Gridiron Gluttony

Throughout the country, Thanksgiving and turkey go hand in hand. But in Texas — and the Rio Grande Valley — nothing says Thanksgiving like the pigskin.

Today, football fans will be in for a unique treat. The Dallas Cowboys will take on the Seattle Seahawks at 3:15 p.m. At 7 p.m. the University of Texas Longhorns and the Texas A&M Aggies will face off.

That means fans can strap in for an hours-long football marathon.

But football on Thanksgiving isn’t a tradition that emerged overnight.

The Detroit Lions — the original Thanksgiving team — began their first Turkey Day contest in 1934 against the Chicago Bears. The Cowboys were added to the lineup in 1966, when NFL Commissioner Pete Rozelle sought another team for Thanksgiving so the league would have a regular doubleheaders.

Rozelle offered the second game to all the teams in the league, but many owners were resistant, due to the minimal rest the players would have playing on a Thursday after a Sunday game.

Tex Schramm — the general manager and president of the Cowboys at the time — was the only owner who took Rozelle up on his offer. Schramm, a former CBS Sports executive, realized that such an annual, nationwide broadcast game would help increase his team’s revenue and exposure.

Since 1966, the Cowboys have played every Thanksgiving except for twice in the 1970s, when the St. Louis Cardinals were given the game. The holiday has treated the team well, with the team compiling a 25-14-1 Thanksgiving record.
Meanwhile, the Longhorns and Aggies are renewing an old tradition.

Tonight, the two will face off on Thanksgiving for the first time since 1993. They’re also scheduled to play the 2009 game on Thanksgiving as well.

Lately, the two teams have faced off on the Friday after Thanksgiving. Texas A&M won the last Turkey Day match-up between the two teams, but history favors Texas: the Longhorns have won 40 of the 60 contests between the schools held on Thanksgiving.

Here’s a look back at the most memorable Dallas Cowboys Thanksgiving games:

1966: In the inaugural game, the Cowboys faced the Browns at the Cotton Bowl, each team coming in with seven wins. Dallas was losing at the half but ultimately won 26-14. The Cowboys wound up having winning seasons for the next 20 years.

1974: Quarterback Roger Staubach was knocked out of the game in the third quarter, and backup Clint Longley entered. With Washington up 23-17 and just seconds remaining the game, Longley’s 50-yard touchdown pass to Drew Pearson secured the 24-23 win.

1979: The Houston Oilers’ Earl Campbell had an amazing 195-yard rushing performance. The legendary running back led the team to a 30-24 victory over the Dallas Cowboys.

1993: In perhaps the most infamous Thanksgiving game of all, the Miami Dolphins attempted a 41-yard field goal while down 14-13 with seconds left. The Cowboys blocked the field goal and if they had done nothing, they would have won. Instead, Cowboys defensive tackle Leon Lett tried to recover the ball and slipped as he picked it up. Miami recovered it on the 1-yard line, kicked a field goal and won 16-14.

1994: With star quarterback Troy Aikman injured, backup Jason Garrett filled his shoes. Garrett threw for 311 yards and led the Cowboys to a 42-31 victory over the Green Bay Packers, who at the time were at their prime.

2002: The season wasn’t a memorable one. It started with a loss to the expansion Houston Texans and culminated in a lowly 5-11 record. But the Thanksgiving game — against archrival Washington Redskins — was a bright spot. Down 20-17 entering the fourth quarter, Dallas rallied to win 27-20.
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Ryan Holeywell covers McAllen, PSJA, the Mid-Valley and general assignments for The Monitor. He can be reached at (956) 683-4446.