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 NAFL 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for the Baltimore Colts, who were forced to begin no earlier than 2 p.m. Eastern due to a Baltimore ordinance, since repealed, which prohibited sporting events from beginning prior to that hour on Sundays.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)

Southern California Sun draft Jack Squirek (LB)

Calgary Stampeders draft Greg Peterson (CB)

Brooklyn Barons draft Mike Merriweather (LB)

Cincinnati Chargers draft Glen Collins (DE)

Seattle Orcas draft Jeff Bryant (DE)

Philadelphia Eagles draft Mike Quick (WR)

Dallas Texans draft Rod Hill (CB)

Kansas City Kings draft Anthony Hancock (WR)

Indianapolis Racers draft Fred Marion (CB)

Birmingham Vulcans draft Lester Williams (DT)

Washington Sentinels draft Vernon Dean (CB)

Edmonton Elks draft Nereo Bolzon (LB)

Green Bay Packers draft Ron Hallstrom (G)

Minnesota Vikings draft Darrin Nelson (RB)

St. Louis Gunners draft Luis Sharpe (T)

Toronto Huskies draft Chris Schultz (T)

Atlanta Falcons draft Gerald Riggs (RB)

Vancouver Lumberjacks draft Gerald Roper (G)

Ottawa Canadians draft Mark Duper (WR)

New York Giants draft Joe Morris (RB)

Montreal Beavers draft Joe Nash (DT)

New Orleans Saints draft Brad Edelman (G)

Denver Broncos draft Sammy Winder (RB)

Los Angeles Rams draft Mike Horan (P)

Baltimore Colts draft Rohn Stark (P)

San Francisco 49ers draft Robert Brown (DE)

Edmonton Elks draft Rod Connop (C)

Minnesota Vikings draft Steve Jordan (TE)

Cincinnati Chargers draft Rodney Holman (TE)

Seattle Orcas draft Norm Johnson (K)

San Antonio Wings draft Vann McElroy (FS)

Birmingham Vulcans draft Scott Norwood (K)

San Diego Destroyers draft William Judson (FS)

New Orleans Saints draft Morten Andersen (K)

Standings
AFC East: Buffalo Bills (11-5), Boston Patriots (9-7), Brooklyn Barons (8-8), Ottawa Canadians (7-9), New York Jets (6-10), Hamilton Tiger-Cats (5-11)

AFC North: Cleveland Browns (10-6), Cincinnati Chargers (8-8), Saskatchewan Roughriders (7-9), Winnipeg Bombers (6-10), Minnesota Vikings (6-10), Pittsburgh Steelers (3-13)

AFC South: Birmingham Vulcans (13-3), Memphis Steamers (11-5), San Antonio Wings (8-8), Houston Oilers (8-8), Atlanta Falcons (5-11), Miami Dolphins (3-13)

AFC West: Kansas City Kings (11-5), San Diego Destroyers (11-5), Honolulu Raiders (10-6), Southern California Sun (10-6), Calgary Stampeders (8-8), Vancouver Lumberjacks (8-8), Edmonton Elks (8-8)

NFC East: Toronto Huskies (11-5), New York Giants (10-6), Washington Sentinels (10-6), Philadelphia Eagles (8-8), Montreal Beavers (7-9), Baltimore Colts (3-13)

NFC North: Chicago Bears (11-5), Indianapolis Racers (10-6), St. Louis Gunners (8-8), Milwaukee Mustangs (8-8), Green Bay Packers (5-11), Detroit Lions (4-12)

NFC South: Kentucky Bourbons (9-7), Jacksonville Sharks (8-8), Mexico City Diablos (8-8), Tampa Bay Buccaneers (8-8), Dallas Texans (8-8), New Orleans Saints (7-9)

NFC West: Sacramento Condors (11-5), Las Vegas Gamblers (10-6), Seattle Orcas (9-7), Denver Broncos (9-7), San Francisco 49ers (8-8), Portland Storm (7-9), Los Angeles Rams (3-13)

Playoffs
AFC Wildcard: Buffalo def. San Diego 22-19, Cleveland def. Memphis 34-20

NFC Wildcard: Chicago def. Las Vegas 24-13, Kentucky def. Washington 21-18

AFC Divisional: Buffalo def. Kansas City 20-17, Birmingham def. Cleveland 38-31

NFC Divisional: Toronto def. Chicago 34-20, Kentucky def. Sacramento 26-22

AFC Championship: Buffalo def. Birmingham 45-14

NFC Championship: Toronto def. Kentucky 38-17

Super Bowl XVII (at The Rose Bowl in Pasadena, CA): Buffalo def. Toronto 44-41

NAFL All-Star Game (at The Orange Bowl in Miami, FL): NFC def. AFC 42-17

League Leaders
Passing Yards - Dan Fouts (Birmingham) 5,094

Passing TD's - Dan Fouts (Birmingham) 49

Passing Rating - Dan Fouts (Birmingham) 121.5

Rushing Yards - Murray Whaley (Buffalo) 1,425

Receivng Yards - Sam Loomis (Buffalo) 1,885

Total Points - Scott Norwood (Birmingham) 148

Tackles - Paul Moffitt (Pittsburgh) 135

Sacks - Brian Shafer (Seattle) 20

Interceptions - Wilson Peterson (Philadelphia) 9