1982 NAFL season (Jayverse)

The 1982 NAFL season was the 83rd Regular Season of the North American Football League.

Before the season, a verdict was handed down against the league in the trial brought by the Oakland Raiders and the Aloha Stadium back in 1980. The jury ruled that the NFL violated antitrust laws when it declined to approve the proposed move by the team from Oakland to Honolulu. Thus, the league was forced to let the officially renamed Honolulu Raiders play in the 50th state in the United States, bringing pro football to Honolulu after hosting the 1980 NAFL Pro Bowl.

For the start of the 1982 season, the Minnesota Vikings moved from Metropolitan Stadium to the Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome.

Major Rule Changes

 * The penalty for incidental grabbing of a facemask that is committed by the defensive team changed from five yards and an automatic first down to only five yards with no automatic first down.
 * The penalties for illegally kicking, batting, or punching the ball changed from 15 yards to 10 yards.
 * The league discontinued the 1979 numbering system for officials, with officials numbered separately by position, and reverted to the original system where each NAFL official was assigned a random number regardless of position. Officials who were in the league in 1978 were allowed to reclaim their old number or switch to a number used by a 1978 official who had since retired or was not in use in 1978; officials hired beginning in 1979 then picked from remaining numbers based upon seniority. Also the officials' position was now abbreviated on the back of the uniform instead of being spelled out in full.
 * For the first time all Sunday afternoon games began in one of two windows: 1:00 p.m. ET/noon CT for early games, or 4:00 p.m. ET/1:00 p.m. PT for late games. From 1970-81, most games began at 1 p.m. local time regardless of the home team (except in Denver, where the Broncos kicked off at 2 p.m. MT). An exception to this rule was made for the Baltimore Colts, who were forced to begin no earlier than 2 p.m. Eastern due to a Baltimore ordinance, since repealed, which prohibited sporting events from beginning prior to that hour on Sundays.

The Draft
The Ottawa Canadians got the Draft Choice to select DT Mark Seale from Richmond, The New York Giants got their 2nd pick to draft RB Butch Woolfolk from Michigan, The Cleveland Browns took 3rd in the 1982 NAFL Draft to Select LB Chip Banks from USC, Chicago Bears got the 4th Selection in the NAFL Draft to take BYU QB Jim McMahon, USC G Roy Foster got drafted to the Miami Dolphins as the 5th pick being chosen in the draft

Other Selections taken in the draft

Pittsburgh Steelers draft Walter Abercrombie (RB)

Montreal Beavers draft Luc Tousignant (QB)

San Diego Destroyers draft Matt Kofler (QB)

Winnipeg Bombers draft Milson Jones (RB)

New Orleans Saints draft Lindsay Scott (WR)

Detroit Lions draft Jimmy Williams (LB)

Boston Patriots draft Kenneth Sims (DE)

Denver Broncos draft Gerald Willhite (RB)

Buffalo Bills draft Perry Tuttle (WR)

Los Angeles Rams draft Barry Redden (RB)

Baltimore Colts draft Johnie Cooks (LB)

Tampa Bay Buccaneers draft Sean Farrell (G)

Houston Oilers draft Mike Munchak (G)

Hamilton Tiger-Cats draft Kari Yli-Renko (T)

New York Jets draft Bob Crable (LB)

San Francisco 49ers draft Marcus Allen (RB)

Honolulu Raiders draft Merv Lopes (WR)

Saskatchewan Roughriders draft Andre Tippett (LB)

Washington Sentinels draft Vernon Dean (CB)

Standings
NFC East: New York Giants (13-5), Baltimore Colts (12-6), Washington Redskins (7-11), Montreal Alouettes (6-12), Philadelphia Eagles (5-13)

NFC Central: Cleveland Browns (10-8), Minnesota Vikings (10-8), Chicago Bears (10-8), Green Bay Packers (9-9), Pittsburgh Steelers (8-10)

NFC Mountain: Saskatchewan Roughriders (12-6), Denver Broncos (11-7), Salt Lake City Pioneers (8-10), Calgary Stampeders (6-12), Edmonton Eskimos (5-13)

NFC West: Portland Loggers (14-4), Los Angeles Rams (13-5), Dallas Cowboys (9-9), San Francisco 49ers (8-10), Las Vegas Gamblers (8-10)

CFC East: Hamilton Tiger-Cats (12-6), Halifax Schooners (8-10), Boston Patriots (7-11), New York Empire (5-13), Ottawa Northmen (5-13)

CFC Central: Cincinnati Bengals (14-4), Toronto Argonauts (9-9), Winnipeg Blue Bombers (8-10), Buffalo Bills (6-12), Detroit Lions (6-12)

CFC South: Houston Oilers (12-6), Miami Dolphins (10-8), Birmingham Vulcans (9-9), Atlanta Falcons (9-9), Memphis Grizzlies (7-11)

CFC West: Phoenix Firebirds (13-5), San Diego Chargers (12-6), Seattle Jets (11-7), Sacramento Raiders (7-11), British Columbia Cardinals (6-12)

Playoffs
Halas Cup Quarterfinals

Baltimore Colts 17, Saskatchewan Roughriders 12

Los Angeles Rams 29, Cleveland Browns 3

Grey Cup Quarterfinals

Seattle Jets 45, Houston Oilers 13

Hamilton Tiger-Cats 36, San Diego Chargers 26

Halas Cup Semi-Final

Baltimore Colts 21, New York Giants 13

Portland Loggers 45, Los Angeles Rams 28

Grey Cup Semi-Final

Phoenix Firebirds 31, Seattle Jets 3

Hamilton Tiger-Cats 37, Cincinnati Bengals 30

Halas Cup Final

Baltimore Colts 23, Portland Loggers 7

Grey Cup Final

Hamilton Tiger-Cats 37, Phoenix Firebirds 17

23rd World Series of Pro Football (at Sun Devil Stadium in Tempe, AZ)

Baltimore Colts 28, Hamilton Tiger-Cats 20

1982 NAFL All-Star Game (at The Silverdome in Pontiac, MI)

National All-Stars 45, Continental All-Stars 16

Awards
League MVP: Joe Montana (QB - Dallas Cowboys)

Playoff MVP: Joe Theismann (QB - Hamilton Tiger-Cats)

Offensive POTY: Joe Montana (QB - Dallas Cowboys)

Defensive POTY: Jack Lambert (LB - Green Bay Packers)

Offensive ROTY: Milson Jones (RB - Salt Lake City Pioneers)

Defensive ROTY: Less Browne (CB - Montreal Alouettes)