page_title: Leicester Tigers
section_title: Success in professional and European era (1993–2003)
hierarchical_section_title: Leicester Tigers / History / Success in professional and European era (1993–2003)
caption_attribution_description: Leicester Tigers' Geordan Murphy. Leicester Tigers vs Bath, Aviva Premiership, Welford Road, Saturday 1st December 2012
context_page_description: Leicester Tigers are a professional rugby union club based in Leicester, England. They play in Premiership Rugby, England's top division of rugby.
  The club was founded in 1880 and since 1892 plays its home matches at Welford Road Stadium in the south of the city. The club has been known by the nickname Tigers since at least 1885. In the 2018–19 Premiership Rugby season Tigers finished 11th, this entitled them to compete in the 2019-20 European Rugby Challenge Cup. The current director of rugby is Geordan Murphy, who was appointed as head coach in September 2018 before taking on his current role in July 2020.
  Leicester FC have won 20 major titles. They were European Champions twice, back-to-back in 2001 and 2002; have won a record 10 English Championships; and have won eight Anglo-Welsh Cups, most recently in 2017. Leicester last won the Premiership Rugby title in the 2013 and appeared in a record nine successive Premiership finals, from 2005 to 2013. Leicester are one of only four teams never to have been relegated from the top division.
context_section_description: From 1993 to 2002 Leicester enjoyed a remarkable nine trophies in ten years. This streak started when Leicester won the 1993 Pilkington Cup. In 1993/94 Tigers finished runners up in the Courage League to Bath. Leicester finished as Courage League champion in 1994–95.
  The advent of the 1995–96 season brought two important changes: rugby union (and consequently the Tigers) became professional, and European club competition began in the form of the Heineken cup. The 1995/96 season was another of just missing out to perennial rivals Bath who secured a league and cup double after defeating Leicester in the Pilkington Cup final. In Leicester's debut season in the Heineken Cup the team reached the final, losing 28-9 against Brive. Leicester won the 1997 Pilkington Cup Final 9–3 against Sale.  That summer Martin Johnson was named as captain for the 1997 British Lions tour to South Africa. In February 1998 Dean Richards was appointed as Director of Rugby following Bob Dwyer's sacking.
  Under Richards, Leicester entered a golden age, winning four consecutive Premiership Rugby titles in 1999, 2000, 2001 and 2002, as well as back to back Heineken Cups in 2001 and 2002.
  During the 1998-99 Premiership the Tigers title was sealed in the penultimate match of the season. In the 1999-2000 Premiership season Leicester retained their title. Tigers' third successive Premiership title was sealed early on 17 March 2001.  In the 2001 Heineken Cup final Tigers beat Stade Francais 34-30 to secure the club's first continental title. Tigers had won the inaugural Premiership play offs the week before so also sealed an unprecedented treble.  That summer Martin Johnson was named captain for the 2001 British and Irish Lions tour to Australia, becoming the first man to lead two tours.
  Leicester became the first side to retain a European title after beating Munster 15-9 in the 2002 Heineken Cup Final. Leicester also retained their fourth successive Premiership title in 2002. This brought the club's total to six championships, tying Bath's record. During this time Leicester went 57 games unbeaten at home from 30 December 1997 to 30 November 2002 and earned 52 successive wins.  During these four seasons, Leicester lost only 14 games out of the 92 they played.
  During the 2003-04 season, Leicester's form suffered and with eight games left in the season Dean Richards was sacked.  After Richards' departure Tigers turned to his assistant coach John Wells,  who guided Leicester to the regular season top of the league in his only full season.  In Martin Johnson and Neil Back's last game for Leicester they lost the Premiership Final to London Wasps.
caption: Geordan Murphy, pictured in 2012, played 322 games for Leicester between 1997 and 2013.  He is the most decorated player in the club's history with 8 Premiership titles, 2 European titles and 2 Anglo-Welsh cups.
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