Family's annual Turkey Bowl is a Thanksgiving tradition spanning 47 years
Thanksgiving morning can look different for different people. Whether it's preparing Thanksgiving dinner with family, making sure those sweet potato pies are cooked to perfection, or for the Leyden family, playing their annual Turkey Bowl.
It's a 47-year-long tradition that means a lot more to them than your typical holiday football game.
"This is the holidays right here" explained Doug Leyden, when asked what this game means to him.
Doug and his brother Perry decided to play their first Turkey Bowl game in 1975 back in their high school days. They played their first game at Southmoor Park in south Denver, Colorado and have returned to that field every year after that.
"I remember going back and forth on what we're going to do for Thanksgiving. We decided to go to the park where we grew up and play some football," said Doug.
Since then, the Leyden family has never missed a game.
"We're basically looking at 4 generations that are on the field playing. We have people in their 20s,30s,40s,50s, and even 60s now playing and some have been here all 47 years" explained Perry.
The Leyden family has hosted their Turkey Bowl game in all weather conditions, rain sleet or snow, and have even gotten the opportunity to play in a different environment. In partnership with the NFL's "Best of 100," this gobble game took them to Lambo field in Green Bay.
"They flew twelve of us to Green bay where we got to meet Brett Favre and Gary the blue linebacker. It was an incredible feeling going into Lambo field and hearing them announce our names. We were the NFL players" said Perry.
The Leyden family says they hope to keep the tradition alive, with no plans on putting this Turkey Bowl to rest.
"We're continuing this for as long as this park is here," said Doug.
