For a second year in a row, the NFL will honor the legendary, late John Madden with their uniforms on Thanksgiving Day.
Madden, who became synonymous with NFL Thanksgiving not only for his call of the game but also his enjoying of a Turducken, passed away in 2021. The league has done its best to honor him ever since.
John Madden Patch Being Worn for 2024 Thanksgiving Day NFL Games
Madden patches will be worn on the uniforms of all six teams playing on Thanksgiving Day. The Lions and the Bears at 12:30 p.m. ET, the Giants and the Cowboys at 4:30 p.m., and the Dolphins and the Packers at 8:20 p.m.
Here's a look at a few of them:
All teams playing on Thanksgiving Day wear a John Madden jersey patch. Here is ours! pic.twitter.com/2JwPWXHAt0
— Detroit Lions (@Lions) November 27, 2024
Our Thanksgiving fit pic.twitter.com/pV3sarpvOs
— Chicago Bears (@ChicagoBears) November 28, 2024
Here’s a look at the John Madden Thanksgiving patch the Packers will have on their jerseys tonight against the Dolphins. pic.twitter.com/l2nYlbcwgE
— Zachary Jacobson (@zacobson) November 28, 2024
John Madden's Legacy, Impact on Thanksgiving Day Football
Following his 10-year, Super Bowl XI-winning stint as head coach of the then-Oakland Raiders, Madden joined the world of broadcasting in 1979.
Alongside legendary announcer Pat Summeral for most of them, Madden called 20 Thanksgiving Day games from 1982-2001. In the process, he spoke the Turducken into a well-known Thanksgiving dish, teaching the audience how to prep and cut the meal first invented in New Orleans:
"You got the turkey on the outside, then you stuff the turkey with a duck, then you stuff the duck with a chicken. So it's tur-duck-en."
Madden and his crew would then award turkeys, turduckens, and turkey drumsticks to the winning teams.
"I wanna talk to John Madden and Pat Summerall!"
— NFL Films (@NFLFilms) November 28, 2024
There was nothing like sharing Thanksgiving with these two ❤️ #MaddenThanksgiving pic.twitter.com/Oj9ZsesYOR
The NFL has since dubbed it's Thanksgiving Day games the "John Madden Thanksgiving Celebration", with each game awarding a “Madden Player of the Game”, and NBC's night contest continuing the tradition of awarding the turkey leg to the players of the game.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Here's Why Teams Are Wearing a Special Honorary Patch for Thanksgiving Day NFL Games.