HISTORY OF THE NFFC

The National Fantasy Football Championship was started in 2004 as the industry's first multi-city, high-stakes fantasy football event. With live drafts in Las Vegas, New York and Chicago, the NFBC drew 224 teams at $1,250 each for the main event with a $100,000 grand prize. Mark Srebro of York, Pennsylvania teamed up with Jason Emma to win the debut grand prize with a Championship Round total of 715.34 points, a record that still stands today for the post-season. Srebro was the most vocal member on the NFFC message boards from the beginning of the season, bragging that he would win the title, and sure enough he came through.

In 2004, the NFBC consisted of just 16 main event leagues, 3 Auction Leagues and 2 Draft Champions Leagues. That was it.

By 2005, demand had grown to where the main event grew to 280 teams and the Auction and Draft Champions Leagues had expanded to 8 leagues. Josh and Sid Ferenc of San Diego, California rode LaDainian Tomlinson to a league title and the $100,000 grand prize, edging Scott Stauffer by 2.05 points in the closest final ever for the NFFC. The NFFC also rolled out two new events in 2005: The NFFC Ultimate League where the entry fee was $5,000 per team and first place was worth $37,500, and the NFFC Second Chance Leagues. The Ultimate Leagues consisted of one 14-team League in 2005 where owners from Las Vegas and New York were hooked up on a teleconference call. Eddie Gillis of Jamestown, Rhode Island won the debut NFFC Ultimate League title. The Second Chance Leagues started in Week 4 and continued through Week 16 as the NFFC's first online leagues, giving some owners who got off to rough starts a second chance to still win a league title.

The NFFC expanded to a full slate of online satellite leagues in 2006 with everything from $125 entry fee leagues to $1,000 entry fee leagues filling up. Thirty-two satellite leagues were held throughout 2006 during the first full season of online drafts, while the main event grew to 322 teams. The main event had a record 23 leagues in 2006, while the Auction Leagues and Draft Champions grew to a total of 9 leagues. Rob Benetti of Mokena, Illinois won the $100,000 grand prize with an incredible holiday game involving many of his favorite St. Louis Rams. Larry Schechter of Rexford, New York won the second annual NFFC Ultimate League and $32,500.

The NFFC's main event sold out for the first time in 2007 as the NFFC expanded to Tampa, Florida for the first time. With four regional draft sites on the agenda, the NFFC finished with 364 teams and 26 main event leagues. The tag team of Ryan Welch and Jeremy Jurwitz won the $100,000 grand prize during their debut season, becoming the second straight team to win out of Chicago. The biggest expansion of 2007 occurred online as the NFBC Satellite Leagues grew to a total of 51. In 2007, NFBC prize money had grown to more than $650,000 as the Auction Leagues and Draft Champions Leagues grew to a total of 11. Scott Stauffer of Naperville, Illinois won the third annual NFFC Ultimate League title and $27,500.

2008 was a historic year for the NFFC as it marked the fifth anniversary of the event. It also marked a new era for the NFFC as F+W Publications partnered with NBC Sports that year and expanded to a second live main event. With the help of NBC Sports, the NFFC added a 12-team contest and a second $100,000 grand prize. The NFFC became the first live event with two main events in the same day, a fantasy football doubleheader that over 160 teams took part in. The NFFC Classic - our unique 14-team event - drew 308 teams with Tom Yates of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania earning the $100,000 grand prize when he edged Scott Newman of Princeton, New Jersey by 2.94 points in the Championship Round. A total of 252 teams competed in the debut NFFC Primetime main event (12 teams) and Dave Gerczak of Appleton, Wisconsin dominated the Championship Round with 694.66 points to win the $100,000 grand prize. In 2008, the NFFC set a record by awarding over $850,000 in prize money as the addition of the 12-team format led to more Auction Leagues, Draft Champions Leagues and Satellite Leagues. A total of 56 satellite leagues were held in 2008, while Gino Yu of Rowlands Height, California became our fourth different champion of the NFFC Ultimate League.

In 2009, F+W Publications will continue the live main event doubleheader with the NFFC Classic being limited to 322 teams at $1,400 per team and a $100,000 grand prize, while the NFFC Primetime will be limited to 300 teams at a reduced entry fee of $750 and a $40,000 grand prize. Live events will be held in Las Vegas, New York and Chicago, while an online/phone component will be available for the main events for a second straight year. The NFFC will also offer the NFFC Online Championship for the first time, following a successful debut in baseball in which 600 teams signed up with a $40,000 grand prize. The Online Championship will allow fantasy football owners to win a national title from the comforts of their home in the familiar 12-team league format at a lower price point ($350). The goal is to introduce the contest to more new players, while providing a $20,000 grand prize.

The NFFC continues to evolve and grow and 2009 should be a great year for the contest and all of its members.