The Empire Football League (EFL) is a semi-professional American football league with franchises based primarily in New York State. The league was established in 1969. Many franchises have come and gone including in locations such as Pennsylvania, Vermont, and Connecticut as well as Quebec, Montreal, and Ontario in Canada. In 2018 the league included six teams: the Glens Falls Greenjackets, Hudson Valley Mountaineers, Plattsburgh North Stars, Seaway Valley Venom, Tri City Spartans, and Utica Yard Dogs.
 Empire Football League logo | |
| Sport | American football |
|---|---|
| Founded | 1969 |
| No. of teams | 5 |
| Country |  United States |
| Most recent champion(s) | Watertown Red & Black (4) |
| Official website | Official Site |
Ray Seals transitioned from the EFL to the National Football League (NFL) in 1989. Several members of the Syracuse 8 that challenged disparities for African Americans at Syracuse University's football program played for the Tri City Jets of Binghamton, New York. The team was a farm team for the New York Jets at the time and some of them went for a tryout with the Jets, but according to one of them they understood they had no chance when Jets coach Weeb Ewbank identified them as "those boys from Syracuse" during roll call.[1]
The league's most dominant team has been the Scranton Eagles who have won a record 11 championships, 10 of those coming between the years 1982 and 1994.
History
editThe league was organized during the winter of 1968 and started in 1969.[2] The Hudson Falls Greenjackets were the first champions, after finishing with a 7–1 record.[3]
In 1989 Ray Seals transitioned from the EFL's Syracuse Express to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the National Football League (NFL). As a linebacker he blocked the pass from Brett Favre that Favre caught for his very first completion in the NFL.
Due to complications stemming from the Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative, all Canadian teams were removed from the league beginning in the 2010 season (at the time, the Quebec Titans and the Ottawa Deacon Demons (Joliet Chargers) were in the league).
The Watertown Red and Black left the league in 2017 when the EFL was down to two teams.[4] The league held an emergency meeting when it was left with just the Seaway Valley Venom and the Glens Falls Greenjackets.[5]
The Hudson Valley Mountaineers joined the league in 2018.[6]
In 2018 Kevin Siska of the Glens Falls Greenjackets was inducted into the American Football Association Minor League Football Hall of Fame.[7]
The team canceled its 2020 season amid the COVID-19 pandemic.[8] For the 2021 season Utica, Hudson Valley and Sussex decided to join other leagues, so the league decided to split into 2 divisions to cut down on travel costs. Eastern Division included Glens Falls Greenjackets, Plattsburgh North Stars and Tri City Spartans, while the West Division consisted Syracuse Smash, Watertown Red & Black and Northern New York Grizzlies.[9] West division champs Watertown beat East division champs Glens Falls 37–8 in the final.[10]
In 2022 Morgan Smith became the first female player in the Empire Football League, which she did as a placekicker for the Greenjackets.[11]
In 2023 the league announced the Watertown Red & Black would be leaving the EFL and joining the GDFL; three of the other five teams followed suit, with the Greenjackets going to the New England Football League,[12] the Smash (whom the league had suspended during the 2023 season after Smash players entered a fan melee that erupted at one of their home games and escalated into a gunfight in the parking lot)[13] joining the East Coast Football League and playing a spring schedule, and the Broome County Stallions rejoining the Northeastern Football Alliance, forcing the league to a year off in 2023.[14]
Prior franchises
edit- Watertown Red & Black
- Albany Metro Mallers
- Amsterdam Zephyrs[15]
- Berkshire Mountaineers
- Berwick Colts
- Binghamton Jets
- Broome County Dragons
- Capitaland Thunder
- Chenango Storm
- Connecticut Chiefs
- Dutchess County Checkmates
- Glens Falls Greenjackets
- Glove Cities Colonials[15]
- Hudson Vikings (Columbia County)
- Hudson Falls Greenjackets
- Kingston Panthers
- Marlboro Shamrocks
- Massena Warriors
- Massena Silver and Black Raiders
- Montreal Condors
- Montreal Voyaguers
- New England Crusaders
- New York Stallions
- Newburgh Raiders
- Oneonta Indians
- Oneida Silver Bullets
- Orange County Bulldogs
- Ottawa Bootleggers
- Ottawa Demon Deacons
- Plattsburg Northstars (Lake City Stars)
- Quebec Titans
- Rochester Sting
- Rotterdam Eagles
- Reading Raptors
- Scranton Eagles[16]
- Schenectady Chargers
- Seaway Valley Venom
- Salt City Aces
- Syracuse Vipers
- Syracuse Shock
- Syracuse Storm
- Syracuse Strong[17]
- Triple Cities Jets[18]
- St. Lawrence Trailblazers
- Toronto Raiders
- Troy Uncle Sammies
- Troy Giants
- Troy Titans
- Utica Mustangs
- Utica Nighthawks
- Utica Yardogs
- Vermont Ice Storm
- Vermont Muddogs (Casselton)
Champions
edit| Year | Champion team | Defeated team |
|---|---|---|
| 1969 | Hudson Falls Greenjackets | (no game) |
| 1970 | Triple Cities Jets | Hudson Vikings |
| 1971 | Lackawanna County Eagles (9–1–0) | Tri-Cities Jets (9–1–0), 26 to 13 (@ Scranton, 10/30/71) |
| 1972 | Tri-Cities Jets (10–0–0) | Lackawanna County Eagles (8–2–0) (@ Binghamton) |
| 1973 | Oneonta Indians | (no game) |
| 1974 | Glove Cities Colonials | (no game) |
| 1975 | Oneonta Indians | Albany Metro Mallers |
| 1976 | Hudson Falls Greenjackets | Albany Metro Mallers |
| 1977 | Troy Uncle Sammies | Glove Cities Colonials |
| 1978 | Troy Uncle Sammies | Hudson Falls Greenjackets |
| 1979 | Albany Metro Mallers | Troy Uncle Sammies |
| 1980 | Watertown Red & Black | Troy Uncle Sammies |
| 1981 | Binghamton Jets | Glens Falls Greenjackets |
| 1982 | Scranton Eagles | Glens Falls Greenjackets |
| 1983 | Scranton Eagles | Glens Falls Greenjackets |
| 1984 | Scranton Eagles | Glens Falls Greenjackets |
| 1985 | Syracuse Express | Glens Falls Greenjackets |
| 1986 | Scranton Eagles | Syracuse Express |
| 1987 | Scranton Eagles | Albany Metro Mallers |
| 1988 | Scranton Eagles | Ottawa Bootleggers |
| 1989 | Albany Metro Mallers | Scranton Eagles |
| 1990 | Scranton Eagles | Albany Metro Mallers |
| 1991 | Scranton Eagles | Montreal Voyaguers |
| 1992 | Newburgh Raiders | Scranton Eagles |
| 1993 | Newburgh Raiders | Scranton Eagles |
| 1994 | Scranton Eagles | Newburgh Raiders |
| 1995 | Newburgh Raiders 14 | Syracuse Storm 9 |
| 1996 | Newburgh Raiders 28 | Columbia County Colts 0 |
| 1997 | Broome County Jets 31 | Capitaland Thunder 14 |
| 1998 | Kingston Panthers 36 | Connecticut Chiefs 14 |
| 1999 | Scranton Eagles 28 | Kingston Panthers 21 |
| 2000 | Syracuse Vipers 31 | Scranton Eagles 24 |
| 2001 | Syracuse Vipers 24 | Scranton Eagles 18 |
| 2002 | Orange County Bulldogs 42 | Glen Falls Greenjackets 13 |
| 2003 | Glens Falls Greenjackets 30 | Watertown Red & Black 6 |
| 2004 | Glens Falls Greenjackets 17 | Albany Metro Mallers 0 |
| 2005 | Albany Metro Mallers 33 | Orange County Bulldogs 0 |
| 2006 | Albany Metro Mallers 39 | Watertown Red & Black 0 |
| 2007 | Vermont Ice Storm 9 | Watertown Red & Black 8 |
| 2008 | Quebec Titans 12 | Vermont Ice Storm 10 |
| 2009 | Watertown Red & Black 6 | Plattsburgh North Stars 0 |
| 2010 | Plattsburgh North Stars 13 | Watertown Red & Black 10 |
| 2011 | Albany 29 | Syracuse Shock 14 |
| 2012 | Rochester Sting 38 | Plattsburgh North Stars 22 |
| 2013 | Syracuse Shock 36 | Plattsburgh North Stars 15 |
| 2014 | Plattsburgh North Stars 6 | Watertown Red & Black 0 |
| 2015 | Syracuse Strong 14 | Watertown Red & Black 6 |
| 2016 | Syracuse Strong 36 | Sussex Stags 13 |
| 2017 | Glens Falls Greenjackets 56 | Seaway Valley Venom 0 |
| 2018 | Hudson Valley Mountaineer 41 | Plattsburgh North Stars 30 |
| 2019 | Tri City Spartan 12 | Mohawk Valley NightHawks 0 |
| 2020 | Canceled due to COVID-19 pandemic | |
| 2021[10] | Watertown Red & Black 37 | Glens Falls Greenjackets 8 |
| 2022[22] | Watertown Red & Black 30 | Glens Falls Greenjackets 14 |
| 2023 | Canceled due to a lack of teams | |
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ Marc, David (July 22, 2015). Leveling the Playing Field: The Story of the Syracuse Eight. Syracuse University Press. ISBN 9780815652557 – via Google Books.
- ^ "EFL Mission & History".
- ^ "Empire Football League Team Records".
- ^ "Red & Black Switch Leagues".
- ^ "Sports Wrap: Empire Football League & City Golf Title".
- ^ "Mountaineers bring semi-pro football to area".
- ^ TOBEY, PETE (May 19, 2018). "Former Greenjacket QB Kevin Siska to join semipro Hall of Fame".
- ^ "No season for Watertown Red & Black". May 19, 2020.
- ^ "Sunday Sports: Red & Black set to play 2021 season". March 29, 2021.
- ^ a b "Semipro football: Watertown Red and Black celebrates third EFL championship crown". October 10, 2021.
- ^ "Morgan Smith breaks new ground as Greenjackets placekicker". The Post-Star. July 2, 2022.
- ^ Tobey, Pete (June 23, 2023). "Greenjackets set to debut in new football league". The Post Star. Retrieved August 26, 2023.
- ^ Tobey, Pete (July 21, 2022). "Syracuse team suspended from EFL". The Post Star. Retrieved August 26, 2023.
- ^ "Red & Black coach reflects on 2023 season". WWNYTV. August 16, 2023.
- ^ a b "Robinson, Sager inducted into national Hall of Fame - News, Sports, Jobs - Leader Herald". www.leaderherald.com. July 4, 2018.
- ^ (Firm), Thomson Gale (September 16, 2018). Cities of the United States: A Compilation of Current Information on Economic, Cultural, Geographic, and Social Conditions. Thomson Gale. ISBN 9780787673734 – via Google Books.
- ^ "There's a football team in Syracuse ranked No. 1 nationally (it's not the Orange)". October 25, 2016.
- ^ Maggiore, Jim (September 16, 2018). Around Binghamton. Arcadia Publishing. ISBN 9781467124454 – via Google Books.
- ^ "Past EFL Champs".
- ^ "Empire Football League Season Records".
- ^ "Empire Football League Champions".
- ^ "Saturday Sports: Red & Black beat Glens Falls on the gridiron for 2nd straight championship". October 2, 2022.