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The Coventry Jets were an
American football American football, referred to simply as football in the United States and Canada and also known as gridiron football, is a team sport played by two teams of eleven players on a rectangular American football field, field with goalposts at e ...
team based in
Coventry Coventry ( or rarely ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city and metropolitan borough in the West Midlands (county), West Midlands county, in England, on the River Sherbourne. Coventry had been a large settlement for centurie ...
,
England England is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is located on the island of Great Britain, of which it covers about 62%, and List of islands of England, more than 100 smaller adjacent islands. It ...
.The club ceased to exist in 2018 and dropped out of the
BAFA National Leagues The BAFANL (BAFA National Leagues) is the primary American football domestic league competition in Great Britain. Originally formed in 1983, the league is run by the British American Football Association to coordinate American football, contact ...
with all club assets and teams being moved over to the Etone Jaguars based in
Nuneaton Nuneaton ( ) is a market town in Warwickshire, England, close to the county border with Leicestershire to the north-east.OS Explorer Map 232 : Nuneaton & Tamworth: (1:25 000) : Nuneaton's population at the 2021 United Kingdom census, 2021 censu ...
,
Warwickshire Warwickshire (; abbreviated Warks) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in the West Midlands (region), West Midlands of England. It is bordered by Staffordshire and Leicestershire to the north, Northamptonshire to the east, Ox ...
. The Jets were first established and named as the Bears in 1985 and merged in 1991 with the Walsall Titans. After a couple other name changes the Jets were reformed in 2004 and have competed in six BAFANL bowl games, including four consecutive
BritBowl The Britbowl is the championship game of the British American Football National League, and formerly the British American Football League (BAFL) in the United Kingdom. It is the most prestigious of the league's three bowl games that constitute ...
appearances from 2007 to 2010 and a BritBowl championship in 2008.


History


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 The United States Air Force (USAF) is the Air force, air service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is one of the six United States Armed Forces and one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. Tracing its ori ...
team located at RAF Chicksands. The Bears played their inaugural season in the Midland Division of the
British American Football League The British American Football League (BAFL) was the United Kingdom's primary American football league from 1998 until 2010. It was formerly known as the British Senior League (BSL) until 2005. BAFL was the trading name for Gridiron Football Leag ...
(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
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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 A university () is an educational institution, institution of tertiary education and research which awards academic degrees in several Discipline (academia), academic disciplines. ''University'' is derived from the Latin phrase , which roughly ...
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 East Carolina University (ECU) is a public university in Greenville, North Carolina, United States. It is the List of universities in North Carolina by enrollment, fourth largest university in North Carolina and the only one in the state with s ...
and tight end Craig Otto from the
University of Minnesota The University of Minnesota Twin Cities (historically known as University of Minnesota) is a public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in the Minneapolis–Saint Paul, Twin Cities of Minneapolis and Saint ...
. 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
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(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 NFL Europe League (simply called NFL Europe and known in its final season as NFL Europa) was a professional American football league that functioned as the List of developmental and minor sports leagues, developmental minor league of the Nati ...
, 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 The London Olympians are an American football team based in Greenwich, London, England England is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is located on the island of Great Britain, of which it ...
. Expectations were high for the Jaguars, as they had signed quarterback and former
Cleveland Browns The Cleveland Browns are a professional American football team based in Cleveland. The Browns compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC North, North division. The team is named after ...
draft pick Clemente Gordon, line-backer Steve Donlin from the
Toronto Argonauts The Toronto Argonauts (officially the Toronto Argonaut Football Club and colloquially known as the Argos) are a professional Canadian football team based in Toronto, Ontario. The Argonauts compete in the East Division (CFL), East Division of t ...
and head coach Bruno Waldner who was a former assistant with the
Minnesota Vikings The Minnesota Vikings are a professional American football team based in Minneapolis. The Vikings compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC North, North division. Founded in 1960 as ...
. 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 back A running back (RB) is a member of the offensive backfield in gridiron football. The primary roles of a running back are to receive American football plays#Offensive terminology, handoffs from the quarterback to Rush (American football)#Offense ...
s (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 Oxford Saints American Football Club is a British American football club that competes in the BAFANL (British American Football Association National League). Currently the team competes at senior level (18+ mixed contact) and operates five yout ...
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 A wide receiver (WR), also referred to as a wideout, and historically known as a split end (SE) or flanker (FL), is an eligible receiver in gridiron football. A key skill position of the offense (American football), offense, WR gets its name ...
(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 The jaguar (''Panthera onca'') is a large felidae, cat species and the only extant taxon, living member of the genus ''Panthera'' that is native to the Americas. With a body length of up to and a weight of up to , it is the biggest cat spe ...
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 A jet engine is a type of reaction engine, discharging a fast-moving jet (fluid), jet of heated gas (usually air) that generates thrust by jet propulsion. While this broad definition may include Rocket engine, rocket, Pump-jet, water jet, and ...
.


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 guard Offensive may refer to: * Offensive (military), type of military operation * Offensive, the former name of the Dutch political party Socialist Alternative (Netherlands), Socialist Alternative * Fighting words, spoken words which would have a tende ...
s, 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 In gridiron football, defensive backs (DBs), also called the secondary, are the players on the defensive side of the ball who play farthest back from the line of scrimmage. They are distinguished from the other two sets of defensive players, the ...
(DB) Wayne Gumbs, all of whom played a major role during the season. More players arrived from Loughborough Aces and local
BUAFL The British Universities American Football League (BUAFL) is an American football league contested by university teams in the United Kingdom as part of the British Universities and Colleges Sport (BUCS) organisation. The league was formed by the ...
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 A touchdown (abbreviated as TD) is a scoring play in gridiron football. Scoring a touchdown grants the team that scored it 6 points. Whether running, passing, returning a kickoff or punt, or recovering a turnover, a team scores a touchd ...
(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 The quarterback (QB) is a position in gridiron football who are members of the offensive side of the ball and mostly line up directly behind the Lineman (football), offensive line. In modern American football, the quarterback is usually consider ...
(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 2006 was designated as the International Year of Deserts and Desertification. Events January * January 1– 4 – Russia temporarily cuts shipment of natural gas to Ukraine during a price dispute. * January 12 – A stampede during t ...
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 Sioux Falls ( ) is the most populous city in the U.S. state of South Dakota and the 117th-most populous city in the United States. It is the county seat of Minnehaha County and also extends into northern Lincoln County. The population was 192 ...
Cougar QB Joe Wright and former St. Ambrose Fighting Bee
Centre Center or centre may refer to: Mathematics *Center (geometry), the middle of an object * Center (algebra), used in various contexts ** Center (group theory) ** Center (ring theory) * Graph center, the set of all vertices of minimum eccentricity ...
(C) Kurt Gersch. Links were also established with local BUAFL team Leicester Longhorns.
Defensive end Defensive end (DE) is a defensive position in the sport of gridiron football. This position has designated the players at each end of the defensive line, but changes in formation (American football), formations over the years have substantially ...
(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 The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) is a nonprofit organization that regulates College athletics in the United States, student athletics among about 1,100 schools in the United States, and Simon Fraser University, 1 in Canada. ...
or
Canadian Interuniversity Sport U Sports (stylized as U SPORTS) is the national sport governing body for universities in Canada, comprising the majority of degree-granting universities in the country and four regional conferences: Ontario University Athletics (OUA), Résea ...
(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 The Britbowl is the championship game of the British American Football National League, and formerly the British American Football League (BAFL) in the United Kingdom. It is the most prestigious of the league's three bowl games that constitute ...
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 London is the capital and largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Western Europe, with a population of 14.9 million. London stands on the River Tha ...
, 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 European Football League (EFL) established in 1986, was a tournament for the best European American football American football, referred to simply as football in the United States and Canada and also known as gridiron football, is a ...
, 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 The British Universities American Football League (BUAFL) is an American football league contested by university teams in the United Kingdom as part of the British Universities and Colleges Sport (BUCS) organisation. The league was formed by the ...
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 The Ipswich Cardinals are an American Football team from the United Kingdom based in Ipswich, Suffolk. The team plays in the National Division South East Conference of BAFANL – the second tier of the BAFA National Leagues. Formation Formed b ...
, who were finalists in the 2007 D1 Finals and has been a coach on 2 British National Championship teams, 2001
Ipswich Cardinals The Ipswich Cardinals are an American Football team from the United Kingdom based in Ipswich, Suffolk. The team plays in the National Division South East Conference of BAFANL – the second tier of the BAFA National Leagues. Formation Formed b ...
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 Saskatoon () is the largest city in the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Saskatchewan. It straddles a bend in the South Saskatchewan River in the central region of the province. It is located along the Trans-Canada Hig ...
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 The Canadian Junior Football League (CJFL) is a national Canadian football league consisting of 19 teams playing in five provinces across Canada. The teams compete annually for the Canadian Bowl. Many CJFL players move on to professional footbal ...
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 The Michigan Wolverines comprise 29 varsity sports teams at the University of Michigan. These teams compete in the National Collegiate Athletic Association, NCAA's NCAA Division I, Division I and in the Big Ten Conference in all sports except wo ...
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 The University of Guelph (abbreviated U of G) is a comprehensive Public university, public research university in Guelph, Ontario, Canada. It was established in 1964 after the amalgamation of Ontario Agricultural College (1874), the MacDonald I ...
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 The British Universities American Football League (BUAFL) is an American football league contested by university teams in the United Kingdom as part of the British Universities and Colleges Sport (BUCS) organisation. The league was formed by the ...
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 The British Universities American Football League (BUAFL) is an American football league contested by university teams in the United Kingdom as part of the British Universities and Colleges Sport (BUCS) organisation. The league was formed by the ...
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


Senior team

The Jets have been able to attract players from all over the Midlands and indeed England. Many of the original 2004 squad did not return for the 2005 season, an indication of how tough 2004 was for the team. The Jets have had some success developing players. James Hossacks, Dom Olney and Michael Achola all received invitations to NFLE National testing days in 2005. Achola, Andy Steadman and Xin Xu were invited to NFLE training camps in 2006 and 2007. Andy Steadman went on to become a member of the NFL International Player Development squad. 2007 Centre Tyla Matia, fresh from winning the 2008 New Zealand Championship with his hometown club and Jets New Zealand partner team Papatoetoe Wildcats, was signed by Rio Grande Valley Dorados, an
af2 The AF2 (often styled as af2, and short for arenafootball2) was the Arena Football League's developmental league; it was founded in 1999 and played its first season in 2000. Like its parent AFL, the AF2 played using the same arena football r ...
team for the 2008 season. There have also been links with
BUAFL The British Universities American Football League (BUAFL) is an American football league contested by university teams in the United Kingdom as part of the British Universities and Colleges Sport (BUCS) organisation. The league was formed by the ...
teams before, with Jets personnel coaching with the Warwick Wolves, Birmingham Lions, Oxford Cavaliers, Leicester Longhorns, Loughborough Aces and the newly formed Liverpool Fury and Coventry University Jets. The senior Jets currently train at the
University of Warwick The University of Warwick ( ; abbreviated as ''Warw.'' in post-nominal letters) is a public research university on the outskirts of Coventry between the West Midlands and Warwickshire, England. The university was founded in 1965 as part of ...
Sports Centre, using their 3G Tarkett pitch.


Adult flag team

In 2008, Adam Etheridge established the Coventry Jets Flag Team. The team proved to be very competitive in their first year of competition and were able to attract new people to the sport while being supported by the Jets main squad. WRs Mark Cohen and David Sonne, RB Shad McCook, QB Neil Balthazaar and FS Brian Over have all featured, helping the flag team become one of the forces of the newly formed BAFL Flag league.


Youth team

Formed by Jamie Kilby and Jon McNulty in 2006, the youth team allows 16–18-year-olds the chance to play, coached by former Jets players such as Chris Hartley and Karl Burgess as an assistant coach. They were undefeated in their first three five-a-side games, having tied 18–18 in their first ever game against the Bath Cardinals and beating Chester Romans twice. At the end of 2006, Shadrach McCook, youth team RB, made the Team England squad for their annual game against Team Scotland as a WR, some achievement for a player who was yet to play a full game. In 2008, four former youth players made the step up to the senior squad — Shadrach McCook, Richard Morrell, Hallam Reid and Andrew MacKenzie, while Rob Shaw signed with the newly formed Leicester Falcons. At the start of the 2010 season, the Youth team named Sam Knight as Team Captain, Joe Brammer Offense Captain, Matt Gough "Goughy" as Linemem Captain, Tinashe 'Tj' Chieza as Defense Captain, and Paul Romaniuk as Special Teams Captain. This 2010 season brought a wealth of new players, including quarterback Joe Brammer from Texas. The Jets youth team later joined the BAFL League playing in the West Midlands Conference.


Junior team

At the start of the 2011 school year, a new junior team for 14–16-year-olds was formed at the Woodlands School, an all-boys comprehensive school in Coventry. The school has a strong sporting tradition in the city, regularly turning out champion rugby teams not just at the Coventry school level but across the Midlands as well and can count Rugby World Cup winners
Neil Back Neil Antony Back Member of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire, MBE (born 16 January 1969) is a former international rugby union footballer for England national rugby union team, England and the British & Irish Lions who also played ...
and Danny Grewcock as former pupils. The teams, known as the Woodlands Wolves and Woodlands Wolverines, train three times a week, more than most BAFL and
BUAFL The British Universities American Football League (BUAFL) is an American football league contested by university teams in the United Kingdom as part of the British Universities and Colleges Sport (BUCS) organisation. The league was formed by the ...
teams.


Rivals


Birmingham Bulls

The Birmingham Bulls, being the closest team to the Jets, were fated rivals the moment they met. The first meeting took place on 28 May 2006 in Coventry, with the Jets comfortably winning 27–0. In the following season, the Bulls did not fare any better, losing 42–0 in Nuneaton and 52–12 in Birmingham. In 2008, the Bulls travelled to Coventry full of confidence. However, the Jets were keen on setting the tone for the season, winning 67–0 in what is the Bulls' biggest defeat in their 25-year history. The rivalry was renewed in 2010, with the Bulls youth and Jets youth facing each other. Both contests were close, the Jets edging one 28–24 while the Bulls also won with a 30–24 score-line.


Bristol Aztecs

The rivalry with the Bristol Aztecs came about following banter traded between players in the build-up to the 2006 BAFL Div 1 Bowl game. Both sides are big and physical teams and there was no love lost on the pitch between the two sides. But the Jets treated the Aztecs to an overwhelming defeat, winning 52–20. Since that game, the banter has continued between the two sides and there is a great amount of respect between the players of each squad. In 2007, the Jets again got the better of the Aztecs, winning 47–23 in Bristol and again 13–6 in the BAFL Premier semi final in Nuneaton. In 2008, a bad-tempered and physical game in Coventry, the Jets beat the Aztecs 28–15 and again in the semi-finals 31–28. In 2009, the Jets were once again victorious early in the season but suffered their first lost to Bristol, going down 40–33. They lost in the 2009 national semi-final 28–14 for a third consecutive year. In 2010, they continued their recent fortune in the regular season, recording two victories but once again going down in the semi-final, 34–8.


London Blitz

Not a local rivalry, but the Jets and
London Blitz London is the capital and largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Western Europe, with a population of 14.9 million. London stands on the River Tha ...
have brutal affairs nonetheless. Players and coaches on both teams have a huge amount of respect for each organisation. The Blitz ended the Jets unbeaten streak at Finsbury Park with a 28–24 win in August 2007. They were to meet again in the
Britbowl The Britbowl is the championship game of the British American Football National League, and formerly the British American Football League (BAFL) in the United Kingdom. It is the most prestigious of the league's three bowl games that constitute ...
where the Blitz again came out on top, 14–6. As a mark of respect, the majority of the Jets players waited on the field for the Blitz squad to collect the winner's trophy before heading to the changing rooms, and the Jets Head Coach handed his opposite number a bottle of champagne to celebrate with. The Jets got their revenge in 2008 with a dominating performance, winning 41–15 to face the defending champions in Britbowl XXII. In 2009, the Blitz and Jets once again met in the Britbowl final with the Blitz taking back the Boston Trophy to London. The 2010 BAFA CL National final will once again be competed by both clubs, with the Jets looking to repeat the 2008 success.


Records


Season-by-season record


BAFL


Europe


Current schedule


Team records

*3rd longest winning streak in British American football history, 32 domestic games (2005–2007) *4th Highest average points scored, 61.0, 2005 *5th Most points scored in a season, 610, 2005 *3rd Least points conceded in a season, 7, 2005 *7th Least points conceded in a season, 21, 2006


Team Honours

* BAFL
Britbowl The Britbowl is the championship game of the British American Football National League, and formerly the British American Football League (BAFL) in the United Kingdom. It is the most prestigious of the league's three bowl games that constitute ...
Champions, 2008 * BAFL Premier Division Champions, 2008 * BAFL Britbowl Finalist, 2007, 2009, 2010 * Milano Bowl Champions, 2007 * Nominated for Sports Team of the Year by Coventry, Solihull and Warwickshire Sports Awards, 2007 * Nominated for Sports Team of the Year by Coventry, Solihull and Warwickshire Sports Awards, 2006 * Cassidy Bowl Champions, 2006 * BAFL 1A Champions, 2006 * BAFL 1A North Conference Champions, 2006 * BAFL 2 Champions, 2005 * BAFL 2 North Champions * BAFL 2 Central Conference Champions, 2005


Playing staff


2017 Current Roster


Offensive individual records

*1st TD Catches in A Season, WR Mark Cohen, 33. *Joint 7th Longest Reception, WR Mark Cohen, 94 yds vs East Kilbride Pirates, 15 July 2007. *8th Longest Field Goal, RB/K Steve Coles, 53 yds vs
London Blitz London is the capital and largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Western Europe, with a population of 14.9 million. London stands on the River Tha ...
, 19 August 2007. *9th Most Yards Receiving in 1 Game, WR Mark Cohen, 240yds, 2007. *10th Most Yards Receiving in 1 Game, WR Mark Cohen, 228yds, 2005. *10th Most TD Passes in 1 Game, QB Tim Spaull, 7, 2005.


Defensive individual records

*Joint 1st Most Interceptions in A Game, DB Mike Dunson, 4 vs East Kilbride Pirates, 11 June 2006.


Individual club honours

WR Tom Singleton-Wells selected for GB Lions Student squad, 2012.
OL Krishan Sharma (also 2012), WR Alex Preece and LB Oli Campbell selected for GB Lions junior squad for 2011 European Championships.
WR/SS David Saul selected for GB Lions for 2010 European Championships.
Youth QB Joe Brammer selected for GB Lions Youth squad, 2010.
DB Adam Biggs selected for GB Lions vs Centre College, 2010.
LB Gary Clark selected for GB Lions vs Australia and Sweden, 2009.
WRs Mark Cohen, Jeremy Simms, Joe Black and James Hossacks selected for GB Lions vs France, 2008.
QB Tim Spaull BAFL MVP, 2007.
DT Quinton Little nominated for BAFL Rookie of the Year, 2007.
C Tyler Matia signed by
af2 The AF2 (often styled as af2, and short for arenafootball2) was the Arena Football League's developmental league; it was founded in 1999 and played its first season in 2000. Like its parent AFL, the AF2 played using the same arena football r ...
Rio Grande Valley Dorados, 2007.
DE Andy Steadman invited to NFL International Player Development camps, 2007, 2008.
DB Danny Wardell attended
NCAA The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) is a nonprofit organization that regulates College athletics in the United States, student athletics among about 1,100 schools in the United States, and Simon Fraser University, 1 in Canada. ...
Div 2 College, Southwest Minnesota State University, Redshirted, 2007.
HC Gerry McManus named Coventry, Solihull and Warwickshire Sports Awards Manager/Coach of the Year, 2006.BBC – Coventry and Warwickshire – Sport – Bell, Bees and Boro win at Sports Awards
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TE/DE Michael Achola, DE Andy Steadman and LB Xin Xu selected for NFLE National Player testing, 2006.
RB Shadrach McCook selected for Team England vs Team Scotland, Edinburgh, 2006.
HC Gerry McManus named BAFCA Coach of the Year, 2005.
TE/DE Michael Achola, WRs James Hossacks and Dom Olney selected for NFLE National Player testing, 2005.
LB Parm Sidhu nominated for BAFL Rookie of the Year, 2005.
LB Paul Newey, WR Mark Cohen and RB Steve Coles selected as GB Lions captains vs
Centre College Centre College, formally Centre College of Kentucky, is a Private college, private Liberal arts colleges in the United States, liberal arts college in Danville, Kentucky, United States. Chartered by the Kentucky General Assembly in 1819, the col ...
, London, 2005.
LB Paul Newey, WR Mark Cohen, WR Tam Byrne, RB Steve Coles, DL Saul Freer and DL Bernie Hacksaw all selected for GB Lions Euro Championships, Finland, 2005.
LB Paul Newey, WR Mark Cohen, DB Adam Biggs and QB Jamie Kilby all selected for GB Lions, winning the Group B Euro Championships, France, 2004.


Coaching staff


Senior team coaches


References


External links


Coventry Jets Official SiteCoventry's American football HistoryPapatoetoe Wildcats, Jets partner team in New Zealand
{{DEFAULTSORT:Coventry Jets (American Football) 2003 establishments in England American football teams in England BAFA National League teams Sport in Coventry American football teams established in 2003