 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 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 Before the game there was a minute's silence for Alan Nicol and Arthur McKee, Gary Marshall kicked off for Tyneside, but Strathclyde could not make progress A field that had started soggy turned into a quagmire, and it was not until the The second half started in a hailstorm, and after blocking a Tyneside punt, The game was marred by an injury to Strathclyde's Colin McAuley who suffered a With the score 12-8 to Strathclyde and seconds left on the clock, Tyneside had The Alan Nicol Memorial Trophy was presented to Strathclyde by Councillor Yvonne |