Scottish Claymores
Encyclopedia
The Scottish Claymores were an American football
team from Scotland
. The franchise played in the World League of American Football
(later renamed NFL Europe
) between 1995 and 2004, initially playing all home games at Murrayfield Stadium
, Edinburgh
and latterly sharing home games with Hampden Park
, Glasgow
. In ten seasons of NFL Europe play, the Claymores reached the World Bowl
on two occasions, with victory in World Bowl IV
but defeat in World Bowl VIII
. Their name derives from that of the Claymore
, a double-edged sword historically used in Scottish clan
warfare.
The Claymores experienced several notable swings in fortune during their ten years. Their World Bowl-winning season of 1996 was the league's first worst-to-first turnaround: having finished 1995 with a 2-8 record and no wins at home, the 1996 Claymores went 7-3 in the regular season and won all their home games. Equally remarkable was the contrast between their first home games of the 2003 and 2004 seasons. In week 1 of the 2003 season, the Claymores defeated the Berlin Thunder 62-31 - the highest scoring game in NFL Europe history - but in 2004 their home opener was a 3-0 defeat at the hands of the Amsterdam Admirals, tying the record for the league's lowest-scoring game.
was put on hold by the NFL, with the intention of restructuring the league to become completely European-based. As a result, the three existing European teams in Barcelona
, London
and Frankfurt survived to be joined by three new teams, and in 1994 it was announced that Edinburgh had been awarded one of them (along with Amsterdam
and Düsseldorf
). The Claymores were assigned former Arena Football League coach Lary Kuharich
to be their first head coach, but just days before their first game against Rhein, Kuharich was dismissed and replaced by former Boise State head coach Jim Criner
.
, including quarterback
s Matt Blundin
from the Kansas City Chiefs
and Lee Williamson from the Houston Oilers
; as with all World League teams, it included 7 "national" players, including wide-receiver Scott Couper
. The Claymores played their first-ever game in Edinburgh on April 9, 1995, a 19-17 loss to the Rhein Fire
(Coincidentally, the Claymores' three worst seasons (1995, 1998 and 2004: all 2-8) would all begin in the same way: with the Claymores falling to week 1 defeat on a missed field goal. In the other 7 seasons, the Claymores started 1-0). The team's first win came two weeks later, 20-14 over the Galaxy
in Frankfurt
. Six straight defeats followed however, including a 31-0 shutout to the Amsterdam Admirals
and an overtime loss to the Fire, before winning the final game of the regular season 22-9 against British rivals the London Monarchs
.
The Claymores finished bottom of the six-team division with its 2-8 record. Criner used four quarterbacks over the course of the season; Blundin, Williamson, Terry Karg and a brief outing for Jim Ballard
. The team's offensive leader was Siran Stacy
, who rushed for 785 yards and 5 touchdowns, and caught receptions totalling 324 yards. Allan DeGraffenreid also made 624 receiving yards and four touchdowns. Attendances were around the 10,000 mark to begin, but slumped as low as 6,800 for the final home game of the season.
, which even included bringing in former Scotland Rugby union
captain Gavin Hastings
as a placekicker
. Criner's 1996 roster featured an increased number of signed NFL players. Quarterback Steve Matthews
(like Blundin, contracted to the Chiefs) opened the season, but when returnee Jim Ballard showed greater consistency coming off the bench to replace an injured Matthews in week 7, Ballard would get the nod for the remainder of the season. Starting 1996 where they had left off 1995, the Claymores opened with an overtime victory over the London Monarchs, followed up with home wins against the Barcelona Dragons
(23-13) and the Amsterdam Admirals (21-14). Despite defeat away to Rhein the 3-1 start propelled the Claymores into a mid-season showdown with the unbeaten Frankfurt Galaxy
on May 11, where under WLAF rules the winner would advance to the World Bowl
as hosts. A 20-0 win meant the championship game was coming to Edinburgh. The Claymores ran out the regular season with a 7-3 record to top the division. On June 23, the Claymores again faced the Galaxy in World Bowl 96
at Murrayfield. The hosts rode three touchdown passes from Ballard to game MVP
Yo Murphy
and held off a late rally to win 32-27, thus completing the WLAF's first worst-to-first turnaround in front of a crowd of 38,982.
Siran Stacy was again influential in offense, with a nearly identical haul to his previous season's; 780 rushing yards and 317 receiving yards, for 9 touchdowns. Sean LaChapelle
was a thousand-yard receiver but forced out of the World Bowl with a groin injury, while Yo Murphy managed five touchdowns on the season. On defense, safety George Coghill
picked 5 interceptions, one returned for a touchdown. Coghill also forced a Galaxy fumble from the opening kickoff in the World Bowl, with all-round special teams player Markus Thomas returning the spilled ball for a touchdown; he also led the team in tackles, and caught one pass on offense. Safety James Fuller shared Coghill's total of five interceptions, while defensive tackle Jerold Jeffcoat - brother of the Dallas Cowboys
' Jim
- had 5 sacks on the season.
Quarterback time was shared between the San Francisco 49ers
' Dave Barr
and the Miami Dolphins
' Spence Fischer (who doubled as occasional punter
). However, they managed just 4 touchdown passes combined while throwing 10 interceptions and sharing 31 sacks. Siran Stacy completed another 785-yard rushing season with four touchdowns; Yo Murphy
was the leading receiver with 559 yards and 2 touchdowns; only he, Scott Couper and Allan DeGraffenreid completeed touchdown passes on the season. George Coghill again led the defense in tackles.
The new-lock backs and receivers failed to match previous seasons' yardage figures; leading rusher Carey Bender
made 441 yards, while Chris Miller topped the receiving statistics with 34 receptions for 527 yards. In total the Claymores managed just twelve offensive touchdowns in ten games, punting the ball 53 times.
Off the field, it was a troubled season for Scotland in the now rebranded NFL Europe League, where leaked information that a third German team was to be founded to add to the already successful Fire and Galaxy sparked concerns the Claymores may be closed down: eventually however, it would be the England Monarchs who would be replaced by the Berlin Thunder
, ending the Battle of Britain rivalry series tied at 4-4. It was also during the 1998 season the Claymores played at Hampden Park in Glasgow for the first time, a week 8 loss to the Galaxy (originally, the Glasgow game was scheduled to be the week 10 visit of the Amsterdam Admirals at Firhill Stadium
).
quarterback Dameyune Craig
, who opened the season with a narrow 21-20 win over the Rhein Fire, rushing for the winning touchdown himself late in the fourth quarter. The Claymores then hammered the league's newest team, the Berlin Thunder
, 48-14, Shon Bell catching two touchdown passes from tight-end. An overtime loss to Frankfurt followed; but by the time Scotland had returned to Frankfurt in Week 6, winning with a reverse of the 42-35 scoreline that the Galaxy had earned in Week 3, Scotland were 4-2 and in contention to reach World Bowl VII
. However the team then collapsed to four consecutive defeats, two of them back-to-back against Amsterdam, and finished ahead of only Berlin in the final standings.
The side's leading rusher in 1999 was Jesse Haynes, with quarterback Craig contributing 50 rushing attempts and 3 touchdowns. Haynes totalled eleven touchdowns, seven rushing and four receiving. Yo Murphy
returned to the Claymores with four touchdown catches (and an 89-yard kickoff return for a touchdown) but the leading wide receiver was Donald Sellers
, who totalled 931 receiving yards for seven touchdowns.
Although the Claymores finished the 1999 season with a losing record, there would still be a historical moment: Craig would throw for 611 yards in the road victory in Frankfurt, a record passing total in professional American football. The helmet and number 2 jersey Craig wore that night are on display in the Pro Football Hall of Fame
in Canton, Ohio
.
; a 32-year-old Siran Stacy was on the roster for 2000 but had very little playing time. Like previous seasons, the Claymores opened positively with opening wins against Amsterdam and in Frankfurt. A 42-3 demolition of the Berlin Thunder sent the Claymores to 3-1, but with World Bowl qualification in the balance, the Claymores strung together three big late-season wins; with defeat over the Fire at Hampden on June 10 secured a World Bowl finale between those teams. Scotland led 7-3 when Aaron Stecker
went over with a 36-yard first-quarter rush, exchanging field-goals for a 10-6 halftime lead. Pepe Pearson
scored the second half's only touchdown for the Fire, leaving Rob Hart to attempt a game-tying field goal with eight seconds left; it sailed left, and Scotland lost World Bowl VIII in what turned out to be Criner's last game as head coach as he would depart for the XFL
2000 was much more successful offensively for Scotland; Aaron Stecker
, an allocation from the Tampa Bay Buccaneers
, was the first Scotland running back to near Stacy's early-season figures with 774 rushing yards, 276 receiving yards and 11 total touchdowns. Sellers again led Scotland in receiving yards (353, 5 touchdowns). Scott Couper caught three touchdown passes; in total, the Claymores outscored their opponents by 37 touchdowns to 18. Three Claymores shared a season-leading total of seven sacks; Antonio Dingle
, Michael Mason and Jabbar Threats.
and the first home campaign that would be played entirely in Glasgow - the new Scotland quarterback was the Dallas Cowboys
' Clint Stoerner
; however offensive leaders of 2000 like Stecker failed to return. Close games were the nature of Scotland's early season, trading wins for losses over the opening six games, never by a margin of more than ten points. With the Claymores at 3-3 as the season entered its crucial period in June, the 2001 Claymores lost three games on the bounce as their predecessors had won them. A consolation victory against the Fire completed another losing season, the third in five years, 4-and-6.
Stoerner completed around 55% of passes on the season and threw 10 touchdowns, compared to Daft's previous-season tally of 24. His primary target was tight-end James Whalen
, a fellow Cowboys recruit, while Dante Hall
provided five touchdown catches; the only other Claymores to catch a touchdown pass were Scott Couper and Gerald Williams. Anothony Gray led the Claymores in rushing at 445 yards and half of the franchise's four rushing touchdowns on the year.
' Scott Driesbach. His season opened well with a 45-17 demolition of Barcelona; Driesbach's first play in a Claymores uniform was a touchdown pass to Scott McCready
. The win was the only victory of Scotland's first four games, as they slumped to defeats of less than a touchdown to Rhein and Frankfurt (twice). Scotland did not contest a game decided by less than ten points throughout the season's remainder; three straight wins took them back to a promising 4-3, but back-to-back defeats against the Berlin Thunder ended World Bowl hopes. Victory in Barcelona - for the first time ever - ended a .500 season.
Driesbach completed just 95 passes all season, and was replaced with James Brown; totalling just 1518 offensive yards were top receivers McCready and Dondre Gilliam. Scotland's rushing game was a one-man show, with #29 Herbert Goodman
making 873 yards and every one of Scotland's six rushing touchdowns. To sixteen offensive touchdowns were added three interception returns, including a 69-yarder by James Rooths. Rob Hart was a perfect 10-10 in field goals, sharing kicking time with Scottish-born kicker Lawrence Tynes
.
was recruited from the Green Bay Packers
to play at quarterback; Scott McCready was one of few players to return for a second Claymores season. An NFL Europe scoring record came with Scotland's opening 62-31 defeat of the World Bowl champion Thunder. There were four rushing touchdowns for Ken Simonton
and a TD catch on return from "retirement" for Scott Couper. Over the next five games, Scotland added just one victory however, and were all but out of World Bowl contention by mid-May Shutting out the Rhein Fire 33-0 rekindled hopes, and strong victories over Barcelona and Amsterdam twice brought around a 6-4 conclusion, matching the season's best; however, they were denied a spot in World Bowl XI
on the tie-breaker of net results with the Frankfurt Galaxy and Rhein Fire, which was increasingly unfortunate as the World Bowl was to be staged at Hampden Park.
Ken Simonton
resprised Herbert Goodman's rushing role, totalling just two yards (and two touchdowns) less than Goodman's tally. Maurice Hicks
received 74 handoffs as well, scoring four rushing touchdowns, including a 93-yarder. Through the air, Nall's best receivers were Edell Shepherd
(518 yards, 4 touchdowns) and John Minardi
(470 yards, 5 touchdowns). Ten Claymores caught touchdown passes on the season. TJ Bingham took seven sacks on defense.
Dahlquist was fired after the 2003 season, and after the Barcelona Dragons
became the second NFL Europe team to be relocated to Germany (becoming the Cologne Centurions
) their head coach Jack Bicknell
stepped into the vacancy. In his single season in charge, the Claymores finished 2-8.
.
clubs, teams in Germany were able to consistently bring in more support. Scotland were ultimately replaced by the Hamburg Sea Devils
on November 24 for the 2005 NFL Europe season. Despite closing, the Scottish Claymores identity is being maintained to induct players to their Hall of Fame, and as a means for promoting amateur American football in Scotland.
| colspan="6" align="center" | (World League)
|-
|1995E || 2 || 8 || 0 || 6th League || --
|-
|1996E || 7 || 3 || 0 || 1st League || Won World Bowl 96
(Galaxy
)
|-
|1997E || 5 || 5 || 0 || 4th League || --
|-
| colspan="6" align="center" | (NFL Europe)
|-
|1998S || 2 || 8 || 0 || 6th League || --
|-
|1999S || 4 || 6 || 0 || 3rd League || --
|-
|2000S || 6 || 4 || 0 || 2nd League || Lost World Bowl 2000
(Fire
)
|-
|2001G || 4 || 6 || 0 || 4th League || --
|-
|2002S || 5 || 5 || 0 || 4th League || --
|-
|2003G || 6 || 4 || 0 || 2nd League || --
|-
|2004G || 2 || 8 || 0 || 6th League || --
|-
|-
!Totals || 43 || 57 || 0
|colspan="2"| (1-1 postseason)
E Home games all played in Edinburgh
G Home games all in Glasgow
S Home games split between the two cities
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 from Scotland
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
. The franchise played in the World League of American Football
World League of American Football
The World League of American Football was founded in 1990 with support from the National Football League to play professional American football in North America, Europe and later possibly Asia...
(later renamed NFL Europe
NFL Europe
NFL Europe was an American football league which operated in Europe from 1991 until 2007. Backed by the National Football League , the largest professional American football league in the United States, it was founded as the World League of American Football to serve as a type of spring league...
) between 1995 and 2004, initially playing all home games at Murrayfield Stadium
Murrayfield Stadium
Murrayfield Stadium is a sports stadium located in the west end of Edinburgh, the capital of Scotland. Its all-seater capacity was recently reduced from 67,800 to 67,130 to incorporate the largest permanent "big screen" in the country though it still remains the largest stadium in Scotland and one...
, Edinburgh
Edinburgh
Edinburgh is the capital city of Scotland, the second largest city in Scotland, and the eighth most populous in the United Kingdom. The City of Edinburgh Council governs one of Scotland's 32 local government council areas. The council area includes urban Edinburgh and a rural area...
and latterly sharing home games with Hampden Park
Hampden Park
Hampden Park is a football stadium in the Mount Florida area of Glasgow, Scotland. The 52,063 capacity venue serves as the national stadium of football in Scotland...
, Glasgow
Glasgow
Glasgow is the largest city in Scotland and third most populous in the United Kingdom. The city is situated on the River Clyde in the country's west central lowlands...
. In ten seasons of NFL Europe play, the Claymores reached the World Bowl
World Bowl
The World Bowl was the American football Championship game of NFL Europe, similar to the Super Bowl of the National Football League.The World Bowl trophy itself was a globe made of glass measuring 35.5 cm in diameter and weighing 18.6 kg .-World League of American Football:When NFL Europe was...
on two occasions, with victory in World Bowl IV
World Bowl IV
World Bowl '96 , the championship game of American football's WLAF, took place at Murrayfield Stadium in Edinburgh, Scotland on June 23, 1996. The 7-3 Scottish Claymores defeated the 7-3 Frankfurt Galaxy 32-27 and, led by head coach Jim Criner, completed the league's first ever worst to first...
but defeat in World Bowl VIII
World Bowl VIII
World Bowl 2000 was NFL Europe's championship game, which would bring an end to the 2000 NFL Europe season. Played at Waldstadion in Frankfurt, Germany on June 25, 2000, the match-up was between the 6-4 Scottish Claymores and the 7-3 Rhein Fire...
. Their name derives from that of the Claymore
Claymore
The term claymore refers to the Scottish variant of the late medieval longsword, two-handed swords with a cross hilt, of which the guards were in use during the 15th and 16th centuries.-Terminology:...
, a double-edged sword historically used in Scottish clan
Scottish clan
Scottish clans , give a sense of identity and shared descent to people in Scotland and to their relations throughout the world, with a formal structure of Clan Chiefs recognised by the court of the Lord Lyon, King of Arms which acts as an authority concerning matters of heraldry and Coat of Arms...
warfare.
The Claymores experienced several notable swings in fortune during their ten years. Their World Bowl-winning season of 1996 was the league's first worst-to-first turnaround: having finished 1995 with a 2-8 record and no wins at home, the 1996 Claymores went 7-3 in the regular season and won all their home games. Equally remarkable was the contrast between their first home games of the 2003 and 2004 seasons. In week 1 of the 2003 season, the Claymores defeated the Berlin Thunder 62-31 - the highest scoring game in NFL Europe history - but in 2004 their home opener was a 3-0 defeat at the hands of the Amsterdam Admirals, tying the record for the league's lowest-scoring game.
History
In 1992, the World League of American FootballWorld League of American Football
The World League of American Football was founded in 1990 with support from the National Football League to play professional American football in North America, Europe and later possibly Asia...
was put on hold by the NFL, with the intention of restructuring the league to become completely European-based. As a result, the three existing European teams in Barcelona
Barcelona
Barcelona is the second largest city in Spain after Madrid, and the capital of Catalonia, with a population of 1,621,537 within its administrative limits on a land area of...
, London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
and Frankfurt survived to be joined by three new teams, and in 1994 it was announced that Edinburgh had been awarded one of them (along with Amsterdam
Amsterdam
Amsterdam is the largest city and the capital of the Netherlands. The current position of Amsterdam as capital city of the Kingdom of the Netherlands is governed by the constitution of August 24, 1815 and its successors. Amsterdam has a population of 783,364 within city limits, an urban population...
and Düsseldorf
Düsseldorf
Düsseldorf is the capital city of the German state of North Rhine-Westphalia and centre of the Rhine-Ruhr metropolitan region.Düsseldorf is an important international business and financial centre and renowned for its fashion and trade fairs. Located centrally within the European Megalopolis, the...
). The Claymores were assigned former Arena Football League coach Lary Kuharich
Lary Kuharich
Joseph Lawrence Kuharich, Jr. is an American football coach currently serving as the Offensive Coordinator of the Arena Football League's Columbus Destroyers...
to be their first head coach, but just days before their first game against Rhein, Kuharich was dismissed and replaced by former Boise State head coach Jim Criner
Jim Criner
Jim Criner is a former American football player and coach in the United States. He served as the head football coach at Boise State University from 1976 to 1982 and at Iowa State University from 1983 to 1986, compiling a career college football record of 76–46–3...
.
1995 season
The Claymores' first roster included five players sent to the club from the NFLNational Football League
The National Football League is the highest level of professional American football in the United States, and is considered the top professional American football league in the world. It was formed by eleven teams in 1920 as the American Professional Football Association, with the league changing...
, including quarterback
Quarterback
Quarterback is a position in American and Canadian football. Quarterbacks are members of the offensive team and line up directly behind the offensive line...
s Matt Blundin
Matt Blundin
Matthew Brent Blundin is a former professional American football quarterback in the National Football League. He was a back-up quarterback for the Kansas City Chiefs and the Detroit Lions during the 1990s.-College career:...
from the Kansas City Chiefs
Kansas City Chiefs
The Kansas City Chiefs are a professional American football team based in Kansas City, Missouri. They are a member of the Western Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League . Originally named the Dallas Texans, the club was founded by Lamar Hunt in 1960 as a...
and Lee Williamson from the Houston Oilers
Tennessee Titans
The Tennessee Titans are a professional American football team based in Nashville, Tennessee, United States. They are members of the South Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League . Previously known as the Houston Oilers, the team began play in 1960 as a charter...
; as with all World League teams, it included 7 "national" players, including wide-receiver Scott Couper
Scott Couper
Scott Couper is an American football player from Scotland. Nicknamed "Scoops", he played at wide receiver, most notably for the Scottish Claymores of NFL Europe.-Career:...
. The Claymores played their first-ever game in Edinburgh on April 9, 1995, a 19-17 loss to the Rhein Fire
Rhein Fire
The Rhein Fire was a professional American football team in NFL Europe, formerly the World League of American Football. Established in Germany in 1995, the franchise resurrected the name of the former Birmingham Fire team which was active during the 1991-1992 WLAF seasons.-History:The team was...
(Coincidentally, the Claymores' three worst seasons (1995, 1998 and 2004: all 2-8) would all begin in the same way: with the Claymores falling to week 1 defeat on a missed field goal. In the other 7 seasons, the Claymores started 1-0). The team's first win came two weeks later, 20-14 over the Galaxy
Frankfurt Galaxy
The Frankfurt Galaxy was a professional American football team that originally played in the World League of American Football and later in the resurrected NFL Europe. The team was based in Frankfurt, Germany and played in the Commerzbank-Arena, formerly called the Waldstadion.-History:In 1991, the...
in Frankfurt
Frankfurt
Frankfurt am Main , commonly known simply as Frankfurt, is the largest city in the German state of Hesse and the fifth-largest city in Germany, with a 2010 population of 688,249. The urban area had an estimated population of 2,300,000 in 2010...
. Six straight defeats followed however, including a 31-0 shutout to the Amsterdam Admirals
Amsterdam Admirals
The Amsterdam Admirals were a professional American football team in NFL Europe based in Amsterdam, Netherlands.-History:The Admirals were formed in 1995 as part of the NFL's plan to restart the World League of American Football, to be based entirely in Europe...
and an overtime loss to the Fire, before winning the final game of the regular season 22-9 against British rivals the London Monarchs
London Monarchs
The London Monarchs were a professional American football team in NFL Europe and its predecessor league, the World League of American Football . The Monarchs played their final season in 1998 as the England Monarchs...
.
The Claymores finished bottom of the six-team division with its 2-8 record. Criner used four quarterbacks over the course of the season; Blundin, Williamson, Terry Karg and a brief outing for Jim Ballard
Jim Ballard
James "Jim" Ballard is a former Arena Football League quarterback for the Buffalo Destroyers in 2001 and the Indiana Firebirds in 2002 and 2003. Ballard also played in the Canadian Football League with the Toronto Argonauts in 2002 and 1999 and the Saskatchewan Roughriders in 2000...
. The team's offensive leader was Siran Stacy
Siran Stacy
Siran Stacy is a former American football running back.- Early career :Stacy played at the University of Alabama from 1989–91, after spending two years at Coffeyville Community College in Coffeyville, Kansas...
, who rushed for 785 yards and 5 touchdowns, and caught receptions totalling 324 yards. Allan DeGraffenreid also made 624 receiving yards and four touchdowns. Attendances were around the 10,000 mark to begin, but slumped as low as 6,800 for the final home game of the season.
1996 season
The Claymores made an aggressive marketing push for the 1996 campaign under new general manager Mike KellerMike Keller
Michael F. Keller is a former American football player and executive. He played college football as a defensive end and linebacker for the University of Michigan from 1969 to 1971 and professional football as a linebacker for the Dallas Cowboys in 1972...
, which even included bringing in former Scotland Rugby union
Rugby union
Rugby union, often simply referred to as rugby, is a full contact team sport which originated in England in the early 19th century. One of the two codes of rugby football, it is based on running with the ball in hand...
captain Gavin Hastings
Gavin Hastings
Andrew Gavin Hastings, OBE is a former Scotland rugby union player. He is frequently considered one of the best, if not the best, rugby player to come out of Scotland. His nickname is "Big Gav".Hastings was born in Edinburgh...
as a placekicker
Placekicker
Placekicker, or simply kicker , is the title of the player in American and Canadian football who is responsible for the kicking duties of field goals, extra points...
. Criner's 1996 roster featured an increased number of signed NFL players. Quarterback Steve Matthews
Steve Matthews
Stephen "Steve" Keith Matthews is a former American football quarterback in the National Football League. He played five seasons for the Kansas City Chiefs, Jacksonville Jaguars, and Tennessee Oilers. He played collegiately at Memphis....
(like Blundin, contracted to the Chiefs) opened the season, but when returnee Jim Ballard showed greater consistency coming off the bench to replace an injured Matthews in week 7, Ballard would get the nod for the remainder of the season. Starting 1996 where they had left off 1995, the Claymores opened with an overtime victory over the London Monarchs, followed up with home wins against the Barcelona Dragons
Barcelona Dragons
The Barcelona Dragons were a team originally in the World League of American Football and later in the resurrected NFL Europe. Their home field in Barcelona was the Estadi Olímpic de Montjuic, the 1992 Olympic Stadium, and later the Mini Estadi. The Dragons were successful on the field, making it...
(23-13) and the Amsterdam Admirals (21-14). Despite defeat away to Rhein the 3-1 start propelled the Claymores into a mid-season showdown with the unbeaten Frankfurt Galaxy
Frankfurt Galaxy
The Frankfurt Galaxy was a professional American football team that originally played in the World League of American Football and later in the resurrected NFL Europe. The team was based in Frankfurt, Germany and played in the Commerzbank-Arena, formerly called the Waldstadion.-History:In 1991, the...
on May 11, where under WLAF rules the winner would advance to the World Bowl
World Bowl
The World Bowl was the American football Championship game of NFL Europe, similar to the Super Bowl of the National Football League.The World Bowl trophy itself was a globe made of glass measuring 35.5 cm in diameter and weighing 18.6 kg .-World League of American Football:When NFL Europe was...
as hosts. A 20-0 win meant the championship game was coming to Edinburgh. The Claymores ran out the regular season with a 7-3 record to top the division. On June 23, the Claymores again faced the Galaxy in World Bowl 96
World Bowl IV
World Bowl '96 , the championship game of American football's WLAF, took place at Murrayfield Stadium in Edinburgh, Scotland on June 23, 1996. The 7-3 Scottish Claymores defeated the 7-3 Frankfurt Galaxy 32-27 and, led by head coach Jim Criner, completed the league's first ever worst to first...
at Murrayfield. The hosts rode three touchdown passes from Ballard to game MVP
Most Valuable Player
In sports, a Most Valuable Player award is an honor typically bestowed upon the best performing player or players on a specific team, in an entire league, or for a particular contest or series of contests...
Yo Murphy
Yo Murphy
Llewellyn "Yo" Murphy is a former Gridiron football player of multiple professional leagues. He is currently the head coach of the Tampa Breeze of the Lingerie Football League. He was originally signed by the BC Lions as an undrafted free agent in 1993...
and held off a late rally to win 32-27, thus completing the WLAF's first worst-to-first turnaround in front of a crowd of 38,982.
Siran Stacy was again influential in offense, with a nearly identical haul to his previous season's; 780 rushing yards and 317 receiving yards, for 9 touchdowns. Sean LaChapelle
Sean LaChapelle
Sean Paul LaChapelle is a former professional American football player who played wide receiver for two seasons for the Los Angeles Rams and Kansas City Chiefs. He was signed to the Chiefs after wide receiver Lake Dawson suffered a season-ending injury and was placed on injured reserve. LaChapelle...
was a thousand-yard receiver but forced out of the World Bowl with a groin injury, while Yo Murphy managed five touchdowns on the season. On defense, safety George Coghill
George Coghill
George Coghill is a former American football safety for the Denver Broncos of the National Football League and the Scottish Claymores...
picked 5 interceptions, one returned for a touchdown. Coghill also forced a Galaxy fumble from the opening kickoff in the World Bowl, with all-round special teams player Markus Thomas returning the spilled ball for a touchdown; he also led the team in tackles, and caught one pass on offense. Safety James Fuller shared Coghill's total of five interceptions, while defensive tackle Jerold Jeffcoat - brother of the Dallas Cowboys
Dallas Cowboys
The Dallas Cowboys are a professional American football franchise which plays in the Eastern Division of the National Football Conference of the National Football League . They are headquartered in Valley Ranch in Irving, Texas, a suburb of Dallas...
' Jim
Jim Jeffcoat
James Wilson Jeffcoat, Jr. is a former American football defensive lineman who played fifteen seasons in the National Football League. From 2008 to 2010 he served as defensive line coach for the Houston Cougars football team...
- had 5 sacks on the season.
1997 season
Scotland's 1997 season opened with a 16-3 victory in Amsterdam, followed up by back-to-back defeats and closing out the first half of the season 3-2. Two more straight wins improved World Bowl prospects, but a narrow 10-9 defeat to the Monarchs in the penultimate week left the Claymores needing a victory in Barcelona against the Dragons - however, they were trounced 46-18 and finished the season 5-5, surrendering the second World Bowl spot to Barcelona in the process.Quarterback time was shared between the San Francisco 49ers
San Francisco 49ers
The San Francisco 49ers are a professional American football team based in San Francisco, California, playing in the West Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League . The team was founded in 1946 as a charter member of the All-America Football Conference and...
' Dave Barr
Dave Barr (American football)
David Hoover "Dave" Barr, Jr. is a former American football quarterback who played for two seasons in the National Football League and World League of American Football. He played for the St. Louis Rams in 1995 and for the Scottish Claymores in 1997...
and the Miami Dolphins
Miami Dolphins
The Miami Dolphins are a Professional football team based in the Miami metropolitan area in Florida. The team is part of the Eastern Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...
' Spence Fischer (who doubled as occasional punter
Punter (football position)
A punter in American or Canadian football is a special teams player who receives the snapped ball directly from the line of scrimmage and then punts the football to the opposing team so as to limit any field position advantage. This generally happens on a fourth down in American football and a...
). However, they managed just 4 touchdown passes combined while throwing 10 interceptions and sharing 31 sacks. Siran Stacy completed another 785-yard rushing season with four touchdowns; Yo Murphy
Yo Murphy
Llewellyn "Yo" Murphy is a former Gridiron football player of multiple professional leagues. He is currently the head coach of the Tampa Breeze of the Lingerie Football League. He was originally signed by the BC Lions as an undrafted free agent in 1993...
was the leading receiver with 559 yards and 2 touchdowns; only he, Scott Couper and Allan DeGraffenreid completeed touchdown passes on the season. George Coghill again led the defense in tackles.
1998 season
A much-changed 1998 roster saw World Bowl-winning quarterback Jim Ballard back in Scotland after missing 1997; however, two of the team's offensive leaders from the previous year, Siran Stacy, and Yo Murphy, did not return. Jim Criner led his team into the opening game in Barcelona, where kicker Gary Parker missed what would have been a game-winning field goal from 31 yards, the Claymores losing out 19-18. Three more defeats followed in Amsterdam (26-3), at home to the Fire (20-10) and at the now-England Monarchs (14-10), with the first win of the season only coming in Week 5, 30-10 over the Dragons. Their 1-4 start made World Bowl qualification very unlikely; their week 6 defeat to the Fire (perfect to this point in the season) sealed their fate. The side slumped to bottom of the division, finishing 2-8.The new-lock backs and receivers failed to match previous seasons' yardage figures; leading rusher Carey Bender
Carey Bender
Carey Wayne Bender is a former professional American football running back in the National Football League. He attended Coe College, where he still holds numerous rushing records. He was given an opportunity to play in the NFL by Buffalo Bills head coach Marv Levy, a fellow Coe College graduate...
made 441 yards, while Chris Miller topped the receiving statistics with 34 receptions for 527 yards. In total the Claymores managed just twelve offensive touchdowns in ten games, punting the ball 53 times.
Off the field, it was a troubled season for Scotland in the now rebranded NFL Europe League, where leaked information that a third German team was to be founded to add to the already successful Fire and Galaxy sparked concerns the Claymores may be closed down: eventually however, it would be the England Monarchs who would be replaced by the Berlin Thunder
Berlin Thunder
The Berlin Thunder were a professional American football team in NFL Europe, which was a springtime American football league serving primarily as a developmental league for the National Football League. Most of the players were young American professional players assigned by NFL teams to receive...
, ending the Battle of Britain rivalry series tied at 4-4. It was also during the 1998 season the Claymores played at Hampden Park in Glasgow for the first time, a week 8 loss to the Galaxy (originally, the Glasgow game was scheduled to be the week 10 visit of the Amsterdam Admirals at Firhill Stadium
Firhill Stadium
Firhill Stadium or Firhill Arena is a football, rugby union and rugby league stadium located in the Maryhill area of Glasgow, Scotland. As of 2010 it is the home ground of football club Partick Thistle F.C...
).
1999 season
For 1999, Scotland were allocated Carolina PanthersCarolina Panthers
The Carolina Panthers are a professional American football team based in Charlotte, North Carolina. They are currently members of the South Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League . The Panthers, along with the Jacksonville Jaguars, joined the NFL as expansion...
quarterback Dameyune Craig
Dameyune Craig
Dameyune Vashon Craig is a former professional American football quarterback in the National Football League for four seasons for the Carolina Panthers. He is currently the quarterbacks coach for Florida State University.-Early years:Craig played high school football for Mattie T. Blount High...
, who opened the season with a narrow 21-20 win over the Rhein Fire, rushing for the winning touchdown himself late in the fourth quarter. The Claymores then hammered the league's newest team, the Berlin Thunder
Berlin Thunder
The Berlin Thunder were a professional American football team in NFL Europe, which was a springtime American football league serving primarily as a developmental league for the National Football League. Most of the players were young American professional players assigned by NFL teams to receive...
, 48-14, Shon Bell catching two touchdown passes from tight-end. An overtime loss to Frankfurt followed; but by the time Scotland had returned to Frankfurt in Week 6, winning with a reverse of the 42-35 scoreline that the Galaxy had earned in Week 3, Scotland were 4-2 and in contention to reach World Bowl VII
World Bowl VII
World Bowl '99 was NFL Europe's 1999 championship game. It was played in Rheinstadion in Düsseldorf, Germany on June 27, 1999. The match-up was between the 6-4 Frankfurt Galaxy and the 7-3 Barcelona Dragons...
. However the team then collapsed to four consecutive defeats, two of them back-to-back against Amsterdam, and finished ahead of only Berlin in the final standings.
The side's leading rusher in 1999 was Jesse Haynes, with quarterback Craig contributing 50 rushing attempts and 3 touchdowns. Haynes totalled eleven touchdowns, seven rushing and four receiving. Yo Murphy
Yo Murphy
Llewellyn "Yo" Murphy is a former Gridiron football player of multiple professional leagues. He is currently the head coach of the Tampa Breeze of the Lingerie Football League. He was originally signed by the BC Lions as an undrafted free agent in 1993...
returned to the Claymores with four touchdown catches (and an 89-yard kickoff return for a touchdown) but the leading wide receiver was Donald Sellers
Donald Sellers
Donald Ray Sellers was an American football player, playing professionally at wide receiver for the Scottish Claymores of NFL Europe....
, who totalled 931 receiving yards for seven touchdowns.
Although the Claymores finished the 1999 season with a losing record, there would still be a historical moment: Craig would throw for 611 yards in the road victory in Frankfurt, a record passing total in professional American football. The helmet and number 2 jersey Craig wore that night are on display in the Pro Football Hall of Fame
Pro Football Hall of Fame
The Pro Football Hall of Fame is the hall of fame of professional football in the United States with an emphasis on the National Football League . It opened in Canton, Ohio, on September 7, 1963, with 17 charter inductees...
in Canton, Ohio
Canton, Ohio
Canton is the county seat of Stark County in northeastern Ohio, approximately south of Akron and south of Cleveland.The City of Caton is the largest incorporated area within the Canton-Massillon Metropolitan Statistical Area...
.
2000 season
The 2000 Claymores were fronted primarily by Kevin DaftKevin Daft
Kevin Daft is an American football coach and former professional quarterback. He is currently the wide receivers coach for the Omaha Nighthawks. He was drafted by the Tennessee Titans in the fifth round of the 1999 NFL Draft...
; a 32-year-old Siran Stacy was on the roster for 2000 but had very little playing time. Like previous seasons, the Claymores opened positively with opening wins against Amsterdam and in Frankfurt. A 42-3 demolition of the Berlin Thunder sent the Claymores to 3-1, but with World Bowl qualification in the balance, the Claymores strung together three big late-season wins; with defeat over the Fire at Hampden on June 10 secured a World Bowl finale between those teams. Scotland led 7-3 when Aaron Stecker
Aaron Stecker
Aaron Stecker is a former American football running back. He was signed by the Chicago Bears as an undrafted free agent in 1999. He played college football at Western Illinois....
went over with a 36-yard first-quarter rush, exchanging field-goals for a 10-6 halftime lead. Pepe Pearson
Pepe Pearson
Pepe Pearson is a former American football tailback, starting in college for the Ohio State Buckeyes.-Playing career:...
scored the second half's only touchdown for the Fire, leaving Rob Hart to attempt a game-tying field goal with eight seconds left; it sailed left, and Scotland lost World Bowl VIII in what turned out to be Criner's last game as head coach as he would depart for the XFL
XFL
The XFL was a professional American football league that played for one season in 2001. The league was founded by Vince McMahon, the Chairman of the Board of Directors of WWE...
2000 was much more successful offensively for Scotland; Aaron Stecker
Aaron Stecker
Aaron Stecker is a former American football running back. He was signed by the Chicago Bears as an undrafted free agent in 1999. He played college football at Western Illinois....
, an allocation from the Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are a professional American football franchise based in Tampa, Florida, U.S. They are currently members of the Southern Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League – they are the only team in the division not to come from the old NFC West...
, was the first Scotland running back to near Stacy's early-season figures with 774 rushing yards, 276 receiving yards and 11 total touchdowns. Sellers again led Scotland in receiving yards (353, 5 touchdowns). Scott Couper caught three touchdown passes; in total, the Claymores outscored their opponents by 37 touchdowns to 18. Three Claymores shared a season-leading total of seven sacks; Antonio Dingle
Antonio Dingle
Antonio Demetric Dingle is a former American football defensive tackle in the National Football League who played for the Green Bay Packers and the Carolina Panthers. Dingle played collegiately for the University of Virginia before being drafted by the Pittsburgh Steelers in the 7th round of the...
, Michael Mason and Jabbar Threats.
2001 season
For 2001 - the first season under Criner's replacement, Gene DahlquistGene Dahlquist
Gene Dahlquist is a former American football player and coach. He served as head coach of the NFL Europe's Scottish Claymores from 2001–03, following a career in the collegiate ranks...
and the first home campaign that would be played entirely in Glasgow - the new Scotland quarterback was the Dallas Cowboys
Dallas Cowboys
The Dallas Cowboys are a professional American football franchise which plays in the Eastern Division of the National Football Conference of the National Football League . They are headquartered in Valley Ranch in Irving, Texas, a suburb of Dallas...
' Clint Stoerner
Clint Stoerner
Clinton Jacob Stoerner is an American football quarterback. He is currently a free agent.-High school years:...
; however offensive leaders of 2000 like Stecker failed to return. Close games were the nature of Scotland's early season, trading wins for losses over the opening six games, never by a margin of more than ten points. With the Claymores at 3-3 as the season entered its crucial period in June, the 2001 Claymores lost three games on the bounce as their predecessors had won them. A consolation victory against the Fire completed another losing season, the third in five years, 4-and-6.
Stoerner completed around 55% of passes on the season and threw 10 touchdowns, compared to Daft's previous-season tally of 24. His primary target was tight-end James Whalen
James Whalen (American football)
James Patrick Whalen, Jr. is a former American football tight end who played in the National Football League....
, a fellow Cowboys recruit, while Dante Hall
Dante Hall
Damieon Dante Hall is a former American football Return specialist, and wide receiver in the National Football League. He is considered one of the greatest return specialists in NFL History...
provided five touchdown catches; the only other Claymores to catch a touchdown pass were Scott Couper and Gerald Williams. Anothony Gray led the Claymores in rushing at 445 yards and half of the franchise's four rushing touchdowns on the year.
2002 season
Another year, another quarterback for Scotland; their fifth starter in five years was the Detroit LionsDetroit Lions
The Detroit Lions are a professional American football team based in Detroit, Michigan. They are members of the North Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League , and play their home games at Ford Field in Downtown Detroit.Originally based in Portsmouth, Ohio and...
' Scott Driesbach. His season opened well with a 45-17 demolition of Barcelona; Driesbach's first play in a Claymores uniform was a touchdown pass to Scott McCready
Scott McCready
Scott McCready is a British national who was an American football wide receiver who, most recently, played for the Hamburg Sea Devils of NFL Europa from 2005 until the league's closure in 2007. Previously he played for the Scottish Claymores from 2002–2004, and was named to the All-League team on...
. The win was the only victory of Scotland's first four games, as they slumped to defeats of less than a touchdown to Rhein and Frankfurt (twice). Scotland did not contest a game decided by less than ten points throughout the season's remainder; three straight wins took them back to a promising 4-3, but back-to-back defeats against the Berlin Thunder ended World Bowl hopes. Victory in Barcelona - for the first time ever - ended a .500 season.
Driesbach completed just 95 passes all season, and was replaced with James Brown; totalling just 1518 offensive yards were top receivers McCready and Dondre Gilliam. Scotland's rushing game was a one-man show, with #29 Herbert Goodman
Herbert Goodman
Herbert "Whisper" Goodman is an American mixed martial artist and former NFL runningback for the Green Bay Packers.-NFL career:...
making 873 yards and every one of Scotland's six rushing touchdowns. To sixteen offensive touchdowns were added three interception returns, including a 69-yarder by James Rooths. Rob Hart was a perfect 10-10 in field goals, sharing kicking time with Scottish-born kicker Lawrence Tynes
Lawrence Tynes
Lawrence James Henry Tynes is an American football placekicker for the New York Giants. He was originally signed by the Kansas City Chiefs as an undrafted free agent in 2001.-Early years:...
.
2003 season
For 2003, Craig NallCraig Nall
Craig Matthew Nall is an American football quarterback who is currently a free agent. He was drafted by the Green Bay Packers in the fifth round of the 2002 NFL Draft...
was recruited from the Green Bay Packers
Green Bay Packers
The Green Bay Packers are an American football team based in Green Bay, Wisconsin. They are members of the North Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League . The Packers are the current NFL champions...
to play at quarterback; Scott McCready was one of few players to return for a second Claymores season. An NFL Europe scoring record came with Scotland's opening 62-31 defeat of the World Bowl champion Thunder. There were four rushing touchdowns for Ken Simonton
Ken Simonton
Ken Simonton III is an American football running back who last played in the CFL for the Calgary Stampeders after a brief career in the NFL and the NFL Europe.-Early life:...
and a TD catch on return from "retirement" for Scott Couper. Over the next five games, Scotland added just one victory however, and were all but out of World Bowl contention by mid-May Shutting out the Rhein Fire 33-0 rekindled hopes, and strong victories over Barcelona and Amsterdam twice brought around a 6-4 conclusion, matching the season's best; however, they were denied a spot in World Bowl XI
World Bowl XI
World Bowl XI was NFL Europe's 2003 championship game. It was played at Hampden Park in Glasgow, Scotland on June 14, 2003. The game was between the 6-4 Rhein Fire and the 6-4 Frankfurt Galaxy. The Fire was hoping to avenge last year's loss to Berlin, while the Galaxy was looking for their first...
on the tie-breaker of net results with the Frankfurt Galaxy and Rhein Fire, which was increasingly unfortunate as the World Bowl was to be staged at Hampden Park.
Ken Simonton
Ken Simonton
Ken Simonton III is an American football running back who last played in the CFL for the Calgary Stampeders after a brief career in the NFL and the NFL Europe.-Early life:...
resprised Herbert Goodman's rushing role, totalling just two yards (and two touchdowns) less than Goodman's tally. Maurice Hicks
Maurice Hicks
Maurice Hicks is an American football running back for the Florida Tuskers of the United Football League. He was originally signed by the Chicago Bears as an undrafted free agent in 2002...
received 74 handoffs as well, scoring four rushing touchdowns, including a 93-yarder. Through the air, Nall's best receivers were Edell Shepherd
Edell Shepherd
Edell Eugene Shepherd is an American football wide receiver who is currently a free agent. He was signed by the Chicago Bears as an undrafted free agent in 2002...
(518 yards, 4 touchdowns) and John Minardi
John Minardi
John Minardi is a former American football player. He played high school football at Santa Margarita Catholic High School in Orange County, California, from 1995 to 1997. In 1996, he caught 42 passes for 1,040 yards and 14 touchdowns; he also led the team with 117 tackles, the fourth best in...
(470 yards, 5 touchdowns). Ten Claymores caught touchdown passes on the season. TJ Bingham took seven sacks on defense.
Dahlquist was fired after the 2003 season, and after the Barcelona Dragons
Barcelona Dragons
The Barcelona Dragons were a team originally in the World League of American Football and later in the resurrected NFL Europe. Their home field in Barcelona was the Estadi Olímpic de Montjuic, the 1992 Olympic Stadium, and later the Mini Estadi. The Dragons were successful on the field, making it...
became the second NFL Europe team to be relocated to Germany (becoming the Cologne Centurions
Cologne Centurions
The Cologne Centurions were an American football team that played in NFL Europe. The Centurions began competing in the league in the 2004 season, having replaced the defunct Barcelona Dragons. They played their home games at RheinEnergieStadion in Cologne....
) their head coach Jack Bicknell
Jack Bicknell
-Professional:-External links:...
stepped into the vacancy. In his single season in charge, the Claymores finished 2-8.
2004 season
2004 opened very poorly for Scotland, with four consecutive losses to open up the season. Only a 13-12 win over the Rhein Fire prevented a first-half shut-out. The same 1-4 record was posted for the second half of the season, completing a 2-8 season for the third time (equal worst in the team's history) and failure to qualify for World Bowl XIIWorld Bowl XII
World Bowl XII was NFL Europe's 2004 championship game. The game was played at Arena AufSchalke in Gelsenkirchen, Germany on June 12, 2004. In this game, the defending champion Frankfurt Galaxy returned to try to protect their title after going through a 7–3 regular season. Their opponent was...
.
Closure
On October 21, 2004, NFL Europe announced that the Scottish Claymores would be discontinued in favour of a franchise in a more competitive German market. While Scotland's attendance average over their 10-season history of 11,306 was comparable to some Scottish Premier LeagueScottish Premier League
The Scottish Premier League , also known as the SPL , is a professional league competition for association football clubs in Scotland...
clubs, teams in Germany were able to consistently bring in more support. Scotland were ultimately replaced by the Hamburg Sea Devils
Hamburg Sea Devils
The Hamburg Sea Devils were an American football team that began play in NFL Europa from 2005 to 2007. They played their home games at Hamburg's AOL Arena . They played their first game on April 2, 2005 losing 24-23 to the Cologne Centurions...
on November 24 for the 2005 NFL Europe season. Despite closing, the Scottish Claymores identity is being maintained to induct players to their Hall of Fame, and as a means for promoting amateur American football in Scotland.
Season-by-season
|-| colspan="6" align="center" | (World League)
|-
|1995E || 2 || 8 || 0 || 6th League || --
|-
|1996E || 7 || 3 || 0 || 1st League || Won World Bowl 96
World Bowl IV
World Bowl '96 , the championship game of American football's WLAF, took place at Murrayfield Stadium in Edinburgh, Scotland on June 23, 1996. The 7-3 Scottish Claymores defeated the 7-3 Frankfurt Galaxy 32-27 and, led by head coach Jim Criner, completed the league's first ever worst to first...
(Galaxy
Frankfurt Galaxy
The Frankfurt Galaxy was a professional American football team that originally played in the World League of American Football and later in the resurrected NFL Europe. The team was based in Frankfurt, Germany and played in the Commerzbank-Arena, formerly called the Waldstadion.-History:In 1991, the...
)
|-
|1997E || 5 || 5 || 0 || 4th League || --
|-
| colspan="6" align="center" | (NFL Europe)
|-
|1998S || 2 || 8 || 0 || 6th League || --
|-
|1999S || 4 || 6 || 0 || 3rd League || --
|-
|2000S || 6 || 4 || 0 || 2nd League || Lost World Bowl 2000
World Bowl VIII
World Bowl 2000 was NFL Europe's championship game, which would bring an end to the 2000 NFL Europe season. Played at Waldstadion in Frankfurt, Germany on June 25, 2000, the match-up was between the 6-4 Scottish Claymores and the 7-3 Rhein Fire...
(Fire
Rhein Fire
The Rhein Fire was a professional American football team in NFL Europe, formerly the World League of American Football. Established in Germany in 1995, the franchise resurrected the name of the former Birmingham Fire team which was active during the 1991-1992 WLAF seasons.-History:The team was...
)
|-
|2001G || 4 || 6 || 0 || 4th League || --
|-
|2002S || 5 || 5 || 0 || 4th League || --
|-
|2003G || 6 || 4 || 0 || 2nd League || --
|-
|2004G || 2 || 8 || 0 || 6th League || --
|-
|-
!Totals || 43 || 57 || 0
|colspan="2"| (1-1 postseason)
E Home games all played in Edinburgh
G Home games all in Glasgow
S Home games split between the two cities
Hall of Fame
The Scottish Claymores Hall of Fame inducted new members every year from 1999 to 2006, except 2005.- 1999:
Siran StacySiran StacySiran Stacy is a former American football running back.- Early career :Stacy played at the University of Alabama from 1989–91, after spending two years at Coffeyville Community College in Coffeyville, Kansas...
, George CoghillGeorge CoghillGeorge Coghill is a former American football safety for the Denver Broncos of the National Football League and the Scottish Claymores... - 2000: Sean LaChapelleSean LaChapelleSean Paul LaChapelle is a former professional American football player who played wide receiver for two seasons for the Los Angeles Rams and Kansas City Chiefs. He was signed to the Chiefs after wide receiver Lake Dawson suffered a season-ending injury and was placed on injured reserve. LaChapelle...
, Mark Sander - 2001: Jim BallardJim BallardJames "Jim" Ballard is a former Arena Football League quarterback for the Buffalo Destroyers in 2001 and the Indiana Firebirds in 2002 and 2003. Ballard also played in the Canadian Football League with the Toronto Argonauts in 2002 and 1999 and the Saskatchewan Roughriders in 2000...
, Purvis Hunt, Jim CrinerJim CrinerJim Criner is a former American football player and coach in the United States. He served as the head football coach at Boise State University from 1976 to 1982 and at Iowa State University from 1983 to 1986, compiling a career college football record of 76–46–3...
(head coach) - 2002: Dameyune CraigDameyune CraigDameyune Vashon Craig is a former professional American football quarterback in the National Football League for four seasons for the Carolina Panthers. He is currently the quarterbacks coach for Florida State University.-Early years:Craig played high school football for Mattie T. Blount High...
, Yo MurphyYo MurphyLlewellyn "Yo" Murphy is a former Gridiron football player of multiple professional leagues. He is currently the head coach of the Tampa Breeze of the Lingerie Football League. He was originally signed by the BC Lions as an undrafted free agent in 1993... - 2003:
Marco RiveraMarco RiveraMarco Anthony Rivera is a former American football offensive lineman in the National Football League. Rivera is of Puerto Rican descent.-Early years:Rivera attended Elmont Memorial High School in Long Island, New York...
, Aaron SteckerAaron SteckerAaron Stecker is a former American football running back. He was signed by the Chicago Bears as an undrafted free agent in 1999. He played college football at Western Illinois.... - 2004: Joe AndruzziJoe AndruzziJoseph Dominick Andruzzi is a former American football offensive guard. In May 2007 he was diagnosed with non-Hodgkin's lymphoma.-College career:...
, James Fuller, Dante HallDante HallDamieon Dante Hall is a former American football Return specialist, and wide receiver in the National Football League. He is considered one of the greatest return specialists in NFL History...
, Duane HawthorneDuane HawthorneDuane Hawthorne is a former professional American football cornerback in the National Football League. He played four seasons for the Dallas Cowboys and the San Francisco 49ers. He now teaches health at Hazelwood West High School in St. Louis, Missouri....
,
Paul McCallumPaul McCallumPaul McCallum is a professional Canadian football player currently playing as a placekicker and punter for the BC Lions of the Canadian Football League...
, Barry SimsBarry SimsBarry Sims is an American football offensive lineman who is currently a free agent of the National Football League. He was drafted by the Scottish Claymores in the 17th round of the NFL Europe Draft in 1999. He played college football at Utah...
, Barry Stokes and non-playing staff including the fans in general - 2006:
Scott CouperScott CouperScott Couper is an American football player from Scotland. Nicknamed "Scoops", he played at wide receiver, most notably for the Scottish Claymores of NFL Europe.-Career:...
,
Robert Flickinger, Rob HartRob HartRob Hart is an English American football player who played as a placekicker for NFL Europe's England Monarchs in 1998 and Scottish Claymores from 1999-2004 after college experience at Murray State University in Kentucky...
, Craig NallCraig NallCraig Matthew Nall is an American football quarterback who is currently a free agent. He was drafted by the Green Bay Packers in the fifth round of the 2002 NFL Draft...
, Scott McCreadyScott McCreadyScott McCready is a British national who was an American football wide receiver who, most recently, played for the Hamburg Sea Devils of NFL Europa from 2005 until the league's closure in 2007. Previously he played for the Scottish Claymores from 2002–2004, and was named to the All-League team on...
, Chris WardChris WardChris Ward may refer to:*Chris Ward, American rapper and television performer, better known as mc chris*Chris Ward , former Canadian cabinet minister*Chris Ward , English chess grandmaster...
, Steve LivingstoneSteve LivingstoneStephen "Steve" Livingstone is an English former footballer who played between 1986 and 2004 notably for Grimsby Town...
(general manager)
External links
- Scottish Claymores web site - now a portal for American football in Scotland in general.
- Claymores close down.