Nick Tilbury: 35 Years, Six Bowl Games, and One Very Dysfunctional Family

By Mike Ireland, Minister for Sport and Culture for the Principality of Sealand

Next up in our Legends series is a man who's been playing and coaching American football for longer than some of our players have been alive. Ladies and gentlemen, Nick Tilbury.

A Lifetime in the Game

Nick's been playing for around 35 years and coaching for about 13 of those, so there's a fair bit of history to get through. He's been to six bowl games in that time and reckons he's 3-3, though he's quick to point out one of those losses came while he was injured, so as far as he's concerned it's really 3-2. Fair comment really. 

He worked his way up from two touch to kitted youth football before ageing into senior football with the MK Pioneers back in 1992. As a kid he'd watched the Pioneers play at the MK Bowl, so getting to actually pull the shirt on himself was one of the coolest experiences of his young life. Playing alongside your heroes is one of those things you never forget, and as Nick says himself, his kids will be able to relate one day, assuming they end up just as daft about the sport as he is.

How Budapest Happened

Nick's route into the Seahawks came through Neale McMaster, who'd been involved in the prequel to the Seahawks, the Thundering Herd. Neale asked Nick for a hand running the offence, and it sounded like a good time and a decent excuse to visit a country he'd never been to.

"Next thing I knew I was in Budapest!"

That's the Seahawks for you, one conversation and suddenly you're on a plane somewhere you never expected to be.

Becoming a Legend

Ask Nick how it feels to be named a Legend and he'll say that he feels a bit of an imposter looking at the company he's keeping. It's not something he saw coming, and he says he's truly honoured by it. Given the CV above, I'd say the company's lucky to have him, not the other way round.

Where He Hopes the Club Is Going

Nick wants to see the Seahawks keep pushing boundaries and opening up new possibilities for players and coaches alike. New countries, new friends, new experiences, and of course, new victories. Simple enough, and exactly the kind of thing that's kept this whole mad project rolling since day one.

Advice for Anyone Thinking of Joining

Nick's message is short and to the point: do it. He reckons most people worry about parachuting into an already established group, but says this is about as welcoming a bunch as you'll find. He'd have no hesitation reaching out to a fellow club member for help, and just as importantly, he believes they'd step up for him too.

"It's cheesy to say we're family, but in a weird dysfunctional way that only Mike Ireland could create, that's what we are!"

I'll take that as a compliment, dysfunction and all.

What the Seahawks Means to Him

Nick's no longer involved with a domestic American football club, so the Seahawks give him his coaching fix all wrapped up in one package, with the added bonus of getting to see his mates in a different country every single year. Honestly, that's about as good a summary of what this whole thing is for as you're likely to get.

Here's to Tilbs, thirty five years deep and still going...

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