Rhein Fire

World Bowl VIII ( 2000)

Rhein Fire was a professional American football team based in Dusseldorf. The official name was Rhein Fire Football Team -GmbH.

The team was taken on July 27, 1994 by the 32 owners of the National Football League ( NFL) in the former World League of American Football ( WLAF ). In the spring of 1995 found the first games of this re-established franchise league that had been played out in 1991 and 1992 with 10 teams at that time the World Bowl winner instead. The league was initially later renamed NFL Europe, in NFL Europe.

The name Rhein Fire covers both the River as landscape -forming flow, at the same time but also to the entire region of North Rhine -Westphalia. The name Fire you took over from the former U.S. team Birmingham Fire.

In addition to the football team was also a private cheerleading team, the Pyromaniacs to the Rhein Fire.

Rhein Fire was, in addition to the tradition -rich ore rivals Frankfurt Galaxy when the team with the largest fan base. In the 2006 and 2007 just over 22,000 fans per home game came in the LTU arena to Dusseldorf, in the Rhein Fire from 2005 to 2007 home games has discharged.

General Manager of the team was for many years Alexander body child before he was replaced in September 2004 by Sammy Schmale.

After the 2007 season, the club owner decided the NFL, the NFL Europe sets the game mode for the sake of a marketing change. The teams of the NFL Europe, as well as the Rhein Fire were thus dissolved. The background is that the NFL has decided, in future regular NFL games abroad, including in locations in Europe, unsubscribe. This is a higher viewer loyalty can be achieved.

Achievements

World Bowl Champion: 1998, 2000
World Bowl Finalist: 1997, 2002, 2003

Head coaches

Galen Hall (1995-2000) Galen Hall took over as the first coach the team and was able to improve the team over three seasons, as far after the unsuccessful first season that in the fourth season, the first was achieved in five finals. Although they lost the 1997 final against the strong Barcelona Dragons, but the home a year later, the first World Bowl victory in club history. Once you could not qualify for the final as defending champions in the 1999 season, Hall succeeded in the 2000 season but again put together a strong team and win the World Bowl again to Dusseldorf. These two titles should remain the only title that could reach the Rhein Fire. Thus Galen Hall is the only champion coach of the team.
Pete Kuharchek (2001-2005) Pete Kuharchek was introduced in the 2001 season as the new head coach of the team. Previously, he was under head coach Galen Hall 's defensive coordinator. In his second season as head coach he could Rhein Fire lead into the Wold Bowl finale, which, however, went to Berlin Thunder lost. Also in the next season (2003 ) brought him to the team finals, but had to admit defeat, this time against arch-rivals of the Frankfurt Galaxy, which one could still defeat in the 1998 final. This should be the last finals in the history of the team remain until its dissolution in 2007. Pete Kuharchek came in the 2005 season under criticism because his game plan was aligned very defensive and pass - poor and also the game attractiveness flattened next to the lack of success of the team compared to previous years. This resulted in a season record of only three wins in seven defeats. In October 2005, the Rhein Fire and Pete Kuharchek then parted by mutual agreement.
Jim Tomsula (2006) As the successor to Pete Kuharchek Jim Tomsula was presented that was previously successful defensive coordinator at the Berlin Thunder and the Scottish Claymores. Under Tomsula the team started very successfully with four wins in a row and was on the way, after three years the final of the World Bowl to achieve. However, could not be tied to the performance of the first few weeks and so you missed the finals just on the last day in the period that followed. Yet again could be dragged to the end of the season with 6 wins 4 losses in a positive balance. Jim Tomsula decided in January '07 for a second season as head coach at the Rhein Fire, and for an offer from the NFL after he had a year earlier rejected that. Tomsula was defensive line coach at the traditional club of the San Francisco 49ers.
Rick Lantz (2007) Rick Lantz joined as head coach of the Berlin Thunder to the Rhein Fire. He brought a 40 -year-old trainer with experience to Dusseldorf. He won in 2004 with the Berlin Thunder to the World Bowl and became the " NFLE Coach of the Year". In 2005 he moved with Thunder again in the final. Last season, the team and the league is played at the finals but not matter. After a false start to the season after some very poor performances, the team mid-season was able to stabilize something that ultimately ended the season one but with a tendency of 4 wins and 6 losses in fourth place the final table.

Statistics

Results against NFLE Team ( Wins: Losses )

World Bowl

World Bowl Results: 2 Wins: 3 Losses

Overall

In 130 regular league games left Rhein Fire 68 times the pitch as the winner, 62 times you had to admit defeat. If we add the World Bowl appearances, the team has reached a score of 70:65 victories. The strongest phase of the team was in the period from 1997 until 2003, when five times they reached the final of the World Bowl in seven years. Only in the years 1999 and 2001 we just missed the finals in third place of each regular season.

Average attendances

Venues

Due to the demolition of the old Rhine Stadium and the construction of a new modern multi -purpose arena, the team in the seasons 2003 and 2004 had to dodge into the arena Aufschalke.

2003-2004: Arena Aufschalke (now Veltins- Arena) Gelsenkirchen
2005-2007: LTU arena Dusseldorf

German Football Team
NFLE team
Sports Club ( Dusseldorf )

Football helmet Rheinstadion

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