Amsterdam Admirals

NFLE team
name = Amsterdam Admirals
color1 = #000080
color2 = #FFA500
helmet = AmsterdamAdmiralsHelmet.png
founded = 1995
retired = 2007
stadium = Amsterdam ArenA
city = Amsterdam, Netherlands
colors = Admirals Blue, Orange, Green, White, Light Blue
coach = Bart Andrus
mascot = Albert the Albatros
wb_won = 1
wb1 = World Bowl XIII (2005)The Amsterdam Admirals were a professional American football team in NFL Europa based in Amsterdam, Netherlands.

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. The Admirals were one of three new teams, the others being the Scottish Claymores based in Edinburgh and the Rhein Fire based in Düsseldorf, Germany, to join the old World League's European Division teams: the Barcelona Dragons, the Frankfurt Galaxy, and the London Monarchs.

The Admirals began playing their home games at the old Olympisch Stadion, built in 1928 for the Summer Games. They played there for two years until the Amsterdam ArenA was completed in 1996. When the Admirals were forced to schedule their last home game of the 2000 season against the Claymores away from the ArenA as Euro 2000 preparations were finalized, they made a return to the Olympisch Stadion in what turned out to be one of the most unusual games in American football history. The end zone at the north end of the stadium was ruled unsafe by the officials as the surface was in poor condition, so it was decided that the teams would change ends at every change of possession and play towards the other end zone.

They qualified for the 1995 World Bowl with a 9-1 regular season record, but lost to the Frankfurt Galaxy by a score of 26-22. Ten years later, on their 11th year of existence, the Admirals won their first World Bowl by defeating the defending champion Berlin Thunder 27-21 in the championship game's 13th edition. The next season, they failed to defend their title against the Frankfurt Galaxy 22-7 in World Bowl XIV.

Under the "Player Continuity Program" the Admirals contracted Linebacker Derrick Ballard and Running back Jonathan Smith for the 2007 season.

Head coaches

*flagicon|United States of America Al Luginbill 0.567 (1995-2000)
*flagicon|United States of America Bart Andrus 0.486 (2001-2007)

Season-by-season

-
colspan="6" align="center" | Amsterdam Admirals (World League)
-
1995 || 9 || 1 || 0 || 1st League || Lost World Bowl III (Galaxy)
-
1996 || 5 || 5 || 0 || 3rd League || align="center" | --
-
colspan="6" align="center" | Amsterdam Admirals (NFL Europe)
-
1997 || 5 || 5 || 0 || 3rd League || align="center" | --
-
1998 || 7 || 3 || 0 || 3rd League || align="center" | --
-
1999 || 4 || 6 || 0 || 4th League || align="center" | --
-
2000 || 4 || 6 || 0 || 4th League || align="center" | --
-
2001 || 4 || 6 || 0 || 4th League || align="center" | --
-
2002 || 4 || 6 || 0 || 5th League || align="center" | --
-
2003 || 4 || 6 || 0 || 5th League || align="center" | --
-
2004 || 5 || 5 || 0 || 3rd League || align="center" | --
-
2005 || 6 || 4 || 0 || 2nd League || Won World Bowl XIII (Thunder)
-
2006 || 7 || 3 || 0 || 1st League || Lost World Bowl XIV (Galaxy)
-
colspan="6" align="center" | Amsterdam Admirals (NFL Europa)
-
2007 || 4 || 6 || 0 || 5th League || --
-!Totals || 68 || 64 || 0
colspan="3" | (including playoffs)
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Attendance

"Source:" [http://www.kenn.com/sports/football/nflel/index.html Kenn.com] "Source:" [http://www.nfleurope.com/records NFLEurope.com]

ee also

* Amsterdam Admirals 2006
* Amsterdam Admirals 2007

External links

* [http://www.admirals.nl/english/index.html Amsterdam Admirals web site]
* [http://www.nfleurope.com/teams/AMS NFL Europa: Amsterdam Admirals]