Memorable Moments
1996
The inaugural season of the Nutmeg Fantasy Football League had
only 6 teams competing
for the first ever league
championship. The league did not begin play until week 2 of the
NFL schedule. The most influential moment of the
inaugural season came on draft day
when the Trumbull
89ers drafted quarterback Brett Favre. Favre's superstar season was
the spark that ignited a three year domination of the league
by the 89ers. The 89ers ran
away with the Huskies
Division crown in '96. The Foxwoods Division, however, was a much
different story. The Swingin' Johnsons and Ruth's
Whining Bears pennant race came
down to the wire.
The Johnsons edged the Bears and captured the Division Title. That
left
the Bears and Staten Islanders tied at 6-6 with
the wild card on the line. The wild card
was
awarded to the Staten Islanders as they had the better head-to-head record
against
the Bears. The Staten Islanders lost in
the opening playoff game to the Swingin' Johnsons.
The
Swingin' Johnsons would go on to play the Trumbull 89ers in the first
ever
Nutmeg Bowl Championship. Little did anyone
know, that this would be the first
of 3 consecutive
playoff meetings between these two teams. The Swingin' Johnsons were
no
match for the 89ers in that game, however, this was
only the beginning. The 89ers captured
the first
of their unprecedented three consecutive league titles.
Nutmeg Bowl I Champions: Trumbull 89ers (runner-up: Swingin' Johnsons)
Chuck Noll MVP Award: Brett
Favre, Trumbull 89ers
Bradshaw Bowl '96 winner:
Huskies Division
Rocky Bleier Comeback Award:
Staten Islanders
1997
The Nutmeg League doubled in size in its second year as it grew
to 12 teams. 1997 will best The 1997 Nutmeg Bowl Championship Game, without a doubt, went
down in history Nutmeg Bowl II Champions: Trumbull 89ers (runner-up: Swingin' Johnsons)
Chuck Noll MVP Award: Brett
Favre, Trumbull 89ers
Bradshaw Bowl '97 winner:
Huskies Conference
Rocky Bleier Comeback Award:
Staten Islanders
1998
12 teams in the league diluted the talent pool on each team,
therefore, the number of teams Nutmeg Bowl III Champions: Trumbull 89ers (runner-up: Long Island Lolitas)
Chuck Noll MVP Award:
(co-recipients) Bradshaw Bowl '98 winner:
Foxwoods Division
Rocky Bleier Comeback Award:
Ruth's Whining Bears
1999
1999 will be remembered for the balance of power being
shifted. The defending 1999 was Ruth's Whining Bears final season in the Nutmeg
Fantasy Football League, Nutmeg Bowl IV Champions:
Jerry's Conspiracy Theories (Runner-up: Ruth's Whining
Bears)
Chuck Noll MVP Award: Kurt
Warner, Jerry's Conspiracy Theories
Bradshaw Bowl '99 winner:
Foxwoods Division
Rocky Bleier Comeback Award:
Ruth's Whining Bears
2000
be remembered for
Nutmeg Bowl II, the greatest game of all times.
As the
size of the league grew, so did the competition. The Trumbull 89ers,
however, were still
the team to beat. The league
format consisted of 4 three team divisions in 2 conferences.
Each division champion would advance to the conference championship
playoff game.
The 89ers met the Rabid Coons in the
Huskies Conference championship in the Coons one
and
only playoff appearance. The Foxwoods Conference championship game
featured
the Swingin' Johnsons and the Plumtree
Pishers. Both the 89ers and Johnsons dominated
their respected games and would meet once again for the league
championship.
The Swingin' Johnsons were not going to
let this championship rematch slip away
as easily as in
1996.
as being the greatest game in Nutmeg
League history, if not all of fantasy football history.
The 89ers and Johnsons were neck and neck all weekend through the
Saturday games,
Sunday games, and Monday night
game. The final score of Nutmeg Bowl II was a
67-67 tie! This was an amazing game as player after player kept
scoring more and
more points. The rule to break
the tie was position player points starting with the
quarterbacks. The 89ers Brett Favre outscored the Johnson's Drew
Bledsoe by less than
5 points, but it was enough to
give the Trumbull 89ers their second consecutive
League
Title. No game has since matched the intensity and competitiveness of the
1997
Championship. This game would still have
been regarded as a great game, but having
a league
championship and cash prize on the line simply made this game one for the
ages.
Nutmeg Bowl II is simply known as the
greatest game of all time!!
was cut down to 8.
1998 had quite a bit to live up to following the excitement of
Nutmeg Bowl II. As the season was winding down, the Swingin'
Johnsons hopes to
win the Foxwoods Division crown for
the third consecutive year wasn't a certainty.
An
expansion team, The Long Island Lolitas, so be known as
Jerry's Conspiracy Theories, were shocking the league with their
improbable season.
The Lolitas weapons were too much
for the Johnsons and the Johnsons were not
able to
retain the Division Title. The Swingin' Johnsons would not go quietly
as
their record was good enough to be awarded the wild
card. The Lolita's finished the
season with such
an amazing record, that they captured the #1 seed, forcing
the defending champions, the 89ers, to play in the first round
playoff. The 89ers
entered that playoff game as
the Huskies Division Champions, but for the first time, were
not the #1 seed entering the playoffs. If the 89ers were to win
their unprecedented third
consecutive League
Championship, they would have to win 2 consecutive games while the
expansion Lolitas were awarded a bye to the championship
game. For the third
straight year, the Trumbull
89ers and Swingin' Johnsons would meet in the playoffs.
Although not as close as their championship game a years prior, the
89ers edged
the Johnson's by less than 10 points to
advance to Nutmeg Bowl III. For the first
time
ever, the Trumbull 89ers were the underdogs heading into a championship
game.
Brett Favre and the 89ers shocked and upset the
upstart Lolitas to claim their third
consecutive League
Championship. The 89ers had staked their claim in history as
winning an unprecedented third straight league
title.
Terrell Davis, Swingin' Johnsons --
Randy Moss, Long Island Lolitas
champion Trumbull 89ers
had little trouble establishing themselves as the
team
to beat in the Huskies Division, but that could not be said league wide.
With
the free agent signing of quarterback Kurt Warner,
Jerry's Conspiracy Theories,
formerly known as the Long
Island Lolitas, quickly became the highest scoring
team
in the league. The Theories, however, did not dominate the Foxwoods
Division as they envisioned. Ruth's Whining Bears
quickly emerged as
a force early in the season behind
the arm of rookie quarterback Payton
Manning. The
Bears not only have never qualified for the playoffs, but their
best record prior to that season was only .500 which was 3 years prior
in the league's
inaugural season. Since 1996, the
Bears had finished in last place with a losing record
every season. The 89ers captured their 4th consecutive Huskies
Division
title. The Foxwoods Division was another
story. The Theories lead the division
all season,
but the Bears were hot on their trail throughout the entire season,
usually
only one game behind. The game between
the Bears and the Theories in the second to
last game
of the season in 1999 was billed as "World War III." The NFFL web
site
counted down to this much anticipated matchup for
weeks prior to the game. The
Theories were able
to defeat the Bears in that pivotal game which clinched the Theories
second consecutive Foxwoods Division Crown as well as their
second consecutive
#1 seed in the playoffs.
Ruth's Bears cinderella season was not over as their
winning record earned them the wild card which gave the Bears
their first ever post season appearance. The wild card
Bears met the Trumbull
89ers in the playoff game with
the winner facing the Theories who had earned a bye
into the championship game. The question remained if the 89ers
could pull out another
miracle run like they did the
previous year winning the playoff game and then win
in
consecutive weeks to knock off the heavily favored Theories. The Trumbull
89ers
phenomenal playoff streak came to an end in 1999
as the Cinderella Bears knocked off
the 3-time
defending Nutmeg Bowl Champion Trumbull 89ers en route to their first
ever Nutmeg Bowl appearance. This was the 89ers first
ever post season defeat
and the first time that the
Niners would not be competing in the Nutmeg Bowl.
The
Bears cinderella season ran out of gas in Nutmeg Bowl IV as
the heavily favored Theories won their first league championship.
The Theories offensive weapons in 1999 were too much for any
team to handle over
the course of a 14 week regular
season. The Theories consistently light up the
scoreboard all season long. Their scoring ability was no match for
any
team that season.
but it goes without saying
that the team went out in style. The team that never had a winning
record or ever made a playoff appearance finally came
alive. The Bears were an
"Original 6" franchise
and the league was sad to see them go. The Bears
Cinderella performance in 1999 is an inspiration to all fantasy football
team owners.
The torch was passed in 2000 from the Trumbull 89ers to Jerry's Conspiracy Theories. Jerry's Conspiracy Theories assured themselves of a second consecutive Nutmeg Bowl title by signing superstar RB Marshall Faulk. In addition to their 1999 pick-up of Kurt Warner, Marshall Faulk added a one two punch that no NFFL could match.
The 2000 season was the first season with the league's brand new revolutionary standings system. The league made strides to eliminate head-to-head matchup and move into a system that rewarded teams based upon points scored. Similar to the standings system in the National Hockey League and Canadian Football League, the teams in the divisions would be ranked each week based on scoring. The first place team was awarded the most season points all the way down the last place team receiving one point.
Even with this new system, Jerry's
Conspiracy Theories continued to dominate the league finishing in first place in
the Foxwoods Division 9 out of 14 weeks. In the first week playoff, the
second year North Branford Kickers ousted the five-time Huskies Division
champion Trumbull 89ers by a single point, 49-48. The Wild Card Kickers
fell to the Theories in Nutmeg Bowl V. The Theories were not only the most
dominant team in the NFFL that year, the 2000 Theories established themselves as
one of the strongest teams in league history.
Nutmeg Bowl V Champions:
Jerry's Conspiracy Theories (Runner-up: Chuck Noll MVP Award: Marshall Faulk, Jerry's Conspiracy Theories
Bradshaw Bowl '00 winner:
Foxwoods Division Rocky Bleier Comeback Award: North Branford
Kickers
2001
The second season with the new standings system proved to be a more accurate
measure than the previous head-to-head system. Following one of the most
dominating seasons in league history, the Theories were not able to carry that
momentum into the new season. Expired contracts of Kurt Warner and
Marshall Faulk proved to be too much of a blow to the franchise as the
back-to-back Nutmeg Bowl champions failed to qualify for the post season.
Replacing the Theories was Atrip's Army. The Army followed a proven plan
by signing 2 former Chuck Noll Award Winners: 1999 MVP Kurt Warner and 2000 MVP
Marshall Faulk. Both players' dominating seasons propelled the Army to
their first ever division crown. Not only would this be the Army's first
division title, it also marked the first time in league history that a team
other than the Trumbull 89ers were entering the playoffs as the Huskies Division
Champions.
Over the Foxwoods Division, the New Hampshire Bombers, a 2001 expansion team,
was making noise in their inaugural season. Donavan McNabb and Ahman Green
lead this expansion team into to the playoffs. Forget Wild Card, the first
year Bombers won the Foxwoods Division title. The North Branford Kickers
returned to the post-season for the second consecutive year as the NFFL Wild
Card. The Wild Card Kickers knocked off the Huskies Division Champions for
the second straight year en route to their second consecutive Nutmeg Bowl
Appearance. The Cinderella season for the Kickers ended prematurely as the
dominating Atrip's Army put up a score that was simply to much for any team to
handle.
Nutmeg Bowl VI Champions: Atrip's Army (Runner-up:
Chuck Noll MVP Award: Marshall Faulk, Atrip's Army
Bradshaw Bowl '01 winner:
Foxwoods Division
Rocky Bleier Comeback Award: Staten Islanders
2002
The Nutmeg League divided into a three division format in
2002 which resulted in two immense division races in the traditional Huskies and
Foxwoods divisions. In the newly formed Harbor Yard division, the
established Citizen Keenes, formerly the New Hampshire Bombers, early dominance
was too much to overcome by the expansion Connecticut Bombers even with their
late season surge. The North Branford Kickers and Jerry's Conspiracy
Theories fought all year for the division title with the Kickers winning out in
the end. Over in the Huskies Division, new blood was emerging. The
Cinderella Staten Islanders and the expansion New York Lobsterheads battled neck
and neck all season with the once mighty Trumbull 89ers falling further behind
each week. Entering the final week of the season, the Staten Islanders
owned all playoff tie-breaker scenarios, but the Lobersterheads took the Huskies
Division crown outright in their inaugural season. Jerry's Conspiracy
Theories went on to capture their third Nutmeg Bowl championship in four years
becoming only the second team to win three titles.
Nutmeg Bowl VII Champions: Jerry's Conspiracy Theories (Runner-up:
New York Lobsterheads)
Chuck Noll MVP Award: Priest Holmes, Citizen Keenes
Bradshaw Bowl '02 winner: Huskies Division
Rocky Bleier Comeback Award: Staten Islanders
2003
The Nutmeg League realigned back to it's original two division format in 2003. The 2003 season can be described as a Tale of two seasons. The first half of the season saw the Citizen Keenes take control of Foxwoods Division early while the Connecticut Bombers had a strong grasp of the Huskies Division. By the midpoint of the season, it seemed that if the remaining six teams wanted a playoff berth, then they better make a push towards the wild cards. The second half of the season was like the beginning of an entirely new season. Jerry's Conspiracy Theories started getting hot in the Foxwoods Division while the Trumbull 89ers started turning the Huskies Division standings back into a pennant race. Each week, the Theories and the 89ers climbed closer and closer to the top of the standings until each finally overtook first place and then never looked back. The Keenes and Bombers early season surge was enough to clinch Wild Card berths, but not enough for Division Championship glory. Both watched from the sidelines and the Theories won their first Foxwoods Division crown since 2000 as well as the Trumbull 89ers first Division Title since 2000. The Theories and 89ers advanced to the Nutmeg Bowl VIII, but the Theories strong game 1 performance in the championship game was too much for the 89ers to overcome. Nutmeg Bowl VIII was billed as "The Race to 4!" as both the Theories and 89ers each already held three League Championships. The Theories again proved that they are the Montreal Canadians of the Nutmeg Fantasy Football League!
Nutmeg Bowl VIII Champions: Jerry's Conspiracy Theories (Runner-up:
Chuck Noll MVP Award: Priest Holmes, Citizen Keenes
Bradshaw Bowl '03 winner: Huskies Division
Rocky Bleier Comeback Award: Trumbull 89ers
2004
With a new twist on the standings system, the 2004 season got off to a great start. Instead of points being awarded within the Huskies and Foxwoods Divisions, weekly standings points were awarded throughout the entire league. In this eight team format, teams were awarded from eight to one point depending on their weekly finish. This standings experiment was to test if true wild cards would be crowned, rather than inflating a winner from a weaker division. This proved to be the case as both wild cards came out of the Foxwoods Division in 2004. The Trumbull 89ers got off to a roaring start and never slowed down throughout the 2004 campaign. Behind Peyton Manning's 49 touchdown record as well as superstars like LaDainian Tomlinson and Terrell Owens, the 89ers lead the 2004 standings from week two and never looked back. They finished the season a full 17 points ahead of the next best team in the league. Unfortunately, that dominance would not carry over into the post season. The Citizen Keenes led the Foxwoods Division from wire to wire. The loss of Priest Holmes would not stop this loaded team. Stars like Donovan McNabb and Ahman Green picked up the slack and helped win the Foxwoods Division crown for the Keenes and pushed them into the postseason. Even with the 89ers and Keenes dominating the standings each week, two teams, Lattimer from the Program and Jerry's Conspiracy Theories, quietly racked up points. Realizing that a division title was out of reach, the teams took their wild cards and absolutely made the best of them. The gas ran out on the 89ers and Keenes in the playoff week and the two wild card teams shockingly advanced to Nutmeg Bowl IX. Holding a 5-point lead heading into week two, the Theories could not break the hundred point margin in the championship week and the second year Lattimer came from behind with a 130 point showing and captured their first league title in just their sophomore season.
Nutmeg Bowl IX Champions: Lattimer from
the Program ( Chuck Noll MVP Award: Peyton Manning,
Trumbull 89ers
Bradshaw Bowl '04 Winner: Huskies Division
Rocky Bleier Comeback Award: Lattimer
from the Program
2005
Good luck to everyone this year
10th
Anniversary Season
