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Calanda Broncos

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Calanda Broncos
Founded1991
LeagueNationalliga A
Team historyLandquard Broncos
(1991–2008)
Calanda Broncos
(2009–present)
Based inLandquart, Switzerland
StadiumRingstrasse Chur
ColorsRed, Blue and White
     
ChampionshipsEurobowl: 2012
EFAF Cup: 2010
Swiss Bowl: 2003, 2009–2013, 2015
Websitewww.calandabroncos.ch

The Calanda Broncos are an American football team from Landquart, Switzerland. The club, formed in 1991 as the Landquart Broncos, changed its name in late 2008 after the Calanda mountain to show the club's desire to represent a larger region of Graubünden then just the community of Landquart.[1] With the move to the stadium in nearby Chur the club was also able to draw larger crowds for its home matches.[2] The club is the best-supported American football club in Switzerland.[3]

The club plays at the highest level of American football in Switzerland, the Nationalliga A, and has won the national championship game, the Swiss Bowl, on seven occasions, last in 2015.

History

The club was formed as the Landquart Broncos in 1991.[3] Originally, the club opted for the name Grison Broncos, Grison being the English name for Graubünden, but this was vetoed by the Swiss American Football Association.[1] After a slow start with 13 consecutive defeats the Broncos won their first game in 1993, followed by promotion to the Nationalliga A, the highest level of American football in Switzerland.[3]

The Broncos took another three seasons to make their first Swiss Bowl appearance, narrowly losing 14–13 to the Seaside Vipers St. Gallen in 1998. The team faced St. Gallen once more in the Swiss Bowl in 1999 but again lost, this time 16–7. The club came close to financial collapse after this, dropping down to the second tier but making a quick return to Nationalliga A by 2002.[3]

The 2003 season saw the club narrowly reach the play-offs with a 5–4 regional season record. In the semi finals of the play-offs the Broncos then defeated the defending champions Zurich Renegades 29–28, followed by a narrow 2-point Swiss Bowl victory over the Basel Gladiators.[3][4] What followed was another drop to Nationalliga B after the 2005 season, caused mainly by the loss of quality players. The Broncos played at this level for two seasons before returning to the top level for 2008.[3]

Back at Nationalliga A, the Broncos made another Swiss Bowl appearance, losing 52–27 to the Zurich Renegades in its first season back in 2008. It was to be the club's last game as Landquard Broncos, being renamed Calanda Broncos shortly after. With the new name the Broncos became much more successful, becoming the first club in Switzerland to win five consecutive Swiss Bowls, from 2009 to 2013. In the 2009 Swiss Bowl, the Broncos defeated the Zurich Renegades 35–23 while the following four finals were won against the Basel Gladiators on each occasion. The 2013 final was the closest of those four encounters, with the Broncos winning 46–41.[4] The dominance of the Broncos since 2009 manifests itself in the fact that the club has not lost a league or play-off game in Switzerland since 16 June 2009.[3]

Apart from national success the club also became the first ever Swiss side to win the EFAF Cup in 2010, and the Eurobowl, when it defeated the Vienna Vikings in the 2012 final.[5]

In 2014 the club took part in a new European competition, the BIG6 European Football League, which consisted of three teams from Germany, two from Austria and one from Switzerland, the clubs being Berlin Adler, New Yorker Lions, Dresden Monarchs, Raiffeisen Vikings Vienna, Swarco Raiders Tirol and the Calanda Broncos. The two best teams of this competition advanced to the Eurobowl XXVIII.[6]

Calandas unbeaten run in Switzerland, lasting since 2009, ended on 21 April 2014 when the team lost at home to the Bern Grizzlies. The club finished second in the league but lost the Swiss Bowl to the Basel Gladiators. It won another championship in 2015 when it defeated the Bern Grizzlies in the Swiss Bowl.

Honours

  • Eurobowl
    • Champions: 2012
  • EFAF Cup:
    • Champions: 2010
  • Swiss Bowl
    • Champions: (7) 2003, 2009–2013, 2015
    • Runners-up: (4) 1998, 1999, 2008, 2014

Recent seasons

Recent seasons of the club:[7][8][9][10][11][12]

Year Division Finish Points Pct. Games W D L PF PA Postseason
2008 Nationalliga A 2nd 12–4 0.750 8 6 0 2 176 133 Lost SB: Zurich Renegades (27–52)
2009 1st 12–4 0.750 8 6 0 2 324 155 Won SF: Bern Grizzlies (42–0)
Won SB: Zurich Renegades (35–23)
2010 1st 20–0 1.000 10 10 0 0 265 74 Won SF: Bern Grizzlies (30–7)
Won SB: Basel Gladiators (49–7)
2011 1st 20–0 1.000 10 10 0 0 438 140 Won SF: Bern Grizzlies (43–6)
Won SB: Basel Gladiators (65–33)
2012 1st 16–0 1.000 8 8 0 0 445 87 Won SF: Bern Grizzlies (50–0)
Won SB: Basel Gladiators (56–14)
2013 1st 20–0 1.000 10 10 0 0 490 150 Won SF: Winterthur Warriors (54–7)
Won SB: Basel Gladiators (46–41)
2014 2nd 16–4 0.800 10 8 0 2 394 211 Won SF: Bern Grizzlies (65–37)
Lost SB: Basel Gladiators (35–47)
2015 1st 18–2 0.900 10 9 0 1 419 180 Won SF: Winterthur Warriors (45–6)
Won SB: Bern Grizzlies (49–21)
2016 1st 18–2 0.900 10 9 0 1 442 262 Won SF: Winterthur Warriors (52–21)
SB: Bern Grizzlies
  • SF = Semi finals.
  • SB = Swiss Bowl.

References

  1. ^ a b Von den Landquart Broncos zu den Calanda Broncos Template:De icon football.sport-heute.ch, published: 14 December 2008, accessed: 5 December 2013
  2. ^ The Game Is American, but the View, Alpine The New York Times, published: 14 April 2012, accessed: 6 December 2013
  3. ^ a b c d e f g Team Vorstellung Calanda Broncos Template:De icon Swiss Bowl website - Team history, accessed: 6 December 2013
  4. ^ a b Schweiz - Swiss Bowl Template:De icon www.football-history.de: Swiss Bowls 1986 to present, accessed: 5 December 2013
  5. ^ Broncos holen Europacup ins Calanda-Land Template:De icon Neue Zürcher Zeitung, published: 17 July 2010, accessed: 5 December 2013
  6. ^ BIG6 European Football League starts 2014 www.eurobowl.com, published: 20 November 2013, accessed: 5 December 2013
  7. ^ Nationalliga A 2008 www.football-aktuell.de, accessed: 5 December 2013
  8. ^ Nationalliga A 2009 www.football-aktuell.de, accessed: 5 December 2013
  9. ^ Nationalliga A 2010 www.football-aktuell.de, accessed: 5 December 2013
  10. ^ Nationalliga A 2011 www.football-aktuell.de, accessed: 5 December 2013
  11. ^ Nationalliga A 2012 www.football-aktuell.de, accessed: 5 December 2013
  12. ^ Nationalliga A 2013 www.football-aktuell.de, accessed: 5 December 2013
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