Empire Football League
Empire Football League logo
SportAmerican football
Founded1969
No. of teams5
Country United States
Most recent
champion(s)		Watertown Red & Black (4)
Official websiteOfficial Site

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.

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

The 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 consist 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 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,[11] 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)[12] joining the East Coast Football League and playing a spring schedule, and the Broome County Stallions rejoining the Northeastern Football Alliance.

Prior franchises

  • Watertown Red & Black
  • Albany Metro Mallers
  • Amsterdam Zephyrs[13]
  • Berkshire Mountaineers
  • Berwick Colts
  • Binghamton Jets
  • Broome County Dragons
  • Capitaland Thunder
  • Chenango Storm
  • Connecticut Chiefs
  • Dutchess County Checkmates
  • Glens Falls Greenjackets
  • Glove Cities Colonials[13]
  • 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[14]
  • Schenectady Chargers
  • Seaway Valley Venom
  • Salt City Aces
  • Syracuse Vipers
  • Syracuse Shock
  • Syracuse Storm
  • Syracuse Strong[15]
  • Triple Cities Jets[16]
  • 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

Source[17][18][19]

YearChampion teamDefeated team
1969Hudson Falls Greenjackets(no game)
1970Triple Cities JetsHudson Vikings
1971Lackawanna County Eagles (9-1-0)Tri-Cities Jets (9-1-0), 26 to 13 (@ Scranton, 10/30/71)
1972Tri-Cities Jets (10-0-0)Lackawanna County Eagles (8-2-0) (@ Binghamton)
1973Oneonta Indians(no game)
1974Glove Cities Colonials(no game)
1975Oneonta IndiansAlbany Metro Mallers
1976Hudson Falls GreenjacketsAlbany Metro Mallers
1977Troy Uncle SammiesGlove Cities Colonials
1978Troy Uncle SammiesHudson Falls Greenjackets
1979Albany Metro MallersTroy Uncle Sammies
1980Watertown Red & BlackTroy Uncle Sammies
1981Binghamton JetsGlens Falls Greenjackets
1982Scranton EaglesGlens Falls Greenjackets
1983Scranton EaglesGlens Falls Greenjackets
1984Scranton EaglesGlens Falls Greenjackets
1985Syracuse ExpressGlens Falls Greenjackets
1986Scranton EaglesSyracuse Express
1987Scranton EaglesAlbany Metro Mallers
1988Scranton EaglesOttawa Bootleggers
1989Albany Metro MallersScranton Eagles
1990Scranton EaglesAlbany Metro Mallers
1991Scranton EaglesMontreal Voyaguers
1992Newburgh RaidersScranton Eagles
1993Newburgh RaidersScranton Eagles
1994Scranton EaglesNewburgh Raiders
1995Newburgh Raiders 14Syracuse Storm 9
1996Newburgh Raiders 28Columbia County Colts 0
1997Broome County Jets 31Capitaland Thunder 14
1998Kingston Panthers 36Connecticut Chiefs 14
1999Scranton Eagles 28Kingston Panthers 21
2000Syracuse Vipers 31Scranton Eagles 24
2001Syracuse Vipers 24Scranton Eagles 18
2002Orange County Bulldogs 42Glen Falls Greenjackets 13
2003Glens Falls Greenjackets 30Watertown Red & Black 6
2004Glens Falls Greenjackets 17Albany Metro Mallers 0
2005Albany Metro Mallers 33Orange County Bulldogs 0
2006Albany Metro Mallers 39Watertown Red & Black 0
2007Vermont Ice Storm 9Watertown Red & Black 8
2008Quebec Titans 12Vermont Ice Storm 10
2009Watertown Red & Black 6Plattsburgh North Stars 0
2010Plattsburgh North Stars 13Watertown Red & Black 10
2011Albany 29Syracuse Shock 14
2012Rochester Sting 38Plattsburgh North Stars 22
2013Syracuse Shock 36Plattsburgh North Stars 15
2014Plattsburgh North Stars 6Watertown Red & Black 0
2015Syracuse Strong 14Watertown Red & Black 6
2016Syracuse Strong 36Sussex Stags 13
2017Glens Falls Greenjackets 56Seaway Valley Venom 0
2018Hudson Valley Mountaineer 41Plattsburgh North Stars 30
2019Tri City Spartan 12Mohawk Valley NightHawks 0
2020Canceled due to COVID-19 pandemic
2021[10]Watertown Red & Black 37Glens Falls Greenjackets 8
2022[20]Watertown Red & Black 30Glens Falls Greenjackets 14

See also

References

  1. ↑ Marc, David (22 July 2015). Leveling the Playing Field: The Story of the Syracuse Eight. Syracuse University Press. ISBN 9780815652557 – via Google Books.
  2. ↑ "EFL Mission & History".
  3. ↑ "Empire Football League Team Records".
  4. ↑ "Red & Black Switch Leagues".
  5. ↑ "Sports Wrap: Empire Football League & City Golf Title".
  6. ↑ "Mountaineers bring semi-pro football to area".
  7. ↑ TOBEY, PETE. "Former Greenjacket QB Kevin Siska to join semipro Hall of Fame".
  8. ↑ "No season for Watertown Red & Black".
  9. ↑ "Sunday Sports: Red & Black set to play 2021 season".
  10. 1 2 "Semipro football: Watertown Red and Black celebrates third EFL championship crown".
  11. ↑ Tobey, Pete (2023-06-23). "Greenjackets set to debut in new football league". The Post Star. Retrieved 2023-08-26.
  12. ↑ Tobey, Pete (2022-07-21). "Syracuse team suspended from EFL". The Post Star. Retrieved 2023-08-26.
  13. 1 2 "Robinson, Sager inducted into national Hall of Fame - News, Sports, Jobs - Leader Herald". www.leaderherald.com. 4 July 2018.
  14. ↑ (Firm), Thomson Gale (16 September 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.
  15. ↑ "There's a football team in Syracuse ranked No. 1 nationally (it's not the Orange)". 25 October 2016.
  16. ↑ Maggiore, Jim (16 September 2018). Around Binghamton. Arcadia Publishing. ISBN 9781467124454 – via Google Books.
  17. ↑ "Past EFL Champs".
  18. ↑ "Empire Football League Season Records".
  19. ↑ "Empire Football League Champions".
  20. ↑ "Saturday Sports: Red & Black beat Glens Falls on the gridiron for 2nd straight championship".
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