RAIDERS BID FAREWELL TO HEAD COACH
Head coach Jim Herrmann is leaving the Raiders Tirol after two years in charge of the European League of Football team.
Just a matter of weeks after the Raiders’ Austrian League team waved goodbye to Dominik Bauer — who will remain as head of the club’s U18 squad — Herrmann has taken the decision to step down from the ELF operation, having initially taken charge in October 2023 and contributed his extensive NFL experience to the team’s development.
“At the end of the 2025 season, my second season in Innsbruck, I decided it was time to step back from coaching in the European League of Football and with the Raiders Tirol,” Herrmann explained. “When I came to Innsbruck two years ago, my goal was to advance football in Europe. With the great team I’ve been able to assemble here, we’ve certainly achieved that. I would like to thank everyone involved, especially the players, for their hard work and dedication. The Raiders Tirol are one of the best franchises in Europe, and I’m very grateful to have been a part of it for the past two years.”
Before joining the Raiders, Herrmann worked as a linebacker coach for the New York Jets, the New York Giants — with whom he won a Super Bowl — and the Indianapolis Colts, and both the Tirol players and club as a whole have benefited from this expertise.
“We would like to thank Jim for his work and commitment over the past few years,” football GM Ulz Däuber said. “He led our team professionally and provided important impetus with his extensive experience thanking him for his cooperation.
“We are currently in the exploratory phase and in discussions with potential successors. We will provide information as soon as a new head coach is confirmed.”
Herrmann’s final game as head coach of the Raiders produced a decisive victory for the Tyroleans, as they overcame an over-matched Cologne Centurions side by 63-6.
The first quarter relied heavily on the run game, with Lukas Haslwanter practically storming down the field single-handedly and opening the scoring after just a handful of plays. A short time later, defensive back Mato Beglarian intercepted Cologne quarterback Norman Douglas Jr, putting the Raiders in excellent field position and Haslwanter needed just two plays to score again.
The Tyroleans didn’t allow anything defensively and, after a very weak Centurions punt, it took only four runs for Haslwanter to complete his hat-trick midway through the first quarter. As if that weren’t enough, the 24-year-old added a fourth touchdown with just under three minutes left in the first period, before defensive back Aaron Maddox returned a Cologne fumble to the end zone to leave the home side 35-0 to the good as the sides changed ends.
Immediately after the turnaround, receiver JaCorey Sullivan increased the lead to 42-0, before Cologne finally picked up their first first down of the game on a 20-yard pass from Douglas to receiver Richard Agyekum. Toni Hild then distinguished himself as a receiver, adding another first down as the Centurions moved into the Raiders’ half before capping the drive with a 26-yard touchdown for the visitors, who had ensured the game went ahead by travelling to Austria in their own cars after the club’s financial woes deepened.
Haslwanter’s highlights continued before the half, as he not only passed 1,000 yards for the season, but also added a fifth score, as kicker Sandro Egger maintained his 100 percent record on conversions. Two further touchdowns followed to cap off Herrmann’s farewell, with Jan Wiesauer and fellow running back Tyrrell Bovelle making the final score 63-6 as the Tivoli stadium brought down the curtain on another ELF campaign.