There’s one more call for fans to make in Fan Controlled Football: best moment of the season.
The league's second season was a memorable one, beginning with a 48-year-old Hall of Famer returning to competitive football and ending with a team that began the season 0-4 becoming champions. And those two stories most certainly intertwine, with the league’s first trade that, well, didn’t exactly play out as expected:
Here are 12 memorable moments from season two of Fan Controlled Football. Since fans call the shots in FCF, feel free to pick a favorite, rearrange the ranking, or add other moments that aren’t listed.
12. First Impression
The youngest player in Fan Controlled Football showed no respect for his elders. Qwan’tez Stiggers, at 20 years old, had three interceptions in his FCF debut. He returned his last pick 30 yards for the touchdown, becoming the first player in league history to have a three-interception game.
11. Multi-Tasking Owner
Pretty sure Steve Aoki became the first team owner in sports history to perform a pregame set:
10. Andrew Jamiel high-fives … Andrew Jamiel
Glacier Boyz wideout Andrew Jamiel had eight receiving touchdowns this season, second most in the league behind Jordus Smith (9). The most memorable was when he celebrated by walking over to his picture on the wall next to the end zone and giving himself a high-five.
“When I walked out onto that field for the preseason game, coming through the back of the end zone that was the first thing I saw,” Jamiel said on “The People’s Pregame.” “I saw myself on that wall and I’m like, ‘Wow, that’s amazing.’ I didn’t know they were going to do that. The fact that I saw myself right there, especially in the end zone, that was just a cool moment for me … When I scored, I had to go over there and say what’s up to the wall and give my guy a high-five.”
9. Big Offensive Knight
The Knights held the ball for just nine minutes and 22 seconds. And they scored 66 points. That broke the Fan Controlled Football single-game total, with five of the Knights’ nine touchdowns coming on the first play of a drive. Terelle West had 110 rushing yards and three touchdowns on a grand total of four carries.
8. Cheeta on the Prowl
Michael Irvin. Julio Jones. Austin Ekeler. Ed Reed. Marshawn Lynch. Todd Gurley. Chad Ochocinco. Von Miller. Cam Newton. Antonio Brown.
Those were just some of the NFL stars who stopped by Pullman Yards during season two of Fan Controlled Football. But no one made their presence felt as much as Tyreek Hill. The Miami Dolphins wide receiver returned an interception for a touchdown during the Week 3 celebrity game, weaving through entourages that had been standing on the field to do so.
7. Johnny Football to T.O.
A 29-year-old former Heisman winner and a 48-year-old Hall of Famer made for an unprecedented tandem in football history. Johnny Manziel and Terrell Owens played in just one game together, but they connected on this near touchdown. Manziel rolled out and found T.O. down field for a 27-yard gain, but fans ruled that Owens stepped out of bounds before reaching the end zone, denying the Heisman-to-HOFer touchdown.
6. Cherry on Top
Just pick one of the many highlights from Defensive Player of the Year Cecil Cherry, who channeled his inner Ray Lewis throughout the season:
5. TD Pass of the Year … No QB Needed
The best touchdown pass of the season was thrown by a running back. When LaDarius Galloway of the Shoulda Been Stars was stopped on a sweep play, he went to Plan B. He left his feet, got upended and threw the ball downfield while being hit in mid-air for a 20-yard touchdown pass to Travalle Calvin.
4. The Comeback Kidd
Mitch Kidd helped 8oki erase a late 10-point deficit against the Knights of Degen and then retake the lead twice over the final 26 seconds. It seemed the Knights were playoff bound when Ed Crouch broke free for a game-tying 40-yard run with 17 seconds left and then hit Terrell Owens on the two-point conversion for a 30-28 lead. But Kidd connected with Patrick Smith for a 35-yard gain on the next play and Malcolm Ballard followed with the go-ahead touchdown with six seconds remaining for a 36-30 lead. That forced a showdown challenge between the two teams, which 8oki won to eliminate T.O and the Knights and advance to the playoffs.
3. T.O.’s TD
While most 48-year-olds were doing what 48-year-olds do, Owens was stepping back onto the football field. On the final play of the game in the Hall of Fame wide receiver’s FCF debut, the 48-year-old Owens caught a touchdown:
2. Power to the People
What fans say, goes in FCF. And they played a major role in helping the Zappers clinch a playoff spot. With the Zappers trailing by four in the closing seconds and needing a stop on fourth down, Qwan’tez Stiggers seemed to come up with a shoestring tackle on quarterback Alphonso Howard. After seemingly being hit, Howard spun in the air while holding the ball with one hand, losing it as he hit the ground. Zappers defensive lineman Joe Grogan scooped up the ball and returned it 18 yards for the touchdown to give the Zappers a 40-38 lead with four seconds remaining. The play went to replay review and fans voted to uphold the ruling that it was a touchdown to keep their season alive. That sent the Zappers to the “Man Up Showdown,” which they won to advance to the playoffs.
1. Worst to First
The Zappers put the finishing touches on their Cinderella run, starting the season 0-4 and finishing as league champion. Kelly Bryant and the Zappers hurdled one final obstacle by defeating Deondre Francois and the favored Bored Ape FC by a score of 42-24 victory to be crowned the People’s Champion, giving the second season of Fan Controlled Football a memorable ending.