Category: Intercontinental Football League (1973-1978)

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 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

Teams

IFL NorthIFL Expansion
Munich Lions (Germany)Paris Lafayettes (France)
Vienna Lippizaners (Austria)Cophenhagen Vikings (Denmark)
West Berlin Bears (Germany)Rotterdam Flying Dutchmen (Netherlands)
IFL SouthMilan Centurions (Italy)
Barcelona Almogovares (Spain)
Istanbul Conquerors (Turkey)
Rome Gladiators (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)

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: 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 Resereved.

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.