Family members and coworkers cheered as police officers and firefighters laced up their cleats at Daffin Park on Saturday afternoon for the second annual Turkey Bowl — a day of agency rivalry, flag football and fun.
And although the Savannah-Chatham police department earned another year of bragging rights by beating the Savannah Professional Firefighters Association 32-26 — the police department’s second victory in a row — both sides were happy to take part to help support the United Way of Coastal Empire.
The event started as an opportunity to raise money for the community while providing some outdoor activity for the city’s public safety officers, said APO Odarie Gibbs, Turkey Bowl organizer.
“The idea for the event came to me as we wanted to do something for the guys and have some fun,” Gibbs said. “It’s all about bringing the community together. Everything was volunteer. The referees volunteered. The field was donated. The whole city came together.”
The police department has collected more than $25,000 this year for United Way through various department activities. The police department’s Savannah Impact Program (SIP) office, located at 1700 Drayton St., will accept monetary donations for United Way until Nov. 30.
Among the fans on the sideline was Lindsey Talley, a Garden City police officer, who cheered on her husband, Chris, and the police officers.
“My husband played last year,” Talley said. “He likes sports, so he was excited for today. It’s good to see the public safety agencies bonding.”
The two agencies shook hands after the rivalry game and then competed for another kind of bragging rights: Which agency can eat the most wings?
This time, the firefighters emerged triumphant as Paul Gablemann of Savannah Fire bested Charley Puente of the Savannah-Chatham police by devouring more wings in two minutes. The contest was sponsored by 520 Wings.