[MIJB#19]

75th season anniversary: 50 Legends, Class of 2064 period
To celebrate the 75th season of the Maassluis Merchantmen, I selected 50 players that I consider the legends of that time span from 2004 until the start of the 2078 season. I split the list of players into 5 groups, each being a time period of roughly 15 seasons. We'll finish with episode 5: Class of 2064 period.

C #76 Zack Whelan 2056-2067
Center Zack Whelan joined the Merchantmen as a second round pick in the 2056 draft. The plan was to make him the future replacement of Cristian Sampson, but Whelan was forced into action five times. It was quickly clear that Whelan had the talent to grow into being the best run blocker up the middle in the league. In 2058, Whelan became the full time starter and in his first three seasons he had a minimum of 44 key run blocks, earning back to back All-IHOF Second team honors. Whelan was a backup for IHOF Bowl LIV and misses IHOF Bowl LVII due to injury. A suspension cost Whelan the 2064 season, an in retrospect cut his career short. The Merchantmen drafted a replacement in 2065 in Tom Anaya, but injuries across the line got Whelan back on the field after all. His role quickly got smaller, although he was activated for the IHOF Bowl LXIII victory. As a result, Whelan is one of three players on roster for 3 IHOF Bowls, but to his own disappointment, he got to start in none of them. After spending the entire 2067 season inactive, he wasn't re-signed in the 2068 off-season. Despite the gaps in his activity, Whelan retired with 296 key run blocks, 5th highest in franchise history.

QB #8 Lester Lowe 2057-2065
Quarterback Lester Lowe joined the Merchantmen through trade in the 2057 off-season. Initially considered exchange money in a trade up with the Augusta Greenjackets, from #29 overall to #14 overall to get wide receiver Riddick Stanley while sacrificing a first round pick next draft, Lowe was suddenly promoted to the starting role ahead of Chow after decent, but underwhelming play in the first 5 games. Lowe started with a loss, but followed up with 5 straight victories without interception and continued to impress en route to the IHOF Bowl LIV, which the Merchantmen lost 34-27. The Chow era was over, Lowe time had began. He followed up with three 4,000-yard seasons, and four with 32 touchdown passes. Interceptions started to pile on, but Lowe did well enough to guide his team to IHOF Bowl LVII, a close contested 17-14 loss. The 2064 season turned out to be his last as the starter. The demise had kicked in and prior to the 2066 season, after a season with just 14 pass attempts, Lowe decided to retire. Lowe retired with a 89-40 record 29,690 passing yards and 239 passing touchdown, 5th in Merchantmen history.

WR #83 Riddick Stanley 2057-2068
Wide receiver Riddick Stanley joined the Merchantmen after a trade up from the #29 to the #14 overall pick in the 2057 draft. Stanley's quarterback was also acquired in that trade, as Lester Lowe became the starter from week 7 in that season. Stanley broke out in his sophomore season, catching 102 passes for 1,536 yards and 14 touchdowns. From there on his performance slowly went down, aside from a spike up in the 2068 season, his last season in Maassluis before joining the Iowa Cobbers for his last two seasons in the IHOF. Stanley was a key player in the offense for Maassluis, outlasting many changes on the opposite side of the field and the switch from Lester Lowe to Alfred Hickman. Stanley was the top receiver for a team that reached IHOF Bowl LIV, IHOF Bowl LVII and finally got the Merchantmen's only title in the IHOF Bowl LXIII victory. He's one of just two Merchantmen players active in all three bowl games and the only one to start in all three of them. Stanley retired with Hall of Fame worthy numers. With 13,511 receiving yards and 100 receiving touchdowns, he retired ranked third for the Merchantmen in all three going into the 2078 season. J.R. Mills surpassed Stanley in receiving yards in the 2078 season.

DE #92 Jordan St. Pierre 2057-2067
Defensive end Jordan St. Pierre was a low fifth round pick in the 2057 draft for the Merchantmen. An afterthought, given a chance to make the team as a rotation backup for the pass rush. Against all odds, St. Pierre was listed as a starter from his rookie season and onwards. Granted, his playing time was about 1/3rd of the time in his rookie campaign, including the IHOF Bowl LIV loss. His pass rush ability became more apparent from his third season onwards. He was a starter in the IHOF Bowl LVII loss and followed it in the 2061 season with 15.5 sacks and All-IHOF honors. By then he had established himself as a building block. In 2062 Shaun Hartman and Preston Urquoila came along, while in 2064 Daquan Strugielski became the fourth member of the fearsome front four. St. Pierre saw his numbers decline, but as a sidekick to these stars, as a 10th year veteran he got his chance to shine in IHOF Bowl LXIII with 2.5 sacks. He retired after the upset deficit in the 2067 AOC Championship game. At that time he ranked 2nd for the Merchantmen with 78.5 sacks and following the retirement of Hartman and Strugielski, he's 4th all-time in sacks.

DT #95 Shaun "The Behemoth" Hartman 2062-2074
Defensive tackle Shaun Hartman was only the 28th overall draft pick in the 2062 draft, but the Merchantmen knew it for sure: this was the guy they wanted. And they chose wisely, Hartman was a day one starter and didn't miss a single game for 13 seasons. The first three seasons were relatively disappointing, as the Merchantmen misses the playoffs. But Hartman was a force, earning All-IHOF first or second team honors from his second to twelfth season, being a seven-time first-teamer. Playing exclusively from the inside, Hartman was a pass rush machine, recording 116.5 sacks, 281 hurries and 57 blocked passes in regular season action. He added 577 tackles, 252 assists and 22 forced fumbles. He's second in sacks and first in hurries and blocked passes of all Merchantmen players. His finest hour came in IHOF Bowl LXIII, where he made 3.0 sacks, 2 hurries, 6 tackles and forced a fumble to earn IHOF Bowl MVP honors. His ferociousness earned him the nickname Behemoth with the Merchantmen fans. In 2074, Hartman decided to step away from football. In the 2079 off-season, Hartman got inducted into the Hall of Fame.

CB #34 Peter Tucker 2064-2075
Cornerback Peter Tucker was the #10 overall pick in the 2064 draft, the first of many tremendous Merchantmen picks that draft. The Merchantmen hoped to get a shutdown corner in Tucker, but that doesn't exactly describe the kind of player Tucker turned out to be. Rather than throwing away from him, Tucker was often faced with the WR1 of the opponent and had the task to deflect the ball or at least make sure the receiver wasn't going to gain ground. With 45 interceptions and 130 defended passes, he ranks 1st and 2nd in Merchantmen history. But Tucker also supported the run defense, for a conrberback he made the remarkable total of 1,039 tackles and 284 assists. Tucker earned All-IHOF honors seven times, 4 times as a first team selection. Tucker made crucial interceptions in the playoffs of the 2066 season in he divisional round and conference final, en route to IHOF Bowl LXIII victory. The Merchantmen retired the #34 jersey the day Tucker announced his retirement from football.

LB #51 Gabe Hamilton 2064-2074
Linebacker Gabe Hamilton was the #12 overall pick in the 2064 draft, the second of many tremendous Merchantmen picks that draft. Hamilton peaked early, earning Defensive Rookie of the Year honors ahead of teammates Tucker and Ross. In 2066 he made 152 tackles, 5.5 sacks and defended 17 passes, earning All-IHOF honors. He brought his a-game to the playoffs as well, making 13 tackles and 8 assists in the AOC Championship victory en route to the IHOF Bowl LXIII victory. Although that turned out to be his best season, Hamilton remained to be a key player for 9 seasons, coming 2 tackles short in 2072 to have a century in all of them. He lost his starting role in 2073, was active in a single game in 2074 and a tough roster cut decision in the 2075 pre-season, not making the final 53-men list. Hamilton retired in the 2076 off-season and it is rumored he talked his Class of 2064 compatriots Peter Tucker, Edward Ross and Daquan Strugielski to retire together with him. Hamilton recorded 1,72 tackles, 326 assists, 23.5 sacks, 80 defended passes, 5 interceptions and 15 forced fumbles.

LB #58 Edward Ross 2064-2075
Linebacker Edward Ross was the #16 overall pick in the 2064 draft, the third of many tremendous Merchantmen picks that draft. Initially playing second fiddle to Hamilton as the premier linebacker, the roles changed from the 2067 season and onwards. By that time, Ross was already wearing a championship ring, just like all his teammates in the IHOF Bowl LXIII victory. Albeit the highlight of his career being there and then, Ross continued to grow into perhaps the best outside linebacker in league history. He earned All-IHOF honors four seasons straight in 2067-2070, being a three-time first-teamer. Ross was a lock for 100 tackles, but also was a key factor in the pass rush and pass defense. Ross retires with 1,423 tackles, 407 assists, 49.0 sacks, 17 interceptions, 94 defended passes and 25 forced fumbles. The tackle total ranks him 3rd all-time in the IHOF. For the Merchantmen he ranks 1st in tackles, 11th in sacks, 9th in defended passes and tied 3rd in forced fumbles. Ross retired in the 2076 off-season and is expected to be inducted into the Hall of Fame.

DE #98 Daquan "Da Machine" Strugielski 2064-2075
Defensive end Daquan Strugielski was the #217 overall pick in the 2064 draft, the last of many tremendous Merchantmen picks that draft. In his rookie campaign, Strugielski wasn't a sure thing yet, but in his second season the 10.5 sacks were the start of a 9-season stretch of 10.0 or more sacks in all but one season. He was one of the pass rush monsters in the IHOF Bowl LXIII victory. From 2069 onwards, Strugielski earned All-IHOF honors, winning back to back Defensive Player of the Year honors in 2071 and 2072. The latter a result of also being an above average tackle machine from the defensive end position. he made 50+ tackles four times, including those DPOY seasons. The continuing production of sacks in those seasons earned him the nickname 'Da Machine'. Strugielski made 7.0 sacks in a time-share role in 2074, but his 2075 season ended in a deception: 0.0 sacks in 17 games, including the lost wild card game. Strugielski retired in the 2076 off-season after a Hall of Fame worthy career.

QB #3 Alfred Hickman 2065-2072
Quarterback Alfred Hickman joined the Merchantmen out of the blue in the 2065 off-season. Lester Lowe was still in charge, but the Merchantmen felt that a kid with 0 starts on his resume was worth sending their 1st roud pick next draft to the Hanalei Dragons. Hickman won the starting gig and delivered with a tremendous season: 4,545 yards and 32 touchdowns versus 16 interceptions, a 12-4 record and a loss in the divisional round. In 2066 the interceptions started to pile up. From week 11 through 17, Hickman threw at least 2 picks, but 10-5-1 was enough to go into the post-season. Supported by the superb defense, Hickman quarterbacked the Merchantmen through the playoffs and into IHOF Bowl LXIII victory. Despite throwing for 231 yards, the MVP honors weren't his. Hickman continued to be a lock for 4,300 yards and above. Contract disputes made the Merchantmen cut Hickman right after training camp 2070. In 2071 Hickman returned for another couple of one-and-done seasons. The 2073 off-season was Hickman's second departure, cut as contract negotiations were expected to fail again. In 7 seasons, Hickman threw for 30,325 yards, 198 touchdowns and 153 intcerceptions, guiding the Merchantmen into the playoffs every time and towards their only IHOF Bowl victory.

C #77 Tom Anaya 2065-2078
Center Tom Anaya was the Merchantmen's surprise first round pick in the 2065 draft. Following the suspension of Zack Whelan, the Merchantmen decided to give the line to Anaya. He became a day one starter. His stats as a rookie were unimpressive, but the Merchantmen started an eight-season streak of playoffs football. Anaya wasn't just great for the Merchantmen, it became apparent he was an all-time great run blocker. The All-IHOF honors were limited to two times, but he wasn't a stranger to 40 key run blocks. He was around early enough to party after the IHOF Bowl LXIII victory, yet hung around long enough to celebrate the Merchantmen's 75th season. Anaya retired after the 2078 season, ranking 8th in key run blocks and 2nd in block opportunities in IHOF. He ranks first for the Merchantmen in both figures, while his 213 starts top previous record holder Louie Flannery by 2.

WR #82 J.R. Mills 2069-2078
Wide receiver J.R. Mills cost the Merchantmen a treuckload of picks, but the #9 overall selection was high enough to get him. And boy was he worthy it. Not from the beginning though. Despite a 1,000-yard campaign as a rookie and making it a four-season streak, Mills' stamina appeared to be an issue. Injury sidelined him for the majority of the 2073 season. Upon his return in 2074, he upped his game and kept improving, becoming a 1,500-yard receiver and peaking with 111 catches for 2,228 yards in the 2077 season. Coming in at the second most productive season by any receiver in IHOF history. The Merchantmen hope to build on him for another handful of seasons. Mills had another All-IHOF second team season in 2078 with 1,756 yards receiving. His 17 receiving touchdown were a personal record and second best in Merchantmen history. Going into 2079, he ranks 6th in receptions, 3rd in receiving yards, 5th in receiving touchdowns and a superior yards per catch and yards per target figures. Mills

OT #65 Oscar Meadows 2071-2078
Offensive tackle Oscar Meadows was a surprise first round pick in the 2071 draft for the Merchantmen. Right tackle isn't traditionally a position the Merchantmen invest in, but Meadows has the size and talent to be worthy of that. In his first seven seasons in Maassluis, Meadows proved to be the stud of the line. He allowed 33 sacks and made 198 key run blocks so far. In 2078 Meadows earned his first All-IHOF honors, being a second-teamer with 33 key run blocks and only 4 sacks allowed.

LB #52 Antonio Battle 2073-2078
Linebacker Antonio Battle joined a rich history of first round picks at his position. He had the honor to join the Merchantmen shortly before the big names retired. The veterans imediately recognized Battle's talent and he became a full-time starter as a rookie. With four 100-tackle seasons, 11 interceptions, 50 defended passes, 8 forced fumbles and 12.0 sacks in 5 seasons, his two All-IHOF team selections aren't surprising. He's a premier linebacker, a worthy succesor to Edward Ross and preceding names. In 2078 Battle earned his second All-IHOF first team selection.