After a season of records in 2017/18 and the decisions have been made for the teams winning the relegation playoffs (a heartfelt congrats to the teams that won successfully), let’s have a look at the answers to the quiz dealing with the history of the Bundesliga. As we know, Hamburg was the last founding team to relegate into the second league. But what about the history of the other teams. After doing your homework, let’s check our answers, shall we? 🙂
Guessing Quiz:
1. Who were the founding fathers of the Bundesliga in 1963? There were 18 of them.
Eintracht Braunschweig, Werder Bremen, Hamburger SV, Borussia Dortmund, 1. FC Köln, Meidericher SV (now MSV Duisburg), Preußen Münster, Schalke 04, 1. FC Kaiserslautern, 1. FC Saarbrücken, Eintracht Frankfurt, Karlsruher SC, 1. FC Nürnberg, 1860 Munich, VfB Stuttgart, Hertha BSC
2. Bayern Munich entered the top league later on and has been in the Bundesliga ever since. It now holds the title for being in the top league the longest without ever being demoted.
When did the team enter? 1965 When did the team win its first title? 1969
3. Another team entered the Bundesliga and has yet to also play in the second league after being demoted. It holds the second longest record of its kind. Which team was it and when did it enter the first league for the first time ever?
Bayer Leverkusen entered the Bundesliga in 1979 and has been there ever since.
4. One of the founding fathers actually had to play in the second league only once. After four years it returned to the top league and has been there ever since. It currently holds the title as the second longest tenured team even after it had been demoted before. Which team was that and how many years has it been in the league since its last demotion?
Borussia Dortmund entered the second league in 1972 and had played there before reentering the top league in 1976, where it has remained there ever since.
5. Prior to HSV’s demotion to the second league, there were two other founding teams that had been in the top league for at least three decades before being demoted for the first time. Which teams were they and when did they get demoted for the first time?
FC Cologne and FC Kaiserslautern
6. Which (current) founding team in the Bundesliga has never won any titles since the league’s creation?
Hertha BSC Berlin
7. Which two founding members of the Bundesliga has been in the top league the shortest time (and has still yet to return)?
Preussen Münster and FC Saarbrücken
8. Which German cities used to host two Bundesliga teams, one of which was a founding member of the team? Which teams are they?
Munich, Hamburg and Stuttgart
9. Which German cities used to have two professional teams in the second league competing with each other before one of the two was promoted to the top league?
Berlin and Frankfurt
10. Which team would have competed with HSV as the longest tenured Bundesliga team had it not been for the one-year exile in the second league? Hint: This team has been in the second and third tiers since 2006.
FC Kaiserslautern
11. Which seven teams have won doubles at least once (meaning the national cup and the Bundesliga title)? Hint: Four were from the former western half and three from the eastern half of Germany.
On the western side, we have Bayern Munich, FC Cologne, Werder Bremen and Borussia Dortmund.
On the eastern side we had Dynamo Dresden, Dynamo Berlin and Hansa Rostock
12. Of the three in the former East German Bundesliga (which dissolved after German reunification in 1990), which of them was the longest tenured team in the Bundesliga?
Hansa Rostock: 1995- 2005
13. Of the three above-mentioned teams, which ones defeated FC Bayern Munich once before 1990 and at least once since then?
Dynamo Dresden
Fast fact: Rostock and Bayern Munich were rivalries before Rostock’s demise beginning in 2005
14. Since when has FC Bayern Munich finished no worse than third place? Fifth place?
Bayern Munich has finished no worse than 3rd since 2007 and no worse than 5th since 1995, when they finished 6th. The worst they have finished was 12th in 1978.
15. The following teams had mascots. What were they?
Eintract Brunswick Lions
MSV Duisburg Zebras
FC Kaiserslautern Devils
Hertha BSC Berlin The Iron Ladies
Eintracht Frankfurt Eagles
Hamburg SV Dinosaurs
FC Cologne Billy Goats
Bonus: Holstein Kiel, whose mascot is the flying stork has not been in the Bundesliga since 1981.
ONE MORE THING: 1899 Hoffenheim still holds the title as the only “small town” team that is in the Bundesliga. The community of only 4,000 people marched through the ranks and entered the league in 2007 and has been there since. They play at a stadium near Mannheim.
THE FLENSBURG FILES 