The Strathclyde Stallions American Football Club were the result of an amalgamation of the Johnstone Crusaders and the Inverclyde Seahawks(formerly the Comets). My memory isn't too good on this - too many blows to the head - but I think we had two full seasons of competitive football and a few friendly and Memorial matches. The following info is taken from a Britball History site. This was the season when the Sheriffs apparently played a couple of unregistered ringers - one being a certain Head Coach from a nearby senior team - now you can see why they are my favourite team!!!

1990
STRATHCLYDE SHERRIFS 8 - 0*
STRATHCLYDE STALLIONS 6 - 2*
KL REBELS 3-4-1
KINLOSS 2-5-1
QUARTER - FINALS
STRATHCLYDE SHERRIFS 32 V 16 STRATHCLYDE STALLIONS
N CRUSADERS 13 V 23 CUMBRIA COUGARS
DUCHY DESTROYERS ??? V ??? BEDFORD
HAMPSHIRE CAVALIERS 24 V 14 BRENT BANDITS
SEMI - FINALS
DUCHY DESTROYERS 28 V 2 HAMPSHIRE CAVALIERS
CUMBRIA COUGARS W/O STRATHCLYDE SHERRIFS +
+ = Disqualified from playoffs
FINAL
DUCHY DESTROYERS 31 V 19 CUMBRIA COUGARS

In 1991 the first game of the season was against the Edinburgh Phoenix at Meadowbank Stadium - men against boys!!!!  This was the game when brave Terry tried to singly bring down the running back with a clothesline tackle only to break his arm in two places!!

Razzmatazz that's a touch downmarket

by Robert Philip

It was the food that gave the game away. Say what you will "pie and a Bovril please, Mary" does not carry quite the same aromatic promise as "a Bud and a Bagel" .... "jumbo dog with everything" ....or "cheeseburger & fries".

But then everything about American Football is different in the Scottish Conference, where the edinburgh Phoenix began the new season with a 68-0 rout of Strathclyde Stallions at Meadowbank yesterday. While American heroes of gridiron - Namath, Unitas, and Marino - have become part of sports folklore, the Phoenix names - McLuskey, Lawrie, Mowatt, McKean - have a less romantic ring.

Then there are the cheerleaders. The Dallas Cowboys have a proud tradition of baring all for vast sums offered by Playboy before embarking on a career in Hollywood. The three Phoenix Firebirds bare their goosebumps and chant (to the tune of You cannae shove your granny off the bus) "you came a long way from Strathclyde to get gubbed" for the love of it.

What the two versions do have in common is their resemblance to a terrible emergency happening away in the distance.

"Best sport in the world" insists the 270lb 6ft 1in Phoenix offensive guard and PR executive(unpaid) Rob Orr. If Orr and King Kong went down a back alley together only only one would come out, and you get the feeling it wouldn't be the monkey, so when Mr Orr speaks one is advised to listen.

"American football is not all about moronic brute force, you have to be an athlete and alot of the guys out there can run 40 yards in 4.4 seconds"

At the risk of incurring, I would most humbly suggest that Strathclyde Stallions numbers 66 and 68(two human eclipses of the sun) could not cover 40 yards in 4.4 minutes without the projector running at super fast-forward.

Though the popular image of an American footballer is that of some ogre who goes down on all fours to devour his daily ration of raw meat, Phoenix quarterback Al Penn-White stood out a class apart. A full-time professional(courtesy of Phoenix sponsors Alpha Scaffolding and Claymore Securities), Penn-White, once of the New Orleans Saints in the National Football League is now Edinburgh head coach.

It is often said that the coach is aman who will gladly lay down your life for the good of the team, but Penn-White did appear most happy to risk life and limb for his Phoenix colleagues, whose number include a millionaires son and a Hell's Angel.

Final thought: if you really must sample the on-field atmosphere of American football, try standing blindfolded in the middle of the M8, dodging the cars and attempting a tackle on the biggest lorry out there.

Thoughts on playing with the Stallions - the game against KL Rebels at Paisley when the KL nose tackle jumped straight over centre way before the snap just to hit Kevin Shackle. As usual with amateur American Football - plenty of practices with about a dozen players and then miraculously a full compliment of players on game day!! Quite a few drunken nights out - the strippers night at Abies pub!! The great game against KL at their place - they were trash talking for long enough before that game and boy did we hand it to them. I believe big Alan Wilson scored three tds including the one when he thought he was in the end zone - started doing his celebration and then realised he was on the 10 yard line!! Alistair scoring on the first play in Newcastle on a 70 yard run through right guard and right tackle - I just happened to be right guard. Terry's first hit in his first game when he smacked the rb on a sweep right -I think that was the play.

Plenty more memories - what are yours? Please feel free to add yours by email or by adding a comment

Click on image to see more photos

Ivie got in touch and sent a photo of a textbook tackle vs the KL Rebels

Alan Nichol Memorial Game report taken from Gateshead International Senators website

19/03/95

North British All Stars Honour Alan "The Boy" Nicol

A hard fought, close game went down to the last few seconds on Sunday as a
Tyneside Tigers team with many guest players from the Gateshead International
Senators travelled to Ravenscraig Stadium in Glasgow to play a memorial game for
Strathclyde Stallions wide receiver Alan Nicol (21), killed last year in a
train crash. The Strathclyde also had many guest players, mainly from the
Glasgow Lions.

Before the game there was a minute's silence for Alan Nicol and Arthur McKee,
the train driver who was also killed after vandals placed concrete blocks on the
track. Nicol's parents were presented with his game shirt before the kick off.

Gary Marshall kicked off for Tyneside, but Strathclyde could not make progress
and had to punt, which went vertical and came down on the same spot, giving
Tyneside excellent field position, but they too had to punt. Strathclyde's next
drive was ended when Ian Storey intercepted Joe Harkins. Again Tyneside had to
punt, with Marshall's kick putting Strathclyde back at their own 13 yard line.
Strathclyde's possession was halted when Mike Shaw's fumble was recovered by
Colin Anderson for Tyneside.

A field that had started soggy turned into a quagmire, and it was not until the
second quarter that the first complete pass of the game was made when Tyneside's
Lee Fraser hit Kev Ramsey for a twenty yard gain, but a fourth down Pass by
Tyneside fell incomplete. Harkin's pass for Strathclyde to Andy Johnstone in the
endzone was called back for holding, and it was Tyneside who were first on the
scoreboard following a twenty yard completion from Fraser to Dave Nimmins which
set up Sean Mantey's ten yard touchdown run behind the trap blocking of guards
Dave Cloke and Jason Lester at the end of the half. Fraser's pass to Nimmins
added two points.

The second half started in a hailstorm, and after blocking a Tyneside punt,
Chris Boyle ran in for six for Strathclyde, but the two point attempt failed.
For the rest of the third and much of the fourth quarter the teams traded punts,
highlights being two long returns by Andy Johnstone for Strathclyde, a sack of
Harkins by Colin Anderson and a fumble recovery by Steve Wooton for Tyneside.

The game was marred by an injury to Strathclyde's Colin McAuley who suffered a
broken leg. When play resumed, Alistair McDonald scored for Strathclyde on a one
yard power through the middle, but again the two point option failed.

With the score 12-8 to Strathclyde and seconds left on the clock, Tyneside had
possession just seven yards from the Strathclyde goal line, but Fraser's
completion to Trevor Atkinson on fourth down failed to make enough yards, and
Strathclyde won the game when Harkins took the knee to run out the clock.

The Alan Nicol Memorial Trophy was presented to Strathclyde by Councillor Yvonne
Robertson of Strathclyde Regional Council after the game.