In the Henry Wadsworth Longfellow poem “The Courtship of Miles Standish,” the titular Pilgrim proposes to the lovely Priscilla Mullins by proxy — his roommate, John Alden, does it for him. Thirty Thanksgivings ago, on Nov. 28, 1985, the sportscaster Ahmad Rashad performed a similar ritual, asking for his intended’s hand through an intermediary on live television, before an estimated 40 million viewers.
It was among the most memorable and unusual moments in the history of Thanksgiving football broadcasts — and pop culture at large.
The Detroit Lions were hosting their annual Thanksgiving Day game in Pontiac, Mich.