 Empire Football League logo | |
| Sport | American football |
|---|---|
| Founded | 1969 |
| No. of teams | 5 |
| Country |  United States |
| Most recent champion(s) | Watertown Red & Black (4) |
| Official website | Official Site |
The Empire Football League (EFL) is a semi-professional American football league with franchises based primarily in New York State. The league was established in 1969. Many franchises have come and gone including in locations such as Pennsylvania, Vermont, and Connecticut as well as Quebec, Montreal, and Ontario in Canada. In 2018 the league included six teams: the Glens Falls Greenjackets, Hudson Valley Mountaineers, Plattsburgh North Stars, Seaway Valley Venom, Tri City Spartans, and Utica Yard Dogs.
Ray Seals transitioned from the EFL to the National Football League (NFL) in 1989. Several members of the Syracuse 8 that challenged disparities for African Americans at Syracuse University's football program played for the Tri City Jets of Binghamton, New York. The team was a farm team for the New York Jets at the time and some of them went for a tryout with the Jets, but according to one of them they understood they had no chance when Jets coach Weeb Ewbank identified them as "those boys from Syracuse" during roll call.[1]
The league's most dominant team has been the Scranton Eagles who have won a record 11 championships, 10 of those coming between the years 1982 and 1994.
- ^ Marc, David (July 22, 2015). Leveling the Playing Field: The Story of the Syracuse Eight. Syracuse University Press. ISBN 9780815652557 – via Google Books.