1997 Rhein Fire season

1997 Rhein Fire season
Head coach Galen Hall
General manager Alexander Leibkind
Home field Rheinstadion
Results
Record 7–3
Division Place 1st
Playoff finish Lost World Bowl '97
Timeline
Previous season Next season
1996 1998

The 1997 Rhein Fire season was the third season for the team in the World League of American Football. Under the direction of third-year head coach Galen Hall, Rhein recorded the first winning season in team history, finishing in first place with a record of 7–3. The Fire lost to the Barcelona Dragons in World Bowl '97, 24–38. Quarterback T. J. Rubley earned all-World League honors and was named the league's offensive most valuable player.

Contents

Offseason

World League Draft

1997 Rhein Fire World League Draft selections
Draft order Player name Position College
Round Choice
1 1 Israel Stanley DE Arizona State
2 7 Artis Houston CB California
3 18 Thomas Bailey WR Auburn
4 19 Scotty Lewis DE Baylor
5 30 David Merritt LB North Carolina State
6 31 John Anderson S Oklahoma
7 42 David Rhodes WR Central Florida
8 43 Pete Shufelt LB UTEP
9 54 Anthony Daigle RB Fresno State
10 55 Sean Foster WR Long Beach State
11 66 Chris Shelling CB Auburn
12 67 Ricky Powers RB Michigan
13 78 Kelly Wiltshire CB James Madison
14 79 Earl Mackey LB Southern
15 90 Mark Brook LB Wyoming
16 91 Don Robinson CB Kentucky
17 102 Will Brown LB Alabama
18 103 Kyle Richardson P Arkansas State
19 114 Chris Thomas WR Cal Poly
20 115 Jay Barry RB Washington

[1]

Personnel

Staff

1997 Rhein Fire staff
Front Office
  • General Manager – Alexander Leibkind

Head Coaches

Offensive Coaches

  • Offensive Coordinator/Quarterbacks – Ken Karcher
  • Wide Receivers – Wes Chandler
  • Offensive Line – Robert Lord
   Defensive Coaches
  • Defensive Coordinator/Linebackers – Pete Kuharchek
  • National Coach/Defensive Line – Walter Rohlfing
  • Defensive Backs/Special Teams – Steve Carson

[2]

Roster

1997 Rhein Fire roster
Quarterbacks

Running Backs

Wide Receivers

  • 18 Thomas Bailey
  • 80 Michael Dritlein
  •  5 Sean Foster
  • 81 David Rhodes
  • 84 Bill Schroeder

Tight Ends

 Offensive Linemen

Defensive Linemen

 Linebackers

Defensive Backs

  • 19 John Anderson S
  • 22 Lee Cole CB
  • 40 Matt Gay S
  • 33 Artis Houston CB
  • 29 Michael Swift CB

Special Teams

 National Players

Rookies in italics

Schedule

Week Date Kickoff Opponent Results Game site Attendance
Final score Team record
1 Saturday, April 12 7:00 p.m. CET Barcelona Dragons L 12–27 0–1 Rheinstadion 17,150
2 Sunday, April 20 3:00 p.m. CET London Monarchs W 28–6 1–1 Rheinstadion 14,876
3 Sunday, April 27 3:00 p.m. BST at Scottish Claymores W 23–10 2–1 Murrayfield Stadium 11,166
4 Saturday, May 3 7:00 p.m. CET at Amsterdam Admirals L 20–23 2–2 Amsterdam ArenA 10,698
5 Saturday, May 10 7:00 p.m. CET Frankfurt Galaxy W 10–7 3–2 Rheinstadion 32,140
6 Saturday, May 17 7:00 p.m. CET at Frankfurt Galaxy W 21–20 4–2 Waldstadion 39,182
7 Sunday, May 25 3:00 p.m. CET Scottish Claymores L 20–23 4–3 Rheinstadion 20,498
8 Saturday, May 31 7:30 p.m. CET at Barcelona Dragons W 38–23 5–3 Estadi Olímpic de Montjuïc 13,670
9 Saturday, June 7 7:00 p.m. CET Amsterdam Admirals W 24–0 6–3 Rheinstadion 23,697
10 Sunday, June 15 3:00 p.m. BST at London Monarchs W 10–7 7–3 Stamford Bridge 10,462
World Bowl '97
11 Sunday, June 22 7:00 p.m. CET Barcelona Dragons L 24–38 7–4 Estadi Olímpic de Montjuïc 31,100

[3]

Standings

World League
Team W L T PCT PF PA Home Road STK
Rhein Fire 7 3 0 .700 206 146 3–2 4–1 W3
Barcelona Dragons 5 5 0 .500 236 209 2–3 3–2 W1
Scottish Claymores 5 5 0 .500 134 154 2–3 3–2 L2
Amsterdam Admirals 5 5 0 .500 156 160 4–1 1–4 W1
Frankfurt Galaxy 4 6 0 .400 147 142 3–2 1–4 L1
London Monarchs 4 6 0 .400 116 184 2–3 2–3 L1

[3]

Game summaries

Week 1: vs Barcelona Dragons

Week One: Barcelona Dragons at Rhein Fire – Game summary
1 2 3 4 Total
Rhein 0
Barcelona 0

at Rheinstadion, Düsseldorf, Germany

Week 2: vs London Monarchs

Week Two: London Monarchs at Rhein Fire – Game summary
1 2 3 4 Total
London 0
Rhein 0

at Rheinstadion, Düsseldorf, Germany

Week 3: at Scottish Claymores

Week Three: Rhein Fire at Scottish Claymores – Game summary
1 2 3 4 Total
Rhein 0
Scotland 0

at Murrayfield Stadium, Edinburgh, Scotland

Week 4: at Amsterdam Admirals

Week Four: Rhein Fire at Amsterdam Admirals – Game summary
1 2 3 4 Total
Rhein 0
Amsterdam 0

at Amsterdam ArenA, Amsterdam, Netherlands

Week 5: vs Frankfurt Galaxy

Week Five: Frankfurt Galaxy at Rhein Fire – Game summary
1 2 3 4 Total
Frankfurt 0
Rhein 0

at Rheinstadion, Düsseldorf, Germany

Week 6: at Frankfurt Galaxy

Week Six: Rhein Fire at Frankfurt Galaxy – Game summary
1 2 3 4 Total
Rhein 0
Frankfurt 0

at Waldstadion, Frankfurt, Germany

Week 7: vs Scottish Claymores

Week Seven: Scottish Claymores at Rhein Fire – Game summary
1 2 3 4 Total
Scotland 0
Rhein 0

at Rheinstadion, Düsseldorf, Germany

Week 8: at Barcelona Dragons

Week Eight: Rhein Fire at Barcelona Dragons – Game summary
1 2 3 4 Total
Rhein 0
Barcelona 0

at Estadi Olímpic de Montjuïc, Barcelona, Spain

Week 9: vs Amsterdam Admirals

Week Nine: Amsterdam Admirals at Rhein Fire – Game summary
1 2 3 4 Total
Amsterdam 0
Rhein 0

at Rheinstadion, Düsseldorf, Germany

Week 10: at London Monarchs

Week Ten: Rhein Fire at London Monarchs – Game summary
1 2 3 4 Total
Rhein 0 3 7 0 10
London 0 7 0 0 7

at Stamford Bridge, London, England

  • Date: Sunday, June 15, 1997
  • Game time: 3:00 p.m. BST
  • Referee: Phil Luckett

World Bowl '97

Main article: World Bowl V
World Bowl '97: Barcelona Dragons vs Rhein Fire – Game summary
1 2 3 4 Total
Rhein 3 14 0 7 24
Barcelona 14 14 7 3 38

at Estadi Olímpic de Montjuïc, Barcelona, Spain

  • Date: Sunday, June 22, 1997
  • Game time: 7:00 p.m. CET
  • Game attendance: 31,100

[3]

References

  1. ^ "1997 World League Draft". WorldLeague.com. Archived from the original on February 9, 1998. http://web.archive.org/web/19980209003930/http://www.worldleague.com/general/facts/00035926.html. Retrieved January 18, 2011. 
  2. ^ 1997 Rhein Fire Media Guide. 
  3. ^ a b c "1997 Season in Review". The Official 1998 NFL Europe League Fact Book. pp. 218–222. 
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