History

The Prague Panthers senior team was founded in 1991.
In 1992 they merged with Prague Cocks, into a stronger more unified
team under the name PRAGUE PANTHERS, which slowly started to
pave the way for American football in the Czech Republic.

In 1993, the Panthers hired an American coach, Cirian Kelly, and
under his leadership, they scored their first victory over the – Passau
Red Wolves, 18:0

The senior team has been playing in the Czech American Football
Association ever since it started in 1994. Prague Panthers won their
first season without allowing a single point in which they also played
two qualification matches of the German Bowl Ost and dominated
with a final score of 58:0!

In 1995 the Panthers achieved several accomplishments. In the
spring, they surprisingly beat the local and rival team, the Prague
Lions in the German Cup in Leipzig in a decisive match winning 21:0.
They stormed through the Czech league and once again beat their
Prague rival the Lions in front of a crowd of 4,500 in the neutral city
of Ostrava winning 52:22 at Vikovice stadium.

In 1996, more teams joined the Czech league which include: Havírov
Vikings, Pilsen Bulldogs and Príbram Rams. Ostrava Knights and
Ostrava Eagles merged into the new Ostrava Steelers. The Panthers
didn’t lose a single match again and beat the ever-improving Steelers
48:30 at their home stadium in Prague.

After three victorious years, the Panthers stumbled twice in the
season of 1997, losing both times to Ostrava Steelers. In the finals in
Ostrava, the Steelers beat them 20:32 in front of 4,000 spectators.
Senior Team 1998-2001

In 1998, the Panthers made into the finals again, but lost
unexpectedly for the first time in 5 years to their rival Prague Lions 8:
29. In the summer, the Panthers won the qualification for the next
seasons’ Champions League at the Prague Slavia stadium.

In 1999 the Prague Panthers resurged to becoming one of European
elite football programs. The Panthers were the first Eastern-
European team to play in the Champions League. In the playoff
game, they beat the German team Russelsheim Razorbacks 26:21 in
a intense and highly watched match. In the quarterfinals, the
Panthers played the Braunschweig Lions who later won the
Championship game infront of 13,000 spectators. The Panthers
moved up their European ranking to 16 in the EURO TOP 20. The
Panthers moved through the Czech league without losing and met
their in town rival the Prague Lions in the championship match who
won the previous year, however this time the Panthers left nothing to
chance dominating 38:0.

In 2000 the Panther B team was founded for new players and players
under 18 years of age. The Panther A team also hired a new
American coach, Chris Sulages. The Panthers qualified for the
quarterfinals of the European Champions league again only to loose
to a European power house, the Bergamo Lions, also the previous
winners of the Champions league. Later that year In the Czech
league finals at the Prague Slavia stadium, the Panthers played the
Prague Lions for the fourth time in the Championship and won 15:13.

In 2001, the Panthers focused on the Czech league only. They
moved through the tournament unbeaten and won the finals with little
effort beating the Brno Alligators 35:13.

Senior Team 2002-2006

After a year-long break, the Panthers return to the Champions league
in 2002. They qualified from their group but failed to break the curse
of the quarterfinals again and lose one of Europe’s premier teams
the Vienna Vikings, the later champions, 30:35 in which they moved
to number 8 in the EURO TOP 20. Their performance in the Czech
league was marked by the fatigue after the demanding European
tournament but managed to qualify into the finals and beat the Brno
Alligators 52:14.

In the 2003 season, the Panthers entered the Czech league
semifinals as the second seed and advanced to the finals. The finals
again turned into a Prague derby, as they played against the Lions
for the fifth time in the Championship game. The Panthers won it,
scoring 23:14.

2004 saw a considerable weakening of the team. After the European
Championships in Copenhagen, many of the team’s senior players
retired and subsequently, the Panthers lost the Czech league finals
to the Lions 3:13. Game conception breakdown and injuries of several important
players in 2005 led to the Panthers losing the finals to the Lions 9:24.
Due to the absence of the head coach in 2006, the Prague Panthers
didn’t qualify for the finals of the Czech league for the first time in
history. They lost the semifinals to Bratislava Monarchs 25:7.

Senior Team 2007-2009

After three years without a head coach, the Panthers hired a
professional American head coach John Srholec in 2007. Srholec
was invited to the Czech Republic by team member Douglas
Youngberg, who played under Srholec in the USA. With this dramatic
change, a new spirit and game style was brought to the team. The
Panthers steamrolled through the Czech league and entered the
playoffs undefeated and in first place. Without hesitation, they beat
the Lions again in the final with a score of 28:13, thus regaining the
title after a three year drought and remaining undefeated for the
season.

In 2008, the Panthers returned with Coach Srholec and joined the top
European teams to play in the prestigious EFAF Cup. After
dominating the Danube Dragons of Austria, they went to play in the
semifinals against the Berlin Adlers in which they lost in the final
remaining seconds of the game 25:21. Once again the Prague
Panthers have re-surged and ranked in the EURO TOP 20 as
number 12. In the Czech league, they qualified for the finals once
again unbeaten and played rival Prague Lions at the new stadium in
Prague Eden. 2,500 spectators watched the Panthers win their 10th
Czech Champions title in a decisive win of 24:14.
Plans for 2009: Keeping the Czech Championship title; playing the
EFAF Cup and qualifying for the semifinals; training the senior team
players for the national representation team and the European
Championships 2009.

Prague Panthers’ Successes

• ten times the Champions of the Czech Republic (1994, 1995, 1996,
1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2007, 2008)
• qualified for the finals of the Czech league (1997, 1998, 2004, 2005)
• quarterfinals of the Champions League (2000)
• quarterfinals of the Champions League (2002)
• semifinals of the EFAF Cup (2008)
• winners of German Bowl Ost (1994)
• winners of Prague International Bowl (1998)
• 8th place in the European TOP 20 (2002)
• 12th place in the European TOP 20 (2008)
• 16th place in the European TOP 20 (1999)