Sports History Network

In 1996, Olympic Gold Medal winning wrestler Dave Schultz was murdered by John DuPont on the Foxcatcher Farm in Pennsylvania. In 1913, Jim Thorpe was stripped of his 1912 Olympic Gold Medals for accepting $25/week to play baseball in 1910 and 1911. In 1986, the Chicago Bears beat New England 46-10 in Super Bowl XX. In 1993, Cheryl Miller scored 105 points in a women's high school basketball game o...

Men of Troy: Inside the Wild Nights and Enduring Legacy of Pete Carroll’s USC For college football fans, the early 2000s in Los Angeles weren't just about a team—it was a cultural phenomenon. Recently on Pigskin Dispatch , I had the pleasure of sitting down with award-winning author Monte Burke to discuss his latest book, Men of Troy: The Epic Afternoons, Wild Nights and Enduring Legacy of Pete Ca...

In 2010, JamesOn Curry came off the bench for the Los Angeles Clippers and played 3.9 seconds. He was subbed for and never played again. In 1972, the Ohio State vs. Minnesota basketball game ended in a horrible brawl that sent three Buckeye players to the hospital. In 1924, the first Winter Olympics got started in Chamonix, France. And in 1939, Joe Louis fought his friend John Henry Lewis as a fav...

In 1981, New York Islanders' Mike Bossy scored a pair of goals in the closing minutes to score his 50th goal in the first 50 games of the season. In 1999, David Duval carded 11 birdies and an eagle en route to the third 59 in a PGA Tour Event. In 1982, a Super Bowl of firsts. First for both teams, first in a cold weather city, first use of the telestrator, first Super Bowl for John Madden in the b...

In 1971, ABA commissioner Jack Dolph left his briefcase open courtside during the ABA All Star game exposing pro contracts for two college basketball players who still had eligibility. The contracts were noticed and led to an NCAA investigation. When the investigation ended, Villanova had its entire season vacated while Western Kentucky had its postseason erased. In 1983, Swedish tennis star Bjorn...

Gridiron Greats Magazine podcast is part of the Sports History Network - The Headquarters For Sports Yesteryear . EPISODE SUMMARY Join Co-Host Joe Squires and I as we talk about some auctions and the Seattle Seahawks' history in Championship Games along with some vintage Seahawks football card sets. GRIDIRON GREATS MAGAZINE BACKGROUND Gridiron Greats covers 140+ years of North American football hi...

The Margin of Error: Reflections on a Wild Divisional Weekend The NFL Divisional Round is behind us, and if there’s one thing we learned from the "Pig Pen" this week, it’s that the gap between a "Super Bowl favorite" and "watching from the couch" is razor-thin. Hosts Darin Hayes and Ed Kleese sat down to recap a weekend defined by emotional endings, coaching carousel chaos, and the polarizing perf...

The focus of today's podcast revolves around the 1990 NCAA National Championship game, where the UNLV Running Rebels executed an overwhelming victory against the Duke Blue Devils, solidifying their place in basketball history. The episode meticulously examines the cultural impact of the UNLV team, renowned for their audacious style and formidable prowess, contrasting sharply with the more traditio...

In 1973, the Sunshine Showdown in Jamaica between Joe Frazier and Joe Foreman. After Foreman put Frazier on the mat, Howard Cosell screamed, 'Down Goes Frazier!' In 1989, Super Bowl XXIII in Miami between San Francisco and Cincinnati. But there was more going on in Miami that week that nearly caused the game to be relocated. In 2006, Kobe Bryant scored 81 in the second best night for an NBA player...

Joined by many of our Sports History Network colleagues, Andrew and Dan discuss the lives and legacies of Gus Williams, Bob Uecker, Fay Vincent, Al Trautwig, John Feinstein, George Foreman, Steve McMichael, Dick Barnett, Jim Marshall, Gerry Philbin, Dave Parker, and Hulk Hogan. Thanks to Dana and Chuck (Historically Speaking Sports), Bob (Gridiron Greats Podcast and Magazine), and Darin (Pigskin D...

In 1952, Seattle University shocked the Harlem Globetrotters 84-81. In 1979, the Pittsburgh Steelers beat the Dallas Cowboys in Super Bowl XIII. The game is known for Jackie Smith's dropped TD pass. In 1990, John McEnroe became the first player ever disqualified from the Australian Open for misconduct. In 1984, Bobby Knight unloaded on Michigan head coach Bill Frieder for breaking an 'unwritten ru...

The Magic of the Five: College Football’s Most Iconic Number? In the cathedral of college football, certain numbers carry a weight that transcends the fabric they’re stitched onto. But while the "No. 1" is often a self-proclaimed title and "No. 7" belongs to the gunslingers, the Number 5 has always hit differently. It is the digit of the ultimate "X-factor"—the jersey worn by the players who didn'...

Prior to 1950 the NBA did not even keep records of rebounds. Why was it not considered worthy of tracking? Why was the rebound under appreciated? We try to answer that question in this episode. CREDITS Rick Loayza: Head researcher, writer, and voice Jacob Loayza: Editor, producer, and publisher MUSIC "Flashing Lights" by MokkaMusic "Horizons" by Roa SPORTS HISTORY NETWORK sportshistorynetwork.com...

Yesterday's Sports is part of the Sports History Network - The Headquarters For Sports Yesteryear . YESTERDAY'S SPORTS HOME PAGE EPISODE SUMMARY Dave and Mark talk about a bunch of 1970s NFL Playoff games, including: 1 - 1971 Playoff - Dolphins vs Chiefs 2 - 1972 Playoff - Steelers vs Raiders 3 - 1974 Playoff - Raiders vs Dolphins 4 - 1976 Playoff - Raiders vs Patriots 5 - 1977 AFC Championship -...

In 1970, Muhammad Ali vs. Rocky Marciano in the 'Super Fight.' This was a movie version of a computer generated outcome between the two heavyweights. In 1968, UCLA played Houston in the Astrodome in college basketball's 'Game of the Century.' Elvin Hayes outdueled Lew Alcindor to snap the Bruins 47-game winning streak. In 1996, Fox Sports debuted the FoxTrax Hockey Puck Tracker. And in 1980, the M...

Head, Shoulders, Knees, and Toes: The "Laissez-Faire" History of Football Safety Football is the ultimate collision sport, a game of high-speed impacts and physical prowess. But if you were to travel back to the early days of the gridiron, you might be shocked to find that for the first century of the game, the NCAA’s approach to safety was almost laughable. In a recent episode of the Pigpen podca...

It is the NFL's version of an all-star game. The Pro Bowl, played every year the weekend before the Super Bowl, has become a glorified flag football game. But for decades the NFC and AFC would come together and play in a game that was sometimes as hard hitting as a postseason game with nothing more than just bragging rights on the line. Using the format of a Pro Bowl game, podcast hosts Dana Augus...

In this episode, we focus on trailblazer Tom Williams of the Houston Oilers. He was the first African American assistant general manager in pro football history. To learn more about trailblazing contributors in NFL history, visit our Historical Scouting Reports class, where the greats in NFL history. Check it out at the Football Learning Academy website at www.football-learning-academy.com . Footb...

In this episode, we focus on scout Jackie Graves, who spent time with the Boston Patriots, Philadelphia Eagles, and Indianapolis Colts. He was one of the most respected African American scouts during the 1960s and 1970s. To learn more about trailblazing contributors in NFL history, visit our Historical Scouting Reports class, where the greats in NFL history. Check it out at the Football Learning A...

In this episode, we focus on Ralph Goldston, who spent an entire career in pro football, from player to coach to scout. To learn more about trailblazing contributors in NFL history, visit our Historical Scouting Reports class, where the greats in NFL history. Check it out at the Football Learning Academy website at www.football-learning-academy.com . Football Learning Academy Website: To learn mor...

n this episode, we focus on trailblazer Lloyd Wells of the Kansas City Chiefs. Many sources have Lloyd Wells as the first full-time African American scout in NFL history. That is not true and Ken Crippen explains why, as well as discuss Wells’ career accomplishments. To learn more about trailblazing contributors in NFL history, visit our Historical Scouting Reports class, where the greats in NFL h...

In 1974, Notre Dame beat UCLA 71-70 ending the Bruins 88-game winning streak. In 1975, UCLA legendary big men Bill Walton and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar played against each other for the first time in the NBA. In 1981, Muhammad Ali talked a suicidal man off a ledge in Los Angeles. In 1983, minor league hockey player Tom Martin was traded for a bus. In 2002, did Tom Brady fumble or simply throw an incompl...

The More Things Change: A Historic 2025 NFL Postseason Recap In the National Football League, they say the more things change, the more they stay the same. As we wrap up the 2025 Divisional Round and head into January 18, 2026, the landscape of the AFC and NFC Championship games feels like a "parallel universe" where modern stars are walking the same paths as the legends before them. AFC: A Battle...

In 1971, the Pittsburgh Steelers beat the Dallas Cowboys 21-17 to Super Bowl X. This was also the first Super Bowl that featured a halftime show. In 1958, Willie O'Ree became the first black player to play in the NHL when he played for the Boston Bruins. In 1896, the University of Chicago played the University of Iowa in the first collegiate basketball game that featured 5 man teams. In 1950, Clev...

Total Sports Recall (TSR) is part of the Sports History Network - The Headquarters For Sports Yesteryear . TOTAL SPORTS RECALL HOMEPAGE EPISODE SUMMARY Harv Aronson returns to the Sports History Network with the Total Sports Recall podcast. This episode introduces you to Harv Aronson and provides some insight to what the show will be and some history on Harv. TOTAL SPORTS RECALL BACKGROUND Harv Ar...