Flag Map of Canada

American Football Ireland Irish Teams v USA & Canadian Services & Underage Teams 1991-Present

Flag Map of Canada
Canada Map Flag. Map of Canada with the Canadian national flag isolated on white background. Vector Illustration.

Irish Teams v USA & Canadian Services & Underage Teams 1991-Present

DateIrish TeamAmerican Team
06.07.1991Irish All-Stars6USAF Lakenheath Eagles (US/UK)W
05.1998Dublin Tigers0Maranatha Baptist Bible College48
05.1998Carrickfergus Knights6Maranatha Baptist Bible College42
2000Irish Lions12Mount St. Josephs HS (MD)36
25.08.2002Carrickfergus Knights6Team Canada U21s34
28.02.2009UL Vikings0Philadelphia Blue Flame (PA)22
27.08.2013Ireland U20s22Greendell Falcons (MB, Can)20
08.04.2017Irish Wolfhounds6Team USA (AFW)54
Irish Teams versus American High Schools and Services 1998-2000 [Ref: 18-24]

Irish Teams v US & Canadian Services & Underage Teams 1993-2017

In 1991 an Irish All-Stars lost to the USAF Lakenheath Eagles, who were USAFE League champions at the time (USAFE was the United States Air Force in Europe Football League from 1947 to early 1990s). the Irish lost heavily, but managed to put a touchdown on the board – Quarterback Eddie Goggins connecting with Wide Receiver Dermot Connolly for a TD Pass. [Ref: 18-19]

The Dublin Tornadoes defeated a US Coastguard team, from the Rota Naval Base in Spain 7-0 in June 1993, and in 1998 another Dublin team, Dublin Tigers, lost to Maranatha Baptist, an American High School team.

In 2000, there was no Irish League and the only match played was the Ireland National Team versus Mount St. Joseph’s High School from Baltimore, Maryland. Ireland lost 36-12, but the match led to the rebirth of American Football in Ireland.

Carricfergus Knights lost 6-34 to a Canadian U21 team in August 2002.

The University of Limerick Vikings also played a match against Philadelphia Blue Flame – losing 22-0 to a team of Firefighters and Policemen playing in the National Services League.

As part of the Global Ireland Football Tournament in 2012, in which over a dozen small Colleges & High Schools from North America played in various venues around Ireland, the Oak Park High School from Winnipeg Manitoba, beat Villanova College, from King City in Ontario 18-9, in front of 3,000 at Pairc Tailteann, in Navan Co. Meath.

The following year, as part of the Gathering Ireland celebrations in 2013, the Greendell Falcons, who play in the Winnipeg Major Football League played two games in Ireland – one against the Ireland U20s team, which they lost, and one against Bristol Academy Pride, who play in the European US High Schools League. Greendell won the latter 39-22 in front of 2,500 spectators at Tallaght Stadium. The Falcons Wide Receiver, Bryce LeBlanc was named MVP.

Ireland’s U20s lost a match in 2017, 54-6 to Team USA American Football Worldwide, a team of Elite High School students representing USA on tours throughout Europe. [Ref: 18-24]

Flag Map of Canada
Canada Map Flag. Map of Canada with the Canadian national flag isolated on white background. Vector Illustration.

References

Newspapers

[1] Evening Herald (1999) “American Football” Evening Herald, Tuesday, January 5, 1999, pg. 91 [Irish Newspaper Archive: Available online at: https://archive.irishnewsarchive.com/Olive/APA/INA/Print.Article.aspx?mode=image&href=EHD%2F1999%2F01%2F05&id=Ar09100 [Accessed 21 August 2020][The Irish Newspaper Archive is a Subscription Service]

Social Media Conversations

[18] Kevin Sharkey Facebook Messenger (2020) Facebook Messenger Conversation, 29 May 2020.

[19] Dublin Celts Facebook (2019) Photo, September 8, 2019: “Not strictly Dublin Celts, but in this fame QB Eddie Goggins�� threw a TD pass to WR Dermot Connolly��, we scored against good quality American opposition, these guys were the champions of their league in Europe.” [Internet] Available from: https://www.facebook.com/groups/259540917772370/permalink/270796126646849/ [Accessed 7 November 2019]

Bibliography

[18] Anon (1993) Coast Guard at Sea First Down. July 6-12 2000. pg. 19.

Bibliography

[19] Anon (2000) Plucky Irish Denied by Americans First Down. June 12, 2000. pg. 17.

Websites

[20] Britball Now (2016) Friendly Results against foreign opposition [1998] [Internet] Available from: http://www.britballnow.co.uk/history-index/friendly-results-against.html [Accessed 14 April 2020]

Websites

[21] Wayback Machine – Irish American Football Association (2002) August 25th 2002 – TEAM CANADA 34 – 6 CARRICKFERGUS KNIGHTS [Internet] Available from: http://web.archive.org/web/20021210031300/http://www.irish-american-football.org/news%20stories/25aug02.htm [Accessed 8 October 2017]

[22] Irish American Football Association (2013) IAFA U20s have historic win against Greendell Falcons [Internet] Available from: http://www.americanfootball.ie/breaking-news-iafa-u20s-win-against-greendell-falcons/ [Accessed 30 April 2017]

[23] Greendell Falcons (2017) MMFA Schedule [Internet] Available from: http://falconsfootball.ca/index.php [Accessed 16 November 2017]

[24] Irish American Football Association (2016) Journey to Thirty [Internet] Available from: http://www.americanfootball.ie/journeyto-thirty/ [Accessed 08 August 2016]

Images

[25] Irish American Football Association (2013) IAFA U20s on offense (white jerseys) [Internet] Available from: https://www.americanfootball.ie/wp-content/uploads/2013/08/u20gf2-650×433.jpg [Accessed 12 May 2020]

Images

[26] American Football Ireland (2020) AFI Logo 2020 [Internet] Available from: https://www.americanfootball.ie/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/AFI-Logo-200.png [Accessed 10 February 2020]

About Eirball

Acknowledgements

Thanks to Anton “Pippo” O’Grady.

About this document

Researched, compiled and written by Enda Mulcahy for the

Eirball | Irish North American and World Sports Archive

Last Updated: 10 July 2025. First Published: 12 May 2020

(c) Copyright Enda Mulcahy and Eirball 2020

You may quote this document in part provided that proper acknowledgement is given to the authors. All Rights Reserved.

American Football in Russia Billboard 1989

International American Football USSR 1989

Results

DateHome TeamAway Team
College GameDynamo Sports Arena, Russia
28.03.1989Oklahoma StarsOklahoma Bummers
FriendlyWest Berlin, Germany
17.09.1989Berlin Adler (Ger)77Moscow Bears (URS)6
International American Football USSR 1989 [Ref: 1]

The first attempt at creating a Professional American Football League in Russia took place in 1979. It was blocked by the Communist Authorities. It was not until 1989, with the Glasnost Era, that the first matches were played, with a demonstration match by two College teams, the “Stars” and the “Bummers” from Oklahoma. [1]

The following months saw the creation of the first Russian team the Moscow Bears, who played the Berlin Adler, an experienced German team and lost 77-6.

The first Russian American Football Championship then took place in 1992, however due to insufficent numbers as well as presumably the large distances involved in a National League, it was not until 2002 that it was again played, and has been played since. [2]

Billboard Advertising the first American Football Game in Russia 1989 [Reference: 3]

References

Internet Archive

[1] American Football (Russia) (2017) History in Russia [Internet] Available from: http://www.americanfootball.ru/Hist_RUS.php [Accessed 24 December 2017]

[2] American Football League (Russia) | Wayback Machine (2018) American Football League [Internet] Available from: https://web.archive.org/web/20181216083344/http://laf.amfoot.ru/?r=competition/about&comp=101 [Accessed 31 December 2019]

Images

[3] American Football (Russia) (2017) History in Russia | Billboard Advertising First College Game in Russia 1989 [Internet] Available from: http://www.americanfootball.ru/History/pics/billboard-1989-400×600.jpg%5BAccessed 24 December 2017]

Acknowledgements

Thanks to Robert Gorby & Enda Fahy.

About this document

Researched, compiled and written by Enda Mulcahy for the

Eirball | Irish North American and World Sports Archive

Last Updated: 11 May 2020

(c) Copyright Enda Mulcahy and Eirball 2020

You may quote this document in part provided that proper acknowledgement is given to the authors. All Rights Reserved.

Intercontinental Football League European Championship 1978

IFL European Championship 1978

PWLTPFPAPct
Quad Cities Black Hawks (C)440095291.000
Indianapolis Capitols40402995.000
Intercontinental Football League European Championship Final Standings 1978 [Ref: 1-2]

Results

DateWinnersRunners-Up
Game 1Brussels, Belgium
25.06.1978Quad Cities Black Hawks26Indianapolis Capitols14
Game 2Antwerp, Belgium
28.06.1978Quad Cities Black HawksWIndianapolis CapitolsL
Game 3Rotterdam, Netherlands
01.07.1978Quad Cities Black Hawks42Indianapolis Capitols0
Game 4Ludwigshafen, Germany
04.07.1978Quad Cities Black Hawks7Indianapolis Capitols5
Intercontinental Football League European Championship Results 1978 [Ref: 1-2]

Report

The Final Intercontinental Football League European Championship in 1978, again featured Professional teams visiting from America on a 5-game tour. This time the teams were the Quad Cities Black Hawks and Indianapolis Capitols of the AA (3rd Level) Northern States Football League.

The Quad Cities Black Hawks won all four games played, in Brussels and Antwerp (Belgium), Rotterdam (Netherlands) and Ludwigshafen (Germany) with the Final match again cancelled due to the massive losses incurred.

This was to be Bob Kapp and the Intercontinental Football League’s last throw of the dice regards establishing Professional American Football in Europe, and the task was to be taken up by another US promoter in the USSR in 1979.

The real legacy of these tours and the IFL, however, was the establishment of teams in Dusseldorf, Vienna and Milan, by Europeans who wanted to play the sport themselves. With the Dusseldorf Panther and Milano Rhinos still in existence today, it has proved to be a fruitful venture for American Football in the long term, even though it lost a phenomenal amount of money at the time.

References

Website / Sources

[1] Mark L. Ford and Massimo Foglio, The Coffin Corner Volume 27,No. 6, Pro Football Researchers Association (2002) THE FIRST “NFL EUROPE”[Internet] Available from: http://www.profootballresearchers.org/archives/Website_Files/Coffin_Corner/27-06-1101.pdf [Accessed 20 October 2019]

Bibiography

[2] Massimo Foglio with Mark L. Ford (2017), Touchdown in Europe – How American Football Came to the Old Continent. Second Edition “The Trailblazers: Bleu et Rouge, College and Semi-Pro”. pg. 151-188. Published by the Author (2015, 2017)

Acknowledgements

Thanks to Louise Wills (Kenny) and John Wills.

About this document

Researched, compiled and written by Enda Mulcahy for the

Eirball | Irish North American and World Sports Archive

Last Updated: 11 May 2020

(c) Copyright Enda Mulcahy and Eirball 2020

You may quote this document in part provided that proper acknowledgement is given to the authors. All Rights Resereved.

Intercontinental Football League College and Air Force Games 1972-1973

Results

DateWinnersRunners-Up
IFL 1972 College GameRhein-Main, Germany
25.11.1972Air Force All-Stars42Rota Naval Base Admirals7
IFL 1973 Turkey BowlRhein-Main, Germany
22.11.1973U Rhode Island Rams34USAFE All-Stars6
Intercontinental Football League College and Air Force Games 1972-1973 [Ref: 1-2]

Report

The Intercontinental Football League was the National Football League’s first attempt at starting Professional Football outside North America.

It started after the film M*A*S*H became a worldwide hit in 1970, with its’ climactic ball game between the 4077th and 325th EVAC. There was enough interest for people to start clubs, and in 1973 Bob Kap, who had introduced professional Soccer to sceptical Texans, decided to try and sell Professional American Football to Europeans.

The first games were matches between visiting US Colleges and Air force teams stationed in Europe during the Cold War, and playing in the United States Air Force in Europe League (USAFE) the matches were promoted as “Turkey Bowls”, taking place as they did on Thanksgiving.

The Air Force All-Stars a visiting College team from USA in 1972 and the University of Rhode Island Rams, also a visiting American College team in 1973, both beat their USAFE counterparts in the matches staged in Rhein-Main, Germany.

The next step for Bob Kapp and the Intercontinental Football League wasto be the establishment of a Professional League in Europe.

References

Website / Sources

[1] Mark L. Ford and Massimo Foglio, The Coffin Corner Volume 27,No. 6, Pro Football Researchers Association (2002) THE FIRST “NFL EUROPE”[Internet] Available from: http://www.profootballresearchers.org/archives/Website_Files/Coffin_Corner/27-06-1101.pdf [Accessed 20 October 2019]

Bibiography

[2] Massimo Foglio with Mark L. Ford (2017), Touchdown in Europe – How American Football Came to the Old Continent. Second Edition “The Trailblazers: Bleu et Rouge, College and Semi-Pro”. pg. 151-188. Published by the Author (2015, 2017)

Acknowledgements

Thanks to Louise Wills (Kenny) and John Wills.

About this document

Researched, compiled and written by Enda Mulcahy for the

Eirball | Irish North American and World Sports Archive

Last Updated: 11 May 2020

(c) Copyright Enda Mulcahy and Eirball 2020

You may quote this document in part provided that proper acknowledgement is given to the authors. All Rights Resereved.

Intercontinental Football League European Championship 1977

IFL European Championship 1977

PWLTPFPAPct
Newton Nite Hawks (C)5500126411.000
Chicago Lions505041126.000
Intercontinental Football League European Championship Final Standings 1977 [Ref: 1-2]

Note: The IFL European Championship of 1977 was a 5-game tour by two Chicagoland League Semi-Pro teams.

Results

DateWinnersRunners-Up
Game 1Versailles, France
02.06.1977Newton Nite Hawks26Chicago Lions6
Game 2Lille, France
06.1977Newton Nite Hawks15Chicago Lions13
Game 3Kaiserslautern, Germany
09.06.1977Newton Nite Hawks26Chicago Lions16
Game 4Graz, Austria
14.06.1977Newton Nite Hawks29Chicago Lions6
Game 5Vienna, Austria
06.1977Newton Nite Hawks30Chicago Lions0
Intercontinental Football League Results 1977 [Ref: 1-2]

Report

The second Intercontinental Football League season in Europe was again a six-game tour by two North American Football teams, this time Semi-Pro teams the Newton Nite Hawks and Chicago Lions from the Chicagoland League.

The games were all big wins for the Nite Hawks, played in Versailles and Lille (France), Kaiserslautern (Germany) and Graz and Vienna in Austria. Even though the League and Tour lost a substantial amount of money, it was to return for one more season in 1978.

References

Website / Sources

[1] Mark L. Ford and Massimo Foglio, The Coffin Corner Volume 27,No. 6, Pro Football Researchers Association (2002) THE FIRST “NFL EUROPE”[Internet] Available from: http://www.profootballresearchers.org/archives/Website_Files/Coffin_Corner/27-06-1101.pdf [Accessed 20 October 2019]

Bibiography

[2] Massimo Foglio with Mark L. Ford (2017), Touchdown in Europe – How American Football Came to the Old Continent. Second Edition “The Trailblazers: Bleu et Rouge, College and Semi-Pro”. pg. 151-188. Published by the Author (2015, 2017)

Acknowledgements

Thanks to Louise Wills (Kenny) and John Wills.

About this document

Researched, compiled and written by Enda Mulcahy for the

Eirball | Irish North American and World Sports Archive

Last Updated: 11 May 2020

(c) Copyright Enda Mulcahy and Eirball 2020

You may quote this document in part provided that proper acknowledgement is given to the authors. All Rights Resereved.

National Football League Intercontinental 1972-1978

DateCityWinnersRunners-Up
27.05.1972Paris (Fra)NFL Blue16NFL Rouge6
16.08.1976Tokyo (Jap)St. Louis Cardinals20San Diego Chargers10
05.08.1978Mexico City (Mex)New Orleans Saints14Philadelphia Eagles7
National Football League Intercontinental 1972-1978 [Ref: 1-3]

Report

With the film M*A*S*H being such a hit in Europe, and around the World, featuring its climactic end-sequence depicting an American Football game, the National Football League started promoting the game outside of North America. a game was played in Paris, France in 1972 between 42 NFL players, representing NFL Blue and NFL Rouge.

At the the same time attempts were afoot by the World Football League (1974-1975) and Bob Kapp’s Intercontinental Football League to host teams in cities around the World. While the WFL got no further outside mainland USA than Hawaii, and Kapp’s Intercontinental Football League, with six franchises in Europe, never got off the ground, the NFL continued to work with the IFl, and played a game promoted by both in Tokyo, Japan, between the St. Louis Cardinals and San Diego Chargers.

In 1978 a further National Football League game was played in Mexico City between the New Orleans Saints and Philadelphia Eagles. All of these games were preseason games, but they were the first steps towards the regular hosting of NFL games outside of the USA and Canada, which were to lead eventually to the International Series of Regular Season Games held annually in London from 2007 to 2019.

References

Website / Sources

[1] Mark L. Ford and Massimo Foglio, The Coffin Corner Volume 27,No. 6, Pro Football Researchers Association (2002) THE FIRST “NFL EUROPE”[Internet] Available from: http://www.profootballresearchers.org/archives/Website_Files/Coffin_Corner/27-06-1101.pdf [Accessed 20 October 2019]

Bibiography

[2] Massimo Foglio with Mark L. Ford (2017), Touchdown in Europe – How American Football Came to the Old Continent. Second Edition “The Trailblazers: Bleu et Rouge, College and Semi-Pro”. pg. 151-188. Published by the Author (2015, 2017)

[3] National Football League (2014) 2014 National Football League Record & Factbook. “International Games” pg. 508-509. Published by National Football League and Time Home entertainment, New York, NY.

Acknowledgements

Thanks to Louise Wills (Kenny) and John Wills.

About this document

Researched, compiled and written by Enda Mulcahy for the

Eirball | Irish North American and World Sports Archive

Last Updated: 11 May 2020

(c) Copyright Enda Mulcahy and Eirball 2020

You may quote this document in part provided that proper acknowledgement is given to the authors. All Rights Resereved.

Intercontinental Football League European Cup 1976

IFL European Cup 1976

PWLTPFPAPct
Texas A&I Javelinas (C)550096471.000
Henderson State Reddies50504796.000
Intercontinental Football League European Championship Final Standings 1976 [Ref: 1-2]

Note: the IFL European Cup of 1976 was a 5-game tour by two NAIA Colleges.

Results

DateWinnersRunners-Up
Game 1West Berlin, Germany
01.06.1976Texas A&I Javelinas17Henderson State Reddies6
Game 2Vienna, Austria
03.06.1976Texas A&I Javelinas21Henderson State Reddies7
Game 3Mannheim, Germany
09.06.1976Texas A&I Javelinas20Henderson State Reddies6
Game 4Nuremburg, Germany
13.06.1976Texas A&I Javelinas17Henderson State Reddies15
Game 5Paris, France
17.06.1976Texas A&I Javelinas21Henderson State Reddies13
Intercontinental Football League European Cup Results 1976 [Ref: 1]

Report

Following on from the National football League and US Air Force games in Europe in 1972 and 1973, and the failed attempt at starting a Professional American Football League in Europe, Bob Kapp continued undeterred with with his attempts to bring American Football to Europe.

The European Cup of 1976 was actually a six-game tour by two NAIA (Junior) Colleges: Texas A&I Javelinas and Henderson State Reddies. The Javelinas won the first game in West Berlin 17-6, and proceeded to win the next four, in Vienna (Austria), Mannheim and Nuremburg (Germany) and Paris, France. the tour lost so much money that the final game of the Cup was cancelled.

The European Championship returned, however in 1977 and 1978, also both tours by American sides.

References

Website / Sources

[1] Mark L. Ford and Massimo Foglio, The Coffin Corner Volume 27,No. 6, Pro Football Researchers Association (2002) THE FIRST “NFL EUROPE”[Internet] Available from: http://www.profootballresearchers.org/archives/Website_Files/Coffin_Corner/27-06-1101.pdf [Accessed 20 October 2019]

Bibiography

[2] Massimo Foglio with Mark L. Ford (2017), Touchdown in Europe – How American Football Came to the Old Continent. Second Edition “The Trailblazers: Bleu et Rouge, College and Semi-Pro”. pg. 151-188. Published by the Author (2015, 2017)

Acknowledgements

Thanks to Louise Wills (Kenny) and John Wills.

About this document

Researched, compiled and written by Enda Mulcahy for the

Eirball | Irish North American and World Sports Archive

Last Updated: 11 May 2020

(c) Copyright Enda Mulcahy and Eirball 2020

You may quote this document in part provided that proper acknowledgement is given to the authors. All Rights Resereved.

Intercontinental Football League 1974-1975

IFL Proposed League 1974-1975

Teams

IFL North
Munich Lions (Germany)
Vienna Lippizaners (Austria)
West Berlin Bears (Germany)
IFL South
Barcelona Almogovares (Spain)
Istanbul Conquerors (Turkey)
Rome Gladiators (Italy)
IFL Expansion
Paris Lafayettes (France)
Cophenhagen Vikings (Denmark)
Rotterdam Flying Dutchmen (Netherlands)
Milan Centurions (Italy)
Intercontinental Football League teams 1974-1975 [Ref: 1-2]

Report

The Intercontinental Football League was the brainchild of Bob Kapp, a Texan who had introduced Professional Soccer to Texas. On seeing the success of the film M*A*S*H in Europe, with its climactic end-sequence featuring an American Football game, he sought to capitalise on the subsequent interest in American Football in the continent. It had been the first time American Football had been seen on the big screen in a mainstream film and audiences were intrigued.

Kapp had enough interest to have sold six franchises by 1973, including Italian Media mogul Bruno Beneck, who had successfully introduced Baseball to Italy, however, the subsequent Oil crisis, and the spectre of Terrorism meant the League never got off the ground. Teams were to have been paired with US Colleges. With no Irish team in the League Notre Dame Fighting Irish were paired with the Rome Gladiators.

The National Football League had also pre-selected four expansion teams: Paris Lafayettes, Cophenhagen Vikings, Rotterdam Flying Dutchmen and Milan Centurions.

It was initially to have played in two divisions, most likely North and South, playing a four-game schedule with a European-style two-game aggregate score Final between the Division winners.

There are four main reasons the IFL failed to take off: Europe wasn’t ready for American Football; Competition with the World Football league (1974-1975) which intended to expand internationally to Mexico City and Tokyo; An NFL players’ strike in the summer on 1974 and the economic recession brought on by the oil crisis.

A final decision to abort the league was taken in a Hotel Room in Hawaii in March 1975, after talks with people in Washington, D.C., and the killer blow, the financial troubles of the Pan-Am Airline which was a major sponsor.

Undeterred Bob Kapp, continued promoting the IFL in Europe, through tours by Colleges and Semi-Pro teams through 1976 to 1978. Bruno Beneck’s Rome Gladiators are still in existence, playing in the Italian League, which was one of the first American Football Leagues in Europe that the IFL gave birth to.

References

Website / Sources

[1] Mark L. Ford and Massimo Foglio, The Coffin Corner Volume 27,No. 6, Pro Football Researchers Association (2002) THE FIRST “NFL EUROPE”[Internet] Available from: http://www.profootballresearchers.org/archives/Website_Files/Coffin_Corner/27-06-1101.pdf [Accessed 20 October 2019]

Origins of the WLAF

[2] Tod Maher, The Coffin Corner Volume 14 No. 2, Pro Football Researchers Association (1992) Origins of the WLAF  [Internet] Available from: http://www.profootballresearchers.org/archives/Website_Files/Coffin_Corner/14-02-455.pdf  [Accessed 18 September 2020]

Bibiography

[3] Massimo Foglio with Mark L. Ford (2017), Touchdown in Europe – How American Football Came to the Old Continent. Second Edition “The Trailblazers: Bleu et Rouge, College and Semi-Pro”. pg. 151-188. Published by the Author (2015, 2017)

About Eirball

Acknowledgements

Thanks to Louise Wills (Kenny) and John Wills and Karl & Clive Saab.

About this document

Researched, compiled and written by Enda Mulcahy for the

Eirball | Irish North American and World Sports Archive

Last Updated: 8 April 2025. First Published: 18 September 2020

(c) Copyright Enda Mulcahy and Eirball 2020

You may quote this document in part provided that proper acknowledgement is given to the authors. All Rights Reserved.

Intercontinental Football League European Championship 1976-1978

IFL European Cup 1976

PWLTPFPAPct
Texas A&I Javelinas (C)550096471.000
Henderson State Reddies50504796.000
Intercontinental Football League European Championship Final Standings 1976 [Ref: 1-2]

Note: the IFL European Cup of 1976 was a 5-game tour by two NAIA Colleges.

IFL European Championship 1977

PWLTPFPAPct
Newton Nite Hawks (C)5500126411.000
Chicago Lions505041126.000
Intercontinental Football League European Championship Final Standings 1977 [Ref: 1-2]

Note: The IFL European Championship of 1977 was a 5-game tour by two Chicagoland League Semi-Pro teams.

IFL European Championship 1978

PWLTPFPAPct
Quad Cities Black Hawks (C)440095291.000
Indianapolis Capitols40402995.000
Intercontinental Football League European Championship Final Standings 1978 [Ref: 1-2]

Note: The IFL European Championship of 1978 was a 5-game tour by two Northern States Football League AA Professional Football teams.

Report

In 1970 the film M*A*S*H featured a climactic end-sequence with an American Football game. this was the first ever time an American Football game had been seen on Major TV or Cinema screens in Europe, and started an interest in the American version of Rugby or Football in the continent.

The Intercontinental Football League was set up by Bob Kapp, a Texan who had introduced Professional Soccer to Texas. The intention was to start a Professional American Football League in Europe.

The National Football League had played its first game outside North American between NFL Bleu and NFL rouge in Paris, and the IFL had brought Bruno Beneck, a Media mogul who had successfully introduced Baseball to Italy, and had enough interest to have sold six francises. However, the Oil crisis and the spectre of terrorism in Europe put an end to the League in 1975 before it started.

In the meantime the World Football League had started in the USA with intention of bringing the game to the World. The League played two seasons from 1974 to 1975, although the furthest it got from the American mainland was Hawaii.

The IFL was undeterred, however, and arranged a series of tours by United States College, and Professional teams in Europe. The first Tour was during June 1976 in Germany, Austria and France. The teams were NAIA Colleges (Junior Colleges) Texas A&I Javelinas, who won all five games of the series, and Henderson State College Reddies.

In 1977 the tour featured Semi-Pro teams from the Chicagoland League and the five-game tour visited France, Germany and Austria, and again all five games were won by the same team: Newton Nite Hawks, who defeated Chicago Lions.

The final tour featured AA Professional teams from the Northern States Football League, Quad Cities Black Hawks (who won all five games) and the Indianapolis Capitols. This tour, like the two previous tours, lost a lot of money and Bob Kapp abandoned the venture. However, the long-term impact was the creation of the first teams and Leagues in Germany, Austria, Finland and Italy, one of which, the Dusseldorf Panther, is still in existence. American Football has had a continuous presence in those countries since and has since spread as far as Turkey, Portugal and Iceland.

References

Website / Sources

[1] Mark L. Ford and Massimo Foglio, The Coffin Corner Volume 27,No. 6, Pro Football Researchers Association (2002) THE FIRST “NFL EUROPE”[Internet] Available from: http://www.profootballresearchers.org/archives/Website_Files/Coffin_Corner/27-06-1101.pdf [Accessed 20 October 2019]

Bibiography

[2] Massimo Foglio with Mark L. Ford (2017), Touchdown in Europe – How American Football Came to the Old Continent. Second Edition “The Trailblazers: Bleu et Rouge, College and Semi-Pro”. pg. 151-188. Published by the Author (2015, 2017)

Acknowledgements

Thanks to Louise Wills (Kenny) and John Wills.

About this document

Researched, compiled and written by Enda Mulcahy for the

Eirball | Irish North American and World Sports Archive

Last Updated: 11 May 2020

(c) Copyright Enda Mulcahy and Eirball 2020

You may quote this document in part provided that proper acknowledgement is given to the authors. All Rights Resereved.

Turkiye Amerikan Futbolu Kurulu TAFK Turkey Tournament 2001

Final Standings

PWLTPFPA
A Group
*Hacettepe Red Deers440020837
*Bogazici Sultans43109063
METU Falcons42205885
Bilkent Judges413083107
Bashkent Knights404018165
B Group
*ITU Hornets440020828
Ankara Cats43109094
Ege Dolphins42205864
Gazi Warriors41308394
Eskisehir Anadolu Rangers40401870
Turkiye Amerikan Futbolu Kurulu Final Standings 2001 [Ref: 1]

Playoff Results

DateHome TeamAway Team
Semi-Finals
2001Hacetteppe Red Deers67Ankara Cats8
2001ITU Hornets20Bogazici Sultans6
Final
2001Hacettepe Red Deers36ITU Hornets30
Turkiye Amerikan Futbolu Kurulu Playoffs 2001 [Ref: 1]

Regular Season Results

DateHome TeamAway Team
Week 1
2001ITU Hornets22Gazi Warriors11
2001Hacettepe Red Deers82Bashkent Knights0
2001Bilkent Judges18Bogazici Sultans26
2001Eskisehir Anadolu Rangers14Ankara Cats20
Week 2
2001METU Falcons0Hacettepe Red Deers31
2001Bilkent Judges44Bashkent Knights12
2001Eskisehir Anadolu Rangers12ITU Hornets24
2001Gazi Warriors0Ege Dolphins30
Week 3
2001Bilkent Judges15Hacettepe Red Deers50
2001Bogazici Sultans42METU Falcons0
2001Ege Dolphins20Eskisehir Anadolu Rangers0
2001ITU Hornets24Ankara Cats0 #
Week 3
2001METU Falcons20Bilkent Judges6
2001Bogazici Sultans24Bashkent Knights0 #
2001Ege Dolphins6ITU Hornets30
2001Ankara Cats40Gazi Warriors28
Week 4
2001Bashkent Knights6METU Falcons39
2001Hacettepe Red Deers45Bogazici Sultans22
2001Ankara Cats34Ege Dolphins28
2001Gazi Warriors24Eskisehir Anadolu Rangers0 #
Turkiye Amerikan Futbolu Kurulu Regular Season Results 2001 [Ref: 1]

Report

The Turkish American Football League in 2001 was won by Hacettepe Red Deers 36-30 over ITU Hornets, after they had gone undefeated (4-0 Won-Loss) during the Regular season and defeated Ankara Cats 67-6 in the Playoff Semi-Finals. The Hornets had also gone undefeated during the Regular Season and topped the B Group, before winning 20-6 against the Bogazici sultans in the Semi-Finals.

In all 10 teams entered, divided into two groups, with a four-game regular season. Other teams included the Ege Dolphins, Gazi Warriors, Eskesehir Anadolu Rangers, METU Falcons, Bilkent Judges and Bashkent Knights.

References

Internet Archive

[1] AnkaraCats (2001) Sezon [Internet] Available from: https://web.archive.org/web/20010909121633/http://ankaracats.8m.net/sezon.html [Accessed 11 May 2020]

Acknowledgements

Thanks to Karl and Clive Saab.

About this document

Researched, compiled and written by Enda Mulcahy for the

Eirball | North American & World Sports Archive

Last Updated: 11 May 2020

(c) Copyright Enda Mulcahy and World Gridiron Archive 2020

You are free to copy this document in whole or part provided that proper acknowledgement is given to the authors. All Rights Reserved.