1997 WLAF season

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The 1997 World League of American Football season was the fifth campaign of the WLAF professional American football league, and the third under its six-team Europe-only format. World Bowl '97 was won by the Barcelona Dragons, whose quarterback was Jon Kitna, then on the roster of the Seattle Seahawks in the NFL. [1]

Contents

Season

The Amsterdam Admirals moved their home games to the new Amsterdam ArenA.

During the regular season the 7–3 Rhein Fire finished ahead of the 5–5 Barcelona Dragons in the standings. Barcelona, however, had had a 4–1 start to qualify for the World Bowl as midseason leaders, also gaining the right to host the World Bowl. In the second half of the season, with little to play for, Barcelona went 1–4. This was instrumental in a rule change for the following season, namely that the end-of-season league leader and runner-up would contest the World Bowl, not the midseason leader.

In week 1 Frankfurt travelled to London and lost 14–7, suffering what Frankfurt's coach Ernie Stautner called "the worst game I've seen offensively in all the years I've been in football". [2] In week 4 the Dragons beat London, who suffered the "most spectacular collapse in World League history" according to Nick Halling, in giving away a 23-point lead. [3]

The Fire, with a 10–7 win in London on June 15, 1997, secured first place in the league as the only team with a winning record. [4]

World League of American Football
TeamWLTPCTPFPAHomeRoadSTK
Rhein Fire 730.7002061463–24–1W3
Barcelona Dragons 550.5002362092–33–2W1
Scottish Claymores 550.5001341542–33–2L2
Amsterdam Admirals 550.5001561604–11–4W1
Frankfurt Galaxy 460.4001471423–21–4L1
London Monarchs 460.4001161842–32–3L1

[5]

World Bowl '97

Barcelona beat Rhein Fire 38–24 at the Estadi Olímpic de Montjuïc in Barcelona, Spain on Sunday, June 22, 1997. [6] World Bowl '97 was the fifth championship game of the World League of American Football. 31,100 fans were in attendance as the Dragons won their first and only World Bowl title in franchise history. Jon Kitna was given MVP honors after completing 23 of 31 attempts for 401 yards with two touchdowns and one interception.

League renaming

For 1998 the World League of American Football was rebranded "NFL Europe".

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Amsterdam Admirals</span> Professional American football team in the Netherlands

The Amsterdam Admirals were a professional American football team based in Amsterdam, Netherlands, playing in the NFL Europe.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Barcelona Dragons (NFL Europe)</span> Professional American football team in Spain

The Barcelona Dragons was an American football team that was a part of the World League of American Football and later in the resurrected NFL Europe. Their home field in Barcelona was the Estadi Olímpic de Montjuic, the 1992 Olympic Stadium, and later the Mini Estadi.

The 1995 Rhein Fire season was the inaugural season for the franchise in the World League of American Football (WLAF). The team was led by head coach Galen Hall, and played its home games at Rheinstadion in Düsseldorf, Germany. They finished the regular season in fifth place with a record of four wins and six losses.

The 1996 Rhein Fire season was the second season for the franchise in the World League of American Football (WLAF). The team was led by head coach Galen Hall in his second year, and played its home games at Rheinstadion in Düsseldorf, Germany. They finished the regular season in sixth place with a record of three wins and seven losses.

The 1997 Rhein Fire season was the third season for the franchise in the World League of American Football (WLAF). The team was led by head coach Galen Hall in his third year, and played its home games at Rheinstadion in Düsseldorf, Germany. They finished the regular season in first place with a record of seven wins and three losses, marking the first winning season in franchise history. In World Bowl '97, Rhein lost to the Barcelona Dragons 38–24. Quarterback T. J. Rubley earned all-World League honors and was named the league's offensive most valuable player.

The 1997 Barcelona Dragons season was the fifth season for the franchise in the World League of American Football (WLAF). The team was led by head coach Jack Bicknell in his fifth year, and played its home games at Estadi Olímpic de Montjuïc in Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain. They finished the regular season in second place with a record of five wins and five losses. In World Bowl '97, Barcelona defeated the Rhein Fire 38–24. The victory marked the franchise's first World Bowl championship.

The 1998 Rhein Fire season was the fourth season for the franchise in the NFL Europe League (NFLEL). The team was led by head coach Galen Hall in his fourth year, and played its home games at Rheinstadion in Düsseldorf, Germany. They finished the regular season in second place with a record of seven wins and three losses. Rhein won the first championship in team history by defeating the Frankfurt Galaxy 34–10 in World Bowl '98.

The 1997 Frankfurt Galaxy season was the fifth season for the franchise in the World League of American Football (WLAF). The team was led by head coach Ernie Stautner in his third year, and played its home games at Waldstadion in Frankfurt, Germany. They finished the regular season in fifth place with a record of four wins and six losses.

The 1997 London Monarchs season was the fifth season for the franchise in the World League of American Football (WLAF). The team was led by head coach Lionel Taylor in his second year, and played its home games at Stamford Bridge in London, England. They finished the regular season in sixth place with a record of four wins and six losses.

The 1995 Frankfurt Galaxy season was the third season for the franchise in the World League of American Football (WLAF). The team was led by head coach Ernie Stautner in his first year, and played its home games at Waldstadion in Frankfurt, Germany. They finished the regular season in second place with a record of six wins and four losses. In World Bowl '95, Frankfurt defeated the Amsterdam Admirals 26–22. The victory marked the franchise's first World Bowl championship.

The 1996 Frankfurt Galaxy season was the fourth season for the franchise in the World League of American Football (WLAF). The team was led by head coach Ernie Stautner in his second year, and played its home games at Waldstadion in Frankfurt, Germany. They finished the regular season in second place with a record of six wins and four losses. In World Bowl '96, Frankfurt lost to the Scottish Claymores 32–27.

The 1995 London Monarchs season was the third season for the franchise in the World League of American Football (WLAF). The team was led by head coach Bobby Hammond in his first year, and played its home games at White Hart Lane in London, England. They finished the regular season in fourth place with a record of four wins and six losses.

The 1995 Amsterdam Admirals season was the inaugural season for the franchise in the World League of American Football (WLAF). The team was led by head coach Al Luginbill, and played its home games at Olympisch Stadion and De Meer Stadion in Amsterdam, Netherlands. They finished the regular season in first place with a record of nine wins and one loss. In World Bowl '95, Amsterdam lost to the Frankfurt Galaxy 26–22.

The 1996 Amsterdam Admirals season was the second season for the franchise in the World League of American Football (WLAF). The team was led by head coach Al Luginbill in his second year, and played its home games at Olympisch Stadion in Amsterdam, Netherlands. They finished the regular season in third place with a record of five wins and five losses.

The 1997 Amsterdam Admirals season was the third season for the franchise in the World League of American Football (WLAF). The team was led by head coach Al Luginbill in his third year, and played its home games at Amsterdam ArenA in Amsterdam, Netherlands. They finished the regular season in fourth place with a record of five wins and five losses.

The 1996 Barcelona Dragons season was the fourth season for the franchise in the World League of American Football (WLAF). The team was led by head coach Jack Bicknell in his fourth year, and played its home games at Estadi Olímpic de Montjuïc in Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain. They finished the regular season in fourth place with a record of five wins and five losses.

The 1996 Scottish Claymores season was the second season for the franchise in the World League of American Football (WLAF). The team was led by head coach Jim Criner in his second year, and played its home games at Murrayfield Stadium in Edinburgh, Scotland. They finished the regular season in first place with a record of seven wins and three losses. In World Bowl '96, Scotland defeated the Frankfurt Galaxy 32–27. The victory marked the franchise's first World Bowl championship, in its second active season.

The 1995 World League of American Football season was the third season of the professional American football league organized by the NFL. It was the league's first season with six teams based only in Europe.

References

  1. ↑ Halling, Nick (April 21, 1997). "Monarchs rue encounter with Rhein's Rubley". The Independent. Archived from the original on May 1, 2022. Retrieved May 28, 2014.
  2. ↑ Halling, Nick (April 14, 1997). "Monarchs make winning start" . The Independent. Archived from the original on May 1, 2022. Retrieved May 29, 2014.
  3. ↑ Halling, Nick (May 5, 1997). "Dragons reign as Monarchs abdicate". The Independent. Archived from the original on May 1, 2022. Retrieved May 28, 2014.
  4. ↑ Halling, Nick (June 16, 1997). "Monarchs' season fizzles out". The Independent. Archived from the original on May 1, 2022. Retrieved May 30, 2014.
  5. ↑ "1997 Season in Review". The Official 1998 NFL Europe League Fact Book. pp. 218–222.
  6. ↑ "Kitna provides fire for Dragons" . The Independent. June 23, 1997. Archived from the original on May 1, 2022. Retrieved May 29, 2014.


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