NFL Will Will Start Tradition in Honor of Hall of Fame Coach and Broadcaster John Madden This Thanksgiving

The National Football League will start a tradition this Thanksgiving in honor of Hall of Fame coach and broadcaster John Madden, who died last December.

The league will introduce the “John Madden Thanksgiving Celebration,” in which tributes planned include a recording of Madden talking about football and Thanksgiving before each of the three games to be played on the holiday.

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John Madden celebrates after being named into the Pro Football Hall of Fame at a news conference in Detroit, Michigan, on Feb. 4, 2006.         
(REUTERS/Mike Cassese)

The NFL also said that each game will have a “Madden Player of the Game,” which will be picked by the broadcast team of each matchup. The league will donate $10,000 to a youth or high school football program of that player’s choice.

There also will be “John Madden Thanksgiving” logos on the 25-yard lines and a Madden patch on uniforms.

Oakland Raiders head coach John Madden looks on from the sidelines during an NFL football game circa 1977. Madden coached the Raiders from 1969-78.
(Focus on Sport/Getty Images)

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“No one cared more or contributed more to our game than John Madden,” NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell said Friday in a statement. “Honoring his memory and impact on the NFL is important, and Thanksgiving Day brings all of the elements significant to John to life — family, football, food and fun.”

Madden started the Thanksgiving tradition of giving out a turkey leg to the star of the game he was calling. Reggie White of the Philadelphia Eagles was the first recipient of Madden’s gift in 1989 after a win over the Dallas Cowboys.

NFL legend John Madden died Dec. 28, 2021, at the age of 85.
(Diamond Images/Getty Images)

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Madden coached the then-Oakland Raiders to a Super Bowl XI victory in 1977, but after coaching just 10 seasons, he moved to the broadcast booth. He worked for all the networks that are broadcasting games on Thanksgiving (CBS, FOX, NBC), calling 20 games on the holiday.

Madden died Dec. 28, 2021, at the age of 85.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.