The Proposal

It all began with an idea – to have some fun during the NFL playoffs in the form of a friendly family competition.  The year was 1988 and HSBT founder, Donn W. Hewes, was busy typing out the initial guidelines on his Apple II.

Seeking to find a method other than simply picking who would win each of the NFL playoff games he began crafting a simple, yet sophisticated, scoring system that included picking the scores of each playoff game, with more points possible as the playoffs deepened into the cold of winter.  Bonus points were also available if you could correctly pick the Super Bowl winning team when 8 teams remained in the playoffs.  Capping off his strategic thinking, participants would also derive benefit from the poor score picking from the others, with increased value during each round of the playoffs – the closer your pick was to the actual game score, the more points you would receive.  To top it all off, an engraved trophy would be awarded to the annual winner.

The proposal was completed in December 1988 and presented to his 3 sons (Steve, Bill and Tim) during their annual Christmas family get-together in Hamburg, New York.  The vote was unanimous and the HSBT competition was officially underway, with its 4 charter members.  Weekly game score picks were called (via land line) into Donn (now calling himself ‘The Commissioner’), with Mrs. Hewes acting as accountant and auditor.  A weekly update letter, typed from the reliable Apple II, was sent via US Mail every Monday to the participants.

The Early Years (1989 – 1994)

The inaugural Hewes Super Bowl Trophy was won by Tim in 1989, edging out The Commissioner by 37 points.  The 12-4 Buffalo Bills were in the playoffs that season, and their presence would spell HSBT doom for those who were staunch supporters and rooters.  Making picks from your heart and not your head added to the suspense of the HSBT competition.

The Commissioner turned the tables in 1990, with a very close victory over Steve.  His pick of the 49er’s to beat the Broncos by a score of 42-10 paved the way, as the final game score was 55-10.  The margin of victory would have been larger had he not picked Buffalo to win the Super Bowl Bonus points.  The Bills were calmly eliminated by the Browns in the 1st Round, 34-30.

Things remained relatively calm in the early 1990’s, even though the Buffalo Bills lost 4 straight Super Bowl games.  In 1994, the original 4 participants created names for themselves —  The Englishman (Donn), Buffalo Bill (Bill), Mr. Lucky (Tim) and 1994 Winner (Steve).  The changes helped 1994 Winner secure the 1st of 2 consecutive trophies, with a 450-point victory over Mr. Lucky.

Original Expansion

In 1995, the HSBT expanded to include Brian (dubbed “Newfane Kid”) and Greg (“Greg the Great”).  Their 1st taste of victory came soon afterwards, with Greg the Great winning the trophy after the 1996 Super Bowl, with a record 956 points.  Newfane Kid won the next season — the same year that Mr. Lucky changed his name to Comeback Kid (to hopefully change his luck).

The Rest of the 20th Century (1995 – 1999)

1995 Winner captured his 2nd consecutive HSBT trophy, setting a record.  As the trophy rotated the next 4 years between Newfane Kid and Greg the Great, we all mourned the loss of league founder, The Englishman, in 1999.  After 11 successful seasons, the role of Commissioner was handed over to Steve.

21st Century; 1st Decade (2000 – 2009)

With only 5 participants, while the odds improved for all, only Buffalo Bill and Newfane Kid won the trophy from 2000-2003.  During this time, Newfane Kid changed his name to Lockport Lucky and the change served him well. Comeback Kid captured the trophy (in 2005), ending a 12-year drought.

Lockport Lucky moved to Virginia after graduating from college and renamed himself Henrico FiveOh in 2006.  In 2007, the league made its greatest expansion by adding Ben the Butler (husband of Buffalo Bill’s daughter) and Pete the Terp (family cousin).  Now with 7 participants, the chance for points grew and the chances of winning grew slimmer.  In that 1st year of the expanded league, Pete the Terp posted the 1st perfect 11-0 record in picking the game winners, but was edged out by 2007 Winner for the trophy.  While he did not capture the trophy, he did win the bronze chicken wing award…

In 2008, Comeback Kid went into early retirement, mirroring the actions of race car driver Michael Schumacher.  He announced on 12/31/2009  that he is coming back for the 2010 Super Bowl!  This will mark the largest ever number of participants for the trophy – 7 (tying the mark from 2007).

21st Century; 2nd Decade (2010 – 2019)

The 7 participant format worked well, especially for those who won the iconic trophy (The Commish won the trophy 3 of the first 5 years).  2015 marked yet another expansion, when the league unanimously voted for JTB (Joe the Banker) to become the 8th active member.  His marriage to Greg the Great’s sister in August of 2014 was the final acknowledgment needed to secure JTB’s acceptance as a Hewes family member.  And so, the league now had 8 active members.  New records were ready to be written.