Frankfurter Löwen
Encyclopedia
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
. However, the club was short-lived, folding in 1985.
In 1979, the American Football Bundesliga, later to be renamed the German Football League, was formed, consisting of six clubs, the Frankfurter Löwen, Ansbach Grizzlies
, Düsseldorf Panther
, Munich Cowboys
, Berlin Bears and Bremerhaven Seahawks
. The first official game of the league was played on 4 August 1979, between the Löwen and the Düsseldorf Panther, and ended in a victory for Frankfurt.
The Löwen were an early power house of the game in Germany. The first season was completed undefeated, culminating in a German Bowl victory over the Ansbach Grizzlies, the team it would face in all three editions of the German Bowl it played in.
While the club was able to repeat its championship the following year, with the league now split into a northern and a southern division, Ansbach finally managed to triumph in 1981. Frankfurt won its division, the northern, which it played in despite being a southern German club, but was stoped by the Grizzlies in the final. While the Grizzlies continued to play in the German Bowl until 1986, the short golden era of the Löwen had come thereby to a halt.
The team moved to the southern division for 1982 but came only third that year and was knocked out in the quarter finals by the Düsseldorf Panther, who would go on to win the final. Panthers and Lions met again the following year in the quarter finals, with the same result, while 1984 was to be the last season for the club. The Frankfurter Löwen only just scraped into the play-offs, finishing fourth, and again had to face the Panthers, where a 55-0 defeat would be the last competitive game ever played by the side.
After the 1984 season, the club folded in 1985, never to be reformed.
No team from Frankfurt has, as of 2011, played at the highest level of American football in Germany again. The city however has had a professional team in the sport until 2007, when the Frankfurt Galaxy
of the NFL Europe
folded. A similar-named club, the Frankfurt Lions
, are actually an ice hockey club and are unrelated to the Löwen.
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 from Frankfurt
Frankfurt
Frankfurt am Main , commonly known simply as Frankfurt, is the largest city in the German state of Hesse and the fifth-largest city in Germany, with a 2010 population of 688,249. The urban area had an estimated population of 2,300,000 in 2010...
, 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 Löwen were the first American football club to be formed in Germany. The club, a founding member of the American Football Bundesliga
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....
, was also the winner of the first two editions of 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....
. However, the club was short-lived, folding in 1985.
History
The history of American football in Germany, outside the US Army bases in the country, began in 1977, when the Frankfurter Löwen were formed as the first club to play the game in Germany. At first, this team was only able to play US Army teams, lacking German opposition.In 1979, the American Football Bundesliga, later to be renamed the German Football League, was formed, consisting of six clubs, the Frankfurter Löwen, 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...
, 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....
, Munich Cowboys
Munich Cowboys
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....
, Berlin Bears and 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 first official game of the league was played on 4 August 1979, between the Löwen and the Düsseldorf Panther, and ended in a victory for Frankfurt.
The Löwen were an early power house of the game in Germany. The first season was completed undefeated, culminating in a German Bowl victory over the Ansbach Grizzlies, the team it would face in all three editions of the German Bowl it played in.
While the club was able to repeat its championship the following year, with the league now split into a northern and a southern division, Ansbach finally managed to triumph in 1981. Frankfurt won its division, the northern, which it played in despite being a southern German club, but was stoped by the Grizzlies in the final. While the Grizzlies continued to play in the German Bowl until 1986, the short golden era of the Löwen had come thereby to a halt.
The team moved to the southern division for 1982 but came only third that year and was knocked out in the quarter finals by the Düsseldorf Panther, who would go on to win the final. Panthers and Lions met again the following year in the quarter finals, with the same result, while 1984 was to be the last season for the club. The Frankfurter Löwen only just scraped into the play-offs, finishing fourth, and again had to face the Panthers, where a 55-0 defeat would be the last competitive game ever played by the side.
After the 1984 season, the club folded in 1985, never to be reformed.
No team from Frankfurt has, as of 2011, played at the highest level of American football in Germany again. The city however has had a professional team in the sport until 2007, when the Frankfurt Galaxy
Frankfurt Galaxy
The Frankfurt Galaxy was a 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, the...
of the NFL Europe
NFL Europe
NFL 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...
folded. A similar-named club, the Frankfurt Lions
Frankfurt Lions
The Frankfurt Lions were a professional men's ice hockey club from Frankfurt, Germany that played in the Deutsche Eishockey Liga. The club ceased operations in 2010 due to financial difficulty.-History:...
, are actually an ice hockey club and are unrelated to the Löwen.
Honours
- 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: 1979, 1980
- Runners-up: 1981
- American Football BundesligaGerman Football LeagueThe German Football League is the elite league for American football in Germany. Playing rules are based on those of the American NCAA....
- Regular season champions: 1979
- Northern Division champions: 1980, 1981
- Play-off qualification : (6) 1979–1984
- League membership : (6) 1979–1984
German Bowl appearances
The clubs appearances in the German Bowl:| Bowl | Date | Champions | Runners-Up | Score | Location | Attendance |
| I | November 10, 1979 | Frankfurter Löwen | Ansbach Grizzlies | 14–8 | Frankfurt Frankfurt Frankfurt am Main , commonly known simply as Frankfurt, is the largest city in the German state of Hesse and the fifth-largest city in Germany, with a 2010 population of 688,249. The urban area had an estimated population of 2,300,000 in 2010... |
5,000 |
| II | July 30, 1980 | Frankfurter Löwen | Ansbach Grizzlies | 21-12 | Frankfurt | 7,000 |
| III | August 5, 1981 | Ansbach Grizzlies | Frankfurter Löwen | 27-6 | Cologne Cologne Cologne is Germany's fourth-largest city , and is the largest city both in the Germany Federal State of North Rhine-Westphalia and within the Rhine-Ruhr Metropolitan Area, one of the major European metropolitan areas with more than ten million inhabitants.Cologne is located on both sides of the... |
11,000 |
- Champions in bold.
Seasons
The complete seasons played by the Frankfurter Löwen:| Year | Division | Finish | Points | Pct. | Games | W | D | L | PF | PA | Postseason |
| 1979 | AFB 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.... |
1st | 18–0 | 1.000 | 9 | 9 | 0 | 0 | 243 | 44 | Won GB: 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... (14–8) |
| 1980 | AFB 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.... (North) |
1st | ? | ? | ? | ? | ? | ? | ? | ? | Won GB: 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... (21–12) |
| 1981 | 1st | 22–2 | 0.917 | 12 | 11 | 0 | 1 | 388 | 76 | Won SF: Hanau Hawks (17–12) Lost GB: 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... (6–27) |
|
| 1982 | AFB 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 | 12–12 | 0.500 | 12 | 6 | 0 | 6 | 240 | 231 | Lost QF: 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.... (0–66) |
| 1983 | 4th | 10–10 | 0.500 | 10 | 5 | 0 | 5 | 211 | 170 | Lost QF: 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.... (0–30) |
|
| 1984 | 4th | 14–14 | 0.500 | 14 | 7 | 0 | 7 | 276 | 275 | Lost QF: 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.... (0–55) |
- QF = Quarter finals.
- SF = Semi finals.
- GB = German Bowl