Danish American Football Federation
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The Danish American Football Federation (in Danish, Dansk Amerikansk Fodbold Forbund or DAFF), is an organization for American football in Denmark. Its headquarters are in Brøndby, Denmark. DAFF organizes Denmark's national American football team, which competes in the International Federation of American Football.
Since 2000, DAFF has seen a huge increase in membership, influenced in no small part by Danish television station TV2 Zulu showing of NFL games on Sunday evenings. The sudden popularity of American football in Denmark has been dubbed "the Zulu effect" (after the name of the TV station). The popularity of American football in Denmark is also a result of interest in the long and successful NFL career of Danish placekicker Morten Andersen.
The Mermaid Bowl is the DAFF championship game, the Danish equivalent of the NFL's Super Bowl. The name is taken from the famous Little Mermaid, a symbol of Denmark.
The first final, in 1988, was not played under the Mermaid Bowl name.
| Year | # | Winning Team | Losing Team | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1988 | -- | Copenhagen Vikings | Odense Swans | 33 – 6 |
| 1989 | I | Copenhagen Vikings | Odense Swans | 17 – 13 |
| 1990 | II | Herning Hawks | Odense Swans | 20 – 14 |
| 1991 | III | Aarhus Tigers | Odense Swans | 27 – 0 |
| 1992 | IV | Copenhagen Towers | Herning Hawks | 78 – 50 |
| 1993 | V | Copenhagen Towers | Odense Swans | 48 – 33 |
| 1994 | VI | Copenhagen Towers | Herning Hawks | 46 – 7 |
| 1995 | VII | Copenhagen Towers | Aarhus Tigers | 35 – 20 |
| 1996 | VIII | Roskilde Kings | Copenhagen Towers | 62 – 48 |
| 1997 | IX | Roskilde Kings | Kronborg Knights | 56 – 37 |
| 1998 | X | Aarhus Tigers | Kronborg Knights | 48 – 20 |
| 1999 | XI | Aarhus Tigers | Kronborg Knights | 28 – 0 |
| 2000 | XII | Aarhus Tigers | Roskilde Kings | 49 – 6 |
| 2001 | XIII | Roskilde Kings | Greve Monarchs | 17 – 10 |
| 2002 | XIV | Avedøre Monarchs | Roskilde Kings | 27 – 25 |
| 2003 | XV | Avedøre Monarchs | Roskilde Kings | 28 – 14 |
| 2004 | XVI | Avedøre Monarchs | Herning Hawks | 41 – 12 |
| 2005 | XVII | Roskilde Kings | Kronborg Knights | 23 – 13 |
| 2006 | XVIII | Triangle Razorbacks | Kronborg Knights | 21 – 16 |
DAFF opened the Danish American Football Federation Hall of Fame on February 5, 2006, the day of Super Bowl XL.
Players
- Morten Andersen (Inducted 2006) - First Dane in NFL. Kicker for New Orleans Saints, Atlanta Falcons (current), New York Giants, Kansas City Chiefs and Minnesota Vikings.
- Michael Boed (Inducted 2006) - Quarterback, Receiver, Kicker for Copenhagen Vikings and Copenhagen Towers
- Jens Bo Poulsen (Inducted 2006) - Receiver, Runningback for Copenhagen Vikings, Copenhagen Towers
- Allan Pedersen (Inducted 2006) - Lineman for Victoria Dolphins (Canada), Odense Swans, Kronborg Knights, Copenhagen Towers, Hvidovre Blackfoots
- Robert Nederby (Inducted 2006) - Receiver, Quarterback, Runningback, Linebacker, Cornerback for Herning Hawks, Aarhus Tigers
- Michael Weien (Inducted 2007) - Linebacker/running back for Odense Swans, Aarhus Tigers, and Viby Troopers
Coaches
- John Lawson (Inducted 2007) for Roskilde Kings, Aarhus Tigers, Herning Hawks. Appeared in five consecutive Mermaid Bowls with an overall 5-1 Mermaid Bowl record
- John Martinko (Inducted 2006) for Copenhagen Towers
- Ron Da Costa (Inducted 2006) for Copenhagen Vikings, Roskilde Kings, Kronborg Knights, Herlev Rebels, Vestegnen Volunteers.
Contributors
- Menno Hilverdink (Inducted 2006)
- Torben Elming (Inducted 2006) - Chairman of the Danish American Football Federation
- Agnar Nygaard (Inducted 2005) - Executive of Danish American Football Federation
- Tommy Terp (Inducted 2006) - Executive of Esbjerg Hurricanes
- Claus Elming (Inducted 2006) - Color commentator for NFL on Denmark's TV2 Zulu. Also a coach for Avedøre Monarchs.
- Jimmy Bøjgaard (Inducted 2007) - play-by-play commentator with Claus Elming through 7 years on Zulu.
- DAFF's homepage (in Danish)
- Copenhagen Post article about the growing popularity of American football in Denmark
Major: Arena Football League • Canadian Football League • National Football League
Minor: af2 • All American Football League • American Indoor Football Association • American Professional Football League • Continental Indoor Football League • Intense Football League • National Indoor Football League •Southern States Football League • United Indoor Football • United States Football Alliance • World Indoor Football League
Non-North American: Asia Pacific Football League • NFL Europa • Southside Football League • X-League
Defunct: All-America Football Conference • American Football League • Eastern Indoor Football League • Hawaii Football League • Indoor Football League • Indoor Professional Football League • Professional Indoor Football League • United States Football League • World Football League • XFL