The elkton underdogs have the distinction of being the only ESFFL team with 85 or more all-time wins to never win a division title. During their 13-year history, they made 6 appearances in the Johnson Cup Playoffs and even played in the Fantasy Bowl, but a division title eluded them throughout the history of their team. The underdogs were recruited into the league in 2009 by Jim Sullivan. Team owner Dan McGroerty’s original name for his team was the elkton vickpups, an homage to the Philadelphia Eagles’ signing of former dog fighting ring leader Michael Vick. The vickpups’ first season was one of their best attempts at division supremacy. They ended that regular season with an 8-4-1 record which was just a half game behind the raystown ridgebacks. They weren’t able to advance beyond the first round of the Johnson Cup Payoffs that year, but they laid the groundwork for the 2011 season when they achieved a 9-4 record and advanced all the way to the Fantasy Bowl. They even held a 7-point halftime lead in that game before losing the closest Fantasy Bowl in ESFFL history, 237-236, to the bear buffenuff. The vickpups experienced a Fantasy Bowl hangover in 2012, missing the Johnson Cup Playoffs that year, but went on a streak of three straight appearances between 2013 and 2015. In the middle of that 3-year string of success, Dan changed his team’s nickname to the underdogs to better represent their annual chances at hoisting the Johnson Cup. Perhaps it was an attempt at the classic reverse jinx, but if so, it didn’t work as the underdogs never again tasted the success of a return trip to the Fantasy Bowl. After a down year in 2021, Dan decided the underdogs had taken enough beatings and decided to retire from the league.
(capsule last updated on 5-July-2022)
| Years Active: | 2009 to 2021 |
| All-Time Record (through 2021): | 94-89-3 |
| Fantasy Bowl Appearances: | 1 |
| Johnson Cup Playoff Appearances: | 6 |
Eastern States Fantasy Football League 