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

1990 - Big Bad Cougars

There's never a dull moment with the Cougars, and the run up towards the 1990 season was anything but dull. Most teams were happy to quietly prepare, but not the Cougars. No news is generally good news, but with the Cougars the motto seemed to be 'no news? then make some!' and boy did they make some.

Considering the success of the previous campaign it could have been expected that with a little tinkering and fine tuning Leeds would again be challenging for the major honours within the domestic game, but no, just when preparations should have been gathering momentum the bombshell was dropped. It had been decided by the controlling management committee not to engage Coach Brogdon for the new season and he was replaced by veteran import Linebacker Don Moore. Brogdon was stunned by, the news and admitted to feeling bitter over the whole episode, but as things were to work out he was not to be unemployed for long as both Nottingham and Birmingham fought for his services. Indeed it was announced within the month that he had been snapped up by the Bulls and would be their Head Coach for the coming season, a prospect described as 'exciting' by Brogdon who hoped to take the Bulls all the way in his first season at the controls.

If the management committee hoped things would die down quickly, they were sadly mistaken as the episode dragged on and on. Feelings at player level were mixed, but a split was clearly visible and eventually resulted in the defection of Tiggy Bell, Tim Casey, Eddie Harry and Dave McIntosh to rivals Manchester Spartans as Spartans boss Terry Smith assembled a vast amount of British talent for his side. Allegations of poaching and talk of improper use of transfer procedures were flying in all directions and were only settled in the days leading up to season kick-off when league 'big-wigs' set transfer fees for players moving clubs. Interestingly enough, the most expensive player in the market was valued at the staggering sum of £250 and was non-other than a certain Tiggy Bell.

With such a movement of players in the outward direction, the Cougars certainly needed sonic talent making the journey in the opposite direction and they quickly obtained their import players during a close season visit by numerous players and personnel to Cincinnati during November 1989 on what became known as 'The Beer Monsters Tour' (a good report of their exploits can be found in the game day programme for the 1990 Home fixture against Fylde). Player/Coach Moore would be joined on the field by, returning Quarterback Greg Thelan and his number one Receiver from Racine Raiders, Greg Brenner plus former Miami-Ohio rushing star Chris Thomas Spirits were certainly high as the team began heir preparations for their coming season in the 18 team NDMA League, a season which saw the league operating without a major sponsor following Budweisers decision to pull out after four years of being associated with the British game. The decision was not altogether unexpected, but the fact that a three year package was to be terminated with two years still to run would surely, have a major financial effect on all involved unless a new sponsor could be found quickly. The league was to be split into two nine team conferences with each team playing conference rivals once plus two inter-conference games to make up the now standard ten game regular season. The Cougars were reasonably happy with this arrangement and were very confident for the season, so confident in fact that Chairman Mick Hardaker promised the fans that the offensive line would 'man-handle the oppositions defence to such an extent that the team would not lose a game that year!

Pre-season training was going well and with friendly Home games against London Ravens and Thames Valley Chargers arranged, the Cougars were going to start the season well prepared. However, as we all know the best laid plans often do not materialise and this was to be no exception, as first the Ravens pulled out due to problems in getting to Leeds, and were then followed by the Chargers giving back-word to leave the Cougars going into their season opener against Northampton Storm without any worthwhile competitive try-out

Returning to the scene of their thrilling overtime Quarter Final victory the Cougars could not have expected to be involved in a game which, if not as important was certainly as exciting, with the result again in doubt right up until the final whistle. The travelling army of Cougar fans having completely taken over the 'Dog & Duck' stand were well entertained by wobbly Scotsman Dave Wakefield and were in good voice as their team marched downfield to open the score early in the first quarter. Scores were traded in quick succession to leave the fans exhausted, but the game was finely balanced at the half

The Cougars were clearly not having things all their own way and the Storm were not giving up without a fight as they proceeded to dominate from the re-start The Storm were on a roll as they closed down the Leeds offence and scored at will to round out the third quarter with a 47 - 28 lead. The game was as good as over at this point when once again that indefinable factor, 'Cougar Spirit', surfaced and once again we had a game on our hands. Quick fire strikes from Quarterback Thelan to Brenner and Martin against a tiring Storm defence brought the Cougars back within range and when new favourite Chris Thomas darted in from 25 yards for the go-ahead score with only a few seconds remaining the roar from the ecstatic fans was deafening.

The Storm had the ball back and had only a few seconds to rescue the game. The Cougar defence had the Storm held in their own half when they played their final card, one which would, as it turned out win the game As the seconds ticked by the fans knew what was coming , they were screaming to the players, but the players also knew and were prepared, or they thought they were. A quick release found running sensation Atlas on a quick slant pattern and 57 yards later he was under the posts celebrating with disbelieving Cougar defenders left trailing in his wake

The Came had been something special which one team had been fortunate to win and the other unfortunate to lose. The simple truth, however, was that lack of proper match practise had undoubtedly contributed to the Cougars downfall as although they scored freely they also made too many basic mistakes to be effective. It was hoped this game would provide pointers to enable the team to tighten up and work on their game in time for Leeds opening Home fixture against old rivals the Nottingham Hoods, just seven days later.

Trailing by 20 points to seven at the close of the first quarter, and with the Hoods offensive line calling all the shots there were more than a few worried expressions within the Cougar ranks. Disregarding their conservative rushing offence of the opening period the Cougars hen decided to literally throw caution to the wind and went to the air Three scoring strikes from Thelan on his way to club re~ figures of 325 yards for the game and also ten consecutive completions, then brought the Cougars right back into the game as they took the break leading 27 - 20.

Continuing where they had left off the Cougar offence then appeared to put the game well out of reach as two more Thelan strikes to Brenner extended their advantage to 41- 20, but just as we had witnessed the previous week all is not lost until the final whistle and this time the Cougars found themselves facing a team that wouldn't quit The Hoods defence began to keep check of the Cougar offence and their offence at last began to move the ball again. An explosive final quarter saw scores traded at a furious pace as the Cougars hung on to record an amazing 55 - 46 victory. Coach Dan Moore was in a reflective mood as he confessed to being happy at recording a victory although he must have been concerned with a defence which had leaked almost a hundred points in only two games. That concern must have grown as the following weeks visit to Glasgow saw the Cougars return on the wrong end of a 48 - 21 scoreline, having played reasonably well but turned the ball over too many times against a competent opponent who took full advantage to punish these mistakes

The offence was scoring points and indeed were leading scorers in the league but with a suspect defence (also leading the league with points conceded) the Cougars found themselves standing at 1 - 2 and badly needed an emphatic performance to ensure the season didn't get away from them. With two Home games in prospect the chances were good that this could be achieved, although the prospect of our first ever meeting with the unbeaten Brighton B52's would provide a stem test and was probably not the game Coach Moore would have chosen had he been given the choice

Without receiver Brenner, missing through injury, the task of tackling the B52's was made even more difficult just minutes before kick-off when rushing sensation Chris Thomas declared himself unfit and was sidelined with a severe calf strain. Both aspects of the Cougar offence were severely depleted and the responsibility would fall onto the shoulders of their home-grown talent The slow start was therefore understandable as Paul Pryce, just returning from a broken leg, and newcomer Ian Mitchell tried to get to grips with the rushing duties which would enable the passing game to develop. No surprise then when Brighton opened their account with a drive rounded off by a one yard Quarterback sneak and two point conversion, although the Cougar defence looked more solid and certainly were making life difficult for the B52's. The Cougar offence were beginning to grow in confidence and were controlling the ball well to close the gap an a one yard sneak from Thelan and then go ahead as Paul Pryce darted into the endzone.

Leading 14 - 8 at the break the Cougars then put the game beyond the reach as Thelan found receiver Peter Brook with a long bomb to increase the lead and John Sharp added a 30 yard field goal for their final points before Brighton gained a consolation touchdown for a 23 - 16 final score.

The record improved to 3 - 2 with the following weeks victory over the injury ravaged Fylde Falcons in a game which highlighted the risks involved to players as the game was ended mid-way through the final quarter following a feared spinal injury to one of the Flylde players. The Cougars produced a solid display to down the Falcons 33 -2, with the defence doing all they could to produce a shut-out, having held Fylde on four attempts within the ten yard line, only to be denied by a returned PAT attempt

The two Home games had had the desired effect but the visit to Birmingham would be a different proposition. With ex-Coach Brogdon having a point to prove, and Coach Moore hoping to convince all that the Cougars were right, fireworks were expected. The fact that they didn't materialise couldn't be through lack of effort as Chris Thomas racked up 259 yards on only 21 carries and one touchdown, but the defence, missing key players through injury, found the fired up Bulls just too much of a handful as they jumped out into an immediate 22 - 0 first quarter lead. The second quarter saw the Cougars deservedly trouble the scorers with Brenners 16 yard touchdown catch and Paul Muscroft safety, before the Bulls extended their lead to 30 - 9 at the break

With the defence struggling to keep pace, the game was way out of reach and three ~further Bulls scores against the solitary Thomas reply left the Cougars badly beaten by 50 - 17, with tempers beginning to fray as the game wound down. Clearly things were not all bad, injuries, plus the tough schedule were taking their toll and, just when a break to allow Coach Moore to take stock of the situation was required, the Cougars

got a Home game against the champions!

Any game against the Manchester Spartans was a special game. The teams had a fierce long standing rivalry, but with four ex-Cougars in their roster this game had added spice. Defending a two-year, eight game, unbeaten Home record the Cougars opened the game in their now usual fashion and allowed the Spartans to take an early 7 - 0 lead before coughing up the ball to give possession back Driving downfield and facing a first and goal the Spartans were looking to extend their lead but inspired defence kept them out and launched the Cougars towards John Sharpes field goal to close the opening quarter The Spartans extended their lead early in the second quarter before the Cougars suddenly found another gear as great blocking allowed Thomas to march the offence to within the 20, from where Sharpe missed with his second field goal attempt

Having missed an opportunity to close the gap the defence then responded magnificently to hold the Manchester side within their own 25 on three downs thus forcing a punt The kick was poor and went almost vertical, but given the pressure any kick is good , the Cougars had great field position except for the penalty flag. Over enthusiasm by the defence had drawn a 'roughing the kicker' penalty and the Spartans had got out of jail to rub salt into the wounds by driving the length of the field to lead 21 - 3 at the half

The lead was stretched to 28 - 3 early in the third before Leeds took charge to score on two Chris Thomas specials, which sandwiched a magnificent goal line stand by the Cougar defence as they stopped Tiggy Bell on three consecutive carries to recover possession on downs. Try as they, might the Cougars just could not close any further as the Spartans expertly, ran down the clock to escape with their unbeaten tag in fact although they knew they had been fortunate.

The Cougars visit to Saffron Lane, for their match-up against the 4 - 1 Panthers, again had the crowds gasping as Leeds were involved in their third 100 point game of the season which began quietly with the sides trading early scores. Leicester then went wild with 29 unanswered points before the Cougars could reply. Again they traded scores to trail 43 - 21 at the break Although the Cougars hit back on the first play of the second half they never dominated and allowed the Panthers too much freedom as the points continued to flow before they, were able to add to their own tally late in the game.

Defeated by, a margin of 61 - 44, and standing with a record of 3-5 the disappointment was partly. eased by, the knowledge that Chris Thomas had set a new NDMA single game rushing mark with a whopping 337 yard performance, but with only two games remaining time was running out if the Cougars were to make a Play-Off spot The record was improved almost immediately with the demise of the Manchester Allstars as the Cougars were awarded a 1 - 0 walk-over and benefited by the acquisition of a few ex-Allstar players.

The whole season now came down to our final regular season game against the Gateshead Senators. This was a game the Cougars not only had to win, but they had to win well just to be in with a chance of advancing to the play-offs, for a win of any kind by the Olympians would have given them the final play-off berth and left Leeds to sit out the action. Already sitting out the action was player/coach Dan Moore on the instructions of the league disciplinary committee,

after he failed to miss an earlier game when ejected from the field against Nottingham. What could have been a major disaster was, in fact a blessing in disguise as, without the pressures of playing and leading the Defence, he was able to give full concentration to coaching just when the team needed it most

With the Senators standing as 5 - 4, they were looking for the win to confirm their own play-off spot or if not a win, a narrow defeat which may have been enough, providing other results went their way. Riddled with injuries following a hard season, and facing a Cougar side well rested after a two week lay off they were definitely at a disadvantage, especially, as Leeds set off at a gallop, racing into a 14 - 0 early lead. Not wishing the game to get away from them, the Senators struck back with a drive finished by a five yard scoring pass and then threatened to tie up the game Receiver Paul Shorten failed to gather a pass deep in the end zone on fourth down and the protests for pass interference were turned down, to the amazement of the Gateshead team. Unable to let the incident drop, the Senators were punished as Chris Thomas raced through them for a 40 yard scoring run to leave the Cougars with a 22 - 6 lead after just one quarter

Two further touchdown runs, from Ian Mitchell and Chris Thomas extended the lead before receiver Greg Brenner took over the game. Having opened the scoring Brenner snagged his second touchdown pass and added the two point conversion to close the half with Leeds leading by, 42 - 6. Under normal circumstances, with the game already won and against opponents so obviously outclassed, the Cougars would have been content to coast the second half and not run up the score. These however, were not normal circumstances as points difference could mean the difference between qualifying or not and so the onslaught continued. Two more touchdown catches by Brenner extended the lead in the third quarter, the second one being an 18 yard option pass from Thomas just to break the routine. Still not finished Brenner then grabbed Thelan Passes of 53 and 62 yards to finish the day with eight catches for 214 yards and an amazing six scores in a record single game points haul of 40 (6 TD's plus two 2 point conversions). A consolation touchdown for the 'never say die' Senators made the final score 70 - 14 and with the other results going to form Leeds had sneaked into the play-offs to face top rated Manchester Spartans in the quarterfinals.

The Spartans had finished the regular season with a 9 - 1 record and were effectively unbeaten, having forfeited their final game to avoid the lengthy and expensive journey to play, in Glasgow. The league was outraged at such an action, which was claimed to go against the 'spirit of the game', and immediately stripped them of home-field advantage, instructing them to travel to play the Cougars. This action caused a certain amount of panic in the Leeds camp as regular venue, McLaren Field was unavailable due to re-seeding, and three days were then spent searching for a suitable venue to host the game Appeals were mode on radio and finally, late on the Thursday afternoon following hundreds of 'phone calls, the Herringthorpe Stadium in Rotherham was obtained. The field was marked out late Friday, and the Cougar management sent out notices to press and radio only to be amazed when the Spartans obtained a court injunction, against the League, and the game was given back to the Spartans.

No wonder feelings were running high amongst players and fans , it was amazing how so many Cougar supporters made the journey to Hyde in time , the incident with Cougar admission tickets, though mildly amusing, did not help the situation, but most laughable was Spartans coach Terry Smiths action to call in the local constabulary because he feared for his safety!! Well known for being fearsome are the Cougar Fans! The game itself was a real cracker which started slowly and built to an amazing climax The early exchanges were dominated by Defence, before the Spartans broke the deadlock on a 40 yard Quarterback scramble which was quickly added to with former Cougar Tim Casey adding a 6 yard catch for a 14 - 0 lead. Leeds fired back with a good drive culminating in a touchdown pass from Thelan to striking partner Brenner and we were right back in the game. They were back in the game for all of 30 seconds as the ensuing kick-off was returned 95 yards and the Spartans went into the break leading 21 - 6.

Needing something to get them back into the game, the Cougars halted an early Spartan drive to concede only a field goal, and then returned a fumble for the score to trail 24 - 12 at the end of the third. The Spartans began to fly as the game built to an exciting finish, with the Spartans extending to 31 - 12 on a two yard run before Leeds hit back with Chris Thomas blasting in on two scores and a Joe Martin grab against one further Spartan score. The pressure was on and the Cougars were scenting victory when the Spartans pulled out one final effort The Spartans line worked well to create the hole and a routine hand-off become a major play by being advanced from halfway for the clinching score. With little time remaining the Cougars attempted to pull back with a quick strike only to be intercepted by the grateful Spartans secondary to enable the Manchester side to run down the clock for a 45 - 36 victory which would advance them to a game against Glasgow Lions in the semi-final

So that was that a season which had started so full of confidence had limped along and finally fizzled out under controversial circumstances as the Cougars had once again make the play-offs but were unable to make any real impression when the chips were down. Throughout the regular season the Cougars had played hard and with a conviction which had not been well received by all, as they had obtained a reputation of being the 'bad boys' of the League. Fines were imposed by the League for a catalogue of alleged incidents and many people were left with the impression that the Cougars were being 'singled out' at every opportunity both on and off the field. Discipline within the team appeared to have deteriorated or, judging by the number of penalty flags thrown through the season, it had disappeared altogether, a fact which to those watching on a regular basis was clearly, untrue. Frustrations at not being able to compete to the level of the previous year were obviously partly to blame, and the hope was that the Cougars could once again build to remain competitive in the years to come.