Editing Dallas Cowboys (section)

==Thanksgiving Day games==
In their seventh season in [[1966 Dallas Cowboys season|1966]], the Cowboys agreed to host a second [[NFL on Thanksgiving Day|NFL Thanksgiving game]]; the tradition of a team hosting on [[Thanksgiving (United States)|Thanksgiving]] had been popularized by the [[Detroit Lions]] (who had hosted a game on the day mostly un-interrupted since moving to Detroit in [[1934 Detroit Lions season|1934]]). General manager [[Tex Schramm]] wanted to find a way to boost publicity on a national level for his team, which had struggled for most of the 1960s. In fact, the NFL guaranteed a cut of the gate revenue in the belief that the game would not be a hit because of said struggle. With a kickoff just after 5 p.m. [[Central Time Zone|CST]],<ref name="clldbg">{{Cite news |date=November 24, 1966 |title=Cowboys, Browns to collide in Dallas' biggest NFL game |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=C7hdAAAAIBAJ&sjid=AF4NAAAAIBAJ&pg=5906%2C2859586 |work=Victoria Advocate |location=(Texas) |page=12 |agency=Associated Press|via=Google News}}</ref> over eighty thousand fans (and millions viewing on [[NFL on CBS|CBS]]) saw the Cowboys beat the [[1966 Cleveland Browns season|Cleveland Browns]] 26–14 at the [[Cotton Bowl (stadium)|Cotton Bowl]].<ref name="bcpbr">{{Cite news |date=November 25, 1966 |title=Villanueva boots Cowboys by Browns|via=Google News |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=DLhdAAAAIBAJ&sjid=AF4NAAAAIBAJ&pg=5829%2C2958431 |work=Victoria Advocate |location=(Texas) |page=11A |agency=Associated Press}}</ref><ref name="mpdiel">{{Cite news |date=November 25, 1966 |title=Meredith puts Dallas in East lead |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=bUsqAAAAIBAJ&sjid=pk8EAAAAIBAJ&pg=7270%2C3484806 |work=Pittsburgh Press|via=Google News |page=42 |agency=UPI}}</ref><ref name=tgexpl>{{cite news |url=https://www.sportingnews.com/us/nfl/news/dallas-cowboys-thanksgiving-explained/146o1kch215gx1q57og4dlqqvs |work=Sporting News |last=McCarriston |first=Shanna |title=Here's why the Cowboys always play on Thanksgiving, explained |date=November 24, 2021 |accessdate=November 25, 2021}}</ref>

In [[1975 Dallas Cowboys season|1975]] and [[1977 Dallas Cowboys season|1977]], at the behest of <!--then- -->[[History of the NFL Commissioner|Commissioner]] [[Pete Rozelle]], the <!-- then- -->[[1975 St. Louis Cardinals (NFL) season|St. Louis Cardinals]] replaced Dallas as a host team. Dallas then hosted St. Louis in [[1976 Dallas Cowboys season|1976]] in an effort by the NFL to give St. Louis national exposure. Although the Cardinals, at the time known as the "Cardiac Cards" due to their propensity for winning very close games, were a modest success at the time, the games did not prove as successful. Owing to factors that ranged from ugly contests to opposition from the [[Kirkwood–Webster Groves Turkey Day Game]] (a local [[high school football]] contest) led to Dallas resuming regular hosting duties in [[1978 Dallas Cowboys season|1978]]. It was then, after Rozelle asked Dallas to resume hosting Thanksgiving games, that the Cowboys requested (and received) an agreement guaranteeing the Cowboys a spot on Thanksgiving Day for good; as such, the Cowboys play in the late afternoon.<ref>{{cite news|last=McManaman|first=Bob|title=Cardinals, not Cowboys, could have been an NFL Thanksgiving Day staple|url=https://www.azcentral.com/story/sports/nfl/cardinals/2017/11/22/cardinals-nfl-thanksgiving-dallas-cowboys-host-team/883790001/|website=AZCentral.com|date=November 22, 2017|access-date=November 23, 2017}}</ref>