This story was originally posted Nov. 24, 2021 and has been updated.
In 1966, Cowboys team president and general manager Tex Schramm volunteered to host a game on Thanksgiving Day, giving the NFL two contests to feature on the holiday. Although the Lions began hosting a Thanksgiving game as early as 1934, other NFL owners and team presidents were reticent to host a weekday game on a holiday, worried that fans may not fill the stadium.
Schramm volunteered to host the second NFL game on Thanksgiving – following the Lions’ game which kicked off midday -- as long as the league guaranteed that the Cowboys, like the Lions, would be assured of hosting the holiday home game each year. A crowd of 82,259 fans showed up at The Cotton Bowl to see the Cowboys beat star running back Leroy Kelly and the Cleveland Browns, 26-14!
In 1975 and 1977, the NFL allowed the St. Louis Cardinals to host the Thanksgiving Day game instead of the Cowboys. The Cardinals didn’t pull the same kind of ratings as the Cowboys. Plus, Schramm didn’t take too kindly to losing the holiday game. Those are the only two years since 1966 that the Cowboys have not played at home on Thanksgiving.
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