1995 WLAF season

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1995 WLAF season
DurationApril 8, 1995 – June 10, 1995
World Bowl '95
DateJune 17, 1995
Venue Olympisch Stadion, Amsterdam, Netherlands
Champions Frankfurt Galaxy
WLAF seasons seasons
  1992
1996  

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.

Contents

Returning from a 2-year hiatus after the 1992 WLAF season, [1] the league had dropped its seven North American teams, with the three existing teams (the Frankfurt Galaxy, London Monarchs and Barcelona Dragons) joined by three new franchises (the Rhein Fire, Scottish Claymores and Amsterdam Admirals).

The World Bowl '95 title game was won by Frankfurt, 26–22 over Amsterdam.

Season

The top draft choice was Shaumbe Wright-Fair, who was picked by the Rhein Fire. [2] The Scottish Claymores, after a 5–0 record in the preseason, surprisingly fired their head coach, Larry Kuharich, five days before their WLAF kickoff because "his coaching philosophy did not mesh with the make-up of the team". [3]

Frankfurt's road to the World Bowl included a 27–7 win at London on May 15. [4] The Claymores' hopes of making the World Bowl were dashed with a week 6 defeat by Rhein 33–27 in overtime. [5] The Claymores ended their inaugural season with a 2–8 record.

World League of American Football
TeamWLTPCTPFPAHomeRoadSTK
Amsterdam Admirals 910.9002461525–04–1W2
Frankfurt Galaxy 640.6002792023–23–2W3
Barcelona Dragons 550.5002372472–33–2L1
London Monarchs 460.4001742201–43–2L2
Rhein Fire 460.4002212792–32–3L3
Scottish Claymores 280.2001532100–52–3W1

World Bowl '95

Frankfurt beat Amsterdam 26–22 at Amsterdam Olympic Stadium. [6]

The game was played on Saturday, June 17, 1995. The match-up was between the 6–4 Frankfurt Galaxy and the 9–1 Amsterdam Admirals. 23,847 fans witnessed the Galaxy pull off an upset en route to a 26–22 victory and their first ever World Bowl title. Quarterback Paul Justin earned MVP honors by completing 18 of 36 attempts for 308 yards with three touchdowns and one interception.

In the regular season the Admirals had won the teams' first meeting 14–12 in Amsterdam, while the Galaxy had taken the second meeting 28–13 in Frankfurt.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">NFL Europe</span> Defunct professional American football league

NFL Europe League was a professional American football league that functioned as the developmental minor league of the National Football League (NFL). Originally founded in 1989 as the World League of American Football, the league was envisioned as a transatlantic league encompassing teams from both North America and Europe. Initially, the WLAF consisted of seven teams in North America and three in Europe. It began play in 1991 and lasted for two seasons before suspending operations; while the league had been "wildly popular" in Europe, it failed to achieve success in North America. After a two-year hiatus, it returned as a six-team European league, with teams based in England, Germany, the Netherlands, Scotland, and Spain. NFL Europa was dissolved in 2007 due to its continued unprofitability and the NFL's decision to shift its focus towards hosting regular-season games in Europe; at the time of its closure, the league consisted of five German teams and one team based in the Netherlands.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Scottish Claymores</span> American football team in Scotland

The Scottish Claymores were an American football team based in Scotland. The franchise played in the World League of American Football between 1995 and 2004, initially playing all home games at Murrayfield Stadium, Edinburgh and latterly sharing home games with Hampden Park, Glasgow. In ten seasons of NFL Europe play, the Claymores reached the World Bowl on two occasions, with victory in World Bowl '96 but defeat in World Bowl 2000. Their name derives from that of the Claymore, a double-edged sword historically used in Scottish clan warfare. One notable player was Gavin Hastings, a Scottish rugby international who was used as a place kicker in 1996.

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 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 1996 London Monarchs season was the fourth season for the franchise in the World League of American Football (WLAF). The team was led by head coach Bobby Hammond in his second year and interim head coach Lionel Taylor. The Monarchs played their home games at Wembley Stadium, White Hart Lane and Stamford Bridge in London, England. They finished the regular season in fifth place with a record of four wins and six losses.

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 1997 Scottish Claymores season was the third season for the franchise in the World League of American Football (WLAF). The team was led by head coach Jim Criner in his third year, and played its home games at Murrayfield Stadium in Edinburgh, Scotland. They finished the regular season in third 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 Scottish Claymores season was the inaugural season for the franchise in the World League of American Football (WLAF). The team played its home games at Murrayfield Stadium in Edinburgh, Scotland. They finished the regular season in sixth place with a record of two wins and eight losses.

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.

The 1996 WLAF season was the fourth World League of American Football (WLAF) season, and its second season under a six-team all-European format.

References

  1. Halling, Nick (April 10, 1995). "Monarchs fall" . The Independent. Archived from the original on May 1, 2022. Retrieved May 28, 2014.
  2. "AMERICAN FOOTBALL'S TOP DRAFT CHOICE IS SHAUMBE WRIGHT-FAIR" . The Independent. February 22, 1995. Archived from the original on May 1, 2022. Retrieved May 28, 2014.
  3. Tench, Matt (April 5, 1995). "Coach of Claymores is no more" . The Independent. Archived from the original on May 1, 2022. Retrieved May 30, 2014.
  4. Halling, Nick (May 16, 1995). "Galaxy continue London gloom" . The Independent. Archived from the original on May 1, 2022. Retrieved May 29, 2014.
  5. Halling, Nick (May 15, 1995). "Claymores collapse in the end" . The Independent. Archived from the original on May 1, 2022. Retrieved May 29, 2014.
  6. Halling, Nick (June 19, 1995). "WLAF to build on a fitting finale" . The Independent. Archived from the original on May 1, 2022. Retrieved May 29, 2014.