The
Rhein Fire were a professional
American footballAmerican football, known in the United States and Canada simply as football, and often as Gridiron or Tackle football outside North America, is a competitive team sport known for combining strategy with physical play. The objective of the game is to score points by advancing the ball into the...
team in
NFL EuropeNFL Europe was an American football league which operated in Europe from 1991 until 2007. Backed by the National Football League , the largest professional American football league in the United States, it was founded as the World League of American Football to serve as a type of spring league...
, formerly the
World League of American FootballThe World League of American Football was founded in 1990 with support from the National Football League to play professional American football in North America, Europe and later possibly Asia...
. Established in
GermanyGermany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a country in Central Europe. It is bordered to the north by the North Sea, Denmark, and the Baltic Sea; to the east by Poland and the Czech Republic; to the south by Austria and Switzerland; and to the west by France, Luxembourg, Belgium,...
in 1995, the franchise resurrected the name of the former
Birmingham FireThe Birmingham Fire was a professional American football team based in Birmingham, Alabama that played in the World League of American Football in 1991 and 1992. The team played at Legion Field, and it made the playoffs in both seasons....
team which was active during the 1991-1992 WLAF seasons.
History
The team was based in
DüsseldorfDüsseldorf is the capital city of the German state of North Rhine-Westphalia. It is the second most international and economically important centre of Germany, after Frankfurt, and is located in the center of the Rhein-Ruhr area, Europe's most populated metropolitan area...
(and early on was occasionally referred to in the U.S. as the
Düsseldorf Fire), playing its games in
LTU arenaThe Esprit arena is a multifunctional football stadium in Düsseldorf, Germany. The stadium holds 51,500 and has a closable roof. The special heating system allows comfortable events at the height of winter....
since 2005 season. Prior to this the team played in
Arena AufSchalkeThe Veltins-Arena is a football stadium in the German city of Gelsenkirchen. Originally named the Arena AufSchalke, it opened in 2001 as the new home ground for Bundesliga club Schalke 04. It hosted the 2004 UEFA Champions League final and 5 matches in the 2006 FIFA World Cup, including a...
in nearby city
GelsenkirchenGelsenkirchen is a city in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It is located in the northern part of the Ruhr area. Its population in 2006 was c. 267,000....
while LTU arena was being built. The team shared facilities with the
football (soccer)Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a team sport played between two teams of eleven players using a spherical ball...
club
Fortuna DüsseldorfFortuna Düsseldorf is a German football club based in Düsseldorf, North Rhine-Westphalia.-Foundation to World War II:The earliest roots of the association go back to the establishment of the gymnastics club Turnverein Flingern on 5 May 1895 in the village of Flingern, today the northeastern quarter...
. The Fire also hosted the
2005 World BowlWorld Bowl XII was NFL Europe's 2004 championship game. The game was played at Arena AufSchalke in Gelsenkirchen, Germany on June 12, 2004. In this game, the defending champion Frankfurt Galaxy returned to try and protect their title after going through a 7-3 regular season...
, where the
Amsterdam AdmiralsThe Amsterdam Admirals were a professional American football team in NFL Europe based in Amsterdam, Netherlands.-History:The Admirals were formed in 1995 as part of the NFL's plan to restart the World League of American Football, to be based entirely in Europe...
upset the then-defending champion
Berlin ThunderThe Berlin Thunder were a professional American football team in NFL Europe, which was a springtime American football league serving primarily as a developmental league for the National Football League. Most of the players were young American professional players assigned by NFL teams to receive...
.
The Fire had been one of NFL Europa's most successful teams as far as fan appeal and competitively on the field. The team is based in an area of Germany that does not have a local
BundesligaThe Bundesliga is the highest level of Germany's football league system. The term Bundesliga also applies to football in Austria and is used to refer to the highest level league competitions in several other sports in the two countries....
team and American Football has become increasingly popular. The team itself has played for five
World BowlThe World Bowl was the American football Championship game of NFL Europe, similar to the Super Bowl of the National Football League.The World Bowl trophy itself was a globe made of glass measuring 35.5 cm in diameter and weighing 18.6 kg .-World League of American Football:When NFL Europe was...
championships throughout its history, winning in
1998World Bowl '98 was NFL Europe's 1998 championship game, located at Waldstadion in Frankfurt, Germany. On June 14, 1998, the 7-3 Rhein Fire went up against the 7-3 Frankfurt Galaxy for the NFL Europe title...
(over the
Frankfurt GalaxyThe Frankfurt Galaxy was an professional American football team that originally played in the World League of American Football and later in the resurrected NFL Europe. The team was based in Frankfurt, Germany and played in the Commerzbank-Arena, formerly called the Waldstadion.-History:In 1991,...
) and
2000World Bowl 2000 was NFL Europe's championship game, which would bring an end to the 2000 NFL Europe season. Played at Waldstadion in Frankfurt, Germany on June 25, 2000, the match-up was between the 6-4 Scottish Claymores and the 7-3 Rhein Fire. 35,860 fans were in attendance to witness the Fire...
(over the
Scottish ClaymoresThe Scottish Claymores were an American football team from Scotland. The franchise played in the World League of American Football between 1995 and 2004, alternately playing home games at Murrayfield Stadium, Edinburgh and Hampden Park, Glasgow...
).
Season-by-season
|-
| colspan="6" align="center" |
Rhein Fire (World League)
|-
|1995 || 4 || 6 || 0 || 5th League || --
|-
|1996 || 3 || 7 || 0 || 6th League || --
|-
|1997 || 7 || 3 || 0 || 1st League || Lost
World Bowl VWorld Bowl '97 was NFL Europe's 1997 championship game. The game was played at Estadi Olimpic de Montjuic in Barcelona, Spain on June 22, 1997. This World Bowl was played between the 7-3 Rhein Fire and the 5-5 Barcelona Dragons. 31,100 fans were in attendance as the Dragons won their first and...
(
DragonsThe Barcelona Dragons were a team originally in the World League of American Football and later in the resurrected NFL Europe. Their home field in Barcelona was the Estadi Olímpic de Montjuic, the 1992 Olympic Stadium, and later the Mini Estadi. The Dragons were successful on the field, making it...
)
|-
| colspan="6" align="center" |
Rhein Fire (NFL Europe)
|-
|1998 || 7 || 3 || 0 || 1st League || Won
World Bowl VIWorld Bowl '98 was NFL Europe's 1998 championship game, located at Waldstadion in Frankfurt, Germany. On June 14, 1998, the 7-3 Rhein Fire went up against the 7-3 Frankfurt Galaxy for the NFL Europe title...
(
GalaxyThe Frankfurt Galaxy was an professional American football team that originally played in the World League of American Football and later in the resurrected NFL Europe. The team was based in Frankfurt, Germany and played in the Commerzbank-Arena, formerly called the Waldstadion.-History:In 1991,...
)
|-
|1999 || 6 || 4 || 0 || 3rd League || --
|-
|2000 || 7 || 3 || 0 || 1st League || Won
World Bowl VIIIWorld Bowl 2000 was NFL Europe's championship game, which would bring an end to the 2000 NFL Europe season. Played at Waldstadion in Frankfurt, Germany on June 25, 2000, the match-up was between the 6-4 Scottish Claymores and the 7-3 Rhein Fire. 35,860 fans were in attendance to witness the Fire...
(
ClaymoresThe Scottish Claymores were an American football team from Scotland. The franchise played in the World League of American Football between 1995 and 2004, alternately playing home games at Murrayfield Stadium, Edinburgh and Hampden Park, Glasgow...
)
|-
|2001 || 5 || 5 || 0 || 3rd League || --
|-
|2002 || 7 || 3 || 0 || 1st League || Lost
World Bowl XWorld Bowl X was NFL Europe's 2002 championship game. The game was played at Rheinstadion in Düsseldorf, Germany on June 22, 2002. It would be the final event held at Rheinstadion before its demolition....
(
ThunderThe Berlin Thunder were a professional American football team in NFL Europe, which was a springtime American football league serving primarily as a developmental league for the National Football League. Most of the players were young American professional players assigned by NFL teams to receive...
)
|-
|2003 || 6 || 4 || 0 || 2nd League || Lost
World Bowl XIWorld Bowl XI was NFL Europe's 2003 championship game. It was played at Hampden Park in Glasgow, Scotland on June 14, 2003. The game was between the 6-4 Rhein Fire and the 6-4 Frankfurt Galaxy. The Fire was hoping to avenge last year's loss to Berlin, while the Galaxy was looking for their first...
(
GalaxyThe Frankfurt Galaxy was an professional American football team that originally played in the World League of American Football and later in the resurrected NFL Europe. The team was based in Frankfurt, Germany and played in the Commerzbank-Arena, formerly called the Waldstadion.-History:In 1991,...
)
|-
|2004 || 3 || 7 || 0 || 5th League || --
|-
|2005 || 3 || 7 || 0 || 6th League || --
|-
|2006 || 6 || 4 || 0 || 3rd League ||--
|-
| colspan="6" align="center" |
Rhein Fire (NFL Europa)
|-
|2007 || 4 || 6 || 0 || 4th League || --
|-
!Totals || 70 || 65 || 0
|colspan="2"| (including playoffs)
Head coaches
| # |
Name |
Term |
Regular season |
Postseason |
Achievements |
Reference |
| GC |
W |
L |
T |
Win% |
GC |
W |
L |
Win% |
| Rhein Fire |
| 1 |
Galen Hall Galen Samuel Hall is an American football coach. He is currently serving as offensive coordinator at his alma mater, Penn State University....
|
1995–2000 |
60 |
34 |
26 |
0 |
.567 |
3 |
2 |
1 |
.667 |
|
|
| 2 |
Pete Kuharchek Pete Kuharchek is an Gridiron football coach. He is currently the defensive coordinator for the Toronto Argonauts of the Canadian Football League.-External links:*...
|
2001–2005 |
50 |
24 |
26 |
0 |
.480 |
2 |
0 |
2 |
.000 |
|
|
| 3 |
Jim Tomsula Jim Tomsula is an American football coach. He is currently the defensive line coach for the San Francisco 49ers of the National Football League.-Coaching career:...
|
2006 -Standings:-Staff:...
|
10 |
6 |
4 |
0 |
.600 |
— |
— |
— |
— |
|
|
| 4 |
Rick Lantz Rick Lantz was the interim head football coach at Navy in 2000, following the firing of former head coach Charlie Weatherbie. He was formerly a widely recognized defensive coordinator, and held high profile jobs at Virginia, and Louisville...
|
2007 The 2007 Rhein Fire season was the 13th and final season for the team in NFL Europa.-Schedule:-Staff:-Honors:*Danny Baugher, All-NFL Europa League team selection*Blake Costanzo, All-NFL Europa League team selection...
|
10 |
4 |
6 |
0 |
.400 |
— |
— |
— |
— |
|
|
Notable players
Ingo AnderbrüggeIngo Anderbrügge is a former German footballer, who played mostly as an attacking midfielder.-Football career:...
(2003-2004) Cedric Bonner (2006-2007)
Manfred BurgsmüllerManfred Burgsmüller is a former German football striker who was also a kicker in American football.-Football career:...
(1996-2002)
Byron ChamberlainByron Daniel Chamberlain is a former American football tight end in the National Football League for the Denver Broncos, Minnesota Vikings, and the Washington Redskins...
(1996)
Derrick ClarkDerrick Lee Clark is a former professional American football running back who played for the Denver Broncos, Rhein Fire and Orlando Rage.-Denver Broncos:...
(1996-1999)
Mike CroelMichael Croel is a former American football linebacker who played in the National Football League and XFL. In a seven year NFL career, he played for the Denver Broncos, New York Giants, Baltimore Ravens and Seattle Seahawks of the NFL and the Los Angeles Xtreme of the XFL...
(1998)
Patrick GerigkPatrick Gerigk is a football wide receiver from Germany. He played for several World Bowl-winning teams, such as the Rhein Fire and the Frankfurt Galaxy . He stands 183 cm tall and weighs 90 kg.-External links:...
(1998) James Harrison (2004)
Drew HensonDrew Daniel Henson is a former professional baseball player and current American football quarterback who is currently a free agent. He was drafted by the Houston Texans in the sixth round of the 2003 NFL Draft...
(2006)
Andy KellyAndy Kelly is a former American football quarterback in the Arena Football League. He played in the AFL for fourteen seasons, and currently is the Offensive Coordinator for the Georgia Force.- High school career :...
(1996) Fred Jackson (2006)
Michael LewisMichael Kendall Lewis is an American football Wide receiver and Return specialist who is currently a free agent. He was signed by the Louisiana Bayou Beast in 1998...
(2001)
Mike QuinnMichael Patrick Quinn is a former professional gridiron football quarterback. He was signed by the Pittsburgh Steelers as an undrafted free agent in 1997 and was also a member of the Rhein Fire, Indianapolis Colts, Dallas Cowboys, Miami Dolphins, Houston Texans, Denver Broncos, Montreal Alouettes...
(1998)
Marcus RobinsonMarcus Robinson is a former American football player in the NFL, who played the position of wide receiver. He has played for the Chicago Bears, the Baltimore Ravens, and the Minnesota Vikings, as well as the Rhein Fire. He founded the Marcus Robinson Foundation for underprivileged children...
(1998)
Jamal RobertsonJamal Robertson is an Canadian football running back and kick returner for the Toronto Argonauts of the Canadian Football League. He was originally signed by the Calgary Stampeders as an undrafted free agent in 2001. He played college football at Ohio Northern. Jamal also went to Walter E...
(2002)
Bill SchroederWilliam Fredrich Schroeder is a former American football wide receiver in the NFL. He attended Sheboygan South High School and then went on to the University of Wisconsin–La Crosse, where he starred in track and field. He last played with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in 2004...
(1997)
Gino TorrettaGino Louis Torretta is a former Heisman Trophy winning football quarterback for several teams in the National Football League from 1993 to 1997....
(1995)
Danny WuerffelDaniel Carl Wuerffel is a former American football player. He won the 1996 Heisman Trophy while playing quarterback at the University of Florida under coach Steve Spurrier. He later played for several National Football League teams, retiring in 2002...
(2000)
Other notable personnel
- Oliver Luck
Oliver Luck is a former American football quarterback for the Houston Oilers of the National Football League. He is the current team president and general manager of the Houston Dynamo of Major League Soccer....
- General Manager 1995, became league president the following year.
- Ken Karcher
Ken Karcher is an American football coach and former quarterback. He is currently the offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach at Eastern Michigan University...
- Assistant coach for the Fire, was previously an NFL replacement player and later became a collegiate head coach.
External links
- Videos from Rhein Fire (English
English is a West Germanic language that developed in England during the Anglo-Saxon era. As a result of the military, economic, scientific, political, and cultural influence of the British Empire during the 18th, 19th, and early 20th centuries, and of the United States since the mid 20th century,...
)