THE Scottish Claymores are Britain's representatives in the six-team NFL
Europe League playing against opposition from Amsterdam, Barcelona, Berlin,
Dusseldorf and Frankfurt during an 11-week season from April to June.
Each NFL Europe
League season culminates in the World Bowl which, in season 2003, was played in Glasgow on June 14.
The NFL Europe League is allied to the National Football League - America's
biggest sports league. All six NFL Europe League teams are owned and
operated by the NFL.Each NFL Europe League team consists of 34 American players; eight home-based 'national' players and one additional quarterback of any nationality.
The quality of play in the League is second only to the NFL itself. Over 200 players were allocated to the NFL Europe League from 32 NFL teams for the 2003 season.
The Atlantic crossing
works both ways. The number of Claymores graduating back to NFL teams
continues to grow, with as many as 30 former stars playing for NFL teams
during the 2002 season. Furthermore, there was double joy for the Claymores
as Barry Sims and Aaron Stecker played for the Oakland Raiders and Tampa Bay
Buccaneers respectively at Super Bowl XXXVII.Team History
Team Name: The Scottish Claymores are named after the historical two-edged sword formerly used by warriors of the Scottish clans.
Team Colours: Blue, Silver and Black
Stadium: Hampden Park, Glasgow
Established in 1995, the Claymores posted a disappointing 2-8 record in their inaugural season at Murrayfield Stadium led by head coach Jim Criner. The next season the club bounced back from worst to first, recording a 7-3 regular season standing, including a 4-1 record to be crowned first-half champions. The Claymores hosted World Bowl '96, defeating Frankfurt Galaxy 32-27 in front of 38,982 fans at Murrayfield on June 23.
In 1997, the Claymores broke even with a 5-5 regular season record but in
1998 suffered crippling injuries and finished with a 2-8 mark. The
Claymores played for first time in Glasgow at the National Stadium Hampden
Park during the 98 season - Week 8 loss to Frankfurt.In 1999, quarterback Dameyune Craig led the Claymores to three wins from their opening four games and threw for an NFL Europe League single-game record 611 yards in a dramatic 42-35 win at Frankfurt in Week 6. That performance earned Craig recognition from the Pro Football Hall of Fame in Canton, Ohio, however, despite the young quarterback's efforts, the Claymores could not maintain a winning consistency, fading in the second half of the season to finish 4-6.
Season 2000 saw the Claymores continue to play home games at Hampden and
Murrayfield before a return to the World Bowl on the back of a 6-4 winning
season. Two Claymores players earned League MVP honours with Tampa Bay
Buccaneers allocated running back Aaron Stecker awarded Offensive Player of
the Year Honours and Dallas Cowboys allocated cornerback Duane Hawthorne
Defensive Player of the Year. However, the Scots were denied ultimate glory
losing 13-10 to Rhein Fire in a thrilling finale at Frankfurt's Waldstadion
- long-time head coach Jim Criner's last game with the club.Gene Dahlquist took over as head coach for the Claymores in season 2001 and posted a 4-6 record, with all home fixtures played at Hampden Park for the first time.
Hampden Park lays claim to being the world's oldest football stadium, established in 1867. It holds the record for the largest attendance at a sporting event in Britain when, in 1937 a staggering 149,415 crammed into its stands to watch Scotland play England in a Home International match. Scotland's National Stadium has recently undergone a ?63 million, seven-year re-development making it one of Europe's premier sporting stadia with a capacity of 52,500.
The World Bowl
The World Bowl is the Championship game of the NFL Europe League. Played annually at the conclusion to the 10 game regular season between the teams placed 1 and 2 in the final standings.
To the delight of football fans in Scotland, the NFL and NFL Europe League announced in March that World Bowl XI will be played at Hampden Stadium in Glasgow in June 2003.
One of the heaviest trophies in professional sports, the World Bowl is a solid glass sphere weighing 41lbs and standing 14 inches high. The sphere, which is an outline of the world, was etched with a high-pressured knife by hand. It was produced by John Morrison, of Cornerstone Glassworks of Dallas, Texas. In comparison, the Vince Lombardi Trophy, awarded annually to the winner of the Super Bowl, weighs 6.7 pounds
The game is played at a venue decided before the season. World Bowl 2000 will be played at the Waldstadion in Frankfurt, Germany. Frankfurt has hosted the World Bowl twice while Dusseldorf, Barcelona, Edinburgh, Amsterdam, Montreal and London have all hosted one.
| Year | Team | Score | Team |
| 1991 | London Monarchs | 21 - 0 | Barcelona Dragons |
| 1992 | Sacremento Surge | 21 - 17 | Orlando Thunder |
| 1995 | Frankfurt Galaxy | 26 - 22 | Amsterdam Admirals |
| 1996 | Scottish Claymores | 32 - 27 | Frankfurt Galaxy |
| 1997 | Barcelona Dragons | 38 - 24 | Rhein Fire |
| 1998 | Rhein Fire | 34 - 10 | Frankfurt Galaxy |
| 1999 | Frankfurt Galaxy | 38 - 24 | Barcelona Dragons |
| 2000 | Rhein Fire | 13 - 10 | Scottish Claymores |
| 2001 | Barcelona Dragons | 17 - 24 | Berlin Thunder |
| 2002 | Rhein Fire | 20 - 26 | Berlin Thunder |
| 2003 | Frankfurt Galaxy | 35 - 16 | Rhein Fire |