1991 was the first of 15 seasons for the World League of American Football. The league had ten teams. Three were based in Europe, and the other seven were based in North America. It was the NFL's effort to expose and export American Football to the rest of the World. The NFL would invest a lot of money into the league, and would actually lose about $30 million dollars per season. The three European teams:  the London Monarchs (9-1), Barcelona Dragons (8-2), and the Frankfurt Galaxy (7-3), dominated the league, and were the only teams with winning records. The Monarchs would win the European Division, while the New York/New Jersey Knights would take the North American East Division with a 5-5 record, winning by a tie breaker over the Orlando Thunder (5-5), and the Birmingham Fire would also take the North Amercian West Division with a 5-5 record over the San Antonio Riders (4-6). In the playoffs, the Barcelona Dragons would win a tight defensive battle over the Birmingham Fire 10-3, while the London Monarchs would have no trouble with the New York/New Jersey Knights 42-26, setting up the first World Bowl, which would take place on June 9, 1991 at London's Wembley Stadium. The Monarchs would win 21–0 in front of 61,108 fans. Barcelona started the game with excellent field position, as London wide receiver Dana Brinson fumbled the opening kick off, and the Dragons took over on the Monarchs 18-yard line. However, the Monarchs defense shut down the Dragons offense, and London recovered a muffed field goal attempt (the first of 6 Dragon turnovers on the day). The teams traded possessions, with London taking over just before the end of the first quarter. Monarchs quarterback Stan Gelbaugh, who had finished the season as the league's offensive MVP, hit Jon Horton with a 69-yard touchdown pass to give the Monarchs a 7–0 lead at the close of the 1st quarter. On the Dragons' next possession, quarterback Scott Erney was intercepted by Dan Crossman, who returned his second pick of the game for a touchdown. Crossman would add another interception later in the second quarter, setting up a 14-yard pass from Gelbaugh to Judd Garrett, giving London a 21-0 lead and all the offense it would need. The Monarchs' win turned out to be the only shutout in World Bowl history.  Judd Garrett finished the day with 13 receptions, a World Bowl record that would never be surpassed. Dan Crossman's 3 interceptions easily earned him the World Bowl MVP award, the only time a defensive player would be so honored.