The Empire Football League (EFL) is a semi-professional American football league with franchises based primarily in New York State. The league was established in 1969 and last played in 2022. Many franchises have come and gone including in locations such as Pennsylvania, Vermont, and Connecticut as well as Quebec and Ontario in Canada.
History The league was organized during the winter of 1968 and started in 1969. The Hudson Falls Greenjackets were the first champions, after finishing with a 7–1 record. The Scranton Eagles won 10 championships in the 13 seasons between the years 1982 and 1994. The Eagles dynasty was the subject of the WVIA documentary The Forgotten Dynasty: Scranton Eagles Football in 2024.
Several members of the Syracuse 8 that challenged disparities for African Americans at Syracuse University's football program played for the Tri City Jets of Binghamton, New York. The team was a farm team for the New York Jets at the time and some of them went for a tryout with the Jets, but according to one of them they understood they had no chance when Jets coach Weeb Ewbank identified them as "those boys from Syracuse" during roll call.
Ray Seals transitioned from the EFL to the EFL's Syracuse Express to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the National Football League (NFL) in 1989. As a linebacker he blocked the pass from Brett Favre that Favre caught for his very first completion in the NFL.
Due to complications stemming from the Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative, all Canadian teams were removed from the league beginning in the 2010 season (at the time, the Quebec Titans and the Ottawa Deacon Demons (Joliet Chargers) were in the league).
The Watertown Red and Black left the league in 2017 when the EFL was down to two teams. The league held an emergency meeting when it was left with just the Seaway Valley Venom and the Glens Falls Greenjackets.
The Hudson Valley Mountaineers joined the league in 2018.
In 2018 Kevin Siska of the Glens Falls Greenjackets was inducted into the American Football Association Minor League Football Hall of Fame.
The team canceled its 2020 season amid the COVID-19 pandemic. For the 2021 season Utica, Hudson Valley and Sussex decided to join other leagues, so the league decided to split into 2 divisions to cut down on travel costs. Eastern Division included Glens Falls Greenjackets, Plattsburgh North Stars and Tri City Spartans, while the West Division consisted of Syracuse Smash, Watertown Red & Black and Northern New York Grizzlies. West division champs Watertown beat East division champs Glens Falls 37–8 in the final.
In 2022 Morgan Smith became the first female player in the Empire Football League, which she did as a placekicker for the Greenjackets.
In 2023 the league announced the Watertown Red & Black would be leaving the EFL and joining the GDFL; three of the other five teams followed suit, with the Greenjackets going to the New England Football League, the Smash (whom the league had suspended during the 2023 season after Smash players entered a fan melee that erupted at one of their home games and escalated into a gunfight in the parking lot) joining the East Coast Football League (later going indoors as an American Arena League member) and playing a spring schedule, and the Broome County Stallions rejoining the Northeastern Football Alliance, forcing the league to suspend operations for the 2023 season (after which the league, as of 2025, has yet to resume operations).
Prior franchises
Watertown Red & Black Albany Metro Mallers Amsterdam Zephyrs Berkshire Mountaineers Berwick Colts Binghamton Jets Broome County Dragons Capitaland Thunder Chenango Storm Connecticut Chiefs Dutchess County Checkmates Glens Falls Greenjackets Glove Cities Colonials Hudson Vikings (Columbia County) Hudson Falls Greenjackets Kingston Panthers Marlboro Shamrocks Massena Warriors Massena Silver and Black Raiders Montreal Condors Montreal Voyaguers New England Crusaders New York Stallions Newburgh Raiders Oneonta Indians Oneida Silver Bullets Orange County Bulldogs Ottawa Bootleggers Ottawa Demon Deacons Plattsburg Northstars (Lake City Stars) Quebec Titans Rochester Sting Rotterdam Eagles Reading Raptors Scranton Eagles Schenectady Chargers Seaway Valley Venom Salt City Aces Syracuse Vipers Syracuse Shock Syracuse Storm Syracuse Strong Triple Cities Jets St. Lawrence Trailblazers Toronto Raiders Troy Uncle Sammies Troy Giants Troy Titans Utica Mustangs Utica Nighthawks Utica Yardogs Vermont Ice Storm Vermont Muddogs (Casselton)
Champions
YearChampion teamDefeated team1969Hudson Falls Greenjackets (no game)1970Triple Cities JetsHudson Vikings1971Lackawanna County Eagles (9–1–0)Tri-Cities Jets (9–1–0), 26 to 13 (@ Scranton, 10/30/71)1972Tri-Cities Jets (10–0–0)Lackawanna County Eagles (8–2–0) (@ Binghamton)1973Oneonta Indians (no game)1974Glove Cities Colonials(no game)1975Oneonta IndiansAlbany Metro Mallers1976Hudson Falls GreenjacketsAlbany Metro Mallers1977Troy Uncle SammiesGlove Cities Colonials1978Troy Uncle SammiesHudson Falls Greenjackets1979Albany Metro MallersTroy Uncle Sammies1980Watertown Red & BlackTroy Uncle Sammies1981Binghamton JetsGlens Falls Greenjackets1982Scranton EaglesGlens Falls Greenjackets1983Scranton EaglesGlens Falls Greenjackets1984Scranton EaglesGlens Falls Greenjackets1985Syracuse ExpressGlens Falls Greenjackets1986Scranton EaglesSyracuse Express1987Scranton EaglesAlbany Metro Mallers1988Scranton EaglesOttawa Bootleggers1989Albany Metro MallersScranton Eagles1990Scranton EaglesAlbany Metro Mallers1991Scranton EaglesMontreal Voyaguers1992Newburgh RaidersScranton Eagles1993Newburgh RaidersScranton Eagles1994Scranton EaglesNewburgh Raiders1995Newburgh Raiders 14Syracuse Storm 91996Newburgh Raiders 28Columbia County Colts 01997Broome County Jets 31Capitaland Thunder 141998Kingston Panthers 36Connecticut Chiefs 141999Scranton Eagles 28Kingston Panthers 212000Syracuse Vipers 31Scranton Eagles 242001Syracuse Vipers 24Scranton Eagles 182002Orange County Bulldogs 42Glen Falls Greenjackets 132003Glens Falls Greenjackets 30Watertown Red & Black 62004Glens Falls Greenjackets 17Albany Metro Mallers 02005Albany Metro Mallers 33Orange County Bulldogs 02006Albany Metro Mallers 39Watertown Red & Black 02007Vermont Ice Storm 9Watertown Red & Black 82008Quebec Titans 12Vermont Ice Storm 102009Watertown Red & Black 6Plattsburgh North Stars 02010Plattsburgh North Stars 13Watertown Red & Black 102011Albany 29Syracuse Shock 14 2012Rochester Sting 38Plattsburgh North Stars 222013Syracuse Shock 36Plattsburgh North Stars 152014Plattsburgh North Stars 6Watertown Red & Black 02015Syracuse Strong 14Watertown Red & Black 62016Syracuse Strong 36Sussex Stags 132017Glens Falls Greenjackets 56Seaway Valley Venom 02018Hudson Valley Mountaineers 41Plattsburgh North Stars 302019Tri City Spartans 12Mohawk Valley NightHawks 02020Canceled due to COVID-19 pandemic2021Watertown Red & Black 37Glens Falls Greenjackets 82022Watertown Red & Black 30Glens Falls Greenjackets 142023Canceled due to a lack of teams
See also Seaboard Football League Atlantic Coast Football League Alliance of American Football Empire Football League Champions
References
External links Official Website