Warsaw Eagles
The Warsaw Eagles are an American football team in Warsaw, Poland. They play in the Polish Football League. Paul Kusmierz is the owner of the team.
| Founded | 1999 |
|---|---|
| Based in | Warsaw, Poland |
| Home ground | Bemowski Ośrodek Piłki Nożnej - Obrońców Tobruku 11 |
| Head coach | Matt Simion |
| Owner(s) | Paul Kusmierz |
| League | Polish Football League |
| Division | PFL1 |
| Colours | Blue and Orange |
| Mascot(s) | Pierzak |
| Polish Bowl | 2006, 2008 |
History
The team was founded in 1999 by a group of NFL enthusiasts consisting of Jędrzej Staszewski, Piotr Gorzkowski, Jan Kowalski, Grzegorz Mikuła, and Tomasz Kozankiewicz, who are considered to be the founders of the Warsaw Eagles club.
In 2004 the club purchased professional sports gear for the first time to be able to spar with the very first opponent on the Polish arena - Fireballs Wielkopolska. The first game was played on December 17 of 2004 in Suchy Las near Poznań. In 2006 along with 1. KFA Wielkopolska, Pomorze Seahawks (currently Seahawks Gdynia) and The Crew Wrocław (currently Giants Wrocław), the Eagles debuted in the very first edition of the Polish American Football League and having dominated each game, won the first Championship title. The Eagles would go on to win the title again in 2008 defeating The Crew Wrocław 26:14.[1] In 2009 the team signed contracts with its first two import professional players from the United States. In the 2012/2013 season the Eagles signed four American import players.[2]
Uniforms
The Warsaw Eagles’ navy blue home jersey has orange numbers, letter outlines and vertical stripes on opposite sides. The away kit consists of a white jersey with dark blue letters and numbers that have orange outlines. Players wear white socks, navy blue helmets with an Eagle head, and navy blue pants to all games.
Season-by-season records
| PLFA champions (2006–2007) PLFA I champions (2008–present) | PLFA II champions (2008–present) | Championship Game appearances |
| Season | League | Division | Finish | Wins | Losses | Ties | Postseason results | Ref |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2006 | PLFA | — | 1st | 3 | 0 | 0 | Won Polish Bowl (Seahawks) 34–6 | [3] |
| 2007 | PLFA | Central | 1st | 6 | 0 | 0 | Lost Semi-Final (Miners) 13–16 | [4] |
| 2008 | PLFA I | — | 2nd | 5 | 2 | 0 | Won Polish Bowl (Seahawks) 26–14 | [5] |
| 2009 | PLFA I | — | 3rd | 4 | 3 | 0 | Lost Semi-Final (Miners) 26–31 | [6] |
| 2010 | PLFA I | — | 4th | 4 | 3 | 0 | Lost Semi-Final (Devils) 13–54 | [7] |
| 2011 | PLFA I | — | 3rd | 7 | 2 | 0 | Lost Semi-Final (Devils) 13–31 | [8] |
Fan Traditions
Bernie Dance
Fans of the Warsaw Eagles club have adopted the Bernie Dance (a dance style from the 1993 comedy film Weekend at Bernies II which involves loosely wobbling arms and tilting one’s head back) to celebrate each touchdown scored by their players during the game.
Eagles’ Nest (Orle Gniazdo)
An official fanclub organization called “Eagles’ Nest” composed of the team’s most devoted fans.
Stadiums
Warsaw Eagles game site locations and stadiums:
- pre-2010: Piaseczno, Żyrardów, Marymont
- 2010-2012: Bemowo
- 2013-2022 : Polonia Stadium
- 2023- : Bemowo
Honours
- Polish Bowl
- Champions: 2006, 2008, 2018
Media
Video of Clarence Anderson’s (WR) 75-yard punt return from Eagles’ home game against Warsaw Spartans during the 2012/13 season has been prominently featured across all major Polish and American sports media programs including ESPN and ESPN2.
Current Staff
Front Office
Owner – Paul Kusmierz
General Manager - Osman Hózman-Mirza-Sulkiewicz
President of the Board - Marek Włodarczyk
Head Coaches
Matt Simion - Head Coach
Terrance Owens - Offensive Coordinator
Deante Battle - Defensive Coordinator
Łukasz Wojtkowski – Strength and Conditioning
See also
References
- ^ . www.warsaweagles.com. Archived from the original on 2012-07-17.
- ^ "La Liga - liga hiszpańska (Primera Division)".
- ^ . pzfa.pl. Archived from the original on 2011-07-24. Retrieved 13 Jul 2011.
- ^ . pzfa.pl. Archived from the original on 2011-07-24. Retrieved 13 Jul 2011.
- ^ . pzfa.pl. Archived from the original on 2011-07-24. Retrieved 13 Jul 2011.
- ^ . pzfa.pl. Archived from the original on 2011-07-24. Retrieved 13 Jul 2011.
- ^ . pzfa.pl. Archived from the original on 2010-09-29. Retrieved 13 Jul 2011.
- ^ . pzfa.pl. Archived from the original on 2012-03-18. Retrieved 13 Jul 2011.
External links
- Official website
- YouTube