Portal:Frankfurt American 1974-1975 Men
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Frankfurt American 1974-1975 Men Portal
Kurt shared that this fall was the first full season for the team, with the opener against the British Staff College at Camberley (arranged through the British Liaison officer to 3rd Armor, Major John Tower). This rivalry was continued with a Thanksgiving match in the UK, the first of many annual tours to play for the glass enclosed Cam-Furt Owl, the symbol of the staff college, which we competed for twice a year, home and away. The team went 13-3 in the fall and defeated teams from Zambia, the French Army (Strasbourg), Kehl and several British regimental sides.
The spring schedule included visits to Brussels, Berlin, international tournaments and Paris (Saw Scotland and France and found a last minute game against ? maybe Vincennes RC. They had been kicked out of the league and showed us an amazing time) Probably the finest moment in club history occurred at the spring 1975 Heineken Sevens when the team lost the opener to a French side, won the next two and were pitted against the London Welsh side (who were winners of three previous tournaments). In a stunning match, marked by ferocious American tackling, the team upset the 'Voyagers', 11-6, as a crowd of thousands yelled "Go Yanks GO". This resulted in a three way tie for first in the pool but the tournament rules put us in the lower bracket. We won convincingly, the final against Cambridge, 22-0 capturing the treasured Heineken Boot trophy. Kevin Hines played the final match with a broken collarbone. As expected, the London Welsh went on to win the upper bracket handily.
This is the last time we find documentation of the team referred to as the "Rough Riders". Hereafter the reference is the 3rd Armored Division Rugby Club until Fall 79 when "The Frankfurt Americans" reference began.
Team Record
| Date | Opponent | Score | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Aug | Army Staff College at Camberley | 8-10 | first match for the "Cam-Furt Owl" |
| 25 Aug | BSC Bonner SC | 44-7 | |
| 31 Aug | Oxford Warriors (at Munster) | 22-7 | |
| 1 Sep | REME Rams (at Munster) | 30-6 | |
| 9 Sep | Zambia, Roan Antelopes | 12-10 | |
| 21 Sep | French Army, Kehl | 40-10 | |
| 29 Sep | 2nd Queen's Rgmt, Sennalager | 28-3 | |
| 12 Oct | Stuttgart PSG Rugby | 44-6 | |
| 13 Oct | BSC Bonner SC | 6-22 | Second team match |
| 19 Oct | French Army, Kehl | 18-0 | |
| 3 Nov | Eintracht B | 13-0 | second team match |
| 10 Nov | BSC Offenbach | 20-3 | |
| 17 Nov | Rugby Union Marburg | 29-0 | |
| 23 Nov | Berlin, Composite team | 34-0 | opposition was Brits and Americans |
| 24 Nov | Berlin, Scot Army team | 32-0 | |
| 28 Nov | Airborne Forces, Aldershot | 7-13 | |
| 30 Nov | Army Staff College at Camberley | 7-15 | First of an annual event in UK over Thanksgiving |
| Season Record | 13-3 |
| Date | Opponent | Score | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2 Feb | Babenhausen | 24-6 | |
| 8 Feb | French Army, Kehl | 20-12 | |
| 16 Feb | RC Vincennes, at Paris | 0-30 | |
| 23 Feb | Eintracht II | 8-3 | B side |
| 23 Feb | ASV Koln | 24-10 | |
| 1 Mar | Hurth II | 41-3 | |
| 8 Mar | Babenhausen | 12-12 | B Side |
| 8 Mar | R U Marburg | 22-0 | |
| 15 Mar | SV Victoria RC, Hannover | 6-42 | |
| 16 Mar | Hurth II | 40-4 | B side |
| 6 Apr | Offenbach | 54-4 | |
| 13 Apr | Bonn | 18-0 | |
| 21 Apr | Lyon (France) | 4-10 | |
| 2 May | SHAPE (British) | 10-6 | |
| 3 May | SHAPE (British) | 8-9 | |
| 10-11 May | Heineken Sevens | <score> | Won the Boot; beat the London Welch Voyagers in pool play; they went through on points and eventually won the entire tournament |
| 17 May | SHAPE (British) | 6-12 | |
| 18 May | SHAPE (British) | 20-12 | |
| 31 May | Hurth | 22-8 | |
| Season Record | 13-5-1 |
Heineken Sevens Results
Pool
30-0 vs Jersey II (English)
24-0 vs Leiden SRG (Dutch)
0-11 vs Soustonnaise (French)
11-6 vs Voyagers (English)
Knock out
8-11 vs NFC (Dutch)
22-0 vs Cambridge (English)
6-4 vs The Rising Sun (English)
| Last Name, First Name | Service | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Neppl, Roger | Army | |
| Meisenzahl, Kurt | Army | |
| Massy, Gary | Army | |
| Orvald, Todd | Army | |
| Weiss, Bill | Army | |
| Maffat, Mike | Army | |
| Babayan, Jerry | Army | |
| Socea, Larry | Army | |
| Bilbo,John | Army | |
| Klimek, Rick | Army | |
| Arnold, Norm | Army | |
| David, Burt | Army | |
| Taylor, Tom | Army | |
| Palumbi, Joe | Army | |
| Koiwai, Mark | Army | |
| Watson, Harry | Army | |
| Wong, Roger | Army | |
| Stelling, George | Air Force | |
| Yaquinto, Rob | Army | |
| Hines, Kevin | Army | |
| Terry, Bill | Army | |
| Vogel, Ed | Army | |
| Leggierio | Army | |
| Williams, Jerry | Army | |
| Stuart, John | Army | |
| Ripley, Dave | Army | |
| Nemmers, Tom | Army | |
| Bolling, Russ | Army | |
| Scott, Levy | Army | |
| Archibald, Dave | Army | |
| Proctor, Frank | Army | |
| Lynch, Marty | Army | |
| Dooley, Tim | Army |
Leadership
President - Kurt Meisenzahl
Treasurer - Bill Weiss
Assistant Secretary - Roger Neppl
Coach - Burt David
Match Secretary - Ed Vogel
Media
Click here for more Frankfurt 1974-1975 Photos
