Turkey, mashed potatoes and football: nothing beats this combination on Thanksgiving. Though not for residents of Kirkwood and Webster— the annual football game is the highlight of Thanksgiving break, and the Pioneer-Statesman rivalry is timeless. Both schools want to beat each other into the ground no matter the circumstances. The rivalry is so strong that it has become the only high school football game west of the Mississippi to be played on Thanksgiving, starting in 1907 and continuing to present day.
1907: Kirkwood and Webster played the first Turkey Day football game, starting the tradition that still runs strong 116 years later. At least for Kirkwood.
1923: A fight occurred on the field after the referees called back all three of Kirkwood’s touchdowns leading to a 7-0 Webster victory, causing a four-year break from the game.
1952: The Frisco Bell, donated from a retired locomotive from the Frisco Railroad Company, has been given as a trophy to the winner to hold until the next year.
1975: The St. Louis Cardinals attempted to host an NFL game on Thanksgiving, however the city fought back in support of the established Kirkwood-Webster rivalry game. The Cardinals game was played and the Turkey Day game was canceled that year.
1979: Webster, for the first time in the history of the Turkey Day game, played a mostly JV team as they were on the route to a state title.
1988: The “Turkey Day Agreement” was enacted as Webster elected to play in the Show-Me Bowl. This agreement said if either team wanted to play in the Show-Me Bowl or were on track for a state championship the JV and freshman teams would combine and play instead.
2010: Webster and Kirkwood met in the MHSAA playoffs a week before Thanksgiving in which Webster won 28-0, causing the JV teams to play in the Turkey Day game.
2013: The five year span in which JV teams had played, due to one of the teams still being in the playoffs, was broken as the varsity teams resumed action on Thanksgiving.
2016: Kirkwood for the second time in Turkey Day history, won the state title and Turkey Day. The first occurrence happened in 1979, with Webster winning both.
2020: No game was played due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Due to the game’s storied history it was not the first time it had been canceled due to a pandemic, also having been canceled because of the 1918 flu pandemic.
2023: After Webster played all of their home games at Kirkwood this year due to Moss Field being under renovation. Kirkwood looks to win their 10th straight Turkey Day.
