Drew McDonald, 27, who was born and raised in Conway N.H., said the Mud Bowl has been a staple in his life. His father and uncles played, and then his brother brought him onto a team when he was 19. Now, McDonald is one of the captains of the Mud Hogs and plays every year.
This past weekend, North Conway hosted the 51st Mud Bowl in the Hog Coliseum as teams, knee-deep in the muck, compete in a touch football tournament to raise money for local organizations. The event started as an attempt to help businesses after Labor Day weekend by extending summer festivities into September, and it has snowballed into a cherished local event.
”You see 12 teams there and you might be battling in the mud during the game, little stuff might happen, getting a little chippy,“ McDonald said. ”But after the game, everyone’s family.”
He was able to play alongside his dad and brother a few years ago, which is one of his favorite memories from any Mud Bowl, he said.
Richard DeAngelis, 85, played in the first Mud Bowl and is one of the founding members. He returns every year as one of the grand marshals and put on a skit to raise money for the North Conway Community Center, Vaughan Learning Center, and Carroll County Retired Senior Volunteer Program, and other charities in the White Mountains region.
“The first time we collected [money] it was like $35. I was almost embarrassed to bringing it over to the youth center,” DeAngelis said. “And to think as of last year, [in] 50 years we raised over $1 million. Its pretty heartwarming.”
This year, the Mud Crocs won the championship after three days of battling other teams in the deep mud. For Chris Olds, captain of the team, what makes the Mud Bowl special is its longevity.
“All these things have come and gone and yet Mud Bowl is the one, in my personal opinion, because of that tie to giving back to the community that has always stayed there and is still present,” Olds said.

Katarina Schmeiszer can be reached at katarina.schmeiszer@globe.com. Follow her on X at @katschmeiszer.
