CDCR staff don helmets for charity football game

December 26, 2014

The annual Pig Bowl Guns and Hoses charity game pits law enforcement against fire staff. The above photo shows an earlier game. (Photo courtesy Sacramento Pig Bowl Association.)

For one CDCR employee, an upcoming charity football game is a way to honor his late father and carry on a family tradition.

Joseph Eyerman, a CDCR sergeant, has played the Guns and Hoses charity football game for seven years as of 2016.

In the late 1970s, a young Joe Eyerman, now a sergeant at Folsom State Prison, recalls attending the annual Pig Bowl games with his father, a Sacramento County Sheriff’s deputy.

At the time, the county sheriff’s office was pitted against the Sacramento City Police Department in a friendly game of football. The annual tournament started in 1974.

“My dad would take me to the games as a kid in 1978 and 1979 when I was 6 or 7 years old,” he said. “I still have the pennants from the games back then. So, growing up, I was going to these games.”

Now, he plays in the games. Originally, the Pig Bowl only pitted law agencies against each other.

Pig Bowl opens to fire department staff

About a dozen years ago, the Pig Bowl organizers opened the charity game to other public safety personnel.

Now law vs. fire, the tournament was dubbed Guns and Hoses. CDCR staff comprise about a third of the law team’s 74-player roster.

The next Pig Bowl Guns and Hoses game is 1 p.m. Jan. 24, 2015, at the California State University Sacramento stadium, 6000 J St., Sacramento. Gates open at 11 a.m., with pre-game at noon.

This year’s game is a tribute to the country’s armed forces.

Folsom State Prison sergeant with his family. — *Eyerman shares a Pig Bowl game with his family, carrying on a tradition.*

“This will be my sixth one,” Sgt. Eyerman said. “I get to play in a game that’s been going on for 41 years. I’m very thankful for Sac County and Sac PD for allowing other agencies to be involved. Otherwise, I wouldn’t be able to play and carry on my family tradition of going to the game. My kids get to watch their dad play vs. me just being a fan and watching.”

Memories of time spent with his father watching the game are kept alive through his participation.

Guns and Hoses is not flag football

Officer Providence makes a run during a previous Pig Bowl charity game. — Officer Providence during a previous Pig Bowl.

California State Prison-Solano Correctional Officer Lamont Providence is no stranger to the football field. The 33-year-old played for Grant High School, Sacramento City College, Oregon State and did a two-year stint playing on the practice team for the Green Bay Packers.

“The practice is intense. For a lot of guys who haven’t been doing anything, they’re coming off the couch and it can be hard,” Providence said. “They have a good system to building you up to get ready for the game. The first practice day is mental, the second is pads and helmets and the third day is contact.”

He’s also been one of the star players.

“I have been in three Pig Bowls so far,” he said. “My first year, I received defensive MVP (Most Valuable Player). My second year, I received an honorable mention.”

Serious practice

Pig Bowl game in the 1970s. — Fans packed stadium seats in the 1970s and ’80s.

Sgt. Eyerman said for some who show up to play, the activity level can be a shock.

“There are people who show up for the first practice who didn’t really prepare and it’s not what they expected. Everybody is competing for a spot. Nobody practices for a month, trains for three months, has their family and friends show up, and not play on game day,” he said. “There is a lot of ibuprofen and ice packs. … This is not a contact sport, it’s a collision sport.”

He said it takes dedication to play in the game.

“I know I’m not the only one who has to juggle a full schedule and make practice,” he said. “I have boys in sports, I went back to school, I work nights and I coach their sports teams. This game means a lot to me so we make it a big deal. It’s our day to honor all the players before us and what the tradition means.”

Something players often hear is it’s “just an exhibition game” so some expect the level of play to be low. Eyerman and Providence disagree.

“I played high school and college football,” Eyerman said. “I think a lot of people may have the misconception it’s not competitive or that it’s a bunch of out-of-shape guys. There is a lot of talent on the field. Some of these guys played in the NFL.”

Why play?

A little more than a third of the law enforcement team’s players are from CDCR institutions.

CDCR Lt. Dunlop at the Pig Bowl in a previous game. — *Lt. Dunlop looks forward to the game each year.*

“We (CDCR) have 26 players from five different institutions,” said Lt. Mike Dunlop, with California State Prison-Solano. “There are 74 players total (on the team). Folsom State Prison has 12, CSP-Solano has eight, California Health Care Facility in Stockton has three, CSP-Sacramento has two and California Medical Facility has one.”

According to Lt. Dunlop, the rest of the law team comprises 32 from various sheriffs’ departments and 13 from different police agencies in the greater Sacramento region, while the remaining players are from the California Highway Patrol and the California Department of Insurance.

Lt. Dunlop said it’s important to participate.

“CDCR typically does not get very much good press,” he said. “All the good things our department does rarely get recognized. This is a good way for the public to see we give back too and we care about our community.”

He said it’s definitely worth the sweat and hard work leading up to the game.

“It’s a good way for employees in CDCR to give back to their community,” he said. “We are out there sacrificing our bodies. It’s a good healthy outlet and a good way for us to support charities in our community.”

Playing sports while giving back

Players on the field at the Pig Bowl. — *Early game. (Photo courtesy Sacramento Pig Bowl Association.)*

Officer Providence said it’s about giving back and reconnecting with a sport he loves.

“For me, I love playing in the Pig Bowl because it’s a charity event. It raises money for kids and Shriner’s (and other charities). Besides playing in the game, it’s great seeing the kids playing in bounce houses,” he said. “Football is like second nature. It reminds me of college.”

He said it’s also good for the public to see CDCR in a different light.

Pig Bowl players on the field circa 1970s. — *Pig Bowl players on the field circa early 1980s. (Photo courtesy Sacramento Pig Bowl Association.)*

“I think it opened up a lot of people’s eyes because it used to just be sheriff, police and CHP. Now that they let CDCR play, it lets people see we are all on the same law enforcement team,” Officer Providence said. “It shows that people have a bigger view of law enforcement now.”

As a college player, he said it was about teamwork and camaraderie. The Pig Bowl’s Guns and Hoses tournament revives those feelings.

“It takes me back to the college atmosphere. You come out the locker room and there are 6,000 people out there yelling and the military is out there and the helicopters and planes fly overhead,” he said. “It’s an adrenaline rush. You walk out the locker room, you haven’t even touched the field yet and it really brings a good feeling to you.”

Officer Providence is a second-generation CDCR employee.

“My father Kenneth Providence worked for 31 years in CDCR and retired as a lieutenant from California Medical Facility,” he said.

What is the Pig Bowl?

Since 1974, law enforcement officers have donned a different set of uniforms to square off on the gridiron in the annual Pig Bowl, earning the winning team bragging rights for a year while raising money for charity.

A dozen years ago, the Pig Bowl switched up the game and combined law onto one team to tackle firefighters in a battle known as Guns and Hoses.

According to the organization’s website, “It all began as a friendly football game on a cold day in January 1974 and grew to an event attended by over 32,000 fans.”

The Sacramento Pig Bowl Association – Guns and Hoses say the first game started a nationwide craze, pitting law enforcement or fire departments against each other on the football field.

Charities benefiting from the Pig Bowl include:

Volunteers in Victims Assistance (VIVA)
WIND Youth Services
Sacramento Sheriff’s Toy Project
Families for Early Autism Treatment (FEAT)
Firefighters Burn Institute
Sacramento Law Enforcement Chaplaincy
Sacramento Area Firefighters Chaplaincy
Sacramento County Sheriff Explorer Program & the city’s Fire Reserve Program
Donations have also been made to American River College Fire Science Scholarship, Bill Bean Scholarship – Sacramento City College and California State University Scholarship.

Other family friendly activities

For “Star Wars” fans, the 501st Legion, a costumed charitable organization, will be on hand. The Legion is officially sanctioned by “Star Wars” creator George Lucas to represent the franchise at community events and charitable causes. They often visit children’s hospitals, raise funds for charities and march in parades.

“We’ll have multiple costumed Storm Troopers and the guy dressed as Darth Vader will be 6-foot, 8-inches, which is Darth Vader’s height,” Lt. Dunlop said.

By Don Chaddock, Inside CDCR editor