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Turkey Bowl raises $26,000
December 4th, 2008 ·
By RICK NOLAND Assistant Sports Editor
MEDINA — The 19th annual Meadows Turkey Bowl raised the roof — and almost $26,000 for the local chapter of St. Vincent DePaul Charities.
Held in the backyard of Medina resident Mike Meadows, the annual Thanksgiving morning football game raised $25,926 — the previous record, set last year, was $16,000 — through the yeoman efforts of 46 participating players.
“This year, the MVP is a band of 46 brothers who went out and collected money,” Meadows said. “It’s amazing.”
Many of the invited participants — they like to joke that 40-plus now describes most of their ages and waistlines — have been playing in the game for years, which is what makes the event so special.
“We don’t get together on the Fourth of July; we don’t get together on Labor Day; we don’t get together on Christmas or birthdays,” Meadows said. “We have one thing in common — the Turkey Bowl.
“We used to just play football. Now, the game within the game is who can raise the most money.”
This year, the game attracted media attention from major Northeast Ohio newspapers and radio and television stations, with the Associated Press running a story that was picked up in Columbus and Toledo.
Buoyed by that publicity, Meadows is aiming to raise $35,000 for St. Vincent DePaul Charities in 2009, but he wants to do so without taking on a large corporate sponsor.
“We want to keep it a group of guys collecting large sums of money for a cause bigger than ourselves,” Meadows said. “We want to keep it a non-corporate, backyard football game.”
The players, some of whom are lifetime friends, are now extending their efforts way beyond the playing field. Not only do many contribute substantially, some are also contacting friends and area businesses for donations.
Teams are picked by four captains through a player auction held at Weymouth Country Club the night before the game. This year, Ron Sency went for a record $4,200. Meadows went for $4,100, with John Cassidy going for $3,600 and Tom Judson bringing in $1,000.
As for the Meadows Turkey Bowl itself, Erin Cureton’s squad defended its championship by beating a team captained by Terry and Tim Blascak in the title game.
Members of Cureton’s squad were MVP Mark Denison, Mr. Hustle winner Judson, Brian Coughlin, Bob Cureton, Don Herrmann, Matt Lanier, Brian Moran, Jimmy Pelz, Lance Price and Mike Priebe.
The Blascak brothers’ team consisted of Mr. Toughest recipient Lee Daubenspeck, Bill Biegel, Pat Gould, Al Melchiorre, John Scoarste, Sency, Jared Swank, Nate Tottan, Brad Williamson and Ken Wisniewski.
Third place in the four-team event went to Dave Stumpf’s team, which consisted of Paul Bilinovich, Scott Furlong, Tim Gerity, Ray Gigliotti, Matt Keiner, Dave Krause, Chad Larson, Bill Meadows, Mike Meadows, Jason Nemeth and Steve Robertson.
The fourth-place team was Bill Doraty’s squad, which consisted of Jeff Barnes, John Brooks, Cassidy, Mike Curnayn, Danny Harris, Dave Hire, Mike Hosey, P.J. King, Ken Walter and Joe Nemeth.
Steve Garcia, Norb Meadows and Alan Schafer were on hand to take pictures, while Dave Ciryak, Frank Ciryak, Frank Cureton Sr., Mike Eleo and Jim Stachowiak served as referees.
A children’s game was held the day after Thanksgiving, with Alex Furlong earning MVP, Bret Bartone capturing the Mr. Toughest award and Clayton Stumpf earning Mr. Hustle honors.
The event even includes a Meadows Turkey Bowl Hall of Fame. This year, Sency was presented for enshrinement by Walter, with Jason Nemeth presenting Doraty and Mike Meadows inducted through a video created by Garcia.
Finally, numerous families and area businesses donated money to St. Vincent DePaul Charities, which Mike Meadows emphasized was the real winner.
“One-hundred percent of the money goes to St. Vincent,” he said. “I can’t tell you how proud I am of all the people who took part.”
Noland may be reached at rickn@ohio.net or 330-721-4061.
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Friday, November 28, 2008 PHOTOGRAPHS BY LISA DEJONGTHE PLAIN DEALER What started 19 years ago with four guys, a hearty breakfast and a football game has blossomed into a powerhouse Thanksgiving Day event, raising money for the St. Vincent de Paul Society in Medina. The Turkey Bowl is still played in Mike Meadows' back yard, but it now involves about 100 people, sponsors, a team draft and members of a high school marching band (who playTo see more photos from the Medina Turkey Bowl At right Lee Daubenspeck, center, tries to avoid a tag by Mike Meadows, far right.
What started 19 years ago with four guys, a hearty breakfast and a football game has blossomed into a powerhouse Thanksgiving Day event, raising money for the St. Vincent de Paul Society in Medina. The Turkey Bowl is still played in Mike Meadows' back yard, but it now involves about 100 people, sponsors, a team draft and members of a high school marching band (who play "Hang on, Sloopy" during the game). When the Turkey Bowl started, Meadows and most of the players were in their 20s. Now, players must be over 40 and have a waist size over 40, too. In 2004, the Turkey Bowl raised $800. Two years later, it raised $8,000. And Thursday -- $25,256.
The sun was shining on Thanksgiving Day, but it was still chilly. Above, quarterback John Scoarste's breath shows how cold it was in a huddle during the 19th annual Medina Turkey Bowl. At right Lee Daubenspeck, center, tries to avoid a tag by Mike Meadows, far right.
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