On June 22, 2024, Bradley Reckling - a decorated Oakland County Sheriff's deputy - was killed in the line of duty in an ambush while following a stolen car in Detroit. Romeo has been heartbroken over this loss since then. A candlelight vigil was held for the 2012 Romeo High School graduate on June 26 at the school's Barnabo Stadium. This was a fitting place since he played varsity football there.
It's undoubtedly clear that Reckling made a huge difference in the communities he lived in. This included Romeo and his time as a Bulldog. In fact, he and his football team participated in a Watchdog game, a fundraising event whose proceeds went to cancer research charities.
The September 21, 2011 issue of The Romeo Observer covers this in great detail on the front page. It was the third annual Watchdog game, and it was to take place on Friday, September 23 at Barnabo Field in Washington Township, where the Romeo Bulldogs would play against Chippewa Valley. The goal was to raise at least $50,000 through donations, T-shirt sales, and more.
The big item to purchase for the event was the pink T-shirts, which doubled as admittance to the game. In the photo above, the football players model those shirts. Bradley is in the front row, second to the left.
Jason Couch - co-head coach of the Bulldogs - mentioned that the goal of the game was "to show that there are bigger things in life."
The football players exemplified this by wearing pink jerseys that had the names of loved ones who were the victims or survivors of cancer. They did this as a way to raise money and to honor those who've had the disease.
According to Greg Brynaert, who was the Romeo High School athletic director at the time, the jerseys "are given to the survivor or the family of the victim after the game."
The game was able to raise about $200,000 for cancer research.
Thank you for your service, Bradley.
To learn more about Bradley Reckling and Romeo High School, you can contact the Romeo Community Archives at rca@romemodistrictlibrary.org or call (586) 690-4890.
Source: The Record, July 3-9, 2024, p.2 and The Romeo Observer, September 21, 2011, p.1-A and p.2-A and September 28, 2011, p.9-A