American football on Thanksgiving facts for kids
American football is a super popular sport that's become a big part of Thanksgiving Day celebrations in the United States. Almost every level of football, from young amateur players and high school teams to college and professional NFL teams, plays games on Thanksgiving Thursday or during the long holiday weekend that follows. Even in Canada, the Canadian Football League (CFL) has games on their Thanksgiving holiday.
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The Start of Thanksgiving Football
Thanksgiving Day football games have been around almost as long as the sport itself! The very first game played on Thanksgiving happened in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, in 1869. This was just a couple of weeks after what's considered the first ever college football game in the U.S.
In 1882, playing football on Thanksgiving became an official tradition. The Intercollegiate Football Association decided to hold their yearly college championship game in New York City on Thanksgiving Day. This made the holiday even more exciting for football fans.
Did you know the first American football game played in Europe was on Thanksgiving? It happened in Paris, France, in 1897, played by American students!
Interestingly, football helped Thanksgiving become popular in the Southern United States. Before football, many people there didn't celebrate Thanksgiving much. But when football games started happening on the holiday, Southerners found they enjoyed it!
Today, the tradition of Thanksgiving football is still strong. However, at the high school level, some schools are playing fewer Thanksgiving games. This is because more teams are joining playoff tournaments, and players often want to focus on winter sports like basketball.
High School Football: The Turkey Bowl
High school football games played on Thanksgiving are often called a Turkey Day Game or a Turkey Bowl. This is because many Americans eat turkeys on Thanksgiving! These games are usually big rivalry matches between schools that have played each other for many years. Sometimes, they even decide the league champions for the year.
This tradition is over 100 years old and is especially popular in the Northeastern U.S. Games often start early, around 9 a.m., so players and fans can enjoy the rest of the holiday with their families.
Here are a few examples of famous high school Thanksgiving games:
California
- San Jose Big Bone Game: This game in San Jose, California, used to be played on Thanksgiving. It featured Abraham Lincoln High School against San Jose High School. The "Big Bone" was a cow's femur! Lincoln won many games in a row before the tradition moved to a different holiday in 2021.
- San Francisco Turkey Bowl: This game in San Francisco dates back to 1924 and is the city's public high school championship game. It's played at Kezar Stadium.
Connecticut
Connecticut has many Thanksgiving games, with at least 48!
- Ansonia vs. Naugatuck: These two schools have played each other since 1900.
- Darien vs. New Canaan: This is often seen as one of the most exciting rivalry games in the state. It draws huge crowds, sometimes up to 10,000 people!
- Norwich Free Academy vs. New London High School: This is one of the oldest rivalries in the nation, with games dating back to 1875!
Maryland
Maryland is home to some very old rivalries:
- Loyola Blakefield vs. Calvert Hall College: Known as the "Turkey Bowl," this game is the oldest continuous Catholic high school football rivalry in the U.S. It's even shown on local TV!
- Baltimore Polytechnic Institute (Poly) vs. Baltimore City College (City): This is one of the longest-running public high school rivalries in the country, starting in 1889. While the official game moved due to playoffs, former students still play a fun flag football game every Thanksgiving morning.
Massachusetts
In Massachusetts, the Thanksgiving Day game is a huge tradition, bringing out thousands of former students and fans.
- Abington vs. Whitman-Hanson: These schools have played on Thanksgiving since 1910, celebrating their 100th game in 2010.
- Beverly vs. Salem: This rivalry started in 1891, and their 100th game in 1998 attracted over 11,000 fans!
- Boston English vs. Boston Latin: This rivalry dates back to 1887 and is played every year at Harvard Stadium.
- Needham vs. Wellesley: This is the oldest public school football rivalry in the country, playing since 1882!
New Jersey
New Jersey also has many long-standing Thanksgiving rivalries.
- Phillipsburg vs. Easton, Pennsylvania: This game is called The State Line Game because the schools are in different states (New Jersey and Pennsylvania). It's been played since 1905 and is a huge event, often televised.
- Millville vs. Vineland: This is New Jersey's oldest rivalry, played since 1893.
New York State
- Fordham Prep vs. Xavier High School: Known as the "Turkey Bowl," this is one of New York's oldest high school football rivalries. They used to play at famous places like Manhattan's Polo Grounds!
Pennsylvania
- Abington vs. Cheltenham: These schools, less than 2 miles apart, have been playing since 1915.
- Northeast vs. Central: This rivalry between two Philadelphia schools dates back to 1892.
Rhode Island
- Portsmouth vs. Middletown: These two teams have played every year since 1965.
Virginia
- Woodberry Forest vs. Episcopal: This is the longest-running high school football rivalry in the Southern U.S., playing since 1901. It's known simply as "The Game" and brings back many former students.
"Turkey Bowl" Games for Fun
Beyond official school games, many groups of friends and families also play their own informal "Turkey Bowl" games on Thanksgiving. These are usually casual games of flag football or touch football, without referees.
Even though these games aren't famous nationally, they are very important to the people who play them. Many of these friendly rivalries last for decades! Turkey Bowls are a great way for families, friends, and community groups to have fun, get some exercise, and catch up with each other on the holiday.
College Football on Thanksgiving Weekend
Thanksgiving weekend is usually the end of the regular season for college football teams, before they play in championship games or bowl games in December. It's a tradition for top college teams to play their biggest rivals during this last week.
Some famous college Thanksgiving traditions include:
- The University of Michigan played many Thanksgiving games from 1885 to 1905. Now, their big rivalry game against Ohio State is played on the Saturday after Thanksgiving.
- The Turkey Day Classic is a historic game between Alabama State University and Tuskegee University. It's the oldest "black college football classic," with games dating back to 1901.
- The Bayou Classic between Grambling State University and Southern University is another popular black college football game played on the Saturday after Thanksgiving.
Many other big college rivalries also take place over Thanksgiving weekend, like:
- Auburn vs. Alabama (the Iron Bowl)
- Ole Miss vs. Mississippi State (the Egg Bowl)
- Georgia vs. Georgia Tech (Clean, Old-Fashioned Hate)
- BYU vs. Utah (the Holy War)
- Texas vs. Texas A&M (the Lone Star Showdown), which used to be played on Thanksgiving.
- Florida vs. Florida State (the Sunshine Showdown)
- Michigan vs. Ohio State (The Game), played the Saturday after Thanksgiving.
While some college games are played on Thanksgiving Day itself, most of these big rivalry games are now played on the Friday or Saturday after the holiday. This helps avoid conflicts with the professional NFL games.
Professional Football on Thanksgiving
Professional football teams have been playing on Thanksgiving since the 1890s! When the National Football League (NFL) was founded in 1920, the tradition continued.
The Detroit Lions have played a home game on Thanksgiving every year since 1934. The Dallas Cowboys joined this tradition in 1966, also playing a home game on Thanksgiving. Since 2006, the NFL has added a third game on Thanksgiving night, with different teams hosting each year.
In Canada, the Canadian Football League (CFL) also hosts two games on Canadian Thanksgiving, which is a Monday. These games are part of the Thanksgiving Day Classic.
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