| Team: | Rhein Fire (NFL Europe) |
| Teamdisplay: | Rhein Fire |
| Year: | 1997 |
| Record: | 7–3 |
| Division Place: | 1st |
| Coach: | Galen Hall |
| General Manager: | Alexander Leibkind |
| Stadium: | Rheinstadion |
| Playoffs: | Lost World Bowl '97 |
| Previous: | 1996 |
| Next: | 1998 |
| Shortnavlink: | Rhein Fire |
The 1997 Rhein Fire season was the third season for the franchise in the World League of American Football (WLAF). The team was led by head coach Galen Hall in his third year, and played its home games at Rheinstadion in Düsseldorf, Germany. They finished the regular season in first place with a record of seven wins and three losses, marking the first winning season in franchise history. In World Bowl '97, Rhein lost to the Barcelona Dragons 38–24. Quarterback T. J. Rubley earned all-World League honors and was named the league's offensive most valuable player.
| Draft order | Player name | Position | College | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Round | Choice | ||||
| 1 | 1 | Israel Stanley | DE | Arizona State | |
| 2 | 7 | Artis Houston | CB | California | |
| 3 | 18 | Thomas Bailey | WR | Auburn | |
| 4 | 19 | Scotty Lewis | DE | Baylor | |
| 5 | 30 | David Merritt | LB | North Carolina State | |
| 6 | 31 | John Anderson | S | Oklahoma | |
| 7 | 42 | David Rhodes | WR | Central Florida | |
| 8 | 43 | Pete Shufelt | LB | UTEP | |
| 9 | 54 | Anthony Daigle | RB | Fresno State | |
| 10 | 55 | Sean Foster | WR | Long Beach State | |
| 11 | 66 | Chris Shelling | CB | Auburn | |
| 12 | 67 | Ricky Powers | RB | Michigan | |
| 13 | 78 | Kelly Wiltshire | CB | James Madison | |
| 14 | 79 | Earl Mackey | LB | Southern | |
| 15 | 90 | Mark Brook | LB | Wyoming | |
| 16 | 91 | Don Robinson | CB | Kentucky | |
| 17 | 102 | Will Brown | LB | Alabama | |
| 18 | 103 | Kyle Richardson | P | Arkansas State | |
| 19 | 114 | Chris Thomas | WR | Cal Poly | |
| 20 | 115 | Jay Barry | RB | Washington | |
| Week | Date | Kickoff | Opponent | Results | Game site | Attendance | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Final score | Team record | |||||||
| 1 | Saturday, April 12 | 7:00 p.m. | Barcelona Dragons | L 12–27 | 0–1 | Rheinstadion | 17,150 | |
| 2 | Sunday, April 20 | 3:00 p.m. | London Monarchs | W 28–6 | 1–1 | Rheinstadion | 14,876 | |
| 3 | Sunday, April 27 | 3:00 p.m. | at Scottish Claymores | W 23–10 | 2–1 | Murrayfield Stadium | 11,166 | |
| 4 | Saturday, May 3 | 7:00 p.m. | at Amsterdam Admirals | L 20–23 | 2–2 | Amsterdam ArenA | 10,698 | |
| 5 | Saturday, May 10 | 7:00 p.m. | Frankfurt Galaxy | W 10–7 | 3–2 | Rheinstadion | 32,140 | |
| 6 | Saturday, May 17 | 7:00 p.m. | at Frankfurt Galaxy | W 21–20 | 4–2 | Waldstadion | 39,182 | |
| 7 | Sunday, May 25 | 3:00 p.m. | Scottish Claymores | L 20–23 | 4–3 | Rheinstadion | 20,498 | |
| 8 | Saturday, May 31 | 7:30 p.m. | at Barcelona Dragons | W 38–23 | 5–3 | Estadi Olímpic de Montjuïc | 13,670 | |
| 9 | Saturday, June 7 | 7:00 p.m. | Amsterdam Admirals | W 24–0 | 6–3 | Rheinstadion | 23,697 | |
| 10 | Sunday, June 15 | 3:00 p.m. | at London Monarchs | W 10–7 | 7–3 | Stamford Bridge | 10,462 | |
| World Bowl '97 | ||||||||
| 11 | Sunday, June 22 | 7:00 p.m. | Barcelona Dragons | L 24–38 | 7–4 | Estadi Olímpic de Montjuïc | 31,100 | |
See main article: World Bowl '97.
After the completion of the regular season, the All-World League team was selected by members of the media.[9] Overall, Rhein had six players selected.[9] The selections were:
Additionally, Rubley was selected offensive MVP by the six World League head coaches.[10] Galen Hall earned Coach of the Year honors.[9]