Darn you!!! :p

1979 New Jersey Generals Draft Class

Pick 1.28 RB Rudi Johnson I used to have Bengals season tickets the first several years of Paul Brown Stadium and saw a lot of Rudi Johnson, who was born in 1979. My favorite story about Rudi is when his luggage got stolen by a teammate when he got to Detroit after signing with the Lions.

https://bleacherreport.com/articles/53702-tatum-bell-tries-to-pull-fast-one-gets-caught-stealing-rudis-baggage



Pick 2.28 LT Boss Hogg What a name for a LT right? It's also the name of the main antagonist in a TV show called Dukes of Hazzard, which debuted in you guessed it, 1979.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boss_Hogg



Pick 3.28 WR Aaron Paul Breaking Bad is my favorite TV show not named Seinfeld and Aaron Paul played Jesse Pinkman. In a huge coincidence, he was born in 1979.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aaron_Paul



This is Aaron in the days before Jesse when he was a contestant on The Price Is Right.

Pick 4.28 DT Roger Daltrey What does the lead singer of The Who have to do with 1979? They were on a world tour in 1979 and one of the stops was Cincinnati, OH. I was just 11 at the time but my Dad tried to get us tickets. He was too far back in line and the show sold out before he could get any. That show turned out to be a tragedy as 11 people died when a throng of people rushed a set of doors.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Who_concert_disaster



Pick 5.28 SLB Billy Corgan Billy Corgan is the lead singer of Smashing Pumpkins who had a hit song called 1979, 'nuff said. The link is the video for the song.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4aeETEoNfOg



Who knew Billy was a cat lover???



Pick 6.28 FB Chris Berman ESPN debuted in 1979 and Berman is a name every sports fan over 30 knows. If this version of Berman balloons in weight like the RL version, OL is in his future.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chris_Berman



Pick 7.28 FB Kevin Youkilis Youk was born in 1979 and grew up in Cincinnati, going on to become yet another MLB player from the Queen City. I liked having him on some of my fantasy baseball teams.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kevin_Youkilis

Kevin Youkilis — the Greek god of walks!

1980 New Jersey Generals Draft Class

Pick 1.31 CB Bruce Dickinson Dickinson is the lead singer and pilot of Iron Maiden, whose debut album was released in 1980. He rose 3 ratings points and looks to be a fixture in the Generals secondary.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bruce_Dickinson



Pick 2.31 LT Eddie Head Eddie the Head is the mascot for Iron Maiden, appearing on all their album covers. I hope he is as scary looking to defensive lineman as he is on those album covers.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eddie_(mascot)



Pick 3.31 SLB Bon Scott Scott was the former singer of ACDC who died in 1980. He lacks speed, perhaps because he took it all, but his other attributes are all solid.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bon_Scott



Pick 4.31 LDE Erno Rubik We've likely all heard of the Rubik's cube. Erno Rubik invented that and it hit store shelves in 1980. We had to cut him already so he is currently a free agent.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ern%C5%91_Rubik



Pick 5.31 SS Mike Eruzione We were hoping some of that 1980 gold medal magic might translate to MFN but no. He is currently a free agent.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mike_Eruzione



Pick 6.31 K Ronald Reagan The former actor became President in 1980 and we figured, why not try a President as a kicker again. Trump stuck around as our punter a bit but Reagan showed no leg strength in camp, probably because he's dead. He is currently a free agent if anyone wants an accurate kicker (92) with no leg strength (48/55).

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ronald_Reagan



Pick 7.31 DT Oscar Hennessey He actually improved 4 ratings points but I have no use for a DT with no acceleration or strength and a rating so low he needed to boom about 20 points for me to keep him. I didn't even bother giving him a name.

1981 New Jersey Rookies

Pick 1.22 MLB Indiana Jones Raiders of the Lost Ark came out in 1981 and Indiana Jones was the main character. Hopefully he can lead us to the Temple of Doom (or a World Bowl Championship).

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Indiana_Jones_(franchise)



Pick 1.27 LT Don "Donkey" Kong Guess what year my favorite arcade game came out? I bet you said 1981.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Donkey_Kong



Pick 2.13 CB Bob Marley Marley died in 1981 but I bet he would be a CB if he played American football. He is a CB if MFN football.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bob_Marley



Pick 2.23 QB Ric Flair WOOOOOOO!!!! Flair won his first WCW Championship in 1981.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ric_Flair



Pick 3.22 RB Clinton Portis Portis was born in 1981 and his press conferences were legendary for the characters he portrayed.

https://bleacherreport.com/articles/806271-clinton-portis-5-most-outrageous-on-camera-moments-from-the-former-redskins-rb



Pick 4.23 FB Snake Plissken Plissken is the lead character in one of my favorite movies, 1981's Escape From New York.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Snake_Plissken



Pick 5.22 LT Walter Cronkite The legendary newscaster retired in 1981.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Walter_Cronkite



Pick 6.23 WR Justin Timberlake He was born in 1981 and the entertainer wants to try football.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Justin_Timberlake



Pick 7.22 RT John Holmes The whole point of me changing names is so I'll remember them once they move on from my teams but I didn't change this guy's name. When I was a horny teenager, this guy was a HUGE pornstar, pun intended.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Holmes_(actor)

I don't want to google his pics, please don't make me lmao.

Rookie Free Agent LDE Carlos Zambrano Zambrano was originally drafted with pick 6.17 by the Arizona Wranglers but was released during late free agency. We decided to take a chance on him becoming a DE.

Zambrano was a former MLB pitcher with a fiery temper and I imagine this Zambrano was none too happy with the draft and release, so we named him after the ex Cub who was born in 1981.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carlos_Zambrano

It's time to name my rookies again, and I'm adding a twist. Normally I would just pick random names associated with 1982, but I want to celebrate my 1981 World Bowl Championship. This year's Generals rookies will be named after people who actually won championships in 1981, or in 1982 if their season started in 1981.

1982 New Jersey Draft Class

Pick 3.3 RB Magic Johnson My backfield now has 2 Johnsons. Magic Johnson was obviously a member of the 1981-82 L.A. Lakers NBA World Champions. Johnson had brief ties to Dayton as his investor group had bought a share of the Dayton Dragons minor league baseball team.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Magic_Johnson



Pick 3.32 WR Dwight Clark I know Clark was actually a TE but the 1981 49ers had some no name WR's, and we all remember "The Catch". I really, REALLY wish I was naming this pick Cris Collinsworth, but that Montana guy screwed the Bengals twice.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dwight_Clark



Pick 4.4 RG Dusty Baker Dusty Baker played on the 1981 L.A. Dodgers who won the World Series. He also went on to manage after playing, including a stint with my Cincinnati Reds. Speaking of the Reds, they got screwed in 1981. That was the strike year where they split the season into 2 halves. The Reds did not make the playoffs despite the best record in MLB because they finished 2nd in both halves, and the wildcard was not in play back then.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dusty_Baker

I actually have this bobblehead



Pick 4.32 SS James Worthy The North Carolina Tar Heels won the NCAA Tournament for the 1981-82 season and despite that team having a future megastar, I named this player after James Worthy because he was my favorite player on that Tar Heel team with Sam Perkins. This Tar Heel team is the reason I still root for UNC today, and Jordan was just a freshman. Worthy went on to become a teammate of Magic Johnson in L.A.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_Worthy



Pick 5.19 SLB Denis Potvin Potvin was the Captain of the 1981-82 Stanley Cup Champion NY Islanders. I've never been a big hockey fan so if you want to know more, click the link below.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Denis_Potvin



Pick 5.32 SLB Darrell Waltrip Waltrip was the 1981 Winston Cup Champion, which is what the NASCAR series was called back then. I'm not a big racing fan either, so feel free to click the link.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Darrell_Waltrip



Pick 6.32 C Tony Berryhill Berryhill was the starting center on the 1981 National Champion Clemson Tigers football team. I don't know much more than that, and google search had a few Tony Berryhills to sort through.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1981_Clemson_Tigers_football_team



Pick 7.32 aka Mr. Irrelevant FS Tommy Rich I have already used one 1981 NWA Champion name after last year's draft on RB/QB Ric Flair, but wrestling can have multiple champions in a year. One of the champions in 1981 was Tommy Rich, who beat Harley Race for the belt on April 27, 1981 only to lose it back to him days later on May 1st. Fitting for a Mr. Irrelevant.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tommy_Rich

It's 1983 now, time to go back and make my names related to the year.

1983 New Jersey Generals Draft Class

Pick 1.31 MLB Jeff Hanneman Slayer's debut CD was released in December 1983 and the late Jeff Hanneman was their guitarist from the beginning until his untimely death. He was an avid Oakland Raiders fan and often played a Raiders guitar on stage, as well as wearing jerseys.

Going to start Hanneman out as a LB but a move to DE could be in his future.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jeff_Hanneman



Rockin the Tyrone Wheatley jersey in this pic, nice.



Pick 2.31 CB Lars Ulrich Ulrich is the drummer/co-founder of Metallica, which released their debut CD in 1983. Fourteen year old me loved Metallica and would not have imagined then that they would still be making music in 2019.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lars_Ulrich



Pick 4.31 FB Radar O'Reilly Cable TV was available in 1983 but it wasn't as widespread as it was a few years ago before the cord cutting, and we certainly didn't have DVR's. To this day, the finale of MASH is the most watched non Super Bowl television show ever. Radar was my favorite character, so he gets the honor of being a General now.

https://mash.fandom.com/wiki/Walter_%22Radar%22_O%E2%80%99Reilly



Pick 5.31 RT Ponyboy Curtis Ponyboy is the name of a character from the 1983 movie The Outsiders. Growing up in a rough neighborhood with a nickname of Ponyboy, he got beat up a lot until he started lifting weights, getting huge like Kenny Bania from Seinfeld.

https://theoutsiders.fandom.com/wiki/Ponyboy_Curtis



Pick 6.31 P Clark W. Griswold National Lampoon's Vacation hit the big screen in 1983, and who better to be our punter than the ultimate goofball, Clark Griswold.

https://vacation.fandom.com/wiki/Clark_Griswold



Pick 7.31 RG Gene Simmons In 1983 KISS appeared in public without makeup for the first time, and the world wanted them to put it back on cuz they're ugly as all get out. I was a KISS fan as a kid, but their music got old quick and now, Gene Simmons is a cross between Al Gore and the old guy who screams get off my lawn.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gene_Simmons

I'm naming this year's rookies after champions just like the last draft class after a championship, but with a twist. Since the Generals won it all in 1983, I'm naming rookies after the 1983 Los Angeles Raiders, who won the 1983 NFL Championship.

1984 New Jersey Generals Draft Class

Pick 1.32 LB Rod Martin Originally I had named this player Vann McElroy because I was going to make him a safety. Then I changed my mind and made him a LB, so now he's Rod Martin. Martin was a key cog in the Raiders defense, although he played a much bigger role in the previous win over the Eagles in SB XV.

MFN Rod Martin boomed slightly in camp, and looks to be a key cog in the Generals defense for the next decade.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rod_Martin



Pick 2.32 FS Vann McElroy Originally renamed Lester Hayes, I went with McElroy when I switched my first pick to Rod Martin. McElroy had a bad camp and might not see a second contract from us, but we also thought the same thing after Bob Marley's horrible rookie camp. We'll see how he does on the field and go from there.

The real McElroy was one of my favorites back in the day.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vann_McElroy



Pick 4.32 RB Marcus Allen You can't discuss SB XVIII without discussing Marcus Allen's incredible performance. He dominated the Redskins that day, and we've all seen that magical, reverse field TD run by now.

Kind of sad he busted, and he might not have made the team without the Kistler trade. He might not see a second contract from us, but we have 4 years to figure that out.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marcus_Allen



Pick 5.32 TE Todd Christensen Christensen was another one of my favorites, **** I loved this whole team. He was a beast back in the day, and if he was playing now, with current rules...geez what those stats would look like.

This MFN Christensen lacks speed but should otherwise be a solid TE.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Todd_Christensen



Pick 6.32 WR Cliff Branch There wasn't much I liked at the end of our draft, so I took a chance on 100 volatility Cliff Branch. I look at late round picks like lottery tickets and this pick matched zero numbers and had to be cut.

Too bad because I would have liked seeing Cliff Branch catching passes from Labelle and Flair for the next decade.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cliff_Branch



Pick 7.32 WR Dokie Williams Mr. Irrelevant turned into a winning lottery ticket after a +11 training camp. Dokie is a little pokey when it comes to speed, isn't a good ball carrier, and he won't break tackles, but everything else is real good. I'll always find room for a guy with good hands that can run routes and run block so long as his speed is over 50.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dokie_Williams

God bless your enthusiasm.

1985 New Jersey Generals Rookie Class


Pick 1.31 FS Marty McFly Marty McFly was the main character in Back To The Future which hit theaters in 1985. I'm hoping his hoverboard will help with coverage skills and his time machine will keep him forever young.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marty_McFly



Pick 2.31 TE Calvin Hobbes Anyone in their 20's might not even know what a newspaper was, but back in the day people used to get their news from a paper delivered to their door. In addition to news and advertisements, there was also a comics page, where cartoons with captions appeared.

One such cartoon was one of my favorites, Calvin and Hobbes. Even if you've never seen the comic strip, I'm sure you've all seen Calvin giving the finger and peeing on your hated team's logo.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Calvin_and_Hobbes



Pick 4.31 SS Charlie Hustle When most people think of September 11th, they think of the World Trade Center domestic terror attack, but I think back even further, to 9/11/85. On that date, Pete Rose broke the all time hit record in MLB.

I didn't want to use the name Pete Rose, because it makes me think of the post baseball Pete Rose, who is a clueless jerk. I used Charlie Hustle instead, his nickname, because that makes me think of head first slides and Reds World Series Championships.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pete_Rose



Pick 5.31 WLB Mikhail Gorbachev 1985 was the year Gorbachev became General Secretary which began his ascent to power in Russia. I have never been much into politics, but Gorbachev is an important figure in the world's history.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mikhail_Gorbachev



Pick 6.23 MLB Jason Allen I didn't get a chance to rename this player as he wasn't a General very long. The New Orleans Voodoo had their eye on this player and contacted me with a trade offer shortly after we turned in the draft card. After a brief negotiation, Allen was sent to N.O. for two future 5th round picks.

Pick 6.31 RB Tommy Hilfiger I had wanted to draft a RB all draft but I also wanted other positions, so the RB position kept getting ignored. Why did I want a RB? Well it was just last year where all my RB's were playing Last Man Standing, especially Rudi and Magic Johnson.

I don't like carrying 4 RB's on my 53, and we have 5 now but I need to cover for injuries. As it stands now, Hilfiger will battle Marcus Allen for RB4. I drafted Allen last year to be the RB3, but he got hurt too and FA signee Fred Dunagan has passed him on the depth chart. Rudi and Magic will be used sparingly this preseason, so even if Hilfiger busts, he'll stick around through preseason.

Tommy Hilfiger started his corporation in 1985. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tommy_Hilfiger



Pick 7.31 SS Boris Becker Boris Becker won Wimbledon in 1985. So what? He was only 17, making him the youngest ever Grand Slam winner at the time (record broken in 1989).

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boris_Becker