Texas Tradition: Thanksgiving & Football

[Cowboy72A]

[khongquan2]

Why do the Detroit Lions always play on Thanksgiving?

The Detroit Lions played their first Thanksgiving Day game in 1934

[Cowboy72A]

Why do the Detroit Lions always play on Thanksgiving?

The Detroit Lions played their first Thanksgiving Day game in 1934

How ‘Bout Them Cowboys?

The Cowboys, too, jumped on the opportunity to play on Thanksgiving as an extra little bump for their popularity. When the chance to take the field on Thanksgiving arose in 1966, it might not have been a huge benefit for the Cowboys. Sure, the Lions had filled their stadium for their Thanksgiving games, but that was no reassurance that Texans would warm to holiday football so quickly.

Cowboys general manager Tex Schramm, though, was something of marketing genius; among his other achievements was the creation of the Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders.

Schramm saw the Thanksgiving Day game as a great way to get the team some national publicity even as it struggled under young head coach Tom Landry. Schramm signed the Cowboys up for the game even though the NFL was worried that the fans might just not show up—the league guaranteed the team a certain gate revenue in case nobody bought tickets. But the fans showed up in droves, and the team broke its attendance record as 80,259 crammed into the Cotton Bowl. The Cowboys beat the Cleveland Browns 26-14 that day, and a second Thanksgiving pigskin tradition caught hold. Since 1966, the Cowboys have missed having Thanksgiving games only twice.