Schwäbisch Hall Unicorns
Encyclopedia
The Schwäbisch Hall Unicorns are an American football
team from Schwäbisch Hall
, Germany
.
The clubs greatest successes were winning the southern division title in the German Football League
in 2009 and 2011, followed up by winning the German Bowl in 2011.
Previously, the only appearance in a national championship game the club has made was in 1997, when it lost the Junior Bowl to the youth team of the Berlin Adler
.
In the following year, the team entered in the central division of the 2nd Bundesliga, the second tier of American football in Germany, now the German Football League 2
. At this level, the club quickly acclimatised, winning its division in 1986 and 1987. In 1986, the Stuttgart Scorpions
were still the stronger side in the promotion round, winning both games and baring the Unicorns from moving one level up, but the year after the club managed to take up the Scorpions place in the American Football Bundesliga.
The team played at this level for the next three seasons, without ever qualifying for the postseason, before losing its league place in 1990 when the league was reduced from 26 to 16 clubs. The Unicorns found themselves back in the 2nd Bundesliga for the next three seasons, before suffering further relegation.
The side's absolute low came in 1995, when it had dropped to the tier-four Oberliga Baden Württemberg, but it quickly recovered, winning the league that season and earning promotion to the third tier. After another title, now in the Regionalliga Mitte, the team returned to the 2nd Bundesliga once more for the 1997 season.
In four seasons at this level, the team finished in the top four each year, culminating in a second place in 2000, which allowed the side to move up again because of two clubs withdrawing from the GFL. For the next seven seasons, the Unicorns reached the play-offs each year, with a semi final appearance in 2005, where it lost to the Braunschweig Lions
, as its best result.
The 2008 season was disappointment to the club, finishing fifth in its division and missing the postseason, but also staying well clear of relegation trouble. In 2009, the Unicorns were much improved, winning the southern division for the first time and missing out on a first-ever German Bowl
appearance by a point, losing 21-22 to the Kiel Baltic Hurricanes
. In 2010, the club came second in its division but lost to the Dresden Monarchs
in the quarter finals of the play-offs.
The team played a flawles regular season in 2011, winning every game, followed by beating the Berlin Adler in the quarter finals and the Mönchengladbach Mavericks in the semi finals of the play-offs and advancing to the German Bowl for the first time, where they met the Kiel Baltic Hurricanes
. The 33rd edition was the highest scoring German Bowl of all time, ending with a 48-44 victory for the Unicorns, which thereby ended an 18 year title draught for the south.
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...
team from Schwäbisch Hall
Schwäbisch Hall
Schwäbisch Hall is a town in the German state of Baden-Württemberg and capital of the district of Schwäbisch Hall. The town is located in the valley of the river Kocher in the north-eastern part of Baden-Württemberg....
, 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 clubs greatest successes were winning the southern division title in 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....
in 2009 and 2011, followed up by winning the German Bowl in 2011.
Previously, the only appearance in a national championship game the club has made was in 1997, when it lost the Junior Bowl to the youth team of the Berlin Adler
Berlin Adler
The Berlin Adler is an American football club based in Berlin, Germany. The club is one of the most successful clubs in the sport in Germany, having won six German Bowls as well as a ten Ladies Bowls and five Junior Bowls....
.
History
The club was founded on 9 November 1983, as the American football department of the TSG Schwäbisch Hall, which is still, as of 2011, the mother club of the Unicorns.In the following year, the team entered in the central division of the 2nd Bundesliga, the second tier of American football in Germany, now the German Football League 2
German Football League 2
The 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:...
. At this level, the club quickly acclimatised, winning its division in 1986 and 1987. In 1986, the Stuttgart Scorpions
Stuttgart Scorpions
The Stuttgart Scorpions are an American football team from Stuttgart, Germany.The clubs greatest success came in 2007, when it reached the German Bowl but lost to the Braunschweig Lions.-History:The Stuttgart Scorpions were formed in December 1982...
were still the stronger side in the promotion round, winning both games and baring the Unicorns from moving one level up, but the year after the club managed to take up the Scorpions place in the American Football Bundesliga.
The team played at this level for the next three seasons, without ever qualifying for the postseason, before losing its league place in 1990 when the league was reduced from 26 to 16 clubs. The Unicorns found themselves back in the 2nd Bundesliga for the next three seasons, before suffering further relegation.
The side's absolute low came in 1995, when it had dropped to the tier-four Oberliga Baden Württemberg, but it quickly recovered, winning the league that season and earning promotion to the third tier. After another title, now in the Regionalliga Mitte, the team returned to the 2nd Bundesliga once more for the 1997 season.
In four seasons at this level, the team finished in the top four each year, culminating in a second place in 2000, which allowed the side to move up again because of two clubs withdrawing from the GFL. For the next seven seasons, the Unicorns reached the play-offs each year, with a semi final appearance in 2005, where it lost to the Braunschweig Lions
Braunschweig Lions
The New Yorker Lions are an American Football team from Braunschweig, Germany. Until late 2010, the team was known as the Braunschweig Lions....
, as its best result.
The 2008 season was disappointment to the club, finishing fifth in its division and missing the postseason, but also staying well clear of relegation trouble. In 2009, the Unicorns were much improved, winning the southern division for the first time and missing out on a first-ever German Bowl
German Bowl
The German Bowl is the annual national championship game in the sport of American football in Germany. It is contested by the two best teams of the German Football League....
appearance by a point, losing 21-22 to the Kiel Baltic Hurricanes
Kiel Baltic Hurricanes
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...
. In 2010, the club came second in its division but lost to the Dresden Monarchs
Dresden Monarchs
The Dresden Monarchs are an American football team from Dresden, Germany.As its greatest success, the club has finished in third place in the northern division of the German Football League on five occasions, and reached the semi finals of the national championship in 2004 and 2010.-History:The...
in the quarter finals of the play-offs.
The team played a flawles regular season in 2011, winning every game, followed by beating the Berlin Adler in the quarter finals and the Mönchengladbach Mavericks in the semi finals of the play-offs and advancing to the German Bowl for the first time, where they met the Kiel Baltic Hurricanes
Kiel Baltic Hurricanes
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...
. The 33rd edition was the highest scoring German Bowl of all time, ending with a 48-44 victory for the Unicorns, which thereby ended an 18 year title draught for the south.
Honours
- German BowlGerman BowlThe German Bowl is the annual national championship game in the sport of American football in Germany. It is contested by the two best teams of the German Football League....
- Champions: 2011
- GFLGerman Football LeagueThe German Football League is the elite league for American football in Germany. Playing rules are based on those of the American NCAA....
- Southern Division champions: 2009, 2011
- Play-off qualification : (10) 2001–2007, 2008–2011
- League membership : (14) 1988–1990, 2001–present
- GFL 2German 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:...
- Central Division champions: 1986, 1987
- Junior BowlGerman Junior BowlThe German Junior Bowl, usually only referred to as Junior Bowl, is the annual national championship game for junior teams in the sport of American football in Germany. It is contested by the two best teams of the GFL Juniors....
- Runners-up: 1997
Recent seasons
Recent seasons of the club:| Year | Division | Finish | Points | Pct. | Games | W | D | L | PF | PA | Postseason |
| 2005 | GFL 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.... (South) |
2nd | 13–7 | 0.650 | 10 | 6 | 1 | 3 | 292 | 256 | Won QF: Dresden Monarchs Dresden Monarchs The Dresden Monarchs are an American football team from Dresden, Germany.As its greatest success, the club has finished in third place in the northern division of the German Football League on five occasions, and reached the semi finals of the national championship in 2004 and 2010.-History:The... (30–27) Lost SF: Braunschweig Lions Braunschweig Lions The New Yorker Lions are an American Football team from Braunschweig, Germany. Until late 2010, the team was known as the Braunschweig Lions.... (8–33) |
| 2006 | 3rd | 15–9 | 0.625 | 12 | 7 | 1 | 4 | 383 | 271 | Lost QF: Hamburg Blue Devils Hamburg Blue Devils The Hamburg Blue Devils are an American football team in Hamburg, Germany. The Blue Devils are one of the most successful American football clubs in Germany, having won four German Bowls as well as three Eurobowls... (13–34) |
|
| 2007 | 3rd | 17–7 | 0.708 | 12 | 8 | 1 | 3 | 398 | 218 | Lost QF: Berlin Adler Berlin Adler The Berlin Adler is an American football club based in Berlin, Germany. The club is one of the most successful clubs in the sport in Germany, having won six German Bowls as well as a ten Ladies Bowls and five Junior Bowls.... (3–23) |
|
| 2008 | 5th | 8–16 | 0.333 | 12 | 4 | 0 | 8 | 207 | 331 | — | |
| 2009 | 1st | 17–3 | 0.850 | 10 | 8 | 1 | 1 | 326 | 205 | Won QF: Assindia Cardinals Assindia Cardinals The Assindia Cardinals are an American football team from Essen, Germany. Assindia is the Latin name for Essen.As its greatest success, the club has finished in third place in the northern division of the American Football Bundesliga in 1986, and reached the quarter finals of the national... (46–25) Lost SF: Kiel Baltic Hurricanes Kiel Baltic Hurricanes 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... (21–22) |
|
| 2010 | 2nd | 18–6 | 0.750 | 12 | 9 | 0 | 3 | 444 | 198 | Lost QF: Dresden Monarchs Dresden Monarchs The Dresden Monarchs are an American football team from Dresden, Germany.As its greatest success, the club has finished in third place in the northern division of the German Football League on five occasions, and reached the semi finals of the national championship in 2004 and 2010.-History:The... (45–56) |
|
| 2011 | 1st | 26–0 | 1.000 | 13 | 13 | 0 | 0 | 617 | 256 | Won QF: Berlin Adler Berlin Adler The Berlin Adler is an American football club based in Berlin, Germany. The club is one of the most successful clubs in the sport in Germany, having won six German Bowls as well as a ten Ladies Bowls and five Junior Bowls.... (53–27) Won SF: Mönchengladbach Mavericks Mönchengladbach Mavericks The Mönchengladbach Mavericks are an American football team from Mönchengladbach, Germany.The club won promotion to the German Football League in 2010, and qualified for the semi finals of the play-offs the following year, its greatest success.-History:... (47–21) Won GB: Kiel Baltic Hurricanes Kiel Baltic Hurricanes 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... (48–44) |
- RR = Relegation round.
- QF = Quarter finals.
- SF = Semi finals.
- GB = German Bowl
- The final game of the 2011 season against the Marburg MercenariesMarburg MercenariesThe Marburg Mercenaries are an American football team from Marburg, Germany.Internationally, the clubs greatest success came in 2005, when it won the EFAF Cup, followed by a losing appearance in the Eurobowl in 2007...
was not played because of heavy rain on game day.