A Tradition of Community Leadership
By RanDee McLain
Are you missing football already? Just when the Superbowl ends each year, another league is getting started. Comprised of 21 teams throughout the country, the National Public Safety Football League (NPSFL) plays semi-professional, full-contact football and raises money for their selected charities. Every player is a sworn member of law enforcement, first responders or active duty military.
San Diego has had a team since 1999. Their colors are red and black and they are the San Diego Enforcers. They are two-time National Champions and six-time Western Division Champions. For 20 years, the Enforcers have been playing semi-professional football and giving back to their local community.
This year, after 19 amazing years the head Coach, Brian Salmon, has decided to hang up his cleats and retire. The team did not have to look far to find the best candidate to fill the role of head coach. John Buckley has been with the San Diego Enforcers since 2012 and in 2015 he took the helm as the President of the San Diego Enforcers.
In the 2019 season John will serve as the President and Head Coach of the San Diego Enforcers. If anyone can take on this impressive dual role it is John.
“I am so excited to continue the tradition of the San Diego Enforcers by serving our communities’ charities through the game of football. Our program has always been built on three pillars….Creating a family for public servants, raising money for charity and winning football games. We have a great group of men this year to see that through”.
– John Buckley
President and Head Coach of the San Diego Enforcers
He works full-time as a U.S. Marshall and in his “free time” he volunteers to lead the nonprofit organization.
And giving back to the community is what this nonprofit organization loves to do. Since their inception, they have donated over $200,000 to United Cerebral Palsy, Susan G. Komen, San Diego Brain Tumor Foundation and many military organizations such as Semper Fi, Team Red, White and Blue and the Travis Manion Foundation. Honor Flight San Diego, the organization which takes WWII veterans to Washington, D.C., was named the 2017/2018 military charity and they have been selected again for the 2019 season.
Many of the players for the San Diego Enforcers are also veterans of the US military and continue their service to our community through a second career in law enforcement. One of those players is number 99, Emery Langley. Emery is a USMC veteran and a proud member of the San Diego Police Department.
“From one uniform to the next, playing for the San Diego Enforcers has given us an opportunity to give back to our community even more. From traveling the nation, to building a brotherhood and playing the sport we all love”
The Enforcers give back to the local community in more ways than through donations. They make visits to hospitals to cheer-up sick patients and they participate in the annual Holiday Celebration for Kaiser Kids with Cancer; most importantly they do it as a family. The Enforcer family is made up of football players, coaches, support staff, and the best dance team in the NPSFL – the Enforcer Girls! The EGs, as they are called, have performed internationally and a few of the dancers have gone on to become Charger girls.
The team raises money in a variety of ways each season and just like a family everyone chips in. The players pay a fee to play on the team, the Enforcer Girls sell their annual swimsuit calendar, the team hosts an annual golf tournament in May. On game days they sell Enforcer merchandise, concessions, and hold a 50/50 raffle. They also rely on corporate sponsors throughout the country. Since every player, coach, board member, EG, and support staff is a volunteer, every dollar raised supports team logistics and ultimately goes back to the charities they support.
The Enforcers kick off their season with a home game on Saturday, February 16th , against the LA Sherriff’s Department and a few weeks later they host the Chicago Fire Department in the annual “Salute to Service” game on March 23rd.
The “Salute to Service” game is a special game each year where the team takes time to recognize those that are currently serving and those that have served in the US military. Players and staff from both teams will be recognized during the game. During halftime, WWII veterans will be honored for their service and proceeds from this game will benefit Honor Flight San Diego and pay for WWII veterans to make the trip to Washington, D.C.
This season the Enforcers will play three home games and two away games. Tickets can be purchased at the gate and are just $10.
To learn more about the San Diego Enforcers, to volunteer with the organization or at a game, to become a sponsor, or donate to the team, go to: www.sandiegoenforcers.com.
You can also find the San Diego Enforcers and the Enforcer Girls on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
Come out this season and support the best football team in San Diego!
