All-American Football League (Defunct)

[OhioState49]

i like this idea. it sounds real cool! i cant wait to see the teams!

 

[methomps]

I think the timeframe will be a problem. If they're starting in April, the majority of seniors will not have had graduation yet. Are they going to sit out a year?

Also, April to June is that time when these undrafted players will be trying to make NFL rosters.

 

[AJHawkfan]

I think the timeframe will be a problem. If they're starting in April, the majority of seniors will not have had graduation yet. Are they going to sit out a year?

Also, April to June is that time when these undrafted players will be trying to make NFL rosters.

As far as how to include players at the end of their senior year, I don't know how all those details will be worked out.

I would guess the league is geared toward those players who are not invited to the combine and/or go undrafted. It allows those guys to get back on the field and exhibit their abilities for the NFL teams so that by the time NFL training camps roll around in late July, the teams have a better idea of who to invite to camp.

To me, this is the perfect opportunity for guys like Justin Zwick. Guys who definitely have the ability to play, but have been relegated to backup roles for the majority of their career. Let them come in and play 14 games and see if they really can play or not.

 

[IronBuckI]

I think the timeframe will be a problem. If they're starting in April, the majority of seniors will not have had graduation yet. Are they going to sit out a year?

Also, April to June is that time when these undrafted players will be trying to make NFL rosters.

This year the draft was held April 29 and 30. This league starts their games the second week of April. It looks like this will be a league where players will be one year removed from college. That gives all outgoing seniors a chance to make an NFL squad in their first year out of college.

 

[methomps]

As far as how to include players at the end of their senior year, I don't know how all those details will be worked out.

I would guess the league is geared toward those players who are not invited to the combine and/or go undrafted. It allows those guys to get back on the field and exhibit their abilities for the NFL teams so that by the time NFL training camps roll around in late July, the teams have a better idea of who to invite to camp.

To me, this is the perfect opportunity for guys like Justin Zwick. Guys who definitely have the ability to play, but have been relegated to backup roles for the majority of their career. Let them come in and play 14 games and see if they really can play or not.

From my understanding, most undrafted players sign as free agents in the weeks immediately after the draft, not late July. Teams hold passing camps and minicamps after the draft, and they invite undrafted players to participate (Jason White did this last year, as an example):

May 5th article

NASHVILLE, Tenn. - Jason White is getting another shot at the NFL with the Tennessee Titans.The 2003 Heisman Trophy winner agreed to terms Thursday on a contract with the Titans. The former Oklahoma quarterback wasn’t offered a contract after going through a three-day rookie camp with Kansas City last week.

...



White will be in town for the Titans’ first minicamp workout of the offseason on May 17 with three other undrafted free agent quarterbacks: Shane Boyd of Kentucky, Gino Guidugli of Cincinnati and Marcus Randall of LSU.

The problem is that these camps will be right in the middle of this minor league's season.

This year the draft was held April 29 and 30. This league starts their games the second week of April. It looks like this will be a league where players will be one year removed from college. That gives all outgoing seniors a chance to make an NFL squad in their first year out of college.

Then that isn't the ideal situation for this league. The names won't be as fresh in the minds of the fans, and the top talent will probably still try to do minicamps even after their first year out of the league.

 

[stxbuck]

I don't buy the proximity argument for destroying OSU-especially w/ just a minor league team. Atlanta Falcons-1960s-Georgia and G-Tech do fine, New Orleans Saints-1960s-LSU does fine, Seattle Seahawks-1976-U of Washington did/does fine, even though they stink presently.
Also, the whole eligibility exhaustion/degree requirement will keep a lot of the lazier/less motivated/mercenary attitude players out of this league-MoC will stay w/ the Hitmen.........

 

[Dryden]

One of the things to keep in mind about Cbus and a pro team (even if minor league) is what I call the Minnesota Gopher effect. Simplified it is this:

I don't buy it. Minneapolis, Minnesota was already a pro sports town, the Minneapolis Lakers were the NBA's first dynasty, and different pro-football clubs had been in Minnesota for years. The Lakers moved out in '60, and the Vikings and Twins moved in in '61. Those teams played in Bloomington for two decades though, before the HHH Baggy-Dome was built in the early '80s.

Minnesota (and Michigan State) both ceased to be college football powers when Woody arrived at Ohio State in '51, Ara Parseghian went to Notre Dame in '64, and Bo landed at Michigan in '69. It didn't help matters that the Gophers couldn't get their feet back on the ground after suffering through a string of miserable coaches beginning in '72, including being left high & dry by Lou Holtz in the early '80s, then had to sell an equally miserable off campus facility to recruits.

I think a minor league all Big-Ten alumni team would be a huge success in Columbus, and don't believe for a moment it would impact OSU at all.

 

[IronBuckI]

Then that isn't the ideal situation for this league. The names won't be as fresh in the minds of the fans, and the top talent will probably still try to do minicamps even after their first year out of the league.

Names don't have to be fresh to induce interest in a college town. Training camps don't start until late July, and most teams have mini camps open only for rookies. Having another league that gets second year, or more, guys a chance to showcase what they can do, and still get paid a decent living doing it, cannot be a bad thing for these guys.

 

[methomps]

Names don't have to be fresh to induce interest in a college town. Training camps don't start until late July, and most teams have mini camps open only for rookies. Having another league that gets second year, or more, guys a chance to showcase what they can do, and still get paid a decent living doing it, cannot be a bad thing for these guys.

I'm not saying its a bad thing for anyone. I think it's great. I just think it could be a lot more successful and beneficial if the schedule were at a different time.

 

[msj2487]

sounds pretty cool, hopefully there will be a columbus franchise, I'd definitley check them out, it would be much better than the Destroyers....

 

[AJHawkfan]

Well, no Columbus......Seems like a very odd choice to me.

http://www.usatoday.com/sports/college/football/2006-07-27-notes_x.htm

Purdue will host team in pro league

Posted 7/27/2006 2:52 AM ET
By Jack Carey and Mark Alesia, USA TODAY

Purdue's Ross-Ade Stadium will be host to one of eight teams in a new football league trying to capture a college-oriented fan base during an April-to-July season.

The All American Football League, scheduled to start play next spring, will be a professional, for-profit league, but it will use only players who have graduated from college and exhausted their NCAA eligibility.

A group of former college officials led by Cedric Dempsey, predecessor to Myles Brand as NCAA president, announced the league Wednesday in New York.

The sites involved were described only as college or bowl facilities, but Purdue athletics director Morgan Burke confirmed the school's involvement. Burke said Purdue assumes no financial risk and described the arrangement as a "stadium usage agreement." The team will not use school facilities for practice.

"We think the league has value because of the criteria for players and because they'll be playing when the building sits empty," said Burke, who added it's unclear whether the league can find franchise investors. "Right now it's Monopoly money," he said.

There is no up-front guarantee for Purdue, but the league says schools will receive $3 million for rent and be able to keep money from concessions and parking.

Alamodome director Mike Abington said officials with the San Antonio stadium are interested in talking with personnel from the league about using it. "We're familiar with their board (of directors), which is a stellar group," Abington said. "But in terms of any discussions, there have been little or none.

"We are quite interested in learning more. We would think as time marches on, hopefully we'll be in conversation with them."

NFL spokesman Greg Aiello declined to comment on the league. NCAA spokesman Bob Williams said because the league involves players with exhausted eligibility, it's "independent of our concerns."

 

[CrabMan]

All American Football League

Nice concept, might even work. I wouldn't mind having a team in Columbus.

Then again, I enjoyed going to Ohio Glory games so what do I know



Dispatch.com

New league aims to keep college spirit alive
Its teams will be based in Big Ten, ACC, SEC towns
Thursday, July 27, 2006
Andrea Adelson
ASSOCIATED PRESS


NEW YORK — Former NCAA president Cedric Dempsey is ready to give a new pro football league that ol’ college try.

Dempsey and 12 other people from the worlds of sports, education and business have teamed up to form the All American Football League, which is scheduled to start play next spring. The league plans to field eight teams based in college towns, playing in stadiums on campus or nearby.

Though Dempsey declined to say where the teams will play, he said the cities will feature colleges from the Big Ten, the Atlantic Coast Conference and the Southeastern Conference. The league already has stadium usage agreements in place, he said, and now needs to find investors willing to spend between $2 to 3 million to buy franchise rights.

Perhaps the most interesting part of the league: a player must have graduated to participate.

That diploma will guarantee a healthy paycheck. AAFL players will earn about $100,000 per season, Dempsey said, better than minimums offered in the Arena Football League — about $30,000 — and NFL Europe, for example. The league, not teams, will pay the players and coaches to control spending.

Dempsey and the board of directors view the league as a continuation of the college game, hoping fervent fans will support a pro team in their town.

"It was an intriguing idea from the beginning, and I wouldn’t have had an interest in this if it was just another football league," Dempsey said at a news conference yesterday. "But it had such a close tie back to higher education ... and it gives an incentive to finish school."

Unlike the XFL, a spring pro league that failed, the AAFL has no plans to compete with the NFL.

Instead, the AAFL, which will play under college rules, is aiming for a regional audience.

To that end, teams will feature players who have starred in that college town, and from surrounding areas and conferences. The league hopes to sign players who haven’t latched on to an NFL team.

"I don’t think these are going to be people that think of themselves as great football stars, but I think they’re going to be people who enjoy the game, enjoy playing and would like to play a little while as they’re beginning to start their careers," said board member Charles Young, former chancellor at UCLA and president at Florida.

Dempsey said the league has gotten financing from a small group of investors but declined to specify an amount. Another source of money could be a television deal, but only preliminary talks have been held. Tickets to games will cost $30.

"We’re going to have to generate the money to make it work," Dempsey said. "That’s obviously the next step. We’ve had a lot of discussions with potential franchise holders and obviously one issue has been is this really going to happen? This will take it another step."

Among the others committed to the league: James Bailey, former executive vice president of the Browns and Ravens; former ACC commissioner Gene Corrigan; former UCLA athletic director Peter Dalis; former Tennessee defensive back Charles Davis; and former Tennessee and Florida coach Doug Dickey.

The idea for the league started two years ago, and it plans a kickoff in the second week of April, with the first season running about 10 weeks. The group is committed to make it a success — and forming a different niche for football fans.

"We don’t see ourselves as a competitor to the NFL," Bailey said. "They’re going to get the best players, but we think there are plenty of good players who don’t make the NFL that can play good quality football and good exciting football and have connections to their local areas."

 

[Zurp]

The All American Football League, scheduled to start play next spring, will be a professional, for-profit league, but it will use only players who have graduated from college and exhausted their NCAA eligibility.

I think that my only problem is that they'll follow this rule only for as long as it takes for them to find a reason to break it.

"Mr. X caught 55 passes last year, for 600 yards and 10 touchdowns, as a junior. He tried to get into the NFL early, but was undrafted. Let's let him in the minor league to see if he can make it to the NFL."

"Mr. Y decided that he'd follow in MoC's shoes and sue the NFL after only 2 years out of high school. He lost. The guy is a stud, though, and he's going to be HUGE in the NFL, one day. Let's let him play in our minor leagues. We aren't making money, anyway."

"Mr. Z is a kicker from Europe. He couldn't make it into the big leagues in soccer, so he figured he'd join the NFL. He can kick 65 yard field goals with ease. He's going to have a long career in the NFL. The problem is that he's 18 and hasn't graduated high school. Let's let him play in the minor leagues for 3-4 years and then they'll probably let him in the NFL."

I think that they really want to follow that rule. But they'll be ready to break that rule the moment that they think it will help them.

 

[methomps]

According to this article, they're hoping to get alumni and support groups to buy ownership in the teams. IMO, this has the potential to welcome some NCAA violations with recruits being pitched this:

"Come play for us, and if things don't work out with the NFL, you'll know you'll have a $100,000 a year fallback option playing football for our AAFL team."

 

[ScriptOhio]

Re: "You won't, however, see the dregs of college football (see: the Maurice Clarett's of the world) roaming the sidelines. Remember: No degree, no play."

Coming to a campus near you: the All-American Football League
July 27, 2006


The All-American Football League is coming to a college campus near you next spring. Don't laugh, this thing may just work.
Former NCAA president Cedric Dempsey is the director of the AAFL, a professional league whose only player requirement is a college degree. Those with it can play, those without -- please proceed to the Arena League.
Here's where it gets interesting: The eight-team league will have an average player salary of $100,000. The Arena League average is about $30,000. In other words, there's more incentive to earn your degree.
I like it. I mean, I flat-out like it.
Now we're still a long way from multiple investors forking over a $2-3 million franchise fee, but let's dream, shall we? Imagine if we could've watched Eric Crouch play a few more years. Or Casey Clausen, or any other former college star who couldn't quite make it in the NFL because he doesn't fit the computer mold. You won't, however, see the dregs of college football (see: the Maurice Clarett's of the world) roaming the sidelines.
Remember: No degree, no play. This league won't compete with the NFL; it'll be another minor league. The teams will play at college campuses, with the initial targets in SEC, ACC and Big Ten territories. At the very least, it will be more interesting and a better sell to investors because it will play under college rules in a college setting -- not some funky setup in an arena or in Europe.
http://www.sportingnews.com/yourturn/viewtopic.php?t=112053