Bradford history

A potted history of Bradford Bulls, from the club's early roots to to today's Super League club.

1907: Directors of Bradford Rugby Club, who had been founder members of the Northern Rugby Union in 1895, form a professional football team at the club's Park Avenue home, forcing the club to relaunch as Bradford Northern. 1908-34: Club struggles for financial survival, finishing bottom of the league five times and second-bottom six times. 1933: Club signs 10-year lease with council for a former quarry being used as a waste dump at Odsal Top. September 1, 1934: First game at Odsal Stadium. April 1, 1939: New English attendance record of 64,453 set as Odsal hosts Challenge Cup semi-final between Halifax and Leeds. 1944: Northern win Challenge Cup for the first time, beating Wigan over two matches. 1947: A second Challenge Cup success after defeating Leeds 8-4 at Wembley. 1949: Northern beat Halifax 12-0 in front of over 95,000 people at Wembley to win the Challenge Cup for third time in five years. 1954: Challenge Cup final between Warrington and Halifax at Odsal attracts a crowd given officially as 102,569, a world record for a rugby league match which stood until 1999, although the unofficial attendance was thought to be around 120,000. December 10, 1963: Club go out of business, having attracted a record low crowd of 324 for a game against Barrow on November 23. 1964: Northern reform and are accepted back into the league. 1973-74: Appearance record holder Keith Mumby makes debut aged 16. He goes on to make a total of 576 appearances for the club. 1980: Northern win RFL Championship for the first time, retaining the title the following year. 1985: Northern sell Ellery Hanley to Wigan for a then British record fee of £80,000 plus a player exchange. 1995-96: The club are renamed the Bradford Bulls, with the first Super League season beginning in March 1996. 1997: Bulls win Super League title. 2000: Bulls win Challenge Cup for first time in 51 years, beating Leeds 24-18. 2001: Beat Wigan 37-6 to win Super League Grand Final. 2002: Crowned world club champions for the first time after beating Australian side Newcastle Knights 41-26. The Bulls also achieve this accolade in 2004 and 2006. 2003: Bulls become the first club to win the Challenge Cup and Super League Grand Final in the same season. Brian Noble's side beat the Leeds Rhinos 22-20 to win the Challenge Cup, then went on to lift the League Leaders Shield for finishing top of the Super League before beating Wigan Warriors 25-12 in the Grand Final. 2005: Bulls recover from slipping to 11th to claim their fourth Super League crown. 2006: Stuart Fielden leaves to link up with former Bradford coach Brian Noble at Wigan for a world record transfer fee. 2007: Bradford are eliminated in the play-offs by Wigan after having a 24-point lead overturned. 2009: Bulls fail to qualify for the Super League play-offs for the first time. 2010: Head coach Steve McNamara ends contract by mutual consent to become England boss on a full-time basis. 2011: Former St Helens boss Mick Potter takes over as new head coach but cannot improve on the previous year's 10th place finish, meaning the Bulls miss out on the play-offs for the third straight season. 2012: Club at "death's door" due to crippling debts.