The Pick Up Football Organization, better known as PUFO, is a football league that was founded in 1995 in Concord, New Hampshire. Mike Brodeur and Drew Guay have been at the helm of PUFO as co-commissioners since its inception in September of 1995. The league has undergone numerous changes over the last twenty years. The Early Years (1995-1997)
PUFO had humble beginnings when the league was form
ed in September of 1995. As we know, each elementary school in Concord feeds into Rundlett Junior High School (now known as Rundlett Middle School). Each elementary school had their different styles and players, but backyard and schoolyard football has always been a big part of American culture. Little did any of today's PUFO members know what was about to be born when they entered Rundlett in the fall of 1995...
Rundlett, as we also know, is broken down into clusters. Mike and Drew met and became friends in 7th grade as a part of cluster 7-1 (which was arguably the best cluster there was and has a strong representation in PUFO to this day). The league began mainly as an "after school" type league with casual and impromptu games being played after school right on the Rundlett grounds. In the very early years, it was usually only people from our cluster that played, as we did not all know each other at the time. Games were mostly played after school, but soon began to evolve into Saturday and Sunday games and the creation of "bowls" that were typically named for holidays (ex. Halloween Bowl, Veteran's Day Bowl, Turkey Bowl, Christmas Bowl, Holiday Bowl, New Years Bowl, etc). The season generally ran from the beginning of the school year in September to around March or so, when people had other commitments to tend to, such as baseball. A typical season could involve up to 30 games or so, which is grueling by today's standards. This game format continued into high school. One thing to note is that, per PUFO records, all games during the junior high years were played right at Rundlett. The CHS Years (1997-2001)
As we entered high school, the league began to grow in popularity. Not just by number of players, but also by exploring different venues, as one of PUFO's goals is/was to grow the game on a municipal level. By high school, we all pretty much knew everyone else that played. Similar to the RJHS years, the PUFO season generally followed the same format. One of the main differences of the high school years was that games were typically played on weekends, as opposed to to during the week after school. The season generally ran similar to what it did during the RJHS years, starting in September at the beginning of the school year, and running until March or so, when people had other commitments. As noted in the paragraph above, PUFO was beginning to soar in popularity and the league was growing by player volume. Though there were still a handful of games that were played at Rundlett, PUFO began to try out new venues in town. Such venues included:
Memorial Field
Main football field where CHS plays (1 game)
Dawg Pound
"PUFO Park" (abandoned fenced-in tennis courts, in between modern day tennis courts and football bleachers)
White Park ("Whites")
Pondside Park (Field right next to the pond, hence the title)
Outfield of main baseball field, where most of today's games are played
The CHS years featured some classic games, such as "The Clash with the Trash" and the 2000 Veteran's Day Bowl (aka Sweatpantgate), where M. Durso did not want his brand new sweatpants to be cut up by paramedics, due to the "contusion" he suffered...
Though the league was flourishing at this point, PUFO knew it was headed towards a new era when we graduated high school in 2001...
The Post-High School Years and Resurgence of the Turkey Bowl(2001-2005)
When, most of the league members, graduated from CHS in June of 2001, Mike and Drew were aware that the PUFO was at a crossroads. The league was in great shape, having just successfully completed its 6th season after the 2000-01 PUFO season. However, we were now out of high school and people were now doing all different things. Some went to college in various locations, some joined the work force, some entered the military, etc. It was no longer realistic or feasible to be able to play every weekend with people being in all different locations. But Mike and Drew did not just want to let the PUFO fold after 6 seasons just because of this. What did become evident was that most, if not all, of the league members (regardless of where they were living) were typically in Concord, or in the Concord area, around Thanksgiving break. The Turkey Bowl was played every year at this point since the league began in 1995, however it was never really THE game. We realized that we most likely would be converting to a "one game season", and the Turkey Bowl would become the marquee game, because we knew it would get the highest attendance of players than any other game because this was when most people would be around.
2001 is really when the Turkey Bowl took off and became as popular as it is today. Though there were a handful of non-Turkey Bowl PUFO games in the early 2000's (the game in early 2004 at Whites with frigid temperatures comes to mind), the Turkey Bowl has essentially been the only game on the schedule since then. With the exception of the 2008 and 2014 Turkey Bowls (which were played at Rundlett), every Turkey Bowl since 2001 has been played at Whites. PUFO and the Turkey Bowl Today (2005- present)
Now that the Turkey Bowl is the only game on the schedule, it gives everyone a chance to gear up for the one game on the calendar. From 1995 until 2004, the Turkey Bowl typically was played the day after Thanksgiving on most years but, beginning in 2005, it has been played on the Saturday after Thanksgiving. The Turkey Bowl has come a long way since the first one in 1995. Fan attendance has risen and profits have soared and the game has grown. There have been numerous classic Turkey Bowl moments and important moments in Turkey Bowl history. Some examples:
Turkey Bowl VIII (2002)- The final game to be played at Pondside Park. This was also one of the few Turkey Bowls where there was snow on the ground and this game is also remembered as having the orange spray paint to form lines on the field. This game also featured the debut of Jay McKeen and ignited the "Cleatgate" saga, which has since been resolved and players are now allowed to wear cleats. Turkey Bowl XIV (2008)- Due to renovations at PUFO's flagship field (Whites), this game was moved to Rundlett for the first time since at least 2001. Turkey Bowl XV (2009)- Jason "Jay Dawg" Arsenault completed the first ever broadcast of a Turkey Bowl (video editing credit: Pat Glennon). Turkey Bowl XVIII (2012)- PUFO strikes a deal with major market newspaper The Concord Monitor to cover the game. This put a lot of pressure on Fastenal to step up their sponsoring efforts...
Turkey Bowl XIX (2013)- This was the first year that the blue and white jerseys were introduced. Turkey Bowl XX (2014)-PUFO celebrates its 20th Turkey Bowl! This game was played at Rundlett to commemorate this monumental accomplishment and bring the game back to where it began. This was the first Turkey Bowl at Rundlett since 2008 and also the first Turkey Bowl with snow present on the ground since 2002. Traditions
The Turkey Bowl in and of itself is a great tradition. But there are also some traditions on game day, and in the days leading up to it, that are noteworthy as well. Forecast Day- 10 days prior to the game, the 10 day "Game Day" forecast is available
Picking teams before the game "schoolyard" style (though talks of a night-before draft are in the works)
Post-game announcement by Drew the date of the following year's game
Post-game photos on stone wall at Whites (or alongside fence/bench if game is at Rundlett)
5th Quarter- No explanation necessary...
***
Though there will always be arguments in the offseason and during the game about whether we should play tackle or flag, or what the rush count should be and so forth, one constant is there every year: A group of old friends gathering every year on the Saturday after Thanksgiving to play football, re-connect with old friends, and to actively participate in 5th Quarter! And as the PUFO's motto states...
"Concussions come and go, traditions never die!"- PUFO
