2014 HOME FOR THE HOLIDAYS MAGAZINE LINCOLN DAILY NEWS.com November 26, 2014 15
recipe for Yorkshire Pie was published
using six birds -- a partridge, pigeon,
chicken, duck, goose and turkey, all boned
and stuffed inside one another and covered
with a heavy crust.
The European versions varied widely, with
the wealthy and well-to-do enjoying dishes
that sometimes included as many as 16
meats that were a blend of fowl and other
wild game.
Thanksgiving football
The tradition of football on Thanksgiving
Day is almost as old as the sport itself. The
first Thanksgiving Day game was played in
1876 between teams belonging to the newly
formed American Intercollegiate Football
Association. That was the Association’s
first championship game marking the end
of the season.
By the 1890’s, there were more than 5,000
clubs, colleges, and high schools playing
their championship games on Thanksgiving
Day.
The National Football League joined in the
tradition in 1934, and that first game was
between the Detroit Lions and the Chicago
Bears. The game was played in the
University of Detroit stadium with 26,000
fans in attendance.
Detroit Lions are their own
Thanksgiving Day tradition
The Detroit Lions became so in 1934 when
Detroit radio executive George Richards
purchased the Portsmouth Spartans, moved
the team to Detroit and renamed it the
Detroit Lions.
The team played and won their first ever
Thanksgiving Day game that year defeating
the Chicago Bears 16-1. The Lions also
beat the Bears in 1935, 1936,and 1938. In
1937, the Bears got lucky and went home
the victor.
During World War II, there were no
Thanksgiving Day football games. The
tradition resumed in 1945. The Lions
played that year against the Cleveland
Rams and lost 28-21. The Lions have
played every Thanksgiving Day since 1945.
Story by Nila Smith
