Livescore

Wednesday, November 14, 2007

>New York's Finest

The NYPD Football Team--Champions On and Off the Field


By Anonymous



New York, NY July 1, 2004 -- Thirty two years ago NYPD officer Joe Loughran found himself engaged in a highly spirited discussion with FDNY member Pudgy Walsh at the Mariner’s Inn in Brooklyn. Joe had expressed the opinion that the police officers who played on the Brooklyn Mariner’s semi-professional football team were much better players than the fire department players. Pudgy did not agree. The debate led to the arrangement of a challenge match the following year at Brooklyn’s Midwood Field. The founding 35-member NYPD squad AKA The Finest practiced at Marine Park in Brooklyn. Players paid for their own uniforms and borrowed equipment from local colleges and the Brooklyn Mariners football team. The rest is history: The Finest’s record against the FDNY team is 18 wins, 9 losses.



What started as a bar room challenge in 1972 has evolved into one of the top semi-professional football teams in the country. Currently the New York Police Department football team holds four championship titles, has reigned undefeated for nearly four years, and holds numerous awards. Through the years they have competed in London, Miami, Palm Beach, Los Angeles, Las Vegas, Houston and next season Ireland.



Today, the team boasts a lineup of 85 players, 14 coaches, and 25 administrative staff members, and plays 5-6 games per season. The team consists of an ethnically diverse group of beat cops and detectives who, in their off-duty time, attend morning practices before heading out to their respective details. This camaraderie has not gone unnoticed. The Finest have been the subject of much media attention. Team members were featured in a fashion layout for "GQ" magazine, have appeared on Fox’s "Good Day New York", ESPN's "Cold Pizza", WB Morning Show, MTV Sports, interviewed on WFAN, ESPN Radio and COPNET radio and were the subjects of an NFL Films’ documentary entitled "NYPD Black and Blue" that aired on ESPN networks.



Unfortunately, the harsh realities of policing sometimes intrude upon the joy of the game and it is not unusual for the entire team to visit an injured officer in the hospital or face the prospect of losing a team member to violence. The indomitable family spirit that pervades the team buoys them through difficult times. The tragic events of September 11, 2001 found "The Finest" yet again rising to the occasion to serve. Fifteen team members were among the first units on the scene that day. Although many received injuries all team members survived; dug ‘round the clock at Ground Zero and have been working extensively on Homeland Security issues as well as day to day policing. When asked, all team members stated that they would not hesitate to run into harm's way again if lives depended upon them. According to team Assistant GM Detective Chris Stiansen, "Sometimes situations are bigger than one person and you have to respond, to help--it's what we do."



It is this selfless dedication that The Finest applies to help all those who are less fortunate. Through ticket sales from games, The Finest, which holds 501ฉ3 status, has generated $1 million to date for charities such as United Way, Miami Project to Cure Paralysis, Make A Wish Foundation, and PBA Widows and Children's Fund, to name a few. The team also hosts community youth groups by supplying free tickets to games, providing lunch, autographing photos, and interacting with children. The team also visits local hospital pediatric wards, delivering good cheer and autographed footballs--much to the delight of young patients. October 2001, at the invitation of the Walt Disney Corporation, the team conducted a football/stay-in-school clinic for 120 children-at-risk as part of "Disney's Global Celebration of Children." On June 19, 2002 the team was awarded the "Community Partner of the Year" award by the Walt Disney Corporations’ Disney VoluntEARS Program.



In 1996 The Finest joined the National Public Safety Football League (NPSFL), a public service agency made up of semi- professional teams around the country. The NPSFL aims to jointly promote a positive image of law enforcement to the public by raising funds for charities through competition. The members of the league’s 15 teams are all law enforcement, fire, and emergency service officers. The NPSFL is incorporated in New York State and holds 501ฉ3 status.



B-roll furnished upon request.



"The Finest" Facts

- Established: 1972

- League: National Public Safety Football League (NPSFL)

- Team Roster: 85

- Coaches: 14

- Administrative Staff: 25

- Home Uniform: Blue Jerseys, Gold Pants, Gold Helmet

- Away Uniform: White Jerseys, Gold Pants, Gold Helmet

- Practice Field: Sid Luckman Memorial Field, Brooklyn NY

- Practice Schedule: Tuesday and Thursday 10:00 AM-12:30 PM

- Home Field: St. John’s University/ Sid Luckman

- Uniform Sponsor: Champion Athletic Wear

- Broadcast Partner: RNN



Website: www.npsfl.com



Contact: Cindy Mercer

    
    
Dark Tower Public Relations

    
    
212-928-2463

    
    
Cindy@darktowerpr.com

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