American football has a long and successful history in Hamburg.

For several years the city of Hamburg worked hard to obtain an NFLE franchise and those efforts paid off on November 24, 2004.

With the media on hand at the Axel-Springer-Passage, the formation of the new Hamburg franchise was officially announced. The Hamburg Sea Devils were born.

As their first ever head coach the Sea Devils introduced Jack Bicknell, the most experienced coach in league history. Bicknell has been a member of the league since its inaugural season as the World League in 1991 and has won more games than any other coach in league history. Before joining the Sea Devils he coached the Barcelona Dragons, with whom he won the 1997 World Bowl, and the Scottish Claymores.

The Sea Devils' first season in NFL Europa was a successful one on and off the field. The club won five regular season games - the most first-year victories by any single expansion team in league history.

Hamburg's average attendance of 17,920 was the highest mark by a first-year franchise since the league's re-launch as an all-European affair in 1995.

The Sea Devils were nominated for Germany's prestigious Sports Marketing Award and placed third in the final rankings, ahead of blue-chip organizations such as Philips, Deutsche Bank and Continental.

After a slow start and being forced to endure winter conditions until the halfway mark of the season, the Sea Devils finished their second campaign in NFL Europa as the league's hottest team, winning the last three games in a row to finish the year with a 3-6-1 record.

On March 28, 2007, it was announced that head coach Jack Bicknell was stepping down, citing health issues. He was replaced by his longtime assistant, and offensive coordinator, Vince Martino.