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FBA Dream Match #4
Healey Davis (Cheetah, G/F, HNT, retired)
vs.
Jake Masters (Cat, F, WIL, retired)
When furry sports historians look at the history of the FBA, they note that the 70's and 80's weren't just dominated by big, feral predators. They were dominated by selfish play.
The stars of that era were ballhogs with teams focusing on superstars rather than teamwork. The showboating worked well at first. The 70's saw new records in game attendance. But as teams fought for starpower and top players sought money over loyalty, popularity dipped. By the start of the 90's, the FBA was seeing new lows in attendance, with furry sports fans sick of watching smaller teams get pushed aside while big, wealthy clubs dominated with selfish stars.
That's when Healey Davis arrived.
Healey Davis (Cheetah, G/F, HNT) was an unassuming first round draft pick in 1988, chosen by Huntsville. The Mayors had never regained their old glory after relocating to the Eastern Division. Many furs forget, he was not a sensation overnight. He was no Buck Hopper (Rabbit, G, STA), dazzling the demoralized crowd with his first game. He was simply a good player. Who got better. Then better.
Then better.
By 1995 it was unmistakable. Davis was unlike any other player. When others before him had worked hard at improving their dunks and getting flashier, Davis kept his focus on one thing. Improving not just himself, but his team.
Everyone saw it. Players that others had ignored were suddenly getting superstar stats. Players that many thought were over the hill amd past their prime suddenly became champions again. And it was all because of Davis. He didn't just work on his shooting, he worked on everything. His passing, his defense, his leadership-- there was no part of Davis that wasn't completely focused on winning games no matter what. If he had to make 60 points, he did. If he had to make 20 assists, he did. If he had to pull down 30 rebounds, he did.
And he won games. Lots of them. From 1996 to 2000, Healey didn't just one championship. Or two. He won all of them.
He retired after his fifth title. Many felt he had plenty of games left to play, that he could have won 6, 7, 8 titles, maybe more. But Davis had finished what he'd set out to do. The league had grown immensely during his years, lifted by his fame. Coupled with efforts to expand the league's popularity with a broader variety of players and more regions across the country, the FBA Davis left was very different from the one he had joined.
A young coyote reporter tasked with writing the official capsule for his very last FBA game said it all in the first two sentences. "The league was sick. And Davis healed it."
And that's why they called him The Healer.
Without a doubt, the most amazing, most intense of the Dream Matches yet. When
rosenthal showed me the first sketch, it was spectacular, and from the pose I immediately had the image of a fully executed poster, with a bust and a background and everything. I told them my suggestion, and they came up with THIS.
Just jaw-dropping. I don't even know how to describe this. I hope you all love it as much as I do.
Artwork and throwback Huntsville Mayors jersey by rosenthal. Jake Masters and the throwback Williamsburg Minutemen jersey created by 
sam-gwosdz.
rosenthal is 
asterionblazing and 
d.chestnut
Healey Davis (Cheetah, G/F, HNT, retired)
vs.
Jake Masters (Cat, F, WIL, retired)
When furry sports historians look at the history of the FBA, they note that the 70's and 80's weren't just dominated by big, feral predators. They were dominated by selfish play.
The stars of that era were ballhogs with teams focusing on superstars rather than teamwork. The showboating worked well at first. The 70's saw new records in game attendance. But as teams fought for starpower and top players sought money over loyalty, popularity dipped. By the start of the 90's, the FBA was seeing new lows in attendance, with furry sports fans sick of watching smaller teams get pushed aside while big, wealthy clubs dominated with selfish stars.
That's when Healey Davis arrived.
Healey Davis (Cheetah, G/F, HNT) was an unassuming first round draft pick in 1988, chosen by Huntsville. The Mayors had never regained their old glory after relocating to the Eastern Division. Many furs forget, he was not a sensation overnight. He was no Buck Hopper (Rabbit, G, STA), dazzling the demoralized crowd with his first game. He was simply a good player. Who got better. Then better.
Then better.
By 1995 it was unmistakable. Davis was unlike any other player. When others before him had worked hard at improving their dunks and getting flashier, Davis kept his focus on one thing. Improving not just himself, but his team.
Everyone saw it. Players that others had ignored were suddenly getting superstar stats. Players that many thought were over the hill amd past their prime suddenly became champions again. And it was all because of Davis. He didn't just work on his shooting, he worked on everything. His passing, his defense, his leadership-- there was no part of Davis that wasn't completely focused on winning games no matter what. If he had to make 60 points, he did. If he had to make 20 assists, he did. If he had to pull down 30 rebounds, he did.
And he won games. Lots of them. From 1996 to 2000, Healey didn't just one championship. Or two. He won all of them.
He retired after his fifth title. Many felt he had plenty of games left to play, that he could have won 6, 7, 8 titles, maybe more. But Davis had finished what he'd set out to do. The league had grown immensely during his years, lifted by his fame. Coupled with efforts to expand the league's popularity with a broader variety of players and more regions across the country, the FBA Davis left was very different from the one he had joined.
A young coyote reporter tasked with writing the official capsule for his very last FBA game said it all in the first two sentences. "The league was sick. And Davis healed it."
And that's why they called him The Healer.
Without a doubt, the most amazing, most intense of the Dream Matches yet. When
rosenthal showed me the first sketch, it was spectacular, and from the pose I immediately had the image of a fully executed poster, with a bust and a background and everything. I told them my suggestion, and they came up with THIS.Just jaw-dropping. I don't even know how to describe this. I hope you all love it as much as I do.
Artwork and throwback Huntsville Mayors jersey by
rosenthal. Jake Masters and the throwback Williamsburg Minutemen jersey created by 
sam-gwosdz. rosenthal is 
asterionblazing and 
d.chestnutCategory Artwork (Traditional) / General Furry Art
Species Cheetah
Size 598 x 1280px
File Size 490.8 kB
Fantastic poster! And having grown up in Chicago, I appreciate The Healer's number!
The other fun thing that occurs to be here is how weird is it to be on a famous poster as the our feline friend, #8. To be on a famous object as the guy getting beaten for all time? Something that had just never occurred to me until now.
The other fun thing that occurs to be here is how weird is it to be on a famous poster as the our feline friend, #8. To be on a famous object as the guy getting beaten for all time? Something that had just never occurred to me until now.
Jacob Masters was a lot like Healey Davis, at first.
Since being the franchise's initial draft choice, the first pick in the 1983 FBA Draft, the cat learned the significance of being the center of attentionn quickly. He had been a leader at Georgetown, spear-heading the Hoyas to a natoinal title. But leading in the pros was another matter.
He was lucky to have Rick "Red" Walton around.
The flashy and fun veteran lion center was signed to a fat five-year deal by the expansion club. The new owner, Jack Tarman, thought Walton, along with the team's new star rookie, would give the Minutemen instant credibility. The move seemed odd, given that the tiger's other big move was to hire a 27-year old coach to run the team, and Walton was two knee surgeries removed from being a young MVP center in the 1970s.
Results weren't pretty that first season, as the Minutemen scuffled with little teamwork and few wins.
After the last game of the season, Rick gave Jake some advice.
"Kid," he said "if you're going to get anywhere in the pros, you're going to have to lead sometime. Flash is fun, but you're the one that was first here; furs expect leadership of you. Give it to them, all right?"
Jake took that advice to heart and steadily grew into a leader as the Minutmen got better and better. He finally realized his potential when he led Williamsburg to their first division title in the 1987-88 season.
When Healey Davis came into the league with the Huntsville Mayors in 1988, furry sports analysts compared him to Masters. Jack was the star cat of the league and leader of a promising young Williamsburg club. The conversation continued for years as the Mayors and Minutemen battled for Central Division supremacy, peaking when the Minutemen reached back-to-back FBA Finals and Masters won back-to-back MVP awards.
It all changed so quickly.
As Jake declined a little bit each year, Healey became the best that ever played. Like a good leader, Masters took it upon himself to continue the nearly-impossible task of stopping Davis when the two clashed.
He failed many times.
Jake was only able to win his lone title after Healey retired from the game, which became part of the tabby's legacy. However, he did it by continuing his veteran leadership, helping longtime teammates and a young star named Karl Gruber win the Minutemen's first championship in 2003.
Maybe Masters and Davis weren't so different after all.
Since being the franchise's initial draft choice, the first pick in the 1983 FBA Draft, the cat learned the significance of being the center of attentionn quickly. He had been a leader at Georgetown, spear-heading the Hoyas to a natoinal title. But leading in the pros was another matter.
He was lucky to have Rick "Red" Walton around.
The flashy and fun veteran lion center was signed to a fat five-year deal by the expansion club. The new owner, Jack Tarman, thought Walton, along with the team's new star rookie, would give the Minutemen instant credibility. The move seemed odd, given that the tiger's other big move was to hire a 27-year old coach to run the team, and Walton was two knee surgeries removed from being a young MVP center in the 1970s.
Results weren't pretty that first season, as the Minutemen scuffled with little teamwork and few wins.
After the last game of the season, Rick gave Jake some advice.
"Kid," he said "if you're going to get anywhere in the pros, you're going to have to lead sometime. Flash is fun, but you're the one that was first here; furs expect leadership of you. Give it to them, all right?"
Jake took that advice to heart and steadily grew into a leader as the Minutmen got better and better. He finally realized his potential when he led Williamsburg to their first division title in the 1987-88 season.
When Healey Davis came into the league with the Huntsville Mayors in 1988, furry sports analysts compared him to Masters. Jack was the star cat of the league and leader of a promising young Williamsburg club. The conversation continued for years as the Mayors and Minutemen battled for Central Division supremacy, peaking when the Minutemen reached back-to-back FBA Finals and Masters won back-to-back MVP awards.
It all changed so quickly.
As Jake declined a little bit each year, Healey became the best that ever played. Like a good leader, Masters took it upon himself to continue the nearly-impossible task of stopping Davis when the two clashed.
He failed many times.
Jake was only able to win his lone title after Healey retired from the game, which became part of the tabby's legacy. However, he did it by continuing his veteran leadership, helping longtime teammates and a young star named Karl Gruber win the Minutemen's first championship in 2003.
Maybe Masters and Davis weren't so different after all.
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