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{{Short description|Professional American football team in Germany}}
⚫
{{Infobox NFLE team
{{About|the defunct NFL Europe team|the later team playing in the European League of Football|Rhein Fire (ELF)|}}
| name = Rhein Fire
⚫
{{Infobox American football team
| color1 = #6E273D
| color2 = #FFFFFF
| name = Rhein Fire
| bgcolor = #6E273D | fontcolor = #FFFFFF
| helmet =
| logo = Rhein Fire Logo.svg
| helmet =
| logo = Rhein Fire Logo.svg
| league = [[NFL Europe|World League of American Football (NFL Europe)]]
| founded = 1995
| retired = 2007
| founded = 1995
| closed = 2007
| stadium = [[Esprit Arena|LTU arena]]
| field = [[Rheinstadion]] <small>(1995–2002)</small><br />[[Arena AufSchalke]] <small>(2003–2004)</small><br />[[Merkur Spiel-Arena|LTU Arena]] <small>(2005–2007)</small>
| city = [[Düsseldorf]], [[Germany]]
| location = [[Düsseldorf]], [[Germany]] <small>(1995–2002, 2005–2007)</small><br />[[Gelsenkirchen]], Germany <small>(2003–2004)</small>
| colors = Maroon, Black, Gold, White<ref>{{cite web |title=Team Colors – NFLE|url=http://www.ssur.org/research/TeamColors/Football_Outdoor/NationalFootballLeagueEurope/NationalFootballLeagueEurope.htm |work=SSUR.org |accessdate=2010-02-17 }}</ref><br><small>{{color box|#6E273D}} {{color box|#1E1E1E}} {{color box|#CE8E00}} {{color box|#FFFFFF}}</small>
| colors = Maroon, Black, Gold, White<ref>{{cite web |title=Team Colors – NFLE|url=http://www.ssur.org/research/TeamColors/Football_Outdoor/NationalFootballLeagueEurope/NationalFootballLeagueEurope.htm |work=SSUR.org |access-date=2010-02-17 }}</ref><br><small>{{color box|#6E273D}} {{color box|#1E1E1E}} {{color box|#CE8E00}} {{color box|#FFFFFF}}</small>
| wb_won = 2
| mascot =
| wb1 = [[World Bowl VI]] (1998)
| coach =
| wb2 = [[World Bowl VIII]] (2000)
| record =
| league_champ_type = [[World Bowl]]s&nbsp;{{nobold|(2)}}
| league_champs = {{hlist|[[World Bowl VI]] (1998)|[[World Bowl VIII]] (2000)}}
}}
}}
The '''Rhein Fire''' was a professional football team in [[NFL Europe]], 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 '''Rhein Fire''' were a professional football team in the [[NFL Europe]], formerly the World League of American Football. Established in [[Düsseldorf]], [[Germany]] in 1995, the franchise resurrected the name of the former [[Birmingham Fire]] team which was active during the 1991–1992 WLAF seasons.


==History==
==History==
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 [[Rheinstadion]] until 2002 and in [[Veltins-Arena|Arena AufSchalke]] from 2003 to 2004 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 [[World Bowl XII|2005 World Bowl]], where the [[Amsterdam Admirals]] upset the then-defending champion [[Berlin Thunder]].
The team was based in Düsseldorf (and early on the team was occasionally referred to in the U.S. as the '''Düsseldorf Fire'''{{Cn|date=July 2024}}), playing at the [[Rheinstadion]] until 2002. After the demolition of the Rheinstadion, the team moved to nearby [[Gelsenkirchen]] and played at [[Arena AufSchalke]] for the 2003 and 2004 seasons. The team returned to Düsseldorf for the 2005 season, playing at the newly-constructed [[LTU Arena]]. The Fire would remain at the LTU Arena until NFL Europe's dissolution in 2007.


The Fire had been one of NFL Europa's most successful teams as far as fan appeal and competitively on the field{{Citation needed|date=June 2007}}. The team itself has played for five [[World Bowl]] championships throughout its history, winning in [[World Bowl VI|1998]] (over the [[Frankfurt Galaxy]]) and [[World Bowl VIII|2000]] (over the [[Scottish Claymores]]).
The Fire hosted the [[World Bowl]] a record five times: in [[World Bowl '99|1999]] and [[World Bowl X|2002]] at the Rheinstadion, in [[World Bowl XII|2004]] at Arena AufSchalke, and in [[World Bowl XIII|2005]] and [[World Bowl XIV|2006]] at the LTU Arena.

The Fire were one of NFL Europe's most successful teams in terms of fan support and on-field success.{{Cn|date=July 2024}} The team itself played for five World Bowl championships throughout its history, winning in [[World Bowl '98|1998]] over the [[Frankfurt Galaxy (NFL Europe)|Frankfurt Galaxy]] and [[World Bowl 2000|2000]] over the [[Scottish Claymores]]. They lost to the [[Barcelona Dragons (NFL Europe)|Barcelona Dragons]] in [[World Bowl '97|1997]], the [[Berlin Thunder (NFL Europe)|Berlin Thunder]] in [[World Bowl X|2002]], and the Galaxy in [[World Bowl XI|2003]].


==Season-by-season==
==Season-by-season==
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|-
|-
! [[1995 Rhein Fire season|1995]]
! [[1995 Rhein Fire season|1995]]
| WLAF
| [[1995 WLAF season|WLAF]]
| 4
| 4
| 6
| 6
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|-
|-
! [[1996 Rhein Fire season|1996]]
! [[1996 Rhein Fire season|1996]]
| WLAF
| [[1996 WLAF season|WLAF]]
| 3
| 3
| 7
| 7
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|-
|-
! [[1997 Rhein Fire season|1997]]
! [[1997 Rhein Fire season|1997]]
| WLAF
| [[1997 WLAF season|WLAF]]
| 7
| 7
| 3
| 3
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| 1
| 1
| .000
| .000
| {{small|Lost to [[Barcelona Dragons]] in [[World Bowl '97]]}}
| {{small|Lost to [[Barcelona Dragons (NFL Europe)|Barcelona Dragons]] in [[World Bowl '97]]}}
|-style="background:#FDE910"
|-style="background:#FDE910"
! [[1998 Rhein Fire season|1998]]
! [[1998 Rhein Fire season|1998]]
| [[1998 NFL Europe season|NFLE]]
| NFLE
| 7
| 7
| 3
| 3
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|-
|-
! [[1999 Rhein Fire season|1999]]
! [[1999 Rhein Fire season|1999]]
| [[1999 NFL Europe season|NFLE]]
| NFLE
| 6
| 6
| 4
| 4
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|-style="background:#FDE910"
|-style="background:#FDE910"
! [[2000 Rhein Fire season|2000]]
! [[2000 Rhein Fire season|2000]]
| [[2000 NFL Europe season|NFLE]]
| NFLE
| 7
| 7
| 3
| 3
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|-
|-
! [[2001 Rhein Fire season|2001]]
! [[2001 Rhein Fire season|2001]]
| [[2001 NFL Europe season|NFLE]]
| NFLE
| 5
| 5
| 5
| 5
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|-
|-
! [[2002 Rhein Fire season|2002]]
! [[2002 Rhein Fire season|2002]]
| [[2002 NFL Europe season|NFLE]]
| NFLE
| 7
| 7
| 3
| 3
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| 1
| 1
| .000
| .000
| {{small|Lost to [[Berlin Thunder]] in [[World Bowl X]]}}
| {{small|Lost to [[Berlin Thunder (NFL Europe)|Berlin Thunder]] in [[World Bowl X]]}}
|-
|-
! [[2003 Rhein Fire season|2003]]
! [[2003 Rhein Fire season|2003]]
| [[2003 NFL Europe season|NFLE]]
| NFLE
| 6
| 6
| 4
| 4
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| 1
| 1
| .000
| .000
| {{small|Lost to [[Frankfurt Galaxy]] in [[World Bowl XI]]}}
| {{small|Lost to [[Frankfurt Galaxy (NFL Europe)|Frankfurt Galaxy]] in [[World Bowl XI]]}}
|-
|-
! [[2004 Rhein Fire season|2004]]
! [[2004 Rhein Fire season|2004]]
| [[2004 NFL Europe season|NFLE]]
| NFLE
| 3
| 3
| 7
| 7
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|-
|-
! [[2005 Rhein Fire season|2005]]
! [[2005 Rhein Fire season|2005]]
| [[2005 NFL Europe season|NFLE]]
| NFLE
| 3
| 3
| 7
| 7
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|-
|-
! [[2006 Rhein Fire season|2006]]
! [[2006 Rhein Fire season|2006]]
| [[2006 NFL Europe season|NFLE]]
| NFLE
| 6
| 6
| 4
| 4
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|-
|-
! [[2007 Rhein Fire season|2007]]
! [[2007 Rhein Fire season|2007]]
| [[2007 NFL Europa season|NFLE]]
| NFLE
| 4
| 4
| 6
| 6
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! 0
! 0
! .523
! .523
!
!
! 2
! 2
! 3
! 3
! .400
! .400
!
!
|}
|}


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* [[James Harrell (American football)|James Harrell]] (2004)
* [[James Harrell (American football)|James Harrell]] (2004)
* [[Bernardo Harris]] (2007)
* [[Bernardo Harris]] (2007)
* [[Mike Jones (wide receiver)|Mike Jones]] (1998–2000, 2002–2003)
* [[Mike Jones (wide receiver, born 1960)|Mike Jones]] (1998–2000, 2002–2003)
* Whitey Jordan (1998–2000, 2002–2004)
* Whitey Jordan (1998–2000, 2002–2004)
* [[E. J. Junior]] (2005)
* [[E. J. Junior]] (2005)
Line 335: Line 341:


==Notable players==
==Notable players==
*{{flagicon|Germany}} [[Richard Adjei]] (2004–2007)
*{{flagicon|Germany}} [[Richard Adjei]] (2004–2007)
*{{flagicon|Germany}} [[Ingo Anderbrügge]] (2003–2004)
*{{flagicon|Germany}} [[Ingo Anderbrügge]] (2003–2004), former [[Schalke 04]] soccer player, kicker during Fire's years in Gelsenkirchen
*{{flagicon|USA}} [[Cedric Bonner]] (2006–2007)
*{{flagicon|USA}} [[Cedric Bonner]] (2006–2007)
*{{flagicon|Germany}} [[Manfred Burgsmüller]] (1996–2002), kicker and oldest professional American football player at age 52<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.football-aktuell.de/cgi-bin/news.pl?artikel=155862755750|title = In memoriam: Manfred Burgsmüller|last=Schlüter|language=de|date=2019-05-23|website=Football-Aktuell|access-date=2022-10-24}}</ref>
*{{flagicon|Germany}} [[Manfred Burgsmüller]] (1996–2002)
*{{flagicon|USA}} [[Byron Chamberlain]] (1996)
*{{flagicon|USA}} [[Byron Chamberlain]] (1996)
*{{flagicon|USA}} [[Derrick Clark (American football)|Derrick Clark]] (1996–1999)
*{{flagicon|USA}} [[Derrick Clark (American football)|Derrick Clark]] (1996–1999)
*{{flagicon|USA}} [[Mike Croel]] (1998)
*{{flagicon|USA}} [[Mike Croel]] (1998)
*{{flagicon|USA}} [[Terry Crews]] (1995)
*{{flagicon|USA}} [[Terry Crews]] (1995)
*{{flagicon|USA}} [[Nick Ferguson]] (1998)
*{{flagicon|USA}} [[Nick Ferguson]] (1998)
*{{flagicon|Germany}} [[Patrick Gerigk]] (1998)
*{{flagicon|Germany}} [[Patrick Gerigk]] (1998)
*{{flagicon|USA}} [[James Harrison (American football)|James Harrison]] (2004)
*{{flagicon|USA}} [[Steve Gleason]] (2001)
*{{flagicon|USA}} [[James Harrison (American football)|James Harrison]] (2004)
*{{flagicon|USA}} [[Drew Henson]] (2006)
*{{flagicon|USA}} [[Drew Henson]] (2006)
*{{flagicon|USA}} [[Andy Kelly (American football)|Andy Kelly]] (1996)
*{{flagicon|USA}} [[Andy Kelly (American football)|Andy Kelly]] (1996)
*{{flagicon|USA}} [[Fred Jackson (American football)|Fred Jackson]] (2006)
*{{flagicon|USA}} [[Jeris McIntyre]] (2005)
*{{flagicon|USA}} [[Michael Lewis (NFL receiver)|Michael Lewis]] (2001)
*{{flagicon|USA}} [[Fred Jackson (running back)|Fred Jackson]] (2006)
*{{flagicon|USA}} [[Mike Quinn]] (1998)
*{{flagicon|USA}} [[Michael Lewis (NFL receiver)|Michael Lewis]] (2001)
*{{flagicon|USA}} [[Marcus Robinson (American football)|Marcus Robinson]] (1998)
*{{flagicon|USA}} [[Mike Quinn]] (1998)
*{{flagicon|USA}} [[Marcus Robinson (American football)|Marcus Robinson]] (1998)
*{{flagicon|USA}} [[Jamal Robertson]] (2002)
*{{flagicon|USA}} [[Jamal Robertson]] (2002)
*{{flagicon|USA}} [[Bill Schroeder (wide receiver)|Bill Schroeder]] (1997)
*{{flagicon|USA}} [[Bill Schroeder (wide receiver)|Bill Schroeder]] (1997)
*{{flagicon|USA}} [[Gino Torretta]] (1995)
*{{flagicon|USA}} [[Gino Torretta]] (1995)
*{{flagicon|USA}} [[Tony Wragge]] (2006)
*{{flagicon|USA}} [[Tony Wragge]] (2006)
*{{flagicon|USA}} [[Danny Wuerffel]] (2000)
*{{flagicon|USA}} [[Danny Wuerffel]] (2000)
*{{flagicon|Mexico}} [[Eduardo Castañeda]] (2007)
*{{flagicon|Japan}} [[Tamon Nakamura]] (1998-1999)
*{{flagicon|Japan}} [[Akihito Amaya]] (2001-2002)
*{{flagicon|USA}} [[John David Washington]] (2007)


==Other notable personnel==
==Other notable personnel==
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==References==
==References==
{{Reflist|2}}
{{Reflist}}


{{Rhein Fire}}
{{Rhein Fire}}
{{NFLE}}
{{NFLE}}
{{Authority control}}


[[Category:Rhein Fire|*]]
[[Category:Rhein Fire| ]]
[[Category:NFL Europe (WLAF) teams]]
[[Category:NFL Europe (WLAF) teams]]
[[Category:Defunct American football teams in Germany]]
[[Category:Defunct American football teams in Germany]]
[[Category:Düsseldorf]]
[[Category:Sport in Düsseldorf]]
[[Category:Sport in Düsseldorf]]
[[Category:American football teams established in 1995]]
[[Category:American football teams established in 1995]]
[[Category:Sports clubs disestablished in 2007]]
[[Category:American football teams disestablished in 2007]]
[[Category:1995 establishments in Germany]]
[[Category:1995 establishments in Germany]]
[[Category:2007 disestablishments in Germany]]
[[Category:2007 disestablishments in Germany]]

Latest revision as of 19:26, 1 January 2025

This article is about the defunct NFL Europe team. For the later team playing in the European League of Football, see Rhein Fire (ELF).
Rhein Fire
Team logo
Founded1995
Closed2007
Based inDüsseldorf, Germany (1995–2002, 2005–2007)
Gelsenkirchen, Germany (2003–2004)
Home fieldRheinstadion (1995–2002)
Arena AufSchalke (2003–2004)
LTU Arena (2005–2007)
LeagueWorld League of American Football (NFL Europe)
ColorsMaroon, Black, Gold, White[1]
       
World Bowls (2)

The Rhein Fire were a professional football team in the NFL Europe, formerly the World League of American Football. Established in Düsseldorf, Germany in 1995, the franchise resurrected the name of the former Birmingham Fire team which was active during the 1991–1992 WLAF seasons.

History

[edit]

The team was based in Düsseldorf (and early on the team was occasionally referred to in the U.S. as the Düsseldorf Fire[citation needed]), playing at the Rheinstadion until 2002. After the demolition of the Rheinstadion, the team moved to nearby Gelsenkirchen and played at Arena AufSchalke for the 2003 and 2004 seasons. The team returned to Düsseldorf for the 2005 season, playing at the newly-constructed LTU Arena. The Fire would remain at the LTU Arena until NFL Europe's dissolution in 2007.

The Fire hosted the World Bowl a record five times: in 1999 and 2002 at the Rheinstadion, in 2004 at Arena AufSchalke, and in 2005 and 2006 at the LTU Arena.

The Fire were one of NFL Europe's most successful teams in terms of fan support and on-field success.[citation needed] The team itself played for five World Bowl championships throughout its history, winning in 1998 over the Frankfurt Galaxy and 2000 over the Scottish Claymores. They lost to the Barcelona Dragons in 1997, the Berlin Thunder in 2002, and the Galaxy in 2003.

Season-by-season

[edit]
Season League Regular season Postseason
Won Lost Ties Win % Finish Won Lost Win % Result
1995 WLAF 4 6 0 .400 5th (League) – – — —
1996 WLAF 3 7 0 .300 6th (League) – – — —
1997 WLAF 7 3 0 .700 1st (League) 0 1 .000 Lost to Barcelona Dragons in World Bowl '97
1998 NFLE 7 3 0 .700 2nd (League) 1 0 1.000 World Bowl '98 champions
1999 NFLE 6 4 0 .600 3rd (League) – – — —
2000 NFLE 7 3 0 .700 1st (League) 1 0 1.000 World Bowl 2000 champions
2001 NFLE 5 5 0 .500 3rd (League) – – — —
2002 NFLE 7 3 0 .700 1st (League) 0 1 .000 Lost to Berlin Thunder in World Bowl X
2003 NFLE 6 4 0 .600 2nd (League) 0 1 .000 Lost to Frankfurt Galaxy in World Bowl XI
2004 NFLE 3 7 0 .300 5th (League) – – — —
2005 NFLE 3 7 0 .300 6th (League) – – — —
2006 NFLE 6 4 0 .600 3rd (League) – – — —
2007 NFLE 4 6 0 .400 4th (League) – – — —
Total 68 62 0 .523 2 3 .400

Coaching history

[edit]

Head coaches

[edit]
# Name Term Regular season Postseason Achievements
GC Won Lost Ties Win % GC Won Lost Win %
1 Galen Hall 1995–2000 60 34 26 0 .567 3 2 1 .667 2 World Bowl championships (1998, 2000)
World League Coach of the Year (1997)
NFL Europe Coach of the Year (2000)
2 Pete Kuharchek 2001–2005 50 24 26 0 .480 2 0 2 .000 —
3 Jim Tomsula 2006 10 6 4 0 .600 – – – — —
4 Rick Lantz 2007 10 4 6 0 .400 – – – — —

Assistant coaches

[edit]

Notable players

[edit]

Other notable personnel

[edit]
  • Alexander Leibkind – General Manager 1996–2004
  • Ken Karcher – Assistant coach for the Fire, was previously an NFL replacement player and later became a collegiate head coach.
  • Oliver Luck – General Manager 1995, became league president the following year.

References

[edit]
  1. ^ "Team Colors – NFLE". SSUR.org. Retrieved 2010-02-17.
  2. ^ Schlüter (2019-05-23). "In memoriam: Manfred Burgsmüller". Football-Aktuell (in German). Retrieved 2022-10-24.
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