10 Great Thanksgiving Sports Moments
When you're sitting on the couch, regretting the 12 billion calories you just consumed after a mouthwatering Thanksgiving feast, the next thing you do is embrace football.
Thanksgiving pigskin is the best. That post-meal viewing of your favorite NFL and college teams helps usher in the holiday season.
We've seen so many great Thanksgiving moments throughout the years. That made picking 10 hard to do. However, we finally finished our list after extensive apple pie-induced research.
Bouncing back between college and the pro ranks, we now present to all of you 10 great moments from our favorite day of turkey, stuffing and family fun.
2004: Peyton Manning Launches 6 Touchdown Passes
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Quarterback Peyton Manning enjoyed a hearty on-field Thanksgiving meal in 2004. That was the time when Manning eviscerated the poor Detroit Lions with six touchdown passes.
Six beautiful, Thanksgiving-stuffed touchdowns in just three quarters was all he needed to make history, because by the time the fourth got underway, the Colts were already up 41-9. There was no need for Manning to continue his aerial assault.
1999: Mississippi State Wins the Egg Bowl
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Who doesn't love the Egg Bowl? The annual clash between Mississippi State and Ole Miss has produced countless classics.
In 1999, the Egg Bowl took place on Thanksgiving Day. That took a storied collegiate football clash and made it just a little bit more special.
Ole Miss took control from the opening whistle, jumping out to a 20-6 lead. But when the fourth quarter came rolling around, that's when the Egg Bowl endured a layer of craziness.
Mississippi State battled back and tied the game. With 20 seconds left to go, Ole Miss attempted to get into field-goal range. Their efforts fell short as quarterback Romero Miller threw a crippling interception.
The ball was returned into Ole Miss territory, which allowed Mississippi State to bury a game-winning field goal of their own. That kick turned the '99 Egg Bowl into a Thanksgiving Day classic.
1974: The Legend of Clint Longley
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What happens when your star quarterback goes down with an injury? You turn to an unproven legend, of course.
In 1974, Dallas Cowboys signal-caller Roger Staubach suffered an injury, which forced rookie Clint Longley into the game. Already down 16-3 to Washington, all hope seemed lost.
Longley battled back and led the Cowboys to an improbable 24-23 victory. His 203 yards passing and two touchdowns gave him a permanent place in the hearts of Cowboys fans.
Although he only played two seasons in Dallas, his efforts on Turkey Day will never be forgotten.
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1997: Run, Barry, Run!
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The Detroit Lions have become usual suspects when it comes to Thanksgiving football. This season marks the 76th time the Lions will appear on our TVs post-stuffing and turkey.
A key part of the Lions' Thanksgiving tradition was Hall of Fame running back Barry Sanders. The great No. 20 performed miracles each and every holiday he was a part of.
In 1997, Sanders tore the roof off the Pontiac Silverdome as he ran for 167 yards and three touchdowns on 19 carries against the Chicago Bears. It was further proof that Sanders could do things most running backs couldn't dream of.
It turned out to be a truly memorable Thanksgiving moment for fans of Motor City football, as the Lions won the game 55-20.
2011: Texas vs. Texas A&M
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One particular rivalry we miss thanks to college football's continuous realignment is Texas vs. Texas A&M.
The final year of this Big 12 showdown got cracking in 2011. That's when Texas kicker and current Baltimore Raven Justin Tucker sliced through the noise and bombed a 40-yard game-winning field goal to put A&M down for the count.
We all got to witness a pretty amazing back-and-forth contest that pitted these two collegiate conglomerates against one another on Thanksgiving. Even though the rivalry is gone, we won't ever forget the impact it had on Big 12 fans.
1998: The World Meets Randy Moss
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Randy Moss' rookie year is something football fans will never forget. That monumental season resulted in 69 receptions for 1,313 yards and 17 touchdowns.
Of all the amazing games Moss contrived, his Thanksgiving war with the Dallas Cowboys is the one we remember most. Moss came into Texas Stadium and put on a show.
On eight targets, he hauled in three passes for 163 yards and three scores. Yes, three catches resulted in nearly 200 yards receiving and three TDs.
Even today, watching YouTube clips of that performance brings back so many memories.
2012: The Butt Fumble
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This game generally isn't classified as "great," but hear us out for a second. Mark Sanchez's Thanksgiving "butt fumble" was a play that will go down in NFL history.
That New York Jets vs. New England Patriots rivalry was simmering when the Pats stormed into MetLife Stadium on Thanksgiving Day 2012. Sure, the Jets got beat 49-19. But no one remembers that.
All they recall is Sanchez plowing into his own lineman and turning the football over. When you take that bad of a beating, it's pretty nifty to think that people can forget about it thanks to one devastating play.
1971: 'The Game of the Century'
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Two undefeated, worldly football programs going up against each other on Thanksgiving Day can turn your holiday into a couch-first affair.
All the way back in 1971, Nebraska and Oklahoma collided in what was dubbed the "Game of the Century." It certainly lived up to the hype.
The affair was tumultuous. Nebraska took a 28-17 lead, but Oklahoma evaporated it with a timely offensive attack. Up 31-28, the Cornhuskers fought back and secured themselves a stunning 35-31 victory, propelling themselves over the Sooners.
Coming away with a win in a brutal contest like that allowed Nebraska to successfully conclude its back-to-back national championship run. After that, the sky became the limit in terms of popularity for the program.
1993: Leon Lett Hates the Snow
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Leon Lett's mystique may have started as a seventh-round draft pick in 1991, but the two-time Pro Bowl defensive tackle didn't gain notoriety on a national level until his Super Bowl XXVII blunder.
You'd think a gaffe on that scale would be enough to last a lifetime. Not for poor, Leon. He followed it up the next season with another head-scratcher against the Miami Dolphins during a snowy Thanksgiving bout in 1993.
Miami was attempting to kick a game-winning field goal in the snow when the Cowboys defense prevailed and blocked the kick. Instead of simply letting the ball die in the field of play, Lett felt like going after it.
He slid, touched it and turned the ball into a live play. Miami recovered the loose football and got one more shot at redemption.
They drilled that second field-goal attempt and left an icy Texas Stadium with a 16-14 win.
1979: Earl Campbell Takes on the Dallas Cowboys
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Houston Oilers stalwart Earl Campbell played in just one Thanksgiving game during his NFL career. It was against the Dallas Cowboys.
A nice little Texas clash turned into Campbell wrecking the Cowboys. The bruising workhorse ran the ball 33 times for 195 yards and two touchdowns. His efforts helped spurn the Oilers to a 30-24 victory.
You have to admit, it turned out to be a fitting way for Campbell to go out, considering that would be his lone Thanksgiving game.
All stats and information via Pro-Football-Reference.com unless noted otherwise.
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