The clock stood at 00:00. The game was over. The crowd was shuffling out. The grass was shredded, some blades sprinkled with the blood and sweat of the players. New York’s Bravest and New York’s Finest had battled it out, hit and tackled and fought.
The FDNY gridders clinched a 24–21 comeback victory over their NYPD counterparts in the 45th Annual Fun City Bowl at MCU Park on June 3, but even as the chants of “F-D-N-Y!” filled the post-game air, the two teams quietly took to the 50-yard line. They lined up, face to face, and shook their brothers’ hands. Both teams then knelt shoulder-to-shoulder, knee-to-knee, and prayed. It was a prayer for men who risk their lives nearly every day, but spent this night playing a game, putting on a show for their families and friends.
“It was exciting,” said Bob Clark, father of FDNY starting defensive back Thomas Clark. “I’m very proud, very proud.”
The two teams played for the right to move on to the National Public Service Football League Championship, but this game was also about pride, and bragging rights.
Down 14-points, with less than a quarter and a half left to play, it seemed that the FDNY would come out on the losing end. But the Bravest squad refused to back down, and with less than 20 minutes on the clock, the team’s defense held, and its offense came alive.
Actually, the game had begun on a high note for the FDNY, as the NYPD squad committed the first of many special teams miscues.
With just over six minutes remaining in the first period, an NYPD kick returner failed to call for a fair catch, muffing a punt and giving the FDNY the ball at the 10-yard line. The Bravest scored just three plays later, jumping out to an early lead.
The NYPD squad responded by moving efficiently down the field after starting at its 38-yard line. But then Detective Chris Feely fumbled just a few yards outside the end zone, and while the FDNY team could not take advantage of the turnover, it was a sign of miscues to come.
The NYPD took over the game in the second, period, jumping out to a 21-7 lead on the strength of three touchdown runs by NYPD Officer Enoch Thompson. But that’s as much as the Finest would get.
Staring at a two-touchdown deficit, and having thrown a pair of interceptions, FDNY quarterback Ryan Davan guided his team 70 yards down the field, consistently avading near sacks. FDNY running back Mike Seluzitsky capped the drive with a one-yard touchdown dive up the middle with less than five minutes left in the third quarter.
After four drives that went nowhere, including a third interception for Davan, the FDNY punted again, but for the third time in the evening, the NYPD returner muffed the punt. The Bravest recovered the ball, and Davan threw a 42-yard scoring strike that tied the game.
The Finest went nowhere on its next two drives, and punted back the Bravest with four minutes left in the game. The FDNY milked the clock as it marched toward the end zone. The Finest defense held, but with 1:59 left on the clock, the Bravest connected on a chip-shot field goal for its first lead of the game. With a minute and a half left, the NYPD turned the ball over on downs, and the FDNY knelt away the victory. It was a tough loss for the NYPD, but fans of both sides enjoyed the game.
“It was exciting,” said Dawn Siragusa, whose son, Anthony Siragusa, played defensive back for the NYPD.
The Bravest will move on to the championship game — location and time to be announced — but players on both teams moved back to their day jobs: looking out for their fellow New Yorkers. Some played heroes on the field that day; all returned to being real-life heroes the following morning.
