European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - February 9, 1991, Darmstadt, Hesse Saturday february 9, 1991 the stars and stripes a a a Page 25commentary Darmstadt s Burke soars to Galaxy wait Morrissette Joe Burke always had this dream of becoming a pro football coach. From High school through Temple University and. The Darmstadt diamonds of the German american football league he coached on the Side while building a business career. Last week his dream came True. Oliver Luck general manager of the Frankfurt Galaxy of the world league of american football named Burke As an assistant to head coach Jack Elway. Luck made the right move. The league needs interest from the locals. A smart Way is to draw local Talent and Burke is a proven Talent. He a a Winner. The ecstatic Philadelphia native stopped by our Darmstadt offices thursday night before catching a Friday morning flight from Frankfurt to Orlando Fla., to begin his pro football coaching career. Burke will coach running Back and receivers first in the world league Combine through March 10, then hell return for the opener March 23 against Lon dog hell also help John Ralston develop new players under operation discovery. Europe s players Fly wednesday from Frankfurt to Ralston in Orlando. 2, played _ High school. He started coaching As a graduate assist Burke defensive end and tight end in ant at Temple in 1979. A i coached with the defensive backs and i worked the scout team offence against our first team defense. I broke Down films organized practice i did everything a graduate assistant does a said Burke who added with what had to be glee a a i was there when Oliver Luck As quarterback for West Virginia threw three interceptions against us. We by june lv85, Burke had moved to Munich to Seq cars for Nissan military sales now known As the Auto Exchange and coach the Munich rangers German youth team 14-18 year Olds. _ in february �?T8<>, promoted and moved to Darmstadt. When he took Over the Darmstadt diamonds in february 1987, the team was on the third of three Levels that had 100 teams total. American style football in Germany has since grown to four Levels total ing 200 teams and 10,000 players. A a it a set up similar to the German soccer leagues a Burke said. A you have to win your level of play finish. Inc. _. First in the regular season then win the playoffs to move up to the next level. The last place team automatically drops to the lower 4 the a a season runs from april to july. They take August off for vacation then come Back in september for the playoffs. A a in the 1987 season burkes diamonds went 8-0 in the regular season but lost to the Ulm sparrows in the playoffs. In �?T88, Darmstadt went 10-0, won the playoffs an moved up to the second league. In �?T89, the diamonds finished 9-1 in the second 1990, Darmstadt upset Karlsruhe which had been first league Champion four of the previous five seasons on the Way to a 9-3 record. Burke was a Winner. The world league would see that. Specifically Oliver Luck saw it and hired him. Burkes name came up when the world league leadership was looking for assistant coaches for the european teams. A a a because the world league owns and operates the Galaxy the league will run the team until they find an owner for it a Burke said. A Dick Regan is an nil consultant helping the Galaxy get started on Quot the business and marketing end. They asked me to fax my resume. I first interviewed with Dick then Oliver. Then i got the Call. Joe Burke a i was offered As their Choice to Jack Elway who approved me As one of his four Burke added a in the off season the Galaxy plans at least two player Camps and one coaching Campon conjunction with the German american football federation. In a preparing a proposal for Elway Burke retains his position As vice president of the diamonds. All the easier for him to Wear yet another hat for Elway ambassador for the Galaxy players. A a in a hoping to smooth the transition Between the cultures for the players a Burke said. A Many of them will be coming to a foreign country for the first time get homesick. get blown away from their first phone Bill to the states. You can to go to a 7eleven Over nere and pick up a bag of chips late at night. A a in a a full time resident of Germany. They wanted at least one of the four assistants to be Here year round. The other three assistants May or May not choose to stay in Germany in the off season. A Elway said he wants to stay in Germany about eight months of the year through september to help out Frankfurt s first Winner by Mark wonders of off writer the of Titre of the Frankfurt Galaxy a or the world league of american football for that matter a is far from determined. But one Soldier who recently won season tickets to the inaugural season says the league has nothing to fear. Quot i think its Gonna work a says chief warrant officer 2 Richard Gillogly of 11hc, 5th in 158th aviation regt in Frank flirt. Gillogly won two tickets to the super bowl in Tampa Fla. In a Galaxy raffle but had to opt for the Frankfort season tickets because of his Mission essential status and the persian Gulf i think that its something new in Europe. Talking with the Guys it has a lot More going for it than soccer a said Gillogly 33. A and once they get to know the rules it will Takie off. The american bowl �?T90 game recently held in Berlin is a Good example of this. It the Olaf could attract More optimism aside Gillogly a battalion flight operations officer am air Field commander has bittersweet feelings on the upcoming season. With his wife in saudi Arabia and his child sent to the states total enjoyment of the historic season seems impossible. A i really would have liked to have got my wife to go with me a he said. He is due to receive his tickets at the end of february. A a a. A a a with the Camps. Then hell return to his Home in the Bay a a v a a a. A a a Burke had dropped Down 8,000 Marks about $5,700 for the final semester toward his Umba from Schiller International University in Heidelberg. Then the world league called. How about his plans for school a a in a taking it one week at a time a Burke said. A i see us in the world bowl june 9. After that i can go Back to school but ill have marketing responsibilities for the team and the for a the Galaxy May just be the beginning for Burke. A a in a excited because i have a Chance to Advance to a higher level of play and learn from Jack Elway a he said. A a it a like in a trading in my mba for now of masters degree in football from Jack Elway a. Tit Star and strip a 1 Spoehr the heavy in Heidelberg mat plans by Walt Morrissette staff writer Heidelberg Germany a senior unlimited wrestler Mike Spoehr of the five time defending Champion Heidelberg Lions was confident and poised Friday to take the Central european title that eluded him last season. In 1990, he lost in the be semifinals to eventual Champion John Scott of Bonn. Spoehr then decision Ned Marcus Richardson of Frankfurt 18-5 to take third place. Scott is not Here this year and Spoehr has cruised into the Central europeans with an unblemished 21-0 record which included several forfeits. He a excited about the Ces simply because hell have some guaranteed matches for a change. A nobody wanted to wrestle me Cen Al europeans Nique gained from four years of wrestling. This is his third straight Central european appearance. A i use brute strength in my pins but my techniques go with my strength a Spoehr said. A i ran Pogo with my upper body or my lower body. I the regular season a Spoehr said. A but Here ill have at least tour matches if i make it to the finals. We have All the brackets filled in All the weight classes. Everybody a Here. There Are no Spoehr said he expects his toughest match will be with Dean Schaub of Niernberg. A a a i pinned him. At the Start of the season on dec. 15, but he took me into the third period a Spoehr said. A fall my other pins were in the first or second Spoehr credits his mat Success to a combination of brute strength from his 6-foot-2, 265-Pound Frame and the tech Mike Spoehr done to try moves that i don�?Tt1 have the agility for. I use my strength to the maximum he has already _ seen younger less experienced wrestlers make the mistakes he used to make. A a lot of the Quot younger heavyweights like the freshmen reach Back. And you re not supposed to do that a Spoehr said. A a heavyweight can make one mistake and hell end up Flat on his Back and pinned. In be seen it happen so Many the packed Patton Barracks gym for the Ces is a Welcome contrast to the smaller regular season crowds. A the big crowds at be give me More adrenaline a Spoehr said. A we have a Home advantage Here in Heidelberg. My school is behind me. You re More focused and psyched up because you want to win in front of your friends and Spoehr was an Al Europe offensive tackle for the football Lions and he has a shot at a College football scholarship. A i think i have a Chance of getting a football scholarship at three schools that have written me Back Wyoming South Dakota state and Lenoir Rhyne . Right now they Are making their final cuts and our mail system is real bad but i Hope to hear from them by March a he said. A a Central european preliminary matches were running through Friday evening with the finals set of saturday afternoon at the Patton Barracks gym. These were the Early first round winners weights in pounds a 103 a Lawrence Ervin Berlin Bill Hickey Munich Rick Williams Wurzburg John Hunziker Brussels Lorenzo Arjona Rajas Stuttgart Chuck Skenes Mannheim Derek Vilminot Hahn Eric Quick Heidelberg. A 112 a Jimmy murrin Heidelberg Cameron Hall Ramstein Bill Nummy Pitburg Tim Waters Niernberg Ron Bunton Frankfurt Richard Davis Baum Holder Mike Chargulaf Giessen Raoul Pacheco Brussels. A 119 a Chon Watson Ramstein Zenon culverhouse Augsburg John Crisologo Wurzburg Juan Garcia Kaiserslautern Thomas Morehead a Wiesbaden Scott Acker Wei Brincken Don Juan Ulm. A 125 a Jim ileum Ulm Chris Watson Pitburg Pat Vest Mannheim Thad Deus Hubbard accent Bill Clichy shape Luis Zayas Kaiserslautern Jeremy Davis Heidelberg Dexter Harris Ramstein. A 130 a Kevin Grissett Giessen Shawn Fortune Frankfurt Matt Gill Bonn Danny Tanaka Stuttgart Jerry Helton Wiesbaden Chico Nogueron Karlsruhe Mike Rudd Wurzburg Brandon Hall Ramstein. A 135 a Fred hutches in Mannheim Mike Childs accent. Wally Sowden Kaiserslautern Jon Vesely Hautau Tler Thomas Giessen will Braman Pitburg Jerry Lawther Ramstein Chris Foisy Heidelberg. A 140 a Todd. Berrios Hanau Mal Achi Spenser Niernberg Mike Loffelman Hahn Steve Reny Heidelberg Jason Brunelle Patch Marcus Moi an Wiesbaden Paul Mccloskey accent Joe Cruz sports television College basketball a Seton Hall at Oklahoma 11 30 . Saturday. Radio College basketball a Syracuse at notre Dame 8 . Saturday
