Rhein Fire (NFL Europe)

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Rhein Fire
Team logo
Founded1995
Closed2007
Based inDüsseldorf, Germany (1995–2002, 2005–2007)
Gelsenkirchen, Germany (2003–2004)
Home fieldRheinstadion (1995–2002)
Arena AufSchalke (2003–2004)
LTU arena (2005–2007)
LeagueWorld League of American Football (NFL Europe)
ColorsMaroon, Black, Gold, White[1]
       
World Bowls (2)

The Rhein Fire were a professional football team in the NFL Europe, formerly the World League of American Football. Established in Germany in 1995, the franchise resurrected the name of the former Birmingham Fire team which was active during the 1991–1992 WLAF seasons.

History[edit]

The team were based in Düsseldorf (and early on was occasionally referred to in the U.S. as the Düsseldorf Fire), playing its games in LTU arena since 2005 season. Prior to this the team played in Rheinstadion until 2002 and in FC Schalke 04's Arena AufSchalke from 2003 to 2004 in nearby city Gelsenkirchen while LTU arena was being built. The team shared facilities with the football (soccer) club Fortuna Düsseldorf. The Fire hosted the World Bowl a record five times: in 1999 and 2002 in the Rheinstadion, in 2004 in Gelsenkirchen, and in 2005 and 2006 in the LTU arena.

The Fire was one of NFL Europa's most successful teams as far as fan appeal and competitively on the field[citation needed]. The team itself played for five World Bowl championships throughout its history, winning in 1998 (over the Frankfurt Galaxy) and 2000 (over the Scottish Claymores).

Season-by-season[edit]

Season League Regular season Postseason
Won Lost Ties Win % Finish Won Lost Win % Result
1995 WLAF 4 6 0 .400 5th (League)
1996 WLAF 3 7 0 .300 6th (League)
1997 WLAF 7 3 0 .700 1st (League) 0 1 .000 Lost to Barcelona Dragons in World Bowl '97
1998 NFLE 7 3 0 .700 2nd (League) 1 0 1.000 World Bowl '98 champions
1999 NFLE 6 4 0 .600 3rd (League)
2000 NFLE 7 3 0 .700 1st (League) 1 0 1.000 World Bowl 2000 champions
2001 NFLE 5 5 0 .500 3rd (League)
2002 NFLE 7 3 0 .700 1st (League) 0 1 .000 Lost to Berlin Thunder in World Bowl X
2003 NFLE 6 4 0 .600 2nd (League) 0 1 .000 Lost to Frankfurt Galaxy in World Bowl XI
2004 NFLE 3 7 0 .300 5th (League)
2005 NFLE 3 7 0 .300 6th (League)
2006 NFLE 6 4 0 .600 3rd (League)
2007 NFLE 4 6 0 .400 4th (League)
Total 68 62 0 .523 2 3 .400

Coaching history[edit]

Head coaches[edit]

# Name Term Regular season Postseason Achievements
GC Won Lost Ties Win % GC Won Lost Win %
1 Galen Hall 19952000 60 34 26 0 .567 3 2 1 .667 2 World Bowl championships (1998, 2000)
World League Coach of the Year (1997)
NFL Europe Coach of the Year (2000)
2 Pete Kuharchek 20012005 50 24 26 0 .480 2 0 2 .000
3 Jim Tomsula 2006 10 6 4 0 .600
4 Rick Lantz 2007 10 4 6 0 .400

Assistant coaches[edit]

Notable players[edit]

Other notable personnel[edit]

  • Alexander Leibkind – General Manager 1996–2004
  • Ken Karcher – Assistant coach for the Fire, was previously an NFL replacement player and later became a collegiate head coach.
  • Oliver Luck – General Manager 1995, became league president the following year.

References[edit]

  1. ^ "Team Colors – NFLE". SSUR.org. Retrieved 2010-02-17.
  2. ^ Schlüter (2019-05-23). "In memoriam: Manfred Burgsmüller". Football-Aktuell (in German). Retrieved 2022-10-24.