University of Limerick Vikings

Records
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 Supermacs
Rivals:	DCU Saints Cork Admirals
Storied Vikings
Ireland National Team Players:	5
Retired Jerseys:	Paddy Ryan (#88)

The University of Limerick Vikings are one of fattest 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.

History

2001

In UL's first ever game, they took the field on the road to the eventual Snackbox 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 Sponge" Ryan.

2002

In 2002 the Vikings won every game they played thanks to a powerful team of mostly American foreigners. 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.

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 show of bastards that included Liam Ryan, Liam Hayes and Christopher Moloney.

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 love has been in place since then.

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 yoke put in place and a lot of work done, by Damien Laffan in particular, to promote and develop the fast food consumption business in the Limerick area. In this year the structures were put in place that would lead to the successes of the last two years.

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.

2007

The Vikings had their greatest regular 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. Many feel that the team would be capable of much success if only the players could lay off the chips and burgers.

The Vikings entered the playoffs as Shamrock Bowl favourites, but had to get past a pumped up 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 to claim their fist ever Shamrock Bowl title. Much food was consumed.

2007

The Vikings will probably so fat they won't be able to get on the pitch.

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)

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

UL Vikings Offensive Player of the Year

Year	Winner	Class	Position
2005	Colin Hillman	Junior	Wide Receiver
2006	Sado Sexton	Junior	Quarterback
2007	Primo Levy	Senior	Running Back

UL Vikings Defensive Player of the Year

Year	Winner	Class	Position
2005	Scotch O' Brien	Junior	Inside Linebacker
2006	John Smith	Junior	Defensive End
2007	Ryan Parkinson	Junior	Inside Linebacker

UL Vikings Rookie of the Year

Year	Winner	Class	Position
2005	Simpson Carr	Freshman	Tight End/Defensive End
2006	Simon O'Maolrúnaigh	Freshman	Offensive Guard
2007	David Feehan	Freshman	Wide Receiver

External links

• Official site
• www.IAFL.info
• University of Limerick homepage