John Madden loved calling games on Thanksgiving, so in his honor, the NFL will celebrate the late Hall of Famer by starting new traditions for this year's Thanksgiving games.
John Madden celebrates after being named into the Pro Football Hall of Fame at a news conference in Detroit, Michigan, on Feb. 4, 2006.
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."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
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