The week of the Remembrance Bowl will be an adventure throughout the Locust Valley Central School District.
In the classroom, kindergarten to 12th grade students will be learning about the historical significance of World War II and D-Day in units tailored to each grade by our wonderful faculty. Local families will host high school educators, coaches and school board members from around the country who have been invited to observe and learn how to continue the Remembrance Bowl in their communities. There will be screenings of the mini-documentary “Sixth of June” by director Henry Roosevelt, which tells the story of the D-Day invasion through the eyes of veterans.
On Remembrance Bowl Day, Sept. 23, the homecoming parade kicks off from Centre Island at 11 a.m. with floats, dignitaries and American Legion guests with an official viewing parade section.
Prior to the game, there will be a Remembrance ceremony at Fred Smith Field at 1:30 p.m. followed by a coin toss performed by the American Legion. The game starts at 2 p.m. and afterwards the winning team will sign a football to be placed in Sainte-Mere-Eglise City Hall next to the Remembrance Bowl Trophy. A post-game celebration for all will be held after the game, as well.
The Remembrance Project | Patton Legacy Sports
Remembrance Bowl: more than a homecoming | The American Legion
To Honor and Commemorate
During WWII, in the late Fall of 1944, with Paris secure and ultimate victory inevitable, a celebratory American football game was organized for Christmas Day. The 101st Airborne Division, who had already seen hard fighting in Normandy and the Netherlands, were stationed in the Champagne region, near Reims. The place of General Eisenhower’s Allied Headquarters. The divisions held tryouts, formed teams, held practices and printed programs for what they named The Champagne Bowl. But then the Battle of the Bulge broke out and the soldiers were sent to the Ardennes, abandoning what would become known as The Game That Never Happened.
In the immediate years after WWII, and in an effort to enable Americans to connect with other citizens internationally, Operation Democracy was formed to promote international goodwill on a person-to-person level. By providing details about the American community, Operation Democracy assisted in matching overseas villages to similar ones in the US. The citizen committees of the two Sister Cities would then initiate a cultural exchange. Where that overseas village was in dire need as a result of war and displacement of population, the Sister City would provide direct aid to their counterpart in Europe. Under Operation Democracy in 1947, Locust Valley selected the village of Sainte-Mere-Eglise in Normandy, France as their Sister City. The Locust Valley community developed a strong and lasting relationship with the quaint war-ravaged village in France and aided not only the physical rebuilding through service and donations, but through a lasting cross Atlantic friendship spanning the past 80 years.
In May of 2018, Patton Legacy Sports was formed by Helen Ayer Patton (General Patton’s granddaughter) and Michelle Strauss to honor General George S. Patton, Jr.’s athletic and Olympic legacy. One of their projects was to finally hold the Champagne Bowl. Together with the 101st Airborne Division paratroopers the game was once again organized for June 2nd in Sainte-Mere-Eglise during the □-Day Commemorations. Renamed the Remembrance Bowl, the Game That Never Happened was finally played … ! Beginning in 2022, the 82nd Airborne Division was invited to join the game to level up the competition factor, winning the first game. After the 101st Airborne Division win this year, it will be an exciting tie breaker at the □-Day Commemorations 80th Anniversary of the Normandy Landings in June 2024.
On September 23rd, The Game That Never Happened will take place for the first time in America. The athletes will represent the soldiers who would have played in the game, many of whom never made it home. The spectators, sharing this sacred duty of remembrance, will represent those who would have been there to witness this celebratory game.
Teaching History Through Sports
Through our longstanding relationship with Operation Democracy, Patton Legacy Sports and The Patton Foundation learned about their unique relationship with Locust Valley. In affiliation with LVCSD, Operation Democracy and the LIU Global Service Institute; Locust Valley High School will host the first ever Remembrance Bowl on US soil at their Homecoming on September 23, 2023. Together with these partners LVHS will create a K-12 Remembrance Project Curriculum that will link American history specifically with WWII, patriotism and understanding of what Americans sacrificed for freedom aligning traditional academics and athletics. The week’s events beginning on Monday, September 18th will include:
THE WEEK LEADING UP TO THE GAME
- Educational K-12 Curriculum – developed by our district teachers this summer
- Hosting National Observers – local families will host high school educators, coaches, and school board members from around the country who have been invited to observe and to learn how to continue the Remembrance Bowl in their communities
- Viewing opportunities of “The Sixth of June”, a short documentary by Henry Roosevelt
- Football Jersey Signing Ceremony – Thursday evening, 9/21
REMEMBRANCE BOWL – SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 23, 2023 HOMECOMING GAME VS. COLD SPRING HARBOR
- Homecoming Breakfast for veterans and dignitaries
- Homecoming Parade with dignitaries and American Legion guests, with an official parade viewing section
- Remembrance Ceremony at the Homecoming football game
- Homecoming game and official coin toss performed by the American Legion Commandant at LVHS Fred Smith Field
- Winning team signs a football to be placed in Sainte-Mere-Eglise City Hall next to the Remembrance Bowl Trophy
- Remembrance Bowl post-game celebration, all invited