The Game Before the Money: Oral History of Pro and College Football

In this weekly episode of 5 Minutes of Football History, I look at great quarterbacks who finished their careers with new teams, like Tom Brady is doing with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. 5 Minutes of Football History comes out each Tuesday. I also periodically release documentary podcasts featuring NFL and college football legends. Please subscribe to the podcast and visit TheGameBeforeTheMoney.com f...

Don Shula stands as one of the greatest coaches in NFL history. His name is forever attached to the Miami Dolphins but he also coached another franchise to the Super Bowl.  Did you know that Shula also played in the NFL? Not only did he enjoy a 7-year playing career, he also played for two Hall of Fame coaches.  Learn about Don Shula's life and career in this episode of The Game before the Money P...

The Spanish Flu pandemic ravaged the 1918 College Football Season. Some teams didn't play a single game, while others played only three or four. Hear how major football teams such as Michigan, Notre Dame, Texas A&M, Oklahoma, Pitt, and Nebraska were affected. This is the first segment of our Five Minutes of Football History series that will appear on Tuesdays. Please subscribe to The Game before t...

Coach Levy led the Buffalo Bills to four straight Super Bowls. Most NFL fans know him for that epic run. His life story and coaching history proves incredible beyond that remarkable feat. In fact, when he became head coach at the University of California in 1960 he added a high school coach to his staff who later became one of the most successful head coaches in NFL history. Even more amazingly, t...

This is part two of a two-part series with Tom Osborne. We delve into Coach Osborne's head coaching career in this episode. Osborne led Nebraska to three national championships in four years. He came literally within inches of winning two more national championships during the 1980s and missed yet another national championship in 1993 by a missed field goal at the end of the Orange Bowl. Hear Coac...

Nebraska football coaching legend Tom Osborne joins The Game Before the Money Podcast. In Part 1 of a two-part series, we discuss his early life, his time working as an assistant for legendary Nebraska coach Bob Devaney, and Nebraska's back-to-back National Championships in 1970 and 1971.  You'll hear inside details about the Cornhuskers' game plan in their legendary 1971 Game of the Century showd...

John Wooten truly is a legend. Coming into the NFL in 1959, he blocked for Jim Brown, played for Paul Brown, and was a key part of the 1964 Cleveland Browns NFL championship team. Hear him share stories of his friendships with Ernie Davis and Muhammad Ali, including great info on the famous "Cleveland Summit" with Ali, Jim Brown, Bill Russell, and many other sports superstars. In college, he helpe...

Eddie Meador played defensive back for the Los Angeles Rams from 1959-1970. The Pro Football Hall of Fame named him to their 1960s All-Decade Team. Nearly 50 years after his last game, Eddie still holds Rams team records for interceptions, blocked kicks, fumble recoveries, and is tied for the franchise lead in interceptions returned for touchdowns. He joins The Game Before the Money Podcast to sha...

TERRY BAKER won the 1962 Heisman Trophy. He also played in the 1963 Final Four. Sports Illustrated named him Sportsman of the Year in 1962, and he was the first-overall pick of the 1963 NFL Draft. He played professionally for the Los Angeles Rams. Hear his amazing stories about winning the Heisman, playing in the Final Four, and meeting President Kennedy. Also hear the story behind his record-brea...

Bert Bell founded the Philadelphia Eagles in 1933. In 1946, he took over as NFL Commissioner. His innovations provide a backbone for the modern game and pro sports in general. A few of his innovations include: the player draft, overtime, and the weekly injury report. He also vaulted the NFL into the age of television. Learn the backstories to these innovations -- as well as Bell's role in the foun...

Ron McDole on The Game Before the Money Podcast. He is the NFL's all-time leader in interceptions by a defensive lineman. His storied 18-year career includes winning the 1964 and 1965 AFL Championships with the Buffalo Bills, and playing in Super Bowl 7 as part of Washington's Over the Hill Gang. Please visit our website, https://TheGameBeforeTheMoney.com  . Podcast Brought to you by NBAutographs....

Pete Koch joins The Game before the Money podcast. Pete was a first-round draft pick of the Bengals in 1984, and later played for the Kansas City Chiefs and Los Angeles Raiders. He also starred with Clint Eastwood in the movie Heartbreak Ridge.  He discusses what it was like to be a first-round draft pick, the glory years of the 1980s AFC West, and what made Howie Long such an exceptional defensiv...

Dallas Cowboys legend Chad Hennings joins The Game Before the Money. The 3x Super Bowl Champ discusses the adversity the Cowboys overcame to win, his fighter jet experience in the Gulf War, and assiting others toward their own victories.

Opening episode describing podcast and announcing first guests. Take a step back in time with pro and college football legends. Based on the book, The Game before the Money: Voices of the Men Who Built the NFL, published by the University of Nebraska Press.