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  North American Football League -

Big Sky Division (2001) Northwest (2002) Rocky Mountain (2003)

 

2001 Champion: Wasatch Wildcats (11-6)

2002 Champion: Spokane Nightmare (9-4)

2003 Champion: Wasatch Wildcats (9-4)

 

 

Commissioner: Kyle Campbell

 

"Official" Teams:

Helena Knights (2001)

Bozeman Kodiaks (2001)

Great Falls Gladiators (2001)

Wasatch Wildcats (2001-03)

Montana Panthers (2001) folded

Spokane Nightmare (2002-03)

Renton Ravens (2002)

Eastside Hawks (2003)

 

In 2001 the NAFL attempted to move west and one of the divisions created was the Big Sky Division.  The Wasatch Wildcats from Salt Lake City left the Utah League joining the former RMFL teams: Bozeman Kodiaks, Helena Knights and Great Falls Gladiators as members of the 4-team division.  Wasatch ran away with the division without allowing a point being scored by the other member teams.

The Montana Panthers folded in April without playing a game, but collected fees from players amounting to around $2000 that was never reimbursed.

The division degraded into a 2-team division with start up teams Spokane and Renton.  Spokane won all three meetings.  The Big Sky designation was split into the Northwest and Rocky Mountain Divisions.  Only Wasatch returned from the 2001 roster with new teams added from New Mexico.

By 2003 Renton joined the NWFL, and the New Mexico experiment was over and Wasatch was alone again.  So, Spokane was moved to the Rocky Mountain division, but Spokane collapsed after four games.  This also marked the year the NAFL made a deal with the Eastside Hawks allowing them to play an NWFL-season schedule and then buy their way into the NAFL playoffs without having to play a mandated NAFL schedule.  Most of the NWFL roster would not pay to be members of the NAFL, which normally would have led to "unsanctioned" games according to NAFL bylaws at the time but that rule was suspended from 2003-2007 for the NWFL teams wanting in.

By virtue of winning the NWFL League title, Eastside entered the NAFL playoffs defeating Wasatch and making it as far as the Championship game falling to the Kane County Eagles.

The experiment continued in 2004 as the Hawks again won the NWFL and entered the playoffs without playing a formal NAFL schedule.  This time the team that NFL player Sam Adams put together won the NAFL Championship over the Central Penn Piranha.

The Hawks disbanded after their Championship, but the special circumstances continued to be extended to the NWFL champion and in 2005, the runner-up as the NAFL added a "consolation" tournament.  The King County Jaguars, primarily Hawks players, made their way to the title game only to be dominated by the Piranha in the title game.  The West Sound Saints, losers in both meetings with the Jaguars won the consolation tournament.

2006 had high expectations for the Northwest, but problems between the NAFL and NWFL teams over travel funds resulted in the NWFL teams pulling out of the playoffs and King County playing in the MLFA tournament instead.

The Jaguars returned to play in the NAFL tournament after winning the NWFL championship only to be knocked out by the Dallas Diesels.

When 2008 Kicked off, for the first time since 2002, western Washington officially had a division in the NAFL with the birth of the 8-team, 2-conference, NAFL Northwest.

NAFL Big Sky- 2001 Division Overall
Wasatch Wildcats 6 0 0 127 0 11 6 0 473 117
Helena Knights 3 3 0 27 121 4 6 0 63 249
Bozeman Kodiaks 2 3 0 53 47 3 6 0 96 75
Great Falls Gladiators 0 5 0 20 59 0 6 0 20 77
 
NAFL Northwest- 2002

Division

Overall
Spokane Nightmare 3 0 0 98 41 9 4 0 392 199
Renton Ravens 0 3 0 41 98 1 8 0 137 297
                     
NAFL Rocky Mtn- 2003

Division

Overall
Wasatch Wildcats 9 1 0 359 122 9 4 0 399 263
Spokane Nightmare 2 2 0 106 118 2 2 0 106 118
Eastside Hawks 2 0 0 109 12 13 3 0    
                     
NAFL Unattached- 2004

Division

Overall
Eastside Hawks 0 0 0 0 0 16 0 0    
                     
NAFL Unattached- 2005

Division

Overall
King County Jaguars 2 0 0 45 20 13 1 0    
West Sound Saints 0 2 0 20 45 12 2 0    
                     
NAFL Unattached- 2007

Division

Overall
King County Jaguars 0 0 0 0 0 13 1 0    
                     
                     
                     
                     
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
 
 
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