ELF CHAMPION HENNESSEY CALLS TIME ON CAREER
He hinted at it immediately after the on-field celebrations had ended at the MHP Arena a month ago but, after more than 20 years in the game, quarterback Reilly Hennessey has confirmed that the time has come to finally hang up his helmet and pads.
The American’s decision to end his active career comes at the perfect juncture, at the end of a 2025 season capped by becoming a European League of Football champion and a defining figure within the Stuttgart Surge. Since arriving in town in 2023, Hennessey has been the lynchpin of the Swabians’ sporting resurgence and, together with head coach Jordan Neuman — with whom he had already achieved great success at the Schwäbisch Hall Unicorns — he laid the foundation for one of the most impressive success stories of recent years as he led the Surge from an 0–12 record in 2022 to the 2023 championship game. Despite a hand injury, Hennessey accumulated over 2,700 passing yards and 25 touchdowns in ten games before Stuttgart suffered a narrow defeat by the Rhein Fire in the championship game.
Hennessey continued his strong performance into 2024 where, in 13 games, he
threw 37 touchdown passes, scored 10 rushing touchdowns and had only seven interceptions. Under his leadership, the Surge returned to the ELF semi-finals, where they were again defeated by the eventual champion Fire.
The big goal was achieved this year, however, as Hennessey led the Surge to their first ELF championship. With 27 passing touchdowns, nine rushing touchdowns and only eight interceptions, he was once again the heart of the offense and, in the championship game, capped off his career with a dominant performance in front of his home crowd.
“Reilly has been one of the key foundational pieces we have built our programme around since our coaching staff arrived here in 2022,” head coach Neuman noted. “From both a professional and personal level, Reilly will be missed, not just for what he did for the Surge on the football field but because of who he was off of it as well. Reilly has set the standard of what it means to be a QB and a leader. He will go down as one of the greatest QBs to ever play in Europe and his impact on the Surge will never be forgotten.”
Winning the 2025 ELF Championship allowed Hennessey to put the finishing touch on an extraordinary career. Following success in Italy — where he won the national championship with the Parma Panthers and the European championship with the Italian national team in 2021 — and Germany, where he won the GFL title and was named German Bowl MVP with the Schwäbisch Hall Unicorns in 2022, he is leaving Europe as a multiple champion and one of the most successful quarterbacks of his era.
“I am incredibly grateful for my time here — for my team-mates, coaches, fans, and the entire organisation,” Hennessey said. “Stuttgart has become a second home to me. Now it’s time to take the next step.”