Saturday, July 2, 2016

The oldest fantasy league ever?

Think you've been playing fantasy football a long time?

Have you ever drafted Joe Namath? Or O.J. Simpson? Or Ahmad Rashad? 

Ever hung on the edge of your seat while Jan Stenerud kicked an extra point?

Yeah, I didn't think so. (Well, I did, in the Longest Game Ever Played; but I was rooting for my Dolphins that Christmas night to beat the Chiefs in triple overtime. Thank you, Garo!)

My obsession started in 1993, with nine other mostly newbie buds in Fairfax, VA. Everything was manual then, and we had to calculate our scores ourselves (from the box scores in the newspaper), then compare to the tally our competitor had, then report it to the commish.

We've come a long way over the last 23 years.

But recently I met a guy named Lee Kirbach, who is about to celebrate his 40th anniversary as a fantasy football enthusiast. Lee is convinced he's playing in the longest continuously running league in the world. And based on the evidence he's provided I'm inclined to believe him.

In the Summer of 1976, Lee was sent an invitation to join “Coach the Pros,” an early version of fantasy football. The packet included a draft kit, scoring rules and an invoice for $25 per team -- pretty hefty stakes for a bunch of high school students. So he and his friends went the DIY route and scored the league by hand.  

Four decades later, Lee, his classmate Chuck Farman, Chuck’s brother Mike, along with college friends Peter Barrett and Dave Cranston, are still playing CTP -- and lay claim to being the oldest continuously run fantasy football league in the U.S. (and, therefore, the entire known universe).

Lee recounted some of the ways the game we love has evolved over the years. He recalled how Mike revolutionized their league by bringing a Street & Smith's magazine to their fifth draft (circa 1980). Not coincidentally, Mike won going away that year.

Not unlike today, those publications were written in June; but there was no easy way to get updates, and certainly no Internet. In 1983, Peter proudly drafted Joe Delaney -- only to learn that he had tragically drowned two months earlier. (It does seem that that could have been avoided by reading a newspaper once in a while! But many of us can relate to unknowingly drafting a player with a season-ending injury, or one facing a multi-game suspension.)

Lee scored by hand for the league’s first 28 years, translating the box scores from his hometown newspaper (deemed the official statistics). There were no instant results...competitors had to wait until Monday, or later, if Lee had a busy day at work.

CTP’s scoring has also evolved; but not entirely. Since the league was created before “standardized" scoring, its rules are quite different. For example, points are only awarded for a scoring play -- so a 1-yard TD run (1/2 point) is worth more than a 50-yard non-TD run (0 points). 

Lee and his mates still make a concerted effort to get together for the draft -- in places like Las Vegas, San Francisco and Malibu. Their goal for their 50th is to hold it live in the ESPN Studios in Bristol. Although it’s a decade away, he's confident the league will still be going strong, as there has been remarkably little turnover over the years. Lee and Chuck have drafted teams every year, Mike and Peter for 30+ years, and Dave is the "new guy" at 20 years. CTP has made them and their families lifelong friends, as well as true pioneers in fantasy sports. 

Pretty impressive stuff indeed. Unless someone can prove otherwise, I think these guys take the crown for longest continuously running fantasy football league in existence.

Happy 40th, gents.

30 comments:

  1. 2017 will be The Mega Football Leagues 32 season.

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    1. Our league ran continuously from 1982-2016, but a couple of owners are dropping out so we are ending it this year. Sad to see it go.

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    2. Our league, The Fitchburg Fantasy Football league was started in 1984 and is still going strong with quite a few original members. I thought we were one of the oldest continuous running leagues but we can’t beat 1976.

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    3. Mega Football League of Kingman Kansas is a Dynasty League that started in 1987. Wrapping up our 34th season here in 2020.

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  2. Middle Georgia Fantasy Football League has been continuous since 1990

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  3. Sorry guys - we got you beat. The BFL (Busch Football League) has been existence for 36 years. We now have legacy second generation owners who were not even born when our league began in 1981.

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  4. the Orange County Fantasy Football League is currently in it's 33rd consecutive season. We think we're the first here in Orange County, Ca

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  5. the Ed Hughes Football League just finished it's 38th consecutive year with 12 teams (all over 20 years and 4 for 38 years) and the same commish who has weekly new letters for all 38 years!

    http://www61.myfantasyleague.com/2017/home/44355#0

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  6. The University of Puget Sound Kappa Sigma Fraternity fantasy football league has been running since 1978 with the same owners. Have the trophy in front of me to prove it.

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  7. Our Professional Fantasy Football League (PFFL) has been playing since 1979!

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  8. The one I've been in for over a decade is now going into it's 45th season. Just outside of Philadelphia PA. We have stats that have been tracked for all 44 years too. It's unbelievable.

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  9. We're on our 26th consecutive season. FFOFFL.

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  10. We are a relatively new league compared to these. 1995 - 2018 and still going strong!

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  11. 36 years Tustin Football League TFL!

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  12. My father in law Jeff Smith founded the FFL in Bucyrus, Ohio in 1988, and it is still going strong.

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  13. The AFFL in Orlando just celebrated its 25th! Congrats to all the old timers.

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  14. 2019 will be the New Prague ( MN ) Fantasy Football League's 36th season, we started back in 1984

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  15. (ACFL) Arm Chair Football League. Started in 1991. Same commissioner (me) and 3 of the original 12 teams still exist.

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  16. Our league the KFL was started in 1979 by guys who were in high school. Celebrated our 40th year last year with our 10 player league. I am the newest member in the league and I've been in it for 27 years. Two original members have yet to win a championship, while we have several 5-time winners and on 8-time winner. This league has become a brotherhood and our trophy has increase in size by about 300%.

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    1. The WNYGAFL (Western NY Grabass Football League) has proudly been operating continuously since 1985, celebrating our 33rd year. We have 32 Franchises and a waiting list of candidates.

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  17. The Sigma Phi Fantasy Football League was started in 1976 in Berkeley CA by Darrell Hirashima. It consisted of fraternity brothers, and some friends and his wife. Influenced by an original Fantasy League founder, who had a bar in Oakland, Kings X. A few miles from the fraternity. It ended in 1994. We drafted on July 4th weekend, and checked our scores in the SF Chronicle early Monday mornings!

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  18. Where was the CTP league founded? They don't mention the city, etc. Fairfax, VA?

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  19. Draft Dodgers is my league and this year is our 36th straight year, with 7 original franchises still operating

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  20. Superior WI, just finished out 43rd annual draft. All Star Football League has been in existence since 1976.

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  21. Very Nice Leagus, Fort Worth Fantasy Football League 1990-2020 and still going strong 12 team with 5 Legacy Teams and same Commish throughout.

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  22. My friends and I have been running a league out of Taiwan since 1994, and it's still going strong here in 2021! This will be the 27th year!!

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  23. our league the F.F.F.L. originated in 1991, still going. Setting up for season 32.

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  24. We began our Minnesota league, The Bigtime Football League (BFL) in 1986. This year, 2022 will be our 36th year. Many original owners are still involved. What’s really cool is there are 6 sons or son-in-laws in the 16 team league. We all share a passion for golf which helps keep the group together.

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  25. We are going to celebrate our 50th consecutive year of fantasy football 🏈
    It was started by Richard Camuso, Mike Lecker and John Weber in 1973!

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  26. Four guys sat around a dinette table and drafted our teams in G.O.L.F. (greater Orlando league of football) in August 1982. We are a 10 team league, and about to start our 42nd year.

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