German Junior Bowl
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The German Junior Bowl, usually only referred to as Junior Bowl, is the annual national championship game for junior teams in the sport of American football in Germany. It is contested by the two best teams of the GFL Juniors.
| First meeting | Cologne, 1982 |
|---|---|
| Latest meeting | Düsseldorf |
| Statistics | |
| Total meetings | 42 (1982-20243) |
| Most wins | Düsseldorf Panther (18, last 2024) |
It is the second-oldest still existing bowl game in Germany, after the German Bowl, dating back to 1982. Record winners are the Düsseldorf Panther, who celebrated their 18th success and their 23nd Junior Bowl appearance in 2024.[1]
History
The first edition of the Junior Bowl was held in 1982 and became a recognised national championship in the following year. Until 2000, regional championships were held rather than a national league. The regional champions then participated in the play-offs to determine the national champion.[2]
In 2001, the GFL Juniors was introduced. The league consisted, for the most part of its existence, of twelve teams, split into three regional divisions, north, central and south, with four teams each. The best eight clubs then took part in the play-offs to determine the two teams that will play in the Junior Bowl.[3]
Like Germany's elite league, the German Football League, the GFL Juniors will be expanded for the 2011 season and play with four regional divisions of five teams each. However, the new western division will play with only four clubs as the Langenfeld Longhorns have withdrawn from the league. In 2012, the divisions will then expand to six teams each, taking the number of elite level junior clubs to 24.[4]
Junior Bowls
The Junior Bowls since 1982:[1]
By game
| Year | Champions | Runners-up | Score | Location | Attendance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1982 | Düsseldorf Panther | Cologne Crocodiles | 13–6 | Cologne | |
| 1983 | Cologne Crocodiles | München Rangers | 13–6 | Rüsselsheim | |
| 1984 | Düsseldorf Bulldozer | München Rangers | 19–0 | Düsseldorf | |
| 1985 | Düsseldorf Panther | Noris Rams | 50–19 | Nuremberg | |
| 1986 | Düsseldorf Panther | Munich Cowboys | 22–0 | Cologne | |
| 1987 | Düsseldorf Panther | Munich Cowboys | 19–14 | Mainz | |
| 1988 | Düsseldorf Panther | Würzburg Pumas | 27–8 | Hanover | |
| 1989 | Berlin Adler | Kempten Comets | 36–12 | Nuremberg | |
| 1990 | Berlin Adler | Ansbach Grizzlies | 28–0 | Düsseldorf | 400 |
| 1991 | Düsseldorf Panther | Darmstadt Diamonds | 22–12 | Hamburg | |
| 1992 | Berlin Rebels | Stuttgart Scorpions | 38–6 | Hanover | 2,734 |
| 1993 | Cologne Crocodiles | Regensburg Royals | 44–6 | Stuttgart | |
| 1994 | Berlin Adler | Frankfurt Gamblers | 22–0 | Rüsselsheim | 1,340 |
| 1995 | Darmstadt Diamonds | Düsseldorf Panther | 19–13 | Stuttgart | 700 |
| 1996 | Berlin Rebels | Munich Cowboys | 41–12 | Aschaffenburg | 500 |
| 1997 | Berlin Adler | Schwäbisch Hall Unicorns | 33–0 | Hamburg | 770 |
| 1998 | Düsseldorf Panther | Darmstadt Diamonds | 13–9 | Braunschweig | 1,400 |
| 1999 | Hamburg Blue Devils | Stuttgart Scorpions | 43–0 | Hanau | 832 |
| 2000 | Berlin Rebels | Darmstadt Diamonds | 19–14 | Hanau | 782 |
| 2001 | Darmstadt Diamonds | Stuttgart Scorpions | 13–6 | Koblenz | 700 |
| 2002 | Düsseldorf Panther | Darmstadt Diamonds | 61–26 | Düsseldorf | 700 |
| 2003 | Düsseldorf Panther | Darmstadt Diamonds | 40–0 | Schwäbisch Hall | 583 |
| 2004 | Düsseldorf Panther | Franken Knights | 47–7 | Düsseldorf | 1,200 |
| 2005 | Düsseldorf Panther | Franken Knights | 48–10 | Düsseldorf | 1,050 |
| 2006 | Düsseldorf Panther | Berlin Adler | 26–7 | Düsseldorf | 1,530 |
| 2007 | Düsseldorf Panther | Stuttgart Scorpions | 47–26 | Mönchengladbach | 1,943 |
| 2008 | Düsseldorf Panther | Stuttgart Scorpions | 49–30 | Mönchengladbach | 1,500 |
| 2009 | Berlin Adler | Cologne Falcons | 21–14 | Mönchengladbach | 1,500 |
| 2010 | Düsseldorf Panther | Hamburg Young Huskies | 17–7 | Berlin | 513 |
| 2011 | Cologne Falcons | Düsseldorf Panther | 24–18 | Cologne | 4,362 |
| 2012 | Cologne Falcons | Cologne Crocodiles | 40–13 | Cologne | 2,350 |
| 2013 | Saarland Hurricanes | Cologne Crocodiles | 26–25 | Düsseldorf | 1,900 |
| 2014 | Cologne Crocodiles | Düsseldorf Panther | 37–0 | Düsseldorf | |
| 2015 | Cologne Crocodiles | Dortmund Giants | 36–14 | Cologne | |
| 2016 | Schwäbisch Hall Unicorns | Cologne Crocodiles | 24–21 | Schwäbisch Hall | |
| 2017 | Paderborn Dolphins | Düsseldorf Panther | 27–22 | Paderborn | 1,500[5] |
| 2018 | Paderborn Dolphins | Düsseldorf Panther | 21–14 | Stuttgart | |
| 2019 | Cologne Crocodiles | Wiesbaden Phantoms | 57–18 | Schwäbisch Hall | 935[5] |
| 2021 | Cologne Crocodiles | Fursty Razorbacks | 21–7 | Cologne | |
| 2022 | Düsseldorf Panther | Berlin Adler | 23–6 | Düsseldorf | 3,000 |
| 2023 | Düsseldorf Panther | Berlin Adler | 30–26 | Düsseldorf | |
| 2024 | Düsseldorf Panther | Berlin Adler | 36–0[a] | Berlin | |
| 2025 | Düsseldorf Panther | Schwäbisch Hall Unicorns | 49–0 | Schwäbisch Hall | 1,350 |
| 2026 | Düsseldorf Panther | Schwäbisch Hall Unicorns | 24–13 | Schwäbisch Hall |
By team
| App. | Team | Wins | Losses | Pct. | Season(s)† |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 25 | Düsseldorf Panther | 20 | 5 | 0.800 | 1982, 1985, 1986, 1987, 1988, 1991, 1995, 1998, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2010, 2011, 2014, 2017, 2018, 2022, 2023, 2024, 2025, 2026 |
| 10 | Cologne Crocodiles | 6 | 4 | 0.600 | 1982, 1983, 1993, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2019, 2021 |
| 9 | Berlin Adler | 5 | 4 | 0.556 | 1989, 1990, 1994, 1997, 2006, 2009, 2022, 2023, 2024 |
| 7 | Darmstadt Diamonds | 2 | 5 | 0.286 | 1991, 1995, 1998, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003 |
| 5 | Stuttgart Scorpions | 0 | 5 | 0.000 | 1992, 1999, 2001, 2007, 2008 |
| 4 | Schwäbisch Hall Unicorns | 1 | 3 | 0.250 | 1997, 2016, 2025, 2026 |
| 3 | Berlin Rebels | 3 | 0 | 1.000 | 1992, 1996, 2000 |
| Cologne Falcons | 2 | 1 | 0.666 | 2009, 2011, 2012 | |
| Munich Cowboys | 0 | 3 | 0.000 | 1986, 1987, 1996 | |
| 2 | Paderborn Dolphins | 2 | 0 | 1.000 | 2017, 2018 |
| Franken Knights | 0 | 2 | 0.000 | 2004, 2005 | |
| München Rangers | 0 | 2 | 0.000 | 1983, 1984 | |
| 1 | Saarland Hurricanes | 1 | 0 | 1.000 | 2013 |
| Hamburg Blue Devils | 1 | 0 | 1.000 | 1999 | |
| Düsseldorf Bulldozer | 1 | 0 | 1.000 | 1984 | |
| Fursty Razorbacks | 0 | 1 | 0.000 | 2021 | |
| Wiesbaden Phantoms | 0 | 1 | 0.000 | 2019 | |
| Dortmund Giants | 0 | 1 | 0.000 | 2015 | |
| Hamburg Young Huskies | 0 | 1 | 0.000 | 2010 | |
| Frankfurt Gamblers | 0 | 1 | 0.000 | 1994 | |
| Regensburg Royals | 0 | 1 | 0.000 | 1993 | |
| Ansbach Grizzlies | 0 | 1 | 0.000 | 1990 | |
| Kempten Comets | 0 | 1 | 0.000 | 1989 | |
| Würzburg Pumas | 0 | 1 | 0.000 | 1988 | |
| Noris Rams | 0 | 1 | 0.000 | 1985 |
- † Bold denotes Junior Bowl victory.