About the I-75 Strat-O-Matic League: The founding fathers of the I-75 League are Gary Kicinski and Dave Renbarger, who schemed in the winter of 1979-80 to bring their mutual Strat fiend friends together in one venture.
Original charters were granted to Gary Kicinski (Applegate Paperclips), Dave Renbarger (Vlasic Pickles), Larry Pittman (Washington Senators), Steve Hart (Ansbach Angels), Joe Brunetti (Berlin Bullets), Mike Renbarger (Michigan Drifters), Ken Kuzdak (Detroit Drill Team), Steve Bizek (Bismarck Bombers) and Gerry Yurko (Mennen Speedsticks). The I-75 Mail League was born on March 16, 1980, when a telephone hookup between the offices of the Tampa Times and the Detroit residence of Ken Kuzdak allowed nine managers to draft 25-man squads.
After 23 successful seasons, the League implemented a fundamental shift in philosophy, expanding from 9 to 12 teams, and adopting a comprehensive player retention format to replace the longstanding tradition of annual redrafts. Thus with the onset of the 2003 season the League was reborn and renamed the I-75 Strat-O-Matic Email League, to signify both the departure from the previous era and the full embrace of computerized Strat.
The twelve original charters into the retention league were granted to Dave Renbarger (Bushwood Gophers), Steve Hart (Savannah Scorpions), Ken Kuzdak (Detroit Deacons), Mike Renbarger (Superior Titans), Steve Bizek (Bismarck Bombers), Phil Roselli (Littleton Lumberjacks), John McMillan (Margaritaville Volcanos), Mike Wilson (Hickory Nuts), Jamie Turner (Tropical Heat), Dave LaMont (Springfield Isotopes), Mark Chafetz (Clawson Clippers), and Marc Wasserman (Brooklyn Excelsiors).
In 2004, the Clippers departed, and Gary Kicinski, one of the I-75 founding managers, rejoined the League with his Applegate Paperclips. In 2005, the Excelsiors did not return, and the League welcomed Rick Lackey and Garth Lewis as co-managers of the South Grand Prairie Warriors. In 2007, the Lumberjacks departed, and Dan Wilson joined the League with his Wisconsin Warhawks. In 2011, Jamie Turner bowed out after 26 seasons and Phil Roselli returned to take the helm of the Dakota Ridge Dreadnoughts, later becoming the Chatfield Choo-Choos. In the winter of 2010-11, the league voted to expand to 15 teams, beginning with the 2012 season.
In 2011, the league decided to expand to 15 teams for 2012, and league founding manager Ken Kuzdak decided to drop out. Thus, four new managers came on board for 2012 and the league was restructured to a three-division format. The new managers were John Renbarger (Iowa Cyclones), Ken Crawford (Michigan Moneyballers), Steve Nieroda (Satellite Beach Brawlers) and Rick Lackey (English Pigdogs).
It is a note of pride that the current league boasts 5 of the 9 original I-75 Mail League charter members from 1980, and 7 managers with 20+ years of league membership. As the revamped league hurtles into the future, the managers proudly rededicate themselves to the League mantra: The Foremost Strat-O-Matic Brains in the Country