Glasgow Lions
The Glasgow Lions were the first amateur American football team to be founded in Scotland. They were founded in 1984, and disbanded after the 1996 season owing to a competitive imbalance in their league.
In 1985 they played the Edinburgh Eagles, beating them 29-12 in an away game at Meadowbank Stadium, in front of a crowd of 3,471. This was the first intercity game of American football in Europe.
Their semi-contact junior flag football program continued beyond that point, playing until 2001, still dominating Scottish football. On 1 November 1987 the Glasgow Lions Junior Squad, Champions of Scotland, travelled to Leicester to play the Leicester Panthers in the 'Battle of Britain', the first international junior kitted match ever. The Junior Lions won the match.
The players were:
10 Peter Tonner QB 11 Scott Couper WR 12 Gareth Cowie QB 20 Paul McLauchlan Safety 21 John Tonner CB 26 Mark Stewart CB 28 James Connolly QB 29 John Logan TE 32 William Carroll RB 33 Ricardo Corvi RB 34 Mark Donaldson KR/Safety 39 Brian Carlton DE 44 Gerry Barlow RB 45 Kenny Matthews CB 52 Rab Russell LB 54 Crawford Irwin G/DT 55 James Dougall C/LB 58 Alan Howatt G/LB 68 Alan Steel T/DE/K/All round genius 74 Wain Mun Lee 84 Andrew McGowan 86 Stephen Paul DE 87 Brendan Farrelly WR 88 Andrew Edwards WR 95 Gary McAleese TE/DE
Head Coach: Jim Ferrans Secretary: Kenny Milroy Kitman: Willie Lothian Mascot: Zelda
The Lions competed in a number of different British and Scottish leagues during their existence. Lions Wide receiver Scott Couper turned professional in 1995 with the Scottish Claymores.