Let us please get back to the days where the biggest altercation at the Thanksgiving table was football, and not politics. A time when all the yelling and screaming was about whose team sucked more. But at the end of the evening, no one left without a hug and maybe a plate of leftovers. This Thanksgiving, let’s take a look back at the NFL of the 1990s. Back when America was graced with what I’d like to call, John Madden’s Turkey Trifecta.

The Turkey Leg MVP Award

Back then, we had the late great John Madden and his Turkey Leg MVP Award. This became a Thanksgiving tradition in 1989 when the Philadelphia Eagles decimated the Dallas Cowboys 27-0. Reggie White, defensive lineman for the Eagles, was awarded the very first Turkey Leg MVP Award.

Since then, this award was given at every Thanksgiving Day game announced by John Madden. When John Madden left FOX in 2001, the award was retired. It was changed to something a little less significant than the traditional Madden turkey leg. And eventually, just became an MVP award.

The Six-Legged Turkey

In 1990, Emmitt Smith, running back for the Dallas Cowboys, received a Turkey Leg MVP Award. During his interview with Emmitt Smith, he randomly made comment that there weren’t enough turkey legs for his linemen. The call was heard. And that’s when Joe Pat Fieseler, owner of Harvey’s BBQ Pit in Texas, invented the Six-Legged Turkey.

So now, here’s John Madden, just handing out turkey legs after the game. And all these players are noshing on turkey legs, on camera, doing post-game interviews.

The Turducken

Fast-forward to 1996 and John Madden is introduced to the Turducken: a deboned duck inside a deboned chicken inside a deboned turkey. This particular on-air dish included cornbread and sausage dressings inside and out.

The multilayered bird is nothing new. There are stories of multilayered birds dating back to ancient Rome. But the Turducken only became widely popular in America when it was introduced during an NFL game between the New Orleans Saints and the St. Louis Rams.

Watching football has always been a Thanksgiving tradition in my family. I will always remember the days of John Madden and the wild Thanksgiving coverage he brought to the booth. To this day, watching the Dallas Cowboys play at home (especially when they win), on Thanksgiving Day, has a special place in my heart.

I hope everyone had a joyous, drama-free, ate until your pants didn’t fit, Thanksgiving!!