Our Top Ten Thanksgiving Day Games Ever that we need to be thankful for! Happy Thanksgiving
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#10 First Televised Iron Bowl
November 26, 1964. Was the advent of the First Televised Iron Bowl per si.com. It was a great one to show on TV too as Quarterback Joe Namath and a 100-yard kickoff return by Ray Ogden pushed the Crimson Tide to a 21-14 Thanksgiving Day victory over Auburn.
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#9 The Butt Fumble
Turkey day 2012 - This was the gift that keeps on giving as the famous incident that happened to Jets QB Mark Sanchez is played on blooper reels still to this day. ESPN.com describes the play. Mark Sanchez crouches confidently under center at the 31-yard line, his team down 14-0 with 9:10 to play in the second quarter. Everything changed in an instant. Sanchez took the snap and turned left , and fullback Lex Hilliard, who is supposed to get the handoff, goes by him on his right. Sanchez's momentum carries him 5 yards into the backfield, where he pivots and begins blindly sprinting toward the chaos at the line of scrimmage and then charges towards the line where he runs into his own lineman hard, knocking Sanchez off his feet and dislodging the ball from his grasp. The Patriots recovered and went on to win the game 49 to 17.
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#8 The Bounty Game
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#8 The Bounty Game
1989 Philly at Dallas - This story starts earlier in the season Eagles Coach Buddy Ryan cut his punter Luis Zendejas and let’s just say some unlind words were exchanged during the exit interview. Zendejas later signed with the Cowboys and would meet his old team on Thanksgiving. Reports were that folks saw Ryan and other coaches meeting with backup linebacker Jesse Small during the week leading up to the game, then in game it looked as if Small appeared to take out Zendejas after a punt in the 3rd quarter. Rumors were in the air that bounties were placed on the punter and on one rookie quarterback named Troy Aikman. Lets just say after the game first year Cowboys head coach Jimmie Johnson, wasn’t extending pleasantries to Ryan after the game.
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#7 Benton's 303 Yard Game
November 22, 1945 - Briggs Stadium, Detroit, Michigan - The fans of the Cleveland Rams had plenty to be thankful for on this day. Jim Benton the dependable Cleveland Rams end gained an NFL record 303 yards against the Detroit Lions during this Thanksgiving Day game. The mark of 303 yards remained the NFL record for 40 years and was only tested once in 1950 by Cloyce Box of the Lions in 1950 who gained 302 yards one game. It wasn’t until the 1985 season when the record was shattered by Stephone Paige of the Kansas City Chiefs in 1985 with 309 and 1989 when Flipper Anderson of the LA version of the Rams chalked up a remarkable 336 yards! It was an important game per the fs64sports website as the Rams entered the contest with a 7-1 mark while the host Lions were no slouches sporting a 6-2 record of their own. Benton and his team did just enough to escape the Motor City with an exciting 28-21 win.
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#6 OT Coin Toss Call Game
Turkey Day 1998 The Steelers at the Lions OT Coin Toss game This is the infamous game in which Jerome Bettis went out for overtime and, being the visitor, got to call the toss. It was all caught by the national audience when Referee Phil Luckett flipped the coin and Betis was heard saying “Tails” while the coin flipped through the air but as Luckett reached to retrieve the coin he announced that Bettis called heads and that the Lions had won the toss. There was an argument from the Steelers sideline but to no avail. Less than three minutes into the OT session, Jason Hanson booted a 42-yard field goal. Final score Detroit Lions 19, Pittsburgh Steelers 16. This incident changed coin tosses at all levels of football to have the captain call the heads or tails before the coin is flipped, the Ref will verbally confirm till all witnessing agree then flip the coin.
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#5 Leon Lett Snow Angel
Turkey Day 1993 Miami Dolphins 16, Dallas Cowboys 14 Leon Lett We have all had times where we regret spur of the moment decisions that really felt like a good idea at the time that turned into doo-doo real quick. That is what happened to Dallas Cowboy Leon Lett on a snowy Thanksgiving day in Dallas. With the field looking like a winter wonderland Miami Dolphin kicker Pete Stoyanovich had a chance to win the game with a 41-yard field goal in the final seconds.The attempt was blocked by Dallas and the ball skipped down the field near the goal line. Dick Enberg called the game over on NBC, as had the ball stayed untouched, the play would have been whistled dead and the Cowboys would have won. Instead Leon Lett charged in, touched the ball and it was recovered by Miami on the one. Stoyanovich was able to tee it up again and booted a 19-yard field goal with three seconds left to give the Dolphins a 16-14 victory.
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#4 Williams to The House in OT
Turkey Day 1980 -Pontiac Silverdome - The Bears were down 17-3 in the fourth quarter before scoring two touchdowns, including a game-tying scramble as time expired. ChicagoBears.com gives us the scoop by informing us that Bears quarterback Vince Evans scrambled for a 4-yard touchdown to tie the game as time expired in the fourth quarter. Chicago won the OT coin toss and then returner Dave Williams took the overtime kickoff 95 yards to the house for the game-winning score. Chicago Bears 23, Detroit Lions 17 in Sudden Death Overtime and sudden was the key word! What a finish!
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#3 The Clint Longley Game
Turkey Day 1974 - With starting QB Roger Staubach sidelined, his back up Clint Longley played under center for the Cowboys on their Thanksgiving Day game against the Washington Redskins per the Washington Post. It was a close game throughout but with about half a minute remaining in the game Longley heaved a 50 yard bomb that landed in the hands of receiver Drew Pearson for the tying points. Rookie Efren Herrera knocked through the extra point and Dallas escaped with a 24-23 victory.
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#2 Ernie Nevers Score 40
Turkey Day 1929 - Ernie Nevers, the fullback for the Chicago Cardinals scored six touchdowns and kicked four extra points for 40 total points versus the Chicago Bears on Nov. 28, 1929, Thanksgiving Day acording to CBSSports.com.
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#1 The First Thanksgiving Football Game
The first Thanksgiving Day Game. Give a bunch guys a day off and guess what happens! On October 3, 1863, in tribute to Union Army’s victory at Gettysburg, President Abraham Lincoln proclaimed that the nation would set aside and be given a national Thanksgiving holiday on November 26, 1863. The very first Thanksgiving football contest occurred just 6 years after the inception of the Holiday. November 17, 1869, Philadelphia’s Evening Telegraph newspaper posted this message: "Foot Ball: A foot-ball match between twenty-two players of the Young America Cricket Club and the Germantown Cricket Club will take place on Thanksgiving Day at 12 1/2 o'clock, on the grounds of the Germantown Club." There you go these are truly great games we can be thankful for!
Of course tied with this is the 1971 Nebraska versus Oklahoma, "Game of the Century" showdown. I was invited to talk about it on my friend Dana Auguster's Historically Speaking Sports podcast this week. Give it a listen later this week.
