When Football Was Football

When Football Is Football is part of the Sports History Network - The Headquarters For Sports Yesteryear . EPISODE SUMMARY As we continue our tribute to the 1947 Chicago Cardinals NFL championship, we head back to December 27, 1947, the day before the title game with the Philadelphia Eagles at Comiskey Park in Chicago. Absolutely no one gave the Eagles a chance in this game, except, perhaps Cardin...

The 74th Rose Bowl between USC and Michigan State was a fun game. Joe Ziemba of the  When Football was Football Podcast  joins us to discuss the game played in early January of 1988. Join us at the Pigskin Dispatch website and the Sports Jersey Dispatch to see even more Positive football news! Sign up to get daily football history headlines in your email inbox @  Email-subscriber Mi...

Author and historian Joe Ziemba of the  When Football was Football Podcast  joins us to discuss the 1984 Rose Bowl game between UCLA and Illinois. The people, plays, and great stories associated with the 70th Rose Bowl Game. Joe has a fantastic book on Chicago area pro football titled  Bears versus Cardinals ; that is an excellent piece of reading for any fan of football history! Jo...

When Football Is Football is part of the Sports History Network - The Headquarters For Sports Yesteryear . EPISODE SUMMARY They called them “Cinderellas”—a couple of previously woebegone National Football League teams that had never been to the big ball-- more commonly known as the NFL Championship game. Since the NFL staged its first “playoff” in 1932—due to a tie in the standings—neither the Phi...

When Football Is Football is part of the Sports History Network - The Headquarters For Sports Yesteryear . EPISODE SUMMARY It was a long week—and a long wait—for the Chicago Cardinals as the club waited for an Eastern Division playoff result to determine which team would play the Cardinals for the 1947 NFL championship. And now, 75 years ago to the day, we continue our mini-series on the 1947 Chic...

When Football Is Football is part of the Sports History Network - The Headquarters For Sports Yesteryear . EPISODE SUMMARY How does a team adequately prepare for an NFL title game? Even more, so, how does a club prepare itself for the biggest game of the season when the name of the opposition is not yet known? Such was the case for the Chicago Cardinals 75 years ago today on December 18, 1947. As...

When Football Is Football is part of the Sports History Network - The Headquarters For Sports Yesteryear . EPISODE SUMMARY With all of the hype now delivered and the big day finally arriving, we’ll take you back to December 14, 1947 when the Bears and the Cardinals met in Chicago to determine the NFL’s Western Division championship. It had already been an unusual decade for both teams. Each organi...

When Football Is Football is part of the Sports History Network - The Headquarters For Sports Yesteryear . EPISODE SUMMARY With the NFL Western Division title on the line, both the Bears and the Cardinals continued their pre-game preparations for that upcoming contest 75 years ago today. By Saturday, December 13, 1947, both teams were confident in their game plans and overall preparation for the b...

Author, historian, and football history podcaster Joe Ziemba joins us to discuss the history surrounding the 1942 Rose Bowl Game. A contest not played in Pasadena. Join us at the Pigskin Dispatch website and the Sports Jersey Dispatch to see even more Positive football news! Sign up to get daily football history headlines in your email inbox @  Email-subscriber Miss our football by the day of...

When Football Is Football is part of the Sports History Network - The Headquarters For Sports Yesteryear . EPISODE SUMMARY As you may recall from our previous episode in this new mini-series that chronicles the 1947 Chicago Cardinals championship run, the Cards had nearly blown their opportunity to contend for the 1947 NFL title. After compiling a 7-1 record and facing two dreary opponents, the Ca...

When Football Is Football is part of the Sports History Network - The Headquarters For Sports Yesteryear . EPISODE SUMMARY As we kick off our bonus coverage of the 1947 Chicago Cardinals championship run, we begin with a mid-season stumble that nearly cost the Cards any shot at the championship. Read the entire episode blog post and check out some other cool info regarding this episode here . WHEN...

When Football Is Football is part of the Sports History Network - The Headquarters For Sports Yesteryear . EPISODE SUMMARY In this episode of “When Football Was Football’” Joe Ziemba previews his latest book, “Bears vs. Cardinals: The NFL’s Oldest Rivalry,” and shares some of the stories that are included within the book. The recent release of the book by McFarland Publishing coincides with the 75...

Our friend historian, podcaster, and author Joe Ziemba joins us to tell the tale of a Rose Bowl game that Chicago legends George Halas and Paddy Driscoll played in in 1919.  Join us at the Pigskin Dispatch website and the Sports Jersey Dispatch to see even more Positive football news! Sign up to get daily football history headlines in your email inbox @  Email-subscriber Miss our fo...

Thanksgiving Day, 1924 . The recently-established tradition of the University of Pittsburgh Panthers football team hosting the Pennsylvania State Nittany Lions on the afternoon of the national autumnal holiday continues. Orville Mulligan: Sports Writer is sent to cover the Pitt-Penn State “Keystone Classic” of 1924; in so doing, he discovers a throughline of the football-on-Thanksgiving tradition...

When Football Is Football is part of the Sports History Network - The Headquarters For Sports Yesteryear . EPISODE SUMMARY Some may claim that Chicago has a bad reputation…and not necessarily just in football! Much of this aura stems from the glorified gangster days of the 1920s and 1930s when Al Capone and his cohorts ruled the Chicago area underworld. These were not nice people, but Capone attem...

When Football Is Football is part of the Sports History Network - The Headquarters For Sports Yesteryear . EPISODE SUMMARY Most NFL football games played almost 100 years ago, where two teams with losing records opposed against each other would all but be forgotten by our current generation. Especially when no one famous made a debut or set some kind of long-standing record. A game at Chicago’s Co...

When Football Is Football is part of the Sports History Network - The Headquarters For Sports Yesteryear . EPISODE SUMMARY Tuesday, October 18, 1938, was one of the most unique days in the history of Hammond, IN. Nestled in the northeast corner of the state, the solidly blue-collar metropolis of Hammond is actually closer to downtown Chicago than many of the windy city’s far-flung suburbs. Yet as...

When Football Is Football is part of the Sports History Network - The Headquarters For Sports Yesteryear . EPISODE SUMMARY Perhaps the best recollection, in my humble opinion, was a run that Trippi of the Chicago Cardinals made in the 1947 NFL championship game against the Philadelphia Eagles. Working on a frozen field at Chicago’s Comiskey Park, the Cardinals switched to gym shoes before the game...

When Football Is Football is part of the Sports History Network - The Headquarters For Sports Yesteryear . EPISODE SUMMARY In the early years of the 20th century before the start of the National Football League, semi-professional football teams could be found in a number of areas, including Chicago. I used the word “semi-pro” because the individuals playing the games were not always guaranteed tha...

When Football Is Football 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 There were plenty of big names on those clubs from Sid Luckman to Bulldog Turner, to George McAfee, to Joe Stydahar, all of whom eventually found their way into the Pro Football Hall of Fame. And there were s...

When Football Is Football is part of the Sports History Network - The Headquarters For Sports Yesteryear . GET YOUR WHEN FOOTBALL WAS FOOTBALL MERCHANDISE AT THE SHOP SPORTS HISTORY STORE NETWORK SPONSORS Row One - the vintage shop for sports history fans! EPISODE SUMMARY When we think of really big men who have had a positive impact on the National Football League, some familiar names readily com...

When Football Is Football 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 Every so often, an NFL team strikes gold with a draft choice. In 2022, virtually no stone is left unturned when teams belly up to evaluate potential draftees. Film, personal workouts, sprint times, psychologi...

When Football Is Football 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   With electronic, board, and online fantasy games extremely popular for both football and baseball fans, one can imagine the wild matchups that might be possible through these outlets. How would Nolan R...

When Football Is Football 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 Since the Arizona Cardinals began in 1899, the team has captured just two NFL titles and both were in the pre-Super Bowl era. In fact, the last championship won by the Cards was in 1947, 75 years ago this sea...

When Football Is Football 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 1950, the Chicago Cardinals faced a challenging coaching predicament. After Jimmy Conzelman retired in 1948 following two straight trips to the NFL championship game, the club named Phil Handler and Buddy...