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 Barcelona DragonsThe Barcelona Dragons were a team originally
in the World League of American Football and later in the resurrected NFL Europe. Their home field in Barcelona was the Estadi
Olímpic de Montjuic, the 1992 Olympic Stadium, and later the Mini Estadi. The Dragons were successful on the field,
making it to 4 World Bowls (1991, 1997, 1999, 2001) and winning World Bowl V in 1997. The team was made part of the FC Barcelona
organization in 2002 as the FC Barcelona Dragons. Despite these efforts, the franchise's fan support decreased
and the team began to struggle financially. After the 2003 season, the Dragons were discontinued and they were replaced in
the league by the Cologne Centurions. Season-by-seasonNote:
W = Wins, L = Losses, T = Ties | Season | W | L | T | Finish | Playoff
results |
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| Barcelona Dragons (WLAF) | | 1991 | 8 | 2 | 0 | 2nd
European Division | Lost World Bowl I (Monarchs) | | 1992 | 5 | 5 | 0 | 1st European
Division | Lost Playoffs (Surge) | | 1993 | Did
Not Play | | 1994 | | Barcelona Dragons (World
League) | | 1995 | 5 | 5 | 0 | 3rd League | -- | | 1996 | 5 | 5 | 0 | 4th
League | -- | | Barcelona Dragons (NFL Europe) | | 1997 | 5 | 5 | 0 | 4th
League | Won World Bowl V | | 1998 | 4 | 6 | 0 | 4th League | -- | | 1999 | 7 | 3 | 0 | 1st
League | Lost World Bowl VII (Galaxy) | | 2000 | 5 | 5 | 0 | 3rd League | -- | | 2001 | 8 | 2 | 0 | 1st
League | Lost World Bowl IX (Thunder) | | FC Barcelona Dragons (NFL
Europe) | | 2002 | 2 | 8 | 0 | 6th League | -- | | 2003 | 5 | 5 | 0 | 4th
League | -- | | Totals | 61 | 55 | 0 | (including playoffs) |
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Notable playersNotable players
 Scott Erney (1991-1992)  Jesus Angoy (1997-2003) - Bruce Clark (1991) wore #75
- Brian Finneran (1999)
- Tony Graziani (2000)
- Kelly Holcomb (1996)
- Jon Kitna (1997)
- Sean Morey (2000-2001,2003)
 Marco Martos (1997-2003) - Mike Maslowski (1999)
- Nick Murphy (2003)
 John O.Sorzano (2001-2003) - Lawrence Phillips (1999)
- Casey Weldon (1995)
- Brad Trout (1999)
- Kelly Herndon (2000)
- Gene Taylor -- wide receiver, #80. Berkeley, CA. College:
Fresno State
Taylor was drafted by the New England Patriots in the 6th round (163rd overall) of the 1987 NFL
Draft. Taylor when on to sign and play for two season with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers 1987-88. Taylor signed with the San Francisco
49ers for the 1989 season but did not play a single down. After a season in the Canadian Football League playing for the Saskatchewan
Roughriders in 1990 Taylor signed with the then Los Angeles Rams and was assigned to the Barcelona Dragons. Taylor was one
of the WLAF's top ten pass receivers in 1991 and was to be NFL bound once again this time to the Kansas City Chiefs for the
1992 season. - Scott Erney -- quarterback, #6. Camp Hill, PA. College: Rutgers
Erney
was signed by the NFL's Denver Broncos in 1990 but never played - Jon Kitna -- quarterback, #8.
Tacoma, WA. College: Central Washington University
Kitna was named the Most Valuable Player in NFL Europe when
he led the Barcelona Dragons to the 1997 World Bowl Championship (World Bowl V), winning
38-24 over the Rhein Fire. Jon signed as an undrafted free agent by the Seattle Seahawks. In 1999, he started 15 games for
the Seahawks, leading them to a 9-7 record. Jon signed with the Cincinnati Bengals from 2001 until 2006 when he was signed
by the Detroit Lions. (wikipedia.org)
2002-2003 F.C. Barcelona Dragons
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| FC Barcelona Dragons Prototype Helmet (Blue) Thanks Lee! |
  
NFL unveils historic partnership with soccer giant F.C. Barcelona January 31, 2002
NFL Europe THE National Football League announced today a historic partnership with F.C. Barcelona, one of Europe's leading
soccer clubs. Under a three-year agreement, the NFL and F.C. Barcelona
will work together to support each other's operations in Europe and the United States. The NFL will help to promote F.C. Barcelona
in the United States, while the Spanish soccer giant will support the activities of the Barcelona Dragons and promote the
NFL and NFL Europe League in Spain. The first step in the association
will see the Dragons change their name to become the F.C. Barcelona Dragons. The team will open its 2002 NFL Europe League
home schedule at F.C. Barcelona's Mini Estadi, part of the club's renowned Nou Camp complex, on Saturday April 20. Meanwhile, the NFL will help F.C. Barcelona schedule two games at NFL stadiums later this
year. The strategic relationship is the first of its kind between a major
American sports league and a leading European soccer club. Speaking in
New Orleans, where Super Bowl XXXVI will be played on Sunday by the New England Patriots and St. Louis Rams, NFL Commissioner
Paul Tagliabue said: "We are excited about this new association with F.C. Barcelona, which we believe is a ground-breaking
moment for sport in Europe and the United States. It is the first time that the two strongest, most popular sports in their
respective continents have joined forces." Javier Perez Farguell,
general manager of F.C. Barcelona, the former champions of Europe, said: " This agreement with the NFL, the most important
sports league in the world, is the perfect platform for F.C. Barcelona to expand our business into the United States and around
the world. "The alliance will help us to meet our international goals
because we have joined with a strategic partner who is a leader in world sports. While preserving our independence and our
identity, we now have the support, experience and professionalism of the NFL in our commercial activities and we can ensure
the promotion of our brand in the US market." The relationship between
the NFL and F.C. Barcelona will include many aspects: - The Barcelona
Dragons will change their name to the F.C. Barcelona Dragons.
- The Dragons
will play their first home game of the 2002 NFL Europe League season against the Frankfurt Galaxy at the 17,000-capacity Mini Estadi on April 20, kick-off 5:30 p.m. local time.
- The NFL will make two stadiums available to F.C. Barcelona to stage games during 2002.
- The NFL and F.C. Barcelona will explore other opportunities after 2002 to play Dragons games
at Mini Estadi and soccer games in NFL stadiums.
- Beginning this season,
the Dragons will incorporate the F.C. Barcelona escudo (shield) into their uniforms.
- F.C. Barcelona will consult with and provide advice to the NFL with respect to broadcasting, sponsorship and licensing
opportunities in Spain relating to the Dragons.
- The NFL will introduce
F.C. Barcelona to NFL sponsors and media partners and provide advice on broadcasting, sponsorship and licensing.
- Both organisations will have the right to use each other's trademarks in promotional activity.
- F.C. Barcelona will co-operate in promotional activities with the Dragons,
while the NFL will undertake promotional activities in co-operation with the soccer club.
- The NFL and F.C. Barcelona will participate in and promote amateur programs aimed at developing American football
and soccer.
- Commissioner Tagliabue continued: "This is a significant
step in the growth of American football in Europe. We are looking at new, innovative ways of building our business, and these
types of alliances have an important role to play in the future of our sport."
Dragons general manager Rafael Cervera said: "This agreement between the NFL and F.C. Barcelona will be beneficial
to everyone involved. The Dragons have been an important part of the negotiations and we believe this is most important development
in our team's history since we began playing in 1991. "We are very
excited about a relationship that will help us to reinvigorate the Dragons image and we are looking forward to opening our
2002 at the Mini Stadion." Xavier Casas, a deputy mayor of the city
of Barcelona, said: "This agreement is very positive for the city. Linking the Barcelona Dragons and the NFL to F.C.
Barcelona will help to project a truly international image of the city back to the United States." Founded in 1899, F.C. Barcelona is one of the most successful clubs in European soccer history,
having won the European Cup in 1992, the European Cup Winners' Cup on four occasions and the UEFA Cup four times. The club
has been crowned champion of the Spanish League 16 times. As the cornerstone
of its international business, the NFL operates the NFL Europe League, making it the only major US sports organisation to
fund and operate a professional league outside of its own territory. The league comprises six teams: Amsterdam Admirals, Barcelona
Dragons, Berlin Thunder, Frankfurt Galaxy, Rhein (Düsseldorf) Fire and Scottish Claymores. http://www.forcadragons.com/en/nfl_fcb.htm |
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THE COACH
For the entire duration of the Dragons' history they had only one head coach, "Cowboy" Jack
Bicknell. His nickname was roughly translated by his adoptive city to El Caballero (meaning, literally, "The
Knight" or "The Gentleman" in Spanish). From 1991-2002, Seymour "Red" Kelin was responsible for Defensive
Coordinating duties. Bicknell and Kelin had been coaching together since their days at Boston College, where they helped lead
the Eagles to a Cotton Bowl victory in 1984 with Doug Flutie as quarterback. THE UNIFORM
Estadi Olímpic Lluís Companys (formerly known as the
Estadi Olímpic de Montjuïc) is a stadium in Barcelona, Spain. Originally built in 1927 for the
1929 International Exposition in the city (and Barcelona's bid for the 1936 Summer Olympics, which were awarded to Berlin),
it was renovated in 1989 to be the main stadium for the 1992 Summer Olympics.[1]
The stadium has a capacity of 55,926 (70,000 during the 1992 Olympics), and is located in the Anella Olímpica, in Montjuïc,
a large hill to the southwest of the city which overlooks the harbour. In
2001 the stadium was renamed after the former president of the Generalitat de Catalunya Lluís Companys i Jover, who
was executed at the nearby Montjuïc Castle in 1940 by the Franco regime.
The stadium served as the home of football club RCD Espanyol from 1997 until 2009. The Estadi Olímpic
made its final La Liga appearance during the 2008-2009 season, as Espanyol moved to the newly constructed Estadi Cornellà-El
Prat. It also served as the home of the Barcelona Dragons American Football team until 2003. Because the size of the playing
surface was slightly shorter than the regulation American Football length, the stadium only had 7-yard end zones, three yards
shorter than regulation NFL size. In 2010, the stadium will host the 20th European Athletics
Championships.  The Olympic
Stadium after the 2010 remodeling for the European Athletics Championships. Sport events- 1929: Montjuïc hosted Spain's first official
rugby international game against Italy.[2] Spain
won 9-0.[2]
- 1930:
Copa del Rey final between Athletic Bilbao and Real Madrid.
- 1933: National football cup
final between Athletic Bilbao and Real Madrid.
- 1934: National football cup final between
Valencia CF and Real Madrid.
- 1939: National football cup final between Sevilla FC and
Racing de Ferrol.
- 1944: National football cup final between Athletic Bilbao and Valencia
CF.
- 1945: National football cup final between Sevilla FC and Racing de Ferrol.
- 1946: National football cup final between Real Madrid and Valencia CF.
- 1955:
II Mediterranean Games.
- 1957: National football cup final between FC Barcelona and RCD
Espanyol.
- 1989: IAAF World Cup.
- 1992: Games of the
XXV Olympiad.
- 1997: World Bowl V between Barcelona Dragons and Rhein Fire.
- 1999: The stadium hosted the Euro 2000 qualifying match between Andorra and then world champions France on
9 June 1999.
- 2003: World Police and Fire Games.
- 2004:
Copa del Rey final between Real Madrid and Real Zaragoza.
- 2007-2008: The stadium hosted
the Euro 2008 qualifying match between Andorra and England on the 28 March 2007 and also the same fixture on 6 September 2008
for the 2010 World Cup qualifying match.
- 2009: On Saturday 20 June the Perpignan-based
rugby league team, Catalans Dragons lost 12-24 to Warrington Wolves in the first Super League match to be played in Spain,
drawing a crowd of over 18,500.
- 2010: 20th European Athletics Championships.
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| 1991 Roster, Stats, Results |
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| 1992 Roster, Stats, Results |
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| 1995 Roster, Stats, Results |
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| 1996 Roster, Stats, Results |
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| 1997 Roster, Stats, Results |
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| 1998 Roster, Stats, Results |
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| 1999 Roster, Stats, Results |
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| 2000 Roster, Stats, Results |
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| 2001 Roster, Stats, Results |
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| 2002 Roster, Stats, Results |
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| 2003 Roster, Stats, Results |
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