karlsruhe struggled in the top flight, never managing better than a 13th-place finish over five seasons before finally being demoted to the second-division regionalliga süd. over the next three seasons, the team earned a first-place finish as well as two-second-place finishes there, but were unable to advance in the promotion rounds. after the 1974 formation of the 2. bundesliga, which consisted of two divisions at the time, ksc finished first in the 2. bundesliga süd and returned to the top flight for the 1975–76 season, but were able to stay up for only two years. they next returned to the first division in 1980 where they spent four seasons before being sent down again. after a two-year absence they fought their way back to the bundesliga in 1987 to begin an extended stay.