2012 Initial Team Meeting

The Bravest Football Club will be having our beginning of season meeting. New players and returning players are encouraged to attend. All players must be FDNY Firefighters or EMS in order to play. New head coach John Rosati would like to see a good turnout so he has an idea for his numbers this coming season. Only one team has won back to back National Championships...let's be the next!!!

Tuesday, February 7th

7:00 pm

Randall's Island - FDNY Academy Auditorium

 

Alumni Reunion - 40 YEARS!!!

Sunday, March 4th - 1:00

Suspenders Bar/Restaurant

(111 Broadway, NY, NY - between Thames and Rector)

$100.00

4 hr. Open Bar /Buffet /souvenirs/plaques presented

Send checkes to:

BRAVEST FOOTBALL ALUMNI ASSOC.

P.O. BOX 255

EAST ROCKAWAY, N.Y. 11518

or contact Mike Hyland at fdnyfootball72@msn.com

All former and current members of the Bravest Football Club are encouraged to attend to help celebrate our 40th Anniversary !

 

 

Fun City Bowl & National Championship

Video Highlights - CLICK HERE

Special thanks to Artie Sartor for putting this together.

 

Saturday, June 25th - vs LAPD Centurions

2011 NPSFL Championship

UNDEFEATED - NATIONAL CHAMPIONS!

             How does that sound?

      We did it! Dan Sullivan, the game MVP out of Levittown Truck 116, set the pace when he intecepted the opening pass from the LAPD Centurion's Dan Fernandez. He only ran for a couple yards, but the Bravest scored on a George Oostmeijer 27 yard field goal to open up the scoring.

    The Centurions took the lead in the 2nd quarter, but the Bravest were right back on top when kicker Oostmeijer ran a fake field goal into the endzone to put the Bravest up 9 -7 at half time.

     That was the closest LAPD would come as MVP Sullivan had another pick and took it TO THE HOUSE!!! Ryan Davan closed out the scoring for the Bravest before the Centurions tried to make a game of it.

    Names heard many times through the course of the game...Receiver, George Zoldak. Running back and team captain Paul Neuman carried the ball A - LOT!!! On the defensive side, TC Halloran, and Alex Sayers, although I hate to mention both in the same sentence...it needs to be done!

    Congratulations to all the Bravest members, especially Head Coach Mike Stackpole!!! You will be missed!!! It was totally a team effort. Thank you to all our fans, we'd be no where without you!!!

 

$10,000 Raffle

Congratulations to ticket # 158. The bad news, the winners were three girls from the LAPD Centurions...The Good News, it's the ONLY THING THEY WON!!!

    

 

Sunday, June 5th - NYPD Finest

39th Annual Fun City Bowl

     Bravest to 2011 National Championship

     It wasn't pretty, but the FDNY Bravest beat the NYPD Finest 3 - 0 and will be facing the Los Angeles Police Department in the 2011 National Public Safety Football League Championship game on June 25th, right here in NYC! Playing for the honor of the 22 guys who were lost 10 seasons ago, the Bravest left it all on the field.

    The King's of football bragging rights for the next year, the FDNY were able to shut out the Finest for only the second time in the 39 year rivalry between the two teams. Coach John Rosati's defense came up big whenever they needed. It would be wrong to acknowledge two or three defensive plays or players, when so many players were involved in every play. The defensive line stood up ball carriers long enough to get help from the secondary quite often, keeping the Finest backs from breaking the big play they needed so desperately. And the Bravest backs played so well, the Finest couldn't go to the air for that big play either.

   But, it was kicker George Oostmeijer who was the deciding factor in this game, booting a 25 yarder through the uprights just before the end of the first half. The NYPD almost tied it up early in the third quarter, but Finest kicker Patty Donahue was wide left from 30 yards out.

    Everyone was a big piece of this Bravest victory and will be needed to win the National Championship over the LAPD Centurions on June 25th.

 

Saturday, May 21st - Orlando Guardians

     The Orlando Guardians came into town and ran into a very strong FDNY Football Team. The Bravest were able to move the ball and really get ready for the June 5th showdown with the NYPD Finest. The winner of the 39th Annual Fun City Bowl will host the 2011 National Public Safety Football League Champoionship Game, here in NYC.

     The Bravest received the opening kickoff and quarterback Joe Monferrato (L-166) marched them down the field. Big runs by Paul Neuman (L-28) and catches by a number of FDNY receivers set up a 41 yard touchdown pass from Monferrato to Brian Vomero (E-247). George Oostmeijer followed up with the extra point.

     Shortly thereafter, Monferrato found Vomero wide open again from 18 yards away, but Anthony Abbatemarco (E-80) got in the way and caught the touchdown. Oostmeijer was good for the extra point to make it a 14-0 Bravest lead going into the second quarter.

     Ryan Davan came on at quarterback to start the second quarter and picked up where Monferrato left off, finding Joe Columbia (E-163) for a 28 yard touchdown pass.Oostmeiher made it 21 - 0. Davan then found Danny Gualtier (L-159) for a 43 yard catch and run touchdown which ate up most of the clock. A bad snap on the extra point made the score 27 - 0 FDNY. Abad snap throught the endzone by Orlando gave the Bravest a safety and a 29 - 0 lead. A short while later Oostmeijer connected for a 32 yard field goal to give the Bravest a 32 - 0 lead going into the half.

     The second half saw all the faces of the Bravest team getting into the game and Head Coach Mike Stackpole (L-133) heading into the annual game vs the NYPD with some nice momentum. We hope to see you at the 39th Annual Fun City Bowl on June 5th. 2:00 kickoff...

 

Saturday, April 30th - Phoenix Thunder

Phoenix, Arizona

     WOW!!! That about sums up another fantastic game between the FDNY and the Phoenix Thunder. The Thunder held the Bravest to zero points for the first three quarters, but not the fourth. Down 9 - 0 at the half, the FDNY allowed no points in the second half, and scored as much as needed to seal the victory 10-9. John Walsh kicked a 24 yard field goal early in the fourth quarter to get the Bravest on the board, 9-3. Joe Monferrato then found Brian Vomero in the endzone with 3:11 to play and tie the game. Walsh added the extra point to put the FDNY ahead.

   Then it got really exciting. An out of boundes kickoff gave the Thunder the ball at their own 40. Some passes and a penalty soon had the Phoenix team at the FDNY 1 yard line with 44 seconds to go. But the stingy, aggressive, never say die FDNY defense was able to strip the ball and recover the fumble, sealing the victory!!! WOW!!!

Saturday, April 16th - Brooklyn Mariners

Danny Suhr Bowl

King's Bay Field - Avenue Y and Coyle Street, Brooklyn, NY

     Ryan Davan found George Zoldak for a 36-yard catch and run in the first quarter.Paul Neuman ran into the endzone from 9 yards out, and George Oostmeijer connected for the extra point. It was cold, windy, colder, and rainy. That's all that happened...

     Oh, wait, the Bravest defense was very stingy, giving up only a field goal. Darshone Bethea had a very good game with a big sack and a fumble recovery. The FDNY Bravest won 7 - 3.

    Even though the weather was miserable, a great time was had by all raising money for the Danny Suhr Scholarship Fund. The FDNY next play in Phoenix, Arizona against the very tough Phoenix Thunder. Always a great game, it will prove to be the Bravest' toughest match thus far.

 

Saturday, April 9th - @ DSNY Strongest

Bayside High School

32nd Ave. & Clearview Expwy. Service Rd. Flushing, NY

     The FDNY started their 2011 National Public Safety Football League season with a convincing 31-6 victory over the DSNY Strongest. On their second posession Joe Monferrato(L-166) found Anthony Abbatemarco(E-80) in the endzone with a 10 yard pass to go up 7 - 0 after a George Oostmeijer extra point.

     The scoring continued in the second quarter when Ryan Davan found Brian Vomero(E-247) for a 29 yard hookup. Oostmeijer was solid once again, making the score 14 - 0 with a minute to go in the half. After some Sanitation miscues and a well managed clock, the Bravest were able to get the ball back and give Oostmeijer the chance at a 35 yard field goal attempt. Kicking into the wind...it was GOOD!!! 17 - 0 Bravest lead at halftime.

     Monferrato opened the third quarter by leading the BFC down the field and finding first year playerGeorge Zoldak(L-77) from 28 yards out. It took a lot of concentration on the rookie's part, but he was able to keep one foot in as he caught the ball over his shoulder on his way into the endzone and out of bounds. Oostmeijer was true to form on his extra points, and the Bravest went up 24 - 0

   In the fourth quarter, Davan came back on and found Abbatemarco from 20 yards out to cap the Bravest scoring. Oostmeijer nailed another extra point and the FDNY were up 31 - 0. Sanitation got on the board with just under four minutes to go in the game, but by then it was too late. The Bravest ran out the clock and were victorious in their first league game of the season.

     The defense, hardly ever quiet, made some noise in the way of a key strip by Rich Santana(L-1) that caused a fumble recovered by TC Halloran(L-144). Great defense was shown by Matt Quinn(L-105), several key hits and knockdowns, as well as Alex Sayers(L-122) who had a couple good hits and sacks.

    The FDNY Bravest will play a fundraising scrimmage against the Brooklyn Mariners Satuirday, Aproil 16th at King's Bay Field. (Avenue Z and Coyle Street, Brooklyn) Kickoff is set for 1:00. Proceeds form the game will benefit the Danny Suhr Foundation which gives scholarships to high school kids. So, come on down and help us raise some money for a great cause.

 

Saturday, April 2nd - King's Bay Knights

King's Bay Field - Avenue Y and Coyle Street, Brooklyn, NY

     The Bravest beat the King's Bay Knights 28-14 in their first outing of the season. An annual scrimmage, this game always has a lot of meaning because it's the first time the new players really get to show their stuff, but it was the veterans who showed the rookies how it's done.

    The game was still in the first minute of play when Craig Manfredonia(L-112) picked off a tipped ball and ran it to the house from 66 yards out. That put the FDNY up 7 - 0 after a George Oostmeijer extra point.

     In the second quarter, Paul Neuman(L-28) ran in his first of a pair of 1 yard touchdowns, after being set up by a Ryan Davan to Brian Vomero(E-247) 30 yard pass. Oostmeijer connected again to make it 14-0. A lead the Bravest took into halftime.

     The third quarter saw the Bravest and the Knight's trading touchdowns as Neuman ran in his second, followed up by an Oostmeijer extra point. TheBFC brought a 21 - 7 lead into the fourth quarter and saw it shrink to 21-14, but a Joe Monferrato(L-166) to Vomero touchdown pass sealed the scoring after yet another George Oostmeijer extra point.

     The FDNY Football Teams next game, the league opener for them, is Saturday, April 9th. A 3:00 kickoff against the DSNY Strongest. This game will be played at Bayside High School ( 32nd Ave. & Clearview Expwy. Service Rd. Flushing, NY ) We hope to see you there!!!

League Game Home Away

 

FDNY Football 2011 Kickoff Party

     The Bravest Football Club would like to thank all those who attended the "Re-birth" of our annual season starting party. Due to the large number of people who turned out, it was a Great Success!

     We would also like to thank DJ Pico of Get Down Sounds, Kevin Seaman and the band Souled Out, Kenny from Budweiser, and everyone at Hudson Station for all they did to help make this a great event.

     We couldn't have done it without them!!!

Hudson Station 440 9th Avenue (W 35th Street) New York, NY

Hudson Station is a brand new sports bar on 9th Avenue at W 35th Street. Close to Penn Station, the ACE, 123 trains.

The Leary Firefighters Foundation

The Leary Firefighters Foundation was established in 2000 by actor Denis Leary in response to a tragic fire in Worcester, Massachusetts that claimed the lives of Denis’ cousin, a childhood friend, and four other firefighters. The Leary Firefighters Foundation’s mission is to provide funding and resources for Fire Departments to obtain the best available equipment, technology and training. We are dedicated to helping maintain the highest level of public safety in our communities.

Click on their logo to the right to learn or do more...

Our Supporters

       The Bravest Football Club would like to thank all of our supporters from the 2010 season. Though we may not have won on the field, we have been able to do a lot off the field. This is all due to our many generous supporters and fans. Whether it was a monetary donation, the purchasing of our apparrell, being at one of our fundraisers, or just being at one of our games to root the team on, it all helps.

      Each year the team creates a book of advertisements, our "journal", and this is handed out to thousands of our fans at the Annual Fun City Bowl. We also allow our advertisers a chance at having their website link added to our site. Though none of our advertisers are better than the other, some pay more...please support all of our advertisers, we would be nowhere without them.

 

Bravest Lose to Cops

      The FDNY Football Team jumped out to an early 7 - 0 start on their first drive with a 26 yard pass from Joe Monferrato to Anthony Abbatemarco and an extra point by George Oostmeijer, but that's all they would put on the board. The Bravest were not able to move the ball much after that, but they did have their chances.

     The ball went back and forth the rest of the first quarter, then the Finest got on the board with a 40 yard field goal from Freddy Barraza 2 minutes into the 2nd quarter. On their next two series the FDNY didn't move the ball, giving the Finest good field position near the end of the half. The NYPD capitalized putting six on the board on a thirteen yard run by Rob Lavendar(139 rushing yards)and the extra point by Barraza. The Bravest had an oppotunity to knot the score as time ran out in the first half, but Oostmeijer's 23 yard firld goal attempt bounced off the left upright.

      The 3rd quarter had Ryan Daven at quarerback, but it didn't change things for the Bravest. The Finest caught a break near the end of the quarter, marching from their own 11 all the way to the FDNY 2, but a fumble by Lavendar, caused by Matt J. Quinn and recovered by Mike McPartland, gave the Bravest the ball on their own 3. It looked like the Bravest dodged an NYPD bullett, but the feeling was short lived. On the first play Paul Neuman fumbled a handoff from Davan and it was recovered in the endzone by the Finest's Joe Pritchard. The extra point by Barraza gave the Finest ahead 17-7 as the third quarter ended.

     The Bravest looked like they had new life with the beginning of the fourth quarter as Davan marched them from the FDNY 26 all the way to the NYPD red zone. The FDNY had eight chances inside the Finest 20, but were stopped at the NYPD 1 on 4th down. The drive took a lot of time off the clock, fading the hopes of the FDNY faithful. The NYPD got the ball back, but 4 and out gave the Bravest another chance. It wouldn't matter. The Bravest had 3:32 on the clock and all their timeouts from the NYPD 30, but it wouldn't be their day. The Bravest gave the ball back after 4 plays and the NYPD's quarterback Randy Littrell took a knee to run out the clock. Final score 17 - 7 in favor of the NYPD Finest.

   Congratulations to Mivoni Perez, winner of the raffle for the Mets at Yankee tickets, sold by the NYPD's Offensive Lineman Bill Fisher...enjoy the game.

 

 

FDNY in Control

      The Bravest control their own destiny after beating the Bakersfield, California, Falcons 30 - 7. When the FDNY football team takes on the NYPD Finest on May 23rd at Hofstra University, it's for another chance to go to the National Championship.

     The Bravest got onto the board early after quarterback Joe Monferrato led the men down the field in the opening drive to set up a 33 yard field goal by George Oostmeijer to make it 3 - 0. The next drive for the Bravest saw Ryan Davan connecting with Brian Vomero for a 29 yard touchdown. But the extra point was blocked making it 9 - 0 Bravest. A short time later, linebacker Terence Halloran sacked the quarterback causing a fumble which Matt S.Q. Quinn recovered before it hit the ground and ran it in for 6 more. Oostmeijer hit the extra point making it 16 - 0, which is how the half ended.

     In the second half, first year running back Mike Seuzitsky, aka Ronnie, had two short yardage runs for touchdowns, putting the Bravest up 30 - 0 after Oostmeijer connected on the PAT's. Late in the 4th quarter the Falcons were able to put together enough to run one in, but it wasn't enough. The Bravest defense shined again, but the real test will be against the NYPD.

     In order to prepare for the cops, The FDNY Football Team will be gathering at Public House NYC on Thursday night from 7 - 9. There will be a 2 hour top shelf open bar when you buy a wrist band in the name of FDNY Football. But only from 7 - 9 on Thursday, May 13th. Fun City Bowl tickets will be on sale as well as raffle tickets for a pair of Subway Series tickets directly behind home plate at Yankee Stadium on June 18th. So, come on out and help the Bravest Football Club prepare for the NYPD with a couple drinks and some good times. Find us on Facebook under FDNY FOOTBALL GROUP

 

 

Two In A Row!!!

      The Bravest Football Club notched their second straight league victory with a 17 - 7 win over the DSNY Strongest. The FDNY wil next take on the Bakersfield Falcons of California on Friday, May 7th at Monsignor Farrell High School in Staten Island. Kickoff is slated for 7:00 pm.

     The FDNY jumped to a quick lead against the Strongest in their first drive with a 30 yard pass from Ryan Davan to Brian Vomero. George Oostmeijer added the extra point. The Bravest defense remained stingy, yet again, giving up no points in the first quarter.

      In the second quarter, Oostmeijer made it 10 - 0 with a 31 yard field goal. Oost also closed out the scoring for the FDNY near the end of the first half adding the extra point after a Paul Neuman 7 yard touchdown run.

     The second half was all defense for both teams while the only points being scored were those of the Strongest late in the fourth quarter. The Bravest defense have given up two touchdowns in two games, both coming late, with the games pretty much in hand. FDNY's starting 11 have wreaked havoc and raked up numerous sacks and interceptions, 2 for touchdowns.

     Come on out this Friday and cheer on your FDNY Bravest as they take on the Bakersfield Falcons...hope to see you there!

 

Bravest Win A Big One

The FDNY Football Team travelled to San Diego for their first league game of the year...and came out victorious. At the end of the first quarter, the Bravest and the Enforcers were deadlocked at 0 - 0, but halftime showed a score of 7 - 3 FDNY. An early second quarter pass from Joe Monferrato to Brian Vomero went for a 78 yard touchdown. The San Diego Enforcers crept closer near the end of the first half with a 47 yard field goal.

     In the third quarter, Terence Halloran had an interception for a touchdown, to go with his five sacks on the day. Craig Manfredonia closed out the FDNY scoring with a 14 yard interception for a touchdown. George Oostmeijer was 2 of 3 in the extra point department.

     The Bravest will get home just in time to take on the DSNY Strongest next Saturday, at Bayside High School in Queens Come on out for the 3:30 pm kickoff and cheer on your FDNY Bravest!!!

    

 

With Great Sadness...

...we announce the passing of the young boy we adopted this past spring. Colin Lampersberger passed away with his parents by his side on the night of Tuesday, December 29th. After a long battle with cancer and many tumors, Colin has moved on to a less painful place. We keep him in our memory and pray for his family.

     For more information on Colin,or to make a donation in his memory,

please visit www.caringbridge.org/visit/colinclub

     For more information on Friends of Jaclyn, please visit www.FriendsOfJaclyn.org.

 

 

Our Supporters

    The Bravest Football Club would like to thank all of our supporters from the 2009 season. Though we may not have won on the field, we have been able to do a lot off the field. This is all due to our many generous supporters and fans. Whether it was a monetary donation, or the purchasing of our apparrell, being at one of our fundraisers, or just being at one of our games to root the team on, it all helps.

     Each year the team creates a book of advertisements, our "journal", and this is handed out to thousands of our fans at the Annual Fun City Bowl. Well, this year we allowed our advertisers a chance at having their website link added to our site. Though none of our advertisers are better than the other, some pay more...please support all of our advertisers, we would be nowhere without them.

 

Bravest Lose a Battle

      The FDNY Football Team battled hard, but came up on the short end of a 18 - 9 score against the NYPD Bravest. In front of a crowd around 9,000 at Hofstra University's James M, Shuart Stadium, on a beautiful sunny day, the Bravest couldn't put it all together at the right times.

     Late in the first quarter, the Finest were forced to punt into the wind from their own 35, it would have given the BFC pretty good field position, but a muff on the return gave the ball back to the Finest. NYPD marched it down and a 28 yard pass from Randy Litrell to Rahkim Fareaux had the NYPD drawing first blood. A missed extra point made it 6 - 0.

      The ball went back and forth, and right before the first half ended, the Bravest were able to get a 23 yard field goal from George Oostmeijer. Sending the two teams into the locker room with the Finest leading the Bravest 6 - 3, but the Bravst would never get closer then 3 points away.

     The third quarter had the Finest adding another touchdown and failing on the conversion, giving them a 12 - 3 score. But, the Bravest came back with 9:00 minutes to go in the 4 th quarter on a 8 yard touchdown run by Jeremiah Selletti. The almost always automatic Oostmeijer kicked up some turf and missed the extra point. This kept the Bravest down 3 with a score of 12 - 9.

     The FDNY would get the ball back a couple more times, but an interception return for a touchdown by the Finest with a little over 5 minutes in the game put the Bravest down 18 - 9 and the crowd began to leave. The FDNY Football team didn't give up, but their scoring for the day was done. A hard fought 18 - 9 loss would hand the Fun City Bowl Trophy back to the NYPD Finest who will go on to face the Philadelphia Blue Flames in the 2009 NPSFL Championship game.

At least there was one winner on the FDNY side, Engine 247 won two tickets to the Yankees at Mets on June 27th...Congratulations guys!

 

Raising Funds For Our Wounded Warriors

     Thanks to a generous showing at our recent fundraiser, the Bravest Football Club will soon be writing a check for $1,000 to the Wounded Warrior Project. The BFC would like to thank Public House, NYC for allowing us to host our fundraiser at their fine establishment.

    For more information about the Wounded Warrior Project, please visit their website..

Wounded Warrior Project

 

Bravest In Control

      The FDNY Football Bravest control their own destiny. After a sound victory over the DSNY Strongest, a win in the upcoming Fun City Bowl would send the Bravest to the National Championship... AGAIN!

The Bravest jumped out to an early 2-0 lead when the Strongest had a bad snap on a punt attempt go through their end zone. The 2nd play of the second quarter had quarterback Joe Metress unload a 69 yard bomb to Brian Vomero, who also caught the 2 point conversion, making the score 10 - 0 Bravest.

     Alex Sayers blocked a punt attempt by the Strongest and Rob Hoey picked the ball up and scampered into the end zone for a 16-0 lead. The conversion pass was incomplete. The scoring was closed out when Joe Monferrato tossed a pass to Tom Cozzi who rambled his way to the end zone from 41 yards out...that's right 41 yards. Then to make the play more unbelievable, Monferrato ran in the conversion.

     The FDNY Bravest meet their home town rivals, the NYPD Finest, for the 37th time on May 31st. Kickoff is set for 2:00 pm at Hofstra University's James M. Shuart Stadium. The winner of this game will host the Championship of the National Public Safety Football League on the weekend of June 12th.

   To find out more about the history of the Fun City Bowl, or to purchase tickets online, click on the link..History / Tickets

 

Bravest Go To 2 - 0

     The FDNY Football Team continued their winning ways by beating the LAFD Heat 30 - 12 in the Rose Bowl, Pasadena, California. The Heat struck first but had their extra point blocked by Matt Quinn 14. The Bravest got on the board shortly after on a George Oostmeijer 41 yard field goal. Still in the first quarter, Anthony Abbatemarco caught a pass from Joe Metress and powered his way into the end zone for a 10-6 Bravest lead.

    The second quarter had LAFD scoring again, but still unable to kick the extra point. The Bravest made it 13 - 12 on another Oostmeijer field goal, and a Paul Neuman rushing touchdown.

     The Bravest made it 20 - 12 in the third quarter and started to run away a little bit with another Oostmaijer field goal and a Metress to Brian Vomero touchdown in the 4th.

     Kudos to the Bravest defense who recorded 5 interceptions, 2 each by Matt Quinn 14 and Craig Manfredonia. Aaron Martin and Chris Spagnola were able to bring down the Heat's quarterback for sacks.

     The Bravest's next game is at home against the DSNY Strongest on Saturday, May 16th at King's Bay Field with a 3:00 pm kickoff.

  

FDNY Bravest 2008 National Champs

     The 2008 National Public Safety Football League Championship Game was a great one that didn't end until after the final seconds had ticked off the clock. Saturday, June 14th, the Bravest took on the Phoenix Thunder at Cortez High School , Phoenix , Arizona . Temperatures during the day reached 116, with it hovering around 100 at kickoff. The Thunder are a combination of police and firefighters from the Phoenix area in Arizona.

     The bravest jumped out to a 6 - 0 lead when Ryan Davan connected with Tom Cozzi in the first quarter. The extra-point attempt by George Oostmeijer was no good from a guy who is almost always automatic. But, George got back on track with a 19 yard field goal a little later.

     Sean Watson of Phoenix , who had the game of anyone's life, ran one in shortly before the half to cut the lead to 9 - 7 and that's how it remained well into the third quarter. Watson started out as the Thunder's running back, and then moved to quarterback, and he was also the kicker. Watson made the score 10 - 9 in the third quarter with a 20 yard field goal.

     The teams traded punts with the Bravest getting the better of ball movement, but going nowhere. Then midway through the 4th quarter, Davan threw an interception to Gabriel Barreras that didn't end until he was in the end zone. Watson added the extra-point and that put the FDNY team in a 17 - 9 hole.

     The Bravest were able to march the ball down the field and Davan once again found Cozzi with a 6 yard touchdown pass to bring the Bravest within 17 - 15. FDNY tried a 2-point conversion to tie the game but Davan lost the handle and it was scooped up by a Thunder player who looked like he was going to take it all the way back, but he was caught from behind by Gordon Tunison 12 yards shy of the end-zone.

    The Bravest weren't done...and neither were the Thunder. With less than six minutes to go, the Bravest kicked the ball to the Thunder who started the possession at their own 22 yard line. Watson dropped back to pass and hit the FDNY's Matt "smart" Quinn in stride, who took it to the house. This put the Bravest up 21- 17 and left a lot of time on the clock...three and a half minutes.

     Sean Watson and the Thunder took over at their own 30. During this drive Watson ran just as far sideline to sideline as he did toward the Bravest end-zone. Slowly but surely he got the Phoenix team down to the Bravest 1 yard line and 23 ticks on the clock. Phoenix took a timeout and put starting quarterback Art Gonzalez back into the game to let Watson get a full head of steam from his normal running back position. The bravest D-Line held true, stopping Watson on the first attempt, but getting a delay of game penalty with 16 ticks left. Watson was given the ball again, but stopped and the Thunder were able to line it up and get off one last play as the clock expired. The ball was sent up the middle, both teams pushing from their respective side, whistles were blown, but no signal given. The crowd was silent while waiting for the referees to make their call. After some discussion the head referee signaled no touchdown, saying the runners knee had touched the ground before he extended the ball over the goal-line...the FDNY Bravest were National Champions.

     This makes the Bravest only the second team to have more then one NPSFL Championship under their belt, joining the NYPD Finest in that category. Matt Quinn of the FDNY also had another interception earlier in the game, but his touchdown proved to be the deciding factor for the FDNY and he was named the games Steven McAllister Most Valuable Player. Both teams played incredibly and exemplified what this league is all about. Playing a game you love to raise money for charity. Congratulations to both teams on a job well done!!!

See pictures from the game...CLICK HERE!!!

 

Bravest Beat Cops...

The FDNY football team  were victorious over the NYPD 17 - 15 in the 36th Annual Fun Ciity Bowl at Hofstra University. The Bravest jumped out to a quick 14 - 0 lead with a 79 yard touchdown pass from Ryan Davan to Brian Vomero and a 36 yarder from Joe Metress to Vomero. But, that would be all their scoring until the final minute and a half of the game.

     The Finest got on the board in the first quarter after the Bravest fumbled a toss into their own end-zone for a NYPD safety making it 14 - 2. The NYPD made it 14 - 9 in the second quarter with a 15 yard pass and closed to 14 - 12 at halftime with a 13 yard field goal.

     The NYPD took the lead in the early in the fourth quarter with another field goal, but the Bravest weren't done. With only a couple minutes remaining on the clock, Davan found Vomero to get to theFinest 35 yard line. A Paul Neuman run got the FDNY into range for a field goal attempt which was connected by George Oostmeyer from the 17.

     The Bravest now advance to the NPSFL Championship in Phoenix, Arizona against the Phoenix Thunder, a combination team of police and fire from the Phoenix area. That game will be played on Saturday, June 14th at Cortez High School, Phoenix, Arizona.. The Bravest were last in Arizona for the 2006 title game against Phoenix, losing the 31 - 26.

                                                                           

Welcome to the FDNY Bravest Football Club

The FDNY Football Team is a member of the National Public Safety Football League (NPSFL) which is a union of public safety agency football teams from throughout the United States, united to promote a positive self image to the public by raising funds for charity through spirited competition. The Bravest Football Club is incorporated in New York State and recognized as a not for profit organization by the Internal Revenue Service under the 501c3 statute. Our Federal ID # is 30-0057526.