ROAD TO DUISBURG: MUNICH RAVENS

May 5, 2023

American football evolves every year, and with it, the illusion of facing new challenges from all corners of Europe. Each season, the European League of Football welcomes more followers who believe in this project. Teams with nostalgia or created from scratch; everyone has a place. And they all have a story to tell. For this reason, we want to bring you, the fans, a little piece of each one of them. So that you put a face and eyes on the rivals who are going to fight with the Barcelona Dragons to travel a path to Duisburg.

HISTORY

In this case we travel to the country with the most franchise representation in the ELF: Germany. It is not a secret that American football in the Teutonic country is one of the most advanced in the Old Continent; the story speaks for itself. However, this time we are up against a whole new team. An unknown that we must face. But in this section, everyone has a place. So let’s get to it.

In August 2022 it was announced that the city of Munich was going to be represented with a new franchise in the European League of Football. At that time it was only known that Sebastian Stolz was going to be the General Manager of the ‘Crows’. A man who has been dedicated to American football for 20 years, who has worked for the Oakland Raiders (currently Las Vegas Raiders) and created one of the largest leading communication formats for this sport in Germany, among many other related activities. Not bad, right?

The team’s name, according to Stolz, “derives from a ‘mystical’ aspect; at the same time, crows are highly intelligent and cunning animals. They like to play and work extremely well as a team. This is exactly what our players should stand for: smart plays, great enthusiasm for the game and teamwork.”

PLAYERS TO HIGHLIGHT

  • Chad Jeffries: American with experience in Europe. Current MVP and champion of the AFL (Austrian Football League). He played for the Danube Dragons from 2018 to 2022, completing 699 passes for 10,601 yards and 107 touchdowns with just 18 interceptions. He also has great running game ability.
  • Amin Black: 24-year-old American linebacker. He spent his first professional season with the Marburg Mercenaries of the German Football League. As a rookie he made an immediate impact, as he led the entire league in total tackles with 112; including 18 tackles for loss, six sacks and two interceptions in 10 games.
  • Justin Rodney: German Running Back from the Frankfurt Galaxy. He won the first ELF championship in history with the German team and last season had more than 150 rushing yards, two touchdowns and 12 kickoff returns. A very dangerous athlete in the open field, with dizzying speed and great agility to avoid rivals.
  • Markell Castle: American Wide Receiver entrenched in Europe. He first at Kiel Baltic Hurricanes, where he had 9 touchdowns and 686 yards on 47 catches. But where he got the most notoriety was at Cologne Crocodiles, racking up 1,287 yards and 16 touchdowns in just 11 games. Thanks to it, he was an All-Star. Later, he played for Seaman Milano (current ELF team) where he further cemented his stats: 1,205 yards and 20 touchdowns in 9 games.

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