Great & thank you for sharing this. Hard to lose a pillar of the league and want to keep going but it is truly a way to honor your friend. Especially after so many years. Our War Room Lg started in’86 and just like yours we had to use newspaper, Sporting News, USA TODAY to add up stats. Usually took until Wednesday to double check . Had 8 of the original 10 owners or co-owners until the last couple of years.RCogburn wrote: ↑Sat Jul 24, 2021 8:19 am Similar story to Finsfansteve. Our commish started a redrafter in 1987. We would gather at a sports bar that had a boxing ring, with tables in the middle. He would reserve the boxing ring on a Sunday afternoon, close to the start of the NFL season. Way before the internet, so everyone would have those FF magazines that were written sometime in June. I used to get the weekly Sporting News paper, to try and keep up with training camp news, and of course watch Sports Center. TD only league, with bonus for distance, and the commish would scour the Monday paper and figure out the scoring. Had to call him to give him your lineup, find out your opponents lineup, and final scoring. Early 90's he started a dynasty league to go along with the redrafter, but I wasn't too interested at the time. In 96 or 97 he convinced me to take over a team that lost it's owner. Now, two original owner's son's have taken over teams as has my son. Our commish passed away this week after all these years, he was 86. I remember thinking back when we started how old he was, but now I am older than he was when we started. I am now the commish, and have big shoes to fill, but everyone agreed, including his daughter, that he would want the league to continue. He was very proud about how old our league is.
My son who had won 4 of the last 9 years took his life in Nov 2018 . Although the youngest in the lg he was so beloved that the fellas thought maybe it was time to shut down as it would be hard to conduct the draft or have anyone try to take his place. Ultimately it was decided that they would only continue if I his Dad continued his legacy & took over his team. So I did and here we are 35 years later
We started our lg developing our scoring system by piggybacking off our “ROTISSERIE “ baseball lg. It’s the same one we use today. One QB, Two RBs, 3 WRs (no TE position) & One Kicker. Only deviation we did was QBs touchdown passes are only 4 pts. QBs 1pt every 20 yds then everybody 1 pt every 10 yds rushing and receiving. No waivers , we have never changed because we want to reward the team best constructed at the draft. Otherwise you can trade but players not drafted are locked out until the next year’s draft. Kept Shady McCoy as sentimental favorite of my son’s over J. Robinson
Hold draft every year the Sunday before Labor Day. Family plans are no excuse . Submit a list in order or have someone come represent your team. Had 5 of us that never missed a draft in person until my son’s passing . He was a toddler learning the ropes until he was 15 when he took over the reins. Commish nicknamed Brandon as “DAVID SHULA” for getting a Head Coach gig off his Dad’s coattails
Years later in his last draft days he got his revenge by telling the commish if he traded Mahomes to my son Brandon’s team Brandon would give him his personal scouting tips on how to draft & dominate the opponents. Commish admitted in hindsight he should’ve made that trade !
Draft day is like Christmas to a kid as we old farts get together and reminisce about the decades of memories and the ones that slipped away. Only one franchise has never won so we named the trophy after him in our 30th anniversary. Figured that was the only way he’d ever get his name on it
