Look - we know, just hear us out. This is about league history and celebrating the origins of the league. Honest.
Let me take you back to 2016. The then National Simulation Football League was in its inaugural season, and one of its six original teams - the Arizona Outlaws - had a turbulent start. Losing all their games in the preseason and with their Co-GM quitting on the team, the Outlaws were not expected to amount to anything. Numerous media articles doubted their ability to compete, power rankings frequently had them dead last.
Flying solo in managing the team, GM Dwyer had a huge task on his hands. With a new league always in danger of folding, and an unsuccessful team unlikely to inspire activity in its players, the future was hiughly uncertain in Arizona.
After all that, once the regular season started, something magical started to happen - Arizona started winning. Then they kept on winning. Their offense was first in points scored, their defense second in points allowed. A burgeoning rivalry with the Otters was to be forged in the first ever ASFC Championship game, with Dwyer's now dominant Outlaws prevailing 36-13.
It would be lovely from a narrative standpoint to describe a key play from the Ultimus that changed the game and settled a hard fought encounter, but the Outlaws brushed the Colorado Yeti aside in dominant fashion to win the first ever Ultimus 29-6.
Many great teams have won the trophy, many other great teams no doubt will do so in the future, but there will only ever be one first Ultimus winner. What better way for the league to honour this achievement - and the achievement of Dwyer as their founder and solo GM - than to name Phoenix, Arizona the home of the Season 28 Ultimus?
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We echo that legacy with a logo for the Ultimus Bowl that takes strong cues from the original Arizona Outlaw's logo. The roman numerals for Ultimus 28 are embossed in a gun metal color and texture and are backed with the classic, well-known paisley bandana pattern in the classic Outlaw's scarlet. The overall shape of the logo emphasizes hard edges and facets as an echo of Arizona's landscape, landmarks, and archeticture while also fitting into a versatile silhouette that will look great on broadcast, on jersey badges, and maybe even on a championship ring or belt.
Credit to:
qWest (logo, initial concept)
Crunk (research, pitch write-up)
ADwyer87 (he may not know about this or be around any more, but his Exit Interview podcast on Arizona's early season provided the basis for much of the above)
Let me take you back to 2016. The then National Simulation Football League was in its inaugural season, and one of its six original teams - the Arizona Outlaws - had a turbulent start. Losing all their games in the preseason and with their Co-GM quitting on the team, the Outlaws were not expected to amount to anything. Numerous media articles doubted their ability to compete, power rankings frequently had them dead last.
Flying solo in managing the team, GM Dwyer had a huge task on his hands. With a new league always in danger of folding, and an unsuccessful team unlikely to inspire activity in its players, the future was hiughly uncertain in Arizona.
After all that, once the regular season started, something magical started to happen - Arizona started winning. Then they kept on winning. Their offense was first in points scored, their defense second in points allowed. A burgeoning rivalry with the Otters was to be forged in the first ever ASFC Championship game, with Dwyer's now dominant Outlaws prevailing 36-13.
It would be lovely from a narrative standpoint to describe a key play from the Ultimus that changed the game and settled a hard fought encounter, but the Outlaws brushed the Colorado Yeti aside in dominant fashion to win the first ever Ultimus 29-6.
Many great teams have won the trophy, many other great teams no doubt will do so in the future, but there will only ever be one first Ultimus winner. What better way for the league to honour this achievement - and the achievement of Dwyer as their founder and solo GM - than to name Phoenix, Arizona the home of the Season 28 Ultimus?
--
We echo that legacy with a logo for the Ultimus Bowl that takes strong cues from the original Arizona Outlaw's logo. The roman numerals for Ultimus 28 are embossed in a gun metal color and texture and are backed with the classic, well-known paisley bandana pattern in the classic Outlaw's scarlet. The overall shape of the logo emphasizes hard edges and facets as an echo of Arizona's landscape, landmarks, and archeticture while also fitting into a versatile silhouette that will look great on broadcast, on jersey badges, and maybe even on a championship ring or belt.
Credit to:
qWest (logo, initial concept)
Crunk (research, pitch write-up)
ADwyer87 (he may not know about this or be around any more, but his Exit Interview podcast on Arizona's early season provided the basis for much of the above)