The city of Cologne worked hard for several years in order to obtain an NFL Europe League team and that dream was realized on December 19, 2003.

With media from Germany and across Europe on hand at the Roman-Germanic Museum, NFL Commissioner Paul Tagliabue officially announced the formation of the Cologne Centurions. The introduction took place in front of the impressive historical backdrop of the museum.

Peter Vaas was the first head coach of the Centurions after moving over from the Berlin Thunder, where he became the only coach in NFL Europe League history to successfully defend the World Bowl, winning titles in 2001 and 2002.

In their first season in NFL Europe under Vaas' guidance, the Centurions won four games to finish fourth in the final standings.

The highlight of the Centurions' first season came in Week 8 when a record 20,354 fans saw Cologne defeat their rivals, the Rhein Fire, 7-6 in the RheinEnergieStadion.

In 2005, the Centurions won six games, finished third in the final standings and only missed out on a berth in World Bowl due to tiebreakers. The club also set a new attendance record when 32,521 fans packed into the RheinEnergieStadion to see Cologne take on the Rhein Fire in Week 9.

Vaas moved on to a coaching job at Notre Dame at the conclusion of the 2005 campaign and former Amsterdam Admirals defensive coordinator Darryl Sims was unveiled as the second head coach in Centurions history on November 2, 2006. However, he took a coaching job with the Oakland Raiders on the eve of the 2006 campaign. Defensive coordinator David Duggan was appointed head coach and led the Centurions to four regular season victories.