When Des Moines University celebrated its centennial in 1998, students creatively created a fun event to mark the occasion: They invited students of nearby Drake University Law School to play a football game. The “Malpractice Bowl” has been held every year since and will again occur this Saturday, Oct. 29, starting with the women’s game at 11 a.m., the men’s game afterward, and a friendly barbecue to wrap it up.
Students have a ton of fun with the event. DMU students started designing Malpractice Bowl t-shirts some years ago, with snarky taglines like “Des Moines University – helping OTHERS since 1898….Drake Law – helping THEMSELVES since 1881.” One year’s shirt depicted a bulldog, Drake’s mascot, chasing an ambulance.
“The game is a way to get back at the lawyers,” jokes Jeff Olson, a DMU podiatric medical student who’s coaching this year’s men’s team. “If we can beat them now, it feels good.”
While the games can get intense – after all, medical and law students, by nature, are competitive – organizers say it’s all in good fun.
“Sports in general brings out a sense of camaraderie outside of the classroom,” says Raquel Sugino, a DMU podiatric medical student and Student Senate member who worked on the Bowl this year.
Join the fun and camaraderie by cheering on the DMU women’s and men’s teams at this year’s Malpractice Bowl. The games are played on Drake’s intramural fields at 28th Street and College Avenue, just north of its main campus. Get your game face on and GO DMU!
