Bremerhaven Seahawks
Encyclopedia
The Bremerhaven Seahawks are an American football
club from Bremerhaven
, Germany
.
The club is one of the six founding members of the American Football Bundesliga
, alongside the Düsseldorf Panther
, Frankfurter Löwen
, Ansbach Grizzlies
, Munich Cowboys
and Berlin Bears, but has not played at this level since 1986.
In 1979, the American Football Bundesliga, later to be renamed the German Football League
, was formed, consisting of six clubs, among them the Bremerhaven Seahawks.
The team did not take part in the second season of the league, instead taking part in the formation of a rival league with a number of other clubs. The Seahawks won the regular season of this league, the Nordwestdeutsche Football-Liga (NFL), but lost the final to the Düsseldorf Panther. The clubs success in this era is mostly attributed to the high contend of US American players.
For the 1981 season, the team returned to the Bundesliga, where it finished third but outside of the play-offs. Finishing in the same position the following year, the club qualified for the post season in a now extended format, but lost in the quarter finals to the Hanau Hawks.
The era of the Seahawks at elite level now quickly drew to an end. In 1983, the team finished seventh but was excluded from league football after that because its large foreign player contingent violated new regulations that limited the number of non-German players per team. It returned to the league once more for the 1986 season, having spent 1985 at the tier below, but was now outclassed, only drawing one game and losing all of the remaining nine.
For the next five seasons, the club played at the second tier of American football in Germany, the 2nd Bundesliga. In its first season there, it won the northern division without defeat, but missed out on promotion to the Ratingen Raiders. In 1987, the team joined local club OSC Bremerhaven
to be able to use their Nordsee-Stadion for home games and remains a part of this club. After this, the Seahawks slipped to the lower half of the table and, in 1992, the club, despite having qualified, did not field in the league and thereby ended its era as a second tier outfit, too.
The Seahawks history became somewhat erratic in the following years, competing in the fourth division in 1993, not competing at all in 1994 and 1995 and making a return in 1996 in the lowest possible league, the tier-seven Aufbauliga. The club worked its way back up as far as the tier-three Regionalliga Nord, which it played in from 2004 to 2006, but has since dropped a level, playing in the Oberliga Nord in 2010.
American football
American football is a sport played between two teams of eleven with the objective of scoring points by advancing the ball into the opposing team's end zone. Known in the United States simply as football, it may also be referred to informally as gridiron football. The ball can be advanced by...
club from Bremerhaven
Bremerhaven
Bremerhaven is a city at the seaport of the free city-state of Bremen, a state of the Federal Republic of Germany. It forms an enclave in the state of Lower Saxony and is located at the mouth of the River Weser on its eastern bank, opposite the town of Nordenham...
, Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
.
The club is one of the six founding members of the American Football Bundesliga
German Football League
The German Football League is the elite league for American football in Germany. Playing rules are based on those of the American NCAA....
, alongside the Düsseldorf Panther
Düsseldorf Panther
The Düsseldorf Panther are an American football team from Düsseldorf, Germany. The club is the oldest still existing American football club in Europe, having been formed on 1 May 1978....
, Frankfurter Löwen
Frankfurter Löwen
The Frankfurter Löwen were an American football team from Frankfurt, Germany.The Löwen were the first American football club to be formed in Germany. The club, a founding member of the American Football Bundesliga, was also the winner of the first two editions of the German Bowl...
, Ansbach Grizzlies
Ansbach Grizzlies
The Ansbach Grizzlies are an American football team based in Ansbach, Germany. The club, together with the Düsseldorf Panther and the Munich Cowboys, is one of the oldest in Germany...
, Munich Cowboys
Munich Cowboys
The Munich Cowboys are an American football team based in Munich, Germany. The club, together with the Düsseldorf Panther and the Ansbach Grizzlies, is one of the oldest in Germany. The team refers to itself as The Grand Old Team of the South....
and Berlin Bears, but has not played at this level since 1986.
History
The club was formed in February 1979 and is, behind the Düsseldorf Panther, the second-oldest still existing American football club in Germany.In 1979, the American Football Bundesliga, later to be renamed the German Football League
German Football League
The German Football League is the elite league for American football in Germany. Playing rules are based on those of the American NCAA....
, was formed, consisting of six clubs, among them the Bremerhaven Seahawks.
The team did not take part in the second season of the league, instead taking part in the formation of a rival league with a number of other clubs. The Seahawks won the regular season of this league, the Nordwestdeutsche Football-Liga (NFL), but lost the final to the Düsseldorf Panther. The clubs success in this era is mostly attributed to the high contend of US American players.
For the 1981 season, the team returned to the Bundesliga, where it finished third but outside of the play-offs. Finishing in the same position the following year, the club qualified for the post season in a now extended format, but lost in the quarter finals to the Hanau Hawks.
The era of the Seahawks at elite level now quickly drew to an end. In 1983, the team finished seventh but was excluded from league football after that because its large foreign player contingent violated new regulations that limited the number of non-German players per team. It returned to the league once more for the 1986 season, having spent 1985 at the tier below, but was now outclassed, only drawing one game and losing all of the remaining nine.
For the next five seasons, the club played at the second tier of American football in Germany, the 2nd Bundesliga. In its first season there, it won the northern division without defeat, but missed out on promotion to the Ratingen Raiders. In 1987, the team joined local club OSC Bremerhaven
OSC Bremerhaven
OSC Bremerhaven is a German sports club based in Bremerhaven, in the federal state of Bremen.-History:The club was founded in 1972 as Olympischer Sport-Club Bremerhaven in a merger of various local football clubs including ATS Bremerhaven, which has roots going back to 1859, Polizei Sportverein,...
to be able to use their Nordsee-Stadion for home games and remains a part of this club. After this, the Seahawks slipped to the lower half of the table and, in 1992, the club, despite having qualified, did not field in the league and thereby ended its era as a second tier outfit, too.
The Seahawks history became somewhat erratic in the following years, competing in the fourth division in 1993, not competing at all in 1994 and 1995 and making a return in 1996 in the lowest possible league, the tier-seven Aufbauliga. The club worked its way back up as far as the tier-three Regionalliga Nord, which it played in from 2004 to 2006, but has since dropped a level, playing in the Oberliga Nord in 2010.
Honours
- American Football BundesligaGerman Football LeagueThe German Football League is the elite league for American football in Germany. Playing rules are based on those of the American NCAA....
- Play-off qualification: 1982
- League membership: (5) 1979, 1981–1983, 1986
- 2nd American Football BundesligaGerman Football League 2The German Football League 2 is the second tier of American football in Germany, below the German Football League. Until 2007, the league was known as the 2nd Bundesliga.-League structure:...
- Northern Division champions: 1987