| Kiel Baltic Hurricanes | |
|---|---|
| Founded | 1988 |
| League | German Football League |
| Stadium | Holstein-Stadion (11,386) |
| Based in | Kiel, Germany |
| Team colors | Orange, Green and White |
| President | Eike Frahm |
| Head coach | Patrick Esume |
| Championships | German Bowl: 2010 |
| Division titles | GFL North: 2008, 2010, 2011 |
| Website | www.baltic-hurricanes.de/ |
The Kiel Baltic Hurricanes are an American football team based in Kiel, Germany.
The club has been, of recent, a strong force in the sport in Germany, playing in four consecutive German Bowls from 2008 to 2011, losing the first two, winning the third and losing the fourth.
The club is part of the American Sports Club Kiel e.V..[1]
Contents |
Founded in 1988, the Kiel Baltic Hurricanes first took part in competitive football in 1989, when they entered the tier-four Landesliga Nord. The club had some quick success, reaching the tier-two 2nd Bundesliga Nord by 1993. After back-to-back championships in this league, the Hussicanes played in the 1st Bundesliga Nord from 1996. This league would eventually become the German Football League. The Hurricanes reached the play-offs from 1997 to 2000, making it to the semi finals once, in 1999, but were relegated in 2002.[2]
Restarting in the tier-three Regionalliga Nordost, the club quickly recovered, playing in the GFL once more from 2007 onwards, now with much greater success.[2]
The club came third in its division in 2007 and was knocked-out in the play-off quarter finals, but managed to win its division the following year. The Hurricanes managed to reach their first German Bowl that season, but lost to the Braunschweig Lions, who made their last of twelve consecutive German Bowl appearances, ending the golden era of the later club.[3]
Kiel came second in 2009, on equal points with the Berlin Adler. The two teams met in the German Bowl, but unlike 2008, when Kiel had defeated Berlin in the semi finals, this time the club from the German capital triumphed. In 2010, Kiel once more topped its division and advanced to the German Bowl, once more against the Berlin Adler. This time, the Kiel Baltic Hurricanes proved the stronger and managed to win their first national German title.[3]
Kiel won its division again in 2011, defeated the Munich Cowboys in the quarter finals and the Düsseldorf Panther in the semi finals of the play-offs and advanced to the German Bowl again where they met the Schwäbisch Hall Unicorns.[4] The 33rd edition was the highest scoring German Bowl of all times, ending with a 48-44 victory for the Unicorns, who thereby ended a 18 year title draught for the south. It was also the highest score achieved by any team losing a German Bowl.[5]
The clubs appearances in the German Bowl:[6]
| Bowl | Date | Champions | Runners-Up | Score | Location | Attendance |
| XXX | September 29, 2008 | Braunschweig Lions | Kiel Baltic Hurricanes | 20-14 | Frankfurt | 16,177 |
| XXXI | October 3, 2009 | Berlin Adler | Kiel Baltic Hurricanes | 28-21 | Frankfurt | 14,234 |
| XXXII | October 9, 2010 | Kiel Baltic Hurricanes | Berlin Adler | 17-10 | Frankfurt | 11,121 |
| XXXIII | October 8, 2011 | Schwäbisch Hall Unicorns | Kiel Baltic Hurricanes | 48-44 | Magdeburg | 11,711 |
Recent seasons of the Kiel Baltic Hurricanes:[3][7][8][9][4]
| Year | Division | Finish | Points | Pct. | Games | W | D | L | PF | PA | Postseason |
| 2005 | GFL 2 (North) | 1st | 24–4 | 0.857 | 14 | 12 | 0 | 2 | 372 | 162 | Lost RR: Düsseldorf Panther (14–33 & 7–10) |
| 2006 | 1st | 20–2 | 0.909 | 11 | 10 | 0 | 1 | 386 | 99 | Won RR: Düsseldorf Panther (30–0 & 27–30) | |
| 2007 | GFL (North) | 3rd | 15–9 | 0.625 | 12 | 7 | 1 | 4 | 256 | 159 | Lost QF: Marburg Mercenaries (16–21) |
| 2008 | 1st | 17–7 | 0.708 | 12 | 8 | 1 | 3 | 294 | 160 | Won QF: Weinheim Longhorns (47–21) Won SF: Berlin Adler (17–12) Lost GB: Braunschweig Lions (14–20) |
|
| 2009 | 2nd | 18–2 | 0.900 | 10 | 9 | 0 | 1 | 231 | 178 | Won QF: Stuttgart Scorpions (20–6) Won SF: Schwäbisch Hall Unicorns (22–21) Lost GB: Berlin Adler (21–28) |
|
| 2010 | 1st | 22–2 | 0.917 | 12 | 11 | 0 | 1 | 289 | 158 | Won QF: Stuttgart Scorpions (23–21) Won SF: Dresden Monarchs (14–0) Won GB: Berlin Adler (17–10) |
|
| 2011 | 1st | 24–4 | 0.857 | 14 | 12 | 0 | 2 | 444 | 224 | Won QF: Munich Cowboys (45–6) Won SF: Düsseldorf Panther (45–21) Lost GB: Schwäbisch Hall Unicorns (44–48) |
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||