Normally, on a Saturday in the fall, the Lower School campus of St. Andrew’s Episcopal School and surrounding area would be tranquil, quiet and calm. But by 9AM on November 16, 2024, nearby parking was scarce and the football field was a hub of energy and activity. Members of the 2024 Seminary of the Southwest Thuribulls and the vast multitudes of their fans had gathered and were ready for one of the greatest athletic traditions among Central Texas Theological institutions: the Polity Bowl.
A game of flag-football played between Seminary of the Southwest and Austin Presbyterian Theological Seminary, this contest dates back farther than most traditions in either institution. But this year’s game felt different. Not only was it the first game for Southwest’s new dean and president, but several weeks prior, Southwest’s administration received a troubling note: APTS had lost the Polity Bowl trophy.
As the players stretched and warmed up – and newly chosen trophy sitting on the APTS sideline – fans gathered early. Faces were painted with the Southwest logo, a drum beat in constant rhythm, and- as one will always experience at Thuribulls games – the fog of rich incense filled the air as student thurifers dutifully reminding both teams of the odoriferous tradition which inspires the Southwest team’s name.
By game time, the Southwest sideline was packed. Coaches organized, fans were exuberant, and Southwest’s new dean and president stood confidently, the Episcopal flag draped on his shoulders. After a slight delay because of another Polity Bowl tradition- the referees were late – the game began.
Despite surrendering a touchdown on the second play of the game, the Thuribulls – led by receiver and head coach, MDiv senior sacristan Gabbie Munn and quarterback the Rev. Carter Leer – fought back to tie it at halftime. A stout defense shut down the APTS Hawks offensive game. Students, faculty, alumni and SPOTS (Spouses and Partners of the Seminary) all combined to hold the Hawks at bay.
Still tied late in the second half, the Thuribulls took the lead with a miraculous fourth down touchdown catch, a lead they would not surrender. With time running down, the Hawks attempted one final deep pass – but the game was sealed when MDiv senior and head sacristan Scott Madison intercepted the pass as the Southwest sideline erupted in joy.
The Thuribulls knelt down on the final snap to seal the victory – and history was made.
“In all my years coaching graduate level ecumenical flag football, I’ve never seen a team look so good,” said Munn. “We didn’t win Polity Bowl because we are the biggest or the best, but because every single person showed up as their full selves. We saw a great opportunity and made it a great moment– we had coaches, nutrition specialists, strength and conditioning, cheer squads, a Canon for Morale, all of it. Through it all, safety never took a siesta (mostly).”
“This year, balance was returned to the force, as the Southwest Thuribulls mounted an edge-of-the-seat comeback victory over the strong, but not strong enough, Austin Presbyterian flag football team,” said Dr. Scott Bader-Saye, dean and president (1-0). “With strong performances from students, alumni, and staff alike, the team proved – to the Presbyterians’ dismay – that we were predestined to reclaim the trophy. The team came to play, and they left it all on the field. I take this victory to be a good omen for a long and successful tenure as dean and president.”
For years, the game has been played co-ed, using standard flag football all-gender rules. This year, the Thuribull women led the charge. “One of the things that makes the Thuribull team remarkable is our enthusiastic, empowering inclusion of women in every aspect of the game,” shared Munn. “While there are certainly rules that ‘mandate’ women’s participation, the Thuribulls approach things a bit differently. At a polity bowl practice or during a game, it’s not uncommon to see a field dominated by women! Although I served as Head Coach this year, everyone involved in building the team viewed women as integral to our success. ‘We have to’ became ‘we want to’ when discussing women receiving the ball. ‘I’ll do it’ shifted to ‘I bet you can’ when encouraging women to throw. Women coached, defended, caught, ran, threw, nourished, healed, cheered, organized—and did it all not because they had to, but because without them, we wouldn’t be the Thuribulls.”
After a 12 year victory drought, the win was the second by the Thuribulls in the last four years. With many alumni and faculty playing in the game, the win produced a rare, but soon to be common new moniker: Two-time Polity Bowl Champion.
“After years – perhaps decades- of stumbling, the Thuribulls have found their footing and caught their stride against that other seminary down the road,” said the Rt. Rev. Kathryn M. Ryan. “If the college football playoffs go to 16 teams (and let in players who long since exhausted their eligibility), the Thuribulls will be smoking their way out of Austin and into the bowl scene!”
“I’ve said it once and I’ll say it again, in all my years coaching graduate level ecumenical flag football, I’ve never seen a team look SO good,” said Munn, again.
