A Brief History of the Warwick Wolves
Click HERE for a list of retired wolves Jerseys
The Warwick Wolves were founded in 1988, and the following year joined the British Collegiate American Football League (BCAFL). With the help of head coach Graham Huber and several experienced players, the team went 7-0-1 and earned a position in the playoffs.
The year ended with a 16-14 loss to eventual College Bowl IV champion, Teesside. In their second season, the Wolves again made the playoffs, with a 5-1-2 record, but again lost in the first round.
For five seasons a lack of consistent offense plagued the team. Through much of that period, however, the Wolves featured two of the best players in the league: two-way lineman Andy Starling, who was twice named national lineman of the year, and three-time Great Britain Bulldogs linebacker Jake Box. At the end of the 1995-96 season, the Wolves’ first ‘Old Boys Game’ was played, with 30 former Warwick players participating. In 1996-97, under new coach Graham Corner, the Wolves recorded their first winning season in six years.
Lean times followed until the 2003-2004 season when under Coach Lawrence “Andy” Capp, the Wolves reached the playoffs for the first time in over ten years. The record of 6 wins and only 2 losses (both to local rivals Birmingham) was the Wolves best season since their formation year. Unfortunately the campaign was ended in the conference semi-final away at Southampton.
2004-2005 saw a transitional season for the Wolves, having lost a number of players to graduation at the end of the previous season. The record of 4 wins and 4 losses was disappointing but this was countered by the individual success of a number of players in representing both the southern All Star team, and subsequently the Great Britain National side – the Bulldogs.
The 2005-2006 season has seen the Wolves undertake a complete re-branding exercise. Primarily this has seen the development of a new logo which offers a great example of the new look and forward thinking Wolves.
The 2006/7 looked like it would be one of the most promising years for the Wolves. Coach Graham Huber returned as head coach and brought in a raft of Coventry Jets players to aid in coaching. The Wolves had a strong backbone of veterans such as GB defensive lineman Adam O’Reilly and GB offensive lineman Pete Downes. There was also a strong intake of rookies who looked like they would be able to help improve an already solid squad.
With the promise the team showed at the beginning of the season, the team can’t but be disappointed with a final season record of 3-4 (W/L). Two results in particular hurt the Wolves; close loses to division rivals Birmingham and Aberystwyth.
Coach Huber and the Wolves parted ways at the end of the season both looking to go in new directions.
Following this, the wolves underwent a radical change in team organisation and management. For the 07/08 season, a totally new array of coaches joined us, spearheaded by American Head coach, Errol Wilson. This seemed to pay off in the recruitment stages as the team had in excess of 100 members tryout for the squad. The first half of the season was tough. The Wolves team was heavily pregnant with rookies learning quickly from their mistakes, yet not quickly enough. Gaining no wins and the eventual loss of the head coach lead into the second phase of the season, which turned out to be a turnaround in fortune as the Wolves managed 2 wins and a draw in the seasons final matches. This game winning mentality was brought into fruition by the management of the new head coach Daniel Jacobs and his O/D co-ordinators, Martin Evans/Stuart Coles, respectively.
The team now looks foward to the new season, where many of the rookies will be able to build upon a solid learning curve in their first season, and hope to establish a new Wolves legacy.