As traditions go, watching football on Thanksgiving Day is a favorite, and it was Detroit that started it all. Back in 1934, the Lions, originally a club from Portsmouth, Ohio, moved to Detroit as a new addition to the National Football League. The move gave Detroit its first professional football team.
Marketing Stunt
As a marketing ploy to drum up attendance at the new team’s games, then Lions’ owner, George A. Richards, arranged for the team to host the Chicago Bears in the University of Detroit Stadium on Thanksgiving Day. Richards also arranged for the game to be televised nationally via NBC.
73rd Annual Thanksgiving Day Game
In spite of the fact the Lions lost that first Thanksgiving-Day game to the Bears, the holiday game was such a success that Detroit continues to host it to this day; the Thanksgiving Day game in 2012 will mark the Lions’ 73rd. For the first five years, the Chicago Bears provided the competition to the Lions on Turkey Day. In the 1950s and 60s, Green Bay was the team that gave the Lions their holiday match. Over the years, however, the Lions have played most of the teams in the league on one Thanksgiving Day or another.
1970 Come Back
In 1970, it was the Oakland Raiders that gave the Detroit Lions’ fans post-turkey agita. This was mainly because the Lions had a less than stellar season leading into the Thanksgiving-Day game that year. They had also lost the prior seven Thanksgiving-Day games. Nothing about the first quarter of that 1970 game gave Lions’ fans much hope – the Raiders scored two touchdowns – but the Lions turned it all around in the second quarter, eventually winning the game 28-14. The win helped to change the course of the season, and the Lions went on to win the remaining three games of their schedule.
Rally Cry
Given the Lions’ record this year -- four wins, five losses in the team's first five games -- the Thanksgiving Day game could be a nail biter. The Lions are also coming off of eight straight Thanksgiving-Day losses, including a 41-9 loss to Indianapolis in 2004. Frankly, we need another Thanksgiving-Day miracle in 2012. Here’s to hoping that the Lions send the Houston Texans home to eat crow instead of turkey on Thanksgiving Day in 2012.
2012 Thanksgiving-Day Game
The Detroit Lions play the Houston Texans at 12:30 p.m. on Turkey Day in Ford Field. The game will be televised on CBS and broadcast on 97.1 FM WXYT.
More Information:
- A Thanksgiving Memory by Michael Ranville / DetroitLions.com (11/21/2000)
- The Origins of the Thanksgiving Day Tradition / DetroitLions.com
- History: Thanksgiving Day Games / ProFootballhof.com
