Christmas and Electric Football Memories

[Shabby J]

I know, I know, it's not electric football, it's miniature football, but for this post it's electric football.

Hopefully the Holidays bring back a ton of great electric football memories for all you guys who played as kids. Remember folding the pages of the Sears catalog and circling the boards or teams that you wanted Santa to bring? Remember not being able to sleep, because all you could think about was that brand new field under the tree?

I am 39 years old and played electric football with my dad as a kid, him and mom always managed to get me the board or teams I wanted. He worked at Ford Motor Company in Detroit and my mom was a homemaker, we were your average working middle class family.

He passed away when I was 12, when reminiscing with my mom recently she said when I was a kid he could not wait to buy me Lionel trains, slot cars, gas powered tether cars, mini bikes, etc... for Christmas, she said he was enjoying things with me that his family could never afford to buy him as a kid. I never thought about it that way, I can totally see it now.

Electric football was special as it was our favorite game to play together. To this day I think of him everytime the board is turned on for the first play of a game. Not a Christmas goes by that I don't think back about those fun but all to brief times spent with him.

This year I am starting a new tradition, I am going put my vintage 620 in it's original box under the tree on Christmas Eve so it will be there Christmas morning. In honor of my Father on Christmas day I am going to play a solitaire game, just like the old days, if I lose I will know the old man can still bring it on the metal gridiron.


I hope this will prompt you guys to share some of your memories about electric football and your childhood.

[Franny-j-boy]

Coach, I just wanted to say thank you sooo much for that memory because you really touched me.I'm 39 as well and although my dad died when I was in second grade I'll never forget 1977 and getting my superbowl game for x-mas and the excitement I had when I saw "Santa" had gotten me my favorite and most wanted toy. My mom had to think "I picked that one right" because I don't even remember or care what else I got. My older brother and I played that game every single night. I was a Cowboy fan starting out so I would practice soo hard and always play a tough game against my brother Pat. I would always make sure the board was clean and my players would always get a pep talk. We had such a great neighborhood back then in Cincinnati with a ton of older kids to play with. This game was soo huge a least six other people got that game that year, and about four others already had it. We got a league going with schedules,standings,and stats that made it too much fun. Everyone put in five dollars and I kept all the money in an envelope. Those were the days as I have only now been able to reach my childhood through all of you, and especially my league in Mid Ohio. Thanks to all of you for making (every time I come on here) feel like Christmas. It's been a long long time since my "little boy" has been out. I've been so caught up into being a grown up that I forgot we all have that "boy" in us that just wants to play. God bless and please keep this hobby alive. Thanks again Coach Shabby for this post.
Frank Jacobs

Thanks for Sharing your story.Enjoy the Big Game on Christmas day.

Erick

[Franny-j-boy]

Here are a few pics I took of my board now and although I recently put the Oilers stickers in the endzones I really took great care of my board and I even remember when I wrote in the Super Bowl scores for several years after.This is one of my true loves. Thank God for this hobby and all of you.

[artlax]

Last year Santa brought my son Nick his first EF game. Nick had written to Santa for the game and he came through. It was the first time since I was about 20 or so that I had seen one. Of course it initially brought back some great memories of playing in a league with my eighborhood buddies. In the year since last Christmas Nick and I have completed on league season of our own, put together a website to share our games with all who are interested, made many new friends through the game and I have joined a league. We are building memories that I did not have a chance to do with my dad. We do plenty of other things together - but it is simply amazing what this game can do!

[canadatabletopgames]

WOW!!!

That's remind me in X-mas on 1979, i receive from Santa my two best gifts that i ever received. First it was a Coleco NHL stanley cup championship with all the 17 NHL teams available at that time and minutes later, i receive my Coleco CFL total control electric football game and i was playing with my father every day about 3-4 hours a day during the holidays. Gheez that was good memories.

Joyeuses fêtes a tous
Happy Holidays to each and every one of you on this MF community and to your family

By the way, if you drink, please don't drive

Benster from north of the border
founder of Flickfootball (coming at the end of 2008)

[Orleanian In Exile]

Christmas was when I'd gotten my Tudor 618 board under the tree, with the Rams and Packers as the packaged teams. We'd just settled into the house on Gaines St. and it was a year or maybe two that I was first introduced to electric football. One of my friends down the street had his set with the Falcons and another team I can't recall now after 30+ years. That set was in my closet at the old house when it went under five feet of water in the New Orleans flood.

I've now got two game sets I won off e-Bay. But I'd trade them both in a flash if I could have that old 618 back.

I got my first board on Christmas day 1989 (was 11 at the time). I insisted that my parents let me open my game early in the am. I was up all morning playing and cared little about my other gifts.

Because my 16 Tudor teams didn't arrive for another 3 weeks, I had to play with plain red and white figures.

My cousin taught me how to construct a league with 16 teams and that Spring I had my first ever solitare season. I remember twitching with excitment during last period as I couldn't wait to get home and get my game for the day played. I continued that tradition through 10 seasons.

That winter, I went to work on my old IBM PS2 computer and began to construct a system of stat tracking, graphing, and data storage so I could keep my stats. Home computers were in less than 5% of American homes in 1990, so I am certain that I was the first person ever to do this.

I was only 11 at the time but fast-forward 18 years and little has changed. I still have an great love for this hobby and the innovations that will take it to the next level.

[Shabby J]

Awesome guys, let's keep 'em coming. This holiday season is here and I am really enjoying reading these stories.


James

[Butch Carter]

Thanks for this post. I have been thinking about this for weeks now. Every time I go out shopping I think about EF. I was shopping last night and I called my mom, and asked her if she could remember buying my first EF game at Sears. I can remember my first game board, and the excitement you guys write about is the same I felt. I’m 37 years old and the Cowboys and Steelers was my first game that I remember. I do remember getting the Steelers and Rams also. I had so many Cowboy and Steelers players, I probably had a 52 man roster on both teams. The greatest joy was receiving the other NFL teams through Sears by conferences. Soon I had all 28 teams and the solitaire was off and running. I can remember acting like I was sick to stay out of school to play my solitaire Super Bowl game. The one I can remember the most was Houston Oilers vs. New Orleans Saints. The Saints won the game. I love Christmas and Love and know the true meaning of our Lord and Saviors birthday and great gift of salvation to the world. I just can’t help going back in time and receiving a EF Super Bowl game. What great memories.