Calaycay And the Vikings - A Match Made in Heaven

By Peter Mann

Austria, perhaps better known for its snowy, mountainous peaks with a large portion of the Alps making up its landmass, for music (Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart was born there in 1756, as was the likes of Liszt, Schubert, Haydn et al), its cuisine – anyone for apple strudel, and for sports other than American Football – winter sports obviously, and the other football, or soccer in language outside of America.

That sport, soccer/football, dates back to the late 1800s, and the founding of the First Vienna Football Club, whilst the oval kind, from across the Atlantic, that hit Austria around the same time as it did most of Europe, in the early 1980s.

The Austrian Football League was founded in ’82, members including Graz Giants, Salzburg Lions, Vienna Ducks, and Vienna Ramblocks, with the first-ever Austrian Bowl contested in Salzburg, between victors Salzburg Lions, and runners-up Graz Giants, in mid-October ’84.

Graz Giants would go on to win six of the next seven, Austria Bowl games, they and the Lions enjoying an early rivalry in the Austrian game; the Giants would also put on the biggest winning margin when, in early July 1990, they inflicted a 59-7 score on Klosterneuburg Mercenaries (now Danube Dragons).

Then there were the births of two of this romantic nations’ biggest names, Raiders Tirol (founded 1992, 3x Eurobowl, 2x Central European Football League, and 8x Austrian Bowl winners), and Vienna Vikings (2022 European League of Football, 5x Eurobowl, 15x Austrian Bowl champions).

Prior to their long-serving head coach, Chris Calaycya, the Vikings were led for over a decade by Thomas Smythe (1994-2006), before Calaycay took them to new highs.

Chris Calaycay & the Vikings - a Love Affair from Hawaii

As successful franchises go of America’s Game across Europe, the Vienna Vikings are one of the top percentiles, with long-term head coach, Chris Calaycay leading the charge into yet another final this weekend.

Calaycay’s love affair with the Vikings goes back near three decades, he having played for them in the late nineties, early noughties, before returning home to begin his coaching career at the university he first played the game.

Born in the sunshine of Hawaii, Calaycay would play defense for Willamette University, in Salem, Oregon, in the mid-nineties, before moving to Austria to play for the Vikings between 1999 and 2001.

During his three-year spell on the Vikings roster, Calaycay would help himself to three, Austrian Bowl championships, they at the time known as the Chrysler Vikings, defeating Papa Joe’s Tyrolean Raiders (Raiders Tirol) in the first two, and Eco-Box Graz Giants (Graz Giants) the third.

A return stateside followed as Calaycay took up his first coaching post, at Willamette (2000-01), before going on to hold the same at UC Berkley (University of California, 2002-03), heading back to Vienna having served his ‘apprenticeship’ in his native America.

Once back in Austria, the Vikings’ rise under his guidance continued unbounded, championship after championship followed with eight Austrian Bowls adding to a successful outing in the then-fledgling, European League of Football (ELF).

For Calaycay, his success in magnificent Vienna solidified his stature as probably one of, if not the best, American Football coach on the European continent.

EuroBowl Success - Vikings the First Time Around

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Over the space of a decade, 2001—13, Vienna Vikings all but rule the roost in the European game, joined at the top table on occasion by country rivals, Raiders Tirol, who themselves were three-time Eurobowl winners and twice runners-up.

Victory for the Vikings, in the Eurobowl, arrived at the third time of asking, they losing out to two prides of lions in their first two showings, first being downed 28-11 by Italians, Bergamo Lions, in 2001, then a close affair, 21-14 to German side, Braunschweig Lions, two years later.

The Vikings though then went on to win four straight, avenging their loss to the Italians, twice, in successive years; at the first time of asking (2004) the Vikings saw off the challenge of Russian outfit, Moscow Patriots, 49-13 in the semis, before surpassing fifty in the final, seeing off Bergamo 53-20, then, twelve months on (2005), it was rivals Tyrolean Raiders who were beaten 49-21 in the semis, Bergamo again being brushed aside, 29-6, in the showpiece final.

Vikings running back, American Lance Gustafson, was back-to-back MVP, he having nailed three touchdowns, including 56-yard and 42-yard scores in 2004, whilst he added two more scores in ’05.

A third Eurobowl was added in ’06, Vikings defeating French side, La Courneuve Flash, 41-9 in the showpiece (Polish defenseman Michal ‘Mike’ Latek MVP), the French side had beaten Raiders Tirol 27-17 and Vikings seeing off Stockholm Mean Machines, 42-9 in the semis.

The Austrian powerhouses then created history, becoming not only the first to win four Eurobowls, but did it by winning four-in-a-row, smashing German side, Marburg Mercenaries, 70-19, in the showpiece (American running back, Josiah Cravalho MVP).

Raiders Tirol, who else, were to be the ones who ended Vienna Vikings’ Eurobowl dominance, defeating their rivals 28-24 in the 2008 final, before going back-to-back themselves a year later, defeating La Courneuve Flash 30-19; emulating Gustafson back-to-back MVPs was Tirol’s homegrown running back, Florian Grein, who spent near two decades with the Vikings rivals.

Three more Eurobowl finals were reached by the Vikings, they losing out in 2010 and 2012, to first, Germans Berlin Adler (31-34), then Swiss side, Calanda Broncos (14-27), before signing off the Eurobowl era, in Innsbruck (where else) with a 37-14 victory against (who else) Raiders Tirol.

Between 2014 and 2016 the Vikings also competed in the BIG6 European Football League, a period dominated by Germany, and the New Yorker Lions (Raiders Tirol were runners-up here in 2016).

Christoph Gross - A Quarterback For The Ages

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Born in Oberpullendorf, Austria, 2013 Eurobowl MVP, Christoph Gross, holds a special place in the hearts of Vikings fans; initially with the Mattersburg (Newtown) Dolphins, and Baden Bruins, where he played as a wide receiver, before moving to Vienna in 2006.

Initially he was employed as back-up quarterback for starter, Philipp Jobstmann, winning the Silverbowl with the Vikings Seconds, going on to cause seismic quake ructions in 2009 when he came on in both the semi-final, against Raiders Tirol, and final, against Graz Giants, helping his side overcome large deficits to lead them to victory.

It earned him the starting quarterback slot from 2010, as well as call-up for the Austrian national side, overall helping the Vikings win four Austrian Bowls, and a Eurobowl, before stepping away from the sport in 2014 to pursue his academic interests.

Over the ensuing years, and prior to his return a decade later, Gross has gone on to earn a qualification in Sports Equipment Technology and Health and Rehabilitation Technology, prior to gaining a PhD from the Medical University of Vienna.

In 2024, Gross rolled back the years, and gave Vikings faithful a feeling of nostalgia, when he joined quarterbacks Ben Holmes and Alex Resichel, on the roster, making a handful of appearances.

Europe's New Era (Twice)

Over the past few years, America’s Game across Europe has undergone several, transformations, and the Vikings are still dominating at the heart of it all.

Joining the then-fledgling, European League of Football (ELF) in 2022, the Vikings dominated as much as winning the Central Conference with a 10-2 record, before going on to claim the Championship, in their debut season, with a 27-15 success over Hamburg Sea Devils, Kimi  Linnainmaa taking home the MVP award.

During their four seasons in the ELF, the Vikings reached the playoffs on every occasion, winning their division in each year, making the Championship game again in both 2024 and 2025, losing to Rhein Fire (51-20) and Stuttgart Surge (24-17) respectively.

Both 2023 and 2024 saw Calaycay’s high-fliers put on undefeated, 12-0 regular seasons, their points scored increasing each season also; then came the split, in the last off-season, the Vikings joining the newly-formed American Football League of Europe.

Again, the Vikings have dominated on the field over the past four months or so, winning eleven of their twelve outings, wins that included putting 50+ points past London Warriors (62-10), Paris Lights (56-6), Firenze Red Lights 68-6 & 63-17), alongside a 71-34 success over the Warriors in their semi-final clash, setting up a Gold Bowl final against Panthers Wroclaw.

Over the last five seasons Vienna Vikings have posted an incredible winning record of 61-7 (two undefeated, regular seasons), with a points for-against record during this time of 2530-1207; this season, and with the Gold Bowl still to play, the Vikings have already registered 633-266 in the scoring columns, impressively surpassing previous season records.

Chris Calaycay’s Vienna Vikings oppose Dave Likins’ Panthers Wroclaw (Poland) in the showpiece American Football League of Europe (AFLE) Gold Bowl, this Sunday (6 September) at Schaunisland-Reisen-Arena, Duisburg, Germany.

PETER MANN

NFL ANALYST

PETER IS A LIFELONG SPORTS FAN, JOURNALIST AND AUTHOR BASED IN COUNTY DURHAM. HE HAS FOLLOWED THE NFL AND THE RAIDERS SINCE THE 1980s, AND LOVES BOTH SPORTS AND FAMILY HISTORY. PETER HAS A DEGREE IN SPORT & EXERCISE PSYCHOLOGY, AND CAN BE FOUND ON TWITTER @petermannwriter

 
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