University of Limerick Vikings

Records
All-time Record:	28-26-1
Current Coach:	Eoin 'Pinky' Carroll
Shamrock Bowl Record:	2-2
Awards
Pageantry
Nickname:	Vikings
Colors:	Blue and Yellow
Mascot:	Gavoven
Home Field:	University of Limerick Sports Fields
Rivals:	DCU Saints Cork Admirals
Storied Vikings
Ireland National Team Players:	5
Retired Jerseys:	Paddy Ryan (#88)

The University of Limerick Vikings are the current Irish American Football champions and one of two 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 Shamrock 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 Saint" Ryan.

2002

In 2002 the Vikings won every game they played thanks to a powerful team of mostly American exchange students. 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 freshman class 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 5 starting Offensive Linemen, Jamie O' Brien, Kieran Stack, Dermot Donnelly, 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 unity 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 structure put in place and a lot of work done, by Damien Laffan in particular, to promote and develop the club in the Limerick area. In this year the structures were put in place that would lead to the successes of the following 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 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.

The Vikings entered the playoffs as Shamrock Bowl favourites, but had to get past a 4th-seeded 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 courtesy of three rushing touchdowns from game MVP Seamus Hogan to claim their first ever Shamrock Bowl title.

2008

The Vikings finished the 2008 regular season with a 7-1 record, winning their second Southern Division title in two years. The sole loss came at home at the hands of fellow Shamrock Bowl finalists Dublin Rebels. The Vikings had many returning starters from the Shamrock Bowl winning team, including MVP Seamus Hogan, and have built on the core of players this year, adding former Chicago Slaughter offensive lineman Jim Davis to their lineup. The Vikings have evolved their game from last year, incorporating a more complex passing game and a new defensive system but the basis of the team remains a strong running game and a quick aggressive defence. The Vikings faced the Dublin Rebels in Shamrock Bowl XXII on August 10th at CIT Stadium in Cork. Following TDs from Game MVP Adrian Garvey and an interception return by Darragh "Plum" O'Callaghan, the Vikings recorded their second Shamrock Bowl victory, on a 14-12 scoreline.

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)
2008	7	1	0	1st IAFL Southern Division	Won Shamrock Bowl XXII (Rebels)

UL Vikings MVP

Year	Winner	Age	Position
2005	Kieran Coen	21	Offensive Tackle
2006	Chris Bassitt	21	Quarterback/Wide Receiver/Running Back
2007	Seamus Hogan	22	Safety/Running Back/Kick Returner
2008	Jim Davis	24	Offensive Tackle/Defensive End

UL Vikings Offensive Player of the Year

Year	Winner	Age	Position
2005	Colin Hillman	20	Wide Receiver
2006	Jeremiah Sexton	20	Quarterback
2007	Dan Levy	23	Running Back
2008	JP Nerbun	22	Quarterback

UL Vikings Defensive Player of the Year

Year	Winner	Age	Position
2005	Matt Sheehan	21	Linebacker
2006	Alex Smith	20	Defensive End
2007	Bill Parkinson	21	Linebacker
2008	Jim Davis	24	Defensive End

UL Vikings Rookie of the Year

Year	Winner	Age	Position
2005	Glen Carr	19	Tight End/Defensive End
2006	Brendan Moroney	19	Offensive Guard
2007	Seamus Feehan	18	Wide Receiver
2008	James Twomey	22	Running Back

References

External links

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