Why the Dallas Cowboys always play on Thanksgiving

For nearly six decades now, the Dallas Cowboys have been synonymous with Thanksgiving Day, hosting a game every year but two since 1966.

Continuing the tradition that began at the collegiate level all the way back in the 1870s, the NFL has included at least one Thanksgiving game on the schedule almost every season since its inception in 1920, the only exceptions being 1941-1944, when no games were played on Turkey Day due to World War II.

The first team to regularly host on Thanksgiving was the Detroit Lions, who began their tradition in 1934 and were the only team to host when the NFL resumed games on the holiday in 1945.

In the mid-1960s, with the league's popularity growing with each passing year, television networks began working with the NFL to add a second Thanksgiving Day game to the slate. And this is when the Cowboys' tradition began.

The Cowboys have hosted on Thanksgiving every year but two since 1966

Founded in 1960, the Cowboys had a rough go of it early on, going 0-11-1 in their first season and failing to crack five wins in each of their first five.

After going 7-7 in 1965, then-Dallas GM Tex Schramm seemed to sense his franchise was on the way up and was looking for more national exposure. And as the NFL was looking to add a second Thanksgiving game in 1966, that was his opportunity.

Schramm, who'd been thinking of hosting a Thanksgiving game anyway, jumped at the chance to showcase his Cowboys in front of a national television audience and volunteered his team to host. The NFL was a bit concerned about attendance, but that proved to be a non-issue as 80,259 fans packed the Cotton Bowl to watch Dallas take down the Cleveland Browns by a score of 26-14.

And just like that, a new tradition was born. But it was nearly shut down after only a decade.

In 1975, then-NFL Commissioner Pete Rozelle thought some might want to see more of the then-St. Louis Cardinals, who were winning a lot of close games in thrilling fashion, thus earning the nickname of the "Cardiac Cards."

As such, he took the Cowboys' Thanksgiving game and awarded it to St. Louis. Dallas hosted the Cardinals in 1976, but St. Louis was given the game again in 1977.

But things just weren't working out. For one, the Cowboys were just the more popular team, as Tom Landry had turned them into a powerhouse and had them in Super Bowl contention just about every year.

Plus, attendance in St. Louis was average, as there was a conflict with a popular high school rivalry. And the fact that the Cardinals didn't want any of these games didn't help matters.

The Cowboys were given the game back in 1978 and have hosted every year since.

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