Mosquito Bowl

Buzz Bissinger (left) speaks about his book on the game in 2023

The Mosquito Bowl was a football game played December 24, 1944 between two regiments of Marines at Guadalcanal during World War II.[1] Buzz Bissinger in 2022 wrote an account, The Mosquito Bowl: A Game of Life and Death in World War II, which was widely reviewed.[2][3][4][5][6]

Members of the 6th Marine Division, many of whom had played college football, were training on Guadalcanal during the final months of 1944.[6] Many had been named to all-conference or all-American teams.[6] Both of the division's 4th and 29th regiments could field a team of such prominent players, and a game was organized for Christmas Eve with sixty-five players, including John McLaughry and Tony Butkovich.[6]

The game ended with a scoreless tie.[4]

Terry Frei's "Third Down and a War to Go" (2004/2007) and his newspaper work earlier included extensive material on the Mosquito Bowl, relying on many interviews with then-surviving Marines who played in the game or served with those who did. In his book's backmatter, Bissinger thanked Frei for allowing him access to Frei's research and/or contacts. Frei's book featured his father's 1942 Wisconsin Badgers, including two of Jerry Frei's teammates -- Dave Schreiner and Bob Baumann -- who played in the Mosquito Bowl and were killed on Okinawa.

  1. ^ Bissinger, Buzz (2022). The mosquito bowl : a game of life and death in World War II (1st ed.). New York. ISBN 978-0-06-287992-9. OCLC 1267753036.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
  2. ^ "Review: A war story, 'Mosquito Bowl' defines courage, duty". AP NEWS. 19 September 2022. Retrieved 20 September 2022.
  3. ^ "Buzz Bissinger On 'The Mosquito Bowl' : Fresh Air". NPR.org. Retrieved 20 September 2022.
  4. ^ a b Daniel, Douglass K. "Review: A war story, 'Mosquito Bowl' defines courage, duty". Philadelphia Inquirer. Archived from the original on 20 September 2022. Retrieved 20 September 2022.
  5. ^ Jennings, Jay (13 September 2022). "The Football Players Who Fought and Died in World War II". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 20 September 2022.
  6. ^ a b c d Daniel, Douglass K. (19 September 2022). "1944 Marine 'Mosquito Bowl' defines football, courage, duty". Navy Times. Retrieved 20 September 2022.