There isn't a holiday where a sport is more inextricably tied to the traditions and festivities of the day than Thanksgiving and football, in large part thanks to the work of the legendary John Madden.
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Whether it's backyard Turkey Bowls amid the falling leaves and autumn wind, high school rivalries renewed as the turkey roasts back home, or the Lions and Cowboys games a welcomed and familiar guest around your table, football is Thanksgiving as much as the stuffing, pumpkin pie, and family reunions built on gratitude.
But, few are more responsible for football being woven into the tapestry of a day centered on giving thanks than one man.
John Madden.
"Of course John loved the Raiders, he also loved the game of football," former Raiders CEO Amy Trask told FanBuzz. "That love for the game, his passion for the game was palpable during his broadcasts. To listen to him on Thanksgiving added to the fun."
On this particular Thanksgiving Day, roughly 23 months since his death, the Detroit Lions, Green Bay Packers, Dallas Cowboys, Washington Commanders, San Francisco 49ers and Seattle Seahawks will wear a special jersey patch featuring Madden's silhouette and the coin used for the coin toss will feature his likeness, as well.
Those who spend their final Thursday in November glued to the television set, or with the audio loud enough to hear Madden's call while scarfing down a heaping helping of stuffing understand why the NFL has begun treating these Thanksgiving games as tributes to Madden.
"There are some things in life that just fit," the late Madden said, during the opening of a Thanksgiving game in Detroit, on FOX. "I think when you talk about football, traditional rivalries, and being there, that's a good fit."
ICYMI the @NFL honors the late John Madden w/ the 2nd annual "John Madden Thanksgiving Celebration"
Here is the game coin that will be used & the patch which will appear on all player jerseys on Thanksgiving Day
Full details: https://t.co/lBbgrLIwRU pic.twitter.com/bDkdNj1HOT
— NFL Media (@NFLMedia) November 14, 2023
The Hall of Fame coach and broadcaster's booming personality, ability to talk about the game in a way that the every-man could understand and enjoy, and his eccentric love of the turkey leg, and later the turducken, made the Thanksgiving games he was on the call for feel like an event.
"No one cared more about or contributed more to our game than John Madden," NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell said in a statement released by the league prior to the Thanksgiving games in 2022. "Honoring his memory and impact on the NFL is important and Thanksgiving Day brings all of the elements significant to John to life — family, football, food and fun."
Madden called an NFL record 20 Thanksgiving games, during his illustrious career across the CBS, FOX, NBC, and ABC Networks.
But, in 1989, a new tradition was born.
Late in the broadcast of the Eagles' 20-10 Thanksgiving victory over the Cowboys that later became known as the Bounty Bowl, Madden decided to come up with the perfect trophy to award each Thanksgiving game that he called.
"I'm going to whack a leg off that turkey and give it to the player of the game," Madden told his legendary broadcast partner, Pat Summerall.
Madden did exactly that.
Legendary Eagles linebacker Seth Joyner was part of the swarming defense that sacked Cowboys quarterback Troy Aikman twice while lambasting the Cowboys 27-0.
On that memorable Thanksgiving, Joyner remembers the impact of Madden awarding the first Turkey Leg MVP to his teammate, the late Reggie White.
"We were really enjoying that moment," Joyner recalled to FanBuzz by phone. "Because, that was the one Thanksgiving game between the Eagles and Cowboys, those teams didn't play again on Thanksgiving until the mid-2000s, because we went down there and that game became the Bounty Bowl. Not only did we massacre them on the field, but a big fight broke out on national TV, and the league was like 'never again'."
Madden handed out legs from three-legged turkeys, six-legged turkeys, and beginning in 1997, the players of the game had the chance to bite into the leg of a turducken (a turkey that is stuffed with a chicken, which is stuffed with a duck).
From 1989 onward, the turkey leg felt, at least momentarily, as monumental as the Lombardi at the end of a memorable Thanksgiving game.
"It became a thing back then," Joyner said of chomping down the ceremonial turkey leg on the sideline, after beating the Cowboys on Thanksgiving day. "Because John Madden was so iconic. Not only was making the All-Madden Team a big deal, darn near on par with making the Pro Bowl, but the whole turkey leg thing on Thanksgiving was a major, major deal.
"It was an honor to play on Thanksgiving, to win, and then to share something that would become a new iconic thing ... The turkey leg and the turducken on Thanksgiving Day. That was pretty darn awesome to be part of."
In his 21 Thanksgiving Day broadcasts, he called some absolutely legendary performances. pic.twitter.com/jMyJVvGAsZ
— NFL (@NFL) November 24, 2022
Thursday, throughout the broadcasts, CBS, FOX, and NBC will air remembrances of Madden and his famous Thanksgiving calls. Over a decade since his final Turkey Day call, and nearly two years since his death, Madden's impact on the game of football will be felt as tangibly as ever on this Thanksgiving.
The NFL announced that as part of Thursday's tributes, each network will select a player of the game who will receive a $10,000 donation from the NFL Foundation to be given to a high school or youth football program in their name.
There's something fitting about Madden posthumously elevating the game he brought into countless households each Sunday and made such a lasting impact on throughout his life.
"Again, John's love for the game of football was palpable," Trask said. "That resonated both with those who loved the game as well as with more casual observers.
"He was able to convey his thoughts to both audiences, sharing insights with more avid and knowledgeable followers as well as making broadcasts fun for those less involved in the game. In all the years I know him, his love and passion for the game never waned."
