Football and Thanksgiving is a tradition that has been around since 1920 when the Akron Pros defeated the Canton Bulldogs 7-0. It's a tradition that brings families together as the smell of turkey permeates the air, wetting our appetite for the coming feast. Every time I smell turkey cooking I'm reminded of the warm memories of past Thanksgivings with my family crowded around the TV, watching a football game while my mother and aunts create a meal to rival any five star restaurant.
There are many distinct memories that have collected over the years, but the one that sticks out the most is the Thanksgiving of 1993 when the Dallas Cowboys played the Miami Dolphins on Dallas territory. It being Dallas, nobody expected the snow that day, but by the time the game was over the field was covered in winter white snow, making it a memory that has persisted through the years.
The Cowboys were 7-3, but had the detrimental loss to the lowly Falcons over their heads, while the Dolphins were 8-2 and seemingly on their way to a playoff opening. My father and uncle, fans of the Cowboys and the Dolphins respectively, were good naturedly arguing over who would be the victor like usual. My dad was firm in his team's inevitable win and heckled his brother non-stop for routing for the Dolphins of who he was sure would lose.
The Cowboys appeared to be on their way to winning after they blocked a late Dolphins field goal, keeping the 14-13 lead, but then Leon Lett fumbled a ball back to Miami. The sight of the ball skidding across the white snow as Lett fumbled it sent me dad into a string of curses that made the younger kids blush and my mother to scold my dad severely. My uncle cheered righteously at the fumble that allowed the Dolphins to try for another field goal where Pete Stoyanovich secured the 19-yarder to win the game.
NFL Highlight Clip Cowboys Vs. Dolphins
That year's Thanksgiving football game is one that is still talked about with a good natured rib, my father and uncle even after nearly twenty years seem to bring it up as an age old rivalry that animates them that makes me smile every time. Football and Thanksgiving is a tradition in my family that endures through from one year to the next without fail and seems to have no end in sight, which isn't such a bad thing.
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