20 Thanksgiving Football History Facts and Stats in 2024

Thanksgiving and American Football are staples of US culture. The two aspects are intertwined closely, with friends and families gathering for the holidays to watch the best NFL teams head to head.

Some of the most memorable and historic Football games were played during the Thanksgiving holidays at the collegiate and professional level, such as the NFL snowstorm about in 1993.

This article explores facts, figures, and insights to uncover when people started playing Football on Thanksgiving, who played the most games, and other key Thanksgiving Football statistics.

Highlights of the Article

• The first-ever Thanksgiving Football game occurred in 1876 between the colleges of Princeton and Yale.
• In 1934, the NFL’s first official Thanksgiving game happened between the Detroit Lions and the Chicago Bears.
• The Detroit Lions have played and won the most Thanksgiving games, playing in 83 and winning 37, the most of any NFL team.
• Only one team in the NFL has yet to appear in any Thanksgiving Football game, the Jacksonville Jaguars, who came into the league in 1995.
• In 1993, the Thanksgiving match between the Miami Dolphins and Dallas Cowboys recorded a temperature of 23℉ – 35℉, the coldest NFL Thanksgiving game in history.
• The NFL awards the MVP of the Thanksgiving games with Roasted Turkey Legs, which NFL legendary coach John Madden initiated.
• The Dallas Cowboys own the best NFL Thanksgiving games record, with a 33-22-1 (0.591) record as of August 2023.
• Since 1966, the Cowboys have missed hosting only two NFL Thanksgiving games.
• There was no college Football on Thanksgiving in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the first since the mid-1990s.

Thanksgiving Football Games History Statistics and Facts

Football has been played on Thanksgiving for a long time. It’s as big of a tradition as the turkey itself. Read below for some exciting facts and stats about Football on Turkey Day.

1. The tradition of holding Thanksgiving football games happened in 1876.

(History.com)

Yale and Princeton were involved in Football history as they were the two teams that initiated the first-ever Thanksgiving Football game in November 1876.

The first Thanksgiving game was held in Hoboken, New Jersey, in front of almost 1,000 fans on a cold and rainy day. The game resembled rugby and featured the oval, leather Football.

The Yale-Princeton Thanksgiving game became a collegiate tradition, with universities like Kansas, Missouri, and Michigan following suit.

Fun Fact

Princeton is one of American Football’s most important teams, as the college is part of the first official game recorded.

 

Princeton fought Rutgers in the first-ever Football game, which was held on November 6, 1896.

2. The NFL’s Inaugural Thanksgiving Football match commenced in 1920.

(Clutch Points)

The NFL was founded in 1920. That same year, the league had its first Thanksgiving Football match between the Akron Pros and the Canton Bulldogs, which resulted in a 7-0 win for the Pros.

The “Tradition” would deepen and become official in 1934 when the Detroit Lions hosted the game. The team would play the Thanksgiving match 83 games since, winning 37.

3. 2006 saw a change in the Thanksgiving NFL format, scheduling 3 games instead of 2.

(The Twinspires Edge)

Traditionally, the Detroit Lions and Dallas Cowboys host a game. However, in 2006, the NFL added a third Thanksgiving Day game, with different teams facing each other yearly. 

4. The most Thanksgiving Day NFL appearances include the Lions, Cowboys, Bears, and Packers.

(CBS Sports, ESPN)

Detroit Lions lead the pack with 83 games played on Thanksgiving, given that the team is recognized for starting the NFL tradition.

5. The Jacksonville Jaguars are the only NFL team yet to play in the Thanksgiving Football tradition of the NFL.

(CBS Sports, Archy Sport)

Jacksonville Jaguars have never played on Thanksgiving, making them the only team with that record.

The Jaguars are one of the NFL’s youngest teams, starting in the league in 1995, 75 years after its founding.

The team has yet to play in the tradition because they have fewer primetime games than other teams, averaging 1.5 prime times per season, 3.5 less than the NFL’s yearly cap for a team.

6. Matthew Stafford owns the record for the most passing yards in NFL Thanksgiving Football history, with 3,000.

(CBS Sports)

The Detroit Lions’ Matthew Stafford leads NFL players for the most passing yards on Thanksgiving, followed by Tony Romo’s 2,338 and Troy Aikman’s 2,174.

Stafford and Romo are tied for most passing touchdowns with 18 each.

7. The coldest NFL game in the history of Thanksgiving Football is also one of the best. 

(Dallas Cowboys)

On Thanksgiving 1993, the NFL matched the Dallas Cowboys and Miami Dolphins, which became an instant classic.

The game was played under lows of 23℉ – 35℉, accompanied by snow, sleet, ice, and a frozen field. Players and officials were slipping and falling everywhere.

In the end, Miami missed a field goal. The Dallas defense got possession, slipped on the ice, and the Dolphins won the game 16-14 with another field goal after regaining possession.

Fun Fact

Aside from being a part of one of Thanksgiving’s greatest games, the Miami Dolphins also recorded one of the greatest records in all of sports.

 

The Dolphins are the only team with the “Perfect NFL Season,” going undefeated (14-0) in the 1972 NFL Season and 3-0 in the playoffs to win Super Bowl VII.

8. One of the best awards in the NFL is given to the game MVP(s) of the Thanksgiving Matches, the Turkey Leg Award.

(Sports Casting)

Since 1989, the MVP has received a turkey leg as a prize, a tradition introduced by famed coach and commentator John Madden.

Madden wished there were six legs to give away in 1990, resulting in the league giving out six turkey legs for multiple winners.

Fox replaced the award with the Galloping Gobbler Award in 2002, but NBC returned the Turkey Leg Award during its broadcasts.

Detroit Lions Thanksgiving Games History

Detroit Lions are synonymous with Thanksgiving Football. After all, they started the modern tradition.

Please read below for more intriguing facts about the Detroit Lions and their significance to Thanksgiving Football.

9. The first Detroit Thanksgiving game in 1934 was played in front of 26,000 people.

(Pro Football HOF)

Referencing earlier statistics, the Lions initiated the NFL Thanksgiving tradition as we know it. The first officially acknowledged Thanksgiving game was in 1934.

George A. Richards purchased the Lions in 1933 and wanted to build a fanbase and increase ticket sales. He decided to schedule a game on Thanksgiving, which worked out well.

Detroit battled the World Champions, the Chicago Bears, in that match. The game was sold out, with 26,000 people in the audience and an additional 25,000 wanting to attend.

10. The Lions’ Thanksgiving record includes 37 wins, the most of any team.

(NBC Sports Boston, CBS Sports)

The team’s record during the traditional games is 37-43-2 as of August 2023.

The Lions lost during the first-ever Thanksgiving match but won in 1935. The team’s longest winning streak is six games (1950–1955), and their longest losing streak is nine (2004–2012).

Side Note

Despite being part of one of the NFL’s most cherished traditions, things could be better for Detroit, which has not entered the postseason since 2017.

 

During the opening of the 2023 NFL Season, betting odds were against the Detroit Lions, with pundits betting in favor of the Chiefs instead by 7 points.

11. Detroit Lions’ Thanksgiving history shows that the team has missed only six seasons since 1934.

(Pro Football HOF)

Since the first game in 1934, the Lions have missed playing on Thanksgiving only six seasons, from 1939–44, due to WWII.

12. The Green Bay Packers are the most frequent opponent in Lions’ Thanksgiving history.

(Bleacher Report)

The Lions and Packers have met 21 times on Thanksgiving, the tradition’s most frequent match-up. Lions lead with 12 wins.

The traditional rivals are set to meet again in the 2023 NFL Thanksgiving on November 23.

It’s worth mentioning that the Lions-Bears match-up is right behind with 18 meetings. The Bears won 10 times.

Dallas Cowboys Thanksgiving Game History

The Dallas Cowboys are another team iconic for NFL Thanksgiving. The Cowboys hold the second-most appearances in the tradition at 55 games and the best record at 0.591.

The most valuable sports team in the world, the Cowboys, is the other symbol of Thanksgiving Football. The team started playing after Detroit but has produced many memorable moments and stats.

13. The Dallas Cowboys started participating in the NFL Thanksgiving games tradition in 1966. 

(Sporting News)

In 1966, the Dallas Cowboys sought to boost publicity. The team was struggling, and the NFL was worried about gate sales.

The Cowboys’ management mirrored how the Lions used the Thanksgiving viewership ratings to boost gate sales, which worked.

Dallas’ first Thanksgiving game was against the Cleveland Browns, which broke team attendance records with 80,259 fans turning up.

Side Note

Unlike the Cowboys, the NFL’s most valuable team, the Cleveland Browns were one of the league’s worst teams for almost two decades.

 

The Browns recorded a 17-year playoff drought from 2003-2019, including a 0-16 record in 2017. The team has yet to compete for the Super Bowl.

14. The Washington Football Team is the Cowboys’ most frequent match-up in the NFL Thanksgiving games.

(ESPN, Fort Worth Star-Telegram)

The Dallas Cowboys’ most frequent match-up in the holiday tradition game is their NFC East rivals, the Washington Football Team.

Their Thanksgiving game in 2020 was their 10th match-up for the tradition. Washington was the recent winner, but the Cowboys lead the rivalry at 8-2.

Formerly the “Redskins,” Washington officially renamed to the Football Team in 2020.

15. Since 1966, the Cowboys have missed hosting NFL Thanksgiving games only twice.

(Sporting News)

The Dallas Cowboys have missed hosting the NFL Thanksgiving in 1975 and 1977. This was due to the NFL granting hosting duties to the St. Louis Cardinals to boost exposure for the team.

The St. Louis Cardinals (now Arizona Cardinal) are the NFL’s oldest team, so the NFL was eager to help the team boost its ratings by pitting them against Dallas, who were Super Bowl contenders.

The Cardinals lost both games, and the Cowboys returned to hosting.

16. The Dallas Cowboys are the winningest team regarding NFL Thanksgiving Football matches, with a 0.591 win percentage.

(NBC Sports Boost)

The team started their Thanksgiving tradition on a high note, winning their first six games (1966–71) and tied for the longest win streak (the other years were 1980–85).

The Cowboys have recorded the best record for the NFL’s traditional turkey games, tallying 32-22-1 (0.591), the best for teams with more than 10 Thanksgiving games.

College Thanksgiving Football Games Statistics

The tradition of merging American Football with Thanksgiving started at the Collegiate Football level, from a historic game between Yale and Princeton.

While the NFL has been holding the spotlight, college Football is close in popularity, with over 145 million fans and followers since 2019, and going strong on Thanksgiving and the weekend after.

17. In 1889, the Thanksgiving Day College Football game between Princeton and Yale was played in front of 25,000 people.

(Pilgrim Hall)

Since the first game in 1876, College Football has evolved. Teams went from 25 people to 11 on each side, the quarterback appeared, and more colleges started organizing Football teams.

The game grew in popularity, and in 1889, it recorded 25,000 attendance for Princeton vs. Yale.

18. For the first time since the mid-1990s, there was no college Football on Thanksgiving day in 2020.

(Daily Press)

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, 2020 was different for Thanksgiving College Football. There were no games or practice sessions held on the holiday. 

Teams like Colorado, who had played a week after the holiday every year since 1996, or Ohio State, who used to attend every year, skipped the traditions.

Fun Fact

Ohio State University, or OSU, has among College Sports’ most famous athletics department, the Ohio State Sports (OSS).OSS consistently generates massive income, reportedly making around $234 million amidst the pandemic restrictions in 2020.

19. Alabama State and Tuskegee have met most frequently in college Thanksgiving day Football history.

(WSFA, Tusd1Explore)

The Alabama State-Tuskegee match-up, aka “The Turkey Day Classic,” is the most recurring Thanksgiving game in Football history.

The two teams played from 1924 to 2012 (with a few exceptions) and are planning to start again in 2021. The two teams have met 88 times — the most in college Football on Thanksgiving.

20. The 2018 game between Texas A&M and LSU is the highest-scoring game in Thanksgiving Football history and overall NCAA.

(ESPN)

Texas A&M and LSU’s Thanksgiving weekend in 2018 ended with a 74-72 win for Texas in 7 OTs. That tied the record for most OTs and set the record for the highest score in NCAA history.

The Final Score

Thanksgiving and American Football are two of the most iconic aspects of American culture, and their rich history shows just how vital it is to the US.

Alt Tag: Thanksgiving Card With Turkey and Football Player

With almost a century and a half of memorable matches and moments to show, Thanksgiving Football is a staple that might never be broken as long as the sport exists.

Ultimately, every November, Americans already know it’s the month of appreciation, eating turkey, drinking beer, and watching a classic game of Football with the people you love.