A
Brief History of the Ultimate Fantasy Football
League
During the summer of
2002, Jared E. Byrd created a private Yahoo! fantasy
football league, primarily for former members of the CBS
SportsLine chat rooms (which met their demise in August
2001), as a way to foster a sense of friendly competition
between people who had bonded through a common interest in
professional sports. It also happened to be Jared's first
attempt at an online fantasy football league, and until
the creation of the Fantasy Baseball Challenge in 2009, it
was the only keeper fantasy league he had run in any
sport.
While the Ultimate Fantasy Football League was intended to
be a multi-year experience, very few could have predicted
it would become this successful. No entry fees have ever
been required in this league, and no cash or prizes have
ever been awarded, or ever will; everyone simply plays for
bragging rights.
Unlike many of Jared's
previous attempts at fantasy sports leagues, each owner was
asked to select their own players through an offline draft,
instead of relying on a computer to randomly choose the members
of their teams, based on their pre-draft rankings. Because this
allows owners to be much more involved in the player selection
process, it is often a preferred method of drafting, if time is
not an issue. As expected, it was a long and tedious process,
but all of the rosters were set prior to the season opener. This
12-team league was given the rather uncreative name of NFL 2002.
The twelve original
owners were Roy Bellamy (Porky's Punters, later Daffy's D-Backs
and South Beach Playas), Jared E. Byrd (Pulverizers), Grace
Cloud (Stuck in Neutral), Jim Douglas (CheeseWiz), Stephanie
George (Steph Infections), Craig Hoffman (Deltaman), Jay
Klinkhammer (Spock's Burritos), Mozelle Meyers (Retro Redskins
Rulzs), Sam Mollenhoff (Clancy's Toads), Kenneth Ortiz (The Mad
Dawgs), Jason Shannon (Bone Crushing Bills) and Jason Wedgwood
(Max Q).
During its inaugural
season, the league had 14 regular season games and only two
postseason games, with eight teams making the playoffs (the top
four teams competed for the championship, while the bottom four
teams battled each other in a consolation bracket). Each team
had 18 slots on its roster, with the starting lineup consisting
of one quarterback, two running backs, three wide receivers, one
wide receiver/tight end, one wide receiver/running back, one
place kicker, and two defensive teams. At the end of the season,
it was determined that this league would be made a keeper
league, but several minor changes would be made.
By the time the 2003
campaign rolled around, the league had been renamed the Ultimate
Fantasy Football League (UFFL). The regular season was reduced
to 13 games, with the 14th, 15th and 16th weeks of the football
season used for playoff action. (The 17th week of the regular
season was not used for football competition due to an excessive
number of NFL teams resting their key starters for the
playoffs.) Rosters continued to have 18 slots, but the
wide/receiver tight end position was dropped and only one
defensive team was required for the starting lineup. Like the
previous year, the top eight teams made the playoffs. Franchises
were also given the opportunity to keep one player from their
previous year's roster before the draft began. All of the owners
returned, with the exception of Kenneth Ortiz, who was replaced
by Andrew So (The Outsiders) during the early stages of the 2003
UFFL draft. Several other franchises changed their nicknames,
including those owned by Bellamy (Miami Silver Mullets), Cloud
(To Be Named), Douglas (Bobby Boucher), Hoffman (Osama bin
Cheesehead), Klinkhammer (Midwest Riders), Meyers (Footballgal),
Mollenhoff (iwilldestroyall) and Wedgwood (Mythical
MeanMachine).
The 2004 season saw an
even greater emphasis placed on defense, with the addition of
four defensive players to each team's starting lineup. The
number of franchise players each team could keep was doubled as
well, in order to reduce the amount of time needed to finish the
drafting process. Bellamy, Cloud and Mollenhoff left the league,
and were replaced by Todd Addington (Boondock Saints, later
Flying Fortresses), Jared L. Byrd (Bluesox) and Craig Lechner
(Amarillo Dusters). As usual, multiple franchise name changes
occured, including those owned by Klinkhammer (New Nathan
Detroits, later FrankieWelfareBoy), So (The Catch) and Wedgwood
(AyCarumba!), with Hoffman's franchise reverting back to the
classic "Deltaman" moniker. Stephanie George's "Steph
Infections" became "Montana Fried Rice" for a few days, before
reverting back to their original name on a permanent basis.
For 2005, the number
of starting defensive players was reduced to two following a
leaguewide vote, but most other eligible roster positions and
scoring rules remained the same as before. Addington, Jared L.
Byrd (no relation to the commissioner) and Shannon exited the
league, while Bellamy (The Sticky Williams, later Belly's
Underdogs) returned after a one-year absence. Becci Domecillo
(Football Jones) and Chad Fuller (Cheeko's Chiefs) were also
added to the UFFL. Douglas (Packers Plus), Klinkhammer (Bring
the Funk, later Dino Bravo and Eliminated), Lechner (Amarillo
Express) and Wedgwood (King of Cool) returned with different
nicknames than they used during the previous season.
Because the Yahoo!
league filled up unusually quickly in 2005, many owners who
wanted to participate could not, and therefore, a 10-team
experimental league was set up on ESPN, known as the Extreme
Football League (XFL). This was a league with a combination of
brand-new fantasy football owners, former UFFL owners looking to
make their return to the UFFL in 2006, and current UFFL owners.
This ESPN league was given the name XFL on purpose, because
after the season, it would cease to exist, with the intent of
the two leagues merging together - similar to how the AFL merged
with the NFL or how the ABA merged with the NBA. That being
said, the UFFL ended up keeping the same number of franchises
for the 2006 and 2007 seasons, when interest did not reach 2005
levels.
The ESPN league had an
additional reason for existence - to determine if it was
superior to Yahoo! in terms of providing quality fantasy
football competition for free. If enough people had claimed ESPN
was the better fantasy football provider, then the Ultimate
Fantasy Football League would have abandoned Yahoo! for the
self-proclaimed "Worldwide Leader in Sports." However, most
owners preferred the simplicity and reliability of Yahoo!
Fantasy Sports, and the UFFL remained there for several
additional seasons.
Annual league awards (for coach of the year, rookie of the year
and All-Pro selections for each fantasy football position) were
also created during the 2005 season.
The only major rule
changes for the 2006 season were reverting back to the selection
of only one franchise player per team, and switching from an
offline draft to a live draft to expedite the player selection
process. The entire draft was conducted in an AOL Instant
Messenger chat room, as a result of some owners having computers
that were unable to handle the Java software used in Yahoo!
draft rooms.
All but one of the previous year's owners returned, with Bellamy
leaving, and Shannon (Bills SB in 2019!) rejoining the league.
Not surprisingly, numerous team nickname changes took place,
with Domecillo (More to Come), Douglas (CheeseWhiz) and
Klinkhammer (Purple People Eaters) opting to use different
names. Roster requirements were identical to those used for the
2005 campaign.
This was also the first season to feature an NFL postseason game
sponsored by the Ultimate Fantasy Football League. From 2006 to
2009, the UFFL: Postseason
Edition salary-cap fantasy football contest was played
on the Sporting News website.
For the 2007 campaign,
the two Jasons - Shannon and Wedgwood - were replaced by Cloud
(who won the championship during the first season) and Dallas
Honeycutt, a newcomer to the league, but not to the world of
fantasy football. Their franchises were christened "Exit
Strategy" and "Morristown Maulers" respectively. However,
Honeycutt voluntarily stepped aside in August due to lack of
internet access, and Bellamy replaced him, as owner of "A Fake
Football Team." Klinkhammer (A-Peterson Fan Club) and Lechner
(craigntx) also opted to use new team nicknames, but perhaps the
reason why all of the other franchises kept their 2006 nicknames
was a request from the commissioner to do so, for continuity's
sake, and to make it easier to determine who owns which team.
This was also the final season where the Ultimate Fantasy
Football League was hosted on Yahoo!
A hybrid live/offline draft was held for this season, where the
first few rounds were conducted in an AOL Instant Messenger chat
room and the later rounds made use of the Yahoo! Groups message
board.
In addition to the
UFFL, owners were invited to choose the winners of every
regular-season game in the Yahoo! Ultimate Pickem
Challenge
(now known as the UFFL Pickem
Challenge). This contest continues to be held on
an annual basis despite the league's move to Fleaflicker Fantasy
Sports - and now also includes postseason games. Yahoo! Fantasy
Sports has also hosted the UFFL
Survival Football game for several years.
The 2008 season was
the first to be hosted by Fleaflicker. Several big changes came
as a result of this move, including the introduction of
divisional play and live scoring and the elimination of
individual defensive players. Team defense designations were
changed to accommodate special teams statistics as well. The
draft process was also further streamlined, by having all of the
selections made in one night in a live chat room. Most of the
owners returned, with the exception of Becci Domecillo, who was
replaced by Calvin Brown (bbashers). All of the team nicknames
remained the same, with the exceptions of Craigntx (formerly
craigntx) and the Cheeko Chiefs (formerly Cheeko's Chiefs). One
of the most important rule changes involved the creation of an
injured reserve slot. Additionally, the postseason format was
overhauled, with all teams qualifying regardless of their
record; however, only the eight best teams could compete for the
championship, with the four lowest-ranked franchises
participating in the consolation bracket.
To fill the fantasy
football void during the seventeenth week of the NFL regular
season, the UFFL Pro Bowl was introduced in 2008, pitting the
top players of the Northern Division against the best players
from the Southern Division. The game turned out to be so popular
that it became a permanent annual event.
For the first time in
league history, all of the owners who competed during the
previous season returned for the following year without
exception. The league also added two expansion teams, with Mark
Bender (PC Best Bets) and George Thomas (N2deep) bringing the
number of UFFL franchises to 14. Both teams were placed in the
Southern Division, with the Pulverizers relocating to the
Northern Division in order to maintain geographical accuracy
within divisions. Several other changes to the league (on a
smaller scale) were unveiled as opening day drew closer, such as
the ability to set starting lineups for future contests several
weeks in advance. Following the season, Roy Bellamy (A Fake
Football Team) announced his resignation for the third time and
was replaced by Tony DelSignore, who re-named the team "The
Steel Curtain." Grace Cloud (Exit Strategy) also left the league
and was replaced by Jason Wedgwood, who renamed the team "Henne
Given Sunday."
Prior to the 2010 UFFL
draft, owners were allowed to protect three players for the
first time in league history. Other rule changes included being
able to use tight ends in the starting lineup as flex players
and giving teams one fantasy point for every 10 rushing yards
instead of every 20 rushing yards.
To celebrate his move
from Prairie Creek to Terre Haute, Indiana, Mark Bender renamed
his team from "PC Best Bets" to "TH Best Bets," while Jay
Klinkhammer changed his team nickname from "A-Peterson Fan Club"
to "TaJarvis Jackson" to "Sir Michael Vick" during the middle of
the year. The Pulverizers relocated from the Northern Division
to the Southern Division, as a result of Henne Given Sunday
being placed in the North.
The threat of an NFL
lockout loomed during most of the offseason which would have
seriously impacted the 10th season of the UFFL, but a settlement
was reached early enough that a full season could be played.
League rules were identical to those used during the 2010
campaign, but there were two ownership changes: Jason Wedgwood
(Henne Given Sunday) was replaced by Grace Cloud, returning for
her third tour of duty with the UFFL. She renamed the franchise
"Sisyphean Endeavors." Meanwhile, Angie Williams replaced Tony
DelSignore as the owner of "The Steel Curtain," opting to keep
the same name because she is a fan of Pittsburgh Steelers head
coach Mike Tomlin. Jay Klinkhammer changed his team nickname
twice during the offseason, from "Sir Michael Vick" to "Carlton
Banks" to "The North Star Sledgehammers of 10,000 Lakes," later
promising that he would never change the name of his team again
unless he moved out of Minnesota.
Due to the uncertainty caused by the offseason lockout,
franchise player lists were collected in July instead of June,
and the UFFL draft date was moved back one week during the month
of August.
Tony DelSignore (Layin
the Woodley) returned to the league following a one-year
absence, on the heels of the departure of Craigntx owner Craig
Lechner. His exit from the UFFL was due to the anticipation of
having reduced internet access for the foreseeable future. Mark
Bender decided to change his team nickname again (from "TH Best
Bets" to "Shelburn OrangeHats"), to reflect his most recent move
around the state of Indiana. Only one rule change went into
effect during the offseason, a sign that owners were by and
large content with the direction the league is heading in.
The same 14 owners who competed during the 2012
season returned for yet another season of UFFL championship
glory. No new rule changes were implemented.
Jay Klinkhammer (The North Star Sledgehammers of
10,000 Lakes) departed the league, citing a desire to spend less
time participating in fantasy sports, as well as a dislike of
the design of the Fleaflicker website. Chad Fuller (Cheeko
Chiefs) also opted not to return. Meanwhile, Tony DelSignore
changed his team nickname from "Layin the Woodley" to
"Renegade." As was the case last year, no new rule changes were
implemented.
Dallas Honeycutt, a
veteran of the CBS SportsLine chat rooms, joined the league as
Fuller's replacement and rebranded the team as the "Morristown
Maulers." Honeycutt recruited his friend Joseph Randall to take
over the franchise previously operated by Klinkhammer and
temporarily renamed his team as the "GrrrAnimals," before
ultimately deciding to become the "Washington Warmongers."
All 14 owners who competed during the 2014 season
returned, although Joseph Randall changed his team nickname from
the "Washington Warmongers" to the "Westerville Fight'n
Nut-Tooths."
The only rule change that was implemented credited points to
team defenses for conversion returns (due to the new NFL rule
regarding the allowance of returns on two-point conversions and
extra points).
Once again, the same 14 owners who participated in
each of the previous two seasons returned and most of the
franchises retained the same nicknames used in 2015, with the
exception of the Westerville Fight'n Nut-Tooths (who dropped the
Westerville from their moniker) and the Sisyphean Endeavors (who
changed their name to "HB2 Defiance" shortly after the draft
concluded). For the first time since the league relocated to
Fleaflicker prior to the start of the 2008 season, individual
defensive players were able to be included in the same starting
lineup as team defenses. As a result, active rosters were
increased from 16 to 19 slots (two starting slots for IDPs and
one additional bench slot) and the UFFL live draft had three
extra rounds tacked on at the end.
Tony DelSignore (Renegade) left the league on
amicable terms for the second time, citing a desire to step away
from fantasy sports for the time being. He was replaced by Steve
Ungrey, who had been an owner in the Fantasy Baseball Challenge
league on Fleaflicker since the 2015 season. Andrew So (The
Catch) also exited the UFFL on friendly terms for the same
reason and was replaced by Zach Greubel, who renamed the
franchise "Saved by the Bell."
Meanwhile, Grace Cloud decided to change her team nickname from
"HB2 Defiance" to "Paternoster Gang" (a reference to the BBC
science-fiction show "Doctor Who").
The regular season ended on a somber note after it was
discovered that N2deep owner George Thomas, who had been a
member of the league since 2009, had passed away following a
lengthy illness. The Ultimate Fantasy Football League sends our
condolences to relatives and friends; he will be missed.
Glenn MacKenzie (who had been part of the Fantasy
Baseball Challenge league since 2017) joined the Ultimate
Fantasy Football League in late May and assumed control of the N2deep
franchise, renaming the club "True-North." Renegade owner Steve
Ungrey was unable to return due to health reasons and his squad
was taken over by George Potter, who changed the team name from
"Renegade" to "Renegades." The remaining 12 owners who
participated in 2017 decided to come back.
The only major rule change during the offseason involved the
addition of punters, resulting in active rosters being increased
from 19 to 20 slots. In November, maximum roster requirements
were adjusted to allow teams to carry up to three placekickers
and three punters at a time. The rationale for this change was
because Fleaflicker recognized some players as both placekickers
and punters, even if they only performed one duty in real life.
This unintentionally resulted in roster issues when fantasy
teams needed to replace their kicker or punter during a bye
week.
Zach Greubel announced his departure from the Ultimate Fantasy
Football League (and the Fantasy Baseball Challenge) in January
on good terms, due to a desire to reduce the number of fantasy
leagues he was participating in. Since the UFFL and FBC were two
of the leagues he joined most recently, he opted to bow out of
these first. The vacancy wasn't filled until July, when Jesse
took over the Saved by the Bell franchise and renamed them the
Las Vegas Bucks.
Tony DelSignore returned for his third tour of duty
with the Ultimate Fantasy Football League as a last-minute
replacement for Paternoster Gang owner Grace Cloud, in a season which was
heavily impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. Each of the other 13
league owners who competed during the previous season opted to
return.
In order to give league owners more flexibility during this
unusual season, the injured reserve was expanded from three
slots to five slots at the beginning of the year, before getting
expanded again in mid-October to six slots. It was also at this
time that players who had NFL games postponed due to
COVID-related outbreaks became eligible to be placed on the UFFL
injured reserve, regardless of the status of their own personal
health. For the remainder of the season, this meant that any
player who had been listed as being questionable, doubtful, out,
suspended, reserve exempt, physically unable to perform, IR
designated to return, injured reserve, COVID-19 or COVID-19
postponed by their NFL club was classified as eligible for the
UFFL injured reserve.
The 20th season of the Ultimate Fantasy Football
League marked the first time since the inaugural season of 2002
that there were 14 games during the regular season instead of
13, as a result of the NFL adding an extra week of games to its
schedule. The UFFL postseason ran from Weeks 15 through 17, with
the UFFL Pro Bowl taking place in Week 18.
The 2021 campaign was also notable because it was the first
season in league history without original owner Jim Douglas,
after he decided to retire from fantasy sports competition. He
was replaced by Adrian Boyce, who renamed the CheeseWhiz
franchise as The Flightless Birds.
Each of the 14 owners who participated in the league
in 2021 returned for another year. The biggest change to the
UFFL was a revamped regular-season schedule, which saw teams
play only two of their 14 contests against non-divisional
opponents (making this the first year in history where
franchises did not have the opportunity to face everyone else). As for the live draft
process, the maximum amount of time that teams had to make
individual selections was reduced from 90 seconds to 60 seconds.
UFFL Bowl XXI (between Brown Sugar and the Pulverizers) came to
an abrupt end when Buffalo Bills safety Damar Hamlin sustained a
devastating injury during the Monday Night Football game of
championship week, with both UFFL teams having active players in
their lineups. The NFL game was never resumed and the fantasy
football scores which were accurate at the time of Hamlin's
injury became finalized. The UFFL Pro Bowl, originally scheduled
for the following week, was then cancelled. Luckily, Hamlin has
made a full recovery and plans to play football again.
For the third consecutive season, the same group of
14 owners compered in the UFFL. Several minor rule changes were
introduced for 2023, including the reduction of the number of
players allowed on injured reserve, as well as a change in the
number of running backs allowed on an active roster. The Pro
Bowl was officially cancelled for the second year in a row and
its future remains uncertain.
Preparations are currently underway for the 23rd
season of the Ultimate Fantasy Football League. The annual
questionnaire has been distributed to league owners to
determine if rule changes or scoring changes are necessary, as
well as to figure out if any owners from the 2023 season will
be unable to return. The live draft will be held Tuesday, Aug.
27 at 8:30 p.m. on the Fleaflicker website.
