OCTOBER 25, 2023 - Fordham Preparatory School (“The Prep”) is proud to announce that its 100th meeting with the Xavier High School (“Xavier) football team to be played at 10 a.m. ET on Thursday, Nov. 23, 2023, will air live on the YES Network (“YES”) and the YES App.

The Turkey Bowl is one of the oldest high school football rivalries in the United States. The game is traditionally held on Thanksgiving morning and was first played in 1887 between the then Second Division of St. John's College, The Prep's original name, and Xavier on the historic Rose Hill Campus in the Bronx. This year’s edition will see the Rams and the Knights take to the gridiron at Moglia Stadium at Jack Coffey Field, the home of both the Fordham Prep and the Fordham University Rams. Joe Moglia, for whom the stadium is named, is a member of The Prep’s Class of 1967 and Fordham University’s Class of 1971.

Sports Illustrated and USA Today have highlighted the game as one of the premier Thanksgiving Day games in high school football in the country. The Turkey Bowl is the oldest interscholastic athletic rivalry in all of New York City. The New York Post called it one of the "can't miss" events in New York City high school sports.

The 100th edition of the game takes on added significance for the two schools, two of the oldest Jesuit high schools in the nation; Fordham Prep was founded in 1841 while Xavier was founded in 1847. The game will include a celebration of a century of spirited competition and a shared Catholic Jesuit mission to create and form “men for others.” All living former participants of the game are being asked to attend and will take part in pregame ceremonies.

“Nothing is more important to us than our Catholic Jesuit mission.” said Fordham Prep President Anthony Day. “That we can celebrate our shared mission each year with our brothers at Xavier on our national day of Thanksgiving makes it extra special. The fact that YES will ensure that alumni of both schools in the area and around the country will have access to this historic event is the icing on the cake.”

YES and the YES App will air the game live beginning at 10 a.m. ET on Thanksgiving. Emmy Award winning broadcaster Bruce Beck of NBC 4 New York will handle play-by-play duties, while the dean of New York City area high school sports reporting, Mike Quick, will provide color commentary. They will be joined by Fordham Prep senior Marty Robertson and senior Brogan DiCerto of Xavier, who will serve as sideline reporters.

The game will be available to all subscribers of the YES Network and all registered YES App users.

“The Turkey Bowl is such a special day for our student-athletes and both the Fordham Prep and Xavier communities. We are thrilled to share this experience, on YES, with our alumni and football fans across the country. I know the Rams and the Knights are ready to put on a great show,” said Sal Annunziata ‘11, Fordham Prep’s Director of Athletics.

Fordham Prep leads the overall series 54-41-4. In November 2020, the schools did not meet on the field due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Fordham Prep was victorious in the first and only virtual Turkey Bowl. However, this win is not reflected in the official totals.

The YES Network, the most-watched regional sports network in the country for 18 of the last 20 years, owns the exclusive regional TV rights of the 27-time World Champion New York Yankees, the Brooklyn Nets and the New York Liberty. YES, which has earned 141 Emmy Awards since its 2002 launch, also televises original biography, interview and magazine programs, college sports and Manchester City and AC Milan soccer. YES made the list of Forbes’ top 10 most valuable sports business brands in the world for nine straight years.

Fordham Preparatory School is a Catholic Jesuit all-boys high school located on the historic Rose Hill Campus in the Bronx, New York.  Founded in 1841, its mission is to form leaders in faith, scholarship and service, through a college preparatory experience in the Catholic Jesuit tradition.

For more information on Fordham Prep, visit fordhamprep.org.  For more information on the Turkey Bowl and to purchase tickets to the game, visit fordhamprep.org/turkeybowl.