Immanuel Blackstone

Immanuel Blackstone

250px Blackstone with the Myrtle Beach Buccaneers
No. 76 – Colorado Yeti
Position:	Defensive End
Personal information
Born:	(2014-04-22)April 22, 2014 (aged 47) Dearborn, Michigan, U.S.
Height:	6 ft 5 in (1.96 m)
Weight:	300 lb (136 kg)
Career information
High school:	Homeschool
College:	University of Notre Dame
ISFL Draft:	2036 (S21) / Round: 1 / Pick: 7
DSFL Draft:	2035 (S20) / Round: 3 / Pick: 1
Career history
Myrtle Beach Buccaneers (2034 (S19)) Tijuana Luchadores (2035 (S20)) Colorado Yeti (2036 (S21) - )
Roster status:	Active
Career highlights and awards
2035 Cotton Bowl MVP 2035 DSFL Defensive Player of the Year

Immanuel Blackstone (born April 22, 2014) was an American football defensive end for the Colorado Yeti of the International Simulation Football League (ISFL). He played collegiate football for University of Notre Dame (ND) and played his DSFL season with the Tijuana Luchadores. He was drafted in the first round of the 2036 (S21) ISFL Draft by the Colorado Yeti. Blackstone retired at the end of the 2048 (S33) season.

Early Years

Immanuel Blackstone was born in his childhood home in Dearborn, Michigan on April 22, 2014. He remains devoted to his mother, Anastasia Blackstone, an immigration lawyer, and his father, Solomon Al-Farabi, a automobile computer technician. Immanuel Blackstone has three older half siblings who were born to his father in Palestine, and three younger siblings who, like him, were born in Dearborn, Michigan, after Solomon Al-Farabi immigrated to the United States and married Anastasia Blackstone.

Blackstone was raised as a devout Muslim facilitated by the like-minded community of his home town. He continues to practice his religious beliefs faithfully despite deep cultural contention.

Although he was homeschooled for the majority of his classes, a choice reflecting his family's conservative values, by taking one class with local public or private schools he was permitted to participate with their sports programs. He played basketball, football, and baseball in grade school and high school, but by his junior year decided to focus only on football which he played at Detroit Catholic Central High School. His size naturally led him to the offensive line, but as his foot and hand speed improved through his senior season he began to play as a defensive edge. He led his team to a 10-2 record but fell short of a state championship in his senior season.

College Career

In his senior year of high school Immanuel Blackstone was heavily recruited by NCAA D-1 schools after earning a four start recruit rating by Rivals.com. He attended the University of Notre Dame from 2032 until 2035 on full athletic scholarship where he studied political science and business. Overall, he started in 37 of 46 games for the Fighting Irish including three bowl games. He missed eight games over his college career for injuries including two concussions.

During his freshman and sophomore years, Blackstone quietly earned acclaim for his balanced and intelligent style of play. Throughout his first two years, Blackstone earned Player of the Week honors twice. In his junior year Blackstone exploded onto the national scene as a top defensive lineman, leading the league in sacks and even returning an interception for a touchdown. Following a Fighting Irish victory in the Cotton Bowl, Immanuel Blackstone was awarded the game's MVP for a performance which included 3 sacks, 2 fumble recoveries, and 1 tackle for loss which resulted in a safety. Two weeks later, Blackstone declared for the 2035 DSFL Draft.

College Career Statistics

Season	Team	Games	Tackles	TFL	FF/FR	Sacks	Int.	PD	Safeties	Touchdowns	Blocked P/XP/FG
2032	Notre Dame	7	25	5	0/1	3	0	1	0	0	0/0/0
2033	Notre Dame	8	31	13	1/1	5	0	0	1	0	0/0/1
2034	Notre Dame	11	61	24	2/2	13	0	2	3	0	1/0/1
2035	Notre Dame	11	68	26	5/4	12	1	1	2	1	2/0/0
Total		37	185	68	8/8	33	1	4	6	1	3/0/2

Professional Career

DSFL Career

Prior to the 2035 DSFL Draft, Immanuel Blackstone's professional debut came in week 10 of the 2034 season. Through the waiver system, the Myrtle Beach Buccaneers temporarily secured his player rights for the final four games of the season. Blackstone started out quietly with only eleven tackles (one for a loss and one sack). The Buccaneers went on to lose to the Tijuana Luchadores in the first round of the playoffs.

Blackstone's first full professional season began with much fanfare as he was highly touted to be a top draft selection. His initial draft stock was damaged by Blackstone's own design, however, as his very outspoken desires to play for the Tijuana Luchadores caused him to slide outside of the first two rounds of the S20 DSFL Draft. The Tijuana Luchadores looked to take advantage of the unusual draft demand and chose not to select Blackstone with the 8th and final pick of the second round, selecting instead the quarterback The Xekutioner. Rumors flew that the Portland Pythons would draft Blackstone against his wishes with the following pick. True or not, the Pythons leveraged these rumors into a season altering trade in which the Pythons gave up the 9th overall pick in return for the 17th, 23rd, 35th, 39th, and 44th picks, all previously owned by the Luchadores. Blackstone found a home in Tijuana with this first pick of the third round. Despite the assets lost by the team, Immanuel Blackstone was stalwart on the defensive line leading all defensive linemen in tackles by a wide margin and turning in a stat line which placed him in first or second in all defensive statistical categories. He was recognized for his efforts with the S20 DSFL Defensive Lineman of the Year Award.

Pre-draft measurables

Ht	Wt	40‑yd dash	20‑ss	3‑cone	Vert jump	Broad	BP	Wonderlic
6 ft 5 in (1.96 m)	300 lb (136 kg)	4.34 s	4.30 s	7.59 s	29.6 in (0.75 m)	12 ft 4 in (3.76 m)	43 reps	20

ISFL Career

Prior to the 2036 ISFL Draft Immanuel Blackstone was widely regarded as a top talent with many around the league speculating that he would be selected with the first or second pick of the draft (held by the Orange County Otters and the San Jose Sabercats respectively). However, Blackstone did not interview well with many scouts, openly voicing his rankings of the available teams and, perhaps more importantly, his desire to be somewhat of a journeyman on the professional level. Rather than walking back his comments in the interest of his draft stock, Blackstone doubled down on his worth projecting a salary higher than most rookies could command. This resulted in Blackstone's slide almost out of the first round of the draft entirely. Blackstone was eventually selected with the 7th overall pick by his top-choice team, the Colorado Yeti. Blackstone, together with fellow teammates Smirh, Thumper, Ocewilder, Berry, and Gabagool created a formidable defensive front which would become known as the Sacksquatches.

On the field in 2036, Blackstone met with success in his rookie season amassing 12 tackles for a loss, 7 sacks, and one safety. Although the Yeti got to a slow start, winning only 1 of their first 4 games, they found their groove and won 7 of their final 9 games earning a playoff berth along the way. Colorado's postseason draw, home against the Yellowknife Wraiths, ended in loss. Despite a disappointing ending to the season, Blackstone was awarded the Defensive Rookie of the Year prize and recognition on his first of many Pro Bowl rosters.

Immanuel Blackstone's sophomore campaign began with high expectations for the team both internally and externally. Blackstone, for his part, had to live up to a highly successful rookie season. He started the season out with a bang by blocking a punt by the conference rivals, the Yellowknife Wraiths. As a team, the Colorado Yeti started out hot with a 4-0 record which was the best start in team history. After winning another, the team's 5-0 start put them in an elite category. To that point, in the history of the ISFL, 13 teams had started the season 5-0. 11 of the 13 made an appearance in the Ultimus Bowl...those 11 went 8-3 in the big game. The pressure proved too much for the Yeti, however, as they dropped five of their next six games. The Colorado Yeti would finish the season with a record one win short of the best in team history: 8-5. In the first round of the playoffs the Colorado Yeti defeated the Sarasota Sailfish, fresh off their first season as an expansion team, by a score of 36-14. For the third year in a row the Colorado Yeti faced against the Yellowknife Wraiths in the Conference Championship. This time, however, the Yeti walked away with a win and a berth in the Ultimus bowl for the third time in team history and the first time since 2028 (S13). The Yeti would face off against the most dominant team in ISFL history, the Orange County Otters, in a game which would come to be known as David vs. Goliath. The Colorado Yeti, however, got off to a slow start and found themselves down by a score of 21-3 with two minutes left in the third quarter. Nevertheless, the Yeti, behind a game-changing sack by Immanuel Blackstone, turned the tide of the game eventually scoring a go-ahead touchdown with less than a minute to play. The Otters were unable to rally a comeback and the Colorado Yeti emerged victorious, winning the first Ultimus in team history. Blackstone's play earned him the inaugural Defensive End of the Year award and Pro Bowl honors for the second year in a row.

The following season, expectations were high for Blackstone and the Colorado Yeti despite their come-from-behind victory over the Orange County Otters in 2037. Unfortunately, the team provided a mediocre start with a 4-5 start to the season including a loss to their perennial rivals the Yellowknife Wraiths. The Yeti experienced a mid-season resurgence, however, after a 6-3 loss to the Honolulu Hahalua, winning 6 of their last 7 games. Because finishing the season with four conference wins wasn't enough to earn a first round playoff bye, the Yeti met with the Philadelphia Liberty in the first round of the NSFC playoffs. Blackstone and the Yeti emerged victorious and met with the Yellowknife Wraiths for the third time that season. In an evenly matched bout, the Wraiths broke the tie between the two teams with a 13-10 victory. Immanuel Blackstone, for his part, performed well in the eyes of the Awards Committee: he was recognized as the Defensive End of the Year for the second season in a row and earned a spot on the Pro Bowl roster for the third season in a row.

Stinging from the loss to the Yellowknife Wraiths, the Colorado Yeti vowed to come back with a vengeance the following year. Prior to the start of the 2039 season, Immanuel Blackstone solidified himself as a leader in the Yeti organization by signing a contract extension that would keep him in Colorado for at least two more seasons. This would not provide solace for Yeti fans for very long, however, as a mere two weeks in the 2039 the ISFL Head Office announced plans to expand the league with the addition of two more teams: the New York Silverbacks and the Berlin Fire Salamanders. What followed was a month of deliberations by the Colorado Yeti front office on who would fill one of the valuable protection slots in the upcoming expansion draft. Tensions were raised when the administration decided to trade one of their protections slots to the Chicago Butchers. Blackstone fans were relieved in the end, however, to learn that the club utilized its last protection slot on the defensive end. Blackstone's experience on the field was just as exciting. The Yeti cruised to the best record in team history (14-2), sporting the best rush defense in the league. With home field advantage in every match, the Colorado Yeti were the favorites to win the Ultimus for the second time in three seasons. Nevertheless, despite being 10-1 favorites over the San Jose Sabercats, Blackstone and the Colorado Yeti were unable to finish the job and left the 2039 season without a trophy. Blackstone was again honored with Defensive End of the Year recognition and an invitation to the Pro Bowl.

Blackstone's career played out rather uneventfully. He remained with the Colorado Yeti until his retirement, at times seeing success on the field and on the stat sheet but never securing another Ultimus victory. Immanuel Blackstone retired at the end of the 2048 season ranked second all-time in tackles for a loss and in the top twenty for career sacks. Today he maintains a low profile, preferring to live in seclusion in his hidden cabin in the woods, one day hoping to steal a glimpse of the Colorado Yeti.

Honolulu Legend

Immanuel Blackstone made ISFL headlines across the league at the end of the 2048 (S33) season when, still stinging from a tough loss in the Ultimus, Blackstone was contacted by the General Manager of the Honolulu Hahalua. Blackstone, by this time a household name for the Yeti with every intention of finishing out his career in Colorado, was told that he had been traded to the Hahalua in exchange for the ever-controversial defensive tackle, Big Edd. Blackstone was aware that the team was targeting Big Edd, but was under the impression that the pair would together create the most dominant defensive line in the league. Instead, he was being shipped out. Without so much as a moment to speak to his teammates or the Yeti front office, Blackstone was immediately whisked onto the next business class flight to Hawaii, cut off from the noise of the world for eight hours of silence. Meanwhile, back at the training facility, the team was in disarray upon hearing the news. One player threatened to retire in protest of the "business decision." When Blackstone disembarked in Honolulu he was met by the Hahalua GMs who had news for him: he had been traded back to the Colorado Yeti. A clerical error resulted in Immanuel Blackstone's addition to the official trade sheet in place of the intended player, Ismael Sanchez. Blackstone was never meant to be traded in the first place, and in what amounted to a showing of good faith, the Hahalua traded Blackstone back to set the deal as it should have been. As a result, Blackstone holds a record for one of the shortest tenures on an ISFL team. He remains proud of his short time in Honolulu and earned himself quite a few Hawaiian fans in the process.

Professional Career Statistics

DSFL Statistics

Season	Team	Games	Tackles	TFL	FF/FR	Sacks	Int.	PD	Safeties	Touchdowns	Blocked P/XP/FG
2035 (S20)	Luchadores	14	71	22	2/1	9	0	0	1	0	0/0/0
Total		14	71	22	2/1	9	0	0	1	0	0/0/0

ISFL Regular Season Statistics

Season	Team	Games	Tackles	TFL	FF/FR	Sacks	Int.	PD	Safeties	Touchdowns	Blocked P/XP/FG
2036 (S21)	Yeti	13	28	12	0/0	7	0	0	1	0	0/0/0
2037 (S22)	Yeti	13	42	12	2/2	6	0	0	1	0	1/0/0
2038 (S23)	Yeti	16	66	19	2/3	7	0	0	0	0	0/0/0
2039 (S24)	Yeti	16	60	18	1/2	7	0	0	1	0	0/0/0
2040 (S25)	Yeti	16	64	17	0/0	5	0	0	0	0	2/0/0
2041 (S26)	Yeti	16	40	17	1/0	5	0	0	0	0	0/0/0
2042 (S27)	Yeti	16	26	8	0/0	6	0	0	0	0	0/0/0
2043 (S28)	Yeti	16	23	2	0/0	5	0	0	0	0	0/0/0
2044 (S29)	Yeti	16	54	3	1/0	13	0	0	0	0	0/0/0
2045 (S30)	Yeti	16	49	4	1/0	10	0	0	0	0	0/0/0
2046 (S31)	Yeti	16	34	2	0/0	6	0	0	0	0	0/0/0
2047 (S32)	Yeti	16	21	2	1/1	8	0	0	0	0	0/0/0
2048 (S33)	Yeti	16	19	0	2/3	3	0	0	0	0	0/0/0
Total		208	526	116	11/11	88	0	0	3	0	2/0/0

NSFL Postseason Statistics

Season	Team	Games	Tackles	TFL	FF/FR	Sacks	Int.	PD	Safeties	Touchdowns	Blocked P/XP/FG
2036	Yeti	1	3	1	0/0	1	0	0	0	0	0/0/0
2037	Yeti	3	13	4	0/0	2	0	0	0	0	0/0/0
2038	Yeti	2	7	3	0/0	1	0	0	0	0	0/0/0
2039	Yeti	2	11	2	1/0	1	0	0	0	0	0/0/0
2040	Yeti	N/A	-	-	-/-	-	-	-	-	-	-/-/-
Total		8	34	10	1/0	5	0	0	0	0	0/0/0

Achievements and Records

Collegiate

2035 Cotton Bowl MVP

Professional

Drafted Round 3 Pick 1 by the Tijuana Luchadores in the 2035 DSFL Draft

2035 DSFL Defensive Lineman of the Year

Drafted Round 1 Pick 7 by the Colorado Yeti

2036 Defensive Rookie of the Year

2036 Pro Bowl

2037 NSFC Champion

2037 NSFL League Champion

2037 Pro Bowl

2037 Defensive End of the Year

2038 Pro Bowl

2038 Defensive End of the Year

2039 NSFC Champion

2039 Pro Bowl

2039 Defensive End of the Year