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The Rhein Fire were a professional American football team in NFL Europa, 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.
The team was based in Düsseldorf (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[citation needed]. The team is based in an area of Germany that does not have a local Bundesliga team and 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).
As with all teams in NFL Europa, the roster of players is predominantly comprised of American "developmental" players assigned by the member teams of the National Football League.
[edit] Head coaches
[edit] Notable players
[edit] Other notable personnel
- Oliver Luck - General Manager 1995, later league president.
[edit] Season-by-season
Note: W = Wins, L = Losses, T = Ties
| Season |
W |
L |
T |
Finish |
Playoff results |
| 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) |
| 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 |
-- |
| Rhein Fire (NFL Europa) |
| 2007 |
4 |
6 |
0 |
4th League |
-- |
| Totals |
70 |
65 |
0 |
(including playoffs) |
[edit] External links
Ingo Anderbrügge (2003-2004)
Cedric Bonner (2006-2007)
Saverio Rocca (2006)
