Since 1989, the NFL has held games on Thanksgiving Day, and the MVP of the game has been given a turkey leg rather than a trophy. On Thanksgiving, that turkey leg is undoubtedly more fascinating than any award that might be given out.

Legendary sportscaster John Madden suggested that the game’s MVP should receive a turkey leg as payment for their performance during the 1989 Thanksgiving game between the Eagles and Cowboys.

Also read: John Madden’s NFL turkey leg Thanksgiving award explained

After leading the Eagles defence to a 27-0 shutout of Troy Aikman and the Cowboys, Reggie White became the first-ever winner of the turkey leg trophy.

But the turkey leg award’s lore still needed to spread.

The award was given to Cowboys running back Emmitt Smith the next year by Madden. Smith had defeated the Redskins 27-17 on 23 carries for 132 yards and 2 touchdowns. After the game, Madden said he wished he could hand out six turkey legs, one to Smith and one to each of Dallas’ five offensive linemen. As a result, the owner of Harvey’s Barbecue Pit, Joe Pat Fieseler, made a six-legged turkey, according to a Nov. 25, 1998 article in the Fort Worth Star-Telegram.

Also read: Who was John Madden?

According to Madden, “We had to find turkeys that had a lot of legs on them. There’s only one place you can get a turkey with more than two legs, and that’s in Texas.”

While it may appear to be a bizarre bird, Fieseler said it actually has a reason for where it came from.

According to Fieseler, who spoke to the Star-Telegram, “The story I like to tell is that these turkeys grow on a farm near the nuclear plant in Glen Rose.”

The six-legged turkey’s true origins do not lie in the fact that it is a radiated bird. Of course, there are two natural legs, and the remaining four are joined together by three-inch wood skeers, according to the article.

Also read: NFL 2022 Thanksgiving: Week 12 schedule, when and where to watch

Turkey legs are still handed to the top players in the Thursday night NBC game at prime time.

Up until his departure from Fox in 2001, Madden continued to give athletes with the honour; after that, the network started awarding a smaller trophy known as the Galloping Gobbler. The prize resembled a miniature turkey posing while donning a helmet.

This prize received less acclaim. According to Fox Sports, Smith was the first recipient of the award, stating it resembled a Cris Collinsworth bobblehead, and after placing it behind his locker, the trophy was subsequently discovered in the garbage.

Over the years, the award’s appearance evolved. It first appeared as a bronze turkey statue carrying a football, but in 2011, it was simply turned into a plaque. It was discontinued in 2017, and the Game Ball took its place. In 2019, a championship belt took its place.

The history of Madden’s turducken and the turkey leg prize are frequently linked.

Also read: NFL 2022 Thanksgiving: Who are the performers at Cowboys, Lions halftime?

A boneless duck is put within a boneless chicken inside a boneless turkey to make a turducken. Madden made the turducken famous by explaining it on the broadcast while he and Pat Summerall were standing in the booth in front of it and the six-legged turkey during the 1997 Thanksgiving game between the Bears and Lions.

In 2002, Madden revealed to The New York Times that a member of the Saints’ public relations team had first introduced him to the dish. Madden claimed that despite not having a plate or utensils, he decided to eat with his hands because it smelled and looked so amazing.