Thanksgiving Day has been acknowledged as an American National holiday since President Lincoln issued a proclamation during the Civil War. However, it was not until 1941 that Congress made Thanksgiving an official government holiday to be celebrated annually on the fourth Thursday in November.

Many families gather on that day to celebrate the survival of the Plymouth colonists by eating turkey, stuffing, cranberry sauce, and many other traditional foods. However, long before the holiday became official, Americans were celebrating Thanksgiving with another, more modern tradition: football.

The National Football League has been playing the “Thanksgiving Day Classic” since the league began in 1920. However, the first Turkey Day football game was actually played in 1902. That game was the championship of a three-team league, also called the National Football League, and ended in a tie.

The format of the Classic has undergone many changes since 1920. The first several years saw as many as six games played on Thanksgiving Day. The modern Classic features two games, with the Detroit Lions and the Dallas Cowboys as the perennial home teams. The Detroit Lions began their Thanksgiving Day tradition in 1934 and have played every year since then, except for a six-year break during World War II.

The Dallas Cowboys first played as the home team in 1966. The Cowboys took breaks in 1975 and 1977; the St. Louis Cardinals replaced the Cowboys as the home team in those years. A third game that features different teams every year was added in 2006. This game is broadcast on the cable-only NFL Network.

The Thanksgiving Day games mark some notable milestones in the history of televised sports. CBS was the first to broadcast a Thanksgiving Day Classic in 1956. The first NFL game ever broadcast in color was the game in 1965, with Detroit playing the Baltimore Colts. Teams typically wear historical jerseys, called “throwback jerseys,” during the game to celebrate their own football heritage and as a nod to the rich history of the Thanksgiving Day Classic.

DID YOU KNOW?
One Thanksgiving Day game resulted in a rule change. When the Detroit Lions and the Pittsburgh Steelers game went into overtime in 1998, Pittsburgh captain Jerome Bettis called ‘heads’ during the coin toss. The referee misunderstood the call and awarded the ball to the Lions, who went on to win by scoring on their opening drive. Since then, coin-toss calls must be made prior to the toss.