Sports History Network

Join Gridiron Greats Magazine Publisher and Editor Bob Swick along with his co-host Joe Squires for the all new 2020 of Gridiron Greats Magazine-The Podcast Gridiron Greats Magazine is the only publication in America which focuses upon the history and memorabilia of the North American Football Game since its inception in 1869. Covering 150+ years of football history and memorabilia, Gridiron Great...

Joe Zagorski Interview | Was the 1970s the Most Important Decade For the NFL? Joe Zagorski stops by the show to share with us why he believes the 1970s were the NFL’s most important decade.  He’s even written 3 books so far on the topic.  Throughout his days, Joe spent some time as a sportswriter and has been a member of the Pro Football Researchers Association since the mid-1980s.  You can find h...

Join Gridiron Greats Magazine Publisher and Editor Bob Swick along with his co-host Joe Squires for the all new 2020 of Gridiron Greats Magazine-The Podcast Gridiron Greats Magazine is the only publication in America which focuses upon the history and memorabilia of the North American Football Game since its inception in 1869. Covering 150+ years of football history and memorabilia, Gridiron Great...

In 1964, Skip Lockwood was being looked at by several Major League Baseball teams. The Kansas City A’s and their general manager Pat Friday offered Lockwood a signing bonus of $35,000. Lockwood wrote a “1” in front of the 35 and convinced Friday and A’s owner Charlie Finley he was worth every penny. Finley agreed and Lockwood’s career was underway. A third baseman, one week out of high school, Loc...

Joe Zagorski Interview | Was the 1970s the Most Important Decade For the NFL?   Joe Zagorski stops by the show to share with us why he believes the 1970s were the NFL’s most important decade.  He’s even written 3 books so far on the topic.  Throughout his days, Joe spent some time as a sportswriter and has been a member of the Pro Football Researchers Association since the mid-1980s.  You can find...

David Baker | President and CEO of the Pro Football Hall of Fame David Baker is the current President and CEO of the Pro Football Hall of Fame. He stops by on the show to share with us some stories from his career, as well as the future plans for the Hall and the Centennial Celebration in September. Listen in to hear about David's journey in the world of football and strap on your seat belt becaus...

Edd Roush was elected to the baseball Hall of Fame in 1962. A star for the Cincinnati Reds of the 19-teens and the 1920s, Roush also played in one of the most famous World Series of all time, the 1919 Series between the White Sox and the Reds. While so many players from Chicago have been written about and are well-known, especially Joe Jackson, Buck Weaver, Kid Gleason and Eddie Cicotte; so few kn...

By 1963, Angelo Mosca had already established himself as one of the Canadian Football League’s premier defensive lineman and was gaining ever-greater popularity in some of Canada’s regional wrestling associations. But thanks to a single play in that year’s Grey Cup championship game, Mosca ascended to new heights (or perhaps descended to new depths) as one all-time classic heel – in two sports. If...

Join Gridiron Greats Magazine Publisher and Editor Bob Swick along with his co-host Joe Squires for the all new 2020 of Gridiron Greats Magazine-The Podcast Gridiron Greats Magazine is the only publication in America which focuses upon the history and memorabilia of the North American Football Game since its inception in 1869. Covering 150+ years of football history and memorabilia, Gridiron Great...

In 2011, Angelo Mosca was co-star of a YouTube clip gone viral in the days before viral was a thing. The clip captures a fight between 70-year-olds over a Canadian football game played nearly 50 years prior: In some ways it was the culmination of a career playing “the man you love to hate” first in the CFL and later in the burgeoning World Wrestling Federation of Vince McMahon. If we can consider...

Chris Serb Interview (War Football) Chris Serb is a Captain on the Chicago Fire Department by day and a veteran freelance writer by night, with concentrations in sports and history. His 2019 book, War Football: World War I and the Birth of the NFL , looks at how military football led to the growth of professional football and helped launch the NFL less than two years after World War I ended. The P...

Join Gridiron Greats Magazine Publisher and Editor Bob Swick along with his co-host Joe Squires for the all new 2020 of Gridiron Greats Magazine-The Podcast Gridiron Greats Magazine is the only publication in America which focuses upon the history and memorabilia of the North American Football Game since its inception in 1869. Covering 150+ years of football history and memorabilia, Gridiron Great...

Chris Willis (NFL Films) Interview | Part 2 Support the Show via Donation Chris Willis is the Head of the Research Library for NFL Films, a position he has held since 1996.  He also is an author of 7 books, mostly revolving around the early history of the NFL, including his most recent book on the life of legendary Red Grange.  Chris has been nominated and won Emmy's for his work on NFL documentar...

The name Drazen Petrovic might not be familiar to many of today’s NBA fans. But for those who recall the early 1990s and the sudden rise of the then New Jersey Nets, Drazen Petrovic is a name that brings up memories of a sharpshooting guard, a star on the rise, and man whose life was tragically cut short in a head-on collision along the famed autobahn. Petrovic, born in Croatia, had a passion for...

Chris Willis (NFL Films) Interview | Part 1 Support the Show via Donation Chris Willis is the Head of the Research Library for NFL Films, a position he has held since 1996.  He also is an author of 7 books, mostly revolving around the early history of the NFL, including his most recent book on the life of legendary Red Grange .  Chris has been nominated and won Emmy's for his work on NFL documenta...

To say that the gladiators in the arena games of ancient Rome were fighting for their lives tells just a small part of these incredible athletes’ stories. They fought for honor and for freedom, all while playing out a sport-based story of redemption – and likely none fought more, won more and perhaps even lost more bouts in the arena than Flamma the Galdiator. On this episode of Truly the GOATs, h...

Jim Thorpe was the NFL's first bonafide superstar and a decathlete who turned in the finest individual performance at the Olympic Games -- but is sports history forgetting him? On this episode of Truly the GOATs, host Os Davis tells the story of the 20th century's greatest athlete along with special guest Justin Lehhart of the Jim Thorpe Museum and Oklahoma Sports Hall of Fame. And if you've got o...

Chris Landry (Former NFL Scout) Interview | Part 3   Support the Show via Donation Chris Landry spent an entire lifetime in football in various roles.  He was a scout, coach, and administrator at the college and professional level.  From his days with LSU to the main scout with the Houston Oilers/Tennessee Titans, then a coordinator of the NFL combine, and now an independent coaching and scouting...

The name Oscar Charleston is not familiar to many. An absolute star in baseball’s Negro Leagues, Charleston’s best years came before there was much structure in the Negro Leagues. His prodigious power, spectacular defense and winning ways came before the more popular names of Satchel Paige, Josh Gibson and Buck O’Neill took the field. Oscar played for the likes of the Indianapolis ABC’s, Homestead...

Chris Landry (Former NFL Scout) Interview | Part 2   Support the Show via Donation Chris Landry spent an entire lifetime in football in various roles.  He was a scout, coach, and administrator at the college and professional level.  From his days with LSU to the main scout with the Houston Oilers/Tennessee Titans, then a coordinator of the NFL combine, and now an independent coaching and scouting...

An introductory teaser/pilot episode to Truly the GOATs, the sports history podcast with a sense of perspective. Hosted by Os Davis.

Chris Landry Interview (Part 1)   Support the Show via Donation Chris Landry spent an entire lifetime in football in various roles.  He was a scout, coach, and administrator at the college and professional level.  From his days with LSU to the main scout with the Houston Oilers/Tennessee Titans, then a coordinator of the NFL combine, and now an independent coaching and scouting consultant; Chris h...

Join Gridiron Greats Magazine Publisher and Editor Bob Swick along with his co-host Joe Squires for the all new 2020 of Gridiron Greats Magazine-The Podcast Gridiron Greats Magazine is the only publication in America which focuses upon the history and memorabilia of the North American Football Game since its inception in 1869. Covering 150+ years of football history and memorabilia, Gridiron Great...

When you think of the greatest defensemen to ever play in the NHL, a few names come immediately to mind: Bobby Orr, Doug Harvey, Ray Borque and Denis Potvin. But one of the most overlooked names is Pierre Pilote and he deserves to be mentioned in any conversation when it comes to who was the greatest blueliner to ever play. Some of the reasons Pilote might be overlook, and even forgotten, are: his...

NFL Scouting Combine History (A Brief Overview)   Support the Show via Donation The NFL Scouting Combine nowadays is a major event with media coverage all over the place and fans around the world tuning in to see if they can catch a glimpse at a new record.  It wasn't always this way, and the combine itself isn't really that old, either.  The first combine with all teams included wasn't until 1985...