The wedding of Sikta and Great Falls owners' Ben and Kim Specht, on July 4, 1998, was attended by all 10 NBFFL owners. Seizing the opportunity on the evening before vows were exchanged, the Pride managed to swap their first-round draft choice to the Ontonagon Bouldersnatchers for runningback Garrison Hearst. While the rest of the league laughed at the Victoria front office, McDonnell returned home from Utica, New York with the foundation for a champion.

With a healthy chunk of the AFC West in their starting lineup (Joey Galloway, Chiefs D, John Elway, Napoleon Kaufman), the Bouldersnatchers appeared to have not only received the good end of the deal, but also were the early favorites in the Bismarck. Over in the Napoleon Division, the Great Falls Gummi Bears, who had had the first pick in the draft and who now had Jeff George, Jerome Bettis, and Tim Brown, were looking very good as well. After two weeks, however, Garrison Hearst's big numbers had the Pride tied with the Bouldersnatchers at 2-0, while Steve Young's big start helped the Virginia Velociraptors to an early lead in the Napoleon standings.

Then came Hell and San Antonio. The Hell's Angels, once again benefitting from late-round picks and early season pick-ups, put together four wins in a row to emerge as 5-1 and first place in the Napoleon Division, a game ahead of Virginia. The Velociraptors were certainly scoring, with Steve Young easily outclassing the other quarterbacks, but Hell managed to find ways to win behind Randy Moss and Randall Cunningham, neither of whom had been drafted. The Snow Monkeys rode the solid running of eventual-MVP Terrell Davis to a league-record eight straight wins, posting an 8-1 mark after Week 9. The Pride had had a league-best 4-0 start, but had since faltered to 6-3.

Meanwhile, other franchises began to disappoint as Hell, Victoria, Virginia and San Antonio seemed to drift into a class of their own. Sirius, the defending champions, had serious questions at quarterback, and began the '98 campaign 0-6. The Exhibition Cup champions, Berkeley, started off 1-5. Once-mighty Sitka was 2-5 at their lowest. The Gummi Bears were also 2-5 after Week 7, with George, Bettis and Brown all showing dismal performances.

As usual, some of the tide turned at the end of the regular season. The Snow Monkeys, weakened by a quarterback carousel of McNair, Manning and O'Donnell, went into their usual November swoon, hanging on to win the Bismarck with a 9-4 record. The Angels and Velociraptors tied at 9-4, with Hell winning the division thanks to their two victories over Virginia, the last victory being a mind-boggling 494.3 to 175.4 romp in the final regular season game! Berkeley, Sitka and Sirius all benefitted in the second half of the season. Berkeley finished 4-9 and earned the right to begin the playoffs against Hell, a team they knew how to beat. Sitka went 5-1 behind the running of Fred Taylor to post a 7-6 record. Sirius went 5-2 to end the season, but it wasn't enough for a playoff berth, leaving the Stars unable to defend their crown. The Stars went on to play 2-11 Great Falls in the MSU Bowl. The Gummi Bears never found a way to turn things around and found themselves in the losers' tournament for the second straight year.

The first round of the playoffs featured three upsets. For the second year in a row, division-winning Hell lost in the first round of the playoffs, losing for the third time in '98 to rival Berkeley. The Snow Monkeys were also left with a game to remember, being humiliated by rival Victoria, whose wedding acquisition lit up the Texans for 115.2 points. The Portland Porcupines, a team with a lock on the Napoleon Division's third-place all year long, upset the Velociraptors, as the mid-season move to obtain Jamal Anderson from Great Falls began to pay off. Finally, as if there weren't already enough rivalries featured in the first round, Ontonagon beat the yellow-uniformed Spitfires at home in the U.P.

The upsets weren't over. Both fourth-place teams won in the second round. Garrison Hearst posted 163 points to haunt the Bouldersnatchers and drive them from the playoffs. The Beatniks, with 146 points from rookie Robert Edwards, surprised the Porcupines and found themselves in Super Bowl II against the Pride.

Edwards did what he could against the Pride in the championship, but the Pride had too many weapons for the nearly All-Star-less Beatniks. Favre had an outstanding day, as did the Pride's Viking defense. Hearst remained solid, keeping the Beatniks preoccupied with containing him. The Victoria Pride were crowned champions on their own field in Nairobi, becoming the first NBFFL team to host and win the Super Bowl.

Hell's Angels
9-4, Mildew Mug
Notable Players: Randall Cunningham, Curtis Martin, Marshall Faulk, Randy Moss, Carl Pickens, Packers D, Doug Flutie, Trent Green

Virginia Velociraptors
9-4, Rusty Fork
Notable Players: Steve Young, Robert Smith, Jerry Rice, Wayne Chrebet, Raiders D

Portland Porcupines
6-7, Grey Cup
Notable Players: Drew Bledsoe, Jake Plummer, Jamal Anderson, Ricky Watters, Antonio Freeman, Eric Moulds, Buccaneers D

Berkeley Beatniks
4-9, Golden Goblet
Notable Players: Vinny Testaverde, Robert Edwards, Corey Dillon, Ed McCaffrey, Tony Martin, Broncos D

Great Falls Gummi Bears
2-11, Imelda Marcos Shoe
Notable Players: Dan Marino, Jerome Bettis, Adrian Murrell, Tim Brown, Steelers D

BISMARCK DIVISION

San Antonio Snow Monkeys
9-4, Lead Plate
Notable Players: Steve McNair, Neil O'Donnell, Peyton Manning, Terrell Davis, Jimmy Smith, Rod Smith, Terance Mathis, Seahawks D

Ontonagon Bouldersnatchers
7-6, Brown Bowl
Notable Players: John Elway, Troy Aikman, Napoleon Kaufman, Dorsey Levens, Terrell Owens, Joey Galloway, Chiefs D

Sitka Spitfires
7-6, Case of Mello Yello
Notable Players: Mark Brunell, Fred Taylor, Eddie George, Keyshawn Johnson, Shannon Sharpe, Falcons D, Dolphins D

Victoria Pride
7-6, Super Bowl II Champions
Notable Players: Brett Favre, Garrison Hearst, Emmitt Smith, Derrick Alexander, Michael Irvin, Vikings D

Sirius Stars
5-8, 4-year MSU Scholarship
Notable Players: Chris Chandler, Barry Sanders, Cris Carter, Marvin Harrison, Cowboys D

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