. The Otters go on to win their third Ultimus against the Philadelphia Liberty and Mike Boss wins his third consecutive MVP title in the process. (Also the Colorado Yeti becomes the first ISFL team to go 0-14)
S7: The Otters continue to dominate. Their 12-2 record puts them a full 7 wins above their nearest division rival and yet they are not the regular season champions. That honor goes to the 13-1 Yellowknife Wraiths. Despite having the best record and the league MVP in quarterback Mat Akselsen the Wraiths are bested in the playoffs by the Philadelphia Liberty who go on to bring an end to the Orange County Otters Dynasty and become the first NSFC team to win an Ultimus. (The Yeti have again gone 0-14. Their last was 30 games ago)
S8: After the disappointment that was last year the Yellowknife Wraiths return with a vengeance. And lead the league with an 11-3 record. A new potential dynasty has risen in the ASFC in the form of the New Orleans Second Line led by their MVP winning Running Back Darren Smallwood. The Wraiths however would not be denied as they steamrolled the Second Line 24-13. (Last Yeti update: Yetis recovered and went a respectable 6-8. Progress)
S9: If last year was the Wraiths revenge tour then this year is the Second Line revenge tour. With a league leading 12-2 record the Second Line tolerated no challengers. At the Ultimus Bowl in the Meme Coliseum in New Orleans the Second Line crushed the Baltimore Hawks 37-24. Finally Carlito Crush of the Orange County Otters became the first wide receiver to win the MVP award leading the league in almost every category.
S10: The Philadelphia Liberty becomes the second team in league history to have a winless season. On the opposite side of the standings the Second Line return to the Ultimus for a third consecutive year with an 11-3 record. Good enough for second place. First place goes to the Baltimore Hawks with a 13-1 record. For the third consecutive year the Ultimus is won by the team that lost it the previous year as the Hawks defeat the Second Line 29-23. As a sort of consolation prize New Orleans QB Borkus Maximus III is crowned league MVP.
S11: After over a decade of existence the NSFL has fallen into a pattern, for the third consecutive year the division leaders are the Baltimore Hawks at 9-5 and The New Orleans Second Line at 11-3. Also for the third consecutive year these two teams face off in the Ultimus finals. With both teams sitting at 1-1 against each other in the Ultimus there is a lot on the line for these two division rivals. These two teams played like the fierce competitors that they are in one of the most exciting Ultimus Bowls in league history. This game has set multiple records that still stand at the time of this writing: Most total points scored with 78 points between the two teams and the first and currently only game in Ultimus history to go into overtime. In the end New Orleans won the game 42-36 in OT. One final anomaly the MVP winner did not come from either of the two Ultimus participants. Instead it was awarded to Colorado Yeti wide receiver Howard Miller.
S12: The Final season we will cover today. The Baltimore Hawks return to the Ultimus for the sixth time. At this point they have participated in half of all Ultimus games. The Second Line however has completely collapsed finishing with a 4-10 record. The Hawks instead face off with this year’s regular season champions the 11-3 Orange County Otters. Led by their MVP winning wide receiver Ricky Adams the Otters win their fourth Ultimus in a 48-24 blowout. This marks the end of one era of ISFL football and the beginning of another. Teams such as the Baltimore Hawks and New Orleans Second Line while still relevant will end up taking a backseat to teams such as the Yellowknife Wraiths and the Orange County Otters.
Hope you enjoyed this retrospective. Keep an eye out for part two.
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