A Brief History of Thanksgiving Football

I found myself wondering: How did football on Thanksgiving become a thing? 

Thanksgiving Day is upon us. As millions of Americans celebrate the holiday, many of them will do so while watching football. This year’s Thanksgiving football slate features three NFL games, Green Bay Packers at Detroit Lions, Kansas City Chiefs at Dallas Cowboys, and Cincinnati Bengals at Baltimore Ravens, and one college game, Navy at Memphis.

Graphic courtesy CNN

The first football game on Thanksgiving was played when American Football was still in its infancy, when the Intercollegiate Football Association decided to hold its championship game on Thanksgiving Day 1876. However, it did not feature any of the big brands that dominate college football today. The game was between Yale and Princeton. The game was a low-scoring affair, with Yale taking the 2-0 win.

The tradition gained momentum in the 1880s when the game was moved to New York City. This move to the Big Apple made the game a major social event for fans and New Yorkers alike. By the 1890s, college football on Thanksgiving had become a tradition of its own, and even high schools began playing games on Thanksgiving. This would continue to grow as a Thanksgiving Day tradition into the early 1900s.

In the 1920s, professional football games began to be played on Thanksgiving. During this time, all three iterations of the American Football League (AFL I, AFL II, and AFL III) played on Thanksgiving.

The game was a hit with listeners as it was broadcast live on national radio. As a result of this success, the Detroit Lions began hosting an annual Thanksgiving game despite the loss.

In 1966, our second major NFL tradition started when the Dallas Cowboys hosted their first annual Thanksgiving game. America’s Team hosted the Cleveland Browns on that day. The Cowboys won 26-14.

In 1997, The Salvation Army partnered with the NFL and the Dallas Cowboys to kick off the Christmas kettle Campaign during halftime of the game in Dallas, which featured a major halftime show. The Cowboys had Reba McEntire to perform that first halftime show in 1997. Since then, the Cowboys have had several prominent names perform the halftime festivities on Turkey Day, including Randy Travis in 1998, Creed in 2001, and Dolly Parton in 2023. Meanwhile, the Detroit Lions have had their own share of top-tier Thanksgiving halftime shows, including Bon Jovi in 2002, Mariah Carey in 2005, and Kid Rock in 2010 and 2012.

So now, let’s look at some more memorable Thanksgiving games. Obviously, we can’t talk about them all, but here are some I came across that I thought were worth discussing.

Dallas Cowboys tight end Peyton Hendershot (89) smacks Jake Ferguson (87) on the head as he celebrates his fourth-quarter touchdown with his fellow tight ends in the Salvation Army kettle in Arlington, November 24, 2022. The Dallas Cowboys defeated the New York Giants, 28-20 (photo courtesy Dallas Morning News)

1993, The Sleet Bowl: It was an unusually cold and snowy Thanksgiving in Dallas when the Cowboys hosted the Miami Dolphins at the old Texas Stadium. The snowy conditions made play difficult for both teams. The game came down to the wire. With 15 seconds to go, the Cowboys led 14-13 when they blocked a game-winning field goal attempt by the Dolphins. After the block, Cowboys player Leon Lett tried to recover the ball but slipped in the snow and knocked it into the end zone, where Miami recovered it. The rules awarded the Dolphins the ball at the 1-yard line. With three seconds to play, they kicked the game-winning field goal. Final score: Dolphins 16, Cowboys 14

1998, Coin Toss Controversy: On Thanksgiving Day 1998, the Detroit Lions hosted the Pittsburgh Steelers. The game went to overtime, and that is where things got weird. Referee Phil Luckett claims that Steelers captain Jerome Bettis called “heads-tails” for the overtime coin toss. Based on the first part of that, Lucket awarded the toss to the Lions when the toss came up tails. The Lions elected to receive and kicked a field goal on the opening drive of overtime to win. In (Bettis claims to this day that he called tails.) Final Score: Lions 19, Steelers 16

2012, Butt Fumble: The 2012 NFL Thanksgiving slate featured a game between the New England Patriots and the New York Jets. This game is memorable for one thing, and one thing only: the Butt Fumble. Jets Quarterback Mark Sanchez ran into the backside of his teammate, Offensive Lineman Brandon Moore. The collision caused Sanchez to fumble the ball. It was recovered by Patriots safety Steve Gregory, who then returned it for a touchdown. For all the wrong reasons, the moment has gone down in the lore of Thanksgiving football, for all the wrong reasons. Final score: Patriots 49, Jets 19

2022, Mike Leach’s Final Game: The Egg Bowl Rivalry game between Ole Miss and Mississippi State was played on Thanksgiving Day from 2017 to 2023. The 2022 contest was the final game of Mike Leach’s career. He passed away from a heart attack a few weeks later. Through quirky and off-the-wall interviews and successful stints at Texas Tech and Washington State, Leach became one of the most iconic coaches of the modern era before even coming to Starkville. His loss left a void in college football that will never be filled. Final Score: Mississippi State 24, Ole Miss 22

2024, The Lions win! The Detroit Lions host a Thanksgiving game every year. However, the Lions have not had much luck on Turkey Day in recent years. The Lions lost their annual Thanksgiving game every year from 2017 to 2023. But last year, the Lions broke that streak! The Lions defeated the Chicago Bears to secure their first Thanksgiving Day win since 2016. Final Score, Lions 23, Bears 20.

That said, I want to end this column with this thought. It doesn’t matter if your team wins or loses, or even plays on Thanksgiving. What matters is who you watch the game with.

Happy Thanksgiving!