The first college football game played on European soil occurred in 1992 and the teams playing were not from the Big 10 or the SEC, but rather they were two teams from the Ohio Athletic Conference.
In front of 4,351 fans at Frankfurt, Germany’s Bieberer Berg Stadium, Otterbein University and Heidelberg University played to a 7-7 tie. The game was set up to educate the German people about American Football in preparation for the arrival of the World American Football League (WAFL), which would have professional teams in Germany and across Europe.
“They wanted a couple of big powers for the game like Notre Dame and Boston College,” said Tim Gleason, who has spent the past 24 years as commissioner of the OAC and provided color commentary for the first Rhine Rive Classic on WOBN. “But the financing fell through.”
Gleason was able to convince the WAFL that if they used Division III schools for the game that they wouldn’t have to pay anything except for travel expenses. So how was it that Heidelberg and Otterbein were chosen for the game? It all came down to their names.
“I sold them on the fact that Otterbein and Heidelberg are two German names and would fit well with the German people. And if they hadn’t been accustomed to American Football they wouldn’t know the difference between Division I and Division III. A good football game is a good football game.”
Otterbein made the 4,500-mile trip to Germany and took in the sights, touring Frankfurt and a castle in Heidelberg, Germany. For both teams it was their second game of the season. Otterbein was coming off a close loss to Earlham while the Student Princes had eked out a one-point win over Olivet in their opener.
As for the game itself, it was a defensive struggle. It was televised on local Frankfurt TV and Otterbein’s radio station, WOBN, broadcasted the game live. The ‘Berg fumbled the opening kickoff and the 'Bein recovered. Shortly after, quarterback Luke Hanks hit running back Don Mollick for a 24-yard completion to the one-yard line. The very next play, Darren Liggins leaped into the end zone for the first touchdown of the game. Andy Mahle kicked the point after and Otterbein took a 7-0 lead.
There was no more scoring until the third quarter when Heidelberg recovered an Otterbein fumble at the Cardinal 17-yard line, followed by a Matt Mosher 3-yard score.
Otterbein missed two field goals, Heidelberg missed one while turning the ball over seven times, and the game ended in an anticlimactic tie.
Otterbein running back Don Mollick was given the first Rhine River Classic MVP, carrying the football 30 times for 131 yards and also catching four passes for 51 yards.
This year’s Rhine River Classic figures appear to have more scoring than the inaugural one did. While The Cup hasn’t been in Westerville since 2010, Otterbein has followed up their season-opening loss to Buffalo State with victories over Wilmington and Marietta and is tied for first place in the OAC with JCU, Mount Union and Capital. The Student Princes have lost their first three games of the season for the first time since 2006. However, their first loss came on a Hail Mary at Courtland State. Defeat number two was by seven points to the tenth-ranked team in the nation, John Carroll. Most recently they fell last week to Ohio Northern, who rallied to score 24 unanswered points in the second half to win.
“They’re probably the best 0-3 football team in the country,” said fourth year Otterbein head football coach Tim Doup. “They’ve had all the breaks go against them so far. A few plays here-and-there and they are 3-0. They’re a very talented football team.”
This year’s game will be the 24th edition of the Rhine River Rivalry and will kick off Saturday at 1:30. The trip for Otterbein this year will only be 80 miles up to Tiffin as opposed to the ’92 team’s 4,500-mile journey.
And if you’re hoping that sometime soon Otterbein will go back to Europe for a game, Gleason says don’t hold your breath.
“Probably not,” said Gleason in reference to a rematch in Germany. “It’s very difficult to play a regular season game overseas. Those games are always tough logistically to do. And the World [American] Football League isn’t around anymore to help fund our expenses.”
While the chances look slim that Otterbein will ever play in the land their namesake was born in, they were still the first one of the first to do it, and that will never change.
