Approaching our 10th year of Illinois FCS coverage, Prairie State Pigskin gives thanks

Prairie State Pigskin presents its list of things we’re thankful for on this American holiday.

By Barry Bottino and Dan Verdun

Today, our country celebrates Thanksgiving in a variety of ways. 

The range is far reaching. It spans from religious services to acknowledging Indigenous land to volunteering to holiday parades to family meals. 

For some, there are “Friendsgiving” gatherings. For others, it’s an early morning organized run/walk dubbed something along the lines of “Turkey Trot” or “Drumstick Dash”.

No matter how you choose to celebrate, the core of it all is the word “thanksgiving” itself. It is essentially a combination of the words “thank” and “giving” thus making “thanksgiving” the act of giving thanks and showing gratitude.

And of course, there’s football. 

The concept of American football games being played on Thanksgiving Day dates back to 1876, just a few years after the game had been introduced by Eastern-based universities. Thus, Yale and Princeton began an annual tradition of playing each other on Thanksgiving Day from 1876 to 1881.

Other colleges followed suit. The University of Michigan played an annual Thanksgiving game from 1885 until 1905. The Wolverines and University of Chicago Maroons faced off regularly in the 1890s in what was considered “The Beginning of Thanksgiving Day Football” by many historians.

There was even a Thanksgiving Corn Bowl game played in Bloomington-Normal from 1947 to 1951. Sponsored by the Hybrid Seed Corn Breeders of Illinois and the Bloomington American Legion, it was also played in 1953 and ‘55, with the final edition held in Macomb.

The National Football League began its tradition in 1934 with the Detroit Lions playing every Thanksgiving Day, excluding the World War II years. Television began showing the game in 1953. 

The Dallas Cowboys have played on Thanksgiving Day since 1966.

So, in the spirit of giving thanks and sharing a love for football, we present our list of things we’re grateful for as we prepare to enter our 10th year of Illinois FCS coverage.

10. Clean truck stop bathrooms

9.  Road trip snacks and the delightful elixir that is Mountain Dew Code Red

8. Marching bands

7. The game day atmosphere on the eight campuses we visited this season

6. Directors of Football Operations and Equipment Managers (the unsung heroes of each program)

5. University and conference media personnel connecting us to athletes and coaches

4. Coaches sharing their insights

3. The players who gave us their time and cooperation to share their stories 

2. Postseason football involving an Illinois program

1. Interacting with our readers, whether it’s through social media or face-to-face

Barry Bottino is a co-founder of Prairie State Pigskin and a 19-year veteran of three Illinois newspapers. He has covered college athletics since 1995.

Dan Verdun is a co-founder of Prairie State Pigskin. He has written four books: NIU Huskies Football, EIU Panthers Football, ISU Redbirds Football and SIU Salukis Football.

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