Portal:Frankfurt American 1973-1974 Men
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Frankfurt American 1973-1974 Men Portal
Roger Neppl was playing wing for Frankfurt Eintracht in 1972. Kurt Meisenzahl found out through the Division newspaper, called him and came to the next practice. That Saturday Kurt started at wing and scored two trys in the first Rugby match that he had ever seen... Gary Massey, a teacher working in Hanau, was the third American to join Frankfurt Eintracht and as time went on they recruited more Americans and they played on Eintracht's 2nd side (only 3 foreigners were allowed on the 1st Eintracht's 1st side).
A 3rd Armored Division team was put together in the fall on 1973 and played its first match in 1974 against Offenbach with jerseys that were borrowed from Entracht and on a converted American football field at Edwards Sportsplatz. "We had to drag guys out of the barracks to field a team, but we won. Offenbach challenged us to a rematch and this time we beat them handily. "
Team nickname was "Rough Riders", a name that continued for several years.
Roger, Gary and Kurt continued to play for Eintracht on Saturdays and with the 3rd Armored Division on Sundays.
The Club went 11-4 that spring, including sevens.
Team Record
| Date | Opponent | Score | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| <date> | No games |
| Date | Opponent | Score | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 24 Feb | Offenbach | 20-12 | First ever match, and they asked for a rematch |
| 3 Mar | Offenbach | 47-6 | |
| 10 Mar | Eintracht | 0-3 | |
| 17 Mar | Irish Pub team | 24-17 | our second team played this match |
| 23 Mar | Hurth | 13-14 | |
| 7 Apr | Munster | 56-6 | |
| 9 Apr | Munster | 6-19 | second team |
| 27 Apr | Bonn | 39-6 | |
| 12 May | Heidelberg (HRK Juniors+) | 35-14 | |
| 26 May | Hurth Sevens | multiple | Went 3-2 and had a 3 way tie for second place (out of 4 teams) |
| 29 May | Czechoslovakia | 16-10 | |
| Season Record | 11-4 (including sevens) |
Hurth Sevens:
24-0 over Munster Rams
16-4 over the Belgians
10-12 loss to Heidelberg
4-16 loss to 16th Sig Rgmt (eventual winners)
4-12 loss to Royal Irish Rangers
| Last Name, First Name | Service | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Neppl, Roger | Army | |
| Meisenzahl, Kurt | Army | |
| Massey, 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
Assistant - Chris Wenzler
Treasurer - Roger Neppl
Coach - Maj John Tower, RA
Captain - Gary Massey
Media
(per Dr. Mike Maffet). My first experience with the team was on a Friday afternoon. We practiced at the base in Frankfurt and then went to a small fair across the street which had a beer tent. We then piled into a VW bus and went to a gasthaus. I think it was Bill Weiss, the hooker's, bus. As the night proceeded we went to other bars and more players joined us. Late into the night we finally left to return to base. We were all plastered. The bus was also now packed. Somehow on the way back, Bill cut a corner, clipped the curb, and the bus tipped on two wheels. We traveled along at 45 degrees for what seemed like a long time and then the bus tipped on its side. In a shower of sparks and screeching metal we came to a stop. It was body piled on body, an automotive scrum. Somehow we climbed out the top. Miraculously no one was hurt. After some drunken discussion, we all got on the down side and pushed the bus back on four wheels. Bill turned the key, it started, we piled back in the bus and returned to the base. Its a wonder we won any games that year. There are many other stories, many involving the Iris Pub, Rob Yaquinto's house in the Taunus Mountains, playing the Brits, our tours to Paris (worthy of a short novel) and the UK, and the trip to the gypsy camp. What a time!
