The EFL
Minor League football has many names, some choose to
call it adult amateur, while others use the term Semi-Professional.
The EFL considers itself to be a Minor League, our players are
definitely not amateur, but do not get paid to play the game they
love. Some play for the simple fact that they have not yet rid their
bodies of the passion for playing the game, while others use our
league as a stepping stone to the next level. Since our players do
not get paid, they are able to maintain their NCAA eligibility. The
EFL has players who range in age from 18-40, we welcome all
potential players to try out for their local team, and see if they
have what it takes to be an EFL player. With teams in 8 communities
in 2 states, there may just be a team near you!
The early beginnings of the EFL: In the summer of 2003
EFL Co-Founders Jerrid Edgington & Greg Piper were
teammates on a Semi-Pro football team. They often joked about giving
other communities in the State of Washington a place to play
competitive, full contact football. After further discussions, and
some interest from teams in other areas in joining such a
league, Edgington & Piper hung up their helmets,
and began organizing the EFL. Not realizing the full
extent of the work involved to start a league, the EFL's first
season didn't get underway until 2005. In the summer of 2004 Greg
Piper asked his longtime friend Jamie Waldo to come aboard the EFL,
Dr. Waldo is a professor and football coach at Chadron State
University in Chadron, NE. With the business law background that
Jamie added to the mix, the "EFL Team" was in place.
Season One: With 8 teams in the league, the EFL
officially kicked off in April 2005, with the very first EFL game
being played in Spokane, WA between the Spokane SaberCats and the
Walla Walla Stars. As the regular season wrapped up, the first
annual Evergreen Bowl was played in Burbank, WA between the Tri-City
Knights and the Walla Walla Stars, it was one of the most exciting
games we have had the opportunity to be involved in. The lead in the
game changed hands seven times before the Knights finally ended up
winning. Walla Walla fought hard, right up until the final seconds
of the game. The final game of 2005 was the EFL All Star Game, which
was held in Spokane, WA in July 2005. The game pitted the Eastern
Conference All-Stars VS. The Western Conference. The West came out
with the victory, and season one went in the books.
Season Two: The EFL had 8 teams yet again in the
league with one small change. The Moses Lake Bulls decided to take a
year off and replacing them were the Okanogan County Commandos. The
Commandos put to sleep several opinions that they wouldn't be a
competitive team when they made the playoffs as the #4 seed. However
their season came to an end when they traveled to take on the
defending Champions, Tri-City Knights, but ended the year as a very
successful first year team. The Blue Mountain Stars and the
Wenatchee Valley Rams battled to an exciting overtime game where the
Stars found themselves victorious in front of their home crowd in
Burbank. Evergreen Bowl II was set with a rematch of the first
years' Championship where the Tri-City Knights and the Blue Mountain
Stars faced off for the crown jewel of the EFL. The Tri-City Knights
found themselves on the winning end of that game with a final score
of 41-28. The last game of the year was the EFL All Star Game which
was played in Wenatchee at the Apple Bowl. The first half was a
14-14 tie but the Western All Stars prevailed by a score of
35-14. |