When Washington last played in an early Thanksgiving Day game

It was Thanksgiving Day, 1973.

I was excited about being out of school, of course. In those days in the northern Virginia town of Berryville, you went to school Monday through Wednesday, and kids were excited that the Thanksgiving holiday meant you didn't have to go back to school on Friday!

An additional reason this Thanksgiving was exciting for me was that it was the first time I would get to watch the Washington Redskins play on Thanksgiving Day! I didn't realize, of course, the Redskins would also be chosen to play in Dallas the following year on Thanksgiving (see the infamous Clint Longley game).

On this 1973 Thanksgiving Day, Washington had been selected to play the Detroit Lions in the early Thanksgiving Day game. I wonder why the NFL has never selected the Lions to play Washington in the early game since 1973? If you are wondering, the Lions have played on Thanksgiving Day since the 1934 season, while the Cowboys joined in 1966, becoming a Thanksgiving Day host.

It was November 22, 1973, and for those of you who take an interest in US History, that date will certainly ring a bell for you. For those unaware, that day was the tenth anniversary of the assassination of President John F. Kennedy. Kennedy was in Dallas, riding in the back seat of a convertible, and was shot twice. He was rushed to a nearby hospital and pronounced dead soon thereafter.

Back to the Redskins game. It was played in Detroit at the old Tigers Stadium. This means the game was played outdoors, with a temperature of 45 degrees and 16 MPH winds. Seeing the Lions playing a home game outdoors is itself a timely memory, because the Lions moved to the Pontiac Silverdome and have been playing indoors since 1975. The Lions would later move in 2002 to their present indoor home, Ford Field.

I found an old clip of this 1973 Thanksgiving Day game. It's short, but it highlights some moments from an old NFL Films production. The Redskins absolutely dominated the Lions in this game. Washington was, without question, the better team, shutting out the Lions 20-0 while winning the turnover battle 3-0.

Fullback Charley Harraway enjoyed a big day, gaining 107 yards on 18 carries, while Larry Brown added 80 rushing yards on 25 carries. Linebacker Dave Robinson, whom George Allen had traded for in the offseason from Green Bay, intercepted a Bill Munson pass. Washington quarterback Billy Kilmer threw short touchdown passes to Harraway and Charley Taylor. He also had a 36-yard pass completion to Roy Jefferson.

The Redskins were one of the better teams in the NFL in 1973, finishing 10-4. They lost to the Minnesota Vikings 27-20 in Minnesota in the playoffs, and the Vikings would go on to play in the Super Bowl, losing to Miami.

Hey, NFL, when are you going to have Washington play in an early Thanksgiving Day game again? After all, it's been 55 years.

This article originally appeared on Commanders Wire: Washington Commanders: 52 years since they played early on Thanksgiving