Hall of Fame
Aaron Hernandez, 2017
In the inaugural 2012 season of the Electric Horsemen he would split time at tight end, but it was Aaron who would remain the highest scoring tight end in franchise history until surpassed midway through the 2015 season.
He was, perhaps, everything that was wrong with the franchise in its beginnings. The Horsemen would not make the playoffs in any year that Hernandez was on the roster (2012-2013), but would shine and make an appearance in the championship game in each year after (until at least his death).
He, along with Matt Forte, Victor Cruz, Julio Jones, Matt Ryan and Alfred Morris, would be selected to the original keeper class of 2013 – and would be promptly arrested a month later on June 26th, 2013. He was the first keeper in the COL to not see a down of football after the ceremony, as well as the first player to earn his owner an arrest fine.
Upon his death on April 19th, 2017 (nearly 4 years after leaving the team for prison), he was still the 28th leading scorer in the history of the franchise and 2nd leading tight end with 60 points over 7 starts for an average of 8.57 PPG. He will be remembered for eternity as the greatest hooligan in league history.
Matt Forte, 2018
In a year where each team was drafting a core to take them to the promised land for years to come, the Electric Horsemen would chose Matt Forte with the 2.01 – the 11th overall pick in Cosmopolitan Outlaw League history and the second pick in franchise history. He would set a precedent for future Horsemen in years to come, and also help to mold the owner that took him with such a lofty draft position.
Before the ‘Touchdowns are my Forte’ shirt there were no player shirts… there are now dozens of shirts representing members of the Horsemen. Before Matt Forte there were no player figurines… but now, similar to shirts, there are dozens of them – representing the heroes of the past and present of the Electric Horsemen. To put it mildly, he was a trendsetter.
Years after the 2015 trade that sent him and a 1st round pick to Legs With Holes for Le’Veon Bell, Matt Forte remains the highest scoring running back in team history with 538 total points despite being surpassed in starts by Lamar Miller and Alfred Morris. He also would boast an impressive 13.79 PPG over a strong 39 game sample size. He would reach the 2014 championship game in his final game as a Horseman – but they would fall short… and he would never see another playoff game for the remainder of his career.
He was a true gentleman and a scholar and will be forever cherished as one of the greatest Horsemen of all time.
Todd Gurley, 2021
Drafted by Straight Laced in 2015, he would spend two disappointing years toiling on a mediocre team before the Horsemen would swoop in for an offseason trade bringing them to their forever home. Upon his scenery change he would immediately put up back to back seasons as the top running back in the game before finishes of RB12 and RB22. In his first year, he would help lead the Horsemen to their third straight championship – receiving Finals MVP honors in 2017 with 41 points against Strictly Southern. An untimely injury in 2018 would put a halt to a potential 4-peat – but he would he would lead the backfield in 2019, taking home the 4th championship in team history. He was shipped away to Legs With Holes at the end of 2020 for a first round pick, he would not start one game for Legs With Holes nor any other team, he would retire with his final start as an Electric Horsemen.
Upon his retirement, he was the leading running back in team history despite only being kept 4 times. No running back has started more games for the franchise. He would also sit behind only Julio Jones and Antonio Brown in total points scored upon his retirement from the game.
Antonio Brown, 2022
While Antonio wasn’t part of the inaugural draft, he would join the Horsemen in 2013 after being cast away by Bumpy’s Berries – who decided to keep Vick Ballard and Colin Kaepernick over him. It was a dream pairing. Emmanuel Sanders’ departure to Denver freed up a massive workload, and he would quickly take advantage. His streak of wide receiver finishes in the top 5 were something to behold. From 2014 to 2018 he would finish WR1, WR2, WR1, WR1, WR2 – and was one of the few players to make the franchise tag a worthwhile endeavor.
Antonio would become the spirit animal of the Electric Horsemen. His on field domination and off field antics were representative of the greatest era of Horsemen lore. He would be a part of 4 championship squads (’15, ’16, ’17, ’19) and was surpassed by only Julio Jones in starts and points. He finished his career with the Horsemen in 2020 after a tumultuous run between the Steelers, Raiders and Patriots – a parting of ways that was difficult for all involved.
His career ended with 77 starts and 1,179.8 points before going off the deep end.
Le’Veon Bell, 2023
Le’Veon joined the fold with the Horsemen following the 2014 season, coming over in a trade that sent Matt Forte and a 1st to Legs With Holes. It was a somewhat tumultuous first year and, while the Horsemen would win a championship, Le’Veon would miss the first 2 games of the season with a marijuana suspension and then the final 4 games of the regular season and the playoffs with a torn MCL caused by Vontaze Burfict (the same man who would leave AB a little off after his helmet to helmet hit in 2016). He would again miss the start of the 2016 season with another substance abuse suspension, followed by a huge season – one that would produce the highest single game RB game in franchise history as he scored 47 in the semifinals against the Nosebleeds en route to his participation back to back championships against Legs With Holes & Strictly Southern.
What’s probably the most remarkable about his time with the Horsemen is that upon retirement (despite missing so many games due to suspension and injury and eventually sitting out all of 2017 because of a contract dispute) he would still retire the 2nd highest scoring running back in team history, as well as clocking in the 2nd most running back starts.
His rap career, boxing career, and support for Donald Trump would further solidify his place in history among the greatest Horsemen.
Julio Jones, 2024
Acquired in the inaugural 2012 COL Draft in the 2nd year of his illustrious career, Julio Jones would be a single constant for the team for 10 seasons. Initially paired with Matt Ryan, this dynamic stack would haunt opponents. From 2014 to 2019, he would have one of the most incredible wide receiver runs in league history – finishing WR6, WR3, WR7, WR8, WR7 & WR4. Many players don’t last 6 years in the league, much less produce as a WR1 for 6 consecutive seasons. He would also start on 3 championship teams (2015, 2017, 2019), missing the 2014 & 2016 championship games due to injuries.
He would retire with the most points in franchise history, outscoring Antonio Brown by 186. He would also easily eclipse Antonio’s total starts with 108 (to Antonio’s 77) – and it is unlikely this record will ever be topped. He would remain in the league until the age of 34, when father time would finally catch up with him.
Probably one of the least outlandish of past Horsemen, his on and off field demeanor would serve as balance in the Electric Horseman locker room against the yearly antics from Antonio Brown and Le’Veon Bell.
