NFL to honor John Madden on Thanksgiving with patches, turducken coins

John Madden wanted to spend Thanksgiving at football games

And the NFL also will continue a beloved Madden tradition. The old coach used to present a turkey leg to the player of the game he was calling. The broadcasters will do the same in all three games. Plus, each player will receive $10,000 for a grant in his name to a high school or youth program of his choice.

During each game, the league will play a “Madden Hallmark” video. Back in 1997, for a Lions holiday game, John Madden said: “there is no where I’d rather be on Thanksgiving than right here, right now, at a football game. There’s just certain things that go together, You know, the turkey, the family, the tradition, football, and we have it all today.”

John Madden started giving out turkey legs in 1989. It’s a great trivia question. Who won the first leg? The late Reggie White won that first honor. The next season, Madden was back at Texas Stadium in Irving watching the Cowboys. That year, the turkey legs went to more future Hall of Famers — Troy Aikman and Emmitt Smith, who was in his rookie season.

Madden always had a soft spot for the linemen. He used to say that he wanted more linemen to earn a turkey leg. So Joe Pat Fieseler, a famous pitmaster from Irving, created a six-legged, 22-pound variety that John Madden could serve each Thanksgiving. If Madden and broadcasting partner Pat Summerall were in Detroit, he’d ship it there. Or he’d make it fresh for the games at old Texas Stadium.