Berlin Thunder

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Berlin Thunder Flag of Germany.svg
City: Berlin
Founded: 1999 (successor to the London Monarchs )
Resolved: June 29, 2007
Head coach: John Allen
League (2007): NFL Europe
Greatest successes
World Bowl winner 2001
World Bowl winner 2002
World Bowl winner 2004
Stadion
Surname:

Olympic Stadium

Play surface: race
Capacity: 76,000

The American football team Berlin Thunder was a member of the NFL Europe from 1999 to 2007 . Berlin Thunder had replaced the London Monarchs team in the European branch of the National Football League .

history

At the official confirmation of the ninth league franchise in 1998, the previous DSF TV commentator Michael Lang was introduced as general manager. After a call in the media to the public to send in suggested names for the capital city team, the name "Berlin Thunder" and the striking Hammer logo were presented in the planetarium at the Insulaner on November 16, 1998.

The venue for the home games of Berlin Thunder was initially the Friedrich-Ludwig-Jahn-Sportpark in Berlin- Prenzlauer Berg . After initial difficulties in the first season under head coach Wes Chandler (3-7 victories, 1999) Berlin Thunder moved under the new head coach Peter Vaas (2000-2003) in the years 2001 and 2002 in the World Bowl final. Both finals were won, 2001 in Amsterdam in World Bowl IX against the Barcelona Dragons (24:17), in 2002 in Düsseldorf in World Bowl X against Rhein Fire (26:20). It was also the only successful title defense in NFL Europe.

In the 2003 season, due to the better infrastructural location, they moved to the better-known Berlin Olympic Stadium . As a result of the move, the average number of spectators could be increased even faster than before; the record average was set in 2005 with 16,848 fans per game. In the fifth home game in 2005 against the Cologne Centurions, the highest number of spectators was achieved at a game with 20,927 fans.

Before the 2004 NFL Europe season, Rick Lantz took over the post of head coach from Peter Vaas, who moved to the newly founded league competitor Cologne Centurions. After an almost perfect season with 10-1 wins under quarterback Rohan Davey (allocated by the New England Patriots), Berlin Thunder won the third World Bowl title (30:24 against the Frankfurt Galaxy in World Bowl XII, Arena AufSchalke, Gelsenkirchen) the team history.

In autumn 2005, the previous General Manager Michael Lang was replaced by Deputy General Manager and Sales and Marketing Director Joe Cealera. The last time the Berliners moved into the World Bowl XIII in the LTUarena (Düsseldorf) in 2005, which went to the Amsterdam Admirals for the first time with 27:21.

In the 2006 season, the number of spectators at Berlin Thunder and all other NFLE teams fell, which was mainly due to the early start of the season due to the FIFA World Cup. In the 2006 season, Berlin Thunder even played its fifth home game again in its "old home", in the Friedrich-Ludwig-Jahn-Sportpark, due to the tight schedule of the 2006 FIFA World Cup. The season ended with 2 wins, 7 defeats and one draw (17:17 in Hamburg, second draw in league history).

In January 2007, Rick Lantz, who moved to league rival Rhein Fire, passed the baton on as head coach of Berlin Thunder to John Allen, who had already worked as wide receiver coach in Berlin in 2003 and who had been responsible for the successful offense of the Amsterdam Admirals three years earlier .

1999 season

3-7-0 | PF: 173 | PA: 308 | Placement: 6.
The team trained by Wes Chandler lost four games in a row in their first season before the home game against the Amsterdam Admirals could be won. In the end there were 3 wins against 7 losses and Thunder finished 6th in the NFL Europe.

2000 season

4-6-0 | PF: 189 | PA: 249 | Placement: 6.
After Wes Chandler switched to the Dallas Cowboys in the NFL, Peter Vaas, up to now offensive assistant at the Barcelona Dragons , became the head coach of the Berlin team. Although they were at the top of the table after the third match day, in the end they were only able to reach the bottom of the table with 4 wins and 6 defeats.

2001 season

6-4-0 | PF: 270 | PA: 239 | Placement: 2nd | WorldBowl IX Champion
Also in 2001 the first game of the season should be lost. But after that they won six more times, so that Thunder was second in the table with six wins and four defeats and thus for the first time a participant in the NFLE World Bowl final. The Berlin team won the final in the Amsterdam Arena against the Barcelona Dragons 24-17 and thus secured the title of World Bowl Champion for the first time .

2002 season

6-4-0 | PF: 231 | PA: 188 | Placement: 2nd | WorldBowl X Champion
Peter Vaas' team started the season only moderately. But three narrow defeats followed three wins, and in the end there were six wins and four defeats. Again Berlin Thunder was second in the table and qualified for the World Bowl. The final was played in the Düsseldorf Rheinstadion , where the final opponent Rhein Fire played his home games. With a success of 26:20, the Berlin team was the first NFLE team to ever defend its title.

2003 season

3-7-0 | PF: 248 | PA: 318 | Placement: 6.
The team, which had bad luck with injuries, lost the first four games of the season in 2003. In the course of the season, only three wins followed, which were set against seven defeats in the end. Thunder was once again only able to take last place.

2004 season

9-1-0 | PF: 286 | PA: 196 | Placement: 1st | WorldBowl XII Champion
The 2004 season went much better. The well-known and respected in US football circles Rick Lantz took over as head coach and led them to five wins in a row at the start of the season. On the sixth match day, Berlin Thunder suffered the first and only, also extremely narrow, defeat at the Cologne Centurions. With nine wins and one loss, Thunder was the championship leader for the third time in the World Bowl. In the final, Berlin Thunder met the Frankfurt Galaxy in the AufSchalke arena . The Berliners won the game with 30:24 and were able to celebrate their third title in four years.

2005 season

Dave Ragone throws a pass in the 30: 7 win against the Frankfurt Galaxy

7-3-0 | PF: 241 | PA: 191 | Placement 1st | WorldBowl XIII participant
In the 2005 season, under the direction of Rick Lantz, Berlin was again able to qualify early for the final. After a defeat of the Cologne Centurions on the ninth matchday, Berlin was determined to be first in the table and in the final. The opponents in the final were the Amsterdam Admirals , who finally won the game in Düsseldorf with 27:21. Berlin Thunder had lost a final for the first time in its team history, but was at that time the most successful team in the league with 4 finals (including 3 wins) in 7 seasons. Quarterback Dave Ragone (Houston Texans) was named "NFLE Offensive MVP" after the season, linebacker Rich Scanlon was named "NFLE Defensive MVP".

2006 season

2-7-1 | PF: 167 | PA: 227 | Position 6.
With only 2 wins, the team was never able to match the proud results of the previous teams. In week 3, the Hamburg Sea Devils scored only the second draw in league history with a 17:17, which the Berliners only secured in the last second of regular time. The fifth and last home game was played against the later World Bowl Champion Frankfurt Galaxy at the old place of work in the Friedrich-Ludwig-Jahn-Sportpark and only just lost at 1:14 pm. The move was due to the 2006 World Cup, which meant that the Olympic Stadium had to be prepared for the Games from May onwards.

2007 season

In the last season of the league, Berlin Thunder lost all home games for the first time. This was Thunder's final season as the NFL dissolved its subsidiary NFL Europe on June 29, 2007 with immediate effect.

Former Thunder players with NFL contracts

German Berlin Thunder players

  • Christian Mohr (DE, 2004–2006 National Player - signed to the Seattle Seahawks in January 2005, was released after injury in September 2005; "NFLEL National MVP 2005"; 2006: "NFLE National Player of the Week 3", "NFLEL National MVP 2006 "; Practice squad course at Philadelphia Eagles for 2006 season)
  • Oliver Flemming (DB, 2005/06 National Player, 2006 World Bowl title with Frankfurt Galaxy on loan from Berlin Thunder)
  • Thorsten Mr.T Samulewitz (DL, 1999-2000 National Player - signed to Dallas Cowboys in March 1995, was released from the Injury Squad in September 1998 after injury; "NFLE National Team MVP 1999")
  • Jörg "Heck" Heckenbach (WR, 1999-2004 national player, at the end of his career at NFLE, record holder at Berlin Thunder with eight touchdowns, GFL: until 2004 Braunschweig Lions, 2005 Berlin Adler, from 2006 Braunschweig Lions)
  • Axel Kruse (kicker, 1999-2003 - ex-Bundesliga soccer team at Hertha BSC , VfB Stuttgart , Eintracht Frankfurt , Hansa Rostock ). With 169 career points, the best Berlin point collector in team history

Web links