The Official Football Learning Academy Podcast

This episode’s special guest is Pro Football Hall of Fame selector Clark Judge, who not only serves on the main selection committee, but is also a member of the Blue-Ribbon Committee for Contributors. We talk about the new selection process, as well as some of the seniors, coaches, and contributors that may become finalists this year. Football Learning Academy Website: To learn more about the FLA,...

This episode is a celebration of the 100th season of the New York Giants. We will talk about their early history, early Hall of Famers, and will cap it off with an archival interview with Hall of Fame coach Bill Parcells. Football Learning Academy Website: To learn more about the FLA, go to:  https://www.football-learning-academy.com Social Media: Follow us on Twitter:  https://twitter.c...

Today’s special guest is legendary broadcaster Chris Berman, who joined ESPN in 1979, a month after its founding. He spent 31 years hosting Sunday NFL Countdown and ten years hosting Monday Night Countdown , among his many other duties at the network. In this episode, we go behind the scenes at the Pro Football Hall of Fame Induction Ceremonies, as well as talk about the American Football League....

This episode’s special guest is Greg Thomas, who made history when he was the first starting African-American quarterback in high school in San Angelo, Texas, and he became the first African-American starting quarterback in University of Arkansas history. He was 28-8 as a starter, played in four bowl games, and was named MVP of the 1987 Liberty Bowl. For the Pro Football History Nugget of the Week...

Today’s special guest is Hall of Fame offensive lineman Ron Mix, who played for the Los Angeles/San Diego Chargers and the Oakland Raiders. He was a nine-time all-AFL player and an eight-time AFL All-Star. For the Pro Football History Nugget of the Week, we talk about we talk about other American Football League players who played all ten years of the league’s existence and are in the Pro Football...

Today’s special guest is Hall of Fame linebacker Brian Urlacher, who played with the Chicago Bears from 2000 through 2012. He was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2018. In this episode, we talk about something that is important to both Brian and me, and that is helping retired players in need. Brian is on the board of directors for the Gridiron Greats Assistance Fund, and we spend ti...

Today’s special guest is former NFL quarterback Heath Shuler, who played with Washington and the New Orleans Saints. After his football career, he was elected to the United States House of Representatives for three terms. We talk about all of this and more in this episode. For the Pro Football History Nugget of the Week, we discuss George Taliaferro, the first Black player to be drafted by the NFL...

Today’s special guest is former Cincinnati Bengals’ linebacker Reggie Williams. He played with the team from 1976 through 1989, was named NFL Man of the Year in 1986, The “Whizzer” White NFL Man of the Year in 1985 and the Sports Illustrated Sportsperson of the Year in 1987. After his football career, he became an executive in the World League of American Football and with Disney. He was inducted...

Today, we are focusing on Andy Russell, who passed away February 29th at the age of 82. I interviewed him back in 2012 and the audio you’re about to listen to is from that interview. Russell played linebacker for the Pittsburgh Steelers from 1963 through 1976. He was on two of the Steelers Super Bowl Championship teams and went to seven Pro Bowls. He is a member of the Pittsburgh Steelers All-Time...

This week's special guest is historian and author Mike Richman, who just wrote a book titled "George Allen: A Football Life." He has also authored "The Redskins Encyclopedia," "The Washington Redskins Football Vault," and "Joe Gibbs: An Enduring Legacy." Finally, he has written thousands of feature articles for such publications as The Washington Post , The Baltimore Sun , and Sports Illustrated ....

Today’s special guest is Harold Jackson, whom I interviewed back in 2013. Jackson was a wide receiver for the Rams, Eagles, Patriots, Vikings, and Seahawks from 1968 through 1987. After playing, he went into coaching and had various stops in college and the pros. For the Pro Football History Nugget of the Week, we talk about the history of scouting and the combine. How did it get the name “combine...

Today’s special guest is Emerson Martin, who played offensive guard for the Carolina Panthers and Pittsburgh Steelers in the NFL, then the Barcelona Dragons in the World League of American Football, and the Mobile Admirals of the Regional Football League. He was on the Pittsburgh Steelers Super Bowl team in 1995, won a championship with the Barcelona Dragons, and won a championship with the Mobile...

Today’s special guest is David Kitchen, former NCAA strength and conditioning coach who now runs Edge Leadership Academy. He has spent the last ten years coaching teams and developing culture. In this episode, we discuss: · His life journey · His career in the NCAA (Division I, II, and III) · Edge Leadership Academy · How he applies his leadership techniques to athletes, sports...

Our special guest this week is award-winning director, filmmaker, producer, and photographer Allen Farst. Prior to his current film “Triangle Park,” which is the subject of our interview with Allen today, Farst released a documentary called “Chuck Leavell: The Tree Man” on the keyboardist for the Rolling Stones. His is a founder of PalMar Studios, an independent, award-winning creative company, an...

Today’s special guest is Amy Trask, former CEO of the then Oakland Raiders. She can now be seen on “That Other Pregame Show” on CBS Sports Network, as well as her podcast “What the Football” with co-host Suzy Shuster. This is her second visit to the Football Learning Academy. To hear her interview about her career with the Raiders, go to our website at www.football-learning-academy.com .   In...

Today’s special guest is Dr. Jeff Donatello. Dr. Jeff is passionate about guiding people along life’s journey by improving their Healthspan and Longevity. He does this through cutting-edge Regenerative Medicine, Functional Medicine, and Stem Cell Therapies. Balancing life, family and business are what truly have made him a success, as he and his wife Kelly are the Co-Owners of the Center for Wellb...

Our special guest this week is Mark Clayton, who played with the Baltimore Ravens from 2005 through 2009, then the St. Louis Rams from 2010 through 2011. He currently owns Livv Headphones, a high-quality headphone company for athletes. In this episode, we talk about his football career, the current Ravens season, and what he has been doing since he retired. For the Pro Football History Nugget of t...

Today’s special guest is Dr. Michael Hutchison, who markets the PowerPlus mouth guard. This mouth guard is revolutionary and has shown to reduce the G-Force produced in a collision (reducing concussions), increased strength and balance, and increase performance and agility. This is important for athletes of all ages. We discuss how it works and the data produced from the research. For the Pro Foot...

Today's special guest is award winning author and historian Jeff Miller. He is the author of seven books focusing on the history of American football. Jeff has appeared as a featured commentator in two documentaries focusing on football history. In 2009, he was featured in the NFL Films production "History of the Buffalo Bills," which coincided with the 50th anniversary of the franchise. And in 20...

Today’s special guest is noted Chicago Bears historian Jack Silverstein. He is a Pro Football Hall of Fame analyst and the Chicago Bears historian for Windy City Gridiron. If you want to know about Chicago Bears history, Jack is your guy. We will not have a pro football history nugget of the week as this entire episode is focused on pro football history. Football Learning Academy Website: To learn...

Today’s special guest is Pro Football Hall of Famer John Hannah, who played with the New England Patriots from 1973 through 1985. Arguably the greatest offensive guard in NFL history, and some consider one of the greatest offensive linemen of all-time, John Hannah made two All-Decade teams (1970s and 1980s), earned trips to nine Pro Bowls, was inducted into the New England Patriots Hall of Fame, t...

Today’s special guest is Marc Trestman. He has a long coaching career, starting with winning a national championship as an assistant coach with the University of Miami. After multiple stops as various position coaches and coordinators, Trestman earned his first head coaching job with the Montreal Alouettes of the Canadian Football League. While there, he won two Grey Cups. After a stint as head co...

Today’s special guest is Mike Hollis, kicker for the Jacksonville Jaguars, Buffalo Bills and New York Giants. Also, after 19-year hiatus, he came back to play a season for the Jacksonville Sharks of the National Arena League. He currently runs the ProForm Kicking Academy. For the Pro Football History Nugget of the Week, we take a look at some of the great players that came out of the University of...

Today's special guest is Lindenwood University's head football coach Jed Stugart. Prior to being at Lindenwood, Stugart coached in various capacities at the University of Northern Colorado, MidAmerica Nazarene University, University of Nevada-Las Vegas (UNLV), and the University of Sioux Falls. He also had a country music career, which we discuss in this episode. For the Pro Football History Nugge...

Michael Lombardi is a former NFL executive who has worked with some of the greats of the game, like Bill Walsh, Bill Belichick, and Al Davis. In this interview, we discuss his latest book Football Done Right and touch on his previous book Gridiron Genius . For the Pro Football History Nugget of the Week, we talk about Clark Shaughnessy, someone who should be in the Pro Football Hall of Fame. Footb...