Baltimore Hawks
| Baltimore Hawks | |||
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 Current season | |||
First season: 2016 Play in and headquartered in The Aviary Baltimore, Maryland | |||
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| League/conference affiliations | |||
Current uniform
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| Team colors | Gold, Red, Black[1] | ||
| Mascot | Caw Caw | ||
| Personnel | |||
| General manager | Iam Essellemm John Logan | ||
| Head coach | Leon Ardo | ||
| Team history | |||
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| Championships | |||
| League championships (1) | |||
Conference championships (5)
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Division championships (5)
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| Playoff appearances (7) | |||
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| Home fields | |||
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The Baltimore Hawks professional American football franchise based in Baltimore, Maryland. The Hawks currently compete in the National Simulation Football League (NSFL) as a member club of the league's National Simulation Football Conference (NSFC) which currently only has one division. The franchise was established in 2016 (S1) as one of the six original teams. They have an intense rivalry with the Yellowknife Wraiths and Philadelphia Liberty. The Hawks have won the NSFC championship four times, and one Ultimus Trophy (Ultimus Bowl X).
The Hawks have sold out every home game at The Aviary, in downtown Baltimore, since 2017 (S2). Hawks fans and players are known for their "Caw Caw" battle cry.
Contents
History of the Baltimore Hawks
The Baltimore Hawks franchise went through some difficulties in its early years, seeing franchise founder RayCobaine relinquish control prior to the Inaugural NSFL Draft. His replacements, evryday and .broken had little preparation time and had to deal with early retirements, while leading the team to a 4-10 record in the first year. At the end of the 2016 (S1) season, Gordon Gekko took over as GM, and set about rebuilding the team. His first priority was to retain the services of a few key players in the team, ahead of an impending expansion draft. Between the expansion draft, further player retirements, and trade requests, the Hawks were looking at a tough season ahead. A strong draft class and savvy selections from the new GM turned things around rapidly, however, and the Hawks performed well. A scandal regarding Hawks tight end Carmel Gibson half-way through the season could have been a major setback, but the Hawks cut him and moved Jesse Sanderson into the gap, still managing to claim top spot in the NSFC for 2017 (S2). A win over the rival Yellowknife Wraiths put them into Ultimus Bowl II, where they fell 33-6 to the Arizona Outlaws.
The Hawks would hire ItsJustBarry to serve as co-GM as they sought to repeat as NSFC Champions in 2018 (S3). They were successful in this aim, thanks to the contributions of another strong draft class, including wide receiver Trey Willie, defensive tackle Ricardo Sandoval and safety Vincent Valentine. A trade for the controversial Las Vegas Legion wide receiver Stormblessed at the trade deadline bolstered a formidable offense. Starting the season 6-0, the Hawks finished with a 9-5 record, and again won the conference championship game – this time defeating the Philadelphia Liberty – before falling to the Outlaws in Ultimus Bowl III.
As a consequence of various changes throughout the league in 2019 (S4), there was a substantial amount of roster change for the Hawks as they entered their fourth season, despite not having a first-round pick in that year's draft. Ultimately, the Hawks' post-season hopes came down to their final game, and unfortunately they were defeated 35-33 by the Liberty, ending their season with a 7-7 record. Further roster changes in 2020 (S5) saw the Hawks acquire veteran receiver Alexandre LeClair as well as DSFL standout John Wachter and promising cornerback Gregory Fletcher. Reaching the conference championship game again, the Hawks were unable to overcome the Wraiths, losing 37-21.
The arrival of former number one draft pick Noah Goodson in 2021 (S6) and promising rookie Austin Roenick saw the Hawks heading into the season optimistic of a return to the Ultimus Bowl. However, once again, the Hawks' prospects came down to the final game of the season, which they lost 41-28 to the Wraiths, keeping them out of the post-season. Hawks veteran cornerback Antoine Delacour would pick up the first defensive player of the year award in franchise history, however, while Owen Taylor set a new single season rushing record for the NSFL with 1,402 yards.
Baltimore would be rocked in 2022 (S7) following the shock death of beloved general manager Gordon Gekko. ItsJustBarry served as interim general manager until the end of the regular season, when iamslm22 and manicmav36 took over. With the Hawks having failed to reach the playoffs with their 7-7 record, the new GM duo had the post-season and an entire offseason to prepare for 2023 (S8).
2023 (S8) saw Baltimore finish 7-7 in the regular season for the second consecutive year, but unlike in 2022 (S7) this year they made the playoffs in the NSFC behind the 11-3 Yellowknife Wraiths. Baltimore were bolstered by another strong season from workhorse Owen Taylor who finished the season with 313 rushing attempts for 1263 yards and 15 touchdowns. Unfortunately for Baltimore, their playoff run would be short lived after falling to the Yellowknife Wraiths 38-24 in Yellowknife.
Baltimore however were a much more dominant team during the 2024 (S9) season and ultimately finished with an impressive 11-3 record, the best of the NSFC. Baltimore boasted an impressive offense with Avon Blocksdale throwing for over 4500 yards and 26 touchdowns, Owen Taylor rushing for just shy of 1400 yards and 23 touchdowns. Baltimore also had the ever deadly receiving threats of Trey Willie, Alexander LeClair, Budda Browning and Verso L'Alto at their disposal. Baltimore narrowly dispatched Colorado in Maryland 40-34 before moving on to the Ultimus Bowl to face the new look New Orleans Second Line. Unfortunately for Baltimore, they were outplayed and the 12-2 Second Line ran out winners at 37-24.
But the pain for Hawks fans would finally cease in 2025 (S10) when they achieved their greatest ever regular season record (13-1). The Baltimore side from 2024 (S9) was largely the same, just with a few new rookie pickups most notably tight end Declan Harp and wide receiver Vinny Valentine. Baltimore played the 9-5 Yeti in Maryland and through a tight affair won out in the end 37-28 before facing NOLA for a back to back Ultimus Bowl. Baltimore had their revenge and ran out 29-23 winners as they claimed their first ever Ultimus title in franchise history.
After earning their first Ultimas victory, the Hawks owners gave both general managers an extension for the 2026 (S11) season. They would in turn make the biggest splash of the offseason signing Ryan Applehort and transitioning Avon Blocksdale to cornerback. Apart from that the Hawks remained relatively the same, but came into the season as heavy favorites to repeat as the NSFC Champions. The Hawks would jump out of the gate red hot as they would win their first five games. Possibly looking ahead to their week 7 matchup with the New Orleans Second Line, the lost in a shocker on the road to the Philadelphia Liberty. From there they would stumble a bit winning only 4 of their next 8 to finish with a 9-5 record, still good enough to be tops in the NSFC. Baltimore would make quick work of the Colorado Yeti in the opening round of playoffs 45-7 punching their ticket to the Ultimas to face the Second Line for the second straight year. The rematch would live up to all the hype as Turk Turkleton would kick a game tying field goal with 1:47 left in the game, but ultimately Darren Smallwood would find the endzone in overtime to win the Ultimas for New Orleans.
Season-by-season records
| Season | Regular Season Record | Post Season Record | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| W | L | T | PCT | W | L | |||
| 2016 | 4 | 10 | 0 | .285 | 0 | 0 | ||
| 2017 | 8 | 6 | 0 | .571 | 1 | 1 | ||
| 2018 | 9 | 5 | 0 | .642 | 1 | 1 | ||
| 2019 | 7 | 7 | 0 | .500 | 0 | 0 | ||
| 2020 | 8 | 6 | 0 | .571 | 0 | 1 | ||
| 2021 | 7 | 7 | 0 | .500 | 0 | 0 | ||
| 2022 | 7 | 7 | 0 | .500 | 0 | 0 | ||
| 2023 | 7 | 7 | 0 | .500 | 0 | 1 | ||
| 2024 | 11 | 3 | 0 | .785 | 1 | 1 | ||
| 2025 | 13 | 1 | 0 | .928 | 2 | 0 | ||
| 2026 | 9 | 5 | 0 | .643 | 1 | 1 | ||
| Total | 90 | 64 | 0 | .584 | 6 | 6 | ||
Players of note
Current roster
 | This article is pending review by an Approver on the wiki team. Do not award TPE yet. |
Baltimore Hawks roster
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| Quarterbacks
Running backs Wide receivers Tight ends
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Offensive linemen
Defensive linemen
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Linebackers
Defensive backs
Special teams
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Reserve lists
DSFL Send-downs
Rookies in italics
Roster updated January 24, 2024 | ||||||
Current staff
Baltimore Hawks staff
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References
- ↑ "Baltimore Hawks Team Info". Official Baltimore Hawks Info Page. National Simulation Football League. May 16, 2017. Retrieved January 24, 2018.
