United States Air Force in Europe (USAFE) Football League Finals 1952-1993

USAFE Logo [Ref: 8]

USAFE Finals 1952-1993

YearWinnersRunners-Up
1952Furstenfeldbruck Eagles26Burtonwood Bullets7
1953Landstuhl Raiders30London Rockets21
1954London Rockets
1955London Rockets
1956London Rockets
1957Toul TigersBurtonwood Bullets
1958Ramstein RamsAlconbury Spartans
1959Weisbaden Flyers
1960SHAPE Indians
1961SHAPE IndiansAlconbury Spartans
1962Weisbaden FlyersChicksands Fighting Chicks
1963 *Bitburg Barons * /
Weathersfield Raiders *
1964Rhein-Main RocketsChicksands Fighting Chicks
1965Weisbaden Flyers54Weathersfield Raiders6
1966Weisbaden Flyers49Weathersfield Raiders0
1967Rhein-Main Rockets19Bentwaters Phantoms14
1968Bentwaters Phantoms
1969Rhein-Main RocketsBentwaters Phantoms
1970Upper Heyford Sky Kings
1971Weisbaden FlyersUpper Heyford Sky Kings
1972Rhein-Main RocketsUpper Heyford Sky Kings
1973Upper Heyford Sky Kings
1974Upper Heyford Sky Kings
1975Weisbaden FlyersBentwaters Phantoms
1976Bitburg BaronsBentwaters Phantoms
1977Bitburg BaronsChicksands Fighting Chicks
1978Bitburg Barons
1979Lakenheath EaglesBitburg Barons
1980Bitburg BaronsLakenheath Eagles
1981Upper Heyford Sky Kings Bitburg Barons
1982Upper Heyford Sky Kings
1983Ramstein RamsUpper Heyford Sky Kings
1984Ramstein RamsBentwaters Phantoms
1985Ramstein RamsUpper Heyford Sky Kings
1986Chicksands Fighting Chicks
1987Rhein-Main RocketsLakenheath Eagles
1988Rhein-Main Rockets34Lakenheath Eagles0
1989Rhein-Main Rockets37Lakenheath Eagles18
1990Lakenheath Eagles39Rhein-Main Rockets30
1991Rhein-Main Rockets27Lakenheath Eagles6
1992Rhein-Main Rockets57Lakenheath Eagles12
1993Rhein-Main RocketsLakenheath Eagles
Reference: [1-2, 6]

Note: * The 1963 Title was shared between Bitburg Barons and Weathersfield Raiders as the Final was cancelled after the assassination of US President John F. Kennedy.

USAFE Final 1952 – Wembley – Furstenfeldbrook Eagles 26 Burtonwoon Bullets 7 [Reference: 9]

Composite Standings

TeamConferenceChampionships
Rhein-Main RocketsContinental10
Weisbaden Flyers Continental6
Upper Heyford Sky KingsUnited Kingdom5
Bitburg BaronsContinental5 *
Ramstein RamsContinental4
London RocketsUnited Kingdom3
Lakenheath EaglesUnited Kingdom2
SHAPE Indians (Paris) France2
Bentwaters PhantomsUnited Kingdom1
Chicksands Fighting ChicksUnited Kingdom1
Furstenfeldbruck EaglesContinental1
Landstuhl RaidersContinental1
Toul TigersFrance1
Weathersfield RaidersUnited Kingdom1 *
United States Air Force in Europe (USAFE) Football League Finals Composite Standings 1952-1993

Note: *1963 Final shared between Weatersfield Raiders and Bitburg Barons after it was cancelled due to the assassination of President John F. Kennedy.

Report

The USAFE (United States Air Force in Europe) Football league title was won on 10 occasions by Rhein-Main Rockets (Continental Sports Conference), Weisbaden Flyers (CSC) six times, Upper Heyford Sky Kings (United Kingdom Sports Conference) five times , Bitburg Barons (CSC) five times, Ramstein Rams (CSC) four times, London Rockets (UKSC) three times, Lakenheath Eagles (UKSC) twice and SHAPE Indians (Paris, France Sports Conference) twice.

Bentwaters Phantoms (UKSC), Chicksands Fighting Chicks (UKSC), Furstenfeldbruck Eagles (CSC), Landstuhl Raiders (CSC), Toul Tigers (FSC), Weathersfield Raiders (UKSC) each won the title once.

There were four Sports Conferences: United Kingdom, Continental, France and Mediterranean, although in the end the France and Mediterranean Sports Conferences were merged with the Continental Conference.

About

The United States Air Force in Europe Football League (USAFE – pronounced “You-Safe”) was the League for Air Force Personnel stationed at Cold War Military Bases in Germany, the United Kingdom, France, Italy & Greece.

There were three Conferences: UK Sports Conference, Continental Sports Conference (German & France) and Mediterranean Sports Conference (Italy & Greece). While the MSC was a competitive Conference, the Finals were usually played between the Winners of the UKSC and the CSC.

Following the end of the Cold War in the early 1990s, the USAFE Football League was discontinued and the only US Military Football now played in the UK is High School Football at Lakenheath, London Central (High Wycombe), Alconbury & Menwith Hill. [1]

The United States ARmy EURope played a separate League (USAREUR). [6]

The Ramstein Rams, Alconbury Spartans, Burtonwood Bullets & Weathersfield Raiders all played matches in Ireland, including one at Croke Park in aid of the Irish Red Cross. [12-15]

Continental Sports Conference Sports Patch [Reference: 11]

Teams

UK Sports Conference (UKSC)Continental Sports Conference (CSC)
Alconbury SpartansBerlin Bears
Bentwaters PhantomsBitburg Barons
Chicksands Fighting ChicksCamp New Amsterdam
Fairford FalconsLandsberg Tigers
Greenham Comon PiratesRhein-Main Rockets
Lakenheath EaglesSembach Tigers
Mildenhall MaraudersRamstein Rams
Upper Heyford Sky KingsSpangdalem Sheikhs/Sabers
Weathersfield RaidersWeisbaden Flyers
High Wycombe BucksHahn Hawks
Burtonwood BulletsZweibrucken
France Sports Conference / District (FSC)Mediterranean Sports Conference (MSC)
SHAPE Indians (Paris)Aviano Eagles (Ita)
Laon RangersHellenikon Olympians (Gre)
Chateauroux SabresMoron
Chaumont MudhensSan Vito
Fontainbleu ForestersTorrejon
Bordeaux Cardinals
Orly Comets
Evreux Normans
Etain Pioneers
Toul Tigers
Dreux Plainsmen
Chambley Desert Rats
Phalsbourg Falcons
References: [1-8]
Ramstein Rams in Action [Reference: 10]

References

Websites

[1] Britball Now (2019) US Miltary Football in the UK [Internet] Available from: http://www.britballnow.co.uk/history-index/us-military-football-in-the.html [Accessed 8 November 2019]

[2] USAFE Football (2019) Teams | CSC [Internet] Available from: http://www.usafefootball.com/Teams/CSC/csc.html [Accessed 8 November 2019]

[3] USAFE Football (2019) Teams | UKSC [Internet] Available from: http://www.usafefootball.com/Teams/UKSC/uksc.html [Accessed 8 November 2019]

[4] USAFE Football (2019) Teams | MSC [Internet] Available from: http://www.usafefootball.com/Teams/MSC/msc.html [Accessed 8 November 2019]

[5] Enciclopedia del Football Italiano (2019) United States Army Europe Football Tournament [Internet] Available from: http://www.warriorsbologna.it/public/Enciclopedia/PDF/1974_USArEurFT.pdf [Accessed 8 November 2019]

Bibliography

[6] Crawford, Russ (2016) “Le Football: A History of American Football in France”. pg. 87-110. Published by University of Nebraska Press, Lincoln & Lincoln.

[7] Foglio, Massimo & Ford, Mark L. (2017) Touchdown in Europe How American Football Came to the Old Continent. pg. 103-105. Published by the author.

[8] Lensmen Photographic Archive (2012) . “The 1950s Ireland in Pictures”. pg. 36. The O’Brien Press Ltd. Dublin, Ireland.

Images

[9] Britball Now (2019) USAFE Final 1952 (Wembley) [Internet] Available http://www.britballnow.co.uk/_Media/1952-usaf-final-wembley_med.jpeg [Accessed 8 November 2019]

[10] USAFE Football (2019) Ramstein Rams [Internet] Available from: http://www.usafefootball.com/db_Ramstein-Rams-121.jpg [Accessed 8 November 2019]

[11] USAFE Football (2019) CSC Sports Patch [Internet] Available from: http://www.usafefootball.com/CSC-Sports-Patch.jpg [Accessed 8 November 2019]

[12] USAFE Football (2020) USAFE-Football-Coin_Hat-5 [Internet] Available from: http://www.usafefootball.com/USAFE-Football-Coin_Hat-5.jpg [Accessed 18 July 2020]

Newspapers

[13] Anon. (1954) . “Photo caption”. Northern Whig. 18 November 1954. pg. 6.

[14] Anon. (1966) . “Rams bring 45 ‘Rough Scrappers”. Belfast Telegraph. 1 September 1966. pg. 18.

Journal Articles

[15] Magee, Damian. “English Beer and American Football: Exporting American Football as a Cultural Commodity to the British Isles.” Irish Journal of American Studies, vol. 7, 1998, pp. 121–148. JSTOR, JSTOR, www.jstor.org/stable/30002410.

Websites

[16] USAFE Football (2020) RM_USAFE ScannedImage-2 [Internet] Available from: http://www.usafefootball.com/Teams/CSC/Rhein-M/Rhein-Main/rhein-main_39.html [Accessed 18 July 2020]

[17] USAFE Football (2020) RM ScannedImage [Internet] Available from: http://www.usafefootball.com/Teams/CSC/Rhein-M/Rhein-Main/rhein-main_36.html [Accessed 18 July 2020]

[18] USAFE Football (2020) RM_USAFE ScannedImage-3 [Internet] Available from: http://www.usafefootball.com/Teams/CSC/Rhein-M/Rhein-Main/rhein-main_40.html [Accessed 18 July 2020]

[19] USAFE Football (2020) Rhein-Main 1967 vs Bentwaters USAFE Championship Game [Internet] Available from: http://www.usafefootball.com/Teams/CSC/Rhein-M/Rhein-Main/rhein-main_78.html [Accessed 18 July 2020]

Newspapers

[20] Fox, Bucky (1989) “USAFE – Just Another Year” World American Football. 9 November 1989.

Acknowledgements

Thanks to Todd Zboyan & Tim Leadingham.

About this document

Researched, compiled and written by Enda Mulcahy for the

Eirball | Irish North American and World Sports Archive

Last Updated: 8 November 2019

(c) Copyright Enda Mulcahy and Eirball 2019

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

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