Gridiron America Radio

Terry Bradshaw was always at his best on Super Bowl Sundays. The Pittsburgh quarterback went a perfect 4-0 in Super Bowl play during the 1970s, throwing for 932 yards and nine touchdowns combined as the Steelers became a dynasty. But Bradshaw's most validating season during that run, and perhaps in his entire career, came in 1978. Bradshaw led the AFC in passing as the Steelers went 14-2 during th...

With an imaginative, high-scoring offensive and a crushing defense, Dallas cruised through the regular season, the playoffs and the Super Bowl. The story of the 1977 Cowboys is told by Tony Dorsett, Thomas Henderson, Charlie Waters and Drew Pearson and each relate contribute to the story of their championship season. Each former player is able to offer insights (often humorous!) into their champio...

In 1976, the Oakland Raiders reached the summit of professional football by defeating the Minnesota Vikings in Super Bowl XI. It was the culmination of more than a decade of excellence under the leadership of Raiders owner/coach, Al Davis. The 1976 Raiders suffered some early setbacks, losing several defensive linemen to injury. Head coach John Madden found a quick solution, dropping his 4-3 schem...

The 1975 Pittsburgh Steelers quickly discovered that one of the most difficult feats in all of sports is defending a world title. At the beginning of the season, coach Chuck Noll's team didn't even look like they had the stuff to reach the playoffs, let alone win back-to-back championships. Fresh off an upset in Super Bowl IX, the Steelers were not a dynasty just yet, not even with nine future Hal...

It was perhaps the finest collection of talent in NFL history - and in 1974 nearly no one knew it. For five seasons, Pittsburgh Steelers head coach Chuck Noll had meticulously built the team in his own image - tough and physical. In 1974, he added a draft class that included four future Hall of Famers. By the postseason, the team that would become the decade's best was ready to arrive. The Steeler...

It was a dilemma no other NFL team had ever faced: How do you improve on perfection? The 1972 Miami Dolphins became the first team in pro football history to finish a season unbeaten, going 17-0 with a Super Bowl title. That kind of success could make anyone complacent. But head coach Don Shula was not going to allow it. He believed his Dolphins could perform even better. Still, the 1973 Dolphins...

In this episode Greg sits down for a conversation with Ottawa sports historian Howie Mooney , co-author of Third & Long: The Proud History of Football in Ottawa , co-host of The Sports Lunatics podcast, and feature writer with the Fired Up Network , to talk not just Rough Rider, Renegade, and RedBlack history, but also the sports landscape in Canada. Howie tells a number of stories and the two...

The team wasn't especially big, quick, or flashy. It rarely blew away opponents. Its best player was a fullback, its defense was anonymous, and it played without its Pro Bowl quarterback for most of the year. Still, the 1972 Miami Dolphins are the only team to finish a season undefeated -- 17-0, to be exact -- in National Football League history. Fresh off a Super Bowl loss the season prior, Miami...

In the episode Scott and Greg sit down with noted professional football historian Michael MacCambridge , whose award-winning book "America’s Game: The Epic Story of How Pro Football Captured A Nation" is widely considered the definitive modern history of pro football in America.  We discuss his current book, which is devoted to professional football in England, entitled "Red Letters: Two Ferv...

Halfway through the 1971 season, the Dallas Cowboys had every reason to be worried. A quarterback controversy brewed between Craig Morton and Roger Staubach. A contract dispute had brought star running back Duane Thomas to a vow of silence. Making matters worse was a 38-0 beating by the St. Louis Cardinals. It seemed certain that the team that "couldn't win the big one" would fall short of a title...

By any other standard, it was a season of triumph. Eleven regular season wins, two more in the playoffs, and then the crowning glory of victory in Super Bowl V. But for the 1970 Baltimore Colts, the victory remained in the shadow of a devastating defeat - their crushing upset loss to the Jets two years earlier in Super Bowl III. America's Game relives the Colts bittersweet season from their regula...

They entered Super Bowl IV as 13-point underdogs. But the 1969 Kansas City Chiefs' decisive victory over the Minnesota Vikings put to rest any questions as to whether the fledgling American Football League could compete against the established NFL. It also validated the careers of five future Hall of Fame players and their flamboyant head coach Hank Stram. To become world champions, Kansas City ha...

Prior to the 1968 season, the AFL was considered a minor league compared to the more established NFL. The league had already lost Super Bowls I and II. So the success of the New York Jets, and their quarterback, Joe Namath, could not have come at a better moment. Namath, who had a quick release and charisma to burn, piloted a Jets offense that set a franchise record by scoring 419 points that seas...

The Green Bay Packers have long been one of the most celebrated franchises in football history, and this documentary focuses on one of the team's greatest seasons. The 1967-1968 squad had one of the most memorable post-seasons in NFL history including the epic "Ice Bowl" victory over the Dallas Cowboys. Players from that team offer their memories and insights into that campaign.

This episode chronicles the first team to win a Super Bowl, the 1966 Green Bay Packers, led by legendary head coach Vince Lombardi and quarterback Bart Starr. The Green Bay Packers were rated as the 6th greatest Super Bowl winning team by a Blue Ribbon panel of experts.

The team credo of the 1969 Minnesota Vikings was "40 for 60." In extreme cold with no heaters, in wins, in losses, all 40 members of the team gave it their all for all 60 minutes of the game. The 1969 Vikings, known for their "Purple People Eaters" defensive line and 12 consecutive victories  set a record for consecutive wins and defeated the Cleveland Browns in the NFL championship game to r...

Larry Csonka, the late Jim Kiick, and Mercury Morris are still remembered for achieving something that no other NFL team ever has: Perfection. These three running backs were a part of what is still seen in history as the best football team of all time: the 1972 Miami Dolphins. “We did one thing: we hit perfection. When you become a definition, not just a number, then you are in a special place.” –...

The documentary primarily focuses on two ex-players: Jim Otto and Roger Stillwell. Otto was a star center for the Oakland Raiders during the  1960s and 1970s. On the surface, his story seems to represent all that  is right about pro football; after a long career he was elected to the  NFL’s Hall of Fame and then enjoyed great business success as a  restaurant franchise owner. V...

Aaron Rodgers drops in the draft while waiting in the Green Room, while former New York Giants general manager Ernie Accorsi enjoys his best draft ever. Features interviews with Aaron Rodgers, Justin Tuck, Mike McCarthy, Bill Polian, Cadillac Williams, Ronnie Brown and more.

When number one overall pick Eli Manning refuses to play for the San Diego Chargers, it triggers the biggest showdown between an organization and player in two decades and alters the fortunes of quarterbacks Philip Rivers and Ben Roethlisberger. Additionally, the University of Miami (FL) sets an NFL record for most first-round selections with six. Features interviews with Ben Roethlisberger, Phili...

Despite wowing at the NFL Scouting Combine, workout warrior Mike Mamula struggles on the field. Highly-touted running back Kijana Carter has a disappointing career, while draft afterthoughts Terrell Davis and Curtis Martin become stars. Features interviews with Tom Coughlin, Tony Dungy, Derrick Brooks, Curtis Martin, Terrell Davis, Kijana Carter and more.

Against the backdrop of highly-touted quarterbacks Trent Dilfer and Heath Shuler jockeying for position, a verbal on-air spat between ESPN’s Mel Kiper, Jr. and Indianapolis Colts general manager Bill Tobin, and the NFL becoming a year-round sport, the NFL Draft becomes the must-see event it is today. Additionally, players such as Kurt Warner, Rod Smith, Jeff Garcia and D’Marco Farr go undrafted. F...

Bill Walsh trades up with the New England Patriots and lands wide receiver Jerry Rice. But was that the original plan? For the first time, former Cincinnati Bengals head coach Sam Wyche reveals Walsh’s frantic efforts to trade for the top-billed receiver in the draft, Eddie Brown, while Bernie Kosar stuns the world by entering the supplemental draft and landing in Cleveland. Features interviews wi...

Engaged in a bidding war with the USFL, the 1984 NFL Draft takes place in one marathon day after the USFL Draft had concluded. Future Hall of Famers Reggie White and Steve Young signed with the USFL, while Boomer Esiason fell to the second round of the NFL Draft after saying he did not want to play in the USFL. Additionally, the first overall pick is traded twice and NFL Draft analyst Mel Kiper, J...

In a draft that would be remembered for Walter Payton, top pick Steve Bartkowski sets the NFL world afire by asking his college dorm-mate Leigh Steinberg to negotiate his contract. Features interviews with Leigh Steinberg, Gil Brandt, Hollywood Henderson, Dan Fouts, Steve Bartkowski, Robert Brazile and more.