Southern Districts Gridiron Club

The Southern Districts Oilers, then known as the Longhorns, were one of the four founding clubs in 1985, along with the East Side Razorbacks, Port Adelaide Spartans and the Brighton Breakers.

After 4 years, the league expanded by three teams - The Hectorville Eagles, South City Chiefs and the North Side Lions.

The first season as the new Oilers, consisting of a core of hardened Longhorn veterans, recruited well, matured quickly and went on to be a very competitive club.

In the 2002/2003 season, the Oilers finished Minor Premiers, not taking the Grand Final, but setting the bench mark as the team to beat.

Motivated by key veterans Ken Gaudette, George Williams and Brett Hegarty, rising players Ben Stevens, Rob West-Mcinnes and Jarrad Anderson and the muscle of Michael "Fabs" Snell, Dan Reeves and James Sprules, the Oilers made two strong drives and used a turnover to help complete their goal and snapped a league record winning streak.