German Bowl XL was the 40th annual Championship Game of the German Football League crowning the winner of the 2018 season . Frankfurt Universe reached the Bowl for the first time, but lost to defending champion Schwäbisch Hall Unicorns by 21–19.
60-510: Frankfurt Universe had been founded by fans of the defunct Frankfurt Galaxy after the 2007 NFL Europa season ended with both the league and the Frankfurt franchise being dissolved on the orders of NFL commissioner Roger Goodell , who had taken over the office from NFL Europe booster and founder Paul Tagliabue the previous year. Taking the field for the first time in 2008 in the fifth tier Landesliga Hessen , they would make their way through
120-568: A Point after Touchdown kick, which Hilgenfeld himself pointed out in a post game interview to take the blame off Deed. In 2014, the club took part in a new European competition, the BIG6 European Football League , which consisted of three teams from Germany, two from Austria and one from Switzerland, the clubs being Berlin Adler , New Yorker Lions , Dresden Monarchs, Raiffeisen Vikings Vienna , Swarco Raiders Tirol and
180-466: A "rump team" almost entirely devoid of European or American "imports" and had had much less opportunity to train (let alone play against other teams) than the Polish champion of 2016, 2017, 2019 and ultimately also 2020, they were overmatched and fell 48–14. The match was held in front of a sold out crowd as capacity was capped at 1,500 due to Covid. The German Football League finally returned for play for
240-515: A 12-yard Touchdown pass and now the Two Point Conversion attempt would decide whether Hall would hold onto a narrow lead. Thrown back to the 8-yard line by a delay of game penalty, the two point conversion attempt failed. However, Frankfurt would still get another chance to win the game when they somehow recovered the ball when a Hall player touched but could not secure the ensuing kickoff with a Frankfurt player ultimately coming up with
300-420: A Field Goal attempt – this time from only 18 yards out. Universe thus failing to take advantage of Hall's mistakes gave Ehrenfried another opportunity to drive down the field and this time he took it, ultimately scoring on a 2-yarder to Nate Robitaille, giving Hall the lead for the first time early in the fourth Quarter at 14–13. Frankfurt now under pressure began to show nervousness and Niclas Knoblauch scored on
360-493: A chance to score first, both teams scored touchdowns and point after Touchdowns on their first possession but on the second possession, the Frankfurt Defense managed to grab an Interception and thus on the ensuing possession by Frankfurt all it took them was an easy Field Goal to advance to their first ever German Bowl, leaving record champion Braunschweig out of the final for the first time since 2012. Frankfurt had
420-622: A different story and in the 2010s the Schwäbisch Hall Unicorns proved to be the end of the line for Dresden's championship hopes five times. Dresden finally reversed their fortunes in German Bowl XLII when they beat Schwäbisch Hall for the first time since 2010. Including German Bowl XLII the overall playoff head to head between the two teams is three victories for Dresden (2004, 2010 & 2021) and six for Schwäbisch Hall (2005, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2018 & 2019). With
480-411: A former velodrome (the former cycling track is still visible but hasn't been used for that purpose in decades) in the Äußere Neustadt borough of Dresden. The field is still their training grounds and used for virtually all youth games and as a "diversion grounds" for the senior team if Heinz Steyer Stadion is unavailable (for example during the 2013 European floods ). The administrative headquarters of
540-617: A member of the first tier German Football League since 2002 and play in its Northern Division. In 2021 they were GFL champions after having won German Bowl XLII . In January 2023 the Monarchs named longtime NFL Coach Paul Alexander as their Head Coach. The club reached the German Bowl for the first time in 2013, where it lost to the Braunschweig Lions by a single point. The 2021 season saw their first division title in
600-573: A pass intended for Ari Adegbesan and their second drive fizzled out around mid field forcing them to punt. The Unicorns, led by the quarterback of the Germany national American football team , Marco Ehrenfried, who had already led his team to victory in German Bowl XXXIX and the 2014 European Championship finally got on the scoreboard in the second quarter, when Ehrenfried found Tyler Rutenbeck for 42 yard Touchdown pass making it 13–7 with
660-478: A repeat of the one from the previous year with the Braunschweig Lions hosting Frankfurt Universe. In a close game, the score remained tied 10–10 at the end of regulation and overtime according to (modified) NCAA-rules had to be played. Each team would get a chance at scoring starting at the opponent's 25 yard line in turn until after an equal number of possessions, one team was ahead. Braunschweig having
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#1732782374493720-434: A strip-sack when Frankfurt's Quarterback Andrew Elffers couldn't hold onto the ball after being hit by Wilson. Schwäbisch Hall was now up 21–13 and Frankfurt would now need a Touchdown and a Two Point Conversion to even the score, their failed kicks now hurting them dearly. Both teams followed up with quick three-and-outs before Frankfurt got the ball back with 2:42 remaining. Quickly moving the chains, Elffers found Thomas for
780-450: A strong fan base and usually place in the top three of attendance figures in the league together with the Schwäbisch Hall Unicorns and the Braunschweig Lions . In part as a result of that and due to home field advantage in the playoffs being determined by the better seed, the Monarchs have never lost a playoffs home game. After the 2021 season their playoff home record stands at 9–0 while they've gone 3–14 in playoff road games (not counting
840-470: Is unheard of and even during heated matchups with fierce rivals that have playoff implications there are often joint tailgate parties organized by supporters of Dresden and their opponent. Some enduring rivalries even date to the era when Dresden played in the second tier GFL2 (1999–2002). For example the Berlin Adler were relegated to the second tier after the 1997 season and managed to return to
900-800: The Calanda Broncos . The two best teams of this competition advanced to the Eurobowl XXVIII, with Dresden knocked out in the group stage. In the GFL the club finished once more in second place in the North Division in 2014 and defeated the Marburg Mercenaries 42–22 at home in the quarter-finals of the play-offs but lost in the semi-finals on the road to the Schwäbisch Hall Unicorns who would in turn lose
960-640: The Kiel Baltic Hurricanes in two games in the promotion round by a combined score of 100–0. Ironically enough, one of the players on the field for Kiel during their humiliating defeat was Alexander Graf von Perponcher-Sedlnitzky who would go on to become the stadium announcer for the Dresden Monarchs later on. Promoted to the German Football League , the GFL, the club became an instant play-off contender, reaching
1020-677: The World League of American Football and later in the resurrected NFL Europe . The team was based in Frankfurt , Germany and played in the Commerzbank-Arena , formerly called Waldstadion. The Galaxy was the only team in the league to have remained in operation and in the same city throughout the league's existence. As of 2021, an unrelated team of the same name plays in the European League of Football . In 1991,
1080-537: The "cow incident" ahead of the 2013 semifinal which was mocked by Dresden supporters making mooing noises during the game and a similar cow to the one involved in the incident being placed next to the field by the club. Some Dresden supporters also take to mocking the Berlin mascot ("Adler" is the German word for "eagle") by displaying rubber chicken affixed to their outfits with a hangman's knot during games between
1140-639: The 2016 season many players left the team or announced their retirement from Football and the first game of the Dresden Monarchs 2016 season was a 21–21 draw against the Berlin Rebels in Berlin. However, the team led by Quarterback Brandon Connette ultimately recovered and proved one of the most statistically efficient passing offenses in the league, losing only two games (on the road in Kiel and Braunschweig) and tying their home game against Braunschweig before defeating an overmatched Saarland Hurricanes squad in
1200-619: The 2020 season ultimately never materialized as a microscopic virus, called SARS-CoV-2 , which causes the deadly respiratory disease Covid-19 , forced the AFVD to delay and ultimately cancel the 2020 season. As case numbers decreased in the summer of 2020 and to give the long suffering fans at least one home game in the year, Dresden held an exhibition match against the Wroclaw Panthers (who, unlike Dresden, were able to play in their domestic league ). However, as Dresden played with only
1260-404: The 2021 season and it should prove an even more successful one for Dresden than 2013 had been. While the lingering effects of Covid-19 - several teams were unable to start full contact team training as early in the preseason as they would've liked - made for a few upsets, the founding of the European League of Football , which included many players who had played in the GFL as recently as 2019 threw
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#17327823744931320-487: The 42nd German champion in American football in German Bowl XLII . In a game in which Dresden struggled to turn its offensive dominance into points during the first half, Dresden ultimately had the stronger finish and beat Schwäbisch Hall 28–19 after having trailed 12–7 at half time, to win the first Championship of any American football team from former East Germany. The Monarchs started out playing at Bärnsdorfer Straße,
1380-480: The American football league pyramid of Germany, before reaching the first tier German Football League playing their first season in the top flight of American football in Germany in 2016 . While the team proved an immediate playoff contender, their 2016 campaign ended in the quarter-finals with a 10–7 defeat to the Kiel Baltic Hurricanes while in 2017 the defending champion Braunschweig Lions knocked them out in
1440-745: The Dresden squad soon shook whatever had ailed them in that season opener and took revenge on Cologne the following week, by beating them at home with a convincing 54–34. Two weeks later, the Monarchs traveled to Braunschweig and delivered the first defeat (35–27) for the Lions since the 2018 season and Dresden's first victory in Braunschweig since 2015. The rest of the regular season saw Dresden defeat all challengers, including Braunschweig once more (this time in Dresden) ultimately resulting in Dresden clinching
1500-498: The GFL said that no team usually wins three matchups against the same opponent in one season (notwithstanding that Braunschweig had done so as recently as German Bowl XXXV when they dealt the Dresden Monarchs their third defeat against the same opponent that year) and the Frankfurt team, bolstered by their sponsors Samsung and strong attendance figures, had assembled a veritable "All Star Team" of players that had been on
1560-684: The Galaxy was a founding member of the World League of American Football ( WLAF ). They hosted the first ever WLAF game against the London Monarchs at the Waldstadion on March 23, 1991, and scored the first ever WLAF points with a safety , but lost the game. When the World League resumed in 1995, the Galaxy, the Monarchs, and Barcelona Dragons were the only former WLAF teams that continued playing. Before it folded, Frankfurt Galaxy
1620-618: The German Bowl to Braunschweig. The team finished second in the northern division of the GFL in 2015 and defeated the Stuttgart Scorpions at home in the quarter-finals of the play-offs but again lost in the road to the Schwäbisch Hall Unicorns in the semi-finals of the play-offs. Schwäbisch Hall would go on to lose the German Bowl against the New Yorker Lions as they had already done the previous year. Prior to
1680-533: The German Football landscape into disarray as both leagues competed for media and fan attention as well as sponsorship money and player talent. The GFL North ultimately only had six teams that year (instead of the usual eight) and Dresden lost their opening game on the road 48–41 to the Cologne Crocodiles despite that team having lost quite a few players to the crosstown Centurions . However,
1740-506: The Lions. The two teams met in the postseason twice with Braunschweig knocking them out 34–20 in the 2004 semifinal and the aforementioned German Bowl XXXV loss of Dresden to Braunschweig in 2013. Due to "Interconference Games" last being held in 2011 GFL South teams can only meet GFL North teams in the playoffs and due to the North South disparity Dresden has not lost a playoff game at home in its entire history. However, road games are
1800-553: The North with a 10–4 record behind the Kiel Baltic Hurricanes who had posted the same record but had beaten Dresden twice. Having to go on the road in the playoffs, Dresden fell to the Frankfurt Universe 26–16 in their first "one and done" playoff appearance since 2009 (barring the 2011 season in which they failed to make the playoffs altogether). In 2018 the Monarchs returned to the pattern of previous years, even posting
1860-527: The PAT. The rest of the second quarter saw both teams trade punts until Frankfurt failed to convert on fourth and nine with seconds to go in the half, giving Hall the ball back with not enough time to take advantage of it. The Unicorns received the Kickoff to open the second half but after driving down to their opponents' 33-yard line, Ehrenfried was sacked on fourth and 9 giving up the ball on downs. Frankfurt drove
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1920-540: The backups play in a lopsided 63–7 road loss in Dresden to close out the regular season. Dresden thus placed ahead of Braunschweig in the regular season standings for the first time since 2012. In the quarter-final, the Allgäu Comets were sent packing back to Bavaria with a score of 50–13 while the Saarland Hurricanes didn't even manage to get on the scoreboard in the 37–0 defeat they experienced in
1980-479: The ball down all the way to the 16 yard line but after a delay of game penalty, Duis – whose Field Goals had been instrumental to winning the quarter-finals and Semifinal – missed a 39-yarder leaving Universe with nothing to show for their trip to the Red Zone. On the next drive, Ehrenfried fumbled the ball at their own 22 yard-line but the one yard line would be as far as Frankfurt would get and Duis once again missed
2040-413: The ball. Frankfurt had just enough time to get into what should have been Field Goal range, but Duis once more failed to hit the target on a 33-yarder giving Schwäbisch Hall their second consecutive German Bowl win to end with a missed Field Goal attempt by their adversaries. Frankfurt Galaxy (NFL Europe) The Frankfurt Galaxy were a professional American football team that originally played in
2100-559: The better start and scored both the first Touchdown on an 11-yard run by French Runninback Andreas Betza and the second one on a 13-yard pass by Eiffers to the Finnish Wideout Sebastien Sagne who had played for the Dresden Monarchs the previous two seasons. However, the first Point after Touchdown attempt was blocked and so it was "only" 13–0 at the end of the first quarter. Hall's first drive ended in an Interception in their own half when Poznanski picked off
2160-407: The club as well as facilities for team meetings or events is also located at those grounds. The field is an artificial turf playing surface with permanent American football markings and Field Goals - a rarity in Germany where most teams have to train and play on fields otherwise used for association football (soccer). Heinz Steyer Stadion (sometimes referred to as " Heinz Field " by fans) has been
2220-583: The club came third in the northern division of the GFL and qualified for the play-offs where they were knocked out by the Kiel Baltic Hurricanes in the semi-finals. The 2013 season became the club's best up to that point, finishing second in its division and reaching the German Bowl after play-off victories at home over the Munich Cowboys and Berlin Adler . Ultimately the Braunschweig Lions who had already bested them twice during
2280-529: The division title and home field advantage throughout the playoffs with a record of 9–1. The division lead was theoretically still up for grabs in the last home game of the regular season against the Potsdam Royals (who placed second) who could've equalized winning percentages at 8–2 and pulled ahead on the head-to-head tiebreaker if they'd won by more than 16 points, but Potsdam's decision makers apparently had no intention of even trying as they mostly let
2340-519: The exception of the neutral site game German Bowl XLII, the Unicorns enjoyed home field advantage in each of those matchups. The Monarchs also played the Unicorns twice in the regular season in 2007 under the "Interconference Games" rule then in place. Schwäbisch Hall won both games and Dresden only narrowly avoided relegation that year after placing last in the GFL North with a record of 1-11. Despite
2400-552: The final and Schwäbisch Hall won it all that year was only small consolation for the once again foiled championship dreams of the Dresden squad. In 2019 Dresden, posting a 10–4 record (three of their regular season defeats coming on the road - the lone home loss was to Braunschweig) finishing second in the North once again ended their title hopes with a semifinal defeat on the road in Schwäbisch Hall as had become almost tradition by now. Whatever plans Dresden may have had for
2460-519: The final breaking decades of northern dominance by shutting out the North from the final for the first time in 37 years. The Schwäbisch Hall Unicorns reached the German Bowl comfortably by dominating their division (the only games where the result was in much doubt were those against Frankfurt) and prevailed in the playoffs to reach their fifth consecutive German Bowl with the possibility of defending their 2017 title and earning their fourth national championship in club history. The conventional wisdom in
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2520-520: The first tier German Football League when they placed first in the North Division with a record of nine victories, one defeat in the regular season. In German Bowl XLII the Monarchs defeated the Schwäbisch Hall Unicorns 28–19 to claim their first ever title. The Dresden Monarchs were formed in January 1992 and entered in the Aufbauliga Ost the following year, the lowest possible league in
2580-428: The home ground for most games in their GFL era. After the 2021 season ongoing renovations will necessitate the Monarchs using a different stadium until probably 2023. Usually one game per season is also played at Rudolf Harbig Stadion , the most modern and highest capacity stadium in Dresden. Due to the prestige of the larger stadium, this is often the best attended Monarchs home game of the season. The Monarchs have
2640-615: The last Monarchs game at Heinz Steyer Stadion prior to its renovation which is scheduled to take until 2023. The Monarchs will hold their home games for the upcoming 2022 season at their training facilities at Bärnsdorfer Straße, potentially also (one or two games) at Rudolf Harbig Stadion . The Monarchs thus reached the German Bowl for the second time after 2013 and played the GFL South Division Champion Schwäbisch Hall Unicorns on October 9 2021 at Frankfurt's Waldstadion to crown
2700-427: The neutral site German Bowl in which they are 1–1). Their regular season record also tilts in favor of home field advantage but far less drastically so. The club appeared in the German Bowl twice: Recent seasons of the club: Having played uninterrupted at the highest tier of German Football since the 2003 season a few matchups have heated up to fierce rivalries on and off the field. However, fan violence
2760-410: The play-offs once more every year. A second semifinal qualification, in 2010, ended in defeat to eventual German Bowl winners Kiel Baltic Hurricanes. In 2011, the club narrowly missed out on play-off qualification, finishing fifth in the league. The first (and as of 2021 only) time they did not have a postseason (including promotion/relegation games) since their 2002 entry into the top tier. In 2012,
2820-477: The playoffs from them by placing just ahead of them on the head-to-head tiebreaker. 2021 was the first year since 2012 that Dresden placed ahead of Braunschweig and also the first time Dresden won the GFL North Division. As of 2021 the head-to-head record between Braunschweig and Dresden is 11 victories Dresden, 23 victories Braunschweig and 2 draws overall with a combined score of 1243-806 in favor of
2880-455: The proximity of Berlin to Dresden (roughly 200 kilometers via Bundesautobahn 13 or roughly two hours via the Berlin–Dresden railway ) games between the two teams are usually well attended by fans of the other. While Berlin had been dominant early in the rivalry, Dresden became stronger as Berlin entered a slump culminating with their relegation in 2017 . The rivalry includes stories such as
2940-467: The quarter-finals was ironically the difficulty Frankfurt had in overcoming the Berlin Rebels in a game with now touchdowns, ultimately prevailing 6–5 on two out of two attempted Field Goals being good. Otherwise, all home teams won their quarter finals in convincing fashion. In the semifinal the Dresden Monarchs had to travel to Schwäbisch Hall for the fourth time since 2014 and once again the Unicorns defeated their Saxonian rivals. The other semifinal saw
3000-486: The quarterfinals before once more going on the road to the Schwäbisch Hall Unicorns . Like the two previous seasons, the Southern champions proved too tough a nut to crack for the Monarchs and the 35–26 defeat ended the season that ultimately had very similar results to the two previous seasons, all ending as the second placed team in the North falling in the semifinals to Hall. 2017 saw the Monarchs fall to third place in
3060-504: The region. The Monarchs , in the following years, gradually worked their way up through the league system, winning the league they played in every season from 1996 to 1999. In 1999, a second title in the tier-three Regionalliga Nordost allowed the club promotion to the northern division of the 2nd Bundesliga , now the GFL2 . After three seasons at this level, Dresden won its division in 2002, winning all ten games, and went on to defeat
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#17327823744933120-405: The regular season were too much to overcome in a 35–34 nailbiter decided by the lone turnover late in the game when Running back Trevar Deed (one of the most statistically productive players in that position in GFL history in his most productive GFL season) fumbled the ball. The one point winning margin was also the result of otherwise very "clutch" wide receiver and placekicker Jan Hilgenfeld missing
3180-437: The rivalry and Dresden-Kiel matchups have often been particularly fierce on the field, particularly when held at Kiel's aptly named diversion field " de:Moorteichwiese " (literally bog-pond-meadow) which is often waterlogged in inclement weather. Ironically one of the Kiel players during the 2002 matchups, Alexander Graf von Perpondcher-Sedlnitzky, is now Stadium announcer for Dresden and known for his emotional style. Due to
3240-470: The rosters of various top teams throughout Europe in previous years went into the game confidently, especially since they had eliminated the strongly rated Braunschweig squad in the semifinal on the road to reach the Bowl. Still, the Unicorns as defending champions and observers expected a close matchup with small individual actions perhaps making the difference between victory and defeat. The biggest surprise of
3300-461: The same 11–2–1 record as Braunschweig, but while holding Braunschweig to a tie on the road, they failed to win their home game against the Lions thus again placing second in the North due to the head-to-head tiebreaker. In the playoffs Dresden once more took care of business in their quarterfinals at home before being bested on the road by Schwäbisch Hall, again a repeat of the pattern of previous years. The fact that Braunschweig also failed to advance to
3360-635: The semifinal 23–21 after Universe had given the Dresden Monarchs their first quarter-final defeat in eight years. Universe was the first team from Frankfurt am Main since the Frankfurter Löwen (the first American Football team founded in Germany) to reach the German Bowl and German Bowl XL was the first time since German Bowl III (1981) that two teams from the GFL South (per the current division of Germany into GFL divisions) faced each other in
3420-541: The semifinals in 2004, where it lost to the Braunschweig Lions . After four consecutive play-off qualifications, the club had a difficult 2007 season. With only one win and eleven defeats in the regular season, the Monarchs had to enter the relegation round, but were able to overcome the Hamburg Eagles and thereby defended their place in the GFL. The club returned to its better performances after 2007, reaching
3480-406: The top flight a year ahead of Dresden after the 2001 season. Another rivalry began precisely in the promotion/relegation round of the 2002 season when the Kiel Baltic Hurricanes were sent down to the second tier by a combined score of 100–0 in the two game series. Dresden running up the score in front of a record crowd of over 8000 spectators during the second leg of the fixture added bitterness to
3540-658: The two teams. Dresden also enjoys a fierce but friendly rivalry with the Braunschweig Lions which has heated up since the 2013 season when the end of a 2009-2012 Braunschweig slump coincided with Dresden's strongest season to date. Dresden lost all three matchups against Braunschweig that year, including German Bowl XXXV by 35–34. Every season between then and the Covid-caused interruption except 2017 has seen Dresden and Braunschweig place second and first respectively. In 2017 Dresden's other rival, Kiel Baltic Hurricanes took second place and thereby home field advantage in
3600-657: Was the oldest professional football team outside of the NFL and CFL . Frankfurt Galaxy also played in the last NFL Europa game, losing the 2007 World Bowl to the Hamburg Seadevils. The Frankfurt Galaxy's record eight appearances in the 15 World Bowl games were evenly split in the composite standings with four wins ( 1995 , 1999 , 2003 and 2006 ) and four losses ( 1996 , 1998 , 2004 , and 2007 ). |} Dresden Monarchs The Dresden Monarchs are an American football team from Dresden , Germany . They have been
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