est. 2012
through the years
Celebrated on the biggest football day of the year, Pork Rind Appreciation Day™ was cemented as an annual event after Rudolph Foods secured hundreds of thousands of consumer votes, as well as political designations, in 2010.
Matched each year with a charitable endeavor, we work hard to drive awareness to Gridiron Greats Assistance Fund, a nonprofit organization that provides medical and financial assistance to former National Football League (NFL) players and their families in dire need.
Learn about how far the mighty pork rind has come!
history of
pork rind
appreciation day
™
2011-
FEB 5
2012
We launched an initiative and asked consumers across the country (online and via experiential activities) to cast their vote. Hundreds of thousands of consumers said they believed Pork Rinds deserved their own holiday, and Governor Kasich agreed.
We also teamed with Wounded Warriors to help carry the message of Pork Rind Appreciation Day™, and made a sizeable donation in this partnership as we celebrated our 1st Annual Pork Rind Appreciation Day™.
2013
We celebrated with Gridiron Greats and a BIG contest… this time with a chance for consumers to win a party from Rudolph Foods and a new 50” Plasma TV. The contest was met with thousands of entries to win! Dennis McKinnon, of the Chicago Bears, served as our spokesperson.
2014
We again teamed up with Gridiron Greats as our donation partner for Pork Rind Appreciation Day™. Voters were asked to choose their favorite: Team Spicy or Team Smooth.
Hall of Famer (and Marvin Gaye Backup singer) Lem Barney represented Team Smooth, while Dennis McKinnon returned to head up Team Spicy.
2015
We partnered with Icky Woods, who's Geico 'cold cuts' commercial was in heavy rotation, to support Gridiron Greats. Our fans tried to complete touchdown passes in our interactive game for a chance to win cash and a year of pork rinds!
2016
For the 50th anniversary of the Super Bowl, we partnered with Hall of Famer Bobby Bell, a veteran of the very first Super Bowl! Pork rind lovers played our interactive "Sack the Quarterback" game to be entered to win $3500!
2017
We partnered with Hall of Famer Andre Reed to draw attention to a problem affecting many former athletes. With the NFL's increased attention on head injuries and CTE, we introduced a memory game. Each entry earned consumers the chance to win $2,500.
2018
Fans were invited to play Gridiron Groovin’, the newest game that let fans create their own signature touchdown dance with NFL legend, Billy “White Shoes” Johnson for a chance to win $2,500. “Shoes” was best know for the first touchdown celebration in the history of the game, and in 2017 the NFL allowed touchdown celebrations once again.
2019
Around this time, the NFL started to loosen restrictions around gambling on football games. To catch the spirit of the season, we had our consumers scratch off virtual lotto tickets in our "Get in with the Greats" game. Our promotion was supporting by three Gridiron Greats: Hall of Famer Ken Houston, NFL veteran Reggie Kelly, and Billy 'White Shoes' Johnson for a second year in row!
2020
"The Great Comeback" contest was supported by Hall of Famer and #1 toughguy, Jack Youngblood. Fans could also tell us their own 'comeback story' for additional chances to win!
2021
We all missed our beloved football in different ways, so we wanted to embrace the opportunity to celebrate the best of the best. We celebrated the way football brings us together with stories from our greats.
2022
"The Great Pigskin Spin" Sweepstakes was supported by Hall of Famers Joe Greene, Ken Houston, and Mel Renfro. Fans picked their favorite pork rinds and got to shake the magic 8-football for a fun spin on upcoming games.
2023
"Sacks for Snacks" Sweepstakes was supported by Hall of Famer Carl Eller as well as Mike Golic. Each week a lucky pork rind fan would win cases of pork rinds equal to the number of quarterback sacks.
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