Roselle vs. Roselle Park turkey bowl tradition comes to an end after 110 years

After 110 years, the Thanksgiving Turkey Bowl tradition between the Roselle Rams and the Roselle Park Panthers has come to an end.

The 106th final holiday battle in a series that began in 1915 was held at Herm Shaw Athletic Field in Roselle Park.

Former football alumnus says saying so long to the rivalry on Thanksgiving is bittersweet.

"This was here before we were here, and we're sorry to see it go," James Leo Class of 1970 said.

For generations, it seemed like every high school in New Jersey faced off against its rival on Thanksgiving morning. But today, there are just 16 high school football games left on the schedule statewide.

As playoffs have expanded, the cutoffs to qualify for the public sectional have changed.

This year, it was October 25, and for many teams, not making the postseason is the end of the season.

Roselle entered Thursday's game after having been off for two weeks and Roselle Park hasn't played in three weeks.

The rivalry will not be completely done. The working plan is to play this game in Week 8, so there is still an exciting buildup and it will count toward power points for postseason eligibility.

But the tradition of playing on Thanksgiving Day has come to an end.

"Every year we look forward to this game, it has always been important to us. And now it's a sad day," Art Christen, Class of 1970, said.

Former players from both teams gathered on the field to mark the occasion.

In the 106 years of Thanksgiving Day games, Roselle Park has won 54 and Roselle has won 44. There have been 8 ties.

The only things that cancelled the Thanksgiving Day contest were World War I, COVID-19 and a shortage of varsity players.

Roselle Park recorded the final victory.

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