VU Turkey Bowl History

The Turkey Bowl is a bit of a marketing tradition. It's a four-team touch football tournament where Butcher takes things too seriously and the winner gets a paper mache turkey trophy (yes, it was built in-house and is falling apart, but it could be the most coveted item in the building).

We started this tradition in 2012 after Alex Blum said (with arms flailing and in your best Jerry Seinfeld voice), "We're all going to eat a ton tomorrow, so how about we play football the day before and feel less terrible about it."

Following that statement, the first Turkey Bowl email was sent - and here it is in all its glory.

Since then, it's taken on a life of its own. It's been a great opportunity to get together, build community and learn more about the people you work with.

For example, I'm not sure everyone knows Laura Schonhardt has the hands of Jerry Rice - throw anything her way, and it's getting caught. Or that Jon Galloway always seems to find a way to tackle Brian Butcher. Or Anna Blasberg has a stiff arm that rivals Derrick Henry (even though it's only two-hand touch).

And whether you're playing or not, there's always something fun to take part in - like making up clever team names or amazing shirt designs.

If you want to take a stroll down memory lane, here's the video we had created for 2020 - the year without the Turkey Bowl.