Historical past, traditions and finest moments

Thanksgiving Day to sports activities followers is as a lot about soccer as it’s in regards to the conventional turkey dinner. From highschool soccer within the morning to watching the afternoon recreation on TV as dinner begins, this custom is as previous as time. Nicely, nearly as previous as time.

The Detroit Lions have performed at dwelling on Thanksgiving yearly since 1934 — besides when video games have been paused from 1939 to 1944 throughout World Conflict II. The annual vacation custom expanded so as to add a house recreation for the Dallas Cowboys within the Nineteen Sixties. These franchises — and their followers — solely know soccer on Thanksgiving. In 2006, the NFL added a 3rd recreation with no particular host crew to the prime-time window.

The 2022 Thanksgiving Day schedule:

So why do the Lions and Cowboys all the time play at dwelling on Thanksgiving? What does the day appear to be for the coaches, gamers, households and followers who put their vacation celebrations on pause to participate? And what number of 1000’s of kilos of meals is served on the stadium? We requested NFL Nation reporters Todd Archer and Eric Woodyard to clarify the historical past.

We now have additionally laid out the Thanksgiving stats and numbers you need to know and even took a journey again in time to discover the most important and finest moments on the turkey day stage. (Word: This text was initially posted in November 2021 and has been up to date for 2022.)

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Thanksgiving information | By the numbers
Finest moments in Thanksgiving historical past

How the Thanksgiving custom started

The Lions have been first as much as host video games yearly: In 1934, Lions proprietor G.A. Richards scheduled a vacation matchup between the Lions and the Bears. Earlier that 12 months Richards had bought the Portsmouth (Ohio) Spartans soccer crew and moved it to the Motor Metropolis, renaming it the Detroit Lions. The Bears, the defending back-to-back world champions, beat the Lions 19-16 in entrance of 26,000 followers on the College of Detroit Stadium on Nov. 29, 1934.

Now, greater than eight a long time later, Thanksgiving soccer has change into a staple in Detroit with the Lions going 37-42-2 within the annual vacation traditional. — Woodyard

Thirty-two years later, the Cowboys joined as a house crew: The Cowboys first performed on Thanksgiving in 1966, beating the Cleveland Browns 26-14 on the Cotton Bowl. Common supervisor Tex Schramm wished extra nationwide publicity for the Cowboys — this was earlier than they have been referred to as America’s Workforce — and thought the vacation recreation made good sense. The NFL was a bit fearful, nonetheless, and assured the Cowboys a certain quantity of gate income. Some 80,259 followers confirmed up and a practice was born. The Cowboys have performed on each Thanksgiving Day since — besides in 1975 and 1977.

Why did not the Cowboys play on Thanksgiving these two years? Previous to the 1975 season, then-commissioner Pete Rozelle wished to see if the St. Louis Cardinals may construct their recognition underneath coach Don Coryell, whose groups have been nicknamed the Cardiac Youngsters due to their thrilling finishes. So he scheduled them to host Thanksgiving video games in 1975 and 1977. Sadly, the Cardinals misplaced each video games decidedly, and Rozelle went again to Schramm to ask whether or not the Cowboys would take the Thanksgiving recreation again.

“It was a dud in St. Louis,” Schramm stated in 1988 to the Chicago Tribune. “Pete requested if we would take it again. I stated provided that we get it completely. It is one thing you need to construct as a practice. He stated, ‘It is yours ceaselessly.'” — Archer

Thanksgiving information

Given how lengthy the collection has lasted, it isn’t a shock that the Lions have probably the most wins and losses on Thanksgiving Day. However two different groups that frequent the vacation custom are the Bears and Packers.

What’s it wish to play on Thanksgiving?

Ezekiel Elliott has performed on Thanksgiving yearly however one since becoming a member of the Cowboys in 2016. He does not have one favourite reminiscence.

“My favourite factor about enjoying on Thanksgiving is we’re the one crew enjoying at the moment, all eyes on us,” Elliott stated in 2021. “Everyone seems to be watching. We have the stage so we simply must exit and deal with our enterprise.”

Elliott had a viral second when he tossed Dak Prescott into the Salvation Military pink kettle after a landing within the 2018 recreation vs. Washington.

“I do not suppose it was actually preplanned,” Elliott stated. “It was sort of spur of the second.” — Archer

Lomas Brown, former Lions Professional Bowl OT (1985-95), stated gamers view the Thanksgiving recreation as a gauge for a way the season goes or the way it wants to finish.

“The Thanksgiving Day recreation sort of marks the purpose of the season that you just’re in,” he stated in 2021. “Which means, you are on the brink of flip the final quarter of the season over and get into the homestretch or get into the stretch to the place if you wish to be a playoff crew. Or in case you’re gonna make some noise within the playoffs, that you must begin enjoying higher. At that time, every thing must be clicking for you, particularly in case you’re at that time within the season.”

The Lions’ No. 2 total decide and Michigan native, Aidan Hutchinson, will play in his first Thanksgiving recreation in 2022.

“It is gonna be cool,” he stated. “I’ve acquired a complete bunch of individuals coming to the sport. That is gonna be my first time enjoying two video games in 4 days, so it is a number of thrilling stuff and hopefully we get a giant win on Thanksgiving. After which go have fun after, eat some turkey and eat some good meals. So that is the plan.

“I am on the lookout for a win.” — Woodyard

How do gamers have fun Thanksgiving?

All celebrations usually do not occur till the subsequent day, when Lions gamers can have fun with their households. Brown says he “could not wait till after the sport was over, man.”

“As a result of look, it wasn’t simply that Thursday night time, at the least for me, I went on an consuming binge Thursday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday. I’d placed on weight over the vacation as a result of a brother would throw down as a result of you did not have no extra accountability after that recreation till subsequent week. So, it was nearly like one other little open week and that is the best way we sort of checked out it, too.” — Woodyard

For the Cowboys, most gamers with households may also have fun on Friday. With a late-afternoon kickoff, more often than not gamers is not going to get again to their properties till later within the night, far too late for such a heavy meal. — Archer

Are there any crew traditions?

Whereas the Lions do not maintain any locker room or crew traditions for the vacation recreation, Brown stated that former Lions coach Wayne Fontes did place additional emphasis on the annual contest by dropping inclinations about its significance all all through the season. Gamers took that to coronary heart, too.

“Once I regarded on the schedule when it got here out, the second factor I checked out was Thanksgiving,” Brown stated. “The very first thing I all the time checked out was to see if we had a Monday Evening Soccer recreation, then the second factor could be who’re we enjoying on Thanksgiving. That was the order yearly after I regarded on the schedule. Thanksgiving was just about a very powerful factor and we used to emphasise that as leaders on the crew. We used to inform the entire younger boys coming in that we do not lose on Thanksgiving. That is a recreation that we stated we undoubtedly needed to win.” — Woodyard

The Cowboys open the Salvation Military’s Purple Kettle Kickoff Marketing campaign at halftime of each Thanksgiving recreation. Since 1997, almost $3 billion has been raised, and aiding the Salvation Military is a long-standing precedence for Cowboys proprietor Jerry Jones. Jerry, alongside along with his daughter Charlotte, have led a number of initiatives year-round with the Salvation Military, from elevating cash with the 50/50 raffle at video games to vacation initiatives that profit native communities.

In most years, Cowboys gamers will go to a Salvation Military shelter in Dallas or Fort Value and feed early Thanksgiving Day meals to these in want, though that apply has been placed on maintain the previous two years due to the pandemic.

Previously, gamers typically have been joined by their wives and youngsters. Former TE Jason Witten had his two sons and two daughters take part in handing out meals throughout his profession with the Cowboys.

“I simply attempt to inform [my kids], ‘Look, you are going to have a possibility to offer again to individuals which might be much less lucky,'” Witten stated a number of years in the past. “They do it with a cheerful coronary heart. I believe they like seeing these followers and with the ability to hand out that meals.” — Archer

What are some season-ticket holder traditions?

There’s a tailgating group of greater than 100 die-hard Lions followers who collect shiny and early at 9 a.m. usually within the car parking zone of Detroit’s Japanese Market. Often, they prepare dinner about 4 turkeys and every indicators as much as carry a aspect dish. The dishes are named based mostly on the crew the Lions are dealing with — for instance, Bears Stew and Mac-And-Not-Packer-Cheese.

Megan Stefanski, a lifelong Lions fan and longtime season-ticket holder, helps manage the festivities. She makes a five-hour drive from Goetzville, Michigan — situated within the Higher Peninsula — to Detroit.

Mark “Pilgrim” Mullins has been a season-ticket holder since 1991 and attire up yearly as a pilgrim for every Thanksgiving Day recreation along with his daughter, Mandie, accompanying him additionally in costume.