History of the Arizona Outlaws

This article details the history of the Arizona Outlaws American football club.

Origins

In the beginning of the National Football Simulation League, Adwyer87 and Bushito were picked to create one of the founding teams. They named this team the Arizona Outlaws. During the inaugural draft the Outlaws were able to pick players that would be key to their upcoming seasons, such as King Bronko, Reg Mackworthy, Harrif Ernston and more. Shortly after the draft Bushito stepped down, and Adam2552 was hired as Co-GM. During the first ever season of the NSFL the Outlaws finished with a record of 9-5, tied with the Orange County Otters for first in the ASFC. Having won 3 out of 4 matchups with the Otters, the Outlaws were given home field advantage throughout the playoffs, which would prove to be a major advantage. The Outlaws blew out the Otters in the ASFC Championship Game, before going to the Ultimus to face the Colorado Yeti. They would blow out the Yeti in the first Ultimus Bowl as well, and were crowned the first ever champions of the NSFL.

The First Dynasty

Prior to the start of the 2017 (S2) season, Adam2552 left Arizona to found the new expansion team the Philadelphia Liberty. Adwyer87 went through the 2017 Draft (S2) alone, but added key players such as Tim Pest, and C. A. Chess – with the user behind the latter also being hired as the new Co-GM for the Outlaws, helping to lead them to a league-best record of 12-2. The Outlaws would squeak by hated rivals Orange County in the ASFC Championship, before crushing the Baltimore Hawks in Ultimus Bowl II to remain NSFL champions.

The 2018 Draft (S3) was again good for the Outlaws as they added players like Godfrey King, Samuel Zhang, and Charlie Law. They also signed key players like Philippe Carter and Pat Pancake during the 2018 offseason (S3). The Outlaws would again finish the season with a league-best record, this time 13-1, before dominating the 2018 ISFL post-season (S3) with convincing wins over the Otters, and then the Hawks again. Thus was established the first ever dynasty in NSFL history.

The Fall

After the 2019 offseason (S4), in which the Outlaws were able to sign Josh Garden – then widely considered the league's top wide receiver – they also managed to pick up star linebacker Noah Goodson in the 2019 Draft (S4). Once again, the Outlaws finished with a league-best record (12-2), and faced the Otters in the 2019 ISFL post-season (S4). This time however they were on the wrong end of a 27-9 result, and the dynasty was over.

After the defeat, both Adwyer87 and 4D Chess stepped down, with AdamS and DeathOnReddit stepping up to the plate as the new general managers. Unfortunately, an announcement from NSFL Head Office followed shortly after, which proved that the user behind star Outlaws defensive lineman Jayce Tuck (ErMurazor) was using multiple accounts to help the Outlaws in prior seasons. Jayce Tuck was suspended for a season, and the multiple accounts – Cristiano Ronaldo, Pat Pancake, Tim Pest, Jaxon Tuck, and Luke Luechly were all banned from the league permanently. This left many holes on the Outlaws roster, and necessitated a rebuild of sorts.

In the 2020 Draft (S5) the Outlaws picked up key players such as Dean Jackson and Darren Morris, with aspirations reduced to making the 2020 ISFL post-season (S5), rather than winning the Ultimus, as in past seasons. Finishing the season with an 8-6 record, the Outlaws barely edged out the San Jose Sabercats on a tiebreaker, before being blown out by the Otters. The ASFC Championship game that season was noted as controversial, as there were actually two games of this series, with the Outlaws initially getting a massive upset over the Otters. This result was expunged and after some back and forth between the general managers of both the Outlaws and Otters, and consultation with league head office, it was found that the Outlaws had employed illegal strategies and that the game must be replayed. The Outlaws lost the replay, and would return home early again.

During the 2021 offseason (S6), AdamS decided to step down from the Outlaws management team, with run_CMC being hired in his place. The Outlaws traded Charlie Law to the New Orleans Second Line and went into this season with a retooling mentality, hoping that the talent on their team would be enough to bring them into the playoffs. Sadly this was not true, as – even though they had finished with an 8-6 record – they failed to make the playoffs for the first time in franchise history.

The Rebuild

After an uneventful 2022 offseason (S7), with not much happening, the Outlaws knew this would be a tough season. They had to hope that after 1 or 2 trades, the players they acquired would be enough to bump them over the San Jose Sabercats. With four weeks to play in the season, the Outlaws were 2-9 and 3 games out of a playoff berth, however, and general manager DeathOnReddit resigned, requesting a trade for his player, Arbin Asipi Jr. who would eventually be traded to the Yellowknife Wraiths. The Outlaws closed out the season with three more wins, and won a tiebreaker for a playoff berth ahead of the San Jose Sabercats. This was the limit of their journey, however, as they were beaten in the conference championship by the Orange County Otters for the third time.