Thanksgiving Day features a plethora of food-pairing options for both those who are culinarily inclined and for those who are simple-minded when it comes to their food consumption preferences.
But the annual American holiday is also a reminder of perhaps the greatest pairing the football world has to offer — John Madden and Thanksgiving Day football.
Here’s a closer look at the many thoughtful ways the NFL world will honor the late Hall of Famer.
NFL Teams Honor John Madden With Thanksgiving Patch
Each of the six teams playing today will wear a patch on their uniform honoring Madden. The patch features a black and gold silhouette of Madden wearing a broadcaster’s headset.
While Madden made a profound impact on the NFL as head coach of the Oakland Raiders from 1969-1978, he was perhaps even more impactful as a broadcaster following his decorated coaching career.
In the broadcast booth, he was able to reach millions of people over multiple decades, and he had a charming and uncanny knack for explaining the game in simple-yet-intelligible terms for casual and hardcore fans alike.
A highlight of his year as an analyst in the booth and a memory millions of NFL fans certainly carry with them to this day was his participation as a broadcaster of an NFL game each Thanksgiving. Madden was an unabashed enthusiast of the NFL playing games on the Thanksgiving holiday.
“There’s no place that I would rather be today on Thanksgiving than right here, right now at a football game,” the Pro Football Hall of Fame’s website quoted Madden once saying in a broadcast. “There’s just certain things that go together — the turkey, the family, tradition, and football.”
How Will the NFL and Broadcast Partners Honor John Madden on Thanksgiving?
This year will mark the third year in a row the NFL holds its John Madden Thanksgiving Celebration. Madden passed away in December of 2021. The elements included in the celebration range from nationwide television and radio broadcasts of all three games scheduled for the day to the coins used for the coin tosses of each game.
CBS will broadcast the first game, which is between the Chicago Bears and Detroit Lions. FOX has the second game, which is between the New York Giants and Dallas Cowboys. And then the night game between the Miami Dolphins and Green Bay Packers will be broadcast by NBC. Each network will air segments during their broadcast that recognize the contributions Madden provided the NFL and its fans as both a broadcaster and coach.
Prior to each game, a coin with Madden’s silhouette on one side and a six-legged turducken on the other side will be used for the coin toss. For those who miss the coin toss, there will also be on-field stencils and wall panels at each stadium — Ford Field in Detroit, AT&T Stadium in Dallas, and Lambeau Field in Green Bay — which pay homage to Madden.
Youth Football To Benefit From NFL’s Annual John Madden Celebration
Unsurprisingly, youth football was also near and dear to the heart of Madden. As such, the NFL is incorporating a benefit to youth football in its celebration of the football icon this year.
As stated in the NFL’s press release laying out details of this year’s commemoration of Madden, the three broadcast networks will identify a player of the game in their respective contests, and the NFL Foundation will make $10,000 donations to a high school or youth football program in each player’s name.
Additionally, each Madden Thanksgiving MVP will be awarded with the Madden Thanksgiving MVP trophy, created to honor Madden and celebrate everything the game of football means to the Thanksgiving holiday.