On a rainy night in a Manhattan hotel back in 1962, Bill Winkenbach, Scott Stirling and Bill Tunnell created the concept for what we now call fantasy football. Winkenbach, who was part owner of the Oakland Raiders, Stirling (an Oakland Tribune columnist) and Tunnell (a Raiders public relations staffer) huddled in a hotel room at The Milford Plaza and built the foundation for what would become the first-ever fantasy football league, an eight-team format that was called the GOPPL (Greater Oakland Professional Pigskin Prognosticators League).
The scoring system was far different than what we’re used to in this day and age. The GOPPL rewarded 25 points for a touchdown pass, rush or reception, 25 points for a field goal, 10 points for an extra point and 200 points for a punt, kickoff or interception that was returned for a score. Obviously, touchdowns were gold.
And so were the kickers!
