Midwest Legends

This week on the Midwest Legends Podcast, Russell sits down with the one and only founder behind the Famous Dave’s franchise, Famous Dave Anderson! Dave’s story began with humble, Midwest roots. As the son of Native American parents, he got his entrepreneurial start at the family’s fry bread stand. With influences from both his mother’s talent for customer service and his father’s obsession with s...

This week on the Midwest Legends Podcast, Russell interviews Kirby Puckett Jr., son of the legendary Twins baseball star Kirby Puckett! Tune in to hear Kirby Jr.’s experience growing up with a dad who would get recognized at the store and have over house guests like Cal Ripken and Kenny Lofton, but who was also just dad to him. Kirby Jr. fondly remembers Saturday mornings when he would watch fishi...

This week on Midwest Legend’s Podcast the baseball legends continue with Jack Morris! Jack takes Russell through the highlights of his hall of fame worthy baseball career, including when he learned his famous split ball, coming home to the Twins, and memorable stories with manager Tom Kelly. Jack talks fondly of his teammates and their historic wins.  Did you know after he won the world series in...

Welcome back to the Midwest Legends Podcast for Tom Kelly Pt. 2! This week, Tom takes Russell through his journey of becoming a renowned baseball manager. Although Tom claims he was just thinking about how “not to get fired,” throughout his first managing stint with the Twins in ’87, it’s clear there’s much more genius in his management style then he lets on. Enough genius to lead to the Twins win...

This week on the Midwest Legends Podcast, Russell welcomes the legendary Tom Kelly to the pod! Tom Kelly may have had just a short stint in Graceville, Minnesota before moving to New Jersey, but little did he know he would be a Midwesterner again, becoming a legendary manager for the Minnesota Twins. Growing up with a father who was also a pitcher, Tom learned to always keep his spikes clean regar...

This week on the Midwest Legends Podcast, Russell sits down with Minnesota native and legendary musician Charlie Parr! Charlie takes Russell back to his childhood in Austin, Minnesota where he begrudgingly did farm work, drew dinosaurs all over his father’s record collection, and eventually became obsessed with learning to play the guitar. After moving to the Twin Cities, Charlie became immersed i...

This week on the Midwest Legends Podcast Russell sits down to talk with the Minnesota and Twins baseball legend Kent Hrbek! Kent grew up just about a mile from the old Twins stadium and fondly remembers watching the lights from his childhood bedroom… fast forward a couple years and he’s a real deal Twins player! Kent discusses his baseball legacy including his two World Series wins and opens up to...

This week on the Midwest Legends Podcast, musician, producer, and Doomtree crew member Aaron Mader (AKA Lazerbeak) joins Russell to dive into his experience coming up in the vibrant Minneapolis music scene. From growing up in Hopkins, Minnesota with a day job as a pizza delivery driver to working with big names in the music industry like Lizzo, Trampled By Turtles, POS, Doja Cat, and many more, La...

MVP and All-Star baseball legend Christian Yelich joins Russell this week on the Midwest Legends Podcast! Christian Yelich’s legendary status goes without saying. From being the first member of his family to play baseball to becoming the face of MKE baseball, Christian has already made history and he’s just getting started. Don’t miss Christian’s take on Giannis heading to Miami, the iconic Cubs r...

Former NHL Player, Olympian, and Minnesota legend, Lou Nanne joins Russell on this week’s Midwest Legends episode! Lou has years of impressive accomplishments under his belt. Known as “the Godfather of Hockey,” although he would argue that title actually belongs to John Mariucci, Lou has undoubtedly made an impact on the hockey world. Coming from a small Canadian town, playing at the U of M, going...

The legendary Packers player Leroy Butler is back again for part two! This week, Leroy goes behind the scenes of his anxiety inducing draft experience when his dream of becoming an NFL player finally came true at the same time he realized he has no idea where Green Bay is. Leroy talks Russell through his accidental creation of the now iconic Lambeau Leap and his disbelief that a US President didn’...

This episode was so good, it had to be a two-parter! You may know him as the inventor of the Lambeau Leap or for his run in the iconic Puntrooskie play, but in this week’s Midwest Legends episode Leroy takes Russell back in time to his life before the Packers. Leroy grew up with everything stacked against him. He grew up in the projects in Duval County, Florida, was raised by a hardworking single...

Matthew Golden is a first-round draft pick, lightning-fast wide receiver, and now a Midwest Legends guest. At just 22 years old, Matthew has worked hard, gained a lot of perspective, and he's not even as old as the history he is making. It’s been 23 years since Green Bay’s home team chose a wide receiver as their first round pick, and he says that draft night “will stick with me for the rest of my...

Midwest Legend? More like international legend! This week, star hockey player Laila Edwards gives Russell the inside scoop on her amazing journey from growing up in Ohio playing on the boy’s hockey team to winning gold at the 2026 Olympics in Milan. Laila takes us behind the scenes of the Olympics, sharing how she overcame the nerves to clinch the win over the iconic Canadian rivals in the game th...

Former Minnesota Vikings linebacker and current sideline analyst Ben Leber joins Russell to discuss his journey from a multicultural childhood in Iowa to a professional NFL football player. Ben talks about his supportive family, including two older brothers who inspired him to try football and how coaches along the way shaped the player he later became. After a trying rookie season in college, Ben...

Noah Bakken, a motocross expert who is no stranger to performing impressive feats on two wheels, sat down with Russell to talk all things speed and spectacle. Noah Bakken remembers his childhood growing up in a family of motorcycle lovers fondly. Despite his first ride on a PW50 when he was just three ending with him hitting a swing set, he fell in love with all thing’s motocross. Noah tells Russe...

Welcome to Midwest Legend’s third dial-in special. Jared from Wisco Dive Bars sat down with Russell to react to 3 listener submitted stories.   Featuring stories from Lindsay, Dan, and Nate

CJ Ham recently retired from the NFL after 10 seasons playing for the Vikings, and he sat down with Russell to talk about where his love for football started and where it’s taken him. CJ Ham remembers dropping out of Augustana’s fall training camp for three days. He was one of many freshman players who quit, but he can’t remember the head coach telling anyone else to come back if they changed thei...

For Promise, the road to landing a morning show on Hot 105.7 FM wasn’t easy, but it was a labor of love. He sat down with Russell to talk about how his passion carried him through the long hours and late nights. From hosting a college radio show to becoming the voice Milwaukee woke up to, Promise spent years honing his craft. Hosting gigs are scarce, and while that scarcity helped fuel his hunger...

Ryan Ruebl’s entrepreneurial spirit collided with his love for Wisconsin and 'Meanwhile In Wisconsin' was born. He stopped by the Midwest Legends studio to talk with Russell about America’s Dairyland. Ruebl knows his way around a fish fry, and he’s got tips and recommendations, but his lips are sealed on the best fishing spots. He and Russell bond over their love for the Packers, and joke...

Mason Crosby's sixteen-year run with the Green Bay Packers was fueled by his commitment to be present and available to his teammates. Newly retired, he sat down with Russell Nicolet to reflect on the memories that defined his history-making NFL career. As a kicker, Crosby became adept at balancing “hurry up and wait” with the intense, barely-over-a-second window most kickers have to launch the...

Call 866-MW-LEGND for a chance to have your story played on a future dial-in episode! On the second Midwest Legends dial-in episode, Russell Nicolet and Jared Schutz are back, reacting to three more handpicked stories live on the mic. We set up 866-MW-LEGND so that our listeners could tell their stories, and boy have we had fun listening to them. Enjoy stories about someone chewing on a rattlesnak...

Chris Kanan probably knows more about lawns than most people do, but he does anything but gatekeep. He sat down with Russell in the Midwest Legends studio to talk about his journey and get into the weeds of keeping a lawn looking tidy. Chris explains how a brief stint studying architecture led to a focus in landscape architecture, with a chief focus on lawns: “Everyone was always looking at the gr...

Brett Favre is a Mississippi kid who became a larger than life figure in Green Bay and an NFL icon. He sat down with Russell to talk about the moments that came before, during, and after his legendary run. Brett was once told he wouldn’t play more than three years. When he officially retired in 2011, he had a twenty-year legacy behind him. That legacy was fueled by many things, including tough lov...

Jim McMahon is in the Midwest Legends hotseat this week, but it’s nothing he can’t handle. McMahon walks Russell about the highs and lows of his career, which spanned seven NFL teams, two Super Bowl wins, and injuries that could’ve ended most careers. Along the way, McMahon and Russell bond over their love of football and the reverence they hold for some iconic football players. Tune in to listen...