Joe Roman, the American football coach who guided the Hamburg Blue Devils to the 2005 German Bowl and spent two decades coaching across Germany and Austria, died in early November at age 84, football-aktuell.de reported.
Roman, the son of a wrestling coach, studied physical education from 1965 to 1969 at what the source lists as Moosehead State University before building a career that spanned junior high, junior college and professional European football. In the United States, he coached at South Moorhead Junior High School in Minnesota, served on staffs at Wayne State University and the College of DuPage, and worked as a teacher and football coach at Lake Park High School in Illinois. He was inducted into the College of DuPage Hall of Fame in 2025.
Junior College Title and Move to Europe
Roman’s breakthrough came in 2002 at Joliet Junior College in Illinois, where he won the NJCAA national championship and was named Defensive Coordinator of the Year by American Football Monthly Magazine. He served as Defensive Coordinator for the Hannover Musketeers in Germany during the 2000 season, returning to the United States between seasons to join the Joliet staff from 2000 to 2003.
After a year as Defensive Coordinator for Austria’s Danube Dragons in 2004, Roman became head coach of the Hamburg Blue Devils in 2005. In September of that year, he led Hamburg to the German Bowl, where the team lost narrowly to the Braunschweig Lions, 28–31.
Two Decades Coaching in Germany and Austria
Roman’s European career continued for 15 more years. He returned to Austria in 2009 as head coach of the Hohenems Blue Devils, then coached the Marburg Mercenaries in 2010 and 2011. In 2012, he moved to the Kiel Baltic Hurricanes as Defensive Coordinator, followed by stints with the Hildesheim Invaders (2015), Saarland Hurricanes (2018), Elmshorn Fighting Pirates (2019) and, in 2020, the Rostock Griffins as Defensive Coordinator.
Beyond coaching, Roman published a book and several videos on American football tactics.
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