One special holiday tradition has been renewed as the Thanks 4 Giving holiday football game brought community camaraderie to St-Vincent St Mary's John Cistone Field.
Event organizer Jay Brophy Jr says the new holiday tradition brings people together to enjoy family and football.
"It's all about bringing back the community as well as giving these guys another chance to put the pads on and play football," he said.
"That's what this game is all about."
This is the second year SVSM has hosted the Thanks 4 Giving game, which attracted more than 2,000 fans last Thanksgiving.
This year's turnout was robust as well as the weather cooperated for football fans to see 90 of Summit County's best seniors take the field one last time.
Brophy, whose dad Jay Sr, played in the Thanksgiving Day game himself back in the day, knows the tradition of playing on Turkey Day is important in many families.
"This game was all about seeing guys that you grew up with, it's about tradition, and growing up and playing in this game," he explained.
"In my household the Turkey Day game was discussed more than national championships and Super Bowls," Brophy said with a laugh.
The origin of the game dates back to 1942, when the Akron City Series Championship game was played at the Rubber Bowl. Many large crowds came to the annual classic until it was stopped in 1990.
College Scouts from John Carroll, Ashland University, Baldwin Wallace and others came out to the game to check out the all-stars that were featured in the game.Brophy said that gave these youngsters the extra motivation to play hard.
"This game gave kids the chance to play in front of some college scouts and show what they could do in person," he says.
Proceeds from the game went to many charitable organizations including the Akron-Canton Regional Foodbank, as well as the Ronald McDonald House, who received a donation from the Joy Janay Brophy Fund. The Native American Indian Cultural Center also sponsored a canned food drive as well.
He (Brophy) says its been a rewarding experience for him to bring this tradition back to Akron.
"It's all about community, it's all about fun, and it's all about us," he said.
