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| Founded | 1995 |
|---|---|
| Closed | 2007 |
| Based in | Düsseldorf, Germany (1995–2002, 2005–2007) Gelsenkirchen, Germany (2003–2004) |
| Home field | Rheinstadion (1995–2002) Arena AufSchalke (2003–2004) LTU Arena (2005–2007) |
| League | World League of American Football (NFL Europe) |
| Colors | Maroon, Black, Gold, White[1] |
| World Bowls (2) |
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The Rhein Fire were a professional football team in the 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 team were 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 FC Schalke 04's 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 hosted the World Bowl a record five times: in 1999 and 2002 in the Rheinstadion, in 2004 in Gelsenkirchen, and in 2005 and 2006 in the LTU Arena.
The Fire was one of NFL Europa's most successful teams as far as fan appeal and competitively on the field. 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).
| 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 DragonsinWorld 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 ThunderinWorld Bowl X |
| 2003 | NFLE | 6 | 4 | 0 | .600 | 2nd (League) | 0 | 1 | .000 | Lost to Frankfurt GalaxyinWorld 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 | |||
| # | 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 | 2World 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 | – | – | – | — | — |
Richard Adjei (2004–2007) Ingo Anderbrügge (2003–2004), former Schalke 04 soccer player, kicker during Fire's years in Gelsenkirchen
Cedric Bonner (2006–2007) Manfred Burgsmüller (1996–2002), kicker and oldest professional American football player at age 52[2] Byron Chamberlain (1996) Derrick Clark (1996–1999) Mike Croel (1998) Terry Crews (1995) Nick Ferguson (1998) Patrick Gerigk (1998) James Harrison (2004) Drew Henson (2006) Andy Kelly (1996) Jeris McIntyre (2005) Fred Jackson (2006) Michael Lewis (2001) Mike Quinn (1998) Marcus Robinson (1998) Jamal Robertson (2002) Bill Schroeder (1997) Gino Torretta (1995) Tony Wragge (2006) Danny Wuerffel (2000)
Tamon Nakamura (1998-1999) Akihito Amaya (2001-2002) John David Washington (2007)|
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| The Franchise |
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| Stadiums |
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| Head coaches |
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| World Bowl appearances (5) |
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| League championships (2) |
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| Seasons |
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| Teams |
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| Seasons |
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| See also |
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