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Draft Night Memories

Andrew: For me, there is no better moment then the few seconds after the number one overall selection is on the clock. It's at that moment that I realize the draft is underway and my adrenaline begins to rush as I play out all the possibilities in my head while I await my selection. Boy do I love Draft Night.

The very first USAFL draft night was held offline of course, as we didn't hit the internet until our eighth season. That draft was held in my dining room, with league's four lone GMs all present. I had cleared off the dining room table and placed cereal box walls all around the table, making secure work spaces for each GM. Nate Rupple, who was around 11 years old at the time, sat at the computer across the room with Shaun Sullivan's 3rd party Draft Editor running. We would call out our selections, in between our binges on wings and pizza slices.

Within a few seasons, there was only Jim (Maurer) and I left. Our drafts then were still exciting, but not as much fun with only two people. During that time is when I considered moving our league online. I decided that we would use Microsoft's NetMeeting as the gathering place for our online meetings. It had all the appearances of a stable application. That is, until you actually assemble a wide collection of folks from around the net. Then it decides to hang, or randomly start kicking people out. Ugh, did that ever try my patience. I seriously thought there was no way the league could continue on unless we found another way to meet. Learning how to use IRC saved the league from going under.

In the 50 drafts that I have been a part of, there have been numerous memories that I love to recall. Seeing a GM make a "reach-pick" with a lottery selection is always fun to watch. Especially everyone's reaction in the chat area. From "What?" to "How far down do I have to scroll to find him?" to "Nice selection, I didn't even have him slotted in the top 50 at his position!".

Another fun thing to look for, is seeing which team will make the first special teams selection. We have seen a Punter and a Kicker go as high as the second round, adding to the excitement of deciding when is the best time to grab that Punter. Historically, that selection always occurred somewhere after the 3rd round. But in recent years, that has moved up a bit. One day there will be a Punter/Kicker taken in the first round. It will happen, but only if the player is really talented.

In my Excel draft sheet, each position is sorted on it's own sheet. With each position having a mid-line (70s across the board) Sample Player in the list. There have been a few times during the later rounds of a draft when I actually get confused and I find myself staring at the Sample Player's ratings and saying to myself, "man, why wasn't he taken yet?" Good thing I always realize my mistake before I ignorantly announce, "PHI selects QB Sample Player".

Always the league's marquee event, Draft Night Monday is the make-or-break moment for teams wishing to rebuild or retool their franchise for future playoff runs. Check out these guys' favorite moments from past Draft Nights:

Bill: I like the Breeden incident myself. "GUYS! GUYS! I DRAFT RICARDO COLLINS!" ::silence:: "10 seconds..." The panicked IMs from Ben were priceless.

Todd: Boring enough, it was my first draft and the shear exhilaration of it all. Ah, the memories...

Fred: Hmmm. OK, well, me and Jean know each other very well. And lately, both our teams have been doing great, so we pick near each other. It's always funny when I end up picking up the guy he wanted next. Shows that great minds think alike.

Ben: Hmm, probably the 2016 draft, it appears to be the best I've had--took a real solid class of rookies in.

Tom: It's hard to pin down an individual moment from DNMs... I loved the draft nights in the old USAFL when there were no player ratings, just 40 times and bench presses and things like that. Picks would go all over the place, and you'd wonder what the hell people were thinking when they drafted. It's a little easier to predict now, but completely out of nowhere first round picks are some of my favorites. But I think the highlight of Draft Night Monday (and I guess you'd have to include a few days before that) would be the Sergio Harmony hype. The San Diego Chargers, having been run on-again, off-again for several seasons, had the #1 overall pick going into the 2005 draft. Sergio Harmony was the total no-brainer pick. A defensive end (the most powerful position in the USAFL for several seasons) who was ready to play immediately, he was better than any other player coming out since the USAFL was restarted. The guy was a legend before he ever played. San Diego saw a lot of interest in the pick, and Phill Bennett decided to milk it for all he could get for it. I know first hand that I offered at least two, if not three first round picks for that #1 overall, just to get Harmony, and players were involved as well, and that my offer wasn't the best one on the table. We all made estimations as to which team would score the draft pick, and when the deadline passed, we were shocked to find that he didn't trade the pick. Apparently, Phill decided that all of his hopes would lie with this one player. The next day was cut deadline day, and San Diego still had to cut down a few guys in order to draft, as they lost no one to free agency or retirement. Phill then made the deadly mistake of not cutting anyone by the deadline, and therefore couldn't make any selections, as he had no spots on his roster. Phill, whether in shame or just pissed off at his mistake, quit the league immediately after. So, I guess my favorite USAFL Draft Night Monday is from 2005, hearing the phrase "With the first overall selection in the 2005 USAFL Draft, San Diego passes." I'm betting Bill Barnwell is going to say the same thing.

Joe: I'd say the moment where we couldn't see Ben's pick.

Jean: I have 2 favorite Draft Night moments in my mind:

- my 1st draft which I selected almost 25 players ! I spent like 15/18 rounds alone in the channel with Mike "the draft master".

- That Ricardo Collins draft year when Ben sent a package a tons of draft picks, his bike, money .. and his grandma in order to get him. At 8PM, Ben stood on the podium, selected Collins while everyone was ignoring him :)

Flip: Well not many memories draft night except my first and taking Lee Tardits.

Mike: I would have to say all those crashes on Net meeting. Those were the days. I do recall those 1am meeting..........How did you ever do it all back then? I will never know. That first draft was very interesting. I had no idea what I was doing but as each player got picked it got more and more exciting. I still love the draft. It is one of my fav. parts of the league. Draft and camps they are the best. Did I pick a good one or a bad one. I love it!

For even more historical data, visit the USAFL History Page to view tons of stats from earlier versions of the USAFL. This page can always be accessed through the USAFL FAQ.