TOLEDO – Woodville Mayor Ty Tracy played several positions for the Cardinal Stritch High School football team back in the day.
Surprisingly, quarterback was not one of them.
Tracy, 51, a 1992 grad, showed off his pass catching, punting and passing accuracy skills by winning all three events en route to taking first place at the second Italian Bowl XLIV Mayors’ Cup competition on Saturday at St. Francis de Sales High School.
“I think I can compete well,” Tracy confidently said after the event. “I have a little bit of a football background, but I didn’t have a lot of expectations today. I haven’t thrown a football in about five years, but I play in a 50-and-over softball league in Walbridge and that keeps my arm loose.”
The Mayors’ Cup is one of several fun events leading up to the Italian Bowl XLIV, which will be played Saturday, June 28 at 3 p.m. at the University of Toledo’s Glass Bowl.
Tracy was one of eight mayors to compete in this year’s Mayors’ Cup. The other mayors were Wade Kapszukiewicz of Toledo; Mike Seferian of Oregon; Mark Frye of Sylvania; Melvin Sprauer of Clay Center; Edward Schimmel of Northwood; Timothy Pedro of Waterville; and Don Walters of Cuyahoga Falls.
The first Cup event was in 2023.
“I know Mike Seferian, and I knew he won two years ago,” Tracy said, who earned 150 points.
Seferian, 67, did, in fact, win the inaugural Mayors’ Cup trophy, but this year he finished second to Tracy, who outscored him by 41 points. Walters was third with 106, and Kapszukiewicz and Frye tied for fourth with 85.
“I’m here to have fun and try to win each event,” said Seferian, a 1975 Clay High School grad. “Two years ago, two days before this event, Wade called our city manager in Oregon to invite me to compete. I didn’t know I was competing until the day before, but I was in decent shape, so I thought at least I wouldn’t embarrass myself.”
Seferian looked especially impressive in the pass catching and passing accuracy skills competitions. He showed off a strong, accurate arm, tossing tight spirals to a stationary receiver from 25 yards. Seferian scored 100 points during the timed competition.
Tracy, a left-hander, followed Seferian and went last, also showing off a strong arm and pinpoint accuracy to score 130 points, the top score in the passing accuracy event.
Kapszukiewicz, 52, said he did not specifically train for this year’s events.
“I was in first after the throwing competition,” he said, “but I got a big head and thought I would coast to victory. I just got worse with every skill. I’m in better shape this year.”
Kapszukiewicz does look much different than two years ago, when he took third in the Mayors’ Cup. The 1990 St. Francis de Sales grad said he has lost 100 pounds simply by riding his bike daily.
“I bike 15-20 miles every day,” he said. “I went for 5,000 miles last year and I enjoy it. It doesn’t feel like work.”
Frye, 61, who grew up in Pennsylvania, admitted he hadn’t picked up a football “in 20 years, since my son was 12.” Frye said Italian Bowl XLIV will be “great” and “phenomenal.”
“It’s showing off the level of competition in a sport that’s growing around the world,” Frye said. “I’m looking forward to the game and the activities.”
The Italian Bowl showcases the two best teams competing for the Italian Football League (IFL) championship. On July 1, 2023, the IFL championship was played on American soil for the first time in 40 years. The Parma Panthers defeated defending champion Firenze Guelfi for the Italian Bowl XLII title in front of an estimated 10,000 fans at the UToledo Glass Bowl.
“The Italian Bowl is fun,” Kapszukiewicz said. “It’s a little different, and it’s unique and quirky. Cities like Los Angeles, New York and Chicago have built-in advantages. Cities like ours…it’s not often you get hundreds of fans and tourists from Italy coming here and shopping in our stores and eating in our restaurants.
“The players are thrilled to be here. To them, this might be like their Rose Bowl. To play for a championship in the sport they love – they’re thrilled.”
For more information and ticket information on Italian Bowl XLIV, which will be televised live on BCSN, visit theitalianbowlusa.com.
