During the league’s annual “Hangout” in June of this year, seven users were honored by being enshrined with the first eight spots in the Collegiate Football Simulation League Hall of Fame. The honorees were inducted on June 26th during a two-hour ceremony at La Cosecha Mexican Table in New Braunfels, TX.
Here is a look at your inaugural Hall of Fame class for the CFSL:
Jack Frost
Ray Tatum
Frost Carlson
Matt Pack
Allan Bargenquast
Dakota Jorgensen
Mike Peters
Jack Frost: When discussing the league’s most prominent players from the “first generation” of stars, the list typically begins with Jack Frost. Frost began his career in the CFSL’s inaugural season at Florida State. However, it wasn’t until a transfer to Oregon that first off-season that propelled Frost to stardom. Jack was a three-time All-American at Oregon, earning the honor in all three of his seasons in Eugene. Frost put up the 4th most tackles by a player in a single season as a senior and retired as the league’s all-time leader in tackles (where he currently ranks 3rd). Frost set the mold for what a safety should be in the CFSL and was said to be the inspiration for players like Jimbo Smithers, Ollie P. Peters and many others.
Ray Tatum: The G.O.A.T as he is often referred, Tatum defined what an offensive superstar is in the CFSL. Tatum is the only two-time winner of the Offensive Player of the Year award and currently holds seven of the eight most prominent passing records for a single season and a career. “Voodoo” as he is referred, also won a championship at Texas in Season 5, defeating the Auburn Tigers in an overtime thriller at the first ever CFSL Hangout. There have been many great quarterbacks to play in the CFSL, but Tatum stands alone as the greatest to ever play the position.
Frost Carlson: The success and impact of Frost Carlson can be summed up in on sentence: the first and only non-QB to ever win the Offensive Player of the Year Award. Frost broke the string of five consecutive quarterbacks winning the OPOY award by taking home the trophy in Season 6. That season, as a senior, Carlson put up his third-straight 1,250+ yard, 12+ TD rushing season. He finished with 1,259 yards and 18 touchdowns (a career high) and defeated QB Walker Mills and fellow HB Joe Pantoja in POTY voting. Carlson still holds the CFSL record for most broken tackles in a career and will always be regarded as one of the greatest running backs in CFSL history.
Matt Pack: The other G.O.A.T. on this list, Pack was inducted into the Hall of Fame as both an Athletic Director and a user (the only two-time honoree in the inaugural class). The Auburn AD is the only remaining AD from Season 1 and his Tigers have won more games than any other team in league history. Matt has been to a record four league championship games, winning the title in Season 6. The Tigers have only had two losing seasons in Pack’s 11 season run and made the post season for the first seven seasons of the league’s existence. There are a lot of great ADs in the CFSL, however, only one stands alone as the greatest to ever hold a clipboard.
Allan Bargenquast: The second-longest tenured AD in the CFSL, Allan has made an impact in the CFSL as not only an AD but also as a user. A member of the league since Season 1, Allan has been an AD since Season 2 and the league’s Community Manager since Season 10. He was also an Assistant CM before that and has a long history of helping to make new league members experience enjoyable and easy to navigate. Allan is the epitome of what excellence is as a user and has been a tremendous presence in the growth and stability of the league.
Dakota Jorgensen: “Clutch” as he is referred to via his Discord moniker, proved to be just that, winning a CFSL title in just his second season as an AD in Season 8. Clutch was an inaugural member of the CFSL and has created standout players like Tyler Jones-Drew and Barry Allen along with being a championship winning AD. His four-straight winning seasons along with his tireless commitment to the league earn him a spot among the best users to have been a part of the CFSL.
Mike Peters: There are few people who can have a bigger impact on a league than the original founder and commissioner. Peters not only got the league off the ground, but he also navigated the transition to upgrade packs and player archetypes in Season 2, the return of the playoffs in Season 5, the addition of the MAC in Season 9 along with the overall growth of the league from eight teams in Season 1 to 32 in Season 11. While Peters takes a step back from direct operation as commissioner, he will continue to guide the league from an administration level, helping to grow and innovate within the league for seasons to come.
