Many thanks to Stephen Mudd who is the Historian and Author of this excellent document originally produced by David and Doreen Sheppard in May 1994

1989 - THE BEST TEAM NEVER TO WIN THE BOWL

The season was to be full of ups and downs, success and disappointment as the Cougars set out to build on the foundation of the previous season in order to make a serious challenge for top honours. Once again coach Chuck Brogdon was hard at work in preparation on the 'Home Front' whilst drastic changes were being discussed at League level which would have far reaching effects on the future of football in Britain.

Sensibly the League decided to shorten the Regular Season to a more acceptable ten games which they hoped would cut down on injuries and give players greater time to recover between fixtures, and the number of American imports allowed was to be cut from last years level to only 3. It had been felt that some teams were unable to compete with the bigger clubs who were 'buying' success, and reducing import would eventually bring parity throughout the League this coupled with the necessity to develop 'home grown' talent at skill positions would secure the long term future of the game and allow it to grow.

Development of the game at the highest level seemed to be the major aim of League sponsors Budweiser as they announced plans to provide exclusive backing of the National League for 1989 with numbers increased to twenty teams, split into four Conferences of five. This idea did not meet with universal approval and understandably both Premier and Division One teams were up in arms , the unification work of the past few years had suddenly evaporated and Britain was again to find itself with various Leagues operating independently with no long term projection for the sport ill general.

Back on the 'home front', the Cougars plans included the recruitment of three American imports of quality to elevate them from a comfortable mid-table team to one capable of mounting a serious challenge. The return of popular Linebacker Dan Moore to lead the defence and build on foundations laid the previous year was a safe and well accepted move, whilst the appointment on offence of Greg Thelan and John LeFleur a pass-catch combination from semi-pro Racine Raiders was met with trepidation by the fans who, after all, had heard all the hype before.

Initial signs, however, were good as the players appeared to be settling in well and good reports were heard as to their capabilities. The Cougars were training with a large squad of over sixty players which for the first time included a specialist kicker in the form of local rugby player John Sharpe plus many new recruits. Learning from the previous season where their first run-out was the season opener, two pre-season games were arranged which coach Brogdon hoped he could use to fine tune in readiness for the big kick-off. Obviously determined to prepare to the highest standard, the Cougars were not going to take an easy path on their build up to the season and wasted no time at all in announcing that their pre-season match-ups would be against old rivals the Manchester Spartans and the mighty London Ravens.

Whilst things appeared to be going well on the 'home front' the exact opposite could be said to be happening on the National front as no sooner had the League finalised the Conferences and Fixtures for the year than the Gremlins began to surface Finding themselves placed in the Central Conference containing the Birmingham Bulls,
Leicester Panthers, Nottingham Hoods and Steel City Giants, the Cougars would expect a tough and testing regular season schedule, although coach Brogdon was glad that the opposition did not contain any big passing quarterbacks which would suit their style of play. However, as often seems to be the case, no sooner had everyone become accustomed to the schedule than the whole League was thrown into turmoil as three teams (Luton Flyers, Cardiff Tigers and Steel City Giants) withdrew to leave the League with a lopsided seventeen teams. Faced with the prospect of carrying on with the weakened line-up or admitting teams of a lower standard to top up the numbers, the League announced there would be no new additions for the 1989 season after a lengthy review of all prospective applicants. The decision, although sound in reason would mean a complete review of all fixtures with the Cougars, now in the four team Central Conference, facing four Inter-Conference games to complete their regular season fixtures The new fixtures were quickly announced and although the Cougars could be reasonably happy with their schedule, the same could not be said about other teams. Angry exchanges echoed around the League as clubs slammed the revised fixtures with the Northampton Stormbringers and Chelmsford Cherokee refusing to fulfil their opening day fixture as the Stormbringers would have their coach arriving only days earlier and the Cherokee would have no ground on the proposed date. Happily all problems were soiled and at lost all teams would finally concentrate on pre-season preparations.

Opening the playbook for the new campaign saw the Cougars and their growing band of faithful followers make the short trip over The Pennines to tackle their old rivals the Manchester Spartans in a rare pre-season match up. With the teams often placed in the same Conference or fated to meet during the regular season most previous encounters had been real 'blood and guts' battles, and a match up of no lasting importance would be the perfect opportunity for the Cougar coaching staff to develop a basic battle plan for the season. Early matches often create problems for teams with regard to grounds, and the Spartans were no different as the fixture took place at the Tameside Leisure Park Hyde on an unmarked field which at times made following the action difficult for the spectators. The Cougar fans, however, had no problems in recognising the End Zones and were able to celebrate eighteen points from a useful looking offence whilst the defence showed good skills to prevent the Spartans troubling the scorers. The game was 'matter of factly dismissed by the Manchester side as just another warm-up game which one side (the Cougars) treat like a Bowl Quarter Final, but the truth was that they were shocked by the preparation of the Leeds side for a game so cad y and as anyone who witnessed the game will tell you, this was a game they wanted to win

Ground problems were also on the agenda for the Cougars as they prepared to entertain the famous London Ravens in an Easter Sunday fixture Having secured the magnificent natural bowl of Odsal Stadium, Bradford as their 'home base' for the season, prior commitments made the ground unavailable and after much searching the fixture was scheduled to be played at Mick Britons, Farsley. The Ravens, having disappointed so much on the only previous meeting between the clubs, once again failed to win any friends on a day which saw them take to the field in a dazzling mixture of football jerseys before they, eventually crumbled in the face of the growing confidence of the Cougars. A 38 - 12 victory for the Cougars was every bit as convincing as the score suggested as at times the London side seemed uninterested in the game, and although this was only a pm-season match up it must be remembered that the opponents were the mighty London Ravens and more should have been expected from them. A game spoiled by the obvious disinterest of the opposition was even ~marred by an incident between a Cougar fan' and Ravens player which erupted as the game ended and continued with a chase from the field and through the car park to the disbelief of players, officials and fans alike

Two pre-season victories were just the tonic both the team and spectators required as the regular season loomed, and the knowledge that all import players were performing well enough to bring out the best in the 'home-grown' talent meant that real optimism was the order of the day. All connected with the club were looking forward to the opening day fixture against the Leicester Panthers although once again the footballing press seemed unimpressed with the pre-season build up which had seen the Cougars well and truly thump two of the previous seasons semi-finalists. The class and pedigree of Conference rivals Leicester and Birmingham were seen to be too much for a re-building Leeds side to handle, and with their lack of experience the best the Cougars could hope for would be respectability with the promise of better things in the years to come. Now if ever a team needed motivation, those words served as the ammunition, for successive away trips to both Leicester and Birmingham would be as testing a start to the season as any team could expect

Confusion was the order of the day for both players and supporters as the previously effective Cougar machine stuttered and struggled to come to terms with a Leicester gameplan featuring a highly effective triple option offence The Cougars were lining up against previously unseen formations and at times it was difficult to determine just who had the ball: The only saving grace, whilst the Leeds side adapted, was that the Panthers themselves at times seemed to be confused as to which play they were running. Unfortunately by, the time things had been worked out and the Cougars themselves began to threaten, half-time was approaching and the scoreboard showed a 20 - 0 deficit through a mixture of good Panther plays and Cougar mistakes which had been punished to the full. Beginning to toughen up on defence the Cougars had the chance to open their account as a fumble was recovered deep in Panther territory, but as the clock ran down a series of incomplete passes and loss of yardage runs pushed the offence out of range to preserve the Panthers lead at the break

Vie lead was extended further from the restart as taking the kick-off, the Panthers drove 76 yards in 10 plays to leave the Cougar fans bewildered and speechless. Fortunately the), were not silent for long though , the Cougar offence adjusted and began to operate out of the shotgun formation in an attempt to get back into the game. Showing just what they were capable of, and being yelled on by their supporters, they mounted their first effective drive which culminated in a short yardage keeper by Thelan and although the two point conversion failed, they had opened their account

Now beginning to fire on all cylinders and moving the ball well, the Panthers were struggling to contain the re-discovered Cougar confidence. However, whenever a big play). was required they seemed to get one from somewhere as the Cougars were restricted to just one further score, despite a sustained period of heavy pressure, and the Panthers ran out 27 - 12 winners to once again send the Leeds side home empty handed.
All the hopes for the season appeared to be disappearing fast as the following weeks game against reigning champions Birmingham began to slip away after a bright and promising start which saw the Cougars rally from early setbacks to score on a safety and Tiggy Bell touchdown to leave them trailing by a point at 9 - 8. But once again that was to be as close as they got as the resulting kick-off was returned 90 yards to the endzone to silence the momentary jubilation of the Cougar supporters. Two further Birmingham scores then stretched the lead to twenty one points and with half-time approaching the Cougars needed to strike to restore and air of respectability to the scoreline. The prayers were answered as, to the relief of the team and fans alike Tiggy Bell again swept into the endzone to leave the Cougars back in contention at 29 - 16 as they took the break

The second half continued with scores traded at a regular rate as the two explosive offences set about their work The Cougars were beginning to play well but unfortunately, for them the Bulls were playing that bit better to finish the day with over 500 all purpose yards on their way to an emphatic 49 - 29 victory

Standing at 0 - 2 the season had not progressed as anyone had hoped, but with the offence beginning to show signs of their pre-season form and the defence once again performing with it's usual toughness the signs were good for a quick change of fortune The third successive road trip of the season to Glasgow was the game which hopefully would herald the resurgence of the Cougars as coach Brogdon went back to the coaching philosophy of the pre-season games in the hope of toppling the similarly placed 0 - 2 Lions.

A third defeat for the Cougars would almost certainly mean the end to the season and realising this fact they wasted no time in opening the scoring on their first possession as Tiggy, Bell spotted a hole to dash 35 yards up the middle for am immediate lead. From that moment die season changed, as the Cougars took complete control on both sides o the ball. The defence began to swarm around the Lions quarterback to prevent him f

from releasing the ball and under such pressure their offence were unable to respond with a ground game to compensate. The Cougar offence on the other hand were in no mood to be generous and steadily put the game safe before the break as further touchdowns from Bell and a 60 yard bomb to receiver LeFluer plus a John Sharp field goal together with a safety gave them control and a 24 - 0 advantage. With the game effectively over, coach Brogdon gave a run out to his back up layers in the second half before a further Bell touchdown gave them a final 31 - 0 advantage. The defence played magnificently to completely close down the passing threat of Lions quarterback Trainor and to date they remain the last team to shut-out the Lions and also the last team to prevent Trainor from completing a touchdown pass during his time at the club.

Having now opened their account for the season and with the difficult opening schedule of away games behind them the Cougars could look forward to a run of four 'home' fixtures on which to build. The team could now settle into a routine and hopefully make life difficult for the visiting sides, as they could not afford to slip up if they wished to progress to the end of season play-offs. The opening 'home' fixture against the 2 - 2 Manchester Allstars drew a larger than usual attendance as new interest had brought along many first timers to sample the sport and spectacle unfortunately this was a game to drive people away as a procession of penalty flags from the officials strung out the game for over 3 1/4 hours with time eventually called five minutes early as the crowd dwindled. Under such circumstances it was a good job that the action which did take place should provide a high degree of excitement and the Cougars showed just what they could do as they totally demolished the Allstars 51 - 26 in a game revolving around the rushing skills of Tiggy Bell who ended the day with five touchdowns in a 200 yard plus display.

Now if the Allstars performance was good the game against the Panthers was excellent as the game produced a match-up of teams going in the opposite directions. Leicester having opened with tree straight wins, were now beginning to feel the effects of injury whilst the Cougars were growing in confidence following their shaky start Predictably the Cougars opened the scoring early in the first quarter only to be rocked by a 60 yard bomb as the Panthers hit back From that point however, the visitors were never close as four more Cougar touchdowns, each converted by John Sharp stretched the lead before the Panthers troubled the scorers again to trail 35 - 15 at the break

It was fast becoming apparent that visiting teams were intimidated and frightened off when faced with the atmosphere within the large bowl at Odsal The fearsome approach of the Cougar team and their will to win attitude, coupled with the vast noise generated from the supporters just did not let teams settle and once behind, against the prolific Cougar offence, there was no way back

And so it was with the Panthers for although they opened up the second half with a 68 yard drive to reduce the arrears they soon gave way to the Odsal atmosphere and three more Cougar scores for an emphatic 56 - 22 final score.

Reaching the halfway points of the season standing at 3 - 2 and playing with confidence which was sky high, a 'home' match up against the 2 - 3 Nottingham Hoods in the intimidating atmosphere of Odsal should have presented few problems, but a combination of good play, from the visitors together with a Cougar performance which was wax, below recent standards made for a few anxious moments. A first half littered with mistakes from both offences, coupled with two defences playing as if their lives depended on the result mode for little to excite the crowd as two John Sharp field goals were all that separated the teams at the break The second half proved the worth of a good half time talk from coach Brogdon as the Cougars broke into the endzone on their first possession when new recruit Joe Martin capped the drive by catching a four yard pass from quarterback Thelan to lead 13 - 0. Nottingham were obviously not prepared to be second best and continued to press towards opening their account before finally being rewarded with a touchdown of their own as time expired in the third quarter. Now back in the game they appeared to be threatening again as a recovered Leeds Jumble was advanced towards the Cougar line before a timely interception by linebacker Dan Moore at the three yard line allowed the home side to breathe again. A further 14 yard scamper for a touchdown in the final seconds of the game by Tiggy Bell rubbed salt into die Nottingham wounds and the Cougars had escaped with a narrow 20 - 6 result to keep their winning streak alive.

Another 'home' game and another demolition of the opposition as the Cougars withstood two spirited comebacks from a gutsy Northampton Stormbringers side to register their fourth successive victory at Odsal The victory however looked to be in the balance as the Northants side rallied from two, two touchdown deficits to lead 30 - 28 in the third before the home side stepped up the pace to race clear to a 63 - 30 result

The Cougars were now ranked third best team in the UK and, with an away fixture against the winless Gateshead Senators, they could expect to extend their winning sequence without too much effort The Senators, tough as ever, obviously had other ideas as they battled hard against a Leeds side operating a conservative game plan as they attempted to avoid injuries whilst they prepared for the big divisional clash of the following week The expected win was duly completed as the Cougars overcame an early Gateshead lead to run out 30 - 14 winners although the performance lacked the usual spark of recent games, and despite the good result many fans left the ground disappointed at the manner of the win.

Seven days later the disappointments were forgotten as the reason behind the previous weeks performance paid dividends for the Cougars as they faced up to the unbeaten Conference leaders, the Birmingham Bulls, in a game dedicated to Mark Hopkinson who had suffered a close season injury whilst playing rugby which had resulted in a broken neck Obviously fired up for what was to be the game of the season the Cougars were spurred on further as Hopkinson attended the game to cheer on his ex-team mates and was honoured as the Cougars announced they would be retiring his game shirt number 69, to the delight of the two thousand or so spectators in attendance.

The game itself was the classic everyone had been building it up to be as the first period was dominated by both defensive units whilst the offences began to settle First blood was drawn by the Cougars as they took a 3 point lead early in the second quarter when John Sharp was successful with a field goal, but true to the form of the champions, the Bulls hit back almost immediately with a monster 75 yard passing play for a 7 - 3 lead. Whereas in the past such a blow would have seen the Cougars struggle to regain their momentum this game was to be different, they had come of age, they had matured and a successful drive marshalled by quarterback Thelan was rewarded as Dave McIntosh powered in from the one for a 10 - 7 lead at the break

The first half had bee good, but the second was to be better as the Bulls again pulled out a mammoth 78 yard play which led to a quarterback sneak for the go-ahead score. We were now witnessing two offensive units matching each other every step of the way as again, not to be outdone, the Cougars marched back downfield in a controlled piece o football which saw running back Paul Pryce scamper in from five yards. The Cougars f

led again at 17 -14. With nerves tingling throughout the stadium the defences decided to take over the game and it was a Bulls fumble, recovered by Dan Moore which set up Sharp's second field goal as the margin was extended to a game-high six points at 20 14 The final two minutes were to play havoc with the emotions of the fans as, having control of the football, the Bulls began to march towards the Cougar line on a drive which they hoped would run time off the clock and bring them the points required for victory. With their passing attack being kept well in check by the Leeds defensive backs, the Bulls were relying on their strong running game, and this appeared to be working, as the ball was easily advanced over 40 yards on only five plays The game was on the line and tackling was ferocious as not only the spectators nerves were beginning to fray. The touchdown had to come when all of a sudden 'FUMBLE' and the crowd were on their feet as the ball was recovered by the jubilant Leeds players The clock was easily, albeit nervously run down by the experienced Thelan and the noise at the final whistle was deafening in salute to the magnificent team effort which had achieved the result The game is still talked about today as probably the best undertaken by the Cougars and will long be remembered for the commitment and sportsmanship of both sides.

Now standing as the number one team in the country the Cougars were white hot with their confidence sky high and with a belief that they could beat anyone in the league Confidence is a good quality but the dividing line between that and over-confidence is fine and often results in disastrous consequences. The Cougars had overstepped the line and it was left to their next opponents to bring them back down to earth as the expected victory over the 3 - 5 -1 Nottingham Hoods never materialised Being well in contention to trail 15 - 7 at the interval, the Leeds side were then 'blown away' in the second half as the Hoods confidence grew on the way to a 40 - 26 victory which for them was purely academic. Coach Brogdon summed up the situation perfectly when he stated 'we thought we were too big for our breeches and got knocked off our high horses', but he was also relieved that the defeat had happened prior to the play-offs when no second chances are given.

Finishing the regular season with a 7 - 3 record was a fine achievement considering the start they had had, and assured them of the Conference runners up spot Having the best record amongst the runners-up would give the Cougars an away trip against the Conference champions with the worst record, and so a trip to encounter the previously well beaten Northampton Stormbringers was greeted with great expectations by all.

Opening the scoring on Gerard Corriette's first quarter safety the Cougars looked to be
controlling the game as the defence closed down the Home sides running game, giving
their own offence time to settle, but early in the second quarter the- usually attack
again failed to press home its advantage as a fourth and goal attempt was halted short
Having kept themselves in the game against the early Cougar pressure the Northants
side then hit back to stun the Leeds defence with a previously unseen passing attack
which was rewarded with a surprise passing touchdown for an 8 - 2 lead. The Cougars
had been caught off-guard and were unable to respond until the final seconds of the
half when quarterback Thelan made clever use of the clock before finding fellow import
John LeFleur in the endzone for a 9 - 8 half-time lead.

When Northants again took the lead with their second passing touchdown they believed they could win and mounted a period of sustained pressure which almost saw them extend their advantage before yet another pass was intercepted by LeFleur (playing at cornerback to combat the passing threat) at the five to preserve the Cougars hopes. The hopes of the Stormbringers were also preserved when, following a determined drive, Thelan's attempt to tie up the score was intercepted in the endzone and the Cougars chance appeared to have disappeared. A surprise Jumble gifted the ball back to the Cougars almost immediately, and they didn't need any further invitation, as Thelan did an excellent job in finding Joe Martin in the endzone as the game was tied at 16 all

The final minutes of regulation time saw both sides go close to settling the contest without success as the game became the first post-season fixture to go overtime Having to kick-off, the Cougars would have to defend well, as the first score would settle the contest and it was with great relief that they recovered yet another fumble to gain control of the football at the Stormbringers 40 yard line It was now or never for the Cougars as, aided by penalties, they edged towards their goal. Eddie Harry gathered a 20 yard pass to bring the Leeds side within the 10 yard line and, with the insurance of a possible field goal if all else failed, the Cougars took only two plays to settle the matter as Dave McIntosh crossed the line to the cheers of relief from players and supporters alike.

The Cougars had not played particularly well, they had no anticipated the Northampton passing game, and with only minutes remaining they had appeared to be dead and buried. With their backs to the wall they had then shown that famous Cougar spirit the will to win and a never say die attitude as they pulled themselves together to shatter the Stormbringers and advance towards the semi-final, where they would find themselves travelling to face their major rivals the Birmingham Bulls in what was hoped would be another great game. This was the game neither side wanted. This was the final everyone would have liked to have seen. Unfortunately only one of them would advance on the road to possible glory.

So with the sun shining and the temperature climbing into the 90's the teams faced each other to shoot it out like gunfighters of old. The Cougars were well prepared for the encounter and almost immediately attacked the Bulls offence preventing them from scoring and forcing a punt Good penetration saw import linebacker Dan Moore force through the Bulls protective shield as the kick was blocked out of the endzone for the two point safety. Having the ideal start which had stunned the champions, the Leeds side were not about to ease tip as fielding the kick off they delivered a blow which would have killed off lesser sides. Coach Brogdon was going for the throat as he sent in a gem of play, which started with a hand off to Tiggy Bell who swept left pursued by the Bulls secondary When the ball was handed off to wide receiver John LeFleur going in the opposite direction, the Bulls realised they, had to react quickly to prevent the reverse yielding any substantial yardage and the cornerback was drawn in as he advanced to meet the anticipated run. The pass from LeFleur must have made the corners heart fall into his boots as the realisation that he had left Joe Martin open downfield sunk in. The pass was inch perfect and although the covering corner managed to adjust the ball found its target and was safely gathered. The travelling fans were ecstatic, they had never seen a start like it and although Martin stumbled at the 20 yard line he was carried along by the wave of emotion as he managed to keep his feet to convert the spectacular 59 yard play.

Birmingham then began to settle to their task as they steadily fought their way back into contention when the 9 - 0 scoreline became 9 - 6 with a solid, confident drive Collecting a wayward Thelan pass on the next Cougar drive the Bulls took full advantage in double quick time as following a long tackle breaking run they converted a short yardage touchdown to lead 13 - 9. Responding with a purposeful drive from the kick-off, the Cougars looked to be a sure-fire bet to regain the lead before the Bulls tightened the screw as the Yorkshiremen attempted and failed to convert on a fourth down situation. With half-time approaching the Cougars had one last chance to close the gap when a John Sharp 35 yard field goal attempt appeared to be good , only to be ruled wide by the officials, to the amazement of the Cougar camp.

The third quarter saw Leeds finally edge closer when John Sharp split the uprights from close range for three points before the Bulls again hit back to open the final quarter with a one yard quarterback sneak and a 20 - 12 advantage. The game was now hotting up, but with the heat beginning to take its toll, the players were beginning to tire Two quick fire injuries to key players within the Bulls camp saw the Birmingham side embark on a time consuming drive by keeping the ball on the ground as they exploited the tiring Cougar defence to the full on the way to another seven points.

But still the gallant Cougar side refused to quit Once more they drove back behind the passing skills of Thelan which, aided by a pass interference penalty, saw them close the gap again on LeFleur's 16 yard catch and a two point conversion. Suddenly the buzz around the ground was 'could the Leeds side again salvage the game as they had done the previous week?. Risking everything, with time running down, they attempted a lost gasp onside kick but wise to the ploy, the Bulls had no trouble in covering the kick to gain possession and run out the clock to finish one of the most pulsating games ever witnessed between sides so evenly matched.

A 27 - 20 defeat was hard to swallow, as is any defeat at the semi-final stage, but the Cougars although naturally disappointed could gain satisfaction from the fact that they matched their opponents every step of the way, in a game where only one of two sides could advance to the final. They had played to the best of their ability to lose with style and class, a fact their fans acknowledged with their end of game salute to their heroes.

Considering all the pre-season hype and the regular season start the end of the season almost produced the fairytale ending hoped for by many connected with the club. The foundations had been laid and you could be sure no team would be relishing the prospect of facing the strength of the Cougars the following season. All that was left now was the hope that players and coaches could be retained for another assault on the greatest prize within the domestic game. Just a dream or a realistic proposition? only time would tell.