The Cologne Crocodiles have announced that they have hired Martin Hanselmann as their head coach ahead of the 2023 German Football League season.
After parting ways with head coach David Odenthal on March 18th, the team rapidly moved to select Hanselmann as the man they wanted to lead their team.
The 59 year old Hanselmann’s most recent coaching job was the head coaching position of the Stuttgart Surge in the European League of Football. After a 2-8 season in the league’s inaugural year in 2021, he was brought back for a second year with the team but resigned in July after a winless start.
After a playing career that lasted from 1982-1993 with the Rothenburg Knights, Hanselmann quickly moved into coaching. He stayed with the Knights organization until 2004. He took over the head coaching job of the Dusseldorf Panther in 2007, staying there until 2011, when he moved to the Nuremberg Rams. After two years with the Rams, he had a pair of three-year stints with the Cologne Falcons and the Wurzburg Panthers. In 2019 he joined the Stuttgart Scorpions and would stay there until the arrival of the Stuttgart Surge in the same city. He was also German national coach from 2000 to 2006, during which time he guided Germany to the European title in 2001 and won the 2005 World Games, which earned him the title of “Coach of the Year”. He is also head of the Bavarian State American Football Association.
Hanselmann said of the announcement:
“I am very pleased to be given the opportunity to successfully lead one of the most traditional teams in the GFL into the future. Even if this season will be a challenge, I am firmly convinced that with this great team we can achieve a good result.”
After a 7-3 season last year, the Crocodiles are looking to have another strong campaign. They are looking to Hanselmann’s experienced leadership to guide them in the right direction in 2023. Their season kicks off on May 20th against the Straubing Spiders.