Think back to Buddy Ryan and Thanksgiving.

I recently watched an episode of “To Tell The Truth,” an interesting show from the 1960s and 70s, and one of the guests was Ryan. Yes, it was Ryan, who was an impostor on the panel and then an assistant coach of the Jets.

Ryan was one of the more colorful figure in Philly sports history during his stay as the Eagles’ head coach. If you remember, Ryan later surfaced as a defensive coordinator for the Houston Oilers – he got into a fight with offensive coordinator Kevin Gilbride – and also was the head coach of the Arizona Cardinals.

One of Ryans’ more infamous games occurred on Thanksgiving Day in 1989 in the “Bounty Bowl,” in which Eagles’ linebacker Jesse Small knocked out Cowboys’ kicker Luis Zendejas allegedly to gain a $200 bounty Ryan placed on the Dallas kicker. It was labeled as one of the most physical and “dirty” games in league history.

In this week’s version of my Yesterday column – reminiscing about sports and pop culture from the 1960s, 70s, 80s and sometimes before and beyond – I’ll look at the “Bounty Bowl” as well as the results of five other memorable Thanksgiving Day games from a recent poll conducted on the Times News Sports Facebook page.

The top vote-getter from the selections were the 1993 Cowboys-Dolphins’ Leon Lett snowball, 48 percent; the Steelers-Lions’ Jerome Bettis coin toss game, the Lions-Giants’ 1982 Lawrence Taylor game, 14 percent; the Cowboys-Redskins’ 1974 Clint Longley game, nine percent; and the Colts-Lions’ 2004 Peyton Manning six touchdown game, one percent.

Did your ever play the “Vince Lombardi” game? And do your remember Errol Mann, Eddie Murray, and Clint Longley?

Texas Tirade: From the beginning, the “Bounty Bowl” had plenty of sparks.

Eagles’ linebacker Britt Hager hit Cowboys’ quarterback Troy Aikman late, and Eagles’ defensive tackle Mike Pitts was ejected for throwing a punch. The Eagles’ Jerome Brown and the Cowboys’ Kevin Cogan got into a tussle.

In the end, there were 10 Cowboys and seven Eagles fined in the game the Eagles won, 29-0. Cowboys’ head coach Jimmy Johnson claimed Ryan placed bounties on players, but the league didn’t find any evidence.

Snow Tracks: I can still see Cowboys’ defensive lineman Leon Lett rumbling on a snow- and ice-covered Dallas field, slipping and kicking the football after a blocked Miami field goal attempt.

Miami recovered the fumble, and kicked the game-winning goal in a 16-14 victory in a 1993 Turkey Day tilt. This wasn’t a first for Lett, as 10 months earlier he was apparently returning a fumble for a touchdown against the Bills in the Super Bowl, reached out his arm with the ball close to the goal line, but it was jarred loose by a Bills player and rolled out of the end zone.

Lett played 10 years with Dallas before he ended his career with the Broncos in 2001.

Flip a Coin: In 1998, Jerome Bettis made his mark on Thanksgiving Day games when he made his famous coin toss call.

The game was headed to overtime in Detroit, and Pittsburgh was given to chance to make the call. As referee Phil Luckett tossed the coin, Bettis appeared to call tails. When Luckett began to pick up the coin, he announced that Bettis had called heads, and the coin showed tails. Detroit didn’t waste any time and marched down the field behind quarterback Charlie Batch (remember him?) and kicker Jason Hansen booted a 42-yard field goal for a 19-16 victory.

After the game. Luckett claimed he heard Bettis say “heads-tails” and claimed he heard Bettis say “heads” first. Bettis called the ref a liar, but a Pittsburgh TV station verified Luckett’s call via some enhanced audio.

L.T. On the Move: In 1982, Giants’ linebacker Lawrence Taylor had one of the more memorable defensive performances in 1982.

Taylor, who didn’t enter the game until just before halftime, was a one-man wrecking crew against Lions’ quarterback Gary Danielson, as he pressured him throughout the half and recorded a one-hand sack. The highlight of the game was when Taylor picked off a pass on the Giants’ three-year line and raced 97 yards down the sidelines with the go-ahead touchdown in a 13-6 victory.

It was an adequate quarterback battle between Danielson and the Giants’ Scott Brunner, and respective kickers Eddie Murray (former Eagle) and Joe Danelo provided the scoring. The Lions always had unforgettable kickers like Murray, and how about Errol Mann or Wayne Walker? Walker also was a linebacker.

Murray played for the Eagles in ’94 and made 21 of 25 field goal attempts.

A Star Was Born: Over the years, one of the favorite Thanksgiving Day games was the Cowboys-Redskins’ Clint Longley game in 1974. I remember it fondly as a 14-year-old still eating turkey in the early evening.

Longley, a rookie quarterback at the time, replaced Roger Staubach, who left the game with a concussion midway through the third quarter and the ‘Boys trailing 16-3. Longley hit Billy Joe DuPree with a 35-yard touchdown pass. He then guided them on a 70-yard drive that pushed them in front 17-17 on Walt Garrison’s touchdown run.

Washington regained the lead when ex-Cowboy Duane Thomas scored, but Dallas’ Ed “Too Tall” Jones later blocked a Mark Mosley (another Eagle kicker) field goal attempt to keep it close.

With 25 seconds left in the game, Longley, under pressure, hit Drew Pearson on a 50-yard bomb that gave Dallas the win. Two years later, Longley was traded in training camp to the Chargers after he sucker punched Staubach.

Longley fizzled out with the Chargers in one season and later spent some time in the Canadian Football League.

Manning Masterpiece: In 2004, Manning threw six touchdowns against the Lions in a 41-9 rout.

Ironically, Manning threw for only 236 yards, but he was 23-of-28. Marvin Harrison caught 12 passes for 127 yards with three scores. Manning tied the record of Miami’s Bob Griese, who threw six touchdowns against the Cardinals on Thanksgiving Day in 1977.

On the Colts’ roster that year was former East Stroudsburg star James Mungro, who is the state’s fourth-best career rushing leader with 8,432 yards. He played five seasons with the Colts.

Another Classic Game: In 1970, “Vince Lombardi’s Game” was released.

Both players chose one of the NFL teams and then tossed a coin to see who gets the ball first. Each team had an offensive play factor (OPF) and a defensive unit rating (DUR). You would list your OPF for each play and then subtract the other player’s DUR to get the “net” result.

It involved simple math, and it was simple fun. You can find the game on eBay.

Readers Write:

More Chiefs

“Another great column in last week’s edition. Pertaining to the term ‘Chiefs,’ the Hawaii Chiefs were a professional basketball team, which played in the old American Basketball League in the early 1960s. The league lasted less than two years due to financial difficulties This is not to be confused with the ABA (American Basketball Association).

“In ‘The Adventures of Superman’ TV series, Perry White would permit Clark Kent and Lois Lane to call him Chief.’ Not so with Jimmy Olsen. (‘Don’t call me Chief!’).

Richard Ochs, Walnutport

More Bettis

“I voted for Bettis because I always enjoyed his style of play and that moment.”

Mitch Thomas, Bethlehem

Final Thoughts: I always have been thankful for my wife Diane and daughter Brooke, and we all should be thankful for the people who support us.

In addition, I am thankful to longtime friends and colleagues Emmett McCall and Rod Heckman, who have allowed me to follow my passion. I would be remiss if I didn’t mention local legend and former editor Ed Hedes, who gave me the opportunity many years ago.

Finally, thanks to all of you and your feedback – especially devoted reader ‘Ochs’ - every week. Keep the spirit of Thanksgiving in your hearts and melt it with the fellowship of the Christmas season ahead.

Feedback ... Your comments, thoughts, and ideas are welcomed at tnsports@tnonline.com.