In this era it qualified for the play-offs on thirteen occasions, winning the southern division of the league in 1995 and 1997.

[1] The Hawks joint the American football Bundesliga in 1980, the second year of the league's existence and played at this level for the next three seasons.

It finished runners-up in its division in 1981 and 1982 behind the Ansbach Grizzlies and qualified for the play-off semi-finals where it was knocked out by the Frankfurter Löwen in 1981 and the Cologne Crocodiles in 1982.

In 1985 it made another semi-final appearance, this time going out to the Düsseldorf Panther, in the seasons after the club exited the play-offs in the earlier rounds.

The Hornets spend one more season in the Bundesliga, after which they were relegated, unable to return to this level again.