Mosquito Bowl

Buzz Bissinger (left) speaks about his book on the game in 2023.

The Mosquito Bowl was a football game played December 24, 1944, between two regiments of Marines at Guadalcanal during World War II. In 2022, Buzz Bissinger wrote an account, The Mosquito Bowl, which was widely reviewed.

Background

Members of the 6th Marine Division, many of whom had played college football, were training on Guadalcanal during the final months of 1944. Many had been named to all-conference or All-America teams. Both the division's 4th and 29th Marine Regiments could field teams of such prominent players, and a game was organized for Christmas Eve with sixty-five players, including John McLaughry and Tony Butkovich.

The game ended in a scoreless tie.

Terry Frei's Third Down and a War to Go and his newspaper work earlier included extensive material on the Mosquito Bowl, relying on many interviews with then-surviving Marines who played in the game or served with those who did. In his book's backmatter, Bissinger thanked Frei for allowing him access to research and contacts. Frei's book featured his father's 1942 Wisconsin Badgers, including two of Jerry Frei's teammates, Dave Schreiner and Bob Baumann, who played in the Mosquito Bowl and were killed on Okinawa.[citation needed]

In 2025, Netflix announced a film was in development directed by Peter Berg and starring Brent Comer, Nicholas Galitzine, Bill Skarsgård, Ray Nicholson and Tom Francis. The Mosquito Bowl was released by Netflix in October 2026.

References

  1. ↑ Bissinger, Buzz (2022). The Mosquito Bowl: A Game of Life and Death in World War II (1st ed.). New York: HarperCollins. ISBN 978-0-06-287992-9. OCLC 1267753036.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 Daniel, Douglass K. (19 September 2022). "Review: A war story, 'Mosquito Bowl' defines courage, duty". AP News. Archived from the original on 19 September 2022. Retrieved 20 September 2022.
  3. ↑ Davies, Dave (15 September 2022). "Buzz Bissinger On 'The Mosquito Bowl'". Fresh Air (Podcast). NPR. Retrieved 20 September 2022.
  4. ↑ Jennings, Jay (13 September 2022). "The Football Players Who Fought and Died in World War II". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Archived from the original on 13 September 2022. Retrieved 20 September 2022.
  5. ↑ Lee, Stephan (22 April 2025). "The Mosquito Bowl, Peter Berg's Next Film, Drafts Its Four-Man Lead Cast". Tudum. Netflix. Archived from the original on 15 May 2025. Retrieved 24 July 2025.
  6. ↑ Stephan, Katcy; Donnelly, Matt (8 July 2025). "Brent Comer Joins Peter Berg's 'The Mosquito Bowl' at Netflix (EXCLUSIVE)". Variety. Archived from the original on 9 July 2025. Retrieved 24 July 2025.
  7. ↑ Grobar, Matt (7 January 2026). "Netflix's 2026 Film Slate: Dates For 'War Machine' & Other Titles, New Cast For Animated 'Swapped' Plus First-Look Pics For 'Enola Holmes 3,' More". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on 7 January 2026. Retrieved 19 January 2026.