BRITISH UNIVERSITIES AMERICAN FOOTBALL LEAGUE OFFICIAL SITE

Loughborough Aces

The Aces were formed in 1987, and joined BCAFL for the 1988-89 season, when they went 8-0 before losing 21-7 in the playoffs to Hull. Loughborough went 6-2 in both 1991-92 and 1992-93, falling to Southampton in the playoffs both years.

In 1993-94, a 7-1 record and an appearance in the conference final led to Andy Sweeney being named national coach of the year. The following season, Loughborough again went 7-1, Paul Sherratt was named BCAFL MVP, and the Aces won a College Bowl IX thriller 23-20 against Cambridge. In 1995-96, the Aces finished with the only perfect record in the country but fell 14-7 to Leeds in the conference title game.

In the 1996-97 season they had their best year so far, achieving a perfect 11-0 record, capped by a 28-19 victory against Aberystwyth in College Bowl XI.

In 97-98 the Aces went 7-1 before losing 48-43 to Glasgow in the first round of the playoffs. The following season the Aces again went 7-1, they went on to beat both Lancaster and Leeds in the playoffs before losing 7-3 to Herts in College Bowl XIII. Aces MLB Paul Sherratt was named College Bowl MVP in what turned out to be a defensive battle.

1999-00 saw the Aces struggle to 6-2 in the regular season with a small squad before losing to Lancaster in the 1st round of the playoffs.

2000-01 saw a much better squad size for the Aces who, led by QB Paul Sherratt, won their division 6-2. beat Staffordshire and Teeside on the way on College Bowl XV. In a breathtaking game the Aces lost 26-23 to the Oxford Cavaliers, with TDs being scored by Jim Murphy, Leon Cordingley and Paul Sherratt with Andrew Studer adding 2 PATs and a Field Goal.

In 2001-02 the Aces, led by QB Ollie Jay, went through the regular season 7-1 losing only to Oxford again but things would change. They stormed through the playoffs with good wins over the Glasgow Tigers and UCH Sharks before meeting Oxford for the second year in a row in the Bowl game. Strong running by both Leon Cordingley and Patrick Schweyen complimented by a stout Aces defence helped the Aces to a 39-22 win for the Aces. Cordingley was awarded College Bowl MVP (thanks to his 4 TD performance) to go with BCAFL League Offensive MVP. Coach Andy Sweeney was also awarded BCAFL Coach of the Year.

The following year however, was not as successful. Bereft of many of their college bowl winning starters, the Aces plummeted to a 3-4 record; their only losing season in BCAFL history, during which they were soundly beaten by 46-0 by a rampant Bristol team – Loughborough’s largest ever defeat. The following year was a landmark season, for the Aces Head Coach, Andy Sweeney, became the first HC in BCAFL history to chalk up 100 wins with the revitalised Aces. A rebuilt team suffered only one loss in the regular season - to eventual college bowl finalists Staffordshire, before they were knocked out in the play-offs against Leeds.

In 2004-2005 the Aces put in some strong performances on the way to the Northern Conference Final, where they met Glasgow at Garscube. Despite the long drive, and unfamiliar playing conditions, the Aces rallied twice, and went close to beating Glasgow in the dying seconds, as their field goal try was blocked. Only two periods of sudden death overtime could separate them, and when the dust settled, it was the team from Scotland who progressed to College Bowl XVIIII.

The 2005-2006 season ushered in a new era at Loughborough, as Coach Sweeney retired after 15 years at the helm of the most winningest team in British College Football history. Loughborough appointed former player and Defensive Line Coach Jason Scott as his replacement. Despite predictions that the Aces’ house of cards would come toppling down under Scott, the rookie Head Coach lead the team to an unbeaten regular season in his first year, which included a 45-7 demolition of the Nottingham Outlaws in his first game. Again, the Aces reached the conference final where they met Teesside, who edged a close encounter in Loughborough.

The Aces would have their revenge a year later, as they beat the Cougars on a cold and wet day in Loughborough in the conference final. To reach that stage, the Aces went unbeaten during the regular season once again, beating the 2004 college champions Hertfordshire Hurricanes and 2005 college champion Birmingham Lions along the way. Unfortunately, despite the strong running of league offensive MVP Craig Flower, and the sturdy play of College Lineman of the Year Owain Davies, the Northern Conference Champions were bested by an excellent UWE Bullets team 31-14 in the 2007 National Final.

In the first season of the BUAFL the Aces once again qualified for the play-offs but were unable to proceed past the Newcastle Raiders.

Despite being a comparatively young institution (formed in 1977 after the merger of several local colleges), Loughborough has already established itself as one of best Universities in the UK.

Proud winner of the Queen’s Anniversary Award on six occasions, and recent back-to-back triumphs in the Times “Best Student Experience”, the University boasts world class academics, and research, as well as some of the best sports facilities of any institution in Great Britain.

Loughborough University has a fine reputation for Sporting Excellence, with several notable former Loughborough University students going on to excel in their particular field. Famous sporting alumni include athletes Lord Sebastian Coe, Steve Backley, and Paula Radcliffe, footballers Bob Wilson and Lawrie Sanchez, rugby coaches Andy Robinson and Sir Clive Woodward, world champion swimmer James Gibson and world record holder Liam Tancock, and Cricketers Chris Read and Monty Panesar, amongst others.

www.loughboroughsport.com