IAFL College Bowl
| First played | 2007 |
|---|---|
| Last played | 2019 |
The IAFL College Bowl was a college football tournament contested by collegiate participants of the Irish American Football League between 2006 and 2019. Four teams competed in the championship: the UL Vikings, the DCU Saints, Trinity College, and UCD.[1] The final champions were UCD, having defeated the UL Vikings 17-8 in 2019.[2][3]
History
[edit]Initially, the championship was a single game between the two collegiate participants of the IAFL, the DCU Saints and UL Vikings, overseen by the Colleges and Universities Sports Association of Ireland (CUSAI).[4][2]The UL Vikings were victorious in the first three iterations, defeating the DCU Saints by scores of 58-0, 50-2 and 47-12.[2] In 2009, the championship became a four-team tournament with the addition of Trinity College and UCD. The Vikings were again successful, defeating the Saints in the final.
In 2010, Trinity College captured the Championship for the first time in spectacular fashion. Facing the UL Vikings in Limerick, the game finished 12-6 after triple overtime (7 quarters) and 3 hours and 45 minutes of play; an IAFL record for match length. The victory was sealed in the third quarter of overtime with a touchdown from Rob McDowell. Linebacker Stephen Carton was named game MVP.[5] The club retained their title in 2011, defeating UCD by a margin of 7-0.[1]
The College Bowl was reformatted by the IAFL as the IAFL Intervarsity Championship in 2014, in line with a league reorganization that allowed collegiate teams to participate alongside other IAFL teams in competition for the Shamrock Bowl.[6][2] After the restructuring of the IAFL into American Football Ireland (AFI) in 2020 and two years of suspended play in 2020 and 2021 across all competitions, the league has not addressed the potential return of the Intervarsity Championship; while DCU Saints disbanded in 2013[7] and Trinity College experienced a hiatus beginning in 2024,[8] UCD and UL Vikings have continued to field full-kitted AFI sides.[2]
Results
[edit]| Date | Winning team | Losing team | Location | Notes | Ref. | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| March 19, 2006 | UL Vikings | 58 | DCU Saints | 0 | University of Limerick | [2][9] | |
| June 3, 2007 | UL Vikings | 50 | DCU Saints | 2 | DCU Sports Grounds | [2] | |
| July 6, 2008 | UL Vikings | 47 | DCU Saints | 12 | DCU Sports Grounds | [2] | |
| November 21, 2009 | UL Vikings | 22 | DCU Saints | 0 | University of Limerick | Trinity College came 3rd, defeating UCD 8-0 | [10][11][2] |
| November 20, 2010 | Trinity College | 12 | UL Vikings | 6 | University of Limerick | UCD and DCU did not compete | [5] |
| December 3, 2011 | Trinity College | 7 | UCD | 0 | Trinity Sports Grounds | UL Vikings did not compete | [1] |
| 2012 | Trinity College | UL Vikings | [2] | ||||
| 2013 | Trinity College | 12 | UL Vikings | 0 | University of Limerick | [2][12] | |
| 2014 | UCD | 26 | Trinity College | 20 | [2] | ||
| 2017 | UCD | UL Vikings | [2] | ||||
| 2018 | UCD | 8 | Trinity College | 6 | [2] | ||
| November 16, 2019 | UCD | 17 | UL Vikings | 8 | University of Limerick | [2][3] | |
References
[edit]- ^ a b c Trinity Players visit Temple Street Hospital | IAFA
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o American Football Ireland Intervarsity Championship 2006–present – Eirball
- ^ a b UCD retain the Intervarsity Championship – American Football Ireland
- ^ "Irish American Football League :: I A F L ::". Archived from the original on 2016-03-03. Retrieved 2012-01-17.
- ^ a b Trinity College win College Championship | IAFA
- ^ Irish American Football League announces 2013 League Line-up | IAFA
- ^ DCU Saints withdraw from SBC – American Football Ireland
- ^ Irish American Football 2025 Season Preview – Gaelic Gridiron
- ^ IAFA – 19 March 2006 (archived)
- ^ "Vikings win inaugural College Bowl". Archived from the original on 2010-05-01. Retrieved 2012-01-17.
- ^ IAFS • View topic - University Champs[permanent dead link]
- ^ DUAFc triumph over Limerick Vikings – Trinity News (10 Jan 2014)