Johnny Blaze Jr
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| No. 81 – Sarasota Sailfish | |||||||||
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| Position: | Wide Receiver | ||||||||
| Personal information | |||||||||
| Born: | August 4, 2030 (aged 30) Worcester, Massachusetts, U.S. | ||||||||
| Height: | 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) | ||||||||
| Weight: | 220 lb (100 kg) | ||||||||
| Username: | Jblaze_The_Boss | ||||||||
| Career information | |||||||||
| College: | Holy Cross | ||||||||
| ISFL Draft: | 4068 / Round: 2 / Pick: 27 | ||||||||
| DSFL Draft: | 4067 / Round: 4 / Pick: 26 | ||||||||
| Career history | |||||||||
| Roster status: | Active | ||||||||
| Career highlights and awards | |||||||||
| Career ISFL statistics as of Week 14, 2053 " | |||||||||
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Player stats at ISFL.net | |||||||||
Johnny Blaze Jr (born August 4, 2031) is an American football wide receiver for the Sarasota Sailfish of the International Simulation Football League (ISFL).
Contents
Early years
Johnny Blaze Jr was born in Worcester, MA. He is the son of ISFL HOF Johnny Blaze Sr, the nephew of HOF Mike Boss Sr, and the cousin of Mike Boss Jr. Johnny grew up playing all sports to keep in shape. Early on he displayed athletic prowess at local competitions. His famous family really helped him get connections that others may not have. Initially, there were thoughts that Johnny would ultimately choose baseball as his sport of passion. As he aged through his high school years, it was obvious that his physical traits would be too good to pass up on when it came to football. With this in mind, and with his genetic pedigree, Johnny became a popular prospect. He was scouted by nearly every D1 program in the nation. The number of coaches visits to the Blaze home was enough to concern the nosy neighbors thinking the family was renting out their basement to old men in rental cars. Blaze Jr decided to stay local, and true to his roots when it came to college.
College career
Despite the overatures from many of the top schools in the nation, Johnny Blaze Jr committed to Holy Cross to play football at their program. Holy Cross, their mascot the Crusader, is a college that goes back to the 1930s and 1940s when you talk about their golden years. The school was proud of Gordie Lockbaum, perhaps the greatest football player in school history. This honor would be put up for grabs by the time Johnny Blaze was finished in the school. He put up dazzling numbers against some of New England's finest competition. Blaze Jr had no problem going into powerhouse programs like Bucknell, Stony Brook, or even Villanova, and coming out with a victory. Winning double-digit games all 2 seasons Blaze Jr attended the school, Holy Cross was propelled to the national stage as everyone wanted to get a piece of Blaze Jr. The school has recently announced they plan to erect a statue of Blaze Jr that will sit directly next to the existing statue of NBA HOF'er Bob Cousy.
Professional career
DSFL career
Initially, the DSFL embraced Johnny Blaze Jr in Minnesota. A late declaration of eligibility made it so that Blaze Jr was still open to being possibly temporarily claimed by a team for Season 36 and not have his future rights necessarily be held by that organization. This was exactly the case as Johnny Blaze Jr was claimed on waivers by the Minnesota Grey Ducks. In 2 games with Minnesota, Blaze Jr had 2 catches for 23 yards. This was completely lackluster, but it was Johnny's first taste of professional life. While his experience in Minnesota was brief, it prepared him for the real draft coming up. In the Season 37 Draft, Blaze Jr was selected in the 4th round, 26th overall by the Kansas City Coyotes. His first season in Kansas City was a statistical success, however, the team itself struggled mightily and ended up in last place at 4-10 despite the 1200+ yards Blaze Jr put up on the field.
Season 38 was a different story for the Kansas City Coyotes, and it was another great season for Blaze Jr. statistically. After the disaster that was Season 37, the Coyotes rebounded with a record of 13-1 and an Ultimini Championship. This is the first time Blaze Jr. has won a championship at the professional level. Blaze Jr. was part of a high-flying offense and one of the most valuable contributors on the team. Blaze Jr. finished his career in Kansas City with 19 regular-season touchdowns and nearly 2,500 yards. There was some speculation that he would spend Season 39 in Kansas City, but the decision was made by his ISFL team, the Sarasota Sailfish, that it was time for the young star to get his chance in the big leagues.
ISFL career
| Ht | Wt | 40‑yd dash | 20‑ss | 3‑cone | Vert jump | Broad | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) |
220 lb (100 kg) |
0 ft 0.2 in (0.01 m) | ||||||||||
| 4068 ISFL scouting combine (S2053) | ||||||||||||
Johnny Blaze Jr declared as early as possible for the Season 38 ISFL Draft. Knowing the rich history of his uncle, father, and cousin, Johnny knew that some day there would be an ISFL team calling him for his services. After a successful season on the field in Kansas City, Johnny was one of the most highly sought-after offensive weapons of his draft class. Nearly every team in the league had representatives show up at Johnny's workouts in the offseason before the draft. These teams all held in-depth interviews with the prospect and was on the radar of several teams. Ultimately, Blaze Jr would be selected by the Sailfish in the 2nd round, 27th overall. While Blaze Jr wasn't the first WR in his class to be selected off the board, there is little to no doubt that he will end up in the history books much like his relatives before him. Blaze Jr should fit in nicely to the new generation Sailfish.
Sarasota management decided prior to the start of Season 39 that Blaze Jr. would be making his debut with the team this upcoming season. After reaching the heights of the DSFL, the time is now for Blaze Jr. to take the next step in his career. He’s not expected to jump into a prominent role right off the bat, but many experts believe he has the potential to make a lasting difference much like his relatives before him.
ISFL Season 39 (Sarasota Sailfish)
Season 39 was Johhny Blaze Jr.'s rookie season in the ISFL. Starting the season on the depth chart as the obvious #3 WR, Blaze Jr. had modest expectations for production from the team and fans. What ended up happening surprised not only those inside the walls in Sarasota but also the experts all around the league. Blaze Jr., while decently popular during the initial scouting phase, never really had a true bite outside of Sarasota during the pre-draft process. When the Sailfish were jubilant to draft him in the 2nd round, there were whispers from other teams that it was a reach. Blaze Jr. proved early on in his rookie season that he was for real. The team won their first five games of the season before losing 6 of their next 9, and then ultimately finishing the regular season on a three-game winning streak. Sarasota had a streaky season as a team, and Blaze Jr. was no different. Some weeks he seemed like the favorite target of is QB. In other weeks he struggled to get open against second-rate defenders. At the end of the day, looking at everything, Blaze Jr. established himself as a surprise Offensive Rookie of the Year candidate, according to some experts.
ISFL Season 40 (Sarasota Sailfish)
Season 40 was the sophomore campaign for Blaze Jr. and it came with plenty of ups and downs. The team's performance, as a whole, was below expectations. Blaze Jr.'s personal stat sheet, however, saw some improvement. His reliability and role within the team went to the next level and laid the foundation for him to be one of the most dangerous receivers in the ISFL. Blaze Jr. had a receiving touchdown in an opening-day loss to the defending champions from Yellowknife to give the team a lead before ultimately falling. He again found the end zone against Baltimore in a one-point Week Three loss that would, unfortunately, be a precursor to the Sailfish's season. Blaze didn't have a multi-touchdown performance until the final week of the season when he scored twice in a blowout victory versus Baltimore. While there were a lot of growing pains with the Sailfish in Season 40, the future looks bright and Johnny Blaze Jr. figures to be a major part of the team's success moving forward.
ISFL Season 41 (Sarasota Sailfish)
Season 41 was the third season in the ISFL for Johnny Blaze Jr., and it was also his most successful season of his young career. Blaze Jr. was nominated for the Offensive Player of the Year award, netting 0 first place votes. Arguably his best statistical week of the season came in Week 1 against the eventual Ultimus Champions Cape Town, where he netted 12 catches for 138 yards. Blaze Jr. continued to put up an average of almost 1 TD per game. He excelled in short-yardage, goal line opportunities. He displayed that he had the capacity to be the next man up for the top target on Sarasota, following in Nick Kaepercolin Jr.’s footsteps. Blaze’s efforts were not enough to translate to team success on the field, as Sarasota dropped 3 of their final 4 games of the regular season before falling to the Crash in the postseason. Blaze Jr. is entering the prime of his career and will be looking to make another impact and carve his own path forward for himself and for the Sailfish as they attempt to reach the top of the ISFL ladder once again.
| Career statistics | Receiving | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Team | Games | Rec | Yards | Avg | Lg | TD |
| 2054 (S39) | Sailfish | 16 | 65 | 1102 | 17 | 89 | 9 |
| 2055 (S40) | Sailfish | 16 | 63 | 956 | 15.2 | 75 | 10 |
| 2056 (S41) | Sailfish | 16 | 105 | 1447 | 13.8 | 59 | 14 |
Achievements and records
Ultimini Champion (1)
