BELFAST BLITZERS SEASON REPORT 1986 Belfast Blitzers played the first ever fully-kitted game of American Football between two Irish teams in Northern Ireland on May 19th 1986 when they won 46-0 versus Craigavon Cowboys at Shane Park in Lurgan. On the 1st of June they played Dublin Celts in Dublin in the 1st Leg of the Capitol Bowl, losing 7-46, and despite losing the tie overall 31-66 on aggregate they did become the first ever team to defeat the Dublin Celts, when on June 22nd they won 24-20 in the 2nd Leg in Belfast. They again played the Dublin Celts on July 6th in Dublin as part of the Summer Bowl American Independence Day Tournament, losing to their rivals in the Final after defeating the Coleraine Chieftains in the Semi-Finals. In the penultimate week of the season in Carrickfergus as part of the Carrick Festival, they defeated the hometown Cougars 55-6. This set them up nicely for their match against the Dublin Celts for the All-Ireland Championship the following week which they won 7-0, evening the score 2-2 on head-to-head with the Dublin team. This was the last match they played in 1986 as they declined to take part in the Shamrock Bowl, which was arranged following the season, as the considered themselves already Champions having won both the All-Ireland Championship and League titles.
- Leagues
- AFAI American Football Association of Ireland Friendlies, AFI American Football Ireland Timeline, Capitol Bowl, Irish American Football League, Irish American football League Festivals, Irish American Football League Mourne Conference, Irish American Football League Mourne Conference Preseason, Irish American Football League National Conference, Irish American Football League Playoffs, Irish American Football League Preseason, Irish American Football League Regular Season, Northern Ireland American Football Association
- Seasons
- 1986, 1987, 1988
Irish American Football League Preseason 1986
| Pos | Team | W | L | T | Pct | PF | PA | Net Pts | Streak |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  Dublin Celts | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1.000 | 46 | 7 | 39 | W1 |
| 2 | Belfast Blitzers | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0.500 | 53 | 46 | 7 | W1 |
| 3 | Carrickfergus Cougars | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.000 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 3 |  Coleraine Chieftains | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.000 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 5 |  Craigavon Cowboys | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0.000 | 0 | 46 | -46 | L1 |
Irish American Football League - All Games Standings 1986
| Pos | Team | W | L | T | Pct | PF | PA | Net Pts | Streak |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Belfast Blitzers | 7 | 2 | 0 | 0.778 | 179 | 72 | 107 | W3 |
| 2 | Dublin Celts | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0.500 | 68 | 44 | 24 | L2 |
| 3 | Craigavon Cowboys | 2 | 3 | 0 | 0.400 | 39 | 88 | -49 | W2 |
| 4 | Coleraine Chieftains | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0.000 | 0 | 33 | -33 | L3 |
| 5 | Carrickfergus Cougars | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0.000 | 6 | 55 | -49 | L1 |
Irish American Football League Regular Season 1986
| Pos | Team | W | L | T | Pct | PF | PA | Net Pts | Streak |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Belfast Blitzers | 4 | 0 | 0 | 1.000 | 119 | 26 | 93 | W4 |
| 2 | Craigavon Cowboys | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0.500 | 33 | 40 | -7 | W1 |
| 3 | Dublin Celts | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0.000 | 20 | 24 | -4 | L1 |
| 4 | Coleraine Chieftains | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0.000 | 0 | 33 | -33 | L2 |
| 5 | Carrickfergus Cougars | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0.000 | 6 | 55 | -49 | L1 |
Northern Ireland American Football Association 1986
| Pos | Team | W | L | T | Pct | PF | PA | Net Pts | Streak |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Belfast Blitzers | 3 | 0 | 0 | 1.000 | 95 | 6 | 89 | W3 |
| 2 | Craigavon Cowboys | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0.500 | 33 | 40 | -7 | W1 |
| 3 | Coleraine Chieftains | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0.000 | 0 | 33 | -33 | L2 |
| 4 | Carrickfergus Cougars | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0.000 | 6 | 55 | -49 | L1 |
IAFL Mourne Conference Preseason 1987
| Pos | Team | W | L | T | Pct | PF | PA | Net Pts | Streak |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  East Side Jets | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1.000 | 13 | 2 | 11 | W2 |
| 2 | Belfast Blitzers | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1.000 | 45 | 6 | 39 | W1 |
| 3 | Carrickfergus Cougars | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1.000 | 14 | 13 | 1 | W1 |
| 4 | Coleraine Chieftains | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.000 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 4 |  Dublin Tornadoes | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.000 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 6 | Aldergrove Hawks | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0.000 | 0 | 6 | -6 | L1 |
IAFL Mourne Conference 1987
| Pos | Team | W | L | T | Pct | PF | PA | Net Pts | Streak |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Belfast Blitzers | 9 | 1 | 0 | 0.900 | 449 | 47 | 402 | W2 |
| 2 | Dublin Tornadoes | 6 | 4 | 0 | 0.600 | 121 | 164 | -43 | L1 |
| 3 | Carrickfergus Cougars | 4 | 6 | 0 | 0.400 | 99 | 126 | -27 | L1 |
| 4 | Coleraine Chieftains | 1 | 9 | 0 | 0.100 | 58 | 234 | -176 | L6 |
| 5 | East Side Jets | 1 | 9 | 0 | 0.100 | 10 | 284 | -274 | W1 |
AFAI American Football Association of Ireland Festivals & Friendlies 1988
| Pos | Team | W | L | T | Pct | PF | PA | Net Pts | Streak |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Dublin Tornadoes | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1.000 | 46 | 0 | 46 | W1 |
| 2 | Belfast Blitzers | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1.000 | 39 | 2 | 37 | W1 |
| 3 |  Belfast Spartans | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1.000 | 22 | 8 | 14 | W1 |
| 4 | Coleraine Chieftains | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.000 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 5 |  Antrim Bulldogs | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0.000 | 10 | 107 | -97 | L3 |
AFAI Irish American Football League National Conference 1988
| Pos | Team | W | L | T | Pct | PF | PA | Net Pts | Streak |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Craigavon Cowboys | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1.000 | 32 | 0 | 32 | W1 |
| 2 | Dublin Celts | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1.000 | 20 | 7 | 13 | W1 |
| 3 | Dublin Tornadoes | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0.500 | 46 | 32 | 14 | L1 |
| 4 | Belfast Blitzers | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0.000 | 7 | 20 | -13 | L1 |
Results
Belfast Blitzers Player List 1986
| # | Player | Team | Position | TD | FG | Safety | PAT | 2XP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Peter Rafferty | Belfast Blitzers | Kicker | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| George Neill | Belfast Blitzers | Wide receiver | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1 | |
| Ivan Smith | Belfast Blitzers | Wide receiver | 2 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | |
| 13 | Alan McCandless | Belfast Blitzers | Quarterback | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 18 | Sean O’Neill | Belfast Blitzers | Kicker, Linebacker | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 21 | Nigel Somers | Belfast Blitzers | Safety | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 22 | Alan Murray | Belfast Blitzers | Cornerback | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 24 | Mike Heath | Belfast Blitzers | Defensive tackle | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 25 | Derek McCord | Belfast Blitzers | Running back | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 27 | Jason Mallon | Belfast Blitzers | Safety | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 31 | Steve Thompson | Belfast Blitzers | Running back | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 34 | Derek Hardy | Belfast Blitzers | Running back | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 35 | Damien McHugh | Belfast Blitzers | Running back | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 39 | Mark Harris | Belfast Blitzers | Cornerback | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 40 | John Davis | Belfast Blitzers | Cornerback | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 41 | Davy Freeland | Belfast Blitzers | Defensive end | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 45 | Davy Turner | Belfast Blitzers | Cornerback | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 50 | Daryol Laws | Belfast Blitzers | Center, Offensive guard | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 51 | Cormac Scott | Belfast Blitzers | Linebacker | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 52 | Desi Wilson | Belfast Blitzers | Center, Offensive guard | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 55 | Matt Harte | Belfast Blitzers | Linebacker | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 57 | Alan Young | Belfast Blitzers | Linebacker | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 61 | Martin Press | Belfast Blitzers | Center | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 63 | Damien Nolan | Belfast Blitzers | Defensive tackle | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 64 | Kiern Demspey | Belfast Blitzers | Center | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 69 | Gary Moore | Belfast Blitzers | Defensive tackle | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 70 | Chris Millar | Belfast Blitzers | Offensive guard | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 72 | Fij | Belfast Blitzers | Offensive tackle | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 73 | Davy Mayne | Belfast Blitzers | Offensive tackle | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 74 | Vivian Vize | Belfast Blitzers | Offensive guard | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 80 | Neil Graham | Belfast Blitzers | Tight end | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 82 | Gary Linton | Belfast Blitzers | Quarterback, Tight end | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 85 | Philip McIlpatrick | Belfast Blitzers | Wide receiver | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 88 | Tony Callaghan | Belfast Blitzers | Running back, Wide receiver | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 89 | Patsy Lundy | Belfast Blitzers | Wide receiver | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 90 | Tom Robinson | Belfast Blitzers | Center, Offensive guard | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 95 | Jim Delargy | Belfast Blitzers | Defensive end | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 99 | Eric Grant | Belfast Blitzers | Defensive tackle | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Belfast Blitzers Players List 1986
| # | Player | Team | Position | TD | FG | Safety | PAT | 2XP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Peter Rafferty | Belfast Blitzers | Kicker | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| William Perry Neill | Belfast Blitzers | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Belfast Blitzers Players List 1987
| # | Player | Team | Position | TD | FG | Safety | PAT | 2XP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| J Smith | Belfast Blitzers | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | ||
| Hayden Davis | Belfast Blitzers | Running back | 10 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| George Neill | Belfast Blitzers | Wide receiver | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 2 | |
| Finn Lynch | Belfast Blitzers | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| Ivan Smith | Belfast Blitzers | Wide receiver | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| John Smith | Belfast Blitzers | Tight end | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| 34 | Derek Hardy | Belfast Blitzers | Running back | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 35 | Damien McHugh | Belfast Blitzers | Running back | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Belfast Blitzers Players List 1988
Coach/Head Coach Tyler Wright
- Nationality
United States- Past Teams
- Belfast Blitzers
Coach Martin Morgan
- Nationality
- United States
- Past Teams
- Belfast Blitzers
Coach Mike Heath
- Past Teams
- Belfast Blitzers
Coach Terry Gemmell
- Past Teams
- Belfast Blitzers
Founder/Chairman Davy Freeland
- Past Teams
- Belfast Blitzers
Founder Derek Hardy
- Past Teams
- Belfast Blitzers
Head Coach Jim McDonnell
- Past Teams
- Belfast Blitzers
References
[1] Belfast Blitzers Facebook Page (2019) Post, August 12, 2019 at 1:31 PM [Internet] Available from: https://www.facebook.com/belfastblitzers/posts/2244208692356940?notif_id=1565921781157641¬if_t=comment_mention [Accessed 17 August 2019]
REFERENCES
[1] Miriam Lord (1986) “Crunch: but could they handle Moss Keane?” Irish Independent. Monday, March 17, 1986. pg. 7
[2] BritballNow (2017) British and Irish sides Friendly results against foreign opposition [Internet] Available from: http://www.britballnow.co.uk/History/UKClubsForeignOppo.html [Accessed 16 November 2017]
[3] James Mulcahy (1986) “Savage Celts” Irish Independent. Thursday, March 27, 1986. pg. 9.
[4] BritballNow (2017) Newcastle Senators [Internet] Available from: http://www.britballnow.co.uk/History/Britball%20Teams/NEWCASTLESENATORS.htm [Internet] [Accessed 25 June 2021]
[5] Irish American Football League (2002) Other Events [Internet] Available from: http://americanfootball.ie/iafl/otherevents02.htm [Accessed 20 March 2018]
[6] Anon. (1986) “Cowboys into Shamrock Bowl” Belfast Telegraph. Monday, September 29, 1986. Pg. 18.
Past Copies of the Belfast Telegraph are available to view online at: https://www.irishnewsarchive.com/
[7] Anon. (1986) “American Football comes to Dublin” Irish Press. Wednesday, November 12, 1986. Pg. 11. [Past Copies of the Irish Press are available to view online at: https://www.irishnewsarchive.com/ ]
[8] Anon. (1986) “Today’s sport” Irish Press. Wednesday, Friday, November 28, 1986. pg. 22 [Past Copies of the Irish Press are available to view online at: https://www.irishnewsarchive.com/ ]
[9] Anon. (1986) “Marlboro on the march” Irish Press. Wednesday, Friday, November 28, 1986. pg. 17 [Past Copies of the Irish Press are available to view online at: https://www.irishnewsarchive.com/ ]
[10] Sean Moloney (1986) “Shamrocks from USA are playing to win” Evening Herald. Saturday, November 29, 1986. pg. 6.
WEBSITES
[11] Britball Now (2016) History of the Game in Ireland [Internet] Available from: http://www.britballnow.co.uk/history-index/ireland/history-of-the-game-in.html [Accessed 02 October 2016]
[12] Britball Now (2008) UK Clubs Against Foreign Opposition [Internet] Available from: http://www.britballnow.co.uk/History/UKClubsForeignOppo.html [Accessed 16 November 2008]
[13] Semi-Pro Football (2017) Eastern Football League Champions [Internet] Available from: http://www.semiprofootball.org/minor/champs/eastfl.htm [Accessed 16 November 2017]
SOURCES
[14] Kevin Sharkey (2020) “The Dublin Celts” Word Document shared by John Gunning on Facebook Messenger with permission.
REFERENCES
[1] Anon (1986) “Crunch: but could they handle Moss Keane?” Irish Independent. Monday, March 17, 1986. pg. 7
Past copies of the Irish Independent are available to view online at: https://www.irishnewsarchive.com/
REFERENCES
WEBSITES
[1] Britball Now (2016) Results Section [1986] [Internet] Available from: http://www.britballnow.co.uk/history-index/results-section.html [Accessed 23 March 2017]
[2] Britball Now (2016) Bangor Buccaneers [Internet] Available from: http://www.britballnow.co.uk/History/Britball%20Teams/BangorBuccaneers.htm [Accessed 23 March 2018]
[3] Irish American Football Association (2018) Shamrock Bowl History [Internet] Available from: hhttp://www.americanfootball.ie/american-football/shamrock-bowl-history/ [Accessed 23 March 2018]
[4] Britballnow.co.uk (2019) 1986 Results [Internet] Available from: http://www.britballnow.co.uk/history-index/results-section.html [Accessed 17 August 2019]
INTERNET ARCHIVES
[5] Craigavon Cowboys | Wayback Machine (2017) Charles ‘Chuck’ Ebron Interview [Internet] Available from: http://web.archive.org/web/20170514064407/http://www,craigavoncowboys.co.uk:80/news [Accessed 10 October 2018]
SOCIAL MEDIA
[6] Belfast Blitzers | Facebook (2019) Comments on Post by David Turner, August 12-17, 2019 [Internet] Available from: https://www.facebook.com/belfastblitzers/posts/2244208692356940 [Accessed 17 August 2019]
[7] Belfast Blitzers | Facebook (2019) Comments on Post by David Turner, September 7, 2019 [Internet] Available from: https://www.facebook.com/belfastblitzers/posts/2286790341432108?comment_id=2287705898007219&reply_comment_id=2292185984225877¬if_id=1568031304420635¬if_t=feed_comment [Accessed 9 September 2019]
NEWSPAPERS
[8] Anon. (1986) “A cracking good show for grid-iron fans” Belfast Telegraph. Tuesday, September 23, 1986. pg. 24 [Internet] Available online at the Irish Newspaper Archive at: https://www.irishnewsarchive.com/ which is a subscription service.
[9] Anon. (1986) “American flavour” Belfast Telegraph. Friday, August 8, 1986. pg. 26 [Internet] Available online at the Irish Newspaper Archive at: https://www.irishnewsarchive.com/ which is a subscription service.
[10] Anon. (1986) “Cowboys into ‘Shamrock Bowl’” Belfast Telegraph. Monday, September 29, 1986. pg. 18 [Internet] Available online at the Irish Newspaper Archive at: https://www.irishnewsarchive.com/ which is a subscription service.
[11] Anon. (1986) “Cowboys triumph’” Belfast Telegraph. Monday, October 6, 1986. pg. 19 [Internet] Available online at the Irish Newspaper Archive at: https://www.irishnewsarchive.com/ which is a subscription service.
[12] Anon. (1986) “Picture caption’” Belfast Telegraph. Monday, August 11, 1986. pg. 30 [Internet] Available online at the Irish Newspaper Archive at: https://www.irishnewsarchive.com/ which is a subscription service.
IMAGES
[13] Anon. (1986) “Picture by Rick Hewitt’” Belfast Telegraph. Monday, August 11, 1986. pg. 30 [Internet] Available online at the Irish Newspaper Archive at: https://www.irishnewsarchive.com/ which is a subscription service.
[14] Anon. (1986) “Cowboys to meet Celts’”Belfast Telegraph. Saturday September 27, 1986. pg. 24 [Internet] Available online at the Irish Newspaper Archive at: https://www.irishnewsarchive.com/ which is a subscription service.
[15] Anon. (1986) “Blitzers turn the tables”Belfast Telegraph. Tuesday June 24, 1986. pg. 28 [Internet] Available online at the Irish Newspaper Archive at: https://www.irishnewsarchive.com/ which is a subscription service.
[16] Anon. (1986) “Cowboys into Shamrock Bowl’”Belfast Telegraph. Saturday September 29, 1986. pg. 18 [Internet] Available online at the Irish Newspaper Archive at: https://www.irishnewsarchive.com/ which is a subscription service.
[17] Anon. (1986) “Sport in Brief: American Football” Sunday Press. August 17th, 1986. pg. 25.
[18] Anon. (1986) “Dublin Celts are Blitzed” Sunday Press. August 17th, 1986. pg. 25.
MEDIA
[19] BBC Sport NI Facebook (2020) Video, May 20, 2020 [Comment by player at 1:00-1:10] [Internet] Available from: https://www.facebook.com/BBCSPORTNI/videos/693338128160962 [Accessed 30 August 2020]
SOCIAL MEDIA
[1] Belfast Blitzers Facebook Page (2019) Post, August 12, 2019 at 1:31 PM [Internet] Available from: https://www.facebook.com/belfastblitzers/posts/2244208692356940?notif_id=1565921781157641¬if_t=comment_mention [Accessed 17 August 2019]
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
Thanks to David Turner (Belfast Blitzers)
ABOUT THIS DOCUMENT
Researched, compiled and written by Enda Mulcahy for the
Eirball | Irish North American and World Sports Archive
Last Updated: 19 November 2020
(c) Copyright Enda Mulcahy and Eirball 2019-2020
You may quote this document in part provided that proper acknowledgement is given to the authors. All Rights Reserved.