In 1906 they captured the championship of the Süddeutschland Verband (South German League) by beating Karlsruher FV, one of the era's most prominent sides.

This put Pforzheim into the national playoff rounds where they defeated favoured side Cologne FC 99 4–2 in a quarter final match, before eliminating defending champions Berlin TuFC Union 4–0 in the semi-finals.

Pforzheim slipped to become a mid-table side until narrowly missing a chance to play in the playoff rounds of the Süddeutschland Verband in both 1913 and 1914: tied for first place, they finished second in both seasons on goal differential.

Oberliga Süd (II) playing there from 1950 to 1963, the year of the formation of the Bundesliga, Germany's first professional football league.

League re-organization then saw Pforzheim in the Regionalliga Süd (II) from 1963 until 1967 when a crash from 7th to 18th place led to the team being relegated.

Their best result in this period was a third-place finish in 1963, just two points shy of TSG Ulm 1846, and an advance to Oberliga Süd (I).

In 1967, Pforzheim fell to the third division Amateurliga Nordbaden and spent a dozen seasons there before slipping again in 1979 to fourth-tier play.