Sports History Network

Tweet This episode we fire up the DeLorean and head back to learn about free agency in the NFL   Every year in the middle of March, many NFL players strike it rich.   It wasn't always this way.   Players didn't have much leverage at the birth of the NFL.  Sure, we learned about Pudge Heffelfinger becoming the first dude to get paid for playing football way back in episode 2, but that doesn't...

Tweet This episode we fire up the DeLorean and head back to learn about the man known as the Father of Instant Replay, Art McNally.   Art gave almost 60 years of his life to the NFL to improve the officiating department.   Last episode discussed Shorty Ray's impact on the development of the rules .  Art McNally used this foundation and trained his officials to be the best they could be.   He d...

Ron McDole had the great fortune of playing for two of football’s greatest defensive minds: Lou Saban and George Allen. McDole, who graduated from Nebraska before the Cornhuskers became such an elite program, played 18 years of professional football. He started off with the St. Louis Cardinals in 1961 and then moved on to the Houston Oilers in 1962. However, he suffered from migraine seizures whil...

Tweet This episode we fire up the DeLorean and head back to learn about the man known as the NFL's Mr. Einstein and often referred to as the NFL's Unknown Hero, Hugh "Shorty" Ray.   We were introduced to him in last week's episode covering the History of the NFL Official , but this episode we get to learn why he was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame .  Many say President Teddy Roosevel...

Tweet This episode we fire up the DeLorean and head back to learn about the evolution of the NFL Official.   Last week we discussed the evolution of the rules , but the rules do not matter if the official is not there to enforce them.   Back in the early days of the NFL, the official was not nearly on the same level as today regarding professionalism or effectiveness.   In this episode, we expl...

The Kentucky Colonels were one of the original franchises of the American Basketball Association (ABA) and one of just three teams to play all nine years of the ABA’s existence. However, when the ABA folded, the Colonels were not one of the teams to merge with the NBA. Owner John Y. Brown did not want to pay the NBA’s entry fee and instead took a payment from the NBA to disband the team; and only...

Join Gridiron Greats Magazine Publisher and Editor Bob Swick along with his co-host Joe Squires for the all new 2019 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 140+ years of football history and memorabilia, Gridiron Great...

The Football History Dude is part of the Sports History Network - The Headquarters For Sports Yesteryear . LINKS Follow The Football History Dude on X Follow Sports History Network on X Follow Sports History Network on Facebook Sports History Network YouTube channel Sports History Network TikTok channel EPISODE SUMMARY This episode we fire up the DeLorean and head back to learn about the more prom...

Join Gridiron Greats Magazine Publisher and Editor Bob Swick along with his co-host Joe Squires for the all new 2019 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 140+ years of football history and memorabilia, Gridiron Great...

Tweet This episode we fire up the DeLorean and head back to ground zero of The Football History Dude Podcast .  It's a special edition 50th episode that goes a little behind the scenes of how and why I started the show, gives a recap of the previous 49 episodes, and hints towards what's on tap in the upcoming year.   The 2019 NFL season coincidentally is the 100th season of the NFL, so it works...

One of the NBA’s original teams was the Rochester Royals. In fact, the Royals won an NBA Championship in 1951. But, Rochester was not an ideal location as the NBA was trying to grow and establish itself in larger cities. So, after the 1956-57 season, the Royals packed up and left for Cincinnati. Cincinnati welcomes the Royals with open arms – at least at first. Tragedy struck the team early on as...

Tweet This episode we fire up the DeLorean and head back to learn about the first Super Bowl in NFL history.   The game between the Green Bay Packers and Kansas City Chiefs provided concrete proof for the first time of the AFL-NFL merger.   Legendary coach Vince Lombardi and his Packers faced another legendary coach, Hank Stram, and his Kansas City Chiefs.   The result winner would be declared...

Tweet This episode we fire up the DeLorean and head back to learn about the history of the NFL Pro Bowl.   It is common nowadays to watch many of the all-stars of the NFL play against each other every year in the annual Pro Bowl.   It wasn't always this way, and there used to be a different type of all-star game in the NFL.  In this episode, we get to explore how the Pro Bowl has transformed ov...

2019 an honor long overdue was finally righted, the retirement of the No. 4 by the Detroit Red Wings, the sweater worn by Red Kelly, one the greatest to ever lace-up a pair of skates. Kelly, who joins me on this episode of Sports’ Forgotten Heroes, along with Waxy Gregoire, co-author of “The Red Kelly Story,” played over 12 years for the Red Wings and helped lead them out of doldrums into becoming...

Join Gridiron Greats Magazine Publisher and Editor Bob Swick along with his co-host Joe Squires for the all new 2018 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 140+ years of football history and memorabilia, Gridiron Great...

  Tweet     This episode we fire up the DeLorean and head back to learn about the timeline of NFL Playoffs.   After the 1932 ad-hoc NFL title game, league officials decided it would be good business to have an annual Championship Game to determine the alpha team of the season.   Through the years this morphed into what the current format of 12 teams making the playoffs each year.   This episode...

Tweet This episode we fire up the DeLorean and head back to learn about the first ever NFL playoff game.   Back then the league champion was determined by the team with the best record.   However, the Portsmouth Spartans and the Chicago Bears had the same record.   Thus, the league determined a playoff for the championship was in order.   So strap on your seat belt, and let’s get ready to ta...

The NBA has played witness to several teams packing up an moving to new cities. The Lakers went from Minneapolis to Los Angeles, the Warriors moved from Philadelphia to San Francisco to Oakland where they play right now (they’re moving back to San Francisco), The Jazz moved from New Orleans to Utah … there have been many, but the one team few know the history of is the Atlanta Hawks. In fact, the...

Tweet This episode we fire up the DeLorean and head back to learn about how the American Football League went from being at the doorstep of the NFL to a legitimate contender for fans.   So strap on your seat belt, and let’s get ready to take this baby up to 88mph.   GET YOUR FOOTBALL HISTORY DUDE MERCHANDISE HERE!!!!   Connect with the show: Visit the show notes for this episode Visit me on the...

Join Gridiron Greats Magazine Publisher and Editor Bob Swick along with his co-host Joe Squires for the all new 2018 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 140+ years of football history and memorabilia, Gridiron Great...

Tweet This episode we fire up the DeLorean and head back to learn about the founding of the American Football League.   Most did not take consider the AFL a serious competitor at the beginning.   NFL owners scoffed at the inferior league, and they had reason to believe the AFL would not survive.   Players often preferred the NFL, the stadiums were rundown, fans did not flock to the stands, and...

While Jackie Robinson is known to so many for being the first man to cross the color barrier in Major League Baseball, few, very few, know who the first African-American was to be drafted by an NFL Team. George Taliaferro, a record-breaking running back who played ball at Indiana University, was drafted in the 13th round of the 1949 NFL Draft by the Chicago Bears, thus becoming the first African-A...

Tweet This episode we fire up the DeLorean and head back to learn about one of the most important events in NFL history, the AFL - NFL merger.   It was thought at the beginning the AFL was just another league that would get stomped out by the NFL, but things pretty quickly, culminating with a merger into one super pro football entity.   So strap on your seat belt, and let’s get ready to take t...

Join Gridiron Greats Magazine Publisher and Editor Bob Swick along with his co-host Joe Squires for the all new 2018 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 140+ years of football history and memorabilia, Gridiron Great...

The Football History Dude is part of the Sports History Network - The Headquarters For Sports Yesteryear . NETWORK SPONSORS Row One  - the vintage shop for sports history fans! EPISODE SUMMARY In this episode, we fire up the DeLorean and head back to learn about the man who used to create the entire NFL schedule by hand, Val Pinchbeck. He worked in the NFL as an executive for over 40 years and was...