Posted by Langdon on March 12, 19104 at 02:03:25: Return

A little league history...

The 18th USFFL season kicks off this weekend.

In 1986 I returned home to North Carolina from St. Louis. I had played flag and touch football for many years in the very tough early days of the sport. Back then I was a "running" QB and my team was known as 'Who's Next' ... Jerry Sorrell, a friend from Garner High School and frequent beer drinking buddy of mine, would get a few guys together to play a little flag football on the weekends. These informal pick up games would form the basis for the league to follow.

Jerry and I organized our team in preparation for playing in the local flag football league. As we practice for weeks, my players would ask when our first game would be ... Jerry and I began to search for a place to play. The only problem was there wasn't a local flag football league to play in. The only league play outside of military bases and college IM fields was over in Charlotte - a nine-man league run by Al Kelly.

We decided to run an ad in the paper for other teams. As people began to respond we found ourselves with enough players to form three teams so we talked to the Raleigh Parks and Rec. Department about a place to play and officials. No luck ... there were no flag football officials or flag football fields. The P&R could only say we wish we could help.

A player suggested we talk to NCSU and Randy Bechtolt about the IM fields there and said Randy might also be able to help with officials. Randy did help...

In 1987 you would have seen Jerry Sorrell and myself out there with the lawn mower and a bucket picking up rocks and cutting grass on a vacant lot in Garner. Our first VELCRO flags came from Johnson-Lambe and we lined the fields with sacks of flour - all we could afford.

CONTACT VS SCREEN and the first 7-MAN VS 8-MAN argument.

After playing a years worth of CONTACT pickup games and practicing to a be a contact league, Randy Bechtolt, the NCSU IM Director, came on board to supply the rules - SCREEN FLAG FOOTBALL RULES. Funny that the rules we pride our 8 man game on today came from the NCSU 7-man guru.

Yes, we are playing screen flag football because of Randy. The only game that I had ever played was CONTACT 7-man touch and flag in the old NTFL in St. Louis. So why Screen - never heard of it after all. Randy Bechtolt delivered three NCSU IM teams the first year and the Rules and Officials that got the league up and running. His team lost the first USFFL championship game in triple overtime to the other NCSU powerhouse - The Franchise. He would come back later to win in '88 in a rematch against the Franchise. Randy's teams would go on to dominate the late 80's and early 90's.

OFFICIALS

The main man (official) that year was Oral McGirt ... a cocky ... thin ... Oral McGirt.

Oral and Jerry Sorrell, my center, became close friends in '87 and the coming years. Oral discovered that one penalty flag was not enough as he frequently finished every one of our offensive plays with a 15-YARD PERSONAL FOUL PENALTY against Jerry. For to first two years, all my team's offensive drives began with an Oral and Jerry confrontation and the step off of the appropriate 15 yards, or in our case, usually half the distance to the goal. One game, after three straight personal foul calls against Jerry, I found myself on the 2 and 1/2 yard line with a first and 37 and 1/2. Jerry began to complain even more and as Oral threw his forth personal foul penalty he walked over to me to apologize for having to eject Jerry. I replied ... What the hell took you so long!!!!

In fact we changed the personal foul rule from 15 yards to 10 in response to Oral and Jerry's antics.

We also have the Langdon rule and Ohman Rule.

Some of the players on my team that year was one guy named 'Gary Doug' ... you know him today as Doug the ref. In the huddle in '87 I would say ... Gary, go long and Jerry would say Doug ... the next play I would say ... Gary do an out and Jerry would say Doug ... on the third play of the series I told Gary to run a post and Jerry said for the third time ... TIM, HIS NAME IS DOUG ... I replied ... GARY DOUG ... What kind of a name is that?

Another guy on the team was a very young Kenny Harris ... if only I knew...

We still have many players from the first two years of play ... Bob Oman and Tony DiMaggio come to mind. And over 40 guys have played 10 years or more ... several 16 years or more...

A lot of work has gone into prep for this 18TH SEASON. The foundation was laid last year with the request from members to be more involved in the league. That commitment led to the formation of several committees and brought 32 members together for the winter meeting.

Tim Kilpatrick became assistant director and treasurer. Committee's under the leadership of Gary, Calvin, Travis and others began to get busy with league business.

The result of everyone's hard work will be the opening kickoff to our 18th season with 23 teams this spring.

Some of the oldest teams and players are still out there...

The old Garner Raiders from 1987 changed their name to the Cardinals in 1993 and still play today.

St. Lawrence Homes began play in 1988 and are still playing.

Doug Lynn would leave my team in 1988 to form a variety of teams with colorful names ... the last one was still in the league in 2003 playing as the Rams. Most of those guys are still playing in the league either with Blinco's or as a combined effort with the Blaze - 'Fastbreak'...

Mike Tindle would form in the 1989 the old LA Gear team ... nothing much came of that team though ... I think they call themselves Blinco's today.

Other long time teams are Randy's Pizza and Champps (Miramore). In fact, when Miramore beat Blinco's in last years State Tournament it was not the first time they had beaten Blinco's in a championship game ... Miramore use to own the Spring league back in the 90's...

My girlfriend asked me the other day ... "you're 49, don't you get tired of football?' ...  my reply was bury me in my knee braces with a roll of duct tape and my jersey because I'm sure they play football in heaven ...

PS ... I was 32 years old when I started this league ... Bob Ohman was 33 or 34 ... I told Bob I would retire when he did ... Bob's still playing...

Anyway ... I found an old roll of Duct Tape so I guess I show up to play Sunday...

Tim Langdon