Frankfurt Captures World Bowl

June 27, 1999 / 7:18 PM EDT / AP

Pat Barnes and Andy McCullough connected on three touchdown passes Sunday as the Frankfurt Galaxy beat the Barcelona Dragons 38-24 in the World Bowl.

Barnes, property of the Oakland Raiders, hit McCullough, the game's MVP, on scoring passes of 13, 37 and 7 yards as the Galaxy won NFL Europe's championship game for the second time.

Barcelona running back Lawrence Phillips, who played for Miami and St. Louis in his troubled NFL career, hobbled off the field with nine minutes left in the first half with an injured hamstring, and did not return.

Barnes alternated with Jake Delhomme of the New Orleans Saints at quarterback to riddle the Dragons secondary for 144 yards on 9-of-12 passing and two touchdowns in the second quarter alone.

Phillips left shortly after scoring the Dragons' first touchdown, a 4-yard run around right end. The former Nebraska star, who set the league rushing record with 1,021 yards and 14 touchdowns this season, finished with 40 yards on seven carries.

Barnes' last pass to McCullough came with 3:18 left in the game and killed the Dragons' hopes. Barcelona had fought back to 31-24 on Marrio Grier's 2-yard run with nine minutes to play.

The Dragons played catchup the entire contest, last tying the game at 17-17 with 10:10 to play in the third quarter as Todd Bouman hit former Villanova standout Brian Finneran from 5 yards.

But Delhomme, who played the first and third quarters, then led a 99-yard drive that took almost eight minutes as the Galaxy went up 24-17.

The Galaxy, which also won the World Bowl in 1995, was making their fourth appearance in the game in the past five years.

Attendance at the game was 39,000.