Rhein Fire
Encyclopedia
The Rhein Fire was a professional American football
team in 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.
(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 Arena AufSchalke
in nearby city Gelsenkirchen
while LTU arena was being built. The team shared facilities with the football (soccer)
club Fortuna Düsseldorf
. The Fire also hosted the 2005 World Bowl
, where the Amsterdam Admirals
upset the then-defending champion Berlin Thunder
.
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 Bundesliga
team and where American Football has become increasingly popular. The team itself has played for five World Bowl
championships throughout its history, winning in 1998
(over the Frankfurt Galaxy
) and 2000
(over the Scottish Claymores
).
| 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 V
(Dragons
)
|-
| colspan="6" align="center" | Rhein Fire (NFL Europe)
|-
|1998 || 7 || 3 || 0 || 1st League || Won World Bowl VI
(Galaxy
)
|-
|1999 || 6 || 4 || 0 || 3rd League || --
|-
|2000 || 7 || 3 || 0 || 1st League || Won World Bowl VIII
(Claymores
)
|-
|2001 || 5 || 5 || 0 || 3rd League || --
|-
|2002 || 7 || 3 || 0 || 1st League || Lost World Bowl X
(Thunder
)
|-
|2003 || 6 || 4 || 0 || 2nd League || Lost World Bowl XI
(Galaxy
)
|-
|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)
(2004–2007) Ingo Anderbrügge
(2003–2004) Cedric Bonner (2006–2007) Manfred Burgsmüller
(1996–2002) Byron Chamberlain
(1996) Derrick Clark
(1996–1999) Mike Croel
(1998) Patrick Gerigk
(1998) James Harrison (2004) Drew Henson
(2006) Andy Kelly
(1996) Fred Jackson (2006) Michael Lewis
(2001) Mike Quinn
(1998) Marcus Robinson (1998) Jamal Robertson
(2002) Bill Schroeder
(1997) Gino Torretta
(1995) Danny Wuerffel
(2000) Eduardo Castañeda
(2007)
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 in 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...
, formerly the World League of American Football
World League of American Football
The 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 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...
in 1995, the franchise resurrected the name of the former Birmingham Fire
Birmingham Fire
The 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
Düsseldorf is the capital city of the German state of North Rhine-Westphalia and centre of the Rhine-Ruhr metropolitan region.Düsseldorf is an important international business and financial centre and renowned for its fashion and trade fairs. Located centrally within the European Megalopolis, the...
(and early on was occasionally referred to in the U.S. as the Düsseldorf Fire), playing its games in LTU arena
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 :...
since 2005 season. Prior to this the team played in Arena AufSchalke
Veltins-Arena
Veltins-Arena is a football stadium in Gelsenkirchen, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It opened in 2001, as the new home ground for German Bundesliga club Schalke 04....
in nearby city Gelsenkirchen
Gelsenkirchen
Gelsenkirchen 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)
Football (soccer)
Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a sport played between two teams of eleven players with a spherical ball...
club Fortuna Düsseldorf
Fortuna Düsseldorf
' is a German association football club based in Düsseldorf, North Rhine-Westphalia, currently playing in the second tier of German league football, the 2. Fußball-Bundesliga...
. The Fire also hosted the 2005 World Bowl
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...
, where 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...
upset the then-defending champion 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...
.
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 Bundesliga
Fußball-Bundesliga
The Fußball-Bundesliga is a professional association football league in Germany. At the top of Germany's football league system, it is the country's primary football competition. It is contested by 18 teams and operates on a system of promotion and relegation with the 2. Bundesliga...
team and where American Football has become increasingly popular. The team itself has played for five 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...
championships throughout its history, winning in 1998
World Bowl VI
World 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 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...
) and 2000
World Bowl VIII
World 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...
(over the Scottish Claymores
Scottish Claymores
The Scottish Claymores were an American football team from Scotland. The franchise played in the World League of American Football between 1995 and 2004, initially playing all home games at Murrayfield Stadium, Edinburgh and latterly sharing home games with 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 V
World Bowl V
World 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...
(Dragons
Barcelona Dragons
The 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 VI
World Bowl VI
World 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...
(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...
)
|-
|1999 || 6 || 4 || 0 || 3rd League || --
|-
|2000 || 7 || 3 || 0 || 1st League || Won World Bowl VIII
World Bowl VIII
World 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...
(Claymores
Scottish Claymores
The Scottish Claymores were an American football team from Scotland. The franchise played in the World League of American Football between 1995 and 2004, initially playing all home games at Murrayfield Stadium, Edinburgh and latterly sharing home games with Hampden Park, Glasgow...
)
|-
|2001 || 5 || 5 || 0 || 3rd League || --
|-
|2002 || 7 || 3 || 0 || 1st League || Lost World Bowl X
World Bowl X
World 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....
(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...
)
|-
|2003 || 6 || 4 || 0 || 2nd League || Lost World Bowl XI
World Bowl XI
World 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...
(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...
)
|-
|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 Hall Galen Samuel Hall is an American college and professional football coach and former player. He is a native of Pennsylvania, and an alumnus of Penn State University, where he played college football... |
1995 1995 Rhein Fire season The 1995 Rhein Fire season was the inaugural season for the team in the World League of American Football.-World League Draft:-Staff:-Roster:-Week 1: at Scottish Claymores:-Week 2: vs London Monarchs:-Week 3: at Barcelona Dragons:... –2000 2000 Rhein Fire season The 2000 Rhein Fire season was the sixth season for the team in the NFL Europe League.-Free Agent Draft:-Staff:-Roster:-Schedule:-World Bowl 2000:... |
60 | 34 | 26 | 0 | .567 | 3 | 2 | 1 | .667 | ||||||
| 2 | Pete Kuharchek Pete Kuharchek Pete Kuharchek is an American football coach and currently the Defensive Backs coach of the Omaha Nighthawks of the United Football League.-External links:*... |
2001 2001 Rhein Fire season The 2001 Rhein Fire season was the seventh season for the team in the NFL Europe League.-Free Agent Draft:-Staff:-Roster:-Schedule:... –2005 2005 Rhein Fire season The 2005 Rhein Fire season was the 11th season for the team in the NFL Europe League. The Fire was led by fifth-year head coach Pete Kuharchek and played its home games at the newly build LTU arena in Düsseldorf, Germany. Rhein finished the season in sixth place with a record of 3–7.-Free Agent... |
50 | 24 | 26 | 0 | .480 | 2 | 0 | 2 | .000 | ||||||
| 3 | Jim Tomsula Jim Tomsula Jim Tomsula is an American football coach. He was the interim head coach for the San Francisco 49ers of the National Football League.-Coaching career:... |
2006 2006 Rhein Fire season The 2006 Rhein Fire season was the 12th season for the team in the NFL Europe League.-Free Agent Draft:-Staff:-Roster:-Schedule:-Week 1: vs Frankfurt Galaxy:-Week 2: at Berlin Thunder:-Week 3: at Cologne Centurions:... |
10 | 6 | 4 | 0 | .600 | — | — | — | — | ||||||
| 4 | Rick Lantz 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 2007 Rhein Fire season The 2007 Rhein Fire season was the 13th and final season for the team in the NFL Europa League.-Free Agent Draft:-Staff:-Roster:-Schedule:-Honors:*Danny Baugher, All-NFL Europa League team selection... |
10 | 4 | 6 | 0 | .400 | — | — | — | — | ||||||
Notable players
Richard AdjeiRichard Adjei
Richard Adjei is a German bobsledder who has competed since 2007 and former American football linebacker.-Biography:...
(2004–2007) Ingo Anderbrügge
Ingo Anderbrügge
Ingo Anderbrügge is a retired German footballer who played mostly as an attacking midfielder.-Football career:...
(2003–2004) Cedric Bonner (2006–2007) Manfred Burgsmüller
Manfred Burgsmüller
Manfred "Manni" Burgsmüller is a retired German footballer who played mainly as a striker – he could occasionally operate as a midfielder....
(1996–2002) Byron Chamberlain
Byron Chamberlain
Byron 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 Clark
Derrick Clark
Derrick Lee Clark is a former professional American football running back who played for the Denver Broncos, Rhein Fire and Orlando Rage.-1994:...
(1996–1999) Mike Croel
Mike Croel
Michael Croel is a former American football linebacker who played in the National Football League and the XFL.-Career:...
(1998) Patrick Gerigk
Patrick Gerigk
Patrick 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....
(1998) James Harrison (2004) Drew Henson
Drew Henson
Drew Daniel Henson is a retired Major League Baseball third baseman and National Football League quarterback. He was drafted by the Houston Texans in the sixth round of the 2003 NFL Draft. He played college football at Michigan....
(2006) Andy Kelly
Andy Kelly
Andy Kelly is a former American football quarterback in the Arena Football League. He played in the AFL for fifteen seasons. He also played for two seasons for the Rhein Fire of the former World League of American Football....
(1996) Fred Jackson (2006) Michael Lewis
Michael Lewis (NFL receiver)
Michael Kendall Lewis is a former American football wide receiver and return specialist who is currently the team ambassador of the New Orleans Saints. He was signed by the Louisiana Bayou Beast in 1998...
(2001) Mike Quinn
Mike Quinn
Michael 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 Robinson (1998) Jamal Robertson
Jamal Robertson
Jamal Robertson is an Canadian football running back and kick returner in the Canadian Football League who plays for the BC Lions. He was originally signed by the Calgary Stampeders as an undrafted free agent in 2001. He played college football at Ohio Northern. Jamal was one of the greatest...
(2002) Bill Schroeder
Bill Schroeder
William 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 Torretta
Gino Torretta
Gino Louis Torretta is a Heisman Trophy winner who played quarterback for several teams in the National Football League from 1993 to 1997....
(1995) Danny Wuerffel
Danny Wuerffel
Daniel Carl "Danny" Wuerffel is a former American college and professional football player who won the 1996 Heisman Trophy and the 1996 national football championship while playing college football for the University of Florida. After graduating from Florida, he played for four National Football...
(2000) Eduardo Castañeda
Eduardo Castañeda
Eduardo Castañeda is a Mexican linebacker in American football, who is currently a member of the Green Bay Blizzard. He was assigned to the Rhein Fire of NFL Europa in 2007. He played college football at Monterrey Tech.Castañeda has also been a member for the Houston Texans and Arizona...
(2007)
Other notable personnel
- Oliver LuckOliver LuckOliver Luck is the athletic director of West Virginia University, his alma mater. Luck is a retired American football player who spent four seasons in the National Football League as a quarterback for the Houston Oilers . He was also the first president and general manager of the Houston Dynamo...
- General Manager 1995, became league president the following year. - Ken KarcherKen KarcherKen 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.