World Bowl XII
Encyclopedia
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 the Berlin Thunder
, as they entered the contest after a franchise-best 9–1 regular season. 35,413 fans were in attendance to watch this championship bout. The Thunder's regular season record pretty much explained their performance, as they stripped the Galaxy of their championship belt in a close match-up. The final score was 30–24, in favor of Berlin. Thunder RB Eric McCoo
won MVP honors by running 28 times for 167 yards and a touchdown, with his longest run being 69 yards.
tried to pass to RB Skip Hicks
and his pass got intercepted by Berlin DT Montique Sharpe, who returned the ball 28 yards for a touchdown. The Galaxy would then start their second drive at their own 25-yard line. Despite going 66 yards on 11 plays, the Thunder defense forced the Galaxy to settle for a 28-yard field goal by Ralf Kleinmann. In the second quarter, both teams prevented each other from scoring for most of the period. It wasn't until the final two minutes of the half that the scoring would continue, with J.T. O'Sullivan leading a 5-play, 55-yard drive and capping it off with an 8-yard TD pass to WR Derrick Lewis. With less than a minute to go in the half, Thunder QB Rohan Davey
got a 7-play, 51-yard drive going, yet Frankfurt's defense forced Berlin to settle for a 38-yard field goal by Jonathan Ruffin
, which gave the Berlin Thunder a 10-7 halftime lead. In the third quarter, one play was all that was needed on their second drive of the half, as a little trick play helped QB Rohan Davey get the ball to WR Richard Alston, who in turn completed a 60-yard TD pass to fellow WR Chas Gessner. The Thunder would later continue to pour on their lead, as Ruffin kicked a 42-yard field goal to give the Thunder a 23-10 lead going into the fourth quarter. In the fourth quarter, the Thunder got their final points of the game, as MVP RB Eric McCoo ran 69 yards for a touchdown. With the Galaxy trailing 30-10 with under six minutes to play, they needed points and they needed them fast. They would respond as O'Sullivan lead a 5-play, 64-yard drive and wrap it up with a 17-yard TD pass to WR Drew Haddad. On their next drive, O'Sullivan would throw a 19-yard pass to Derrick Lewis. Unfortunately, it was too little, too late as the Thunder would wind the game clock to zero and clich their third World Bowl title in four years.
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...
's 2004 championship game. The game was played at Arena AufSchalke in Gelsenkirchen, Germany
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....
on June 12, 2004. In this game, the defending champion 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...
returned to try to protect their title after going through a 7–3 regular season. Their opponent 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...
, as they entered the contest after a franchise-best 9–1 regular season. 35,413 fans were in attendance to watch this championship bout. The Thunder's regular season record pretty much explained their performance, as they stripped the Galaxy of their championship belt in a close match-up. The final score was 30–24, in favor of Berlin. Thunder RB Eric McCoo
Eric McCoo
Eric Franklin McCoo, Jr. is a former American football running back in the National Football League for the Philadelphia Eagles...
won MVP honors by running 28 times for 167 yards and a touchdown, with his longest run being 69 yards.
Background
The Thunder swept the regular season series against the Galaxy (31-27 in Frankfurt & 41-0 in Berlin).Game summary
World Bowl XII began with the Galaxy getting the ball first, yet four plays and one "Delay of Game" penalty later, QB J.T. O'SullivanJ.T. O'Sullivan
John Thomas "J. T." O'Sullivan is an American football quarterback who is currently a free agent. He was drafted by the New Orleans Saints in the sixth round of the 2002 NFL Draft. He played college football at UC Davis....
tried to pass to RB Skip Hicks
Skip Hicks
Brian LaVell "Skip" Hicks is a former American football running back in the National Football League. In his four seasons, Hicks played for the Washington Redskins and the Tennessee Titans...
and his pass got intercepted by Berlin DT Montique Sharpe, who returned the ball 28 yards for a touchdown. The Galaxy would then start their second drive at their own 25-yard line. Despite going 66 yards on 11 plays, the Thunder defense forced the Galaxy to settle for a 28-yard field goal by Ralf Kleinmann. In the second quarter, both teams prevented each other from scoring for most of the period. It wasn't until the final two minutes of the half that the scoring would continue, with J.T. O'Sullivan leading a 5-play, 55-yard drive and capping it off with an 8-yard TD pass to WR Derrick Lewis. With less than a minute to go in the half, Thunder QB Rohan Davey
Rohan Davey
Rohan St. Patrick Davey is a Jamaican-born American football quarterback who is currently a free agent.-High school years:...
got a 7-play, 51-yard drive going, yet Frankfurt's defense forced Berlin to settle for a 38-yard field goal by Jonathan Ruffin
Jonathan Ruffin
Jonathan Ruffin is an American football placekicker for the New Orleans VooDoo of the Arena Football League. He was signed by the Pittsburgh Steelers as an undrafted free agent in 2003...
, which gave the Berlin Thunder a 10-7 halftime lead. In the third quarter, one play was all that was needed on their second drive of the half, as a little trick play helped QB Rohan Davey get the ball to WR Richard Alston, who in turn completed a 60-yard TD pass to fellow WR Chas Gessner. The Thunder would later continue to pour on their lead, as Ruffin kicked a 42-yard field goal to give the Thunder a 23-10 lead going into the fourth quarter. In the fourth quarter, the Thunder got their final points of the game, as MVP RB Eric McCoo ran 69 yards for a touchdown. With the Galaxy trailing 30-10 with under six minutes to play, they needed points and they needed them fast. They would respond as O'Sullivan lead a 5-play, 64-yard drive and wrap it up with a 17-yard TD pass to WR Drew Haddad. On their next drive, O'Sullivan would throw a 19-yard pass to Derrick Lewis. Unfortunately, it was too little, too late as the Thunder would wind the game clock to zero and clich their third World Bowl title in four years.
Scoring summary
- Berlin - TD Sharpe 28 yd INT return 2:25 1st
- Frankfurt - FG Kleinmann 28 yd 7:42 1st
- Frankfurt - TD Lewis 8 yd pass from O'Sullivan 14:01 2nd
- Berlin - FG Ruffin 38 yd 15:00 2nd
- Berlin - TD Gessner 60 yd pass from Alston 3:35 3rd
- Berlin - FG Ruffin 42 yd 12:23 3rd
- Berlin - FG Ruffin 40 yd 3rd 14:07
- Berlin - TD McCoo 69 yr run 4th 8:34
- Frankfurt - TD Haddad 17 yd pass from O'Sullivan 10:55 4th
- Frankfurt - TD Lewis 19 yd pass from O'Sullivan 12:29 4th