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Cologne Centurions - Team History

 

Founded: 2003

Stadium: RheinEnergieStadion


The city of Cologne worked hard for several years in order to obtain an NFL Europe League team and that dream was realized on December 19, 2003.

With media from Germany and across Europe on hand at the Roman-Germanic Museum, NFL Commissioner Paul Tagliabue officially announced the formation of the Cologne Centurions. The introduction took place in front of the impressive historical backdrop of the museum.

Peter Vaas was the first head coach of the Centurions after moving over from the Berlin Thunder, where he became the only coach in NFL Europe League history to successfully defend the World Bowl, winning titles in 2001 and 2002.

In their first season in NFL Europe under Vaas' guidance, the Centurions won four games to finish fourth in the final standings.

The highlight of the Centurions' first season came in Week 8 when a record 20,354 fans saw Cologne defeat their rivals, the Rhein Fire, 7-6 in the RheinEnergieStadion.

In 2005, the Centurions won six games, finished third in the final standings and only missed out on a berth in World Bowl due to tiebreakers. The club also set a new attendance record when 32,521 fans packed into the RheinEnergieStadion to see Cologne take on the Rhein Fire in Week 9.

Vaas moved on to a coaching job at Notre Dame at the conclusion of the 2005 campaign and former Amsterdam Admirals defensive coordinator Darryl Sims was unveiled as the second head coach in Centurions history on November 2, 2006. However, he took a coaching job with the Oakland Raiders on the eve of the 2006 campaign. Defensive coordinator David Duggan was appointed head coach and led the Centurions to four regular season victories.

http://www.nfl.com/europa/teams/COL/history

Cologne Centurions - Team Facts


Team Colors

Scarlet, Orange, Admirals blue

STADIUM INFORMATION

Address: Junkersdorfer Straße 800

50933 Köln

Playing Surface: Grass

Capacity: 50,997

Stadium: Since its renovation the RheinEnergieStadion has been given a completely new touch of magic and brilliance. In comparison to the old Müngersdorfer Stadion (a stadium for soccer, athletics, concerts etc.) the new stadium located in the green belt of Cologne is a big sports arena purpose-built for soccer – and now American Football.

From almost 51,000 seats the visitors will be able to follow the events on the field. Forty-eight lounges on two VIP-Levels are integrated into the ‘Westtribüne’ (west stands). The building behind the old ‘Nordkurve’ (north curve – called „Abel-Bauten“) is classified as a historical building. This complex was built in the 1920s and preserved in its original appearence.

For the Soccer World Cup in 2006 the RheinEnergieStadion did host four group games, featuring the likes of England, France, Sweden, Portugal and the Czech Republic, and one second round contest.

City/Region: The history of Cologne spans at least 2,000 years. The city is one of the oldest in Germany. It is this long history that has given Cologne its unique big-city character and, at the same time, intimate flair. In Cologne traditions are connected with and integrated into functional modern age. The City’s name leads back to the old Roman empress Agrippina. Emperor Claudius’ wife (Agrippina) was born near the river Rhine. In 50 AD she let her "Colonia" be declared a city.

Even today, evidence the Romans can be found everywhere in Cologne. Some examples include: The Dionysos Mosaic in the Roman-Germanic Museum, parts of the Roman town wall and the Roman water pipe, which used to bring fresh water from the Eifel (mountain area south of Cologne) into the City. The Map of Cologne also mirrors the old Roman web of streets. The Hohe Straße, now a shopping district between the Dom and Neumarkt, has been an area of trade for more than 2,000 years and has seen many changes.

Amateur Football:The Cologne Crocodiles were formed in March 1981 and are the city’s oldest football team. From 1981 to 2003 the Crocodiles played very successfully in the first division of the GFL (German Football League). In just their second season they were the number two-ranked team in the league. They reached this position five more times in the ensuing seasons. The Crocodiles celebrated their greatest success in 2000 when they finally won the German championship.

A new Cologne team called the Falcons, coached by the former Crocodiles quarterback Michael Davis, plans to carry on and surpass the former successes of the Crocodiles. Davis has already guided the Falcons into the German Football League.

Cologne has one more high-quality team in the Red Barons. The most famous German football player Werner Hippler played for the Red Barons. In 1988, the Red Barons defeated the Düsseldorf Panthers 25-20 and won the first German Championship for the City of Cologne.

The Coaches

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Peter Vaas (2004-2005)

Peter Vaas (born April 26, 1952 in Westwood, Massachusetts) is an American football coach. He is the former offensive coordinator for the Miami RedHawks college football team. He was named to the position on January 2, 2009He is now an assistant coach on the University of South Florida's football staff under new Head Coach Skip Holtz. The title is the Quarterback's coach. He was given this based on his prior experience.

TitleQuarterbacks Coach
CollegeUniversity of South Florida
SportFootball
ConferenceBig East
BornApril 26, 1952 (1952-04-26) (age 58)
Place of birthWestwood, Massachusetts
Career highlights
Overall43–41–1
Coaching stats
College Football DataWarehouse
Playing career
1971–1973Holy Cross
PositionQuarterback
Coaching career (HC unless noted)
1986–1989
1990
1991
1992–1995
1996
1998–1999
2000–2003
2004–2005
2005–2006
2007
2009–present
Allegheny
Notre Dame (RB)
Notre Dame (QB)
Holy Cross
Montreal Alouettes (OC)
Barcelona Dragons (QB/WR)
Berlin Thunder
Cologne Centurions
Notre Dame (QB)
Duke (OC/QB)
Miami (OH) (OC)

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Darryl Sims (2006)

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Dennis Duggan (2006-2007)

The Stadium

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Rhein Energie Stadion

The RheinEnergieStadion is a football stadium in Cologne, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It was built on the site of the two previous Müngersdorfer stadiums. It is the home of the local Bundesliga team, 1. FC Köln. The stadium was one of the 12 hosting the 2006 FIFA World Cup. The stadium's name comes from a contract with the local power supplier RheinEnergie AG.

RheinEnergieStadionlogo.png
Full nameRheinEnergieStadion
Former namesMüngersdorfer Stadion (1923-UNK)
LocationCologne, Germany
Built1923
Opened16 September 1923
Renovated2001-2004 (Max Bögl)
SurfaceGrass
Construction cost47.4 million Deutsche Mark
120 million
(renovated 2001-2004)
Capacity50,374 (seating and standing)
46,134 (seating only)
Field dimensions105 m x 68 m
Tenants
1. FC Köln (Bundesliga) (1948-present)
Cologne Centurions (NFL Europa) (2004-2007)

The Uniform

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Centurions Helmet 2004-2007
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2004 Centurions Home Jersey
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2005 Centurions Game Used Home Jersey #88 James Adkisson TE

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2006 Centurions Home Jersey

   
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2007 Centurions Home Jersey on Werner Hippler

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2007 Centurions Game Used Away Jersey #47 Philippe Gardent LB (French National)

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Team Info

(click the image above)

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2004 Centurions Results, Stats, Roster
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2005 Centurions Results, Stats, Roster
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2006 Centurions Results, Stats, Roster
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2007 Centurions Results, Stats, Roster

Thanks footballdb.com for info