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By STEVE LEE
© St. Petersburg Times, published April 11, 2001
NEW PORT RICHEY -- Not unlike an Al Bundy fantasy in the television show Married with Children, middle-aged men reliving their glory days on the gridiron will soon become an all too common sight in west Pasco.
The next step in the alumni game craziness: The organizers for Gulf's and Ridgewood's alumni football games have agreed to stage a Gulf vs. Ridgewood exhibition.
The inaugural "Al Bundy Classic" will be played Dec. 14 at Gulf's Des Little Stadium.
"Me and (Gulf graduate Jimmy) Watson just kicked it around a little bit," Ridgewood organizer and graduate Donnie Britt said of naming the event. "When he proposed Al Bundy, I said, "That's the truth, brother."'
Gulf's second annual alumni game was held Friday night at Des Little Stadium and Ridgewood's first alumni game is scheduled for April 19 at Ram Booster Stadium. Britt suggested the players wait until after the high school season to take on one another in the Gulf-Ridgewood skirmish.
"We may need all that time to rest up," Britt joked.
Britt and River Ridge basketball coach Bill Linderman, a former Ridgewood quarterback, will be player-coaches in both the Blue-Orange game and the Al Bundy contest. Watson, who has helped organize both Gulf alumni games, is eager to take on Ridgewood, adding that he plans to scout the Rams alumni game.
The previous Gulf games, Watson noted, have been rather competitive.
"I wasn't sure at first how seriously these guys were going to take it, but everybody takes it pretty seriously," said Watson, who played at the University of Florida.
Practices must be taken seriously, added Britt, if the graduates from a decade or more ago are to have a chance at tackling recent graduates. For Britt, his goal in the Ridgewood alumni game is to take down Mario Policastri, a Ridgewood senior running back who Britt coached in the Pasco Police Athletic League.
"I will tackle him," Britt vowed.
More than 70 players per school have signed up to play in their respective alumni games. About 35 players per team will compete in the "Al Bundy Classic."
"They've done their games and the response for my game has been incredible," Britt said. "My guys wanted to play (Gulf) so we decided to plan it."
A $4 admission charge for each game, as well as a $70 entry fee for each player, goes toward funds for each school's athletic departments.
"We need it," Ridgewood football coach Wayne Parzik said of the April 19 fundraiser at Rams Booster Stadium. "This is something that will help improve the quality of our football team."