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Blondes vs. Brunettes of Dallas

I used to think playing like a girl was a bad thing. Now I know better.

Blondes vs. Brunettes of Dallas put on its second annual powder puff football game Saturday to benefit the Alzheimer’s Association. The idea started when the first match-up of Blondes vs. Brunettes was organized in Washington D.C. four years ago, and the success of the event sparked groups across the country to start their own game for Alzheimer’s research. A Houston chapter picked up the game in 2006, and Erin Finegold brought BvB to Dallas in 2008.

“A family friend heard about the game in Houston and told me about it,” Finegold said. “At the time my grandmother was sick. She’s since passed away on Mother’s Day two years ago, so this is for her.”

Finegold said over 70 percent of the players have been touched by Alzheimer’s in some way. Players must be 21 and up, but despite the age restrictions and relative recency of the game’s inception, there’s no shortage of willing participants.

“It started out with a group of my friends that told their friends that told their friends, but now there’s a sign up and we go through a process,” Finegold said. “The veterans have first in line and we go with the new girls after that.”

And while the game might seem like a chance to watch pretty girls clash on the gridiron, it’s no joke. Both teams practiced at least two hours a week for three months leading up to the game, and the coaching staffs had to create an entire playbook from scratch.

“I made it up literally with note cards and markers, went through the X’s and O’s and we did it that way,” said Eric Freed, head coach of the Blondes. “But these girls are so great to teach and show plays to because they’re excited about it. It’s a pleasure working with them.” 

BvB Dallas hosted the game at SMU’s Westcott Field, with the Blondes hoping to defend the title they won with a 26-25 overtime thriller last year.  While the action this year was slow at the onset, it picked up quickly when the Blondes got on the board with a crisp dump pass to the tight end late in the first half. But the Brunettes responded almost immediately, tying the game at 6-6 with a touchdown of their own just one play before halftime.

The second half was a defensive struggle, and as time expired the refs announced there would be ten plays to complete regulation. The Blondes, already in the midst of a long, hard-nosed drive, capped it off with a fade route to the corner of the end zone for their second touchdown of the night. They also added the game’s first extra point to take a 13-6 lead with six plays to go.

But on their ensuing possession, the Brunettes completed a pair of long passes that set them up just a few yards from pay dirt. They were able to punch it in to cut their deficit to a single point, but decided to go for two and the win.

As the Brunette’s quarterback dropped back to pass, she sailed a tight spiral towards the back of the end zone where a Brunette receiver ran under the ball and seemed to cradle it perfectly in her arms.

But she came down out of bounds.

After weeks of  practice, countless fundraising events, and more than 40 tough minutes on the field, the Blondes had repeated as Blondes vs. Brunettes of Dallas champs with a 13-12 victory.

“It’s hard to coach guys because they have a big ego when it comes to sports, but these girls are so great to teach,” said Freed. “They put a lot of effort into this and I couldn’t be prouder of them.”

The Blonde captains accepted their trophy at midfield, but there was no sulking on the Brunettes sideline. Although both teams wanted to win, the true purpose of the Blondes vs. Brunettes had already been accomplished. After the game, Finegold held up a check for $149,900, the total raised for Alzheimer’s by BvB Dallas from May to August, in front of the crowd of nearly 1,000 onlookers, crushing their original goal of $100,000. In just two years, Dallas has already become the most financially successful Blondes vs. Brunettes chapter in the country.

“It’s just a really good way for young professionals to get together for a good cause,” said Finegold.

BvB Dallas has every intention of organizing round three in 2010, but they also host plenty of other worthwhile events that are announced through their Web site. Donations to BvB Dallas can be made here.