American football
American football (referred to simply as football in the United States and Canada), also known as gridiron, is a team sport played by two teams of eleven players on a rectangular field with goalposts at each end. The offense, the team with ...
is one of the many traditions in
American culture
The culture of the United States of America is primarily of Western, and European origin, yet its influences includes the cultures of Asian American, African American, Latin American, and Native American peoples and their cultures. The U ...
that is associated with
Thanksgiving Day
Thanksgiving is a national holiday celebrated on various dates in the United States, Canada, Grenada, Saint Lucia, Liberia, and unofficially in countries like Brazil and Philippines. It is also observed in the Netherlander town of Leiden a ...
. Virtually every level of football, from amateur and
high school
A secondary school describes an institution that provides secondary education and also usually includes the building where this takes place. Some secondary schools provide both '' lower secondary education'' (ages 11 to 14) and ''upper seconda ...
to
college
A college (Latin: ''collegium'') is an educational institution or a constituent part of one. A college may be a degree-awarding tertiary educational institution, a part of a collegiate or federal university, an institution offering ...
CFL
The Canadian Football League (CFL; french: Ligue canadienne de football—LCF) is a professional sports league in Canada. The CFL is the highest level of competition in Canadian football. The league consists of nine teams, each located in a ci ...
on
Canadian Thanksgiving
Thanksgiving (french: Action de grâce) or Thanksgiving Day (french: Jour de l'Action de grâce), is an annual Canadian holiday and harvest festival, held on the second Monday in October, which celebrates the harvest and other blessings of the ...
), 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 recognized as the first intercollegiate football game in the United States, and only six years after
Abraham Lincoln
Abraham Lincoln ( ; February 12, 1809 – April 15, 1865) was an American lawyer, politician, and statesman who served as the 16th president of the United States from 1861 until his assassination in 1865. Lincoln led the nation thro ...
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." 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. 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.
On November 25, 1897, American students of the
École des Beaux-Arts
École des Beaux-Arts (; ) refers to a number of influential art schools in France. The term is associated with the Beaux-Arts style in architecture and city planning that thrived in France and other countries during the late nineteenth century ...
played a game in Paris, France. This is considered the first American football game ever played in Europe.
The introduction of Thanksgiving football is credited with encouraging the
Southern United States
The Southern United States (sometimes Dixie, also referred to as the Southern States, the American South, the Southland, or simply the South) is a geographic and cultural region of the United States of America. It is between the Atlantic Ocean ...
, which had historically rejected the celebration of Thanksgiving, to embrace the holiday. Robert Tracy McKenzie, a history professor at Wheaton College, remarked: "I joke—but also sort of mean it seriously—that one of the things that ultimately reconciles Southerners to Thanksgiving is the development of football (...) and well before 1900, the tradition of having football games on Thanksgiving Day is sweeping across the country. And Southerners find out that the holiday isn’t that bad after all."
The tradition of playing football games on Thanksgiving continues to this day. At the high school level, the tradition is declining rapidly as schools drop their Thanksgiving games and shorten their regular season in favor of playoff tournaments and allowing players to focus on winter sports such as basketball.
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
Turkey bowling is a sport which is based on ordinary bowling: a frozen turkey serves as a bowling ball and 10 plastic bottles of soft drinks or water are the bowling pins. The turkey is bowled down a smooth surface, for example, ice or a soap c ...
), as Americans typically eat
turkeys
The turkey is a large bird in the genus ''Meleagris'', native to North America. There are two extant turkey species: the wild turkey (''Meleagris gallopavo'') of eastern and central North America and the ocellated turkey (''Meleagris ocellat ...
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
League or The League may refer to:
Arts and entertainment
* ''Leagues'' (band), an American rock band
* ''The League'', an American sitcom broadcast on FX and FXX about fantasy football
Sports
* Sports league
* Rugby league, full contact footba ...
, 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 9 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 ''(no longer held on Thanksgiving)'': 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
femur
The femur (; ), or thigh bone, is the proximal bone of the hindlimb in tetrapod vertebrates. The head of the femur articulates with the acetabulum in the pelvic bone forming the hip joint, while the distal part of the femur articulates with ...
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. The game has been lopsided in its last years, with Lincoln winning the last 22 contests in a row through its final playing in 2019. After Lincoln opted to enter a statewide playoff tournament, it announced in 2021 it would no longer contest the game on Thanksgiving and instead move the contest to
Labor Day
Labor Day is a federal holiday in the United States celebrated on the first Monday in September to honor and recognize the American labor movement and the works and contributions of laborers to the development and achievements of the United St ...
.
;San Francisco Turkey Bowl: Also in the
San Francisco Bay Area
The San Francisco Bay Area, often referred to as simply the Bay Area, is a populous region surrounding the San Francisco, San Pablo, and Suisun Bay estuaries in Northern California. The Bay Area is defined by the Association of Bay Area Go ...
, the Turkey Bowl in San Francisco dates back to 1924 and currently is played at
Kezar Stadium
Kezar Stadium is an outdoor athletics stadium in San Francisco, California, located adjacent to Kezar Pavilion in the southeastern corner of Golden Gate Park. It is the former home of the San Francisco 49ers and the Oakland Raiders (first AFL se ...
each Thanksgiving at 11 am. The Turkey Bowl is the city's public high school championship game.
Galileo High School
, motto_translation = And yet it moves
, type = Public High school
, established =
, faculty =
, district = San Francisco Unified School District
, grades ...
has the most overall wins in the game (16) after breaking Lincoln High School's record four-game winning streak in 2009. Twice in the contest's 93-year history has the game been canceled: in 1963 because of the
assassination of John F. Kennedy
John F. Kennedy, the 35th president of the United States, was assassinated on Friday, November 22, 1963, at 12:30 p.m. CST in Dallas, Texas, while riding in a presidential motorcade through Dealey Plaza. Kennedy was in the vehicle with ...
, and in 2017 because of
wildfires
A wildfire, forest fire, bushfire, wildland fire or rural fire is an unplanned, uncontrolled and unpredictable fire in an area of combustible vegetation. Depending on the type of vegetation present, a wildfire may be more specifically identif ...
pushing the regular season and playoff schedule a week later.
Naugatuck High School
Naugatuck High School is a public high school (grades 9– 12) in Naugatuck, New Haven County, Connecticut, US.
The old high school, now an intermediate school, was located on Hillside Ave. The new school is located at 543 Rubber Avenue. The b ...
have played each other since 1900. Ansonia leads the series, 72-35-11, as of 2016. The game is, as of 2015, broadcast on
WATR
WATR (1320 AM) is a radio station licensed to serve Waterbury, Connecticut and the Naugatuck Valley. The station is owned by WATR, Inc. It airs a full-service format featuring news/talk, as well as classic hits. It was until May 2022 the olde ...
.
;Branford v. East Haven: In the battle of two gritty, working-class 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.
;Bristol Central vs. Bristol Eastern:
Bristol Central High School
Bristol Central High School is a public high school in Bristol, Connecticut, United States. Its mascot is the Ram, and its colors are maroon and white. The school is known for its performing arts group, Central Stage, as well as for its athletics. ...
and
Bristol Eastern High School
Bristol Eastern High School is a public high school in Bristol, Connecticut, United States which was opened in 1959. It has an enrollment of 1,367 students in grades 9-12. As of 2019, its principal is Michael Higgins. Its mascot is the Lancer an ...
have played each other since 1959 in the annual "Battle for the Bell."
;Darien vs. New Canaan: The Darien vs. New Canaan Thanksgiving matchup is generally considered the most competitive and significant rivalry game in the state, pitting Connecticut's two best teams against each other. The Darien Blue Wave and the New Canaan Rams have been rivals since 1928, their first meeting. The game has been played on Thanksgiving since 1994, with New Canaan leading the Turkey Bowl series 14-9-1 and the overall series 51-38-2. Recently, New Canaan went undefeated for 11 straight years from 2002 to 2011, but Darien won 5 straight from 2012 to 2016. The 2017 matchup, marred by the arrests of three Darien starters the day before (all three did not play), was won by New Canaan 27-0. Due to the large crowds that attend the game (up to 10,000 people), it is usually played either in New Canaan's Dunning Stadium (which needs to be temporarily expanded in order to fit the crowds) or Stamford's Boyle Stadium, which can hold 10,000 spectators.
; Fairfield Ludlowe vs. Fairfield Warde: The two in-town rivals meet annually on Thanksgiving, often drawing the largest crowds of the season for each team, including students, families, and various town officials. The history of Fairfield Thanksgiving football dates back to 1975, when the two schools (then known as the Roger Ludlowe Flying Tigers and the Andrew Warde Crimson Eagles) fought to a 28-6 Warde victory. The rivalry endured a hiatus from 1985 to 2004, when the two schools merged, until they split again in 2005 to renew the matchup with a 20-14 victory for the newly-named Ludlowe Falcons over the Warde Mustangs.
;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.
;Hamden vs. Notre Dame West Haven: The annual Green Bowl game that takes place every Thanksgiving.
; Hartford Public vs. Weaver: Played annually at
Dillon Stadium
Trinity Health Stadium (formerly Dillon Stadium) is a multipurpose facility in Hartford, Connecticut. It has been host to concerts and sporting events. It was formerly the home of the New England Nightmare of the Women's Football Alliance, Wom ...
in
Hartford
Hartford is the capital city of the U.S. state of Connecticut. It was the seat of Hartford County until Connecticut disbanded county government in 1960. It is the core city in the Greater Hartford metropolitan area. Census estimates since the ...
.
;Norwich Free Academy vs. New London High School: Is both the nation's oldest rivalry in the nation had the most games (155), if mergers are counted with their predecessors. The first game in what is now '' Ye Olde Ball Game'' was played in 1875 between NFA and the Bulkeley School for Boys in New London and continued until 1951 when Bulkeley merged with Chapman Tech to become New London High. NFA leads the series, NFA leads series, 78-65-11.
;Shelton vs. Derby:
Shelton Shelton may refer to:
Places
United Kingdom
*Shelton, North Bedfordshire, in the parish of Dean and Shelton, Bedfordshire
*Lower Shelton, in the parish of Marston Moretaine, Bedfordshire
*Upper Shelton, in the parish of Marston Moretaine, Bedfor ...
and Derby have played each other since 1904.
;Staples vs. Greenwich
;Stonington vs. Westerly, Rhode Island: Tied with NFA-New London for the most games (155) with Stonington leading Westerly 73-67–17 as of 2016. However, when strictly looking at Thanksgiving Turkey day games Westerly leads 47–40–11.
;Wilbur Cross vs. Hillhouse: New Haven's two largest high schools,
Hillhouse High School
James Hillhouse High School is a four-year comprehensive public high school in New Haven, Connecticut. It serves grades 9–12.
James Hillhouse High School is the oldest public high school in New Haven, and is part of the New Haven Public Scho ...
and
Wilbur Cross High School
Wilbur Cross High School is a four-year public high school in the East Rock neighborhood of New Haven, Connecticut, United States, serving ninth through twelfth grades. The school is named after Connecticut Governor Wilbur Lucius Cross and is th ...
, 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
Marcus Landon Easley (born November 2, 1987) is a former American football wide receiver and special teamer. He was drafted by the Buffalo Bills in the fourth round of the 2010 NFL Draft. He played college football at Connecticut and graduated ...
and
Mark Harrison Mark Harrison is the name of:
* Mark Harrison (American football) (born 1990), American football player
* Mark Harrison (comics) (born 1963), British comic book artist
* Mark Harrison (footballer) (born 1960), English footballer
* T. 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
The District of Columbia Interscholastic Athletic Association (DCIAA) is the public high school athletic league in Washington, D.C. The league was founded in 1958. The original high school conference for D.C. schools was the Inter-High School Ath ...
holds its annual city high school championship game on Thanksgiving weekend.
;Gonzaga vs. St. John's:An annual game occurs between
Gonzaga College High School
Gonzaga College High School is a private Catholic college-preparatory high school for boys in Washington, D.C. Founded by the Jesuits in 1821 as the Washington Seminary, Gonzaga is named in honor of Aloysius Gonzaga, an Italian saint from the 16 ...
Henry B. Plant High School
H.B. Plant High School is a public high school located in the neighborhood of South Tampa in Tampa, Florida, United States. It opened in 1927 between South Himes Avenue on the east and Dale Mabry Highway on the west. The school is named in honor ...
, two teams in
Tampa, Florida
Tampa () is a city on the Gulf Coast of the United States, Gulf Coast of the U.S. state of Florida. The city's borders include the north shore of Tampa Bay and the east shore of Old Tampa Bay. Tampa is the largest city in the Tampa Bay area and ...
, 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
Tampa Stadium (nicknamed The Big Sombrero and briefly known as Houlihan's Stadium) was a large open-air stadium (maximum capacity about 74,000) located in Tampa, Florida, which opened in 1967 and was significantly expanded in 1974–75. The faci ...
.
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
Deering High School (DHS) is a public high school in Portland, Maine, United States. The school is part of the Portland Public Schools district.
It is one of the three public high schools located in Portland, the others being Portland High Scho ...
Fitzpatrick Stadium
James J. Fitzpatrick Stadium is a 6,000 seat multi-purpose outdoor stadium in Portland, Maine, United States. It is located between Interstate 295, Hadlock Field baseball stadium, King Middle School, and the Portland Exposition Building. It i ...
Maryland
Maryland is home to one of the Oldest rivalries nationally, also known to be two of the oldest rivalries in the
Southeastern United States
The Southeastern United States, also referred to as the American Southeast or simply the Southeast, is a geographical region of the United States. It is located broadly on the eastern portion of the southern United States and the southern por ...
.
;Loyola Blakefield vs. Calvert Hall College:
Calvert Hall College
Calvert Hall College High School (also known as "Calvert Hall" or "CHC") is a Catholic college preparatory high school for boys, located in Towson, Maryland, United States. The school's mission is to make its students "men of intellect, men of f ...
and
Loyola Blakefield
Loyola Blakefield is a private Catholic, college preparatory school run by the USA East Province of the Society of Jesus in Towson, Maryland and within the Archdiocese of Baltimore. It was established in 1852 by the Jesuits as an all-boys school f ...
, both private high schools in Towson, Maryland have played an annual football game on Thanksgiving Day known as the "Turkey Bowl." The 100-year-old tradition is the oldest continuous Catholic prep-school football rivalry in the United States. The game is currently held at
Johnny Unitas Stadium
Johnny Unitas Stadium is a multi-purpose sports stadium in Towson, Maryland, United States. The home of several Towson University athletics teams, it is also known as Minnegan Field at Johnny Unitas Stadium or Unitas Stadium.
History
The stadi ...
at Towson University (However, Previously played 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 50–42–8. It is televised on the local ABC affiliate,
WMAR
WMAR-TV (channel 2) is a television station in Baltimore, Maryland, United States, affiliated with ABC and owned by the E. W. Scripps Company. The station's studios and offices are located on York Road (Maryland Route 45) in Towson (though with ...
2.
;Baltimore Polytechnic Institute (Poly) vs. Baltimore City College (City)
:In 1889, the game was played between
City
A city is a human settlement of notable size.Goodall, B. (1987) ''The Penguin Dictionary of Human Geography''. London: Penguin.Kuper, A. and Kuper, J., eds (1996) ''The Social Science Encyclopedia''. 2nd edition. London: Routledge. It can be def ...
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
Kurt Lidell Schmoke (born December 1, 1949) is an American politician and lawyer who was the 47th mayor of Baltimore, Maryland, from 1987 to 1999, the first African American to be elected to the post. He is the current president of the University ...
and team captain
Curt Anderson
Curtis Stovall Anderson (born October 12, 1949) is an American politician, lawyer and former broadcast journalist. He was first elected to the Maryland House of Delegates in 1983, is the chairman of the Baltimore City Delegation, and past cha ...
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
Maryland Public Secondary Schools Athletic Association (MPSSAA), is the association that oversees public high school sporting contests in the state of Maryland. Organized after World War II in 1946, the MPSSAA is made up of public high schools fr ...
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
M&T Bank Stadium is a multi-purpose football stadium located in Baltimore, Maryland. It is the home of the Baltimore Ravens of the National Football League (NFL). The stadium is immediately adjacent to Oriole Park at Camden Yards, the home of the ...
, 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-Hanson:
Abington High School
Abington High School is a public high school co-located with middle and pre-kindergarten schools in Abington, Massachusetts, United States.
It is located at 201 Gliniewicz Way and has an enrollment of 520 students. The school's mascot is the ...
and
Whitman-Hanson Regional High School
Whitman-Hanson Regional High School is a public high school located in Hanson, Massachusetts, United States. The school serves students in grades 9-12 from the towns of Whitman, Massachusetts and Hanson, Massachusetts. It is part of the Whitman-H ...
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
;Athol vs Ralph C Mahar Regional: The public high schools of Athol and Orange, MA first met on the football field in 1894. The rivalry has been continuous since 1944. Orange High School became Ralph C Mahar Regional School in 1957.
;Andover vs. North Andover: Andover High School and
North Andover High School
North Andover High School is a public high school in the town of North Andover, Massachusetts, United States. The school is a part of the North Andover Public School System, and is the only high school in the district. Construction on the school w ...
will start playing each other again on thanksgiving in 2015 at North Andover. These two were thanksgiving rivals up to 1970 when the rivalry ended when North Andover switched leagues. 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
Barnstable High School is a public high school (grades 8–12) in the village of Hyannis, Massachusetts, United States, Town of Barnstable. The school is part of the Barnstable Public School District.
Barnstable High School was founded in the ...
and Falmouth High School have played each other since 1895.
;Bartlett (Webster) vs. Southbridge: These two schools are regular Thanksgiving rivals; their game is broadcast on WQVR.
;Bellingham vs. Norton
;Belmont vs. Watertown
;Beverly vs. Salem: Salem High School and
Beverly High School
Beverly High School is one of two four-year public high schools in Beverly, Massachusetts, United States, the other being the smaller Northshore Academy. It has an enrollment of approximately 1,300 students and is accredited by the Massachuset ...
have played each other since 1891. The 100th meeting between the two schools in 1998 at Hurd Stadium attracted over 11,000 fans.
;Durfee (Fall River) vs. New Bedford:
New Bedford High School
New Bedford High School (NBHS) is a public high school located at 230 Hathaway Boulevard in the West End of New Bedford, Massachusetts. The school has approximately 2,000 students, and is one of the largest schools in the state. New Bedford is al ...
and B.M.C. Durfee of Fall River have contested this rivalry since 1893.
WNBH
WNBH (1340 AM) is a New Bedford, Massachusetts radio station, owned by Hall Communications and currently broadcasting a classic hits format. The station's branding refers to its FM translator station, W267CY. The station is also carried on the H ...
currently holds broadcast rights.
;BC High vs. Catholic Memorial:
Boston College High School
, motto_translation = ''So they may know You.''
, address = 150 Morrissey Boulevard
, city = Boston
, state = Massachusetts
, zipcode = 02125
, country ...
vs.
Catholic Memorial School
Catholic Memorial (CM) is an all-boys college preparatory school (grades 7–12) located in West Roxbury, Massachusetts, United States. It is part of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Boston and is administered by the Congregation of Christian ...
rivalry, with both all-male schools drawing students from similar seas. The winner of the game wins the Pumpkin Trophy.
;Bedford vs. Burlington
;Braintree vs. Milton:
Braintree High School
Braintree High School (BHS) is a four-year public secondary school located in Braintree, Massachusetts. The school is part of the Braintree Public School district and is situated on the northwest side of Sunset Lake at 128 Town Street.
Genera ...
and Milton High School have played each other on Thanksgiving since 1920. Milton leads 44-39-1.
;Billerica vs. Chelmsford:
Chelmsford High School
Chelmsford High School is a public, coeducational high school founded in 1917. The current building is located in North Chelmsford, Massachusetts, United States, and was built in 1974. Before 1974 the high school was located in the current McCart ...
and
Billerica Memorial High School
Billerica Memorial High School (BMHS), formerly Howe High School, is a public secondary school in the town of Billerica, Massachusetts. It is the only high school under the purview of the Billerica Public Schools district, and serves approximately ...
have faced off against each other annually since 1927.
;Chicopee vs. Holyoke:
Chicopee High School
Chicopee High School (CHS) is a public school (government funded), public high school located in Chicopee, Massachusetts, United States. It serves students in grades 9 through 12. Its official school colors are maroon and gold. Its mascot is ...
and
Holyoke High School
Holyoke High School is a public high school in western Massachusetts, United States that serves the City of Holyoke. Since 2015, the school, along with the district, has been in state receivership and through a series of changes in practices, such ...
no longer play on thanksgiving. Chicopee plays Chicopee Comprehensive and Holyoke battles South Hadley.
;Concord-Carlisle Regional vs. Lexington
;Cohasset vs. Hull:
Cohasset High School
Cohasset High School is a public high school located in Cohasset, Massachusetts, United States. It is located at 143 Pond St. and has an enrollment of 364 students in grades 9-12. A majority of the school's teams are named the "Skippers" and the ...
and
Hull High School
Hull High School is a public high school located in Hull, Massachusetts, United States. It is located at 180 Main Street at the very edge of town adjacent to the Hull Gut, overlooking Boston Harbor and the Boston skyline. Hull has an approximate ...
have played each other on Thanksgiving since the 1920s.
;Dennis-Yarmouth vs. Nauset Regional
;Dedham vs. Norwood
;Dover-Sherborn vs. Medfield
;Boston English vs. Boston Latin: The rivalry between
English High School of Boston
The English High School of Boston, Massachusetts, United States, is one of the first public high schools in America, founded in 1821. Originally called The English Classical School, it was renamed The English High School upon its first relocation ...
and
Boston Latin School
The Boston Latin School is a public exam school in Boston, Massachusetts. It was established on April 23, 1635, making it both the oldest public school in the British America and the oldest existing school in the United States. Its curriculum f ...
dates to 1887. It is played annually at
Harvard Stadium
Harvard Stadium is a U-shaped college football stadium in the northeast United States, located in the Allston neighborhood of Boston, Massachusetts. The stadium is owned and operated by Harvard University and is home to the Harvard Crimson footba ...
.
;Fairhaven vs. Dartmouth
;Fitchburg vs. Leominster:
Leominster High School
Leominster High School (also known as Leominster High or LHS) is a public high school located in Leominster, Massachusetts, United States. It is the only secondary educational institution found in Leominster. It is situated in a mixed-industrial-r ...
and Fitchburgh High School have played since 1894. As of 2021, it has been contested on Thanksgiving 125 times, out of 140 total matches.
;Franklin vs. King Philip Regional High School
;Georgetown vs. Manchester-Essex Regional High School.
;Gloucester vs. Danvers
;Greenfield vs. Turners Falls Regional: They have faced each other every Thanksgiving since 1926. As of 2019, Turners Falls suspended its football program and Greenfield now host Turners Falls Regional along with Mohawk Trail Regional and Pioneer Valley Regional in a 4 team cooperate.
;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
Longmeadow High School (LHS) is an American public high school located in Longmeadow, Massachusetts. Founded in 1956, it enrolls approximately 1,000 students.Get The Feeling: Masacksic 1988, Vol. 32. The school's mascot is a Lancer.
It was ...
and
East Longmeadow High School
East Longmeadow High School is a public high school located in East Longmeadow, Massachusetts, United States. It is the only secondary school (high school) in the East Longmeadow School District. It enrolls 833 students. It is known for being on ...
;Lawrence vs. Central Catholic
;Lynnfield vs. North Reading:
Lynnfield High School
Lynnfield High School is a four-year, coeducational public high school for students in grade nine through twelve residing in the town of Lynnfield, Massachusetts, United States.
Athletics
Lynnfield High School is a member of the Cape Ann League ...
and
North Reading High School
North Reading High School (NRHS) is the public high school serving students in grades 9–12 from the town of North Reading, Massachusetts
Massachusetts (Massachusett: ''Muhsachuweesut Massachusett_writing_systems.html" ;"title="nowiki/> mÉ ...
;Lynn English vs. Lynn Classical: Inter-city High School rivalry between the two Lynn public high schools
;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
;Natick vs. Framingham
;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 107 times as of 2021 with Newburyport holding the edge 56–42–9.
;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 2021, Newton North leads the rivalry 68–54–6.
;Newton South vs. Lincoln-Sudbury
;Pentucket Regional vs. Triton Regional: Teams have played since 1971. Pentucket has won 36 of the 54 contests, including on the way to winning the Super Bowl in 1999. There has been only 1 tie.
;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 1899. Reading leads the series 69–27–8.
;Stoughton vs. Canton: Teams have played each since 1926, with Stoughton currently leading 54-45-4 as of the 2021 season.
;Taunton vs. Milford
;Tewksbury vs. Wilmington
;Wayland vs. Weston: These two teams have played each other 88 times as of 2021. Wayland leads the series 55–30–3.
;Westwood vs. Holliston
;Winchester vs. Woburn: Winchester High School and
Woburn Memorial High School
Woburn Memorial High School (WMHS) is a public high school in Woburn, Massachusetts, United States. It is part of the Woburn Public Schools district and participates in the Middlesex League. It is home to the Tanners and Tannerettes and the nick ...
's football teams have played each other 120 times since their first meeting in 1891 in one of the oldest rivalries in the country, one that is largely a friendly one. Winchester leads the all-time 55-53-12. Interestingly, six of the twelve ties have been scoreless, occurring in 1911, 1929, 1931, 1932, 1935, and 1965.
Michigan
;
Michigan High School Athletic Association
The Michigan High School Athletic Association (MHSAA) is a service organization for high school sports in Michigan and is headquartered in East Lansing. It is a member of the National Federation of State High School Associations (NFHS).
Unlike ma ...
State Championships: The state's high school football championships fall on Black Friday and the Saturday after Thanksgiving at
Ford Field
Ford Field is a domed American football stadium located in Downtown Detroit. It primarily serves as the home of the Detroit Lions of the National Football League (NFL), as well as the annual Quick Lane Bowl college football bowl game, state champ ...
in
Detroit
Detroit ( , ; , ) is the largest city in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is also the largest U.S. city on the United States–Canada border, and the seat of government of Wayne County. The City of Detroit had a population of 639,111 at th ...
. This coincides with the
Detroit Lions
The Detroit Lions are a professional American football team based in Detroit. The Lions compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) North Division. The team play their home games at Ford ...
' annual Thanksgiving Day game (see below). Eight championship games are played, one for each division (Division 1–8). Prior to the institution of state playoffs in 1975, many schools played rivalry games on Thanksgiving Day or the Friday following. A very few schools would play Thanksgiving Saturday, but this was rare due to efforts to avoid conflicts with the Michigan-Ohio State college game which historically dominated sporting attention in the state.
; Adrian High School Alumni: Every Black Friday, the alumni of Adrian High School's varsity football program and other athletic teams meet at the center of the school track for an annual battle for (touch)football supremacy. This game has happened annually since November 1999.
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
Eight-man football is a form of gridiron football, generally played by high schools with smaller enrollments. Eight-man football differs from the traditional 11-man game with the reduction of three players on each side of the ball and a field wi ...
class. Held at the
Dome at America's Center
The Dome at America's Center is a multi-purpose stadium used for concerts, major conventions, and sporting events in downtown St. Louis, Missouri, United States. Previously known as the Trans World Dome from 1995 to 2001 and the Edward Jones Do ...
in
St. Louis
St. Louis () is the second-largest city in Missouri, United States. It sits near the confluence of the Mississippi and the Missouri Rivers. In 2020, the city proper had a population of 301,578, while the bi-state metropolitan area, which e ...
until that stadium's primary tenant (the
Rams
In engineering, RAMS (reliability, availability, maintainability and safety)Plaster Sports Complex
Plaster Stadium (formerly SMS Stadium, Briggs Stadium, and Plaster Sports Complex) is a 17,500-seat football stadium located in Springfield, Missouri. It is home to the Missouri State Bears football team.
History
The stadium was built in 1941 as S ...
on the campus of
Missouri State University
Missouri State University (MSU or MO State), formerly Southwest Missouri State University, is a public university in Springfield, Missouri. Founded in 1905 as the Fourth District Normal School, it is the state's second largest university by enr ...
hosting the 2016 contest and
Faurot Field
Faurot Field ( , ) at Memorial Stadium is an outdoor sports stadium in Columbia, Missouri, United States, on the campus of the University of Missouri. It is primarily used for football and serves as the home field for the Missouri Tigers' progra ...
on the campus of the
University of Missouri
The University of Missouri (Mizzou, MU, or Missouri) is a public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Columbia, Missouri. It is Missouri's largest university and the flagship of the four-campus Universit ...
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: The contest between
Kirkwood High School
Kirkwood High School is a public education, public secondary school in Kirkwood, Missouri, United States. The school is part of the Kirkwood R-7 School District. Dr. Mike Havener started as principal in July 2011.
History
Kirkwood High School ...
's Pioneers and
Webster Groves High School
Webster Groves High School is a public secondary school in Webster Groves, Missouri, United States. It is located at 100 Selma Ave, Webster Groves, MO. The school is part of the Webster Groves School District and its current principal is Matt Irvi ...
's Statesmen, two teams based in the suburbs of St. Louis, has traditionally been played on Thanksgiving since 1907.
;Excelsior Springs Mineral Water Bowl (no longer a high school game or played on Thanksgiving): From 1948 to 1951,
Excelsior Springs High School
Excelsior, a Latin comparative word often translated as "ever upward" or "even higher", may refer to:
Arts and entertainment Literature and poetry
* "Excelsior" (Longfellow), an 1841 poem by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
* ''Excelsior'' (Macedo ...
hosted other high school teams at its campus on Thanksgiving. As the state of Missouri did not officially sanction the contest out of concern for student-athletes' well-being, the event was forcibly canceled in 1951. These four games served as the beginning of the
Mineral Water Bowl
The Mineral Water Bowl is an annual American NCAA Division II college football bowl game between teams from the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference and an at large opponent hosted in Excelsior Springs, Missouri at Tiger Stadium.
History
...
, which in 1954 was switched to a small
college football
College football (french: Football universitaire) refers to gridiron football played by teams of student athletes. It was through college football play that American football rules first gained popularity in the United States.
Unlike most ...
bowl game
In North America, a bowl game is one of a number of post-season college football games that are primarily played by teams belonging to the NCAA's Division I Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS). For most of its history, the Division I Bowl Subdivis ...
that continues to be played, in December, each year in Excelsior Springs.
New Hampshire
;Manchester city championship (Turkey Bowl):
Gill Stadium
Gill Stadium is a sporting stadium located in Manchester, New Hampshire. It is one of the oldest concrete-and-steel ballparks in the United States. The venue, which mainly hosts amateur baseball and football contests, has a capacity of 3,012.
...
in
Manchester, New Hampshire
Manchester is a city in Hillsborough County, New Hampshire, United States. It is the most populous city in New Hampshire. At the 2020 census, the city had a population of 115,644.
Manchester is, along with Nashua, one of two seats of New Hamp ...
hosts an annual turkey bowl between the city's two top ranked teams in the regular season.
Manchester Central High School
Manchester High School Central is the oldest public high school in the state of New Hampshire. Located in the heart of Manchester, New Hampshire, approximately 1,200 students attend from communities such as Hooksett and Manchester, and it for ...
has appeared as the opponent in all but seven of the 38 contests played through 2019, with the matchup of Central against
Trinity
The Christian doctrine of the Trinity (, from 'threefold') is the central dogma concerning the nature of God in most Christian churches, which defines one God existing in three coequal, coeternal, consubstantial divine persons: God the F ...
being the most frequent to appear.
New Jersey
;Atlantic City vs. Holy Spirit:
;Asbury Park vs. Neptune: Known as the " 'Hood Championship," this contest, dating to the 1920s, was canceled in 2017, following years of escalating tensions and threats of legitimate violence for that year's contest.
;
Hamilton High School West
Hamilton High School West is a four-year comprehensive public high school serving students in ninth through twelfth grade located in Hamilton Township, in Mercer County, New Jersey, United States, operating as one of the three secondary scho ...
vs.
Steinert High School
Steinert High School (also formally known as Hamilton High School East) is a four-year comprehensive public high school serving students in ninth through twelfth grades as one of three secondary high schools that are part of the Hamilton Townsh ...
: Played annually on Thanksgiving Day since 1958 as this is the crosstown rivalry in Hamilton Township (Mercer County). The game in odd numbered years is played at Hamilton West, and at Steinert during even numbered years, and the game traditionally starts at 10:30 a.m., and is streamed on WBCB.
;
Hackensack High School
Hackensack High School is a four-year comprehensive public high school located in Hackensack, New Jersey, United States, operating as part of the Hackensack Public Schools. Hackensack High School serves students from the Bergen County, New Jer ...
vs.
Teaneck High School
, motto_translation = To enrich the mind and improve the character
, fundingtype = Public
, schooltype = high school
, grades = 9– 12
, district = Teaneck Public Schools
, enrollment = 1,239 (as of 2021–22)
, faculty = ...
: have played annually every Thanksgiving morning since 1931.
;Don Bosco Prep vs. Paramus Catholic / Saint Joseph Regional High School:
Don Bosco Preparatory High School
, motto_translation = To Increase in Knowledge and Grace
, accreditation = Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools
, rival = Bergen Catholic High SchoolSaint Joseph Regional High School
, mascot =
, ma ...
in Ramsey, one of the top high school football programs in the United States, and
Paramus Catholic High School
Paramus Catholic High School is a co-educational Roman Catholic high school located in Paramus in Bergen County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. The school, founded in 1965, under Archbishop Thomas A. Boland, and Superintendent of Schools, Mon ...
were traditional Thanksgiving rivals until 2013.
Fox Sports 1
Fox Sports 1 (FS1) is an American pay television channel owned by the Fox Sports Media Group, a unit of Fox Corporation. FS1 replaced the motorsports network Speed on August 17, 2013, at the same time that its companion channel Fox Sports 2 ...
carried the 2013 contest nationwide. Don Bosco Prep instead planned to host
Saint Joseph Regional High School
Saint Joseph Regional High School (known as SJR, St. Joe's or Joe's) is a private, Catholic Church, Roman Catholic, University-preparatory school, college preparatory school for boys, located on a campus in Montvale, New Jersey, Montvale, in B ...
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, Pennsylvania: Phillipsburg High School and
Easton High School
Easton High School (EHS) is a four-year comprehensive public high school in Easton, MD, Easton, Talbot County, Maryland, Talbot County, Maryland, United States. It is one of two public high schools in Talbot County along with St. Michaels Middle/ ...
have been playing each other since 1905 in a rivalry billed as ''The State Line Game''.Smith, Cam (November 27, 2019) America's best Thanksgiving high school football rivalries ''USA Today''. Retrieved November 28, 2019. 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
Fisher Stadium is a 13,132-seat multi-purpose stadium in Easton, Pennsylvania. The stadium is home to the Lafayette College Lafayette Leopards football, Leopards football team. It opened in 1926 as Fisher Field.
During 2006 and 2007, Fisher Field ...
located on the campus of
Lafayette College
Lafayette College is a private liberal arts college in Easton, Pennsylvania. Founded in 1826 by James Madison Porter and other citizens in Easton, the college first held classes in 1832. The founders voted to name the college after General Laf ...
as a neutral site. The game was previously nationally televised (the 2006 contest was carried on
ESPN
ESPN (originally an initialism for Entertainment and Sports Programming Network) is an American international basic cable sports channel owned by ESPN Inc., owned jointly by The Walt Disney Company (80%) and Hearst Communications (20%). The ...
's ''
High School Showcase
''High School Showcase'', known under its corporate sponsored name as the ''GEICO High School Showcase'', is a presentation of high school football and high school basketball on ESPN, ESPN2 and ESPNU. Since debuting in 2005, it primarily airs on ...
''); as of 2015, it is carried on radio by
WEEX
WEEX (1230 AM) is a radio station in Easton, Pennsylvania, United States, owned by Cumulus Media, through licensee Radio License Holding CBC, LLC. The station airs a sports radio format branded as "Fox Sports Lehigh Valley", carrying the Fox Spor ...
and televised by
WFMZ-TV
WFMZ-TV (channel 69) is an independent television station in Allentown, Pennsylvania.
Locally-based Maranatha Broadcasting Company owns the station and Wilmington, Delaware–licensed MeTV affiliate WDPN-TV. Both stations share studios on Eas ...
. A
rematch
''Rematch'' is the first US-released Sammy Hagar compilation album. After Sammy left Capitol Records for Geffen in 1981, and after Rick Springfield had a hit with the Hagar-penned "I've Done Everything for You", this collection was released to ...
of the 1993 Easton-Phillipsburg Thanksgiving contest was the inaugural game in
Gatorade
Gatorade is an American brand of sports-themed beverage and food products, built around its signature line of sports drinks. Gatorade is currently manufactured by PepsiCo and is distributed in over 80 countries. The beverage was first develop ...
Paramus High School
Paramus High School is an American four-year comprehensive public high school, located in Paramus, in Bergen County, New Jersey, United States, serving students in ninth through twelfth grades as the lone secondary school of the Paramus Public ...
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
Resting the starters is the substitution of regular players on a sports team with backup players, and it occurs when a team has clinched at least a playoff berth, often its division, and in many cases, home advantage, and no further regular season ...
.
;East Orange vs. Barringer:
East Orange High School
East Orange High School was a comprehensive community public high school serving students in ninth through twelfth grades from 1891 to 2002 in East Orange, in Essex County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. For most of its existence, the school ...
and
Barringer High School
Barringer Academy of the Arts & Humanities (formerly Barringer High School and Newark High School), is a four-year comprehensive public high school serving students in ninth through twelfth grades in Newark, in Essex County, New Jersey, United ...
Vineland
''Vineland'' is a 1990 novel by Thomas Pynchon, a postmodern fiction set in California, United States in 1984, the year of Ronald Reagan's reelection.Knabb 2002 Through flashbacks by its characters, who have lived the sixties in their youth, th ...
: The state's oldest, this rivalry has been contested since 1893, with Vineland leading the series 64-63-19, heading into the 2017 game.
WMGM-TV
WMGM-TV (channel 40) is a television station licensed to Wildwood, New Jersey, United States, affiliated with the True Crime Network. It is owned by TelevisaUnivision alongside Vineland, New Jersey–licensed Univision owned-and-operated statio ...
carried the 2016 contest live, and the 2017 and 2018 contests were carried by
WACP
WACP (channel 4) is a religious television station licensed to Atlantic City, New Jersey, United States, serving southern New Jersey and the Philadelphia television market as an owned-and-operated station of Tri-State Christian Television (TCT). ...
and sister station
WSNJ
WSNJ (1240 kHz) is a commercial AM radio station licensed to Bridgeton, New Jersey. It is owned by SNJ Today, LLC, and it airs a full-service adult contemporary radio format, featuring hits from the 1980s, 90s and early 2000s.
WSNJ is power ...
; the game went unbroadcast in 2019.
;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
East Brunswick High School is a comprehensive public high school serving students in tenth through twelfth grades in East Brunswick Township, in Middlesex County, New Jersey, United States, operating as part of East Brunswick Public Schools. ...
and
Old Bridge High School
Old Bridge High School (formed from combining the former Cedar Ridge and Madison Central High Schools) is a four-year comprehensive public high school that serves students in ninth through twelfth grades from Old Bridge Township in Middlesex ...
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
Burlington City High School is a six-year comprehensive public high school that serves students in seventh through twelfth grade in Burlington, in Burlington County, New Jersey, United States, operating as the lone secondary school of the Cit ...
: 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 anniversary.
;Madison vs. Millburn ''(abolished)'': Alternated fields each year. The mayors typically make
bets
Gambling (also known as betting or gaming) is the wagering of something of value ("the stakes") on a random event with the intent of winning something else of value, where instances of strategy are discounted. Gambling thus requires three elem ...
, 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. This contest ended after the 2017 competition.
;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
Middletown High School North, home of the Lions, is a four-year comprehensive public high school located in Middletown Township, in Monmouth County, New Jersey, United States, serving students in ninth through twelfth grades as one of the tw ...
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 v. Bloomfield: Montclair and Bloomfield have met annually on Thanksgiving since 1937. The 1957 contest was notable for being televised nationwide, via the remains of the
DuMont Television Network
The DuMont Television Network (also known as the DuMont Network, DuMont Television, simply DuMont/Du Mont, or (incorrectly) Dumont ) was one of America's pioneer commercial television networks, rivaling NBC and CBS for the distinction of being ...
in a rare color telecast with
Chris Schenkel
Christopher Eugene Schenkel (August 21, 1923 – September 11, 2005) was an American sportscaster. Over the course of five decades he called play-by-play for numerous sports on television and radio, becoming known for his smooth delivery and bar ...
on play-by-play.
;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 Heights High School;
New York State
;State championship weekend:The
New York State Public High School Athletic Association
The New York State Public High School Athletic Association (NYSPHSAA) is the governing body of interscholastic sports for most public schools in New York outside New York City.http://www.nysphsaa.org/ ''nysphsaa.org'', accessed 15-JAN-2008. Th ...
, which sanctions all public high school football in the state, holds its statewide football championships over Thanksgiving weekend at the
Carrier Dome
The JMA Wireless Dome, originally the Carrier Dome (1980–2022) and colloquially called "The Dome," or more recently "The JMA Dome," is a domed sports stadium in Syracuse, New York. Located on the campus of Syracuse University in the University ...
in
Syracuse
Syracuse may refer to:
Places Italy
*Syracuse, Sicily, or spelled as ''Siracusa''
*Province of Syracuse
United States
*Syracuse, New York
**East Syracuse, New York
**North Syracuse, New York
*Syracuse, Indiana
* Syracuse, Kansas
*Syracuse, Miss ...
. 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. 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).McKinley, Dave (September 4, 2010) Buffalo Public Schools Unveil New $6 Million Stadium
WGRZ
WGRZ (channel 2) is a television station in Buffalo, New York, United States, affiliated with NBC and owned by Tegna Inc. The station's studios are located on Delaware Avenue in downtown Buffalo, and its transmitter is located on Warner Hill Ro ...
. Retrieved September 4, 2010.
;Buffalo Harvard Cup ''(abolished)'':In
Western New York
Western New York (WNY) is the westernmost region of the U.S. state of New York. The eastern boundary of the region is not consistently defined by state agencies or those who call themselves "Western New Yorkers". Almost all sources agree WNY in ...
, Thanksgiving was the day of the annual
Harvard Cup
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 (including the CFL on Canadian Thanksgiving), ...
, the city of Buffalo's high school football championship game. It ran for 106 years. Games were held at
All-High Stadium
All-High Stadium (Robert E. Rich All-High Stadium) is a football stadium in Buffalo, New York. It was opened in 1926, and received a Memorial Day dedication on May 29, 1929. The stadium was modeled after classic European soccer stadiums of the ti ...
on the campus of Bennett High School in Buffalo and broadcast on local radio station WJJL. However, the Harvard Cup was abolished after the 2009 season when Buffalo Public Schools joined the NYSPHSAA.
;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
Downing Stadium, previously known as Triborough Stadium and Randall's Island Stadium, was a 22,000-seat stadium in New York City. It was renamed Downing Stadium in 1955 after John J. Downing, a director at the New York City Department of Parks a ...
(now
Icahn Stadium
Icahn Stadium is a 5,000 seat track and field and multipurpose facility located on Randalls Island in Manhattan, New York City. Designed within the former site of Downing Stadium, it opened on April 23, 2005. Icahn Stadium is named after Ameri ...
) on
Randall's Island
Randalls Island (sometimes called Randall's Island) and Wards Island are conjoined islands, collectively called Randalls and Wards Islands, in New York County, New York City,
or on the campus of
Fordham University
Fordham University () is a Private university, private Jesuit universities, Jesuit research university in New York City. Established in 1841 and named after the Fordham, Bronx, Fordham neighborhood of the The Bronx, Bronx in which its origina ...
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
Aviator Sports and Events Center is a sports and events center in Floyd Bennett Field, Brooklyn, New York City. Operating as a concessionaire of National Park Service, Aviator has refurbished four historic aircraft hangars and surrounding ground ...
on the grounds of
Floyd Bennett Field
Floyd Bennett Field is an airfield in the Marine Park neighborhood of southeast Brooklyn in New York City, along the shore of Jamaica Bay. The airport originally hosted commercial and general aviation traffic before being used as a naval air ...
, part of the
Gateway National Recreation Area
Gateway National Recreation Area is a U.S. National Recreation Area in New York City and Monmouth County, New Jersey. It provides recreational opportunities that are not commonly found in a dense urban environment, including ocean swimming, bi ...
in
Brooklyn
Brooklyn () is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Kings County, in the U.S. state of New York. Kings County is the most populous county in the State of New York, and the second-most densely populated county in the United States, be ...
.
;White Plains Turkey Bowl ''(abolished)'': This game between the Catholic high school
Archbishop Stepinac High School
Archbishop Stepinac High School is an American all-boys' Roman Catholic high school in White Plains, New York.
It was operated by the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of New York until the 2009–2010 school year, when it became independent of the ...
and public school
White Plains High School
White Plains Senior High School is a high school in the White Plains Public Schools system of White Plains, New York, United States. It was selected by the U.S. Department of Education as a School of Excellence in 1986–1987. The school's code ...
was played continuously from 1971 to 2012; White Plains High School had played other teams from around the United States as an invitational contest from 1932 to 1970. The game was traditionally played at a "neutral" field in White Plains, Parker Stadium; the last five contests were held at Loucks Field on the campus of White Plains High School. 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. The game nonetheless had to be canceled if Stepinac advanced to their respective state championship game or White Plains won 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; despite the repeated cancellations, the schools insisted the series would continue. A change in the state Catholic championship tournament, which opened a
bye week
In sport, a bye is the preferential status of a player or team that is automatically advanced to the next round of a tournament, without having to play an opponent in an early round.
In knockout (elimination) tournaments they can be granted eit ...
during Thanksgiving weekend between the semifinals and the championship, allowed Stepinac to play the game in 2016 and continue to contest for the championship. Prior to the 2017 season, White Plains announced it would no longer play in the Turkey Bowl to allow its players to focus on winter sports, ending an over 90-year tradition of Thanksgiving football in
Westchester County, New York
Westchester County is located in the U.S. state of New York. It is the seventh most populous county in the State of New York and the most populous north of New York City. According to the 2020 United States Census, the county had a population o ...
.
;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.
;Iona Prep vs. New Rochelle ''(abolished)'': Played on Thanksgiving from 1949 to 2002, this rivalry contest was televised on New York City television, first by
WABC-TV
WABC-TV (channel 7) is a television station in New York City, serving as the flagship of the ABC network. Owned and operated by the network's ABC Owned Television Stations division, the station maintains studios in the Lincoln Square neighbor ...
, then
WPIX
WPIX (channel 11) is a television station in New York City. Owned by Mission Broadcasting, it is operated under a local marketing agreement (LMA) by Nexstar Media Group, making it a ''de facto'' owned-and-operated station and flagship (broadcas ...
. As with the White Plains contest, New Rochelle's advancing to the state championship in 2003 and 2004 was the primary reason for the contest's abolition.
;Yonkers vs. Gorton ''(abolished)'': The two schools were the first to play on Thanksgiving in Westchester County from the mid-1920s until 1984.
;Roosevelt vs. Saunders ''(abolished)'': Another matchup in the city of
Yonkers
Yonkers () is a city in Westchester County, New York, United States. Developed along the Hudson River, it is the third most populous city in the state of New York, after New York City and Buffalo. The population of Yonkers was 211,569 as enu ...
also took place from the mid-1920s to 1984. Roosevelt High School withdrew from the contest after the 1984 game, in which the team won the state title but was then upset in the Thanksgiving game.
Pennsylvania
;Abington vs. Cheltenham:
Abington Senior High School
Abington Senior High School is a three-year co-educational high school in Abington, Pennsylvania, United States. The school was a two-year high school known as Abington South Campus from September 1964 until June 1983. In September 1983, Abingt ...
and
Cheltenham High School
Cheltenham High School is a public high school in the Wyncote neighborhood of Cheltenham Township, in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania, located from the border of the City of Philadelphia and from Center City. Serving grades 9 through 12, Chelt ...
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.
;Catasauqua vs. Northampton:
Catasauqua High School
Catasauqua High School is a public high school serving grades 9 through 12 in Northampton, Pennsylvania in the Lehigh Valley region of eastern Pennsylvania.
As of 2021-22, the school had 498 students, according to National Center for Education S ...
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
Homecoming is the tradition of welcoming back alumni or other former members of an organization to celebrate the organization's existence. It is a tradition in many high schools, colleges, and churches in the United States, Canada and Liberia.
...
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 High School Southl
East or Orient is one of the four cardinal directions or points of the compass. It is the opposite direction from west and is the direction from which the Sunrise, Sun rises on the Earth.
Etymology
As in other languages, the word is formed from ...
(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
Emmaus High School is a large public high school located in Emmaus, Pennsylvania. The school serves grades nine through 12 in Pennsylvania's East Penn School District in the Lehigh Valley region of eastern Pennsylvania.
Emmaus High School is loc ...
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
Upper Moreland High School is a comprehensive public high school, serving grades 9–12, located in Willow Grove, Pennsylvania, about fifteen miles outside of Philadelphia. It is the only high school in the Upper Moreland School District, which in ...
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
Ralph and Debbie Taylor Stadium at Simmons Field (also Taylor Stadium at Simmons Field) is a baseball stadium at the University of Missouri in Columbia, Missouri. It is the home field of the Missouri Tigers baseball. It was also the home of ...
on the campus of
Lehigh University
Lehigh University (LU) is a private research university in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania in the Lehigh Valley region of eastern Pennsylvania. The university was established in 1865 by businessman Asa Packer and was originally affiliated with the Epis ...
. 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.
;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
Ridley High School serves the Ridley School District. It is located in Folsom, Pennsylvania, United States. The new high school opened in September 2001. In the 2017–2018 school year, Ridley High School had 1,787 students.
History
The origina ...
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
;Pennridge vs. Quakertown: This rivalry game between Pennridge High School and Quakertown High School has been played on Thanksgiving morning since 1930. Carried on radio on
WNPV
WNPV (1440 AM) is a radio station owned by Four Rivers Community Broadcasting Corporation. and licensed to Lansdale, Pennsylvania, United States. It serves Montgomery, Bucks and Philadelphia Counties, broadcasting a talk radio format. Founded i ...
until that station's shutdown.
;Upper Darby vs. Haverford:
Upper Darby High School
Upper Darby High School (UDHS) is a four-year public high school located in Upper Darby Township, Delaware County, Pennsylvania, United States, as part of the Upper Darby School District. UDHS is also the oldest high school in Delaware County, ha ...
and
Haverford High School
Haverford Senior High School is the public high school of Haverford Township, Pennsylvania, United States, operated by the School District of Haverford Township. It is at 200 Mill Road in Havertown.
The school serves the entirety of Haverford To ...
, 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
South Philadelphia High School is a public secondary high school located in the Lower Moyamensing neighborhood of South Philadelphia, at the intersection of Broad Street and Snyder Avenue.
The school serves grades 9 through 12 and is part of th ...
and
Saints John Neumann and Maria Goretti Catholic High School
Saints John Neumann and Maria Goretti Catholic High School (''Ss.'' ''Neumann Goretti'' for short) is a private Roman Catholic high school located at 1736 South Tenth Street in the South Philadelphia area of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United State ...
,(formerly St. John Neumann, South Catholic) have been playing each other since 1934. They have played every Thanksgiving except since 1934 except in 2001, 2011, & 2014. South Philadelphia won the last meeting in 2013. Neumann Goretti leads the all time 55-20-3.
;West Chester East vs. Henderson''(no longer played on Thanksgiving)'':
West Chester East High School
West Chester East High School (colloquially referred to simply as East or WC East) is a public four-year high school located in West Goshen Township, Chester County, Pennsylvania, United States, near West Chester.< ...
and
Henderson High School (Pennsylvania)
B. Reed Henderson High School is located partially in the borough of West Chester and partially in West Goshen Township in Pennsylvania. B. Reed Henderson is one of the three high schools (Henderson, East, and Rustin) in the West Chester Area S ...
previously played on Thanksgiving Day or Thanksgiving Eve in addition to regular season meetings between the crosstown schools. A number of Thanksgiving games were held at Farrell Stadium of
West Chester University
West Chester University (also known as West Chester, WCU, or WCUPA, and officially as West Chester University of Pennsylvania) is a public research university in and around West Chester, Pennsylvania. The university is accredited by the Middle ...
. The last Thanksgiving meeting between the schools was played in 2005.
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
WADK (1540 AM) is a radio station licensed to serve Newport, Rhode Island, United States. The station is owned by 3G Broadcasting, Inc. It airs a news/talk format, with jazz airing each weekend.
The station, the first to be built on Aquidneck ...
.
;East Providence vs. La Salle
;South Kingstown Rebels vs. North Kingstown Skippers
;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
WOON (1240 AM) is Woonsocket, Rhode Island's oldest radio station, having taken to the air on November 11, 1946 as WWON, a callsign it kept until the current WOON became available in 1992. The change in call became effective on February 3, 199 ...
, Woonsocket's full-service radio station.
;East Greenwich vs. Narragansett
;Hendricken vs. Toll Gate
;North Providence vs. Smithfield Steelers vs Cowboys
;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
McCoy Stadium is a former baseball stadium in Pawtucket, Rhode Island. From 1970 through 2020, it served as home field of the Pawtucket Red Sox (PawSox), a Minor League Baseball farm team, affiliate of the Boston Red Sox. Completed in 1942, the st ...
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
Moses Brown School is an independent Quaker school located in Providence, Rhode Island, offering pre-kindergarten through secondary school classes. It was founded in 1784 by Moses Brown, a Quaker abolitionist, and is one of the oldest prepara ...
on the even number years and Tolman hosts
Shea High School
Charles E. Shea High School, commonly known as Shea High School and previously known as Pawtucket West High School, is an American public secondary school at 485 East Avenue in Pawtucket, Rhode Island. Shea is part of the Pawtucket School Departm ...
on the odd number years. Saint Raphael led the holiday series 38-31-4.
;Westerly vs. Stonington (CT)
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
Hampton Roads is the name of both a body of water in the United States that serves as a wide channel for the James River, James, Nansemond River, Nansemond and Elizabeth River (Virginia), Elizabeth rivers between Old Point Comfort and Sewell's ...
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.
;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
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
Turkey bowling is a sport which is based on ordinary bowling: a frozen turkey serves as a bowling ball and 10 plastic bottles of soft drinks or water are the bowling pins. The turkey is bowled down a smooth surface, for example, ice or a soap c ...
flag football
Flag football is a variant of American football where, instead of tackling players to the ground, the defensive team must remove a flag or flag belt from the ball carrier ("deflagging") to end a Down (gridiron football), down. The sport has a ...
, 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. Turkey Bowls are played by a variety of people including extended families, 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
College football (french: Football universitaire) refers to gridiron football played by teams of student athletes. It was through college football play that American football rules first gained popularity in the United States.
Unlike most ...
regular season, before conference championships and bowl games begin play in December (the
Army–Navy Game
The Army–Navy Game is an American college football rivalry game between the Army Black Knights of the United States Military Academy (USMA) at West Point, New York, and the Navy Midshipmen of the United States Naval Academy (USNA) at Annapo ...
is the lone exception). Today, this is only true for the top-level
NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision
The NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS), formerly known as Division I-A, is the highest level of college football in the United States. The FBS consists of the largest schools in the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA). As ...
, 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
, mottoeng = "Arts, Knowledge, Truth"
, former_names = Catholepistemiad, or University of Michigania (1817–1821)
, budget = $10.3 billion (2021)
, endowment = $17 billion (2021)As o ...
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." Since the Maroons no longer play at the Division I level, the Wolverines now play their modern-day archrivals, the
Ohio State Buckeyes
The Ohio State Buckeyes are the intercollegiate athletic teams that represent Ohio State University, located in Columbus, Ohio. The athletic programs are named after the colloquial term for people from the state of Ohio and after the state tree ...
, during Thanksgiving weekend. Yale and Princeton began an annual tradition of playing against each other on Thanksgiving Day starting in 1876. From 1945 to 1956, the
Burley Bowl The Burley Bowl was a postseason college football bowl games, bowl game played from 1945 through 1956. It was held each year on Thanksgiving (United States), Thanksgiving Day in Johnson City, Tennessee, at the city's Memorial Stadium, which was dem ...
Cleveland Stadium
Cleveland Stadium, commonly known as Municipal Stadium, Lakefront Stadium or Cleveland Municipal Stadium, was a multi-purpose stadium located in Cleveland, Ohio. It was one of the early multi-purpose stadiums, built to accommodate both baseball an ...
. The two schools merged in 1970.
The
Turkey Day Classic
The Turkey Day Classic is a college football game, traditionally held annually on Thanksgiving Day. Originally, it was played between Alabama State University and Tuskegee University, two historically black universities. The game was originally pl ...
, a college football game between
Alabama State University
Alabama State University (ASU) is a public historically black university in Montgomery, Alabama. Founded in 1867, ASU is a member-school of the Thurgood Marshall College Fund.
History
Alabama State University was founded in 1867 as the Lin ...
and
Tuskegee University
Tuskegee University (Tuskegee or TU), formerly known as the Tuskegee Institute, is a private, historically black land-grant university in Tuskegee, Alabama. It was founded on Independence Day in 1881 by the state legislature.
The campus was d ...
, 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
This is a list of ''recent'' black college football classics that have taken place between historically black colleges and universities that compete in college football in the United States. Unlike bowl games, classics take place during college fo ...
, 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
Stillman College is a private historically black Presbyterian college in Tuscaloosa, Alabama. It awards the Bachelor of Arts and Bachelor of Science degrees in 17 disciplines/majors housed within three academic schools (Arts and Sciences, Busi ...
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
The Celebration Bowl is a postseason college football bowl game, first played in the 2015 NCAA Division I FCS football season, 2015 season, contested between the champions of the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) and the Southwestern Athleti ...
for historically black schools allowed the Turkey Day Classic to resume; it was held against conference rivals
Mississippi Valley State
Mississippi Valley State University (MVSU, The Valley or Valley) is a public historically black university in Mississippi Valley State, Mississippi, adjacent to Itta Bena, Mississippi.Prairie View A&M in 2018 and 2019, respectively. Another popular black college football classic played on Thanksgiving weekend is the
Bayou Classic
The Bayou Classic is an annual college football classic rivalry game between the Grambling State University Tigers and the Southern University Jaguars, first held under that name in 1974 at Tulane Stadium in New Orleans, although the series it ...
between
Grambling State University
Grambling State University (GSU, Grambling, or Grambling State) is a public historically black university in Grambling, Louisiana. Grambling State is home of the Eddie G. Robinson Museum and is listed on the Louisiana African American Heritage ...
and
Southern University
Southern University and A&M College (Southern University, Southern, SUBR or SU) is a public historically black land-grant university in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. It is the largest historically black college or university (HBCU) in Louisiana, a ...
, which is held the Saturday after Thanksgiving; for the 2017 season only, because of a hurricane earlier in the season, the
Labor Day Classic
The Labor Day Classic is an annual American football "classic" which features Texas Southern University and Prairie View A&M University, two of Texas' largest historically black universities on Labor Day weekend. It is played at the BBVA Comp ...
between
Texas Southern
Texas Southern University (Texas Southern or TSU) is a public historically black university in Houston, Texas. The university is one of the largest and most comprehensive historically black college or universities in the USA with nearly 10,000 ...
and Prairie View A&M was played on Thanksgiving weekend, and the two teams voluntarily agreed to hold that Classic on the same weekend in 2018. Alabama State, Mississippi Valley State, Prairie View A&M, Texas Southern, Southern and Grambling are all members of the
Southwestern Athletic Conference
The Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC) is a collegiate athletic conference headquartered in Birmingham, Alabama, which is made up of historically black colleges and universities (HBCUs) in the Southern United States. It participates in t ...
.
Other prominent college football rivalries that take place over Thanksgiving weekend include:
*
Auburn Tigers
The Auburn Tigers are the athletic teams representing Auburn University, a public four-year coeducational university located in Auburn, Alabama, United States. The Auburn Tigers compete in Division I of the National Collegiate Athletic Associa ...
vs.
Alabama Crimson Tide
The Alabama Crimson Tide refers to the intercollegiate athletic varsity teams that represent the University of Alabama, located in Tuscaloosa. The Crimson Tide teams compete in the National Collegiate Athletic Association's Division I as a mem ...
(the
Iron Bowl
The Alabama–Auburn football rivalry, better known as the Iron Bowl, is an American college football rivalry game between the Auburn University Tigers and University of Alabama Crimson Tide, both charter members of the Southeastern Conferenc ...
)
*
Ole Miss Rebels
The Ole Miss Rebels are the 18 men's and women's intercollegiate athletic teams that are funded by and represent the University of Mississippi, located in Oxford. The first was the football team, which began play in 1893.
Originally known as th ...
vs.
Mississippi State Bulldogs
Mississippi State Bulldogs is the name given to the athletic teams of Mississippi State University, in Mississippi State, Mississippi. The university is a founding member of the Southeastern Conference and competes in NCAA Division I.
Sports sp ...
(the Battle of the Golden Egg, played on Thanksgiving night from 1998 to 2003 and 2017 to 2019)
*
LSU Tigers
The LSU Tigers and Lady Tigers are the athletic teams representing Louisiana State University (LSU), a state university located in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. LSU competes in Division I of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) as a ...
vs.
Arkansas Razorbacks
The Arkansas Razorbacks, also known as the Hogs, are the intercollegiate athletics teams representing the University of Arkansas, located in Fayetteville. The University of Arkansas student body voted to change the name of the school mascot (ori ...
(the
Battle for the Golden Boot
A battle is an occurrence of combat in warfare between opposing military units of any number or size. A war usually consists of multiple battles. In general, a battle is a military engagement that is well defined in duration, area, and force ...
), through 2013
**Arkansas has played
Missouri
Missouri is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. Ranking List of U.S. states and territories by area, 21st in land area, it is bordered by eight states (tied for the most with Tennessee ...
on Thanksgiving weekend since 2014.
*
Georgia Bulldogs
The Georgia Bulldogs are the athletic teams that represent the University of Georgia. The female athletic teams are sometimes referred to as Lady Bulldogs. The Bulldogs compete in NCAA Division I and are members of the Southeastern Conference ( ...
vs.
Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets
The Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets is the name used for all of the intercollegiate athletic teams that represent the Georgia Institute of Technology (Georgia Tech), located in Atlanta, Atlanta, Georgia. The teams have also been nicknamed the Rambl ...
(
Clean, Old-Fashioned Hate
Clean, Old-Fashioned Hate is an American college football rivalry between the Georgia Bulldogs and the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets. The two Southern universities are located in the U.S. state of Georgia and are separated by . They have been heat ...
)
*
BYU Cougars
The BYU Cougars are the intercollegiate athletic teams that represent Brigham Young University (BYU), located in Provo, Utah. BYU fields 21 National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) varsity athletic teams. They are a member of the West ...
vs.
Utah Utes
The Utah Utes are the intercollegiate athletics teams that represent the University of Utah, located in Salt Lake City. The athletic department is named after the Ute tribe of Native Americans. The men's basketball team is known as the Runnin' ...
(the
Holy War
A religious war or a war of religion, sometimes also known as a holy war ( la, sanctum bellum), is a war which is primarily caused or justified by differences in religion. In the modern period, there are frequent debates over the extent to wh ...
, to 2010, again in 2018)
*
Colorado Buffaloes
The Colorado Buffaloes are the athletic teams that represent the University of Colorado. The university sponsors 17 varsity sports teams. Both the men's and women's teams are called the Buffaloes (Buffs for short) or, rarely, the Golden Buffalo ...
vs.
Nebraska Cornhuskers
The Nebraska Cornhuskers (often abbreviated to Huskers) are the intercollegiate athletic teams that represent the University of Nebraska–Lincoln. The university is a member of the Big Ten Conference, and the Cornhuskers compete in NCAA Divis ...
(
Colorado–Nebraska football rivalry
The Colorado–Nebraska football rivalry is an American college football rivalry between the Colorado Buffaloes and Nebraska Cornhuskers. The teams first played in 1898, and began competing annually as conference opponents in 1948. The rivalry ...
, through 2010)
**Colorado Buffaloes vs.
Utah Utes
The Utah Utes are the intercollegiate athletics teams that represent the University of Utah, located in Salt Lake City. The athletic department is named after the Ute tribe of Native Americans. The men's basketball team is known as the Runnin' ...
(
Rumble in the Rockies
The Rumble in the Rockies, or Colorado–Utah football rivalry, is an American college football rivalry between the University of Colorado Buffaloes from Boulder and the University of Utah Utes of Salt Lake City. After nearly five decades of d ...
, since 2011)
**Nebraska Cornhuskers vs.
Iowa Hawkeyes
The Iowa Hawkeyes are the athletic teams that represent the University of Iowa, located in Iowa City, Iowa. The Hawkeyes have varsity teams in 22 sports, 8 for men and 14 for women; a 15th women's sport will be added in 2023. The teams partici ...
Oklahoma Sooners
The Oklahoma Sooners are the athletic teams that represent the University of Oklahoma, located in Norman. The 19 men's and women's varsity teams are called the "Sooners", a reference to a nickname given to the early participants in the Land Run ...
vs.
Oklahoma State Cowboys
The Oklahoma State Cowboys and Cowgirls are the college athletics in the United States, intercollegiate athletic teams that represent Oklahoma State University–Stillwater, Oklahoma State University, located in Stillwater, Oklahoma, Stillwater. ...
(the
Bedlam Series
The Bedlam Series is the name given to the Oklahoma–Oklahoma State rivalry. It refers to the athletics rivalry between Oklahoma State University Cowboys and Cowgirls and the University of Oklahoma Sooners of the Big 12 Conference. Both school ...
through 2016)
** This game was played earlier in the season in 2017 and 2018
*
Texas Longhorns
The Texas Longhorns are the athletic teams representing the University of Texas at Austin. The teams are sometimes referred to as the Horns and take their name from Longhorn cattle that were an important part of the development of Texas, and a ...
vs.
Texas A&M Aggies
Texas A&M Aggies refers to the students, graduates, and sports teams of Texas A&M University. The nickname "Aggie" was once common at land-grant or "ag" (agriculture) schools in many states. The teams are also referred to as "A&M" or "Texas Aggi ...
(the
Lone Star Showdown
The Lone Star Showdown is the traditional rivalry for all varsity men's and women's athletics competitions between Texas A&M University and the University of Texas at Austin. The name comes from ''Lone Star State'', which is the nickname of the s ...
, played on Thanksgiving from 2008 until its end in 2011, also played on Thanksgiving many other times prior to 2008)
**Until 2015, Texas hosted a game on Thanksgiving night every year; after the end of the Lone Star Showdown, Texas played against TCU (for the Chancellor's Spurs) in even-numbered years and against
Texas Tech
Texas Tech University (Texas Tech, Tech, or TTU) is a public research university in Lubbock, Texas. Established on , and called Texas Technological College until 1969, it is the main institution of the five-institution Texas Tech University Sys ...
in odd-numbered years.
**Texas A&M plays
LSU
Louisiana State University (officially Louisiana State University and Agricultural and Mechanical College, commonly referred to as LSU) is a public land-grant research university in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. The university was founded in 1860 near ...
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
The LSU–Texas A&M football rivalry is an American college football rivalry between the LSU Tigers and Texas A&M Aggies.
History
The majority of the pre-2012 games were non-conference; there was a five-game stretch from 1906 to 1914 when they ...
)
*
Florida Gators
The Florida Gators are the intercollegiate athletic teams that represent the University of Florida, located in Gainesville. The University of Florida, its athletic program, its alumni and its sports fans are often collectively referred to as t ...
vs.
Florida State Seminoles
The Florida State Seminoles are the athletic teams representing Florida State University located in Tallahassee, Florida. They compete as a member of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I level (Football Bowl Subdivis ...
Notre Dame Fighting Irish
The Notre Dame Fighting Irish are the athletic teams that represent the University of Notre Dame. The Fighting Irish participate in 23 National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I intercollegiate sports and in the NCAA's Division ...
vs.
USC Trojans
The USC Trojans are the College athletics in the United States, intercollegiate athletic teams that represent the University of Southern California (USC), located in Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California. While the men's teams are nicknamed the ' ...
(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. In odd-numbered years, USC typically plays
UCLA
The University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) is a public land-grant research university in Los Angeles, California. UCLA's academic roots were established in 1881 as a teachers college then known as the southern branch of the California St ...
, while Notre Dame typically plays
Stanford
Stanford University, officially Leland Stanford Junior University, is a private research university in Stanford, California. The campus occupies , among the largest in the United States, and enrolls over 17,000 students. Stanford is considere ...
.
*
Clemson Tigers
The Clemson Tigers are the athletic teams that represent Clemson University, located in Clemson, South Carolina. They compete as a member of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I level (Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) ...
vs.
South Carolina Gamecocks
The South Carolina Gamecocks represent the University of South Carolina in the NCAA Division I.
The University of South Carolina uses "Gamecocks" as its official nickname and mascot. While the men's teams were traditionally known as the Fighti ...
(the
Palmetto Bowl
Palmetto (meaning "little palm") may refer to:
Palms
Several small palms in the Arecaceae (palm tree) family:
*in the genus ''Sabal'':
**Bermuda palmetto, ''Sabal bermudana''
**Birmingham palmetto, ''Sabal'' 'Birmingham'
**Dwarf, or bush palme ...
)
*
Virginia Tech Hokies
The Virginia Tech Hokies are the athletic teams representing the Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University (Virginia Tech) in intercollegiate athletics. The Hokies participate in the NCAA's Division I Atlantic Coast Conference in 22 va ...
vs.
Virginia Cavaliers
The Virginia Cavaliers, also known as ''Wahoos'' or ''Hoos'', are the athletic teams representing the University of Virginia, located in Charlottesville. The Cavaliers compete at the NCAA Division I level ( FBS for football), in the Atlantic C ...
Kentucky Wildcats
The Kentucky Wildcats are the men's and women's intercollegiate athletic squads of the University of Kentucky (UK), a founding member of the Southeastern Conference. The Kentucky Wildcats is the student body of the University of Kentucky. 30,473 ...
vs.
Tennessee Volunteers
The Tennessee Volunteers and Lady Volunteers are the 20 male and female varsity college athletics, intercollegiate athletics programs that represent the University of Tennessee in Knoxville, Tennessee. The Volunteers compete in NCAA Division I, ...
(historically the Battle for the Bourbon Barrel; played annually but no longer on Thanksgiving weekend)
*Kentucky Wildcats vs.
Louisville Cardinals
The Louisville Cardinals (also known as the Cards) are the NCAA athletic teams representing the University of Louisville. The Cardinals teams play in the Atlantic Coast Conference, beginning in the 2014 season. While playing in the Big East Co ...
(the Governor's Cup, moved to Thanksgiving weekend starting in 2014)
*University of South Florida vs. University of Central Florida (the War on I-4)
*
Michigan Wolverines
The Michigan Wolverines comprise 29 varsity sports teams at the University of Michigan. These teams compete in the NCAA's Division I and in the Big Ten Conference in all sports except women's water polo, which competes in the NCAA inter-divisio ...
vs.
Ohio State Buckeyes
The Ohio State Buckeyes are the intercollegiate athletic teams that represent Ohio State University, located in Columbus, Ohio. The athletic programs are named after the colloquial term for people from the state of Ohio and after the state tree ...
( The Game), played the Saturday after Thanksgiving.
*
Arizona
Arizona ( ; nv, Hoozdo Hahoodzo ; ood, AlÄ á¹£onak ) is a state in the Southwestern United States. It is the 6th largest and the 14th most populous of the 50 states. Its capital and largest city is Phoenix. Arizona is part of the Fou ...
vs.
Arizona State
Arizona State University (Arizona State or ASU) is a public research university in the Phoenix metropolitan area. Founded in 1885 by the 13th Arizona Territorial Legislature, ASU is one of the largest public universities by enrollment in the ...
( Duel in the Desert), played the Friday or Saturday after Thanksgiving.
*
Minnesota Golden Gophers
The Minnesota Golden Gophers (commonly shortened to Gophers) are the college sports teams of the University of Minnesota. The university fields a total of 25 (12 men's, 13 women's) teams in both men's and women's sports and competes in the Big Te ...
vs.
Wisconsin Badgers
The Wisconsin Badgers are the athletic teams representing the University of Wisconsin–Madison (University of Wisconsin). They compete as a member of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I level (Football Bowl Subdivisi ...
(
Paul Bunyan's Axe
Paul may refer to:
*Paul (given name), a given name (includes a list of people with that name)
*Paul (surname), a list of people
People
Christianity
* Paul the Apostle (AD c.5–c.64/65), also known as Saul of Tarsus or Saint Paul, early Chri ...
)
*
North Carolina Tar Heels
The North Carolina Tar Heels are the intercollegiate athletic teams that represent the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. The name Tar Heel is a nickname used to refer to individuals from the state of North Carolina, the ''Tar Heel ...
vs.
NC State Wolfpack
The NC State Wolfpack is the nickname of the athletic teams representing North Carolina State University. The Wolfpack competes at the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I (Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) for college footb ...
(
North Carolina–NC State football rivalry
The North Carolina–NC State football rivalry is an American college football rivalry between the North Carolina Tar Heels football team of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and the NC State Wolfpack football team of North Caro ...
Navy Midshipmen
The Navy Midshipmen are the athletic teams that represent the United States Naval Academy. The academy sponsors 33 varsity sports teams and 12 club sport teams.Army–Navy Game
The Army–Navy Game is an American college football rivalry game between the Army Black Knights of the United States Military Academy (USMA) at West Point, New York, and the Navy Midshipmen of the United States Naval Academy (USNA) at Annapo ...
; by 2006, it had moved one week, then eventually two weeks after Thanksgiving weekend beginning in 2009, to maintain its status as the last game of the college football regular season)
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 majority of the current traditional Thanksgiving weekend college football games listed above are played on the Friday or Saturday after the holiday, in part to avoid conflicts with the NFL. Texas, as previously mentioned, has had more or less of a permanent spot on the night of the holiday itself since at least 2008."College Football Thanksgiving Day and Weekend Schedule for 2010"
Midwest Sports Fans
Midwest Sports Fans is a weblog, which was launched by Jerod Morris in August 2008. The site primarily focuses on professional and college teams and athletes relevant to the Midwest.
They receive approximately 600,000 pageviews each month, and is ...
from November 8, 2010
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
The New York Pro Football League (NYPFL) was a professional American football league, active in the 1910s, and based in upstate New York, primarily Western New York. Between 1920 and 1921, the league's best teams were absorbed into the National Foo ...
which had held its championship on Thanksgiving 1919, and the
Ohio League
The Ohio League was an informal and loose association of American football clubs active between 1902 and 1919 that competed for the Ohio Independent Championship (OIC). As the name implied, its teams were mostly based in Ohio. It is the direct pr ...
, 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
The Detroit Lions are a professional American football team based in Detroit. The Lions compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) North Division. The team play their home games at Ford ...
and the
Dallas Cowboys
The Dallas Cowboys are a professional American football team based in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex. The Cowboys compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) East divisi ...
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.
The rival
American Football League
The American Football League (AFL) was a major professional American football league that operated for ten seasons from 1960 until 1970, when it merged with the older National Football League (NFL), and became the American Football Conference. ...
also played on Thanksgiving in the 1960s, as did the
All-America Football Conference
The All-America Football Conference (AAFC) was a professional American football league that challenged the established National Football League (NFL) from 1946 to 1949. One of the NFL's most formidable challengers, the AAFC attracted many of the ...
Canadian Football League
The Canadian Football League (CFL; french: Ligue canadienne de football—LCF) is a professional sports league in Canada. The CFL is the highest level of competition in Canadian football. The league consists of nine teams, each located in a ci ...
, where games are played on
Canadian Thanksgiving
Thanksgiving (french: Action de grâce) or Thanksgiving Day (french: Jour de l'Action de grâce), is an annual Canadian holiday and harvest festival, held on the second Monday in October, which celebrates the harvest and other blessings of the ...
, the CFL hosts two games in the
Thanksgiving Day Classic
The Thanksgiving Day Classic (french: Classique de jour de l'Action de grâce) is an annual doubleheader held on Thanksgiving in the Canadian Football League (CFL). It is typically one of two days in which the league plays on a Monday afternoon ...
; 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 Labour Day Classic (french: Classique de la fête du travail, branded as OK Tire Labour Day Weekend for sponsorship reasons) is a week of the Canadian Football League (CFL) schedule played over the Labour Day weekend (which includes the firs ...
. 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
Grey Cup
The Grey Cup (french: Coupe Grey) is both the championship game of the Canadian Football League (CFL) and the trophy awarded to the victorious team playing in the namesake championship of professional Canadian football. The game is contested be ...
, the CFL's championship game, and the
Vanier Cup
The Vanier Cup (french: Coupe Vanier) is the championship of Canadian university football. It is organized by U Sports football and is currently played between the winners of the Uteck Bowl and the Mitchell Bowl. It is named after Georges Vanier, ...
, 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
The World Football League (WFL) was an American football league that played one full season in 1974 and most of its second in 1975. Although the league's proclaimed ambition was to bring American football onto a worldwide stage, the farthest t ...
originally planned to hold its 1974 championship game, World Bowl 1, the day after Thanksgiving in
1974
Major events in 1974 include the aftermath of the 1973 oil crisis and the resignation of United States President Richard Nixon following the Watergate scandal. In the Middle East, the aftermath of the 1973 Yom Kippur War determined politics; f ...
; 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
The United States Football League (USFL) was a professional American football league that played for three seasons, 1983 through 1985. The league played a spring/summer schedule in each of its active seasons. The 1986 season was scheduled to be ...
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
The Tampa Bay Bandits were a professional American football team in the United States Football League (USFL) which was based in Tampa, Florida. The Bandits were a charter member of the USFL and was the only franchise to have the same principal o ...
at the
Memphis Showboats
The Memphis Showboats were an American football franchise in the United States Football League. They entered the league in its expansion in 1984 and made the 1985 playoffs, losing in the semifinal round to the Oakland Invaders. Perhaps the mo ...
was scheduled for that night), 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 Game
The UFL Championship Game was an American football game held annually to determine the champion of the United Football League. The game was played annually from the UFL's first season in 2009 until the 2011 season, and involved the first and seco ...
s over Thanksgiving weekend; both the truncated
2011 UFL season
The 2011 UFL season was the third season of the United Football League (UFL). The season, which was affected by franchise shifts and schedule delays due in part to the UFL's lingering financial issues (as well as a failure to capitalize on the N ...
and the 2012 UFL season were cut short well before the Thanksgiving holiday due to financial shortfalls. The
Fall Experimental Football League
The Fall Experimental Football League (FXFL) was a professional football minor league that played two seasons in 2014 and 2015. This league's stated goal was to become a professional feeder-system for the National Football League (NFL).
The lea ...
had scheduled its championship for the day before Thanksgiving Day 2014, in Brooklyn, but the game was cancelled after the season was shortened.