The Regionalliga Süd was the second-highest level of the German football league system.

The league contained some big names of German Football, having the FC Bayern Munich, Kickers Offenbach and SpVgg Fürth as its founder members.

FC Nürnberg and Karlsruher SC found themselves relegated to the league.

The league posed something of a death trap for the big names of southern German football, as only the FC Bayern Munich and Kickers Offenbach achieved promotion from it.

Kickers Offenbach also managed to win the German Cup in 1970, while still a Regionalliga side, the only club to do so.

Of those six, the Stuttgarter Kickers had the longest unbroken run in the second division, from 1960 to 1988, 28 seasons.

The bottom three clubs in the league, nominally the relegated teams in a normal season, were barred from entry to the 2.

This fact saved the FC Augsburg, the last league champion, from relegation, as Hessen Kassel, placed ninth overall but having finished 16th in 1973–74 was barred from promotion, opening the way for FCA.

In 2008, the Südwest clubs will leave the league again and join the new Regionalliga West and the Regionalliga Süd will revert to its coverage of the three original regions, but now as the fourth tier of the league system, below the new 3.