IAFL 1987 Mourne Conference Table
| P | W | L | T | PF | PA | Pct | |
| Mourne Conference | |||||||
| *Belfast Blitzers | 10 | 9 | 1 | 0 | .900 | ||
| Carrickfergus Cougars | 10 | 5 | 5 | 0 | .500 | ||
| Dublin Tornadoes | 10 | 5 | 5 | 0 | .500 | ||
| Coleraine Chieftains | 10 | 2 | 8 | 0 | .200 | ||
| East Side Jets | 10 | 2 | 8 | 0 | .200 |
1987 Results
| Week | Date | H/A | Opposition | W/L | Score |
| PS 1 | 1987 | A | Aldergrove Hawks | W | 6-0 |
| PS 2 | 15.03.1987 | H | Bangor Buccaneers | W | 7-2 |
| 1 | 27.04.1987 | H | Belfast Blitzers | L | 0-92 |
| 4 | 17.05.1987 | A | Craigavon Cowboys | L | 0-58 |
| 5 | 24.05.1987 | H | Belfast Spartans | L | 9-30 |
| 7 | 07.06.1987 | A | Coleraine Chieftans | L | 0-31 |
| 8 | 14.06.1987 | H | Belfast Giants | L | 0-46 |
| 11 | 05.07.1987 | A | Bangor Buccaneers | L | 0-25 |
| 14 | 26.07.1987 | A | Carrickfergus Cougars | L | 0-1 # |
| 16 | 16.08.1987 | H | Dublin Tornadoes | L | 0-1 # |
| 17 | 23.08.1987 | A | Dublin Celts | L | 0-1 # |
| 18 | 30.08.1987 | H | Jordanstown Jaguars | W | 1-0 # |
Preseason Week 1
Aldergrove Hawks 0 East Side Jets 6
The East Side Jets, from Castlereagh in East Belfast, made a successful start to their Irish American Football preseason, winning 6-0 on their debut against Aldergove Hawks, at RAF Aldergrove in Antrim.
| At RAF Aldergrove | Q1 | Q2 | Q3 | Q4 | Total |
| East Side Jets | 6 | ||||
| Aldergrove Hawks | 0 |
Preseason Week 2
East Side Jets 7 Bangor Buccaneers 2
In Week 2 of the IAFL Preseason, East Side Jets defeated Bangor Buccaneers 7-2 on their home debut, with a fourth quarter touchdown from Mark Dunwoody, who ran in from 25 yards out.
| At | Q1 | Q2 | Q3 | Q4 | Total |
| Bangor Buccaneers | 2 | ||||
| East Side Jets | 7 |
| Team | Scorers | Score |
| Quarter ?? | ||
| BAN | Safety | 0-2 |
| 4th Quarter | ||
| ESJ | Mark Dunwoody 25yd Run (XP Kick Good) | 7-2 |
Week 1
East Side Jets 0 Belfast Blitzers 92
The East Side Jets and Belfast Blitzers met in week 1 of the Irish American Football League’s second season. The Blitzers won 92-0 with F. Lynch, D. McHugh, H. Davis, I. Smyth, J. Smyth, D. McCourt and A. McCandless among the scorers.
| At | Q1 | Q2 | Q3 | Q4 | Total |
| Belfast Blitzers | 92 | ||||
| East Side Jets | 0 |
| Team | Scorer | Score |
| BLI | F. Lynch | |
| BLI | D. McHugh | |
| BLI | H. Davis | |
| BLI | I. Smyth | |
| BLI | J. Smyth | |
| BLI | D. McCourt | |
| BLI | A. McCandless |
Week 4 – 17 May 1987
Craigavon Cowboys 58 East Side Jets 0
The Craigavon Cowboys overwhelmed the East Side Jets 58-0 in this Week 4 encounter in Lurgan. The Cowboys amassed 464 yards in Offense during the game.
| At | Q1 | Q2 | Q3 | Q4 | Total |
| East Side Jets | 0 | ||||
| Craigavon Cowboys | 58 |
Team Roster 1987
| Player | Position |
| Don Bird | |
| Barry Hill | Quarterback |
| Craig Dobbin | |
| Staurt Hooks | |
| Alan Boyd | |
| Paul Kirby | Center |
| Steve Wright | |
| Mark Dunwoody | Running Back |
Coaches and Management 1987
| Name | Role |
| Coaches | |
| Don Bird | Defensive Co-Ordinator |
| Management | |
| Alan Hynds | Chairman |
Season Report
The Preseason went well for the East Side Jets first ever season, winning 6-0 against Aldergrove Hawks, and then 7-2 against Bangor Buccaneers in their home debut with a fourth quarter touchdown from Mark Dunwoody.
In their first Regular Season game, however, they came up against IAFA Champions from 1986, the Belfast Blitzer, who ran up the score 92-0, and the in their second week they were overwhelmed 58-0 by Shamrock Bowl Champions the previous year, Craigavon Cowboys.
The Jets never recovered after that, and the 9 points they scored against the Belfast Blitzers were to be the only ones they would score all season. They folded after 6 of 10 games, although a match against the Jordanstown Jaguars was overturned in their favour after the Jaguars also pulled out.
Websites
[1] Britball Now (2016) Results Section [1987] [Internet] Available from: http://www.britballnow.co.uk/history-index/results-section.html [Accessed 23 March 2017]
[2] Britball Now (2016) East Side Jets [Internet] Available from: http://www.britballnow.co.uk/History/Britball%20Teams/EastSideJets.htm [Accessed 18 July 2018]
Newspapers
[3] Anon. (1986) “The Jets learn to be mean”Belfast Telegraph. Wednesday, December 10, 1986. pg. 9 [Internet] Available online at the Irish Newspaper Archive at: https://www.irishnewsarchive.com/ which is a subscription service.
[4] Anon. (1987) “Successful start by Belfast Jets”Belfast Telegraph. Tuesday, March 17, 1987. pg. 21 [Internet] Available online at the Irish Newspaper Archive at: https://www.irishnewsarchive.com/ which is a subscription service.
[5] Anon. (1986) “American Football”Belfast Telegraph. Monday, April 27, 1987. pg. 29 [Internet] Available online at the Irish Newspaper Archive at: https://www.irishnewsarchive.com/ which is a subscription service.
[6] Anon. (1986) “Cowboys run riot”Belfast Telegraph. Monday, May 18, 1987. pg. 23 [Internet] Available online at the Irish Newspaper Archive at: https://www.irishnewsarchive.com/ which is a subscription service.
Images
[7] Anon. (1986) “Don Bird…in full flight”Belfast Telegraph. Wednesday, December 10, 1986. pg. 9 [Internet] Available online at the Irish Newspaper Archive at: https://www.irishnewsarchive.com/ which is a subscription service.
Acknowledgements
Thanks to Niall Brennan.
About this document
Researched, compiled and written by Enda Mulcahy for the
Eirball | Irish North American and World Sports Archive
Last Updated: 22 May 2020
(c) Copyright Enda Mulcahy and Eirball 2020
You may quote this document in part provided that proper acknowledgement is given to the authors. All Rights Reserved.