The man who guided and orchestrated the rise of the Coventry Jets from Division Two obscurity to National Champions in just five years, Gerry McManus, has finally kept his promise to his family and stepped down as Head Coach and General Manager of the club.
He now intends to devote more time to his wife and two children. A spokesman for the club revealed that McManus had been helping groom his successors during the past season and that they will be announced in the coming weeks.
Whoever they are they'll have some big boots to fill as Gerry has been
part of the American football scene in Coventry since 1984, when he
played for the Warwickshire Bears. In the Bears first match away to
Southampton he made an impact and got himself on the score sheet.
He went onto play for Coventry Bears, CMK Bucks, Birmingham Bulls and Coventry Jaguars.
McManus led the Jets to the play-offs for 7 consecutive seasons,
winning through to the final on every occasion. The highlight of the
run came in 2008 when coming from a perfect 8-0 season the Jets faced the London Blitz to contest for the National Championship. In a nail biting encounter the Jets snatched victory 33-32 with only seconds
remaining in the game.
“I've often been asked about the bad times at the Jets” remarked
McManus, “but to be honest there haven't been any. Even in our first
season as the Jaguars and finishing the season with a losing record of
0-8. I always felt that we were moving in the right direction.” He
continued, “I still feel the same way now, despite a losing season the
experience gained by the young team will stand them in good stead for
the next campaign. Another plus factor for the club is the structure
beneath the senior team, next year will see several talented athletes
graduate from the Junior team, and with players from the Youth
stepping up to replace them the future is looking promising’
As the high points, McManus seemed spoilt for choice “there were so
many where do I start? Britbowl XXII, what a great advert for our
sport, I was so proud of the team. I asked them to dig deep at half
time to show the spirit that had seen us win in Oslo and run the
Raiders so close. To a man they responded, Jeremy Simms’ 4th down
reception was amazing and seems to get overlooked but that’s what put us position for a chance to win the game and Fraser stepped up and nailed it with a field goal”.
“Winning our group in Eurobowl was very satisfying as everyone had
written us off and I honestly believe that if we’d travelled to
Austria with a full-strength team we’d have run them even closer.
Stepping out at the Ricoh Arena was also a momentous occasion and a great game to boot. I leave the best team in football with no regrets
and know that it’s in good hands. It’s time now to turn my attention
to my family so it just remains for me to thank my wife Moira for her
patience and understanding over the past 8 years”. He finished with “I
would like to thank all the players and coaches who have played a
major part in our success over the last 8 years, we have had some lows but a hell of a lot of highs and I was very fortunate to be surrounded by some Britball legends. It was an honour and privilege thank you all very much.”
Everyone from the whole Jets organisation wish Gerry all the best for
whatever he chooses to do in the future, and look forward to seeing
him at next seasons games.
Coventry Jets achievements under Head Coach McManus:
Team Records
3rd longest winning streak in British American football history, 32
domestic games (2005-2007).
4th Highest average points scored, 61.0, 2005.
5th Most points scored in a season, 610, 2005.
3rd Least points conceded in a season, 6, 2005.
7th Least points conceded in a season, 21, 2006.
Team Honours
BAFL Britbowl Champions, 2008.
BAFL Premier Division Champions, 2008.
BAFL Britbowl Finalist, 2007, 2009 and 2010
Nominated for Sports Team of the Year by Coventry, Solihull and
Warwickshire Sports Awards, 2007.
Milano Bowl Champions, 2007.
Nominated for Sports Team of the Year by Coventry, Solihull and
Warwickshire Sports Awards, 2006.
Cassidy Bowl Champions, 2006.
BAFL 1A Champions, 2006.
BAFL 1A North Conference Champions, 2006.
BAFL 2 Champions, 2005.
BAFL 2 North Champions, 2005.
BAFL 2 Central Conference Champions, 2005.