- Rhein Fire
NFLE team
name = Rhein Fire
color1 = #000000
color2 = #FDF5E6
helmet = NFLE_Fire.gif
founded = 1995
retired = 2007
stadium =LTU Arena
city =Düsseldorf ,Germany
colors = Maroon, Black, Gold, White
coach =Rick Lantz
wb_won = 2
wb1 =World Bowl VI (1998)
wb2 =World Bowl VIII (2000)The Rhein Fire were a professionalAmerican football team inNFL Europa , formerly theWorld League of American Football . Established inGermany in 1995, the franchise resurrected the name of the formerBirmingham 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 inLTU Arena since 2005 season. Prior to this the team played in Arena AufSchalke in nearby cityGelsenkirchen while LTU Arena was being built. The team shared facilities with thefootball (soccer) clubFortuna Düsseldorf . The Fire also hosted the 2005 World Bowl, where theAmsterdam Admirals upset the then-defending championBerlin Thunder .The Fire had been one of NFL Europa's most successful teams as far as fan appeal and competitively on the fieldFact|date=June 2007. 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 theFrankfurt Galaxy ) and 2000 (over theScottish 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 .Head coaches
*
Galen Hall (1995-2000)
*Pete Kuharcek (2001-2005)
*Jim Tomsula (2006-2007)
*Rick Lantz (2007)Notable players
*flagicon|Germany
Ingo Anderbrügge (2003-2004)
*flagicon|USACedric Bonner (2006-2007)
*flagicon|GermanyManfred Burgsmüller (1996-2002)
*flagicon|USAByron Chamberlain (1996)
*flagicon|USADerrick Clark (1996-1999)
*flagicon|USAMike Croel (1998)
*flagicon|GermanyPatrick Gerigk (1998)
*flagicon|USADrew Henson (2006)
*flagicon|USAAndy Kelly (1996)
*flagicon|USA Fred Jackson (2006)
*flagicon|USA Michael Lewis (2001)
*flagicon|USAMike Quinn (1998)
*flagicon|USAMarcus Robinson (1998)
*flagicon|USAJamal Robertson (2002)
*flagicon|AustraliaSaverio Rocca (2006)
*flagicon|USABill Schroeder (1997)
*flagicon|USAGino Torretta (1995)
*flagicon|USADanny Wuerffel (2000)
*flagicon|USAPhil Stambaugh (2001)Other notable personnel
*
Oliver Luck - General Manager 1995, became league president the following year.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 || LostWorld Bowl V (Dragons)
-
colspan="6" align="center" | Rhein Fire (NFL Europe)
-
1998 || 7 || 3 || 0 || 1st League || WonWorld Bowl VI (Galaxy)
-
1999 || 6 || 4 || 0 || 3rd League || --
-
2000 || 7 || 3 || 0 || 1st League || WonWorld Bowl VIII (Claymores)
-
2001 || 5 || 5 || 0 || 3rd League || --
-
2002 || 7 || 3 || 0 || 1st League || LostWorld Bowl X (Thunder)
-
2003 || 6 || 4 || 0 || 2nd League || LostWorld 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)
###@@@KEYEND@@@###External links
* [http://www.Fire-Universe.de/ Fire-Universe Fanzine] (German)
* [http://www.web62.com/rheinfire.html Videos from Rhein Fire ] (English)
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