History

ACFFL Founder, Commissioner Sammy Smith

2012: Smith Founds ACFFL Under Alternate Name

The Alamo City Fantasy Football League was founded in the summer of 2012 by current Commissioner Sammy Smith, in San Antonio, Texas. Prior to founding the ACFFL, Smith had one year of fantasy football management experience, managing ScoobySnacks of the GUDRONKY League in 2011. In his one year of management, he won the GUDRONKY League Championship and was subsequently removed from the league, along with his brother Nate, who earned 5th place in the league that year.

Smith, determined to stay in fantasy football, pursued the creation of his own league. On September 4, 2012, the GO-MULES League was pronounced "Draft Ready" and included inaugural managers Sammy Smith, Nate Smith, Mason McClellan, Brian Yancelson, Zion Guevara, Quin Barry, Austin Alcorn, and Riley Alcorn. The first season of the GO-MULES League was a monumental success, with Quin Barry's Le Trolls winning the 2012 GO-MULES League Championship.

2013: New Faces Enter the League

Between the 2012 and 2013 seasons of the GO-MULES League, the league underwent a name change to the GO SPURS League. Managers Austin Alcorn, Riley Alcorn, and Quin Barry left the league, and managers Nathan Harvey, Will Washington, Joel Hernan, Matthew Anguiano, and Darrell Smith and Abby Smith entered the league. Darrell Smith and Abby Smith led the first and only co-managed franchise in ACFFL history. The 2013 GO SPURS League Draft was the first online live draft in the history of the league, with Adrian Peterson (RB, Minnesota Vikings) being taken 1st overall by Darrell Smith and Abby Smith. 2013 came with a host of rule changes:

- Fractional points began to be scored
- Trade deadline and waiver system were both removed
- Playoff dates moved from Weeks 14-16 to Weeks 15-17
- Pick sixes began to be scored
- Field goal scoring changed based on distance kicked
- Safeties and blocked kicks moved from 2 points to 5 points
- Return yardage and return touchdowns began to be scored
- Tackles for loss began to be scored
- Bonuses for running backs and wide receivers that gained 200 or more yards in a game moved from 5 points to 10 points

Under the new rules, Zion Guevara's Avengers took home the 2013 GO SPURS League Championship after a championship blowout of Nate Smith's AJ Green Eggs n' Ham. Guevara became the first manager in ACFFL history to win a championship and remain in the league for the following year.

2014: League Settles In

Before the 2014 GO SPURS League season, managers Jake Forey and Matthew Lane joined the league, bringing the total number of teams in the league to 12. There was only one scoring change prior to the 2014 season:

- Bonuses for running backs and wide receivers that gained 200 or more yards in a game moved from 10 points to 5 points

Second-year managers Darrell Smith and Abby Smith won the 2014 GO SPURS League Championship—becoming the first co-managed franchise in league history to win the championship—and promptly left the league afterwards, making them the second franchise in the league's history to do so.

2014 GO SPURS League Champions Darrell Smith and Abby Smith

2015: Arnold's RB Zero Strategy Puts League on Notice

Before the 2015 season, the league was completely revamped. The GO SPURS League changed their name to The SFFL, managers Joel Hernan and Darrell Smith and Abby Smith left the league, and managers Cole Arnold and Nathan Dahl entered the league. The rule changes, though not as extensive a list as before the 2013 season, were nonetheless notable:

- The SFFL adopted a point-per-reception scoring format
- Offensive fumble recovery touchdowns began to be scored
- Pick sixes moved from -3 points to -6 points
- Extra points returned for 2-point conversions began to be scored

Newcomer Cole Arnold pulled hard on wide receivers on Draft Night 2015, drafting Antonio Brown, A.J. Green, and Keenan Allen all within the first five rounds, only drafting one running back in the first six rounds. This strategy proved beneficial to Arnold, propelling him to the league's best regular season record and tying him with Brian Yancelson's 2014 campaign for best regular season record in a 14-week regular season. Arnold's luck unfortunately ran out after the first round of the playoffs, landing him in fourth place at the end of the season. Cookies and Cream, managed by Scott Hampton, won the 2015 SFFL Championship.

2015, 2016 SFFL Champion Scott Hampton

2016: SFFL Gets Into Groove

Following the 2015 season, decorated manager Zion Guevara left the league and was replaced by newcomer Will Harrell. The SFFL only had a few rule changes heading into the 2016 season:

- Trades were taken to a league vote before being approved
- The bonus for quarterbacks that gained 500 or more yards in a game moved from 5 points to 10 points
- Extra points returned for 2-point conversions moved from 2 points to 6 points
- Safeties moved from 5 points to 4 points
- Blocked kicks moved from 5 points to 3 points

With another strong regular season and playoffs, Scott Hampton's Cookies and Cream once again took home the championship, becoming the first manager to win multiple SFFL championships and the first manager to repeat as champion.

2017: Founding Members Finally Find Glory

2017 didn't see much change in the structure of the SFFL, other than a couple of rule changes:

- Playoff dates moved from Weeks 15-17 to Weeks 14-16
- The bonus for quarterbacks that gained 500 or more yards in a game moved from 10 points to 5 points
- Safeties moved from 4 points to 2 points
- Blocked kicks moved from 3 points to 2 points

After coming short of hardware for numerous years, founding managers Nate Smith and Brian Yancelson finally put it all together. Yancelson's Thielen Good and Smith's Fun On A Bun placed 1st and 3rd, respectively, marking Yancelson's first SFFL championship and the first championship won by a team with a regular season win percentage below .500.

2018: Commissioner Leaps to Podium in Condensed League

With college right around the corner, Commissioner Smith thought it beneficial to the league to keep its members among the same age group. With this distinction, managers Will Washington and Nathan Harvey left the league, decreasing its size to 10 teams for the first time since 2013. Additionally, for the first time in SFFL history, no rule or scoring changes were made during the 2017 offseason. The SFFL was able to host a live, in-person draft, the first in its history. The live draft was a hit as Commissioner Smith orchestrated the night to perfection, aside from Will Harrell misreading the draft rankings and selecting Kerryon Johnson (RB, Detroit Lions) in the 4th round. Smith's Lambeau Leaper took advantage of the smaller league size, a familiarity with the seasoned rules and scoring, and a third round steal in RB Christian McCaffrey and stole the first ever SFFL Trophy from the rest of the league, marking his first championship in the league.

2018 SFFL Champion Sammy Smith

2019: Record-Breakers Overshadowed By Lane's Heavyweights

Prior to the 2019 season, it didn't seem like any rule changes would be made. However, the first amendment to a team's starting roster requirements was enacted:

- W/R position expanded to W/R/T

The season was filled with breakout manager performances, from Matthew Lane's record-setting 289.65-point performance in Week 5, to Sammy Smith's 6-game win streak that propelled him to the 2-seed in the playoffs, to Nate Smith breaking a whopping 10 SFFL records. But behind a wide receiving corp of Michael Thomas, Kenny Golladay, and Amari Cooper, Matthew's Team took home the hardware—his first—and became the second manager to win the SFFL championship as the playoffs' top seed.

2018, 2020 ACFFL Champion Sammy Smith

2020: League Revamp Brings About Change in Standings

Coming into the 2020 season, Commissioner Smith felt it necessary to rebrand, namely changing the name of the league to make it less Sammy-centric. The league came to a consensus on the Alamo City Fantasy Football League, and in May 2020, the SFFL was completely rebranded to the ACFFL. To professionalize the league rebrand, the ACFFL's members also voted to brand each of their own teams, with Nate Smith's Seekers being the first team to do so. Other rule changes that took effect starting in the 2020 season included:

- "Rivalry Week" instituted for Week 13
- Trades became instant transactions
- Scoring for kickers switched from grouped field goal distance scoring to accumulative field goal yardage scoring

Thanks to expert free agency moves and stellar performances by 2020 NFL MVP Aaron Rodgers, Commissioner Smith was able to take home his second championship in three years, cementing the Rock Chucks as an ACFFL dynasty. 2020 was also the first season in league history in which the 7- and 8-seeds in the playoffs faced off in the championship, with Commissioner Smith's Rock Chucks defeating brother Nate Smith's Seekers.

2021: New Champion Crowned in Landmark Season

2021 marked the 10-year anniversary of the founding of the ACFFL, and Commissioner Smith wanted to commemorate the milestone by creating a small line of ACFFL merchandise, the first of its kind. There were also a number of rule changes that were approved by the league for implementation:

- Waiver wire system changed from continual rolling list to FAAB system
- Safeties and blocked kicks moved from 2 points to 3 points

Jake Forey's Rookies of the Year dominated the standings for the entirety of the regular season and clinched the 1-seed in the playoffs behind Derrick Henry, Tom Brady, and Justin Jefferson. But a series of missteps by Forey, from trading away Justin Jefferson at the deadline to losing Derrick Henry to injury in October, made themselves apparent as Rookies of the Year became just the fourth 1-seed in ACFFL history to exit in the first round. He was upset by Nate Smith's Seekers, who have upset the 1-seed in back-to-back seasons. After losing to his brother in the 2020 ACFFL Championship, Nate Smith put the pieces together in 2021 and played spoiler throughout the postseason, culminating in a championship victory against Will Harrell's Sneaky Snooks. It was the first championship for Smith, becoming the fifth active manager—and the only 8-seed in league history—to win a ring.

2022: Charles Road Trio Continues to Take Hardware

2022 ushered in the second decade of the ACFFL, and with it surprisingly came no major rule changes. 2022 marked the first time since 2018 that no rule or scoring changes had been implemented in the offseason, and it may have been that sense of familiarity with the system that allowed some of the league's older franchises to thrive.

As has become custom in the ACFFL, Matthew Lane's Stoney dominated the regualr season, tying his own 12-win record en route to his fourth regular season title and subsequent 1-seed in the playoffs. The 2022 postseason was truly a battle of heavyweights, with the 1-seeded Stoney, 2-seeded Chaos In Paradise, and 3-seeded Knight Kingdom all moving on to the semifinals. And after 10 seasons of falling short in the postseason, Mason McClellan's Knight Kingdom finally exorcised their demons and put away Stoney in an absolute barnburner of a championship. The game featured the lowest combined score in a championship game since 2013, and the lowest winning score in any championship game in the league's history. The title became Knight Kingdom's first in their franchise's history.

2022 ACFFL Champion Mason McClellan

2023: Records Shatter as the Founder Wins It All Again

2023 began just as 2022 did, with no major rule changes or shifts in league alignment, but with three straight championships being won by former Charles Road residents, it was imperative that the league find a way to stop them.

From the start of the season, it was clear that Sammy Smith's Rock Chucks were something special. Backed by MVP candidate Josh Allen and four receivers that each eclipsed 230 fantasy points on the season (Amon-Ra St. Brown, Puka Nacua, Stefon Diggs, and Deebo Samuel), the Rock Chucks battled their way to an 8-6 regular season record and the 2-seed in a postseason that featured just a 3-game difference between the 1-seeded Sneaky Snooks and the 8-seeded reigning champion, Knight Kingdom. Smith and McClellan soared through the playoffs and met in the championship, all but guaranteeing another trophy would settle on Charles Road. It was not a particularly close final, though, and thanks to the season-long efforts of acquisitions Kyren Williams and Puka Nacua, the Rock Chucks took home their league-leading third championship in franchise history and broke the league record for points scored in a season with 2976.37 points.

2021, 2024 ACFFL Champion Nate Smith

2024: Injury-Riddled Underdog Goes All the Way the Only Way He Knows How

As is to be expected, 2024 brought no major rule changes, but the dominance of the Charles Road managers--the Smith brothers and Mason McClellan--continued, and against all odds, Charles Road prevailed in 2024.

Matthew Lane's Stoney looked like the champion from the start. After a 4-0 start, Stoney and his dominant lineup of star receivers and runningbacks (not to mention MVP frontrunner Josh Allen--again) soared to a 12-2 record and Lane's fifth 1-seed in franchise history. While Lane, Dahl's Creekside Chinchillas, and Forey's Pikemen all locked up 10-win seasons and the top three seeds in the playoffs, the more entertaining battle was at the bottom of the standings. Four teams--both Smith brothers, Yancelson's River Runners, and Harrell's Sneaky Snooks--fought for the final two playoff spots with 3-9 records and two weeks to go. Ultimately, Nate Smith and Yancelson secured those playoff spots, and Smith made the most of the opportunity. After losing 1st overall pick Christian McCaffrey for most of the season and dealing with multiple long-term injuries across the roster (Puka Nacua, J.K. Dobbins, Davante Adams), Smith's Seekers took a 5-9 record into the playoffs and pulled off upset after upset, dethroning each 10-win team over the course of three weeks to secure his second championship in four years over then 14-win Stoney. If you ask Smith, he'll say he never needed Christian McCaffrey, and may even deny ever drafting him.

Google Sites

Report abuse