Recalling a Lions/Packers Game on Another Thursday in Detroit

In this week’s Thursday night game, the Detroit Lions are hosting the Green Bay Packers.

It will be the second straight Thursday night game for the “Pack” and second straight Thursday game as each played on the holiday last week, for the Lions.

Detroit won in its traditional holiday game and Green Bay, perhaps due to bad karma associated with the over publicized Brett Favre, who once enabled Michael Strahan, another who has far more than he deserves or needs, to break the NFL “sack” record, lost outright to the Chicago Bears. (Apparently President Barack Obama predicted that outcome.)

With the teams clashing on a Thursday a week after the traditional November holiday, I recall a game between the two teams on Thanksgiving, when it really was a day of giving thanks, in 1962.

The Lions upset the Packers that day, with Roger Brown of Detroit, a near great player having an all time great game.

It was the Packers’ only loss in a (13-1) regular season, in a title winning year.

Their great offensive  guard Fred “Fuzzy” Thurston played that day though mourning the recent loss of his mother. He did not play well against the unstoppable Roger Brown that day.

A rare updated movie reference; in the 1986 movie “Maximum Overdrive” trucks ran wild and the name on those trucks was “Thurston.”

I recall Fred “Fuzzy” Thurston as a great moving or pulling guard on great Green Bay Packers’ teams. Perhaps the best version, the 1962 team, lost that Thursday game in Detroit but no other game that championship season.

The great offensive guard Fred “Fuzzy” Thurston pictured above.