Patton Legacy Sports

In June 2019, The World Olympians Association recognized George Smith Patton, Jr. posthumously for his “role in society as an Olympian, living and promoting the Olympic values.”  As an Olympian, this recognition grants him the prestigious use of the letters OLY after his name.

With a combination of military training while at West Point, a natural ability as an accomplished horseman, swordsman … the young Lieutenant was chosen to compete in the new sport of Modern Pentathlon for the United States during the 5th Olympiad in Stockholm (SWE) in 1912.  Based on the pentathlon from the ancient Olympics, Baron Pierre de Coubertin introduced its debut as an event that would “test a man’s moral qualities as much as his physical resources and skills, producing thereby the ideal, complete athlete.”  The Olympian, George Smith Patton, finished 5th in the first ever Olympic Modern Pentathlon competition.

For more on the history of the Olympic Sport of Modern Pentathlon, and George Smith Patton’s participation in it, we encourage a visit to the website of the international governing body for the sport, the Union Internationale Pentathlon Moderne (UIPM).

Read about the History of the UIPM.

Remembrance Bowl With Helen Patton & the 101st Airborne at Saint-Hilaire-Petiteville, Normandy on June 3^rd 2019 – Read More Here

The Remembrance Bowl 2019 American flag football game is an initiative spearheaded by Helen Patton, the granddaughter of General George S. Patton Jr. Over the last five years, Ms. Patton, who has received the Legion of Honor from the Republic of France for her years of service to veterans and the historical memory of Normandy and the regions along the liberty road, has been collaborating with the 101^st Airborne Museum in Bastogne, Belgium. It was when doing research with museum curator Frank Ottelet during the launch of Patton Champagne that he presented her with an original 1944 invitation to the Champagne Bowl.

During the late fall of 1944, with Paris secure and ultimate victory inevitable, a football game reminiscent of America’s Superbowl was planned for Christmas Day. The 101st Airborne Division paratroopers, who had already seen hard fighting in Normandy and the Netherlands, were stationed in Champagne, near Reims, the place of General Eisenhower’s Allied headquarters. According to historian Stephen Ambrose, divisions held tryouts for the Champagne Bowl and practiced three hours a day. However, the game never took place, as the soldiers were recalled to duty in response to the German offensive in the Ardennes, and the 10,000 men of the 101st marched north in mid-December to the Battle of the Bulge.

To commemorate this event and honor the soldiers who liberated Europe, Ms. Patton reached out to WWII paratrooper veteran Vince Sparanza, to assist with contacting willing participants of the 101^st Airborne for the revival of the 1944 Champagne Bowl. With the help of Col. Joe Escandon and many others of the 101st Airborne Division, the Remembrance Bowl was born.

Played as a trial run during 2018 D-Day activities in Sainte-Mere-Eglise, then again during the 2019 D-Day 75th Anniversary in Stade de Staine-Hilaire-Petitville with the assistance of the City of Carentan, it is fast becoming a traditional event in Normandy.

The Battle of Carentan was an engagement in World War II between airborne forces of the United States Army and the German Wehrmacht during the Battle of Normandy. The battle took place between 6 and 13 June 1944, on the approaches to and within the city of Carentan, France.