Munich Cowboys
Encyclopedia
The Munich Cowboys are an American football
team based in Munich
, Germany
. The club, together with the Düsseldorf Panther
and the Ansbach Grizzlies
, is one of the oldest in Germany. The team refers to itself as The Grand Old Team of the South.
The club has one national championship to its name, winning the German Bowl
in 1993. As of 2010, the club has played more GFL games then any other team, 335, followed by the Berlin Adler
with 312, the only other team with more than 300 league games. The Cowboys have played 29 out of a possible 32 seasons at the highest level of the game in Germany, more than any other club.
In 1979, the Cowboys became a founding member of the American Football Bundesliga, renamed the German Football League
in 1999, together with the Frankfurter Löwen
, Düsseldorf Panther, Ansbach Grizzlies, Berlin Bears und Bremerhaven Seahawks
.
The Cowboys made their first appearance in the national championship game, the German Bowl, in 1992, but lost the game to the Düsseldorf Panther by a point.
The 1993 season saw the clubs greatest success. It reached the German Bowl once more, this time against the Cologne Crocodiles
. Playing at home in Munich, the Cowboys where 7-20 behind at half time but managed to equalise 29-29 at the end of regular time. The team then turned the game around and defeated the Crocodiles 42-36 to win their first, and of 2011, only national championship.
After an era of lesser success, the team came close to reaching the German Bowl once more in 2000 and 2001 when, on both occasions, Munich lost to the Braunschweig Lions
in the semi-finals.
After 22 consecutive seasons at the highest level of German football, the Bundesliga and, later, the GFL, the Cowboys withdrew to the tier-three Regionalliga Süd for the 2003 season. The clubs exile in the lower leagues was short-lived, winning promotion to the GFL 2 on first attempt and, from there, to the GFL in 2004. The team was however relegated from the GFL again in 2006.
Munich returned to the GFL in the 2008 season and came third in the southern division, losing once more to the Braunschweig Lions in the play-offs. The year 2009 was less successful and the Cowboys were almost relegated once more.
The team continued to be present in the GFL in 2010, where it was once more troubled by relegation fears but survived and will stay in the league for 2011. Phil Hickey, coach of the team and a member of the 1993 championship-winning side, is confident that he can take the Cowboys back to championship contention by 2012.
The club suffers from strong competition within the city from other sports, especially the association football clubs FC Bayern Munich
and TSV 1860 Munich as well as the ice hockey team EHC München. Additionally, the ambitious basketball team of the FC Bayern Munich took over the clubs chearleading team in 2009. The Cowboys, who attracted 1,100 spectators per game in 2009 suffered a 30 percent drop in attendance in 2010. In 2011, the Cowboys finished fourth in their division and qualified for the play-offs once more, where they were knocked out by the Kiel Baltic Hurricanes
in the quarter finals.
The Munich Cowboys Ladies team has been quite successful in its recent past, reaching the Ladies Bowl on five occasions and winning it in 2005 and 2006.
American football
American football is a sport played between two teams of eleven with the objective of scoring points by advancing the ball into the opposing team's end zone. Known in the United States simply as football, it may also be referred to informally as gridiron football. The ball can be advanced by...
team based in Munich
Munich
Munich The city's motto is "" . Before 2006, it was "Weltstadt mit Herz" . Its native name, , is derived from the Old High German Munichen, meaning "by the monks' place". The city's name derives from the monks of the Benedictine order who founded the city; hence the monk depicted on the city's coat...
, Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
. The club, together with the Düsseldorf Panther
Düsseldorf Panther
The Düsseldorf Panther are an American football team from Düsseldorf, Germany. The club is the oldest still existing American football club in Europe, having been formed on 1 May 1978....
and the Ansbach Grizzlies
Ansbach Grizzlies
The Ansbach Grizzlies are an American football team based in Ansbach, Germany. The club, together with the Düsseldorf Panther and the Munich Cowboys, is one of the oldest in Germany...
, is one of the oldest in Germany. The team refers to itself as The Grand Old Team of the South.
The club has one national championship to its name, winning the German Bowl
German Bowl
The German Bowl is the annual national championship game in the sport of American football in Germany. It is contested by the two best teams of the German Football League....
in 1993. As of 2010, the club has played more GFL games then any other team, 335, followed by the Berlin Adler
Berlin Adler
The Berlin Adler is an American football club based in Berlin, Germany. The club is one of the most successful clubs in the sport in Germany, having won six German Bowls as well as a ten Ladies Bowls and five Junior Bowls....
with 312, the only other team with more than 300 league games. The Cowboys have played 29 out of a possible 32 seasons at the highest level of the game in Germany, more than any other club.
History
American football in Munich dates back to 1975 when local football enthusiasts met with soldiers of the US Army to play the game. In 1979, the Munich Cowboys club was formed.In 1979, the Cowboys became a founding member of the American Football Bundesliga, renamed the German Football League
German Football League
The German Football League is the elite league for American football in Germany. Playing rules are based on those of the American NCAA....
in 1999, together with the Frankfurter Löwen
Frankfurter Löwen
The Frankfurter Löwen were an American football team from Frankfurt, Germany.The Löwen were the first American football club to be formed in Germany. The club, a founding member of the American Football Bundesliga, was also the winner of the first two editions of the German Bowl...
, Düsseldorf Panther, Ansbach Grizzlies, Berlin Bears und Bremerhaven Seahawks
Bremerhaven Seahawks
The Bremerhaven Seahawks are an American football club from Bremerhaven, Germany.The club is one of the six founding members of the American Football Bundesliga, alongside the Düsseldorf Panther, Frankfurter Löwen, Ansbach Grizzlies, Munich Cowboys and Berlin Bears, but has not played at this level...
.
The Cowboys made their first appearance in the national championship game, the German Bowl, in 1992, but lost the game to the Düsseldorf Panther by a point.
The 1993 season saw the clubs greatest success. It reached the German Bowl once more, this time against the Cologne Crocodiles
Cologne Crocodiles
The Cologne Crocodiles are an American football team from Cologne, Germany.The clubs greatest success came in 2000, when it won the German Bowl for the first and, so far, only time...
. Playing at home in Munich, the Cowboys where 7-20 behind at half time but managed to equalise 29-29 at the end of regular time. The team then turned the game around and defeated the Crocodiles 42-36 to win their first, and of 2011, only national championship.
After an era of lesser success, the team came close to reaching the German Bowl once more in 2000 and 2001 when, on both occasions, Munich lost to the Braunschweig Lions
Braunschweig Lions
The New Yorker Lions are an American Football team from Braunschweig, Germany. Until late 2010, the team was known as the Braunschweig Lions....
in the semi-finals.
After 22 consecutive seasons at the highest level of German football, the Bundesliga and, later, the GFL, the Cowboys withdrew to the tier-three Regionalliga Süd for the 2003 season. The clubs exile in the lower leagues was short-lived, winning promotion to the GFL 2 on first attempt and, from there, to the GFL in 2004. The team was however relegated from the GFL again in 2006.
Munich returned to the GFL in the 2008 season and came third in the southern division, losing once more to the Braunschweig Lions in the play-offs. The year 2009 was less successful and the Cowboys were almost relegated once more.
The team continued to be present in the GFL in 2010, where it was once more troubled by relegation fears but survived and will stay in the league for 2011. Phil Hickey, coach of the team and a member of the 1993 championship-winning side, is confident that he can take the Cowboys back to championship contention by 2012.
The club suffers from strong competition within the city from other sports, especially the association football clubs FC Bayern Munich
FC Bayern Munich
FC Bayern Munich , is a German sports club based in Munich, Bavaria. It is best known for its professional football team, which is the most successful football club in Germany, having won 22 national titles and 15 cups....
and TSV 1860 Munich as well as the ice hockey team EHC München. Additionally, the ambitious basketball team of the FC Bayern Munich took over the clubs chearleading team in 2009. The Cowboys, who attracted 1,100 spectators per game in 2009 suffered a 30 percent drop in attendance in 2010. In 2011, the Cowboys finished fourth in their division and qualified for the play-offs once more, where they were knocked out by the Kiel Baltic Hurricanes
Kiel Baltic Hurricanes
The Kiel Baltic Hurricanes are an American football team based in Kiel, Germany.The club has been, of recent, a strong force in the sport in Germany, playing in four consecutive German Bowls from 2008 to 2011, losing the first two, winning the third and losing the fourth.The club is part of the...
in the quarter finals.
The Munich Cowboys Ladies team has been quite successful in its recent past, reaching the Ladies Bowl on five occasions and winning it in 2005 and 2006.
Men
- German BowlGerman BowlThe German Bowl is the annual national championship game in the sport of American football in Germany. It is contested by the two best teams of the German Football League....
- Champions: 1993
- Runners-up: 1992
- EFLEuropean Football LeagueThe European Football League is a European Cup style tournament for European American Football teams affiliated to EFAF...
- Participations: 1994
- GFLGerman Football LeagueThe German Football League is the elite league for American football in Germany. Playing rules are based on those of the American NCAA....
- Southern Division champions: 1990, 1992, 1993, 1994, 2000, 2001
- Play-off qualification: (19) 1982–85, 1989–2001, 2008, 2011
- League membership: (30) 1979–2002, 2005–06, 2008–present
- GFL 2German Football League 2The German Football League 2 is the second tier of American football in Germany, below the German Football League. Until 2007, the league was known as the 2nd Bundesliga.-League structure:...
- Southern Division champions: 2004, 2007
German Bowl appearances
The clubs appearances in the German Bowl:| Bowl | Date | Champions | Runners-Up | Score | Location | Attendance |
| XIV | October 3, 1992 | Düsseldorf Panther | Munich Cowboys | 24-23 | Hanover Hanover Hanover or Hannover, on the river Leine, is the capital of the federal state of Lower Saxony , Germany and was once by personal union the family seat of the Hanoverian Kings of Great Britain, under their title as the dukes of Brunswick-Lüneburg... |
8,750 |
| XV | September 25, 1993 | Munich Cowboys | Cologne Crocodiles | 42-36 (aet Overtime (sports) Overtime or extra time is an additional period of play specified under the rules of a sport to bring a game to a decision and avoid declaring the match a tie or draw. In most sports, this extra period is only played if the game is required to have a clear winner, as in single-elimination... ) |
Munich Munich Munich The city's motto is "" . Before 2006, it was "Weltstadt mit Herz" . Its native name, , is derived from the Old High German Munichen, meaning "by the monks' place". The city's name derives from the monks of the Benedictine order who founded the city; hence the monk depicted on the city's coat... |
9,000 |
Recent seasons
Recent seasons of the Munich Cowboys:| Year | Division | Finish | Points | Pct. | Games | W | D | L | PF | PA | Postseason |
| 2005 | GFL German Football League The German Football League is the elite league for American football in Germany. Playing rules are based on those of the American NCAA.... (South) |
5th | 2–18 | 0.100 | 10 | 1 | 0 | 9 | 87 | 321 | — |
| 2006 | 6th | 3–21 | 0.125 | 12 | 1 | 1 | 10 | 154 | 476 | Lost RR: Weinheim Longhorns (0–20 & 14–27) | |
| 2007 | GFL 2 German Football League 2 The German Football League 2 is the second tier of American football in Germany, below the German Football League. Until 2007, the league was known as the 2nd Bundesliga.-League structure:... (South) |
1st | 27–1 | 0.964 | 14 | 13 | 1 | 0 | 379 | 166 | Won RR: Saarland Hurricanes Saarland Hurricanes The Saarland Hurricanes are an American football team from Saarbrücken, Germany. Saarbrücken is the capital of the federal German state of Saarland, which the club is named after... (48–2 & 25–7) |
| 2008 | GFL German Football League The German Football League is the elite league for American football in Germany. Playing rules are based on those of the American NCAA.... (South) |
3rd | 14–10 | 0.583 | 12 | 7 | 0 | 5 | 224 | 164 | Lost QF: Braunschweig Lions Braunschweig Lions The New Yorker Lions are an American Football team from Braunschweig, Germany. Until late 2010, the team was known as the Braunschweig Lions.... (10–32) |
| 2009 | 6th | 4–20 | 0.167 | 12 | 2 | 0 | 10 | 151 | 261 | Won RR: Franken Knights (28–24 & 19–7) | |
| 2010 | 5th | 6–18 | 0.250 | 12 | 3 | 0 | 9 | 174 | 411 | — | |
| 2011 | 4th | 14–14 | 0.500 | 14 | 7 | 0 | 7 | 256 | 277 | Lost QF: Kiel Baltic Hurricanes Kiel Baltic Hurricanes The Kiel Baltic Hurricanes are an American football team based in Kiel, Germany.The club has been, of recent, a strong force in the sport in Germany, playing in four consecutive German Bowls from 2008 to 2011, losing the first two, winning the third and losing the fourth.The club is part of the... (6–45) |
- RR = Relegation round.
- QF = Quarter finals.