World Bowl XI was NFL Europe's 2003 championship game. It was played at Hampden Park in Glasgow, Scotland on June 14, 2003. The crowd were entertained pre-match by Scottish rock legend Fish performing a rousing rendition of “Caledonia”. Half time entertainment was headlined by the popular Sugababes. The game was between the 6–4

Rhein Fire Rhein may refer to: Places * Rhine, a major river in Europe (german: Rhein, link=no) * Rhein, a village in the municipality of Morsbach in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany * Rhein (Ostpreussen), a former name of the town Ryn in Poland Ships * SM ...

and the 6–4 Frankfurt Galaxy. The Fire was hoping to avenge last year's loss to

Berlin Berlin ( , ) is the capital and List of cities in Germany by population, largest city of Germany by both area and population. Its 3.7 million inhabitants make it the European Union's List of cities in the European Union by population within ci ...

, while the Galaxy was looking for their first World Bowl title since 1999. 28,138 fans were in attendance, as the Galaxy easily won 35–16 over the Fire. Galaxy

running back A running back (RB) is a member of the offensive backfield in gridiron football. The primary roles of a running back are to receive handoffs from the quarterback to rush the ball, to line up as a receiver to catch the ball, and block. Ther ...

Jonas Lewis earned Most Valuable Player honors, when he ran 16 times for 126 yards (World Bowl record) and a touchdown, with his longest run being 42 yards.

Background

The Fire won the first meeting 14–7 in Düsseldorf, while the Galaxy won the second meeting 38–7 in Frankfurt.

Game summary

The Galaxy drew first blood with a 4-point field goal, which was

Jon Hilbert Jonathan Samuel Hilbert (born July 15, 1975) is a former American football placekicker in the National Football League (NFL) for the Dallas Cowboys and Carolina Panthers. He played college football at the University of Louisville. Early years H ...

's 53-yard attempt. On their next attempt, Galaxy

quarterback The quarterback (commonly abbreviated "QB"), colloquially known as the "signal caller", is a position in gridiron football. Quarterbacks are members of the offensive platoon and mostly line up directly behind the offensive line. In modern Ame ...

James Brown led his team 8-play, 79-yard drive that ended with Lewis running the ball in from a yard out. The Fire tried to respond with a touchdown, but Frankfurt's defense made them settle for a 39-yard field goal by Todd France. In the second quarter, after the Fire goofed a punt attempt, Frankfurt quarterback Quinn Gray led his team on a 3-play, 15-yard drive and he concluded it with a 10-yard pass to wide receiver Marc Lester. Again, the Fire tried to respond with a touchdown of their own, but again, the Galaxy defense made them settle for another field goal, which was a 31-yarder by Ingo Anderbrügge. Afterwards, the Galaxy would quickly respond with a 3-play, 79-yard drive that ended with running back

Robert Gillespie Robert James Gillespie (born 9 November 1933 in Lille, France) is a British actor, director and writer. Notable acting credits include '' Keep It in the Family'' (1980), '' At the Earth's Core'' (1976) and '' Force 10 from Navarone'' (1978). La ...

running 29 yards for a touchdown. With only two minutes left until halftime, the Fire desperately needed a touchdown to keep up with Frankfurt. At first, their drive showed promise as they started from their own 44-yard line and managed to get to Frankfurt's 9-yard line. Unfortunately, the drive stalled once the Fire got there and they had to settle for 27-yard field goal by Anderbrügge. At halftime, the Galaxy had a comfortable 25–9 lead over the Fire. In the third quarter, Rhein got the ball to begin the second half and on their opening drive and the Fire managed to get to Frankfurt's 1-yard line. However, they failed to get the ball in on 3rd & goal. Then, on 4th & goal, Fire

center Center or centre may refer to: Mathematics *Center (geometry), the middle of an object * Center (algebra), used in various contexts ** Center (group theory) ** Center (ring theory) * Graph center, the set of all vertices of minimum eccentrici ...

Dustin Keith fumbled the ball and Galaxy defensive tackle Daniel Benetka managed to recover the ball, preventing Rhein from another touchdown opportunity. After Benetka got the ball for Frankfurt, Brown lead his team on a 10-play, 99-yard drive that ended with

Adam Tate running in for a 1-yard touchdown strike. Heading into the fourth quarter, the Fire trailed 32–9 and only a miracle could save any hope of Rhein winning another World Bowl title. Alas, the Galaxy would just kick a 34-yard field goal by

Ralf Kleinmann Ralf Kleinmann (born March 13, 1971 in Cologne, Germany) is an American football player from Germany who played as a placekicker for NFL Europe team Frankfurt Galaxy from 1995-2000 and 2003-2004.

to increase their lead and make the score 35–9. Even though the Rhein Fire would finally respond with a 5-yard touchdown pass from

Chris Greisen Christopher J. Greisen (born July 2, 1976) is a former American football quarterback who played professionally the National Football League (NFL) for the Arizona Cardinals, Washington Redskins and Dallas Cowboys and current coach for West De Pere ...

to Dwayne Blakely, it was too little, too late for the Fire. When the official clock reached 00:00, the Galaxy celebrated their third World Bowl victory in franchise history.

Scoring summary

*Frankfurt - 4-Point FG Hilbert 53 yd 2:55 1st *Frankfurt - TD Lewis 1 yd 9:18 1st *Rhein - FG France 39 yd 14:04 1st *Frankfurt - TD Lester 20 yd pass from Gray 5:07 2nd *Rhein - FG Anderbrügge 31 yd 11:18 2nd *Frankfurt - TD Gillespie 29 yd run 12:54 2nd *Rhein - FG Anderbrügge 27 yd 15:00 2nd *Frankfurt - TD Tate 1 yd run 11:47 3rd *Frankfurt - FG Kleinmann 34 yd 10:23 4th *Rhein - TD Blakley 47 yd pass from Greisen 13:05 4th

Officials

* Referee: Pete Morelli #135 * Umpire: Tony Michalek #115 * Head Linesman: Jim Mello #150 * Line Judge: Derick Bowers #138 * Side Judge: Michael Banks #72 * Field Judge: Rob Vernatchi #75 * Back Judge: Steve Freeman #133

External links

World Bowl XI on NFL Europe.com

Game Summary & Recap
{{NFL on FOX World Bowl 2003 NFL Europe season 2003 in American football 2003 in Scottish sport June 2003 sports events in the United Kingdom