Old friends hit the field for annual Turkey Bowl, carrying on 40-year Northport tradition

On the morning of November 28, nearly 30 players took part in a Thanksgiving Day ritual that has seen many of them through decades-long friendships, marriages, kids and all kinds of weather. It’s a tradition so firmly rooted that neither rain, sleet, snow or the passage of time can break it. 

This year’s annual “Northport Turkey Bowl” was played in a persistent rainstorm at the Brosnan building athletic field on Laurel Avenue in Northport Village – the same location at which the bowl began 40 years ago. 

The weather did not dampen the spirits of the participants, who ranged in age from 12 to 59.

The original Northport Turkey Bowl was played in 1984 by a group of college freshmen who had graduated from Northport High School earlier that year. Formally known as the “Pellas,” the teens met at the Brosnan building (Northport Junior High School back then) that Thanksgiving morning, setting into motion a tradition that many decades later would see them competing against their own children. 

Local residents and brothers Tom and Tim Fitzpatrick have been a part of the Turkey Bowl since its inception, with their younger brother Pete playing in many games as well. Over the years, the bowl has attracted a new generation of players, including Tom’s son Ryan and Tim’s twin sons Tim and Tom, as well as fellow first cousins Albie and Riley. 

Players come from a variety of athletic backgrounds (football, baseball, basketball and soccer), and include many former Northport varsity athletes. Tradition dictates that the Pledge of Allegiance be said before each game, and that the rules and format are explained before play begins. This year, to celebrate the game’s 40th anniversary, a spirited rendition of the National Anthem was sung by standout lineman “Matty O.C.”  

The match itself is usually a very close game, Tom Fitzpatrick told the Journal, with field goals and extra points included in the scoring. This year’s game was won 27-24 in overtime by the “younger generation,” snapping the “over-the-hill gang’s” three-game winning streak. Game MVP was former Northport varsity football standout Matt Lugo with Tim Fitzpatrick Jr. and Ryan Fitzpatrick contributing to the victory on offense.

Strong-spirited play was also exhibited by Jake “The Lindenhurst Flash” Albert and first-time player Danny DeMarco. The winning quarterback and captain was Richie Cimpric; Fitzpatrick Jr. hit the go-ahead field goal and Liam Sevey grabbed a crucial interception that ended the game with the new generation up by three. 

Leading the way in a valiant effort for the elder athletes were first-time players Darren DeMarco and Joe Sevey along with veterans Matt Lauria, Nick Costa, Brett Maier and Rob Tedesco.

“It could have gone either way, all the games, we’re not surprised they got us this year,” Fitzpatrick shared in his phone conversation with the Journal. In regards to the rain, “It felt like 40 years in one game,” he joked. Fitzpatrick has endured all kinds of weather for the Turkey Bowl, including a 1989 snowstorm that left seven inches of snow on the ground. 

While the day of the big event involves mostly playing, there is some planning that goes into upholding the tradition, from the game, to the crowning of an MVP, the game-winning trophy and the post-game celebration at Napper Tandy’s. “It takes a little bit of thinking and timing. But you know what, you do something right once and it becomes second nature,” Fitzpatrick said. 

Every year, the captain of the winning team receives the Rob Banzer Championship Trophy, an award named for the former superintendent of the Northport-East Northport school district who, in Turkey Bowl context, is also an original “Pellas” group member and was once captain of the Northport High School football team. Banzer went on to play football in college. “He’s done some remarkable things with his life,” Fitzpatrick said.

Most of the original 15-member Pellas group of friends, including Banzer, keep in touch to this day.

Also honored at each game is the late Dave Harper, a former Northport High School social studies teacher who taught at Northport Junior High School, where he was also a wrestling, track and football coach whose “greatest joy” was coaching the Northport Junior High School football team for 25 years. Harper passed away in 2021 at the age of 79. Every Turkey Bowl, the game’s MVP is awarded the Dave Harper Memorial Certificate, in memory of “a great guy, and fantastic educator and coach,” Fitzpatrick said. 

Fifteen years ago, at his 25th Turkey Bowl, “Fitz” said he hoped to one day make the bowl a game fathers and sons (and, with the rising popularity of girl’s flag football in high schools across Long Island, daughters too) could play together. “Lo and behold, we did accomplish that goal,” he said. “It’s special. My goal is that they continue the tradition and hopefully one day they’ll play with their sons – and daughters – too.” 

For more photos of the players through the years, visit the Northport Journal’s Instagram page.