Long before the NFL claimed Thanksgiving as its day to play football, Ohio State played on Turkey Day during its inaugural season of 1890. In fact, the Buckeyes played 14 times on Thanksgiving between 1890 and 1912. All of the games were home games.
The Buckeyes' first Turkey Day game was during the inaugural season of 1890 against Kenyon who won 18-10. The two schools played on Thanksgiving nine more times over the next 12 seasons with the Buckeyes winning the Thanksgiving Day series 6–3.
Ohio State's last Thanksgiving Day game was a 35-20 loss to Michigan State in 1912. The Buckeyes are 7–6–1 on Thanksgiving and have outscored their opponent's 191-178.
| YEAR | OPPONENT | LOCATION | SCORE |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1890 | KENYON | H | 10–18 |
| 1892 | KENYON | H | 26–10 |
| 1893 | KENYON | H | 8–10 |
| 1894 | KENYON | H | 20–4 |
| 1895 | KENYON | H | 12–10 |
| 1896 | KENYON | H | 18–34 |
| 1899 | KENYON | H | 5–0 |
| 1900 | KENYON | H | 23–5 |
| 1901 | KENYON | H | 11–6 |
| 1902 | INDIANA | H | 6–6 |
| 1903 | INDIANA | H | 16–17 |
| 1904 | CARLISLE INDIANS | H | 0–23 |
| 1907 | OHIO WESLEYAN | H | 16–0 |
| 1912 | MICHIGAN STATE | H | 20–35 |
| OPPONENT | RECORD | WIN % | TOTAL POINTS | AVG. SCORE |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| KENYON | 6–3 | .667 | 133–66 | 15–7 |
| OHIO WESLEYAN | 1–0 | 1.000 | 16–0 | 16–0 |
| INDIANA | 0–1–1 | .250 | 22–23 | 11–12 |
| CARLISLE INDIANS | 0–1 | .000 | 0–23 | 0–23 |
| MICHIGAN STATE | 0–1 | .000 | 20–35 | 20–35 |
| TOTAL | 7–6–1 | .536 | 191–178 | 14–13 |
Wishing everyone a safe and happy Thanksgiving. Enjoy the company of your family and friends and take comfort that the Buckeyes are led by one Urban Frank Meyer III. He will start the series 5–0.
