American football on Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving postcard circa 1900 showing a turkey and football player.

American football is one of the many traditions in American culture that is associated with Thanksgiving Day. Virtually every level of football, from amateur and high school to college and the NFL (and even the CFL on Canadian Thanksgiving), plays football on Thanksgiving Day (Thursday) or the immediately following holiday weekend (Friday, Saturday and Sunday).

Early days

Thanksgiving Day football games in the United States are nearly as old as the game—and the organized holiday—themselves. The first Thanksgiving Day football game took place in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania on Thanksgiving Day of 1869, less than two weeks after Rutgers defeated Princeton in New Brunswick, New Jersey in what is widely considered to have been the first American Football game, and only six years after Abraham Lincoln declared the first fixed national Thanksgiving holiday in 1863. On November 17, 1869, the Evening Telegraph newspaper of Philadelphia published the following announcement: "Foot Ball: A foot-ball match between twenty-two players of the Young America Cricket Club and the Germantown Cricket Club will take place on Thanksgiving Day at 12 1/2 o'clock, on the grounds of the Germantown Club." ^[1] The proximity of Philadelphia to both Rutgers and Princeton invites speculation that this game may have been played under similar rules and perhaps involved some of the same participants, or at least people familiar with the game played at Rutgers, and a second match at Princeton, earlier that month.

Princeton played Yale in the New York City area on Thanksgiving Day from 1876 through 1881.^[2][3] The Thanksgiving Day football game became an institutionalized fixture of organized football in 1882, when the Intercollegiate Football Association determined to hold an annual collegiate championship game in New York City on Thanksgiving Day between the two leading teams in the association. Previously, the 'Champion' was to be determined by a team's records over the entire season against all members of the association. For at least the three previous years, the championship had been a matter of dispute as a result of Yale and Princeton playing to scoreless ties on three Thanksgiving Day games in a row.^[4]

On November 25, 1897, American students of the École des Beaux-Arts and the Académie Julian played a game in Paris, France. This is considered the first American football game ever played in Europe.^{[5][6][7][8][9][10]}

The tradition of playing football games on Thanksgiving continues to this day.

High school football

High school football games played on Thanksgiving are often called a Turkey Day Game or a Turkey Bowl (not to be confused with Turkey bowling), as Americans typically eat turkeys on Thanksgiving, although the title varies with each game. Most commonly these games are between high school football rivalries although in many cases, when poor weather requires a shorter season, the game can be the culmination of league play among a high-school league, in which the winners of this game will be the league champions for the year. (Statewide playoffs were generally rare until the 1970s and 1980s, which allowed for longer regular seasons.) The custom dates back more than 100 years and is particularly prevalent in the Northeast. In most cases, games are contested with kickoff times as early as 10 a.m., allowing the participants to have the rest of the holiday off.

This list is sorted alphabetically, first by state, and then by school, with team leading the series listed first wherever possible. State and regional championship tournaments are listed ahead of rivalries. If the rivalry involves two states, the rivalry is listed under the school whose state comes first alphabetically (e.g. a New Jersey-Pennsylvania rivalry is listed under New Jersey).

California

San Jose Big Bone Game

The only Thanksgiving high school rivalry game to be played west of the state of Missouri, this game dates to 1943 and is played in San Jose, California each Thanksgiving at 11 am. The game pits Abraham Lincoln High School against San Jose High School. The "Big Bone" in question is the femur of a cow that was retrieved from a butcher shop. Lincoln leads the series 38–24. The game is preceded the week prior with the "Little Bone Game," played between the two junior varsity teams.

San Francisco Turkey Bowl

Also in the San Francisco Bay Area, the Turkey Bowl in San Francisco dates back to 1924, is in its 88 straight year and currently is played at Kezar Stadium each Thanksgiving at 11 am. The Turkey Bowl is the city's public high school championship game. The most recent champion is Washington High School;^[11] Galileo High School has the most overall wins in the game (16) after breaking Lincoln High School's record four-game winning streak in 2009.^[12][13]

Connecticut

Connecticut has at least 48 Thanksgiving games.^[14] Some of the better known ones are as follows:

Ansonia vs. Naugatuck

Ansonia High School and Naugatuck High School have played each other since 1900. The game is, as of 2015, broadcast on WATR.

Branford v. East Haven

In the battle of two predominantly Italian American towns each with a buzzing mascot, the Branford Hornets meet the East Haven Yellow Jackets in a rivalry that is must-see along the shoreline if for nothing more than East Haven marching band halftime performance.

Darien vs. New Canaan

This game is held each year at Boyle Stadium in Stamford.^[15]

Guilford vs. Daniel Hand (Madison)

Madison split out of what was East Guilford and since these two teams have begun playing annually Guilford has only won 7 of the match-ups, Guilford tends to be a below .500 team whereas Hand is typically a near perfect team. Hand is always favored, however Guilford always gets pumped up for this final game.

St. Bernard vs. Montville

These two teams only began playing annually around 10 years ago, but because of the recent success of both teams, and short distance from each other, it has become one of the most heated high school football rivalries in the state.

Hamden vs. Notre Dame West Haven

The annual Green Bowl game that takes place every Thanksgiving.

Norwich Free Academy vs. New London High School

Said to be the oldest high school football rivalry in Connecticut and, in terms of games, one of the longest in the country.^[16]

Shelton vs. Derby

Shelton and Derby have played each other since 1904.

Staples vs. Greenwich

Stonington vs. Westerly, Rhode Island

As of 2009, these two schools have met 150 times with Stonington leading Westerly 68–65–17. However, when strictly looking at Thanksgiving Turkey day games Westerly leads 47–40–11. The two schools at one time played twice a year; hence, these two schools have played more games than any other high school football rivalry.^[17]

Wilbur Cross vs. Hillhouse

New Haven's two largest high schools, Hillhouse High School and Wilbur Cross High School, meet every Thanksgiving in the "Elm City Bowl".

Masuk vs. Newtown

This game has decided the winner of SWC championship the past two years, with Masuk winning by a combined score of 88–7.

Stratford vs. Bunnell

In town rivalry, annual attendance of 3,000 or more people. A number of players involved in this game have gone on to NFL careers. Including Marcus Easley and Mark Harrison

New Milford vs New Fairfield

Longtime rivals that have played each other for decades but have been playing each other on Thanksgiving morning since 2007. Winner of game is awarded the "Candlewood Cup" trophy which is named for the lake that separates the two towns. New Fairfield currently holds a 7-2 series lead on Thanksgiving.

District of Columbia

District championship game

The District of Columbia Interscholastic Athletic Association holds its annual city high school championship game on Thanksgiving weekend.^[18]

Gonzaga vs. St. John's

An annual game occurs between Gonzaga College High School and St. John's College High School, two Catholic high schools in the Washington, DC area. The rivalry dates to 1893.

Florida

Plant v. Hillsborough (no longer played on Thanksgiving)

Hillsborough High School and Henry B. Plant High School, two teams in Tampa, Florida, used to play a rivalry game on Thanksgiving until 1974, after which the state playoffs forced the teams to move the game into season. At its peak the game was held at Tampa Stadium.^[19]

Maine

Maine has only one Thanksgiving football game

Portland High School vs. Deering High School

This is the only annual Thanksgiving game played in Maine. First held in 1911, this annual game pits cross town rivals Deering High School Rams and Portland High School Bulldogs against each other at Fitzpatrick Stadium

Maryland

Participants in a Baltimore area TurkeyBowl included attorney Warren Brown and Curt Anderson

Loyola Blakefield vs. Calvert Hall College

Calvert Hall College and Loyola Blakefield, both private high schools in Towson, Maryland have played an annual football game on Thanksgiving Day known as the "Turkey Bowl." The 96-year-old tradition is the oldest continuous Catholic prep-school football rivalry in the United States. The game is currently held at M&T Bank Stadium, home of the Baltimore Ravens. To date, The Loyola Dons have the overall lead over the Calvert Hall Cardinals in the Turkey Bowl, with a record of 49–40–8. It is televised on the local ABC affiliate, WMAR 2.

Baltimore Polytechnic Institute (Poly) vs. Baltimore City College (City)

In 1889, the game was played between City and Poly, then located on Courtland Street just a short distance from City. This led to one of the longest continuous public high school American football rivalry in the nation. In the early 1900s the game was played on Thanksgiving Day and when Memorial Stadium was built in 1954 the game was played there until the stadium was demolished in 2000. The games played at Memorial stadium during the 1960s drew an average of 25,000 fans. In 1965, 27,500 fans saw quarterback Kurt Schmoke and team captain Curt Anderson lead City to a 52–6 win over Poly. The Thanksgiving tradition ended in 1993 when both City and Poly joined the Maryland Public Secondary Schools Athletic Association which held its playoffs during the Thanksgiving week, requiring both schools to move their rivalry to a date three weeks earlier. The game is now played at M&T Bank Stadium, in downtown Baltimore the first week of November. Anderson (City) and Baltimore attorney Warren Brown (Poly) have kept the Turkey Day tradition alive between the two schools by sponsoring a flag football game at 9 am every Thanksgiving morning at Baltimore's Herring Run Park. For the past 30 years any former Poly student, football player or not, faces off against a team made up of former City students. Brown and Anderson no longer play, but their sons do.

Massachusetts

In Massachusetts, where high school football is not nearly the draw it is in other parts of the country, the Thanksgiving Day game is a long-standing tradition that brings out thousands of alumni and other fans. Virtually every school in the Bay State has a traditional rival and the holiday game is a focal point for all of them, no matter how unsuccessful the regular season may have been.

Abington vs. Whitman

Abington High School and Whitman-Hanson Regional High School have faced off on Thanksgiving Day since 1910. The 100th meeting between these two schools was played at Whitman in 2010. Whitman-Hanson has won 57 of the one hundred games played.

Agawam vs. West Springfield: Since 1924, the two schools have met every year but 1949.

Algonquin vs Westboro

Andover vs. North Andover

Andover High School and North Andover High School will start playing each other on thanksgiving in 2015 at North Andover. This ended Andovers classic thanksgiving rivalry with Central Catholic High School. In which case Central winning the last battle in 2014.

Archbishop Williams vs. Cardinal Spelman

Ashland vs. Hopkinton

Attleboro vs. North Attleborough

Barnstable vs. Falmouth

Barnstable High School and Falmouth High School have played each other since 1895.

Bartlett vs. Southbridge

These two schools are regular Thanksgiving rivals; their game is broadcast on WGFP.

Bellingham vs. Norton

Belmont vs. Watertown

Beverly vs. Salem

Salem High School and Beverly High School have played each other since 1891. The 100th meeting between the two schools in 1998 at Hurd Stadium attracted over 11,000 fans.

BMC Durfee vs. New Bedford

New Bedford High School and B.M.C. Durfee of Fall River have contested this rivalry since 1893.

BC High vs. Catholic Memorial

Braintree vs. Milton

Braintree High School and Milton High School have played each other on Thanksgiving since 1920. Milton leads 44-39-1.

Chelmsford vs. Billerica

Chelmsford High School and Billerica Memorial High School have faced off against each other annually since 1927.

Chicopee vs. Holyoke

Chicopee High School and Holyoke High School

Cohasset vs. Hull

Cohasset High School and Hull High School have played each other on Thanksgiving since the 1920s.

Dennis-Yarmouth vs. Nauset

Dedham vs. Norwood

Dover-Sherborn vs. Medfield

English High School vs. Boston Latin

The rivalry between English High School of Boston and Boston Latin School dates to 1887. It is played annually at Harvard Stadium.

Fairhaven vs. Dartmouth

Fitchburg vs. Leominster

Leominster High School and Fitchburgh High School have played since 1894. As of 2008, it has been contested on Thanksgiving 103 times, out of 125 total matches.

Georgetown vs. Manchester-Essex Regional High School.

Gloucester vs. Danvers

Greenfield vs. Turners Falls

They have faced each other every Thanksgiving since 1926. As of 2013. Greenfield has won 59 of the match ups, and 8 of the 88 games have ended in a tie. Turners Falls has had the upper hand lately, winning 3 Turkey Day games in a row from 2011 to 2013. which has never happened before in the rivalry. http://highschoolsports.masslive.com/news/article/5650476414300799109/greenfield-and-turners-falls-football-meet-for-87th-straight-year-on-thanksgiving/

Hamilton-Wenham vs. Ipswich

Haverhill vs. Lowell

This game is one of the few to be broadcast live. It is carried on radio, and online, by WCAP, Lowell's radio station.

Longmeadow vs. East Longmeadow

Longmeadow High School and East Longmeadow High School

Lawrence vs. Central Catholic

Pioneer Valley vs. Franklin Technical

Teams have played each other since 2005. Pioneer leads series 5–3. The Wednesday before Thanksgiving each team has a bonfire for the community.

Marlborough vs. Hudson

Marlborough High School and Hudson High School have played since 1904.

Medford vs. Malden

This rivalry has been contested since 1889.

Medway vs. Millis

Melrose vs. Wakefield

Needham vs. Wellesley

Since 1882, the Rockets and Raiders have been playing in the oldest public school football rivalry in the country.

Newburyport vs. Amesbury

These two teams have played each other 88 times as of 2010 with Newburyport holding the edge 46–36–6.

Newton North vs. Brookline

These two teams have been duking it out on Turkey Day since 1894, and is one of the oldest traditions in Massachusetts. As of 2013, Newton North leads the rivalry 57–54–6.

Newton South vs. Lincoln-Sudbury

Pentucket vs. Triton

Teams have played since the 1970s. Pentucket has won 11 of the last 13 contests, including on the way to winning the Super Bowl in 1999.

Plymouth North vs. Plymouth South

Quincy vs. North Quincy

This game has brought the people of Quincy out since 1932

Stoneham vs. Reading "The Turkey Bowl"

Teams have played since 1923. Reading leads the series 61–24–8. Stoneham last won in 2005 (21–7).

Westwood vs. Holliston

Wilbraham-Hampden vs. Springfield

Minnechaug Regional High School and Springfield Central High School

Winchester vs. Woburn

Winchester High School and Woburn Memorial High School's football teams have played each other, uninterrupted, since 1893.

Michigan

Michigan High School Athletic Association State Championships

The state's high school football championships fall on Black Friday and the Saturday after Thanksgiving at Ford Field in Detroit. This coincides with the Detroit Lions' annual Thanksgiving Day game (see below). Eight championship games are played, one for each division (Division 1–8).

Missouri

Show-Me Bowl

The state championships of Missouri high school football are held on the Friday and Saturday following Thanksgiving under the name "Show Me Bowl." There are seven games, one to decide the championship for each class, ranging from "Class 1" to "Class 6" and an eight-man football class. Held at the Dome at America's Center in Saint Louis until that stadium's primary tenant (the Rams) abandoned the stadium in 2016, future versions of the Show-Me Bowl will be held at rotating venues, with Plaster Sports Complex on the campus of Missouri State University hosting the 2016 contest and Faurot Field on the campus of the University of Missouri hosting in 2017; the eight-man class will from that point forward be held at a separate site.

Webster Groves vs. Kirkwood Turkey Day Game

Main article: Missouri Turkey Day Game

The contest between Kirkwood High School's Pioneers and Webster Groves High School's Statesmen, two teams based in the suburbs of Saint Louis, Missouri has traditionally been played on Thanksgiving since 1907.

New Hampshire

Manchester city championship (Turkey Bowl)

Gill Stadium in Manchester, New Hampshire hosts an annual turkey bowl between the city's two top ranked teams in the regular season.

New Jersey

Atlantic City vs. Holy Spirit

Hamilton High School West vs. Steinert High School

Played annually on Thanksgiving Day since 1960 as this is the crosstown rivalry in Hamilton Township (Mercer County).

Hopewell Valley Central High School vs. Lawrence High School (New Jersey)

A new Thanksgiving Day Game as this game has been played on Thanksgiving Day since 2012 and mirrors the annual Hamilton West/Steinert game as the other Thanksgiving Day game in Mercer County New Jersey.

Hackensack High School vs. Teaneck High School

have played annually every Thanksgiving morning since 1931.^[20]

Don Bosco Prep vs. Paramus Catholic / Saint Joseph Regional High School

Don Bosco Preparatory High School in Ramsey, one of the top high school football programs in the United States, and Paramus Catholic High School were traditional Thanksgiving rivals until 2013.^[21] Fox Sports 1 carried the 2013 contest nationwide. Don Bosco Prep instead planned to host Saint Joseph Regional High School on Thanksgiving in 2014 (the contest was postponed to the following Saturday in any event, due to inclement weather). Due to numerous scheduling snafus, Don Bosco did not schedule any Thanksgiving game for 2015.

Dumont vs. Tenafly

…

Phillipsburg vs. Easton, PA

Phillipsburg High School and Easton High School have been playing each other since 1905. The first Thanksgiving Day meeting was in 1916 and the schools have played each other annually ever since. The winner of the game is presented with the Forks of the Delaware Trophy, as both schools are located from different states (Phillipsburg from NJ, Easton from PA) on opposite sides of the Delaware River. The game is played each year at Fisher Field located on the campus of Lafayette College as a neutral site.^[14] The game was previously nationally televised (the 2006 contest was carried on ESPN's High School Showcase); as of 2015, it is carried on radio by WEEX and televised by WFMZ-TV. A rematch of the 1993 Easton-Phillipsburg Thanksgiving contest was the inaugural game in Gatorade's REPLAY the Series on April 26, 2009.

Ridgewood vs. Paramus

Ridgewood High School and Paramus High School was played every Thanksgiving morning annually from 1984 to 2013. Paramus had played continuously every Thanksgiving from 1962 onward until deciding after the 2013 season not to partake in any more games on the holiday. The school determined that the contest interfered with their participation in the state championship and refused to compromise the integrity of the match by resting the starters.^[22]

East Orange vs. Barringer

East Orange High School and Barringer High School have played since 1897.

Millville vs. Vineland

This rivalry has been contested since 1894. WMGM-TV carried the 2016 contest live.

Westfield vs. Plainfield

Westfield and Plainfield has been played since 1900 and celebrated its 100th game in 2005.

Watchung Hills vs. Ridge

A game formally played the day before Thanksgiving, as the two rivals weren't in the same division for football. When they both became members of the same division in 2008, they began regular-season play. The venue alternated between the two schools' stadiums every year, with the last game in 2007 played at Ridge.

North Plainfield vs. South Plainfield

The game is played on Thanksgiving morning each year.

East Brunswick vs. Old Bridge

East Brunswick High School and Old Bridge High School compete annually in the Battle Of Route 18 football game. The rivalry began in 1994 when Cedar Ridge High School and Madison Central High School merged into Old Bridge High School, and has since played East Brunswick every year on Thanksgiving morning. The contests alternates home field advantage each year, and each side awards an offensive and defensive MVP.

Palmyra High School and Burlington City High School

have played on Thanksgiving since the 1930s; the rivalry began in 1908, and is one of the oldest high school rivalries in the Delaware Valley. Palmyra leads the series 52–45–12.

Salem vs. Woodstown

Played Thanksgiving Day every year at 10:30, started in 1911, next year will be the 100th year anniversary.

Madison vs. Millburn

Alternates fields each year. The mayors typically make bets, with the losing team providing the winners with a platter of sloppy joes. Also, the loser must wash the other team's cars without pants on.

Red Bank Catholic vs. Rumson Fair-Haven

Game played annually since 1921. Presents Peninsula Trophy to winner

New Providence vs. Berkeley Heights

This rivalry has been contested for only a few years, but is very popular in the surrounding areas of New Providence, Summit, and Berkeley Heights. The Turkey Bowl is usually saved by NPHS stand out athlete Vincent Fuschetto.

Middletown South vs. Middletown North

Middletown High School South and Middletown High School North varsity teams play annually, with the home team alternating every year. 2010 marked the 35th game played between the two schools, with Middletown South beating Middletown North 20–7. Middletown South leads the rivalry with a record of 23–11–1 over Middletown North.

Montclair and Bloomfield have met annually on Thanksgiving since 1937.

Toms River HS South vs Lakewood High School

Shawnee High School vs Lenape High School

Absegami High School vs Oakcrest High School

Rancocas Valley Regional High School vs Burlington Township High School

Haddonfield Memorial High school vs Haddon Township High School

New York State

State championship weekend

The New York State Public High School Athletic Association, which sanctions all public high school football in the state, holds its statewide football championships over Thanksgiving weekend at the Carrier Dome in Syracuse. Five divisions (ranging from the largest schools outside the five major cities to the smallest districts) each have their own state title decided on the Saturday after Thanksgiving.^[23] Buffalo Public Schools, representing the second-largest city in the state, joined the NYSPHSAA beginning in 2009, allowing them to contend for state championships, but abolishing their local Thanksgiving Day city championship (see below).^[24]

Buffalo Harvard Cup (abolished)

In Western New York, Thanksgiving was the day of the annual Harvard Cup, the city of Buffalo's high school football championship game. It ran for 106 years.^[25] Games were held at All-High Stadium on the campus of Bennett High School in Buffalo and broadcast on local radio station WJJL.^[26] However, the Harvard Cup was abolished after the 2009 season when Buffalo Public Schools joined the NYSPHSAA.^[24]

Fordham Prep vs. Xavier High School

The Xavier/Fordham Prep annual "Turkey Bowl" is one of the oldest high school football rivalries in New York history. Their very first game against one another took place in the late 1800s when the game was called due to darkness and ended in a tie. Xavier and Fordham Prep used to play many of their famed Thanksgiving Day "Turkey Bowl" Games at Manhattan's Polo Grounds until it was demolished following the construction of Shea Stadium in the borough of Queens. For many years, the game was played in Downing Stadium (now Icahn Stadium) on Randall's Island or on the campus of Fordham University in the Bronx. Most recently, in years Fordham has the home-field advantage, the game is played at Jack Coffey Field on the campus of Fordham University. When Xavier has the advantage, the game is played at the Aviator Sports and Events Center on the grounds of Floyd Bennett Field, part of the Gateway National Recreation Area in Brooklyn.

Stepinac vs. White Plains Turkey Bowl

This game between the Catholic high school Archbishop Stepinac High School and public school White Plains High School was played continuously from 1971 to 2012. The game was traditionally played at a "neutral" field in White Plains, Parker Stadium. However, since 2009, the game has been played at White Plains High School, Loucks Field. White Plains, being a public school, forfeits any regional consolation playoff appearance it may have earned, due to a limit of 10 games for high school football teams in the NYSPHSAA, but does not have to forfeit its appearance in the state championship tournament.^[27] The game nonetheless must be canceled if Stepinac advances to their respective state championship game or White Plains wins a section champions; this did not happen until 2013, when White Plains won a Section 1 title, and it happened again in 2014 and 2015 when Stepinac advanced to the Catholic State Championship both years;^[28] despite the repeated cancellations, the schools continue to insist the series will continue.^[29] A change in the state Catholic championship tournament, which opened a bye week during Thanksgiving weekend between the semifinals and the championship, will allow Stepinac to play the game from 2016 onward, even if it advances to the championship, as was once again the case in 2016.^[30]

Mt. St. Michael vs. Cardinal Hayes

Bronx Turkey Bowl: Mount St. Michael High School vs. Cardinal Hayes High School. It's been a tradition for the last 66 years. Since 1942 Mount St. Michael and Cardinal Hayes have met on each Thanksgiving Day a storied CHSFL rivalry showdown.

Pennsylvania

Abington vs. Cheltenham

Abington Senior High School and Cheltenham High School play every year on Thanksgiving morning, unless one of the two schools is in the playoffs. The two schools, representing Abington Township and Cheltenham Township, are less than 2 miles apart and have been playing since 1915. The rivalry is the fifth-oldest public school rivalry in Pennsylvania, and seventh oldest of all schools. As of 2013, Abington holds the lead, 54-33-6.^[31]

Catasauqua vs. Northampton

Catasauqua High School and Northampton High School play a non-league game against each other every Thanksgiving dating back to 1925. The two schools are no longer within the same league, and thus the game is not sanctioned and does not count as a win/loss for official standings with regard to playoff consideration within the PIAA. The game is always considered to be Homecoming for Catasauqua, regardless of whether the game is played at home or away from their perspective.

Chichester vs. Sun Valley

These two high schools from Delaware County have played each other a total of 83 times, and now the rivals face each other every Thanksgiving. Sun Valley narrowly has more wins than Chichester as the series record is currently 42–41. Sun Valley has won the past three years.

East Stroudsburg vs. Stroudsburg

East Stroudsburg South High School (formerly East Stroudsburg High School) and Stroudsburg High School have been playing annually since 1945 and began their Turkey Day tradition in 1953. With the advent of district playoffs, the game was moved to the regular season for four years, then the schools agreed to play once during the season and again on Thanksgiving if neither team is in the playoffs. A little more than 2 miles separate these public high schools which allows the victor to walk home with the Little Brown Jug Trophy.

Emmaus vs. Whitehall (no longer played on Thanksgiving)

Emmaus High School and Whitehall High School played an annual game on Thanksgiving from 1927 until 1995. They still play each other annually, but the game is now contested during the regular season and not on Thanksgiving.

Hatboro-Horsham vs. Upper Moreland

Hatboro-Horsham High School and Upper Moreland High School play each other on Thanksgiving, alternating between each school as the home team. The rivalry game was first played in 1933.

Mount Carmel vs. Shamokin (no longer played on Thanksgiving)

Mount Carmel High School and Shamokin High School first played each other in 1893, and annually since 1934. They began playing each other on Thanksgiving in 1951. The rivalry continues, but the game is no longer contested on Thanksgiving and is instead played during the regular season.

Nazareth vs. Wilson (no longer played on Thanksgiving)

Nazareth High School and Wilson High School played annually on Thanksgiving morning from 1926–1975. From 1945–68, the game was played at Easton's Cottingham Stadium as a neutral site, and from 1969–73 it was played at Taylor Stadium on the campus of Lehigh University. In 1974 the game was played at Nazareth High School, and in 1975 it was played at Wilson High. The game has not been played on Thanksgiving since 1975 and the two schools have not met at all since 1993. Discussions between the two schools are in the works to renew this rivalry.^[32]

Northeast vs. Central

This game pits two schools from the city of Philadelphia, Northeast High School and Central High School, against each other; the rivalry dates to 1892. The Central Lancers won the most recent Thanksgiving game (2013) by defeating the Northeast Vikings 6–3 in overtime. The Vikings hold a narrow all-time edge on the Lancers, 56–52–10.

Archbishop Ryan vs. George Washington High School

This game is a Northeast Philadelphia classic which pits the Ryan Raiders against the Washington Eagles. The two teams have met every Thanksgiving morning which can often be viewed as a second homecoming as so many alumni come back to watch the game. As of 2014, the Archbishop Ryan Raiders have a record of 28-9-1 in the series.

Ridley vs. Interboro

Ridley High School and Interboro High School play each other on Thanksgiving, alternating between each school as the home team. November 28, 2013 will be the 45th Thanksgiving Day football game played between these two schools This game is not held in years in which either team is currently in the playoffs on Thanksgiving Day.

Pottsville vs. Reading (no longer played on Thanksgiving)

Pottsville High School and Reading High School have been playing each other since 1893, and played annually on Thanksgiving from 1923 to 1977. They no longer play on Thanksgiving, but still play each other during the regular season.

Pottstown vs. Owen J. Roberts

^[33]

Quakertown vs. Pennridge

^[33]

Upper Darby vs. Haverford

Upper Darby High School and Haverford High School, two public schools that are located less than three miles apart, have contested a game since 1921.

South Philadelphia vs. Sts Neumann Goretti

South Philadelphia High School and Saints John Neumann and Maria Goretti Catholic High School,(formerly St. John Neumann, South Catholic) have been playing each other since 1934. They have played every Thanksgiving except since 1934 except in 2001, 11, & 14. South Philadelphia won the last meeting in 2013. Neumann Goretti leads the all time 55-20-3.

Rhode Island

Portsmouth vs. Middletown

The two teams have played every year since 1965 with Portsmouth leading the all-time series 26–2–16–2. It is broadcast on WADK.

East Providence vs. La Salle

South Kingstown Rebels vs. North Kingstown Skippers

http://www.rihssports.com/Thanksgiving%20Football/Results/NK%20VS.%20SK.htm

West Warwick vs. Coventry

Barrington Eagles vs. Mount Hope Huskies (formerly Bristol)

Burrillville vs. Ponaganset

Central vs. Hope

Central Falls vs. Lincoln

Chariho vs. Exeter/West Greenwich

Classical vs. Mount Pleasant

Coventry vs. West Warwick

Cranston East vs. Cranston West

Cumberland vs. Woonsocket

Carried on radio by WOON, Woonsocket's full-service radio station.

East Greenwich vs. Narragansett

Hendricken vs. Toll Gate

North Providence vs. Smithfield

North Smithfield vs. Scituate

Pilgrim vs. Warwick Veterans

Rogers vs. Tiverton

Saint Raphael vs. Tolman (no longer played on Thanksgiving)

This game was notable for being played at McCoy Stadium in Pawtucket, a venue primarily used for baseball. The two teams play their regular season games at a field adjacent to McCoy Stadium. The rivalry ended in 2001, after 73 years, but a Thanksgiving Eve game is still held inside the stadium. Currently Saint Raphael hosts Moses Brown School on the even number years and Tolman hosts Shea High School on the odd number years. Saint Raphael led the holiday series 38-31-4^[34]

Westerly vs. Stonington (CT)^[35]

Virginia

Hampton vs. Newport News (abolished)

From 1907 to 1970, Hampton High School's Crabbers and Newport News High School's Typhoon faced off against each other in one of the Hampton Roads region's most heated high school football rivalries. The imposition of a state championship tournament, coupled with the federally-ordered closure of Newport News High School for the purpose of desegregation, brought an end to the rivalry.^[36]

Woodberry Forest vs. Episcopal
The longest-running high school football rivalry in the South takes place each year between Woodberry Forest and Episcopal High School of Alexandria, Virginia. The schools first played against each other in 1901 and have competed in over a hundred consecutive games. "The Game," as it is known, draws back many alumni and is considered the homecoming game for both schools. The 100th contest, which Woodberry won, took place in 2000, drew nearly 15,000 spectators, and was featured on ESPN.

"Turkey Bowl" games

An informal "Turkey Bowl" game in Redmond, Washington

Unorganized groups have also been known to partake in American football on Thanksgiving. These informal matches are usually known as a Turkey Bowl (not to be confused with some high school football games that also use the name "Turkey Bowl", see above, and with Turkey Bowling). These games are usually unofficiated with a flag football, street football, or touch football format.

While the games themselves are not generally nationally known, Turkey Bowls hold importance for those who participate and it is not uncommon for rivalries to last for decades.^[37] Turkey Bowls are played by a variety of people including extended families,^[38] college fraternities, volunteer fire departments, and local churches across the country which use the day and the game to have fun, exercise and renew old acquaintances.

College football

Thanksgiving weekend historically marks the end of the college football regular season, before conference championships and bowl games begin play in December (the Army–Navy Game is the lone exception). Today, this is only true for the top-level NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision, where it has become a tradition to play a fierce rival on the last week of the regular season. At levels below the Bowl Subdivision, the NCAA begins its championship tournaments either on Thanksgiving weekend (for the Division I FCS championship) or the week before (in the cases of Divisions II and III; the NAIA, a separate body, also begins its tournament at that time). Other college football sanctioning bodies end their seasons well before Thanksgiving.

The University of Kansas and University of Missouri played the first of nineteen consecutive Thanksgiving Day football games in Kansas City, Missouri in 1892. After new conference rules that required all games to be played on college campuses, the Thanksgiving Day tradition was temporarily suspended in 1911, but then reinstituted in spurts starting in 1916 and continuing through the 1940s.

The University of Michigan made it a tradition to play annual Thanksgiving games, holding 19 such games from 1885 to 1905. The Thanksgiving Day games between Michigan and the Chicago Maroons in the 1890s have been erroneously cited as "The Beginning of Thanksgiving Day Football."^[39] Since the Maroons no longer play at the Division I level, the Wolverines now play their modern-day archrivals, the Ohio State Buckeyes, during Thanksgiving weekend. Yale and Princeton began an annual tradition of playing against each other on Thanksgiving Day starting in 1876.^[3] From 1945 to 1956, the Burley Bowl pitted two small colleges against each other in an unofficial bowl game.

The Turkey Day Classic, a college football game between Alabama State University and Tuskegee University, has been played on Thanksgiving Day annually from 1924 to 2012 and again since 2016; as such, it has historically been known as the "Turkey Day Classic." It is also the oldest black college football classic, since the two colleges first played each other in 1901. Tuskegee University pulled out of the contest after 2012 (they were replaced by Stillman College in the 2013 contest), and Alabama State did the same from 2013 to 2015, deciding to move its homecoming to the Saturday before Thanksgiving; in both cases, the NCAA football tournaments prompted the schools to move the end of their seasons to before Thanksgiving so that they would be able to compete for the national championship should they qualify. (The establishment of the Celebration Bowl for historically black schools allowed the Turkey Day Classic to resume; the 2016 contest was between Alabama State and Miles College, as the Tuskegee-Alabama State rivalry is not scheduled to resume until 2017.) Another popular black college football classic played on Thanksgiving weekend is the Bayou Classic between Grambling State University and Southern University, which is held the Saturday after Thanksgiving.

Other prominent college football rivalries that take place over Thanksgiving weekend include:

• Auburn Tigers vs. Alabama Crimson Tide (the Iron Bowl)
• Ole Miss Rebels vs. Mississippi State Bulldogs (the Battle of the Golden Egg, played on Thanksgiving night from 1998 to 2003)
• LSU Tigers vs. Arkansas Razorbacks (the Battle for the Golden Boot), through 2013
  • Arkansas will play Missouri on Thanksgiving weekend from 2014 onward.
• Georgia Bulldogs vs. Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets (Clean, Old-Fashioned Hate)
• BYU Cougars vs. Utah Utes (the Holy War, to 2010)
• Colorado Buffaloes vs. Nebraska Cornhuskers (Colorado–Nebraska rivalry, through 2010)
  • Colorado Buffaloes vs. Utah Utes (Rumble in the Rockies, since 2011)
  • Nebraska Cornhuskers vs. Iowa Hawkeyes (since 2011)
• Oklahoma Sooners vs. Oklahoma State Cowboys (the Bedlam Series)
• Texas Longhorns vs. Texas A&M Aggies (the Lone Star Showdown, played on Thanksgiving from 2008 until its end in 2011, also played on Thanksgiving many other times prior to 2008)
  • Texas is currently scheduled to host a game on Thanksgiving night almost every year, against TCU in even-numbered years and against Texas Tech in odd-numbered years. (It opted not to do so in 2016.)
  • Texas A&M plays LSU during Thanksgiving week beginning in 2014, with the game being played on Thanksgiving night in 2014 and 2016. (see also: LSU–Texas A&M football rivalry)
• Florida Gators vs. Florida State Seminoles (the Sunshine Showdown)
• Notre Dame Fighting Irish vs. USC Trojans (the Jeweled Shillelagh; rivalry is played every year but only scheduled for Thanksgiving weekend when Southern Cal hosts; Southern Cal has hosted on Thanksgiving in even-numbered years since the 1960s)
• Clemson Tigers vs. South Carolina Gamecocks (the Palmetto Bowl)
• Virginia Tech Hokies vs. Virginia Cavaliers (the Commonwealth Cup, erratically scheduled)
• Kentucky Wildcats vs. Tennessee Volunteers (historically the Battle for the Bourbon Barrel; played annually but no longer on Thanksgiving weekend)
• Kentucky Wildcats vs. Louisville Cardinals (the Governor's Cup, moved to Thanksgiving weekend starting in 2014)
• Michigan vs. Ohio State (The Game), played the Saturday after Thanksgiving.

The frequent changing of conferences stemming from the early-2010s realignment of NCAA teams and conferences complicated the numerous rivalries that traditionally play Thanksgiving weekend.

While collegiate games have been played on Thanksgiving Day itself (with perhaps the most notable being the Nebraska-Oklahoma game of 1971), the vast majority of the current traditional Thanksgiving weekend college football games listed above are played on the Friday or Saturday after the holiday. Texas, as previously mentioned, has had more or less of a permanent spot on the night of the holiday itself since at least 2008.^[40]

Professional football

Professional football teams and leagues have played on Thanksgiving from the start, with pro leagues and teams having played on Thanksgiving since the 1890s. It carried over when Buffalo and Rochester, two members of the New York Pro Football League which had held its championship on Thanksgiving 1919, and the Ohio League, which traditionally held its marquee matchups on Thanksgiving, combined into the NFL upon its founding in 1920, and as such, the NFL has played on Thanksgiving ever since. The Detroit Lions and the Dallas Cowboys have played home games on Thanksgiving since 1934 and 1966, respectively, in a traditional series of NFL games. Beginning in 2006, the NFL added a third game on Thanksgiving night with a rotating host team.^[41]

The rival American Football League also played on Thanksgiving in the 1960s, as did the All-America Football Conference in the 1940s and the original AFL in 1926.

In the Canadian Football League, where games are played on Canadian Thanksgiving, the CFL hosts two games in the Thanksgiving Day Classic; it is one of only two weeks each year in which the CFL plays on a Monday, the other being the Labour Day Classic. The difference between the Thanksgiving and Labour Day games is that the Thanksgiving Day games do not have the same matchups each year; however, like its American counterpart, one of the games has a regular host (in the CFL's case, the Montreal Alouettes). Coincidentally, both the Grey Cup, the CFL's championship game, and the Vanier Cup, the championship of Canadian college football, are both traditionally played on the fourth weekend in November, which amounts to the week before or the week after American Thanksgiving.

The World Football League originally planned to hold its 1974 championship game, World Bowl 1, the day after Thanksgiving in 1974; the business failures of the 1974 season led to the league reorganizing the playoff structure and pushing the World Bowl one week back (although the WFL regularly played on Thursdays during the regular season, it instead split its semifinals between the day before Thanksgiving and the day after). Had the United States Football League completed its move to autumn for the 1986 season, it would have played one of its games on Thanksgiving (a game featuring the Tampa Bay Bandits at the Memphis Showboats was scheduled for that night),^[42] but the league suspended operations prior to the season and, even if it had survived, the Bandits went bankrupt before the season would have been played. Similarly, the United Football League, which began play in 2009, held its first two UFL Championship Games over Thanksgiving weekend; both the truncated 2011 UFL season and the 2012 UFL season were cut short well before the Thanksgiving holiday due to financial shortfalls. The Fall Experimental Football League had scheduled its championship for the day before Thanksgiving Day 2014, in Brooklyn, but the game was cancelled after the season was shortened.

References

• "Beyond Friday Night Lights" – SportsShooter.com
• "Rivalry on Thanksgiving menu in Maine" – ESPNrise.com

External links

• Webster Groves – Kirkwood Turkey Day Game Info
• Annual Grand Junction Pizza Turkey Day Game - Since 1980 - Dallas, Texas
• The Turkey Bowl – Cleveland, Ohio
• Rancho Romero Turkey Bowl – Alamo, California