Regionalliga Süd (1963–1974)
The Regionalliga Süd was the second-highest level of the German football league system. It existed in the south of Germany from 1963 until the formation of the 2. Bundesliga in 1974. It covered the three states of Bavaria, Baden-Württemberg and Hessen. Overview. The league started out in 1963 with 20 clubs which were reduced for the next season to 19. From 1965 to 1974, there were always 18 teams in the league, except in 1972 when another season of 19 clubs was played. It was formed from the eleven clubs of the Oberliga Süd which  did not get admitted to the new Bundesliga and from the top nine clubs of the 2. Oberliga Süd. The Regionalliga Süd was as such a continuation of the Oberliga Süd under a different name and a tier lower. Along with the Regionalliga Süd went another four Regionalligas, these five formed the second tier of German football until 1974: The new Regionalligas were formed along the borders of the old post-World War II Oberligas, not after a balanced regional system. Therefore, the Oberligas Berlin and West covered small but populous areas while Nord and Süd covered large areas. Südwest  was something of an anachronism, neither large nor populous. The league contained some big names of German Football, having the FC Bayern Munich, Kickers Offenbach and SpVgg Fürth as its founder members. In later years, clubs like TSV 1860 Munich, 1. 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. The FC Schweinfurt 05, SpVgg Fürth, Stuttgarter Kickers, KSV Hessen Kassel, Freiburger FC and FC Bayern Hof all played in the league for the duration of its 11-season existence. Of those six, the Stuttgarter Kickers had the longest unbroken run in the second division, from 1960 to 1988, 28 seasons. The winners and runners-up of this league were admitted to the promotion play-off to the Bundesliga, which was staged in two groups of originally four, later five teams each with the winner of each group going up. The bottom three, some years four teams  were relegated to the Amateurligas. Below the Regionalliga Süd were the following Amateurligas: Disbanding of the Regionalliga Süd. The league was dissolved in 1974. According to their performance of the last couple of seasons, 13 clubs of the Regionalliga went to the new 2. Bundesliga Süd. The five remaining clubs were relegated to the Amateurligas. The teams admitted to the 2. Bundesliga Süd were: The following teams were relegated to the Amateurligas: Qualifying to the 2. Bundesliga. From the Regionalliga Süd, 13 clubs qualified for the new 2. Bundesliga Süd, together with seven teams from the Südwest region. The qualifying  modus saw the last five seasons counted, whereby the last placed team in each season received one point, the second-last two points and so on. For a Bundesliga season within this five-year period, a club received 25 points, for an Amateurliga season none. For the seasons 1969–70 and 70–71, the received points counted single, for the 71–72 and 72–73 season double and for the 73–74 season three times. To be considered in the points table for the new league, a club had to play either in the Regionalliga Süd in 1973–74 or to have been relegated from the  Bundesliga to it for the next season, something which did not apply to the league that year. The bottom three clubs in the league, nominally the relegated teams in a normal season, were barred from entry to the 2. Bundesliga, regardless of where they stood in the points ranking. 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". Points table: Re-formation of the Regionalliga Süd. The Regionalliga Süd was reformed in 1994, now as the  third tier of the German football league system, again covering the three southern German states of Bayern, Baden-Württemberg and Hessen. In something of a repeat of history, the clubs from the Oberliga Südwest merged into the league in 2000. The Regionalliga Süd now roughly covered the same area as the 2nd Bundesliga Süd did from 1974 to 1981. 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. Liga. Winners and runners-up of the Regionalliga Süd. The winners and runners–up of the league were: Placings in the Regionalliga Süd 1963 to 1974. The league placings from 1963 to 1974: Top scorers. The league's top scorers: Records. The league records: All-time table. The best and worst teams in the all-time table of the league from 1963 to 1974: