The Braunschweig New Yorker Lions have signed one of the leading quarterbacks in Europe, Brandon Connette, to run their offense for the 2019 season.
The Lions, winners of four of the last six German Bowl titles, were knocked out of the German Football League playoffs in 2018 in the semifinals by the Frankfurt Universe, failing to reach the final for the first time since 2013.
Connette led Finland’s Helsinki Roosters to their seventh consecutive Maple League title, and his second straight, beating the Kuopio Steelers 44-14. The 27 year old, 6’2″, 225 lb graduate of Duke University from Corona, California, threw for 2,861 and 43 touchdowns in 10 regular season games in 2018, despite only playing the first half of most games which were blowouts, and in 2017 also led the league with 2,675 yards passing and a league-leading 35 TDs. These performances followed a banner year in Germany in 2016 for Connette when, playing for the Dresden Monarchs, he threw for 4,747 yards and 68 touchdowns with a passing efficiency rating of 194.7, all three marks tops in the league.
He also guided Helsinki to a heart-stopping 41-37 win over the then Austrian champions, the Dacia Vienna Vikings. Connette led Helsinki to their sixth straight Finnish championship in 2017 and also the Northern European Football League title.
Connette:
“I am really excited and looking forward to the challenge of quarterbacking the New Yorker Lions. But I will I will miss the people from the Helsinki Roosters organization. They have made me apart of their family for the past 2 years and I can’t thank them enough.”
Check out Brandon Connette highlights from 2018
