Tustin’s Turkey Bowl brings department together

By Lou Ponsi

Once again, Tustin Police Department’s annual flag football game, the Turkey Bowl, lived up to the hype.

Played every year on the day before Thanksgiving, and just after the department gave away over 100 Thanksgiving meals to families in need, the flag football contest pitted officers aged 34 and older against the department’s younger officers. And one more time, the “old guys” came out on top, defeating the youngsters, 38-22, in front of family members, friends and fellow officers.

Nobody can remember the last time the youngsters defeated their senior counterparts.

“It’s very important to keep (the winning streak) going,” said Det. Javon Smith, a member of the veterans’ squad and the game’s organizer. “We don’t want the younger guys to ever come around and start bragging that they beat us.”

When the event began 12 years ago, the Turkey Bowl involved multiple law enforcement agencies but has since been revamped as an in-house contest for the Tustin Police Department. After the game, the players and their families head back to the department for a barbecue.

“It also builds team unity back at the police department,” said Sgt. Gus Gonzalez of the veterans’ team. “We see each other in the hallway and see other in the locker room and we talk a lot of smack. This is my home agency. We all know each other’s families. We really do have a family mentality and a family atmosphere.”

Playing in the game for the first time, Officer Matthew Eckman said being immersed in the department’s culture and tradition is an “awesome” experience.

“We don’t always get to see each other,” Eckman said. “When we have events like this, it is good to get to know everybody that we work with. We challenge each other. We push each other. It’s just fun.”

Officer Tim Thai was also playing in the game for the first time, but since he is a veteran officer, lateraling to Tustin PD from the L.A. County Sheriff’s Department, Thai played for the veterans’ team.

“It’s nice to come out,” Thai said. “Regardless of rank, everyone is the same out here.”
Despite taking a vicious hit and landing hard on his back, Thai was none the worse for wear.

“I took a gnarly fall,” he said. “That was about it. I’m glad I got the invitation to come out here and be part of this team … this family.”

After the game, Smith announced that starting in 2023, the Turkey Bowl is being renamed the “Del Pickney Classic,” in honor of Sgt. Del Pickney, a 29-year veteran of the department who died from a heart attack on Feb. 22, 2018, while on a hike with a friend on the Claremont Hills Wilderness Trail.

“He was one of the original founders of the game,” Smith said. “He loved this game every year and he took pride in it.”

A police officer for less than a year, Helmick served as a detention officer with Tustin PD for about 18 months and was familiar with the department’s culture.

“These events are an easy way to learn more about each other,” said Helmick, who played soccer at Cal State Monterey Bay. “Being new, I kind of want to get to know everyone a little bit better. Events like this are just fun. I’ll be more prepared for next year, that’s for sure.”

For more photos, visit Behind the Badge.