Cologne Centurions
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The Cologne Centurions are an American football team based in Cologne, Germany, that plays in the European League of Football (ELF) since 2021.
History[edit | edit source]
Founding[edit | edit source]
In March 2021, it was announced that a new franchise in Cologne is one of the eight teams to play in the inaugural season of the European League of Football. The team would be named Cologne Centurions, taking the identity of the former NFL Europe team, after the league reached an agreement with the NFL for the naming rights. [1]
2021 Season[edit | edit source]
After finishing 5–5 in the regular season, Cologne advanced to the play-offs where they were eliminated by eventual champion Frankfurt Galaxy in the first round. After the season, their Head Coach Kirk Heidelberg left the organization, reportedly in mutual agreement.
2022 Season[edit | edit source]
In the second season, Frank Roser took over as head coach. [2] In early April, Runningback Madre London moved to the Pittsburgh Maulers in the newly formed USFL. [3] The Centurions started the season with two wins, but then suffered nine straight losses. The team thus finished the season in third place in the Southern Conference. After the final game of the 2022 regular season, Frank Roser announced that he had resigned from his position as head coach of the Centurions by mutual agreement.
2023 Season[edit | edit source]
Due to the restructuring of the conferences for the 2023 season, the Centurions now play in the Western Conference.
Kahlil Carter was hired as the new head coach in October 2022. [4] Carter most recently served as the defensive coordinator of the Montreal Alouettes in the CFL in 2018, as well as coaching high school football.
In mid-October 2022, Quarterback Jan Weinreich announced that he would not play for the Centurions in 2023. [5]
On March 17, 2023, the Centurions announced the retirement of Kahlil Carter from the head coaching position. [6] He was succeeded by Christos Lambropoulos, who had been the Centurions' offensive coordinator in the previous season.
The season was disappointing in sporting terms. Not a single win was achieved in the strong Western Conference. Only in the interconference games against the Prague Lions did Cologne manage to win twice. There were also two wins off the field due to the withdrawal of the Leipzig Kings.
At the beginning of October 2023, the Centurions announced that they would not be renewing the contracts of Sporting Director David Drane, Head Coach Christos Lambropoulos, Defensive Coordinator Javan Lenhardt, OL Coach Jason Tillery and RB Coach Glynn Mansfeld.
2024 Season[edit | edit source]
Gregg Brandon, who already has over 40 years of college experience, has been hired as the new head coach. The Centurions have secured the services of Jag Bal as defensive coordinator.
Brandon left the Centurions after the seventh game day for health reasons. His position as head coach was taken over by Jag Bal. Offensive line coach Greg Studrawa was appointed as the new offensive coordinator.
As the Cologne stadiums were occupied during the 2024 European Football Championship, the Centurions played their first four home games at the Tivoli in nearby Aachen. However, with the exception of the first game with Rhein Fire as the opponent (8,558 spectators), the attendance was disappointing. The remaining two home games took place in Cologne's Südstadion.
In sporting terms, Cologne, who were rated as clear underdogs before the season, managed to surprise somewhat. In particular, they managed two wins against both the Frankfurt Galaxy and the Hamburg Sea Devils. Overall, the Centurions finished in fourth place in the strong Western Conference with a balanced record (6-6).
Stadium[edit | edit source]
The Centurions were playing their home games at Südstadion between 2021 and 2023. The stadium has a capacity of 11,748 capacity including 1,863 covered seats. It's also the home stadium of the soccer club Fortuna Köln.
The last two games of the 2021 season were played at Ostkampfbahn, a small stadium (capacity 333) next to the biggest stadium in Cologne, the Rheinenergiestadion.
The last two games of the 2023 season were played at Sportpark Höhenberg. The stadium mainly used by soccer club Viktoria Köln has a capacity of 8,343 including 3,226 seating.
As the stadiums in Cologne were not available, Centurions play the first four games of the 2024 season at Tivoli in Aachen, about 70 kilometres west of Cologne. Tivoli has a capacity of 32.960 with 19.345 seating.
Players[edit | edit source]
Top Players[edit | edit source]
| Quarterback | Year | G | COMP | ATT | CMP% | YDS | TD | INT | SCK |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan Weinreich | 2021-22 | 20 | 379 | 672 | 56.4 | 4817 | 45 | 19 | 41 |
| Receiver | Year | G | RRC | TGT | YDS | CTCH % | YPG | YPC | LNG | TD | TD/G |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Quinten Pounds | 2021-22 | 19 | 127 | 214 | 1675 | 59.3 | 88.2 | 13.2 | 81 | 21 | 1.1 |
| Paul Kavadia-Lenhardt | 2021-23 | 23 | 85 | 145 | 1053 | 58.6 | 45.8 | 12.4 | 75 | 8 | 0.3 |
| Louis Geyer | 2022 | 12 | 47 | 100 | 687 | 47.0 | 57.2 | 14.6 | 79 | 9 | 0.8 |
| Terryon Robinson | 2023 | 10 | 58 | 94 | 565 | 61.7 | 56.5 | 9.7 | 35 | 8 | 0.8 |
| Jannik Loercks | 2021-22 | 21 | 52 | 79 | 559 | 65.8 | 26.6 | 10.8 | 37 | 5 | 0.2 |
| Running | Year | G | ATT | YDS | AVG | YPG | LNG | TD | TD/G | FMB | FML |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Madre London | 2021 | 9 | 269 | 2009 | 7.5 | 223.2 | 86 | 22 | 2.4 | 3 | 2 |
2024 roster[edit | edit source]
| Quarterbacks
Running backs
Wide receivers
Tight ends |
Offensive linemen
Defensive linemen |
Linebackers
Defensive backs
Special teams |
Injured reserve
Names with a strikethrough = season ending
Rookies in italics | ||||||
2023 Roster[edit | edit source]
| Quarterbacks
Running backs
Wide receivers
|
Offensive linemen
Defensive linemen |
Linebackers
Defensive backs
Special teams |
Injured reserve
Names with a strikethrough = season ending
Rookies in italics | ||||||
Staff[edit | edit source]
Head Coaches[edit | edit source]
| Name | Tenure | Record | Titles | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| W | L | T | |||
| Kirk Heidelberg | 2021 | 5 | 5 | 0 | - |
| Frank Roser | 2022 | 3 | 9 | 0 | - |
| Kahlil Carter * [7] | 2023 | 0 | 0 | 0 | - |
| Christos Lambropoulos | 2023 | 4 | 8 | 0 | - |
| Gregg Brandon | 2024 | 1 | 4 | 0 | - |
| Jag Bal | 2024 | 5 | 2 | 0 | - |
Note:
- * = Resigned before start of season
2024 Staff[edit | edit source]
|
Front office
Head coach
Offensive coaches
|
Defensive coaches
Special teams coaches
Assistant coaches
| |||||
Total record[edit | edit source]
| Games | Win | Loss | Win % | P+ | P- | PDiff | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cologne Centurions | 45 | 16 | 29 | 0.356 | 1084 | 1616 | -532 |
Record per Season[edit | edit source]
| Season | Conference | Rank | Games | Win | Loss | Win % | P+ | P- | Playoffs |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | South | 2 | 10 | 5 | 5 | 0.500 | 320 | 365 | Semi final @ Frankfurt Galaxy 6-36 |
| 2022 | Southern | 3 | 12 | 3 | 9 | 0.250 | 301 | 473 | |
| 2023 | Western | 5 | 12 | 4 | 8 | 0.333 | 186 | 330 | |
| 2024 | Western | 4 | 12 | 6 | 6 | 0.500 | 303 | 444 |
Record per Opponent[edit | edit source]
| Games | Win | Loss | Win % | P+ | P- | PDiff | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fehérvár Enthroners | 2 | 2 | 0 | 1.000 | 86 | 38 | +48 |
| Prague Lions | 2 | 2 | 0 | 1.000 | 60 | 23 | +37 |
| Stuttgart Surge | 2 | 2 | 0 | 1.000 | 58 | 32 | +26 |
| Istanbul Rams | 2 | 2 | 0 | 1.000 | 83 | 68 | +15 |
| Hamburg Sea Devils | 4 | 2 | 2 | 0.500 | 93 | 100 | -7 |
| Panthers Wrocław | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0.500 | 72 | 86 | -14 |
| Leipzig Kings | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0.500 | 72 | 89 | -17 |
| Raiders Tirol | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0.500 | 69 | 91 | -22 |
| Barcelona Dragons | 4 | 1 | 3 | 0.250 | 138 | 143 | -5 |
| Frankfurt Galaxy | 9 | 2 | 7 | 0.222 | 168 | 336 | -168 |
| Berlin Thunder | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0.000 | 36 | 73 | -37 |
| Madrid Bravos | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0.000 | 24 | 72 | -48 |
| Paris Musketeers | 4 | 0 | 4 | 0.000 | 61 | 181 | -120 |
| Rhein Fire | 6 | 0 | 6 | 0.000 | 64 | 284 | -220 |
Source: https://elfdata.eu/
References[edit | edit source]
- ↑ https://www.americanfootballinternational.com/shake-up-to-inaugural-elf-line-up-announced-3-new-franchises-enter-2-exit/
- ↑ https://www.americanfootballinternational.com/elf-cologne-centurions-announce-frank-roser-as-new-hc/
- ↑ https://cflnewshub.com/global/european-league-of-football-elf-offseason-update-mvp-madre-london-leaves-centurions-player-signings/
- ↑ https://europeanleague.football/elf-news/cologne-centurions-sign-khalil-carter-as-head-coach
- ↑ https://www.football-aktuell.de/cgi-bin/news.pl?artikel=1666347669802813
- ↑ https://www.americanfootballinternational.com/elf-cologne-centurions-and-hc-khalil-carter-part-ways/
- ↑ https://europeanleague.football/elf-news/kahlil-carter-resigns-as-head-coach-of-the-cologne-centurions
