Dublin City University Saints
Encyclopedia
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Records |
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| All-time Record: | 10-21-1 (0-2 in the Playoffs) |
| Current Coach: | David Rothwell |
| Line Coach: | Neil Callanan |
| Defensive Coordinator: | Eoin Fox |
| Special Teams Coach: | Damian Baker |
| Assistant Coach: | Conor O'Sullivan |
| Assistant Coach: | Steve Porteous |
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| Nickname: | Saints |
| Colors: | Blue and Gold Gold (color) Gold, also called golden, is one of a variety of orange-yellow color blends used to give the impression of the color of the element gold.... |
| Home Field: | DCU Sports Grounds |
| Rivals: | UL Vikings University of Limerick Vikings The University of Limerick Vikings are the American football team from the University of Limerick in Limerick, Ireland. The team currently competes in the Irish American Football League... , Dublin Rebels Dublin Rebels The Dublin Rebels are the most successful team in Irish American Football League history with seven National Championships , four league titles, two European crowns and registering the perfect season with no defeats in 2006 and again in 2010.They are members of the IAFL Central division, and have... , Dublin Rhinos |
In 2005, Carl Rushe and Maurice Cosgrave founded the Dublin City University American Football Club. With Carl's experience in playing American football and Maurice's experience in running and managing the DCU Sailing Club, they established the club initially as a fanclub, where students could follow the sport and learn flag football. In 2006, the club's fully kitted team, the DCU Saints was formed and competed in the Irish American Football League (IAFL)
Irish American Football League
The Irish American Football League is a fully kitted American football league in Ireland. Founded in 1984, it consists of 14 teams, with 2 having joined the league in 2010. The league generally runs from March through to August, ending with two teams competing for the Shamrock Bowl...
that same year.
Colours & Identity
The DCU Saints follow a similar colour scheme as the vast majority of other DCUDublin City University
Dublin City University is a university situated between Glasnevin, Santry, Ballymun and Whitehall on the Northside of Dublin in Ireland...
clubs, royal blue and gold. The team has both a home and away strip, with the home being navy blue and gold and the away white and gold.
2009
The DCU Saints started the 2009 season on March 29th 2009 at home against the Dublin Rhinos. A close game ended 18-18 (which included Saints linebacker Conor Tyrrell blocking an extra point attempt) and DCU were off to a good start. This good start was undone a week later in Carrickfergus when the Knights beat DCU 19-6, the Saints sole score coming from a fumble recovered by linebacker Joe Carlyle.Two weeks later, DCU disimproved to 0-2-1 on the year as they were forced to forfeit a game against league Champions, UL Vikings. DCU snapped their two game losing streak 26-22 against the visiting Belfast Trojans with Dave McMahon returning a punt over 80 yards for 6 and a stand out performance from Eoin Fox at linebacker and followed this up with a strong 22-14 victory over the Rhinos in Castleknock, pushing DCU over .500 for the season with RB Dave McMahon and WR Geoff Coleman accumulating the majority of the Saint’s points and Gary Fogarty having a stellar game at OLB & DE.
DCU came crashing back down to earth at the end of May when Cork destroyed the visitors by 52-0 in a lob-sided win. Two weeks later, DCU lost again, this time to the Dublin Rebels, by 27-6. Going into the final game of the regular season, DCU (in a mirror image of the 2008 season, against the Belfast Bulls) needed to beat a team who had beaten them earlier on in the year, the Cork Admirals. DCU duly complied, in a defensive battle in which DCU got their only shut-out of the season and earned a tough fought 8-0 victory to qualify for the post season for the second time in their history while simultaneously ensuring Cork would fail to make the playoffs.
In the playoffs, DCU faced an impressive Dublin Rebels team in the semi-finals. The Rebels proved to be too impressive, routing DCU in a 38-0 loss. The disappointing loss ended DCU’s season, which was their best season in the club’s history.
2008
This year marks a fresh start for the Saints. With a greater influx of players and increasing win record, the Saints have shown the ability and the drive to improve again.The season started badly with a loss to the Carrickfergus Knights but the team started 11 rookies that day and stayed close to the experienced Knights which gave hope for the future.
The game against Tallaght Outlaws was dominated by the weather, with storms turning the pitch into a quagmire. The Saints took a while to get going, particularly on offence, but when they clicked they ran away with the game, racking up a record 44 points while not conceding a score.
The victory gave the team added confidence and they followed up with a victory over the Rhinos, 32-3. Again the team took time to get going on offence but eventually clicked to run away easy winners, the Rhinos score only coming after a botched call by the officials.
The two games against Dublin Rebels showed the team had a lot to learn and must front up more if they are to win a game against one of the big three (Rebels, UL, Cork)
The team got back into the groove again with a second victory over the Rhinos, this time the passing game working perfectly with David Mullins a particular standout. The Rhinos scored a touchdown on a controversial call by the officials but it didn't matter as the Saints scored 5 touchdowns.
On June 29th, the Saints beat Belfast in Belfast by a score of 6-0 to clinch a wildcard spot in the playoffs for the first time in their history. They travelled to Cork to face the Admirals having lost their last regular season game to UL Vikings, finishing the regular season 4-4.
In Cork, the Saints lost their first ever play-off game by a score of 34-2 to bring to end their best season to date.
2007
2007 was a development year for the DCU Saints. With a new coaching and management staff in place, the team focused on developing experienced players and passing on this experience to new players. This was evident in the improvement of our record this year with two wins, both against two established teams.2006
In 2006, interest in the club increased immensely; over 150 students signed up to the club at the start of the University year and this figure rose to close to 180 by the end. In 2006 the club also applied to and was accepted by the IAFLIrish American Football League
The Irish American Football League is a fully kitted American football league in Ireland. Founded in 1984, it consists of 14 teams, with 2 having joined the league in 2010. The league generally runs from March through to August, ending with two teams competing for the Shamrock Bowl...
and began training DCU's
Dublin City University
Dublin City University is a university situated between Glasnevin, Santry, Ballymun and Whitehall on the Northside of Dublin in Ireland...
first ever fully kitted American Football
American football
American football is a sport played between two teams of eleven with the objective of scoring points by advancing the ball into the opposing team's end zone. Known in the United States simply as football, it may also be referred to informally as gridiron football. The ball can be advanced by...
team, the DCU Saints. For the 2006 season the club also managed to secure some of the most experienced and well-regarded coaches in Ireland including Team Ireland Head Coach Phil De Monte, Team Ireland Defensive Co-ordinator Darrin O'Toole and German League coach Carsten Wunderlich. Also in 2006 the DCU Cheerleading Squad was formed with the assistance of DCU Dance.
Towards the end of 2006 the club was honoured with an award from DCU
Dublin City University
Dublin City University is a university situated between Glasnevin, Santry, Ballymun and Whitehall on the Northside of Dublin in Ireland...
and the Sports Clubs Committee (SCC) at the annual Clubs & Societies Awards; the Most Improved Club 2006 award which recognises the considerable development undergone by the club in the past year. Additionally, club Secretary and co-founder Maurice Cosgrave was awarded the Best Individual Administrator Award.
2005
In 2005 the DCU American Football Club was formed. Initially the club provided flag footballFlag football
Flag football is a version of Canadian football or American football that is popular worldwide. The basic rules of the game are similar to those of the mainstream game , but instead of tackling players to the ground, the defensive team must remove a flag or flag belt from the ball carrier to end...
training and access to some of the NFL games. As with all new clubs and societies DCU
Dublin City University
Dublin City University is a university situated between Glasnevin, Santry, Ballymun and Whitehall on the Northside of Dublin in Ireland...
the club had to undergo a probitionary period. During this time the club was focused on allowing fans of the sport learn more about it and to establish itself as a viable club in the University.
Pre-2005
The DCU American Football Club previous operated under the name "DCU Stallions", but the Club ceased operation in 2001.Management
Chairperson Alex TrimbleSecretary Adam Skelly
Treasurer Aidan Wessels
Public Relations Officer Matthew Sheehan
Equipment Officer Thomas O'Regan
Safety Officer Liam O’Tailliuir
Webmaster Damian Baker
Coaching
Head Coach David RothwellLine Coach Neil Callanan
Defensive Coordinator Eoin Fox
Special Teams Coach Damian Baker
Assistant Coach Conor O'Sullivan
Assistant Coach Stephen Porteous
Seasonal Results
| Year | Wins | Losses | Ties | Points | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2009 | 3 | 4 | 1 | 7 | Forth in league table earning a semi final place in the play-offs. Lost to the Dublin Rebels in play-offs. |
| 2008 | 4 | 4 | 0 | 8 | Second in the Central Division Finished 5th place and qualified for playoffs |
| 2007 | 2 | 6 | 0 | 4 | Joint Second in the Central Division Finished Joint 7th place |
| 2006 | 1 | 7 | 0 | 2 | Finished 7th place |