Origins The first American football team in Coventry was the Warwickshire Bears, who were formed in February 1984 by two local men with assistance from the head coach of a
United States Air Force team located at
RAF Chicksands. The Bears played their inaugural season in the Midland Division of the
British American Football League (BAFL), recording only one regular-season victory. However, the Bears were more successful in
friendly games, with their best result coming when they travelled to London to take on the undefeated and eventual Summer Bowl finalist Streatham Olympians and won 26–0. In 1986, the Bears played in and won the Anglo Conference Central Division with an 8–2 record, including a BAFL record 100–0 victory over the Black Country Nailers. The Bears also hosted a Norwegian team, the
Oslo Trolls, losing by one point on the last kick of the game. The following year, in an effort to improve their overall talent level, the Bears merged with the
Milton Keynes team and formed the CMK Bucks. However, the merger did not work, and the team folded losing a lot of talent to neighbouring teams, such talent as Von Sheppard (
University of Nebraska–Lincoln) who played for the Titans from 1988–1990. The team was reformed as the Coventry Bears, and at the end of the 1990 season they completed a successful merger with the Walsall Titans and formed to become the (Coventry Jaguars). The Jaguars imported two American players; quarterback Travis Hunter from
East Carolina University and tight end Craig Otto from the
University of Minnesota. The influx of talent led to the Jaguars finishing 10–0 in 1991 and winning the National Division Managements Association (NDMA) Division II Coca-Cola Bowl. They also had a notable win over the Upper Heyford Sky Kings, a
United States Air Forces in Europe (USAFE) team and reigning USAFE champions. In 1992, Hunter left the Jaguars for the rival
Birmingham Bulls, but
Mark Cohen, who would also play in
NFL Europe, joined the Jaguars. They once again defeated the Sky Kings, this time on
their airbase, but the Jaguars' lost to the Kent Mustangs in the league semi-finals, and then narrowly lost to the defending champion Bulls in the third place game. The Jaguars played in the NDMA Division I during the 1993 season, with games against the Birmingham Bulls, the Glasgow Lions, the Nottingham Hoods, the Leicester Panthers, the Northants Storm and the
London Olympians. Expectations were high for the Jaguars, as they had signed quarterback and former
Cleveland Browns draft pick
Clemente Gordon, line-backer Steve Donlin from the
Toronto Argonauts and head coach Bruno Waldner who was a former assistant with the
Minnesota Vikings. However, the Jaguars lost their first game, 14–6, at the Bulls and would then lose 44–8 at home against the reigning champion Olympians. Gordon and Donlin both returned to the United States so the Jaguars had to use an untried quarterback Jamie Kilby for the last part of the season. The Jaguars then suffered additional key losses throughout the season, which led to the team folding at the end of the season.
Formation and inaugural season In 2003, American football returned to Coventry when former Jaguars and Bulls quarterback Jamie Kilby had the idea to resurrect the Coventry Jaguars team. Gerry McManus, and former Jaguars and Bulls player Jon McNulty, joined Kilby in recruiting coaches for the team. They were successful in recruiting former player Paul Newey, and brought Dave Cowan and Karl Burgess out of retirement. They also recruited four players (Ant Ridgway, Greg Williams, James Hossack and Owain Davies) from the Loughborough Aces, a local
British Universities American Football League (BUAFL) team. Two American
running backs (RB) also joined Coventry the team. The rest of the team was made up of local rookie players, however the Jaguars were competitive against all of their opponents in their inaugural season. In the Jaguars' first ever game, they lost 13–7 to the
Oxford Saints and scored in all but one game. Throughout the season, the Jaguars recruited more players. American import Quarterback Tim Spaull replaced Kilby, and
wide receiver (WR) Mark Cohen returned to Coventry after a prior stint with the original Jaguars as well as NFL Europe. The season highlights included: the team's first touchdown, which was fittingly scored by Jon McNulty on a completed pass from Jamie Kilby; a game against the
South Wales Warriors, where they lost 60–32 but set a team record for highest combined score; and that the Jaguars had three players on the
Great Britain national American football team roster when they qualified for the
2005 European Championship of American football. After the Jaguar's first season, it was clear that progress needed to be made on the field. Off the field, however, the team was already quite successful. They led the league in attendance with an average of 500 spectators, secured sponsorships from Coventry Aquatics and
Fitness First, and were gaining media attention. During the offseason, the Jaguars rebranded as the Coventry Jets when it was announced that a
Jaguar car plant in Coventry would be closing. While the team had no association with the Jaguar car brand, they wanted to distance themselves from the controversy. The Jets name was chosen to honour
Sir Frank Whittle who lived in the city and invented the
jet engine.
2005 season In 2005, the Jets signed many new players including national team running backs Steve Coles and Tony Perkins and national team quarterback Adam Lane. John and Lester Hopewell, both
offensive guards, upgraded the offensive line and brought with them the experience of playing in
Eurobowl with the
Bergamo Lions. Defensively the Jets upgraded all areas. Bernie Hacksaw and Paul Rickhuss arrived on the defensive line, an area of concern the previous year with many linemen playing both ways. The Jets benefited from the unfortunate end of
Nene Valley Hybrids and picked up
line-backers (LB) Steve Booth and Gary Royer and
defensive back (DB) Wayne Gumbs, all of whom played a major role during the season. More players arrived from Loughborough Aces and local
BUAFL team Warwick Wolves. The newly opened Butts Arena became the Jets home stadium for the season. The team won every match they played in 2005, and nearly went the entire season without conceding a point until during the final game Norwich Devils QB Lance Buckingham hit WR Ben Green on a deep ball which went for a TD, the Jets however went 10–0, breaking several records on the way. In the playoffs, the Jets played the
Dundee Hurricanes, beating a spirited squad 35–0. This set up a huge semi-final clash against the
West Coast Trojans, the most anticipated game of 2005. In front of 1500 people, the Jets drew first blood, returning the opening
kick-off for a
touchdown (TD). The Trojans replied straight away, working their way downfield with GB Lions WR Mark Squire scoring. This was the only time they threatened the Jets end zone. The Trojans defence were manhandled by the Jets front five; RBs Coles and Perkins found huge holes in the Trojans defence.
Quarterback (QB) Spaull had all the time he needed to pick apart their secondary, finding GB Lions pair Cohen and Tam Byrne for TDs before half time (HT), the Jets leading 41–7. The Trojans were done, they were beaten by a combination of aggression, power, speed and skill. QB McNey was sacked nine times in the first half alone. The game finished 55–7, the Jets rotating the whole squad and easing up in the second half. Their win meant that they were promoted for the 2006 season. They had one goal left, however, the division championship against the Kent Exiles, also undefeated. The Jets started nervously but got the first score on the board, QB Spaull finding Cohen. After that, the Exiles took control of the game, scoring 20 unanswered points and looking odds on to win. Angry at trailing 20–7 at the half, a spirited fightback from the Jets looked to have swung the game in their direction, taking the lead 24–20 but a bomb from Exiles' QB Matt Duncan beat the coverage and put Kent up 26–24. On the following KO, however, Tony Perkins returned the ball all the way, not only sealing a memorable 30–26 win for the Jets but the MVP trophy in what will go down as one of the best finals in Britball history.
2006 season 2006 was another brilliant season for the Jets. To begin, they secured a major headline sponsor, international property development company
Cassidy Group, who had just become the main sponsors of
Coventry City FC and the
Coventry Blaze. Their support helped the club to realise the full potential of the sport in Coventry. Again the club attracted arguably some of the best British players in the
BAFL to Coventry. The signings of Jeremy Simms (London Olympians), Will White, Mick Mills Neil Edwards and Mike Dunson (Personal Assurance Knights) sent shockwaves through the league and made the Jets the team to beat. They were joined by former
Sioux Falls Cougar QB Joe Wright and former St. Ambrose Fighting Bee
Centre (C) Kurt Gersch. Links were also established with local BUAFL team Leicester Longhorns.
Defensive end (DE) Andy Steadman, LB Xin Xu and WR Nathan Dobson signed for the Jets; all played their part in the team's success. In preseason, the Jets travelled to Bergamo, Italy for a weekend training camp. Their hosts for the camp were the Bergamo Lions, perennial Italian Super Bowl champions and three-time Eurobowl winners. There was a joint training session and a controlled scrimmage. This was a tough test for the Jets. Bergamo boasted a roster with 17 North American players with
NCAA or
Canadian Interuniversity Sport (CIS) experience and were led by former
BYU QB Kevin Feterik. It was also while the Jets were in Italy that links were made with New Zealand's Papatoetoe Wildcats. Their attention now turned to the upcoming league season. Opening against Staffordshire Surge, the Jets won 39–0 in difficult conditions. Next up were local rivals Birmingham Bulls. The Bulls were a division above the Jets and came into the game full of confidence. However, the Jets were just too powerful for the Bulls, and won 27–0. After this they registered back to back 10–0 seasons. The Kent Exiles stood before the Jets in the BAFL Div 1A semi final. There was no repeat of the 2005 Div 2 Final—the Jets destroyed Kent 63–18. In the final, they met the Bristol Aztecs, who had overcome Ipswich 20–7. RB Tony Perkins took the ball down the field for a TD on the opening drive. The Jets scored three TDs in the first quarter alone. The game finished 52–20 securing promotion to BAFL Div 1.
2007 season The
2007 season started well for the Jets. In preseason, they travelled to Milan to take part in the Milano Bowl II, facing the
Milan Rhinos. The game was an early season test and the Jets won 49–0 in their first away European game. This was their first time entering a European competition, taking a place in the
EFAF Cup. They beat
Rivas Osos in their first EFAF Cup game convincingly in front of 1000 spectators at Manor Park, a game which was scheduled to be played at the Ricoh Arena, to open their season. On 6 May 2007, the Ricoh Arena hosted its inaugural American Football game. In front of a record 2000 fans, the Jets beat the reigning
BritBowl champions London Olympians 27–20. In between these games, the Jets had played their local rivals, the Birmingham Bulls, and won convincingly 42–0. This game again drew a large crowd, totalling just over 1000 spectators (known by the team as the 'Jets Faithful'). With attendances from the first four home games standing at just over 4,200. The season would, however, end in disappointment. On 19 August, the Jets suffered their first domestic defeat in three years at the hands of the
London Blitz, losing 28–24. This meant that the Jets finished second in the inaugural BAFL Premier division. The Jets again headed to Sheffield, having overcome the
Bristol Aztecs in a hard-fought 13–7 battle. They were up against the Blitz, who had beaten previous perennial champions London Olympians twice in as many weeks, and lost 14–6.
2008 season The
2008 season saw the Jets compete in the
European Football League, the top tier of European American Football as well as their domestic duties within BAFL. There were already some significant changes. Coaches Athersmith, Mitchell, Zerr and Barnes joined the squad. Coach Athersmith is the current head coach of
BUAFL side Birmingham Lions and worked as an offensive coordinator with the GB Lions and GB Bulldogs. Coach Mitchell was the head coach of the
Ipswich Cardinals, who were finalists in the 2007 D1 Finals and has been a coach on 2 British National Championship teams, 2001
Ipswich Cardinals and the 2004
Farnham Knights. He was also a member of the Knights coaching staff in the 2004
EFAF Cup Final loss to
Swarco Raiders Tirol of the
Austrian Football League. Coach Zerr, a
Saskatoon native, took over as Defensive Coordinator for the 2008 season. Coach Zerr was a member of the Saskatoon Hilltops (CJFL) in 1996, who won a national
Canadian Junior Football League championship in Canada and has nine years' experience coaching Canadian high school level football. Coach Barnes is a former wide receiver with the
Michigan Wolverines and has 10 years experience as head coach at the high school level in the United States. Offensively the team welcomed back receivers Dom Olney, Nathan Dobson, Mark Cohen, Jeremy Simms, Joe Black and James Hossack along with new addition David Sonne, a Canadian national from the Bristol Aztecs to forge arguably the strongest WR corps in the BAFL. Competing for the QB role this year were Neil Balthazaar, Stu Ennis, and Dax Michelena. Balthazaar, a Canadian national and graduate from the
University of Guelph played for the Aztecs last season where he led the team to a 5–4–1 record and a place in the BAFL Premier semi-final. A three-time Region of Peel All-Star and Canadian All-East Star faced the Jets twice in 2007, losing both games including a narrow loss to the Jets in the BAFL Premier semi-final. Ennis is a British QB and is regarded as one of the best in the UK. He previously played for the Birmingham Bulls and local
BUAFL Birmingham Lions, where he set many team and league passing records. He has led the Bulls and Lions into the playoffs in their respective divisions before and won the
BUAFL championship with the Lions. He is a talented athlete who may figure at free safety as well as QB. Dax Michelena, an American national, previously played for
Eidsvoll 1814s in Norway, where he led them to the
Eurobowl quarter-final and the Norwegian championship. He has previously played in France, Sweden and Germany. He is a graduate of the
University of Sioux Falls, where he was the starting QB and still holds many school records. ==Teams==