Emotional USFFD Success in Cleveland, Ohio

CLEVELAND, OHIO: Last Halloween ‘98, The United States Flag Football of the Deaf (USFFD) held its Super Bowl XIII flag football tournament in Cleveland, Ohio. The Ohio Deaf Athletic Foundation, with chairman Chris Calogar, was the gracious host for the tournament. Despite the fact that Old Man Winter was doing his chilling Dawg Pound dance on the football fields all weekend, the event was a success and everyone had a great time!

Prior to this year’s tournament, Daniel Francis Pordum, the USFFD’s founder and 1st commissioner, died of a sudden massive heart attack last July ‘98. His death was mourned by USFFD and many deaf communities throughout the nation. Daniel was remembered as a leader who had an incredibly strong drive to provide sports for deaf athletes throughout the USA; his zeal and love of football/basketball sports left a lasting impact on all those who worked with him.

During the tournament, Terri Pordum, Dan’s widow, got to meet many of the players and coaches. Countless people took the opportunity to express to Terri their sorrow and appreciation of Dan, often by sharing what was on their hearts as they gave tribute in Dan’s memory. The defending champions, C.C.D. of Chicago, had the initials “DFP” stitched into their uniforms in honor of Dan. Bobbie Beth Scoggins, president of USADSF, came to provide her support to Terri. Libby Pollard, President of NAD, and her husband Henry also came to give their support.

The peak moment came on Saturday, during the Awards ceremony, when the newly crowned Super Bowl XIII champions Chicago Club of the Deaf presented Terri Pordum their championship game football, which had all the players’ signatures written all over it. It was a very moving and emotional tribute for Terri, as tears flowed freely.

The USFFD Board of Directors also presented Terri an award of appreciation of Dan Pordum, to honor Dan’s tireless leadership in teaching and training the Board members in the operations of USFFD. The current USFFD board will be forever grateful for having had the opportunity to work with Daniel Pordum, as it has been a very rewarding experience for us all.

Ten teams participated in this year’s tournament. They were: Chicago Club for the Deaf, Ohio Deaf Athletic Foundation teams “A” and “B”, Cleveland Catholic Deaf Club, Indianapolis, Wisconsin, Pittsburgh, Colombus, Buffalo, and Texas.

A few interesting facts to note in this tournament in regards to the events that led up to the championship game between Chicago and Indianapolis. For the first time in USFFD history, a double elimination bracket system was used, due to a majority vote by the coaches. As a result, Indianapolis ended up playing five games prior to their appearance in the Championship game Saturday afternoon. Chicago had the huge advantage of being well-rested, having played only three games up to this point. In order for Indianapolis to win the championship, they would have had to beat Chicago twice in the championship game…meaning Indianapolis would need to play AND win their sixth and seventh games!

Super Bowl XIII started with Indianapolis receiving the kickoff. Then Indianapolis drew first blood, as Mike Paulone threw an 8 yard touchdown pass to Brian Bippus. Chicago struck back quickly on the next offensive series, needing only two plays that resulted with Kevin Smith sending a 35 yard touchdown bomb to Cy Saunders. After the second touchdown of the game, both teams’ defenses then took over and became the key factors in slowing down the scoring tempo. Both teams were also flagged for several penalties.

After several tries, Indianapolis finally got on the scoreboard again with a 30 yard touchdown pass from Mike Paulone to Brian Bippus again. Extra point attempt failed. Indianapolis led at halftime, 13 – 7.

During the second half, the game continued to be a see-saw battle. Kevin Smith scored Chicago’s second touchdown with a 1 yard run into the end zone. But their failure to convert the extra point left the game tied at 13 – 13. As the clock winded down towards the end of the game, Mike Paulone began steering Indianapolis towards the winning touchdown. However, Cy Saunders (Chicago), the Defensive MVP , intercepted a Mike Paulone pass and eluded the entire Indianapolis team for a 45 yard interception touchdown. Thanks to this play, Chicago was able to keep its USFFD dynasty alive, winning their third straight championship.

We must make an interesting note on how well both of the teams’ defenses played in this championship game. Kevin Smith and Mike Paulone were the best quarterbacks throughout the tournament, with both easily averaging more than 100 yards per game. Mike Paulone, in a game against ODAF B, passed for a tournament record of 187 yards. In the Championship game, both passers were limited to below 100 yards, with Mike P. getting 99 yards, and Kevin Smith throwing for 95 yards. Both quarterbacks also differed greatly in their styles. Mike was more of a passer, displaying great accuracy and throwing only ONE interception (thanks to Cy Saunders) throughout the entire tournament. Kevin, on the other hand, demonstrated his offensive savvy by often mixing up the running and passing plays to keep the other teams’ defenses confused and off track. This has resulted in the Chicago flag football teams (led by Kevin Smith) having a balanced offensive attack, and consistently winning championships.

The 1999 USFFD Super Bowl XIV flag football tournament will be held in Indianapolis, Indiana during the weekend of October 21 to 23, 1999. We are looking forward to having everyone return, and to watching all the teams, new and old, challenge Chicago’s supremacy in deaf flag football.