ONLY FOUR TEAMS REMAIN ALIVE IN THE AFA’s 2005 NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP ARKUSH MEMORIAL CUP DRIVE

As the American Football Association¹s twenty-sixth semi-pro football season goes into the history books, all that remains to the very long season is to determine which of the AFA¹s top 4 teams will still be standing at the conclusion of postseason bowl game action in mid-January.

The four teams with their eye on a shot at the Arthur S. Arkush Cup and the AFA¹s National Title are the:

Detroit Seminoles (12-1) - The Seminoles have been a perennial power on the national scene for the past decade. Since 1998, they have posted a 100-11 record. In 2005, they beat the undefeated Cleveland Lions in the
Mid-Continental Football League title game. Since the Seminole's inception in 1994, they have won seven league titles in the Michigan, Mid-States, and Mid-Continental leagues. Normally, the Seminoles are active in post season tournaments; however, no word has been received if the Seminoles are pursuing any post season action this year.

Albany Metro Mallers (16-1) - The Metro Mallers won the Empire Football
League's 2005 title in very convincing fashion. They've posted a two year record of 27-3. After the EFL title, the Mallers entered the Harvest Bowl tournament. After winning their first round game, they stumbled in the second round to the Buffalo Gladiators. To date, no word has been received regarding the Mallers pursuing any other post season action - although it’s rumored that January bowl bids had been extended to the team from upstate New York.

Daly City Renegades (17-1) - The Renegades have been a very busy team in 2005. Their season began in early April as a member of the Golden State Amateur Football League where they captured the GSAFL crown. In August, as the defending champion of the Minor League Football Association, they participated in the MLFA's playoffs. The Renegades advanced to the MLFA title game once again and traveled to Grand Rapids, Michigan where they thumped an undefeated Grand Rapids Thunder team. Last week, the Renegades entered the Far West Football Association's tournament and convincingly defeated the San Diego Thunder (champions of the Southwest Football League).
Next weekend, the Renegades travel to Utah to face the powerhouse South
Ogden Rhino-Raiders (champions of the Rocky Mountain Football League).
Should the Renegades win in Utah, it has been confirmed that the northern California team is considering accepting an invite to a bowl game in Florida this January to improve their chances of capturing the 2005 AFA national title. The Renegades are 44-3 over the past three seasons.

Virginia Ravens (18-1) - The Ravens, who were one game away from being the only undefeated AFA member team going into December, won their second consecutive Mason-Dixon Football League title in 2005. In 2004, they also won the Eastern Football Alliance tournament. This year, they advanced to the EFA title game before falling to the Conshohocken (PA) Steelers squad last Saturday. The Ravens have posted a 35-3 record over the past two seasons. The word received from the EFA tournament directors was that participating teams in the EFA would not pursue any additional post season action. However, the Ravens may wish to reconsider that decision if they hope to improve their consideration for the AFA 2005 national title.

While the AFA relies heavily on the American Football News weekly power
ratings during the regular season and through league playoffs, the national association’s final consideration in awarding their annual national championship honors does not rely solely on the power ratings. The AFN power ratings serve as a barometer of sorts during the regular season and provides an important factor for how teams are seeded in postseason tournament play.
During the past 6 years the AFN has established a national team won/loss record data base by tracking the weekly scores of more than 20,000 semi-pro football games.

To win the AFA national title a team must first be an AFA member team, have won their league championship and participated in post season tournament play against other league champions or teams with similar records. Because all 4 remaining teams qualifying for a shot at the AFA¹s annual Arthur S. Arkush Memorial Cup (and 2005 National Championship) have only one loss each, capturing the title this year will have as much to do with "not losing" - as winning bowl games between now and mid-January.

The team winning the 26th Annual AFA National Championship will have the names of their players engraved on the Arkush Cup. Currently there are 1277 players and coaches names inscribed on the large semi-pro football trophy.

The AFA is expected to announce the details of their "Game Plan 2006"
membership drive in the near future. The national association for semi-pro teams and leagues has scheduled their AFA Winter Meetings for Sarasota, Florida in early February.

About the American Football Association:
The AFA is dedicated to the advancement of semi-pro/minor league football throughout the United States and serves as the National Organization for non-professional leagues and teams from coast-to-coast. For more information about the AFA, please visit their Web site: www.americanfootballassn.com.

Contact: Dave Burch, Director of Communications, American Football Association, 877-624-4485 or amerfoot@aol.com

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