One of my most memorable Bear highlights as a kid. I was mad at my parents because they decided to celebrate Thanksgiving at at fancy restaurant. Turned out, they had a TV in the lobby and just as we got up to leave, Vince Evans had scored the TD to put it into overtime. My folks insisted on going so I had to listen to Joe McConnell & Brad Palmer deliver the fantastic play by play on Davey Williams TD ! Looking back, it couldn't have been a more perfect Thanksgiving! Thanks Joe and Brad for painting such a vivid picture of these Bear games so a smalltown farm kid from Wisconsin could listen and enjoy his team! You guys were the best!!!

I was there with my buddy Eric watching the game in the cheap seats near the goal post. When the game got tied and was heading into overtime, we decided with everybody else to go get food and drinks so we could enjoy this great game we were watching as it went into the first ever overtime game at the Silverdome. Then came the coin toss and we lost, I was concerned but not panicked. Boom goes the kick, I see a Bear's player catch it and start running. It looked like he was running twice as fast as everybody else! A hole opened up the size of the Titanic as he ran towards us. I was ready to jump onto the field and tackle him myself since it was obvious he was going to score. Suddenly as he crosses the goal line 70,000 people start yelling, cussing, throwing their beer and popcorn through the air. As the Lion's players approached the tunnel to head towards the locker room, fans began pouring beer on them, cussing them and throwing objects at them. Lion's player Al "Bubba" Baker looked up at us and thought my buddy threw a bottle at him. He started cussing us like a mad man and we thought he was coming into the stands to kick our asses. God what a great Lion's memory! I hated that we lost but we were present for a historical moment in Lion's Thanksgiving game football history! As we walked back to my Uncle Joe's house four blocks away where I parked on Dudley Drive in the fresh Michigan snow, we recapped the game in disbelief. I always got a smile on my face when I saw the highlights of that game played on what seemed like every Thanksgiving game for years. It stood as the shortest overtime game in NFL history for years. Many years later, my buddy Eric and his girlfriend ran into Al "Bubba" Baker at a restaurant and asked him if he remembered wanting to go after somebody after that game that threw something at him. Al laughed and said "Was that you?". The Pilgrims never knew what they started in Detroit!

I was ten years old when I got to hear this live on my dad's car radio, long story short, my family was heading from Gurnee ILL to southern Michigan to be with relatives for Thanksgiving dinner, but a blizzard blew in on the way there and we had to pull off the turnpike and have holiday dinner at a stinking Big Boy, got back on the road just in time to hear the TD return on the car radio, great memory!

1980 Thanksgiving Game is One of My Favorite Moments of Being a Bears Fan.

Thanks for posting this, Mr. Palmer. One of my all-time favorite games when I was a kid. If I remember correctly, rookie Billy Sims had a big first half for Detroit and the Lions flashed up "Walter who?" on their scoreboard. Well, Walter ran like a man possessed and rushed for 110 yards in the second half alone.

Loved seeing this on NFL Films and hearing the call as a kid. Davey Williams, 95 yard kick off return for a TD. Great stuff.

10 years old and I was the only one watching the start of overtime. Everyone else was lining up for Thanksgiving dessert and missed the kick return!! It's funny how I can remember details like that

Shortest OT game in history. I watched the game on CBS.

Best call by Joe McConnell on WBBM Newsradio 78 in 1980 on WBBM-TV Channel 2 the 95 yard kick off return in OT lasted in 15 seconds

The only time I was at the Silverdome was a year later to see the Who and the Clash.

Funny story about Dan Hampton's nose getting broken. First guy to reach Williams in the end zone was rookie Otis Wilson Beating Detroit on Thanksgiving & crushing GB following week were about the only things that went right in '80.

Super Dave Williams, former Colorado QB.

Never realized Hampton broke his nose on the TD celebration. Yowza did that look painful when his helmet was ripped off of him. Would of never of caught that if it wasn't for your interviewing him about it.

After this was Eddie Murray miss against San Fran in the playoffs, Billy Sims blew out his Knee, 6 more years if ineptitude, drafted Barry Sanders, wasted his career, Hired Matt Millen, Extended Matt Millen, drafted Calvin Johnson wasted his career, 0-16 season, drafted Matt Stafford, wasted his career. I have a 15 year old son, outstanding freshman HS football player. Has never watched one down of Lions football, hence I am a good father.

I remember watching this game. My family was going nuts yelling at him to run faster!!

1:30 total class, he looked like he’d been there before. No stupid dance or over the top celebrations. I rarely even watch football anymore because of today’s classless players.

#🐻4 LIFE!

Now this was an era when the Bears were ACTUALLY competitive in their games even though some of their seasons were mediocre at best. There were some great high points and some low points during this era before the coming of Mike Ditka, but at least the Bears were competitors nonetheless. And Chicago did have the Honey Bears, their answer to the Dallas Cowboys cheerleaders, an idea brought up by the late great George Halas. But it's a pity his daughter Virginia had to screw all of this up. And so I blame poor old Ginny for trashing not only the Honey Bears but also the Bears themselves

Who is that sharp looking young reporter from :19-:33??? He looks familiar! 😀 This is a great highlight. ESPN, & one of the Thanksgiving day games shows this highlight every season.

Joe McConnell was one of the BEST play-by-play Announcers of all time. You can see Dan Hampton get his helmet ripped off @ 1:39... and Hampton holding his broken nose @ 1:50.(Upper right)

I had posted the last 10 minutes of the game on KZfaq but after 5 years of being up, NFL asked for it to be taken down. It looks like you used some of that video cause its the same quality (It looks much better on the actual VHS tape)

My dad kept complaining when they tide the score he still bitched saying they'll lose anyway bet him 50 bucks they'll pull it out and did best 50 bucks from my dad ever got

Dan Hampton gets his nose broken on the return and the crazy thing is the player that does it is none other than walter payton

I was 10

Joe McConnell & Brad Palmer ...... bad teams, but, great radio!! 🙏🏽

Even in years when the Bears were mediocre they still had coaches that knew what they were doing, and the players could execute plays..unlike today.

I remember watching it on Turkey Day 1980 (37 years ago?), but then Dave's live interview was a big let down. Here you can see how spent he was. Maybe his idiot teammates gave him a concussion via helmet slaps.

So don't you worry Vikings fans. We Bears fans are in the same boat with you, long suffering for a win in the game of football. Ownership and management is to blame for the unfortunate bad news for both the Bears and the Vikings, what with our continued bad luck against Green Bay and your continued bad luck in the postseason.

Look at him start head chugging as soon as he makes his turn. No one's gonna catch that man 1:21

A reminder that the lions were a disappointment before I was even born

Only the Lions can lose like that. I watched that game and laughed like crazy when it happened. 22 years later the Lions are still.a 🤡 show

Vince Evans great arm and no brain. Mike Phipps great brain no arm and Bob Avellini great brain and no arm.