University of Limerick Vikings
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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Records |
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| All-time Record: | 21-25-1 |
| Current Coach: | Eoin 'Pinky' Carroll |
| Shamrock Bowl Record: | 1-2 |
| Awards | |
| Pageantry | |
| Nickname: | Vikings |
| Colors: | Blue and Yellow |
| Mascot: | Groven |
| Home Field: | University of Limerick Sports Fields |
| Rivals: | DCU Saints
Cork Admirals |
| Storied Vikings | |
| Ireland National Team Players: | 5 |
| Retired Jerseys: | Paddy Ryan (#88) |
The University of Limerick Vikings are the current Irish American Football champions and one of two Irish college American football teams. Set up in 1999, the team played mostly flag football until late 2001 when they joined the IAFL winter league.[1]
Contents |
[edit] History
[edit] 2001
In UL's first ever game, they took the field on the road to the eventual Shamrock Bowl champion Dublin Rebels and were beaten 48-0. The Vikings lost their first four games, but on December 2nd, 2001, they recorded their first ever win, 12-8 over the Dublin Dragons in Limerick, with touchdowns from Tommy Conneelly and Paddy "The Saint" Ryan.
[edit] 2002
In 2002 the Vikings won every game they played thanks to a powerful team of mostly American exchange students. As league champions, they progressed directly to the Shamrock Bowl. However, as most of the American students had returned home, UL was well beaten by the Carrickfergus Knights, 66-0.
[edit] 2003
The Vikings decided that for the long term benefit of the team, they couldn't rely on exchange students as much as they had been doing. In 2003, the Vikings joined Division 2 of the IAFL to help develop their young Irish players. Despite going 0-3, the foundations were laid for future success, with a freshman class that included Liam Ryan, Liam Hayes and Christopher Moloney.
[edit] 2004
In 2004, the Vikings were back in the expanded IAFL. Once again, they found it tough, going 0-8 against league opposition. The one silver lining from 2004 was a great recruiting class that included 4 starting Offensive Linemen, Jamie O' Brien, Kieran Stack, Sean Walsh and David Wallek. It was an extremely difficult season but one that developed the current core of the team. After surviving through a winless season the sense of team unity has been in place since then.
[edit] 2005
In 2005, the much improved Vikings narrowly missed the playoffs, finishing 3-5. After tough opening games against the Dublin Rebels and the Belfast Bulls - both Shamrock Bowl finalists that year, the Vikings recorded their first win since 2002 with a 26-22 victory over the Cork Admirals. The organisation of the club also developed this year with a management structure put in place and a lot of work done, by Damien Laffan in particular, to promote and develop the club in the Limerick area. In this year the structures were put in place that would lead to the successes of the following two years.
[edit] 2006
Buoyed by their promising 2005 campaign, the Vikings made the playoffs their goal in 2006. With the team becoming more and more popular around Limerick, the Vikings had another strong recruiting class and the team was made up of mostly Irish players, although they were helped by the arrival of four American exchange students - Chris Bassitt, Jeremiah Sexton, Alex Smith and Seamus Hogan. The 2006 UL Vikings finished the season with a 5-2-1 record, led by their defense, which gave up only 6 points in 5 home games (scored by Dublin City Marshals QB Seth Larson).
The Vikings made the postseason for the first time in 4 years. Aided by the return of former players Kieran Coen and Dan Levy, UL defeated the Carrickfergus Knights on the road to make the Shamrock Bowl for the second time in the team’s short history. However, a very strong Dublin Rebels team upended the Vikings 44-12 to claim their 4th consecutive Shamrock Bowl victory.
[edit] 2007
The Vikings had their greatest season ever in 2007. Winning every game they played (the sole loss coming by way of a forfeit due to field unavailability against Cork) in dominant fashion - their smallest margin of victory being 16 points. The Vikings league best defense allowed more than 6 points in a game only once, in a 36-20 road victory over the Cork Admirals, and the offense was equally as dominant, averaging almost 43 points a game and scoring at least four touchdowns in every game, led by an overpowering O-Line and strong running game.
The Vikings entered the playoffs as Shamrock Bowl favourites, but had to get past a 4th-seeded Belfast Bulls team in the semi-finals, eventually winning by a dominating 44-2 scoreline. This led to the first ever all-Munster Shamrock Bowl against the Cork Admirals, which was held in the UL Sports Ground on July 29th. The Vikings won a close fought match by a margin of 22-14 courtesy of three rushing touchdowns from game MVP Seamus Hogan to claim their first ever Shamrock Bowl title.
[edit] Season By Season Records
Note: W = Wins, L = Losses, T = Ties
| Year | W | L | T | Finish | Playoff Results |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2001 | 1 | 5 | 0 | 4th IAFL | -- |
| 2002 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 1st IAFL | Lost Shamrock Bowl XVI (Knights) |
| 2003 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 3rd IAFL Division 2 | -- |
| 2004 | 0 | 8 | 0 | 6th IAFL | -- |
| 2005 | 3 | 5 | 0 | 5th IAFL | -- |
| 2006 | 5 | 2 | 1 | 3rd IAFL | Lost Shamrock Bowl XX (Rebels) |
| 2007 | 7 | 1 | 0 | 1st IAFL Southern Division | Won Shamrock Bowl XXI (Admirals) |
[edit] UL Vikings MVP
| Year | Winner | Class | Position |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2005 | Kieran Coen | Senior | Offensive Tackle |
| 2006 | Chris Bassitt | Junior | Quarterback/Wide Receiver/Running Back |
| 2007 | Seamus Hogan | Junior | Safety/Running Back/Kick Returner |
[edit] UL Vikings Offensive Player of the Year
| Year | Winner | Class | Position |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2005 | Colin Hillman | Junior | Wide Receiver |
| 2006 | Jeremiah Sexton | Junior | Quarterback |
| 2007 | Dan Levy | Senior | Running Back |
[edit] UL Vikings Defensive Player of the Year
| Year | Winner | Class | Position |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2005 | Matt Sheehan | Junior | Inside Linebacker |
| 2006 | Alex Smith | Junior | Defensive End |
| 2007 | Bill Parkinson | Junior | Inside Linebacker |
[edit] UL Vikings Rookie of the Year
| Year | Winner | Class | Position |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2005 | Glen Carr | Freshman | Tight End/Defensive End |
| 2006 | Brendan O'Maolrúnaigh | Freshman | Offensive Guard |
| 2007 | Seamus Feehan | Freshman | Wide Receiver |
