World Bowl XIII
Encyclopedia
World Bowl XIII was NFL Europe's 2005 championship game. It was played at the LTU arena
in Düsseldorf, Germany on June 11, 2005. In this match-up, the 6-4 Amsterdam Admirals
managed to get back to the World Bowl
after losing in World Bowl III
and spending nearly a decade being on the outside. Now, they had a chance to dig deep and win big. Their opponent for the match-up was the Berlin Thunder
, who were coming off their best year (9-1 and a victory in World Bowl XII
) and made it back to the World Bowl with a 7-3 record, hoping to defend their title. 35,134 fans were in attendance for the fight. After many years of suffering, the Admirals won their very first World Bowl title by stripping the defending champion Thunder of their title, by a final score of 27-21. Taking home MVP honors was Admirals QB Kurt Kittner
, who went 15 of 28 for 239 yards with 2 touchdown
s and no interception
s.
lead his team on a 9-play, 68-yard drive and capped it off with a 22-yard TD pass to WR Ruvell Martin
. It would turn out to be the only score of the first quarter.
In the second quarter, the Admirals would quickly add to their lead. They used their first full possession of the period on just one play, but it would be swift and painful, as Amsterdam took advantage of a fumble recovery to take control at Berlin's 12-yard line. Afterwards, Kittner threw a 12-yard TD pass to TE Mike Gomez. On their next possession, the Admirals continued to pour it on, as his Admirals stopped a 4th down conversion from the Thunder and took over with good field position (Berlin's 27-yard line). Despite the good position, the Thunder defense finally stiffened and the Admirals had to settle for a 32-yard field goal by kicker Chris Snyder. The Berlin Thunder would finally be able to get on the board near the end of the half, as Thunder QB Dave Ragone
led his team on a 4-play, 51-yard drive and capped it off with a 10-yard pass to WR Aaron Boone
. Despite the impressive resurgence, the first half belonged to Amsterdam as they lead 17-7 at halftime.
In the third quarter, the Admirals continued to show how much they want Berlin's crown by striking on their opening drive. Kittner lead his team on a 4-play, 80-yard drive that ended with RB Jonathan Smith running 18 well-earned yards for a TD.
Trailing 24-7 going into the fourth quarter, the Thunder needed a lot of points in a hurry, if they wanted to defend their title. Continuing a drive that begin in the final seconds of the third quarter, Ragone led his team on a 5-play, 80-yard drive that concluded with a 10-yard TD pass to RB Little John Flowers. However, the Admirals continued to put the game further out of reach, as they responded with a 28-yard field goal by Snyder. Ragone and his Thunder would respond with a 10-play, 78-yard drive and get a TD with Ragone himself running in on a 10-yard QB sneak
. With another long drive the Berlin Thunder
set themselves up near the redzone
again, where the Admirals
forced the Berlin Thunder
to 4th down with 5 seconds to spare. That final play ended with Norman LeJeune
writing history for the Amsterdam Admirals
when he batted away a Dave Ragone pass intended for WR Redd. The Admirals managed to pull off an upset by taking down the defending champions and win their very first World Bowl title.
LTU Arena
Esprit Arena is a multi-functional football stadium in Düsseldorf, Germany. The stadium holds 54,600 and has a closable roof. The special heating system allows comfortable events at the height of winter.- History :...
in Düsseldorf, Germany on June 11, 2005. In this match-up, the 6-4 Amsterdam Admirals
Amsterdam Admirals
The 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...
managed to get back to the World Bowl
World Bowl
The 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...
after losing in World Bowl III
World Bowl III
World Bowl '95 was the World League's third World Bowl and the first World Bowl that was played since the league suspended operations in 1993. The game was played at Olympisch Stadion in Amsterdam, The Netherlands on June 17, 1995. This match-up was between the 6-4 Frankfurt Galaxy and the 9-1...
and spending nearly a decade being on the outside. Now, they had a chance to dig deep and win big. Their opponent for the match-up was the Berlin Thunder
Berlin Thunder
The 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...
, who were coming off their best year (9-1 and a victory in World Bowl XII
World Bowl XII
World 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 to protect their title after going through a 7–3 regular season. Their opponent was...
) and made it back to the World Bowl with a 7-3 record, hoping to defend their title. 35,134 fans were in attendance for the fight. After many years of suffering, the Admirals won their very first World Bowl title by stripping the defending champion Thunder of their title, by a final score of 27-21. Taking home MVP honors was Admirals QB Kurt Kittner
Kurt Kittner
Kurt Kittner is a former American football player for the Chicago Bears. He was a quarterback for the University of Illinois during their 2001 Big Ten Championship.-High school career:...
, who went 15 of 28 for 239 yards with 2 touchdown
Touchdown
A touchdown is a means of scoring in American and Canadian football. Whether running, passing, returning a kickoff or punt, or recovering a turnover, a team scores a touchdown by advancing the ball into the opponent's end zone.-Description:...
s and no interception
Interception (football)
An interception, intercept or pick is a move in many forms of football, including Canadian and American football, as well as rugby league, rugby union, Australian rules football and Gaelic football, which involves a pass, either by foot or hand, being caught by an opposition player, who usually...
s.
Background
The Admirals won the first meeting 31-27 in Amsterdam, while the Thunder took the second meeting 27-16 in Berlin.Game summary
The Admirals drew first blood on their opening possession as Admirals QB Kurt KittnerKurt Kittner
Kurt Kittner is a former American football player for the Chicago Bears. He was a quarterback for the University of Illinois during their 2001 Big Ten Championship.-High school career:...
lead his team on a 9-play, 68-yard drive and capped it off with a 22-yard TD pass to WR Ruvell Martin
Ruvell Martin
Ruvell Martin is an American football wide receiver for the Buffalo Bills of the National Football League. He was signed as an undrafted free agent by the San Diego Chargers in 2004. He played college football at Saginaw Valley State....
. It would turn out to be the only score of the first quarter.
In the second quarter, the Admirals would quickly add to their lead. They used their first full possession of the period on just one play, but it would be swift and painful, as Amsterdam took advantage of a fumble recovery to take control at Berlin's 12-yard line. Afterwards, Kittner threw a 12-yard TD pass to TE Mike Gomez. On their next possession, the Admirals continued to pour it on, as his Admirals stopped a 4th down conversion from the Thunder and took over with good field position (Berlin's 27-yard line). Despite the good position, the Thunder defense finally stiffened and the Admirals had to settle for a 32-yard field goal by kicker Chris Snyder. The Berlin Thunder would finally be able to get on the board near the end of the half, as Thunder QB Dave Ragone
Dave Ragone
David Patrick Ragone is an American football coach and former professional quarterback. He is currently the wide receivers coach for the Tennessee Titans of the National Football League.-Early years:...
led his team on a 4-play, 51-yard drive and capped it off with a 10-yard pass to WR Aaron Boone
Aaron Boone (American football)
Aaron Rostenbach Boone is an Arena football Wide Receiver / Defensive Back who is currently a free agent of the Arena Football League. He was originally signed as an undrafted free agent in 2003, by the Dallas Cowboys...
. Despite the impressive resurgence, the first half belonged to Amsterdam as they lead 17-7 at halftime.
In the third quarter, the Admirals continued to show how much they want Berlin's crown by striking on their opening drive. Kittner lead his team on a 4-play, 80-yard drive that ended with RB Jonathan Smith running 18 well-earned yards for a TD.
Trailing 24-7 going into the fourth quarter, the Thunder needed a lot of points in a hurry, if they wanted to defend their title. Continuing a drive that begin in the final seconds of the third quarter, Ragone led his team on a 5-play, 80-yard drive that concluded with a 10-yard TD pass to RB Little John Flowers. However, the Admirals continued to put the game further out of reach, as they responded with a 28-yard field goal by Snyder. Ragone and his Thunder would respond with a 10-play, 78-yard drive and get a TD with Ragone himself running in on a 10-yard QB sneak
Quarterback sneak
A quarterback sneak is a play in Canadian and American football in which the quarterback, upon taking the center snap, dives ahead while the offensive line surges forward...
. With another long drive the Berlin Thunder
Berlin Thunder
The 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...
set themselves up near the redzone
Redzone
Redzone is a multi-genre band from London, England.They were pioneering in their use of real instruments that are then sampled and processed, and of the Internet to distribute music and video....
again, where the Admirals
Amsterdam Admirals
The 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...
forced the Berlin Thunder
Berlin Thunder
The 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...
to 4th down with 5 seconds to spare. That final play ended with Norman LeJeune
Norman LeJeune
Norman LeJeune, Jr. is an American football safety who is currently a free agent. He was drafted by the Philadelphia Eagles in the seventh round of the 2003 NFL Draft...
writing history for the Amsterdam Admirals
Amsterdam Admirals
The 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...
when he batted away a Dave Ragone pass intended for WR Redd. The Admirals managed to pull off an upset by taking down the defending champions and win their very first World Bowl title.
Scoring summary
- Amsterdam - TD Martin 22 yd pass from Kittner 4:52 1st
- Amsterdam - TD Gomez 12 yd pass from Kittner 3:03 2nd
- Amsterdam - FG Snyder 32 yd 8:00 2nd
- Berlin - TD Boone 10 yd pass from Ragone 14:27 2nd
- Amsterdam - TD Smith 18 yd run 5:14 3rd
- Berlin - TD Flowers 10 yd pass from Ragone 1:19 4th
- Amsterdam - FG Snyder 28 yd 5:51 4th
- Berlin - TD Redd 10 yd pass from Ragone 10:05 4th