And that was really just the start of it. Robinson went on to lead Montreal to four Stanley Cups between 1976 and 1979, cementing the Canadiens as the defining team of that era. The season after the Flyers sweep, he put up 19 goals and 66 assists and walked away with the Norris Trophy as the league's best defenseman. He could skate, he could shoot, and he could absolutely flatten you if you got near his crease. For a stretch in the late '70s, there wasn't a more complete defenseman in hockey — and most opponents knew better than to test that. After 17 dominant seasons in Montreal, Robinson finished his playing career with the LA Kings before later returning to the organization as head coach, making him one of the more quietly significant figures in Kings history on both sides of the bench.

Nick Nickson spent 44 years as the voice of the LA Kings, becoming as much a part of the franchise as any player who ever laced up at the Forum or Crypto.com Arena. Over that remarkable run he called more than 4,300 professional games and was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 2015, receiving the Foster Hewitt Memorial Award for excellence in broadcasting — putting him in the same company as his longtime Kings broadcast partner Bob Miller. For a generation of Kings fans, Nickson's voice is inseparable from the franchise's biggest moments, including the call of their first-ever Stanley Cup in 2012, when he memorably declared, "The long wait is over! After 45 years, the Kings can wear their crown!" He retired after the 2024–25 season, closing the book on one of the great broadcasting careers in LA sports history — and his appearance on Past Our Prime was a reminder of just how many chapters of hockey history this man lived through firsthand.

Nickson comes on POP to talk with Scott, Bill, and Marc to discuss Robinson, the Montreal dynasty, the arrival of Wayne Gretzky in Los Angeles, and what that era meant for hockey on the West Coast as well as the two Cups won by the NHL’s only monarchy— the Kings. Nickson had a front row seat for all of it and now he shares those insights with us as we take our weekly look back at the world of sports through the May 24, 1976 issue of Sports Illustrated. 50 years later, Robinson’s dominance is still front and center and with the help of Nickson, we relive it all on Past Our Prime… 

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On this week’s episode of Past Our Prime, we jumped into that May 17, 1976 issue with author Michael MacCambridge who joined us to discuss his acclaimed book The Franchise: A History of Sports Illustrated Magazine. He took us behind the scenes of how SI rose from near failure in the 1950s to become the gold standard of sports journalism, blending deep reporting, cultural insight, and unforgettable storytelling. MacCambridge explored the magazine’s internal battles, larger-than-life personalities, and its profound influence on how America viewed sports for decades. His book is both a love letter and a clear-eyed history of one of the most important publications of the 20th century.

MacCambridge tells us how as a child in 1976, his favorite player was Dr. J. Despite the fact he had never seen him play. Not in person. Not on TV. Only through the beautiful shots and words of SI. MacCambridge recalls how SI was one of the first magazines to implement color phots and how Henry Luce and Andre Andre Laguerre took an idea and turned it into a cultural phenomenon. He tells us how Sports Illustrated lost money its first 10 years in business before they started to turn the corner.  He compares being on the cover of SI to a musician being on the cover of Rolling Stone and he tells us how “a case can be made Julius Erving was the last truly mythic figure in American sports”

MacCambridsge is a history professor and his subject is Sports Illustrated and he’s teaching a class this week on Past Our Prime. Get full credit by downloading and listening and reviewing wherever you get your podcasts.

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But the biggest story was on the smallest guy… Hall of Fame jockey Angel Cordero Jr. stood just 5’3 and weighed a buck 13… but that didn’t stop him from being one of the giants of the horse racing world. The star jockey is still very active today but we slowed him down long enough to have him tell us about his unforgettable ride in the 1976 Kentucky Derby aboard Bold Forbes. Cordero talks about stealing the race right from the start, holding off heavy favorite Honest Pleasure and pulling off one of the biggest Derby upsets of the decade. The guys also look back at Cordero’s incredible career, which included more than 7,000 wins and three Kentucky Derby victories, including wins with Cannonade and Spend a Buck.

And from there, the conversation turns into something even bigger than horse racing. Cordero talks about what it meant to become the first Puerto Rican jockey to win the Kentucky Derby when he got into the winners circle with Colonnade and how that helped open doors for so many riders who came after him. He also shares some great stories about his friendships with baseball legends Roberto Clemente and Orlando Cepeda, especially Cepeda, whom he considered like family. It’s one of those conversations that perfectly fits what Past Our Prime is all about — great sports stories, bigger personalities and a chance to revisit an era that still feels larger than life 50 years later.

Join us for another great Past Our Prime show as we cash in a winning ticket once again this week with Hall of Fame jockey, Angel Cordero Jr. Listen, download, review, subscribe wherever you get your podcasts. Giddyup.

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We also broke down the classic “Clouts and Outs” article, which perfectly captured Schmidt and Dave Kingman as the ultimate “power whiffers” — guys who could crush the ball a mile but paid for it with mountains of strikeouts. Schmidt was brutally honest with himself about it, while Kingman basically said, “This is who I am — deal with it.” Classic 1970s baseball drama at its finest.

Our special guest, Jamie Moyer, brought the episode to life with great stories about facing Schmidt. The man who won 269 career games and pitched brilliantly at age 45 for the 2008 World Series champion Phillies had nothing but respect for Schmidt’s longevity, work ethic, and professionalism. Hearing Moyer talk about competing against one of the all-time greats was pure Past Our Prime gold as was when he reflected back on when he took a no-hitter into the 9th innings against... his home town Phillies.

We also touched on everything else from that issue — the Kentucky Derby trail, wild NHL playoff violence, Olympic hopefuls, beanball wars, and even the rise of Sportianity in sports. Another fun trip back to the spring of 1976 with plenty of laughs, memories, and great conversation. That’s exactly why we do this show!

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The winner of 7 Grand Slam singles titles, Evonne also won 6 more in double… and this week on Past Our Prime, we’re honoring Goolagong by playing a little doubles ourselves with not one, but two guests to reflect back on the brilliance of Evonne.

Peggy Michel, Goolagong’s frequent doubles partner, was one of the top doubles specialists of her era and won 3 Grand Slam titles with Evonne at the Australian Open and Wimbledon in ’74 and the Aussie Open again in 1975. Goolagong could have teamed up with more well known players on the circuit, but she and Peggy were a formidable duo for many years.

Peggy Michel, Goolagong’s frequent doubles partner, was one of the most accomplished doubles specialists of her era. Known for her sharp net play and tactical awareness, Michel complemented Goolagong’s smooth baseline game, helping the pair become a formidable team in major tournaments. Michel’s consistency and experience made her an ideal partner, and together they showcased the chemistry and coordination that define elite doubles tennis.

Australian player Pam Whytcross was a respected contemporary of Evonne Goolagong Cawley in the 1970s and helped open up the world of tennis to women across the world when in 1973 at the age of 19, she was part of a meeting led by Billie Jean King that helped lay the groundwork for the formation of the Women's Tennis Association, underscoring her role in a pivotal moment for women’s tennis.

Michel and Whytcross give us a keen insight on one of Australia’s greatest athletes , Evonne Goolagong, who was much more than just a tennis star… she was a mother. One of only three women to win a major while also holding done another full-time job… being a mom! Past Our Prime is going down under as we relive one of the best to ever do it—Evonne Goolagong.

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On the baseball side, SI was excited about the Giants’ fresh start after new owners kept the team in San Francisco and packed the house for Opening Day. But while there was new found enthusiasm in SF, Brooks Robinson's days were nearing an end in Baltimore. The greatest defensive third baseman ever, was still grinding at the plate even as his hitting had slipped from his MVP days. quite a bit.

The issue also had some wild stuff — a diver going into the giant shark tank at the New England Aquarium, Honest Pleasure looking like a Derby monster, and notes on the Yankee Stadium renovation. It was a fun snapshot of spring sports in 1976, mixing big moments with the raw edge of the era.

And speaking of raw, the NHL section delivered with the “Week of Disgrace on the Ice,” where multiple Philadelphia Flyers players were charged with assault after a violent playoff game in Toronto. The piece also introduced readers to Pete Demers, the longtime head trainer for the Los Angeles Kings, who later earned his place in the LA Kings Hall of Fame, the PHATS Hall of Fame, the Rhode Island Hockey Hall of Fame, and the U.S. Hockey Hall of Fame. Demers was the guy stitching up faces and taping ankles through all the blood and chaos of 1970s hockey — a true behind-the-scenes legend.

Pete joins us on the podcast to talk about his time in the NHL, how tough the players were that he treated back then and how the players lined up at his door for treatment in order to play. He talks to us about how Wayne Gretzky almost cost him his job after his trade to L.A. and how the difference between owners Jack Kent Cooke and Bruce McNall. And he tells us how a beer he kept in his drawer for almost 20 years was the best tasting beer he ever had in 2012.

It's a week of golf, horse racing, baseball, and the crazy days of 1970's NHL action relived by a man who saw it all... Pete Demers on the Past Our Prime podcast.

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The piece highlights Morgan’s unique approach to the game, particularly his selective hitting style and his knack for drawing walks, stealing bases, and delivering in clutch situations. It also underscores his leadership on a star-studded Reds roster, where his presence elevated the team’s offensive and defensive consistency. Morgan is framed not just as a great athlete, but as a cerebral player whose understanding of situational baseball made him invaluable during Cincinnati’s championship run.

Joe Morgan’s impact in the article is tied directly to his MVP-caliber performance and his reputation as one of the most complete players in baseball history, a status that would eventually earn him back-to-back MVP awards in 1975 and 1976 and a spot in the Hall of Fame.

Tim Kurkjian brings a Hall of Fame-level reputation of his own in baseball journalism to the Past our Prime podcast. Over almost five decades of covering the national pastime at ESPN and Sports Illustrated, Kurkjian has become one of the most respected and insightful voices in the game, known for his deep knowledge, storytelling ability, and passion for baseball history. Plus,  he’s also just plain funny with a keen ability to poke fun at himself. He tells us about working with Joe Morgan and how Joe made it clear who the real Hall of Famers were. He goes on to tell us about his first time meeting another Hall of Famer, Orioles Manager Earl Weaver, who had a unique way of introducing himself to baseball’s version of Tiny Tim. He recalls when he did one of his first live reports, and forgot in the middle of it the subject he was reporting on and he tells us what we can expect about the 2027 baseball season and the impending work stoppage. 

It’s a Past Our Prime you won’t want to miss with two little Giants of the game… Tim Kurkjian and Joe Morgan.

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This episode shines a spotlight on that legendary Indiana run under Coach Bobby Knight—a team built on discipline, defense, and relentless preparation. The guys revisit how close this program came to back-to-back titles, how Scott May’s prior injury shaped the journey, and why this team’s dominance still resonates today. From the pressure of staying undefeated to the defining moments in Philadelphia, it’s a deep dive into what made the ’76 Hoosiers truly special—and why no one has matched them since.

And to bring it all to life, the show welcomes back a key piece of that championship puzzle: Bobby Wilkerson. Known as the glue guy of that historic lineup, Wilkerson offers firsthand insight into the mindset, chemistry, and toughness that powered Indiana to perfection. From guarding the opponent’s best player to navigating Coach Knight’s demanding system, his perspective adds a personal, behind-the-scenes layer to one of college basketball’s greatest teams.

Beyond Indiana’s perfect season, the episode covers a full slate of stories from that week in 1976—baseball expansion drama, Olympic-level performances from Nadia Comaneci, rising rookies in MLB, and unforgettable moments across golf, racing, and more. But at its heart, this show is about greatness achieved—and remembered. Fifty years later, the 1976 Hoosiers remain the standard, and Past Our Prime brings you right back to when perfection was reality.

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That 1976 regional final against Marquette proved to be the toughest test on Indiana’s road to perfection. With Benson anchoring the defense and controlling the interior, the Hoosiers pulled away in the second half to advance. They would go on to defeat UCLA in the national semifinal and Michigan for a 3rd time that season, 86-68 in the championship game, where Benson posted 25 points and 9 rebounds to earn Final Four Most Outstanding Player honors. The Hoosiers finished the season a perfect 32-0, becoming the last team in Division I history to win the national championship without a single loss.

For Kent Benson, appearing on the March 29, 1976 Sports Illustrated cover was the crowning moment of a breakout college career. After playing a key role as a sophomore the year before, he emerged as the centerpiece of Bob Knight’s disciplined machine in 1976. Fifty years later, he returns to POP to reflect on that magical undefeated basketball run while also celebrating Indiana’s remarkable football achievement — completing a perfect 2025-26 season and winning the national championship. It’s a rare double dose of Hoosier perfection across two different eras, and Benson couldn’t be prouder on the Past Our Prime podcast.

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The wins came quickly. In 1979, she became the youngest player ever at 16 to win the US Open, defeating Chris Evert, and two years later she did it again, beating Martina Navratilova for her second title at Flushing Meadows. She also captured a mixed doubles championship at Wimbledon Championships with her brother John, and by 1980, Austin had risen to No. 1 in the world at just 17—the youngest ever to do it.

But her story became just as much about resilience as dominance. Injuries, particularly a persistent back issue, began to slow her down, and a serious car accident in 1989 ultimately cut her career short. Still, her legacy was already secure—two-time major champion, world No. 1, and the youngest inductee into the International Tennis Hall of Fame in 1992. More than anything, Tracy Austin’s grace through adversity became just as memorable as her brilliance on the court.

She tells us what it was like to be on the cover of SI when she was barely a teenager. She recalls what it was like on the tour and reveals that not everyone was welcoming the 14-year old from Southern California. Tracy talks about going up against the all-time greats and how she went from opponents on the court to lifelong friends with Chrissy, Martina and Billie Jean. And she makes it clear that she wasn’t pushed into a life of tennis by her parents, but rather, how they had to race to keep up with her as she chased and then knocked down her dreams of being a champion… and the best player in the world.

Tracy Austin on the Past Our Prime podcast.

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Nancy Faust became a beloved part of the game-day experience for the Chicago White Sox when she began playing organ at Comiskey Park in 1970. At a time when many ballparks treated organ music as quiet background noise, Faust turned it into a form of live entertainment, cleverly reacting to what was happening on the field with playful riffs, pop songs, and musical jokes that fans quickly learned to anticipate. Her quick timing and sense of humor helped energize crowds during some lean years for the White Sox, and she became one of the first ballpark organists to truly interact with the game and the fans. Over more than four decades with the team, Faust’s music became as much a part of the White Sox identity as the crack of the bat, making her one of the most recognizable and influential organists in baseball history.

After 41 seasons with the Sox, the Most Valuable Organist in baseball history called it a career but on the Past Our Prime podcast, Nancy tells us what it was like to work for the carnival show that was Bill Veeck. She talks about how she helped Harry Caray turn the 7th inning stretch into a nightly event and how taking the opposing pitcher out became an anthem( Na, na, na, on the South Side starting in 1977 and continuing to this day. And she recalls how she started a trend in baseball by combining Jesus Christ Superstar and future Hall of Fame slugger Dick Allen: the invention of the walk-up song.

She’s a true original spirit who played for the White Sox longer than any player in team history. The uber talented MVO, Nancy Faust on the Past Our Prime podcast.

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However, his tenure with the Braves ended abruptly that December when contract disputes and the team's unwillingness to meet his salary demands prompted a trade to the New York Knicks for center John Gianelli and cash. Injuries, including a persistent back issue and later more severe setbacks, began to erode his consistency despite continued high scoring. McAdoo then became a journeyman: traded to the Boston Celtics in 1979 (one season), then to the Detroit Pistons (waived in 1981 due to injuries), a brief stint with the New Jersey Nets, before landing with the Los Angeles Lakers on Christmas Eve 1981 in a low-key trade for a second-round pick and cash to bolster depth after Mitch Kupchak's injury. In L.A., he reinvented himself as a potent sixth man on the Showtime-era teams alongside Magic Johnson, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, and James Worthy, contributing key scoring off the bench to help secure two NBA championships in 1982 and 1985 before concluding his NBA career.

Named to the NBA’s 75th anniversary team, the 6-10 McAdoo was a force in the NBA and one of it’s most prolific scorers winning three scoring titles in succession and is the last player in the league to average 30 points and 15 rebounds per game in 1974. One of the most dominant players in NBA history was still at his peak in 1976, scoring 42 points for the Braves on December 7th of that year. But two days later he was traded to the Knicks and McAdoo tells us that’s when he knew this game was actually a business. He remembers what a thrill it was to be on the cover of SI for the first and only time and he recalls how being named MVP is the ultimate prize… until you win an NBA Championship. He tells us how he came off the bench for the first time ever for Pat Riley’s teams and while he didn’t start most games, he certainly finished them. And he reminisces about meeting his childhood hero Earl “The Pearl” Monroe and what it his relationship was like with Kareem, Riley and Jerry West.

One of the smoothest to ever do it in the NBA… Hall of Famer Bob McAdoo on the Past Our Prime podcast. 

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When Muhammad Ali stopped Jean-Pierre Coopman in five rounds on February 20, 1976, in San Juan, it was a controlled and confident defense of his heavyweight title. Ali dictated the pace from the opening bell, snapping jabs and sharp combinations while keeping the overmatched challenger at bay until the referee stepped in. The performance earned Ali the cover of the March 1, 1976 issue of Sports Illustrated, a reminder that even a routine title defense still revolved around “The Greatest.”

Moments like that take on more meaning when viewed through the lens of Professor Gerald Early, one of the leading scholars on Ali’s life and legacy. As editor of The Muhammad Ali Reader, Early explores Ali as more than just a boxer — he examines him as a cultural force who reshaped conversations about race, politics, and celebrity. On Past Our Prime, Early helped us connect the fighter that was Ali to the much bigger story outside the ring.

Professor Early tells us how Ali’s refusal to serve in the Vietnam War, a stand rooted in his faith cost him his title and years in his prime and went on to explain how Ali’s conversion to Islam shaped his identity, discipline, and sense of purpose, and how his beliefs guided some of the most consequential decisions of his career. And then the conversation turned personal. Early shared that as a kid, he didn’t just admire Ali — he thought he was a superhero. Years later, actually meeting Ali brought that childhood awe full circle, reminding him that sometimes your heroes can be human and still be larger than life.

When you step back, that’s really the story — a dominant champion in 1976, a man willing to sacrifice for his convictions, and a figure who inspired a generation. From the ring to the broader culture to one young fan who grew up to become a leading Ali scholar, it all came together in a way that felt both historic and personal on the Past Our Prime podcast.

If you think you know Muhammad Ali... think again. Listen wherever you get your podcasts.

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By 1976, Papanek was already a seasoned voice at Sports Illustrated, known for immersive storytelling and his ability to find humanity beneath the box score. His profile of Watts reflected SI’s editorial golden age — long-form narrative, scene-setting detail, and cultural context wrapped around sports performance. The piece didn’t just chronicle steals and assists; it explored personality, confidence and the way Watts connected with Seattle fans. Papanek understood that sports stories resonated most when they revealed character, and that approach helped solidify SI’s reputation for literary sports journalism.

In addition, Papanek helped launch Sports Illustrated for Kids, proving his versatility across audiences. He tells us on the show how he had to convince the powers that be that their main competition wasn't other magazines, but rather, to their shock, video games and M-TV. Papanek always had his finger on the pulse of pop culture and later carried that storytelling sensibility he developed at SI into the modern media era with ESPN. He became part of the launch team for ESPN The Magazine in the late 1990s, helping shape its voice as a sharper, more contemporary counterpart to traditional sports publications. He also contributed to ESPN.com, adapting his narrative instincts to the digital format while maintaining depth and personality in his features.

From Sports Illustrated’s golden age to the multimedia expansion of ESPN, John Papanek’s career reflects the evolution of sports journalism that spans half a century... which is just perfect for our show. One of the all-time greats from Sports Illustrated... John Papanek on the Past Our Prime podcast.

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Now, 50 years later to the day, Klammer joins the guys on the Past Our Prime podcast to talk about that life changing 1 :45.73 down the icy mountain and how for Austria, Klammer’s victory was far more than just a gold medal. Alpine skiing is woven into the country’s cultural identity; its champions are national heroes, symbols of resilience and pride in a small alpine nation that measures itself against the world on snow. Hosting the Olympics magnified that pride—and the anxiety. A loss in the marquee downhill could have felt like a national disappointment. Instead, Klammer’s daring descent became a unifying moment, a release of collective tension and a reaffirmation of Austrian excellence in the mountains that define the country. His win gave the home Games their emotional centerpiece and remains one of the most cherished moments in Austrian sports history.

That significance was captured internationally when Klammer appeared on the cover of the February 16, 1976 issue of Sports Illustrated. The cover cemented his run not just as a national triumph, but as a global sporting spectacle—an image of fearless commitment under overwhelming pressure.

On POP, Klammer recalls how going last down the mountain was torturous waiting his turn. He knew he had the weight of his country on his shoulders and attacked the mountain knowing that his rival and now good friend Bernhard Russi had just set a record time coming down the hill. Now it was his turn. He tells us he was going to do one of two things... crash or win.

He won.

One of the greatest skiers ever... Franz Klammer on the Past Our Prime podcast. Listen and subscribe wherever you get your podcasts.

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What made them unforgettable was how perfectly they balanced each other. You couldn’t stop one without awakening the other. King attacked the rim like it owed him something. Grunfeld punished hesitation with precision. Their chemistry lifted Tennessee onto the national stage and announced that the Volunteers belonged among college basketball’s elite at a moment when the game itself was exploding into the American consciousness.

For Mike Keith, those two players meant something even deeper. Long before he became the unmistakable Voice of the Vols, he was a kid watching Bernard and Ernie make Tennessee matter. On Past Our Prime, Mike reflects on seeing them play in Atlanta when the Omni first opened — how they looked like kings, on and off the court, and how that moment felt like personal validation. Tennessee was no longer just his team; it was a national treasure, and he was proud to share it with the world. Bernard King and Ernie Grunfeld didn’t just shape an era — they helped shape Mike Keith’s love for the Vols and the voice he would one day lend to their history.

It’s the Bernie and Ernie Show, decades later, meeting the man who carries their legacy forward every night. Mike Keith joins Past Our Prime — and it’s a conversation that still echoes through Knoxville. Listen and subscribe wherever you get your podcasts.

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At the 1976 Winter Olympics, Young delivered a historic performance. She won gold in the 500 meters, confirming her status as the world’s premier sprinter, then added a silver medal in the 1,000 meters and a bronze in the 1,500 meters. Medaling across three distances was a remarkable feat and made her the most decorated American speed skater of the Games, showcasing both her versatility and competitive toughness on the biggest stage.

Those achievements cemented Sheila Young’s place as one of the great figures in Olympic speed skating, a trailblazer who brought American confidence and personality into a traditionally European sport. Decades later, her legacy continues—not just on the ice, but in conversation—as Sheila Young joined the Past Our Prime podcast, reflecting on that unforgettable 1976 season and giving listeners a firsthand look at what it took to thrive under the brightest Olympic spotlight.

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Yet the true backbone of Pittsburgh’s dynasty was once again the Steel Curtain defense, which dictated the tone of the game and the era. Built on speed, intelligence, and relentless pressure, the unit forced Dallas into mistakes, controlled field position, and delivered punishing hits that slowly tilted the game. It wasn’t just about sacks or turnovers—it was about denying comfort, eliminating rhythm, and making every yard feel contested. In Super Bowl X, that defensive suffocation allowed the Steelers to survive swings in momentum and close the door late.

At the center of that defense stood Jack Ham, the quiet conductor of chaos. Playing outside linebacker with rare instincts, range, and speed, Ham could diagnose plays instantly, cover receivers downfield, or crash the line with equal effectiveness. He wasn’t flashy, but he was devastatingly efficient—often arriving at the ball just as it got there, sometimes before. Against Dallas, Ham helped neutralize the Cowboys’ passing attack by clogging lanes, disrupting timing, and making sure nothing easy developed over the middle.

One of 10 Hall of Fame players on that Steelers Super Bowl team, Ham tells us on the Past Our Prime podcast how the team could have won without any of them but the the one person they couldn’t have won 4 Lombardi trophy’s was Hall of Fame Coach Chuck Noll. Ham tells us how winning the first Super Bowl was the hardest one. He talks about how dominant the defense was and makes the case for them being the best defense of all-time.

Ham’s credentials tell the larger story of why the Steel Curtain endured. A perennial Pro Bowl selection, a multiple-time All-Pro, and later a Pro Football Hall of Famer, Ham embodied the Steelers’ defensive identity: disciplined, intelligent, and ruthless. While Swann’s catches earned the headlines and the magazine cover, it was Ham and the defense that made the repeat possible—proof that Pittsburgh’s dynasty was built not on moments, but on dominance. One of the greatest players to ever play the game for one of the NFL’s all-time great teams… Jack Ham of the Pittsburgh Steelers on the Past Our Prime podcast.

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The cover perfectly captured that shift. Swedish twins Yvonne and Yvette Sylvander shimmered under the Baja sun, embodying the issue’s theme, “Taking a Shine to a Resort with New Glitter.” Inside were familiar faces who would soon define the genre—Cheryl Tiegs, Christie Brinkley, and others who became icons not just of the Swimsuit Issue, but of 1970s popular culture itself. For many readers of a certain generation, these images weren’t just pinups—they were part of the shared visual language of growing up with Sports Illustrated, when the magazine felt like a weekly companion arriving in the mailbox.

And while nostalgia drives the emotional connection, there’s another side to these old issues of SI: their growing significance as collectibles. That’s where Mark Humphries comes in. Growing up in La Cañada, California, Mark’s sports education began with secondhand copies of Sports Illustrated, pages already creased, corners bent—but endlessly fascinating. That early fascination carried him through Stanford, Wall Street, and eventually back to the hobby he loved, where he became a pioneer in treating Sports Illustrated magazines as serious collectibles—worthy of grading, encapsulation, and long-term value, just like cards.

As founder of the first grading system for past issues of Sports Illustrated, owner of ThePit.com, and now a contributor to PSA Magazine, Humphries has helped redefine how collectors view vintage issues. While not every Swimsuit Issue is destined to fund a retirement, condition, cover subjects, and historical context matter—and early, iconic editions continue to gain traction. In that sense, the 1976 Swimsuit Issue sits at the intersection of memory and market value: a snapshot of an era when Sports Illustrated shaped culture, sparked conversations, and—sometimes without meaning to—created artifacts that still matter, decades later.

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However, with an opportunity to play the top ranked Buckeyes a 2nd time, Vermeil practiced hard instituting double days on his Bruins team as if it was the beginning of the season all over again. And in front of a national audience and 105,464 fans at the Rose Bowl, Ohio State went into halftime of the rematch with just a 3-0 lead.

That’s when Vermeil called an audible. His vaunted option offense which had scored 20 points off OSU in the first matchup, the most Ohio State had given up all season, hadn’t done a thing in the first 30 minutes of the New Year’s Day game. So he told his quarterback John Sciarra that in the 3rd quarter they were scrapping the gameplan… they were going to open things up and start passing. And it worked.

Sciarra connected with Wally Henry for two scores the 2nd one covering 67 yards and UCLA had a shocking 16-3 lead over the heavily favored Buckeyes. A 54-yard TD run in the 4th quarter by Wendell Tyler made it 23-10 Bruins and that is how it would finish. The last Rose Bowl Woody Hayes would ever coach ended in a dramatic loss to Vermeil and his Bruins led by Rose Bowl Game MVP John Sciarra who finished the game completing 13 of his 19 passes for 212 yards and 2 touchdowns.

50 years later, Sciarra recalls how he could have been the Heisman Trophy winner had the Bruins won the first meeting instead of the second one with Ohio State and how he would never trade the Heisman for that Rose Bowl win he guided his team to. He remembers how he led the team into a meeting to complain to their coach about the two-a-day practices leading up to the Rose Bowl… and tells us Vermeil’s shocking answer to them that paved the way for their win. He also recollects how at the half his coach told him they were going to make adjustments and to be ready to let ‘er rip in the 2nd half. And he tells a great story about how his best buddy and fellow former UCLA QB Mark Harmon cast him in a movie and the role he was born to play! But mostly, he reminisces about the greatest half of football he and his Bruin teammates ever played on New Year’s Day, 1976 on the Past Our Prime podcast.

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They were original, and they were innovative but mostly, they were just good. Lining up in shotgun, Roger the Dodger had his choice of weapons, and more often than not on 3rd downs, he would throw to #26 out of the backfield, Preston Pearson. The "other" Pearson, Preston had a big game against the Vikings. In fact, the man who never played college football, had a habit of having big games when they mattered most, and being on the field when the games were being decided.

So despite the fact that it was Drew Pearson who caught the winning prayer vs the Vikes, it was Preston who was on the cover of the first issue of Sports Illustrated in 1976. The 14-year NFL veteran showed off his hops on that cover and said he had a pretty good game in that playoff win for the Cowboys. A week later, he had 3 touchdowns against the Rams that propelled the Boys to the Super Bowl.

Preston takes us inside the huddle and tells us what it was like on that final winning drive for Dallas that included a 4th and 17 before Staubach and Drew Pearson hooked up again for that miraculous finish. He says despite being on the Steelers when they beat the Raiders on the 'Immaculate Reception', that this play is the biggest of his career. He remembers what it was like to lose Super Bowl III to Joe Namath and the Jets when he was on the Colts. 

The original 3rd down back, Preston Pearson made the most out of his talent and became an integral part of those great Dallas teams and he joins us on the Past Our Prime podcast to tell us what it was like when Dallas turned from the Cowboys into America's Team.

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We started the year off with Phil Villapiano of the Oakland Raiders, who told us about how he was clipped on the Immaculate Reception vs. the Steelers… sort of, maybe. His energy is only matched by his sense of humor and enthusiasm. Later that month, SI’s Curry Kirkpatrick recalled how he was given a beauty of an assignment—writing a piece on Cheryl Tiegs for the swimsuit issue. Let’s just say the supermodel wasn’t super happy with how the article turned out.

From there we were off and running… or in Lynne Cox’s case, swimming and freezing. If you don’t know Lynne’s story, do yourself a favor and listen to the March 3rd show. She was a marathon swimmer who did her best work in frigid waters—English Channel, no problem. Antarctica, you bet. Alaska to Russia, sure thing.

We talked with Jeff Feuerzeig, director of ESPN’s 30 for 30 on The Real Rocky, Chuck Wepner, as well as the Big Emu, All-Star pitcher Jim Kern, to close out March. In April, author Joshua Prager told us how “the Giants stole the pennant” in ’51, and about his personal mission of coming face-to-face with the man responsible for paralyzing him.

The story of the year may well have been Ruffian, the amazing filly who had never lost—never even trailed—in a race heading into her much-anticipated match race with Kentucky Derby winner Foolish Pleasure. The jockey who rode both horses, Jacinto Vazquez, chose Ruffian, and the race ended in tragedy. Fifty years later, Ruffian’s story is still a tear-jerker.

So is Jan Kalsu’s. The widow of the only active NFL player to die in the Vietnam War, Jan told us how just hours after giving birth to their son, she learned of her husband Bob’s death while still in the hospital. And so was Leo Ulman’s—the man who collected more Nolan Ryan memorabilia than anyone after immigrating to America as a child, narrowly escaping the Nazis in Amsterdam.

In August, Adam Greenberg recalled how his first Major League at-bat nearly killed him. In September, former Oklahoma Sooners QB Dean Blevins shared how Barry Switzer recruited him on a golf course by carrying his bags. October brought Mark Kram Jr. and the Thrilla in Manila, followed by a trip to space with Bill “The Spaceman” Lee, who told stories only he can tell.

In November, one of the greatest ever—Fran Tarkenton—joined us, sharing the day he lost both a playoff game and his father. And Jim Lampley gave us chills talking about his friend George Foreman, who passed in 2025.

That’s a year and then some. A look back at the world of sports in 1975. It’s been a great ride with great people on the Past Our Prime podcast. Listen and enjoy wherever you get your podcasts.

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Rose was at the top of his game, beloved by not only fans of the Big Red Machine, but baseball fans everywhere. His popularity transcended the game, as he was an everyday man, who played the game the right way. His work ethic and daily grind were legendary and he resonated with a great amount of folks whose lives were built around that same dedication to whatever their profession was. He was the working mans idol. Everyone could relate to this kid who was born on the wrong side of Cincinnati and was now the king of the town. 

A 44-game hitting streak in 1978 captured the attention of the nation before he left Cincy for Philly the following year, helping the Phils win a World Series in 1980… the 3rd and final championship of his career. He returned to the Reds as a player manager and in 1985 became the the game’s all-time leader in hits before retiring as a player a year later with a still record of 4,256 knocks.

And then it all came crumbling down.

Keith O’Brien is also a kid from Cincinnati who grew up watching Rose in his latter years  and chronicled his entire life in his bestselling book, “Charlie Hustle: The Rise and Fall of Pete Rose, and the Last Glory Days of Baseball.” It goes into great detail about Rose’s humble beginnings, how he got the nickname Charlie Hustle from two of the game’s greats, Mickey Mantle and Whitey Ford, and how his prowess as one of the greatest players of all-time made him one of the game's most popular players of the 20th century. But O’Brien also did countless research into Rose’s gambling addiction, the people that he associated with and the eventual suspension and expulsion from baseball. He joins us on POP to discuss at length in great passion how this man of the people who was adored by legions of fans everywhere would fall from grace, and end up on the outside of the Hall of Fame looking in… literally.

It’s a tragic tale of the American Dream going awry. A kid who had nothing but grit and determination turns himself into one of the greatest ballplayers of all-time, only to let his addiction to betting… and betting on the game he lived for...keep him away from the thing he loved most… baseball. Join us as we look back on the year Rose was at this top his game… 1975… and the decline that would take place a decade later as we talk with Keith O’Brien to discuss his book, “Charlie Hustle: The Rise and Fall of Pete Rose and the Last Glory Days of Baseball,” on the Past Our Prime podcast.

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And that set up one of the greatest 2nd acts in the history of the sport. 10 years later, a 38-year old George came out of retirement and got back into the ring. He kept at it, and finally, on November 5, 1995 in the 10th round against heavyweight champion Michael Moorer, George caught him, knocked him out and was once again the heavyweight champion of the world at the age of 45.

On the mic calling that fight was a colleague of George’s who had known Foreman for years. Jim Lampley had been around almost as long as Foreman, starting his incredible broadcasting career the same year George and Ali hooked up in Zaire. Now in the prime of his own boxing career at HBO, Lamps was the voice of a generation, especially for those who loved the sweet science. He had asked George how he planned to beat a much younger Moorer and George told him what was going to take place. And when it unfolded exactly how George had said it would, Lampley exclaimed, It Happened, It Happened… his famous four word account of George Foreman recapturing the belt he had lost over 20 years ago to his nemesis Ali.

Jim Lampley joins us on the Past Our Prime podcast to talk about his start in the business as a 24-year old kid for ABC Sports. His rise in the industry and how he won over the trust of Foreman as a broadcasting partner, and eventually an equal and… a friend. He talks about the sudden passing of the champ and how that still moves him to tears and about the transformation George had from angry, intimidating, brute to the lovable, jovial gentle giant we all came to embrace during George’s successful Act Two. And Lampley tells a story about George and Bob Dylan that lets you get behind the curtain and see a different side of George altogether. It’s a great talk with a man who has been in the broadcasting business for 50 years and seen some of the greatest fights of the last 50 years. The author of the book, “It Happened, A Uniquely Lucky Life in Sports Television,” Jim Lampley on the Past Our Prime podcast.

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Another football team was also streaking… this one the NFL’s Baltimore Colts who after a 1-4 start were in the midst of a 9-game winning streak led by young QB Bert Jones. The good news is that run got them into the playoffs. The bad news… it was in Pittsburgh. And the Steelers took care of business en route to their 2nd straight Super Bowl title.

Pittsburgh writer Jim O’Brien has written over 30 books in his Pittsburgh Proud series many featuring the Steelers dynasty that began in 1974 and continued through the end of the decade. Franco Harris, Andy Russell, Rocky Bleier, Jack Lambert and more often were the subjects of O’Brien’s writings and he knows that team as well as anyone.

But Jim isn’t relegated to just football. The founding editor of Street and Smith’s Basketball Yearbook in 1970, O’Brien is an expert on hoops from half a century ago as well and he covered ‘em all… Dr. J and George McGinnis, the Squires and the Spirits, the ABA and the NBA… He tells us that Dr. J was better off the court than he was on it… how he cornered Franco Harris on a flight for 12 hours, interviewing him for most of the trip, and how the owners of the Spirits of St. Louis engineered the greatest business deal in the history of sports… and the key to the deal was that they would no longer exist.

If you’re looking for a 70’s hoops expert, O’Brien is your man… add his expertise when it comes to that Steelers Dynasty of the 70’s and he’s the perfect guest for this week’s Past Our Prime show. 

Download and listen to wherever you get your podcasts… I’m looking at you, Uzbekistan!

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That team was the 1975-76 Indiana Hoosiers. Bobby Knight’s team was a special group of players that sacrificed individual prowess for the good of the team. And it worked… to perfection. Kent Benson was a 2-time All-American at IU and on the cover of the December 1, 1975 issue of Sports Illustrated as the Hoosiers were the pre-season favorite to win it all. There would be no SI jinx on this team. They were too good. They were ready for the challenge each time they hit the floor thanks to an abundance of talent and a coach that had them prepared and focused like no other. And it was that preparation that separated this team from the others. Coach Knight said, “The key is not the will to win… everybody has that. It is the will to prepare to win that is important.”

Led by Benson and Scott May and Quinn Buckner, the Hoosiers finished 32-0 that season… 33-0 if you ask Benson, who joins us on the Past Our Prime podcast and tells us that beating the defending Gold Medal winning Soviets should count in their final tally. But Benson is still the ultimate team centered center. When asked to come on our show to talk about that great team, he said yes… but he’d like Bobby Wilkerson, the 6’7 defensive specialist who would jump center for the Hoosiers to join him. And the two former #1 draft picks come together again on POP 50 years after they were a part of something that changed their lives for forever. The last team in college hoops to have a perfect season and if you ask Benson, probably the last one to ever do it.

Benson and Wilkerson talk about that team and what made them such a close group. How beating UCLA in the season opener was just the beginning of this historic season and how their coach never took anything for granted and had them ready one game at a time. 32 games later… it all paid off. A perfect season. 

Bobby Wilkerson and Kent Benson on the Past Our Prime podcast. Listen and download a perfect show wherever you get your podcasts.

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In fact, in 17 fewer rushing attempts than Griffin, Chuck had 103 more yards rushing and 9 more TD’s. Add in the 26 more receptions and 234 more yards receiving than the Buckeyes Back and you could make a strong case that Muncie, the guy on the cover of the 11/24/75 issue of Sports Illustrated, should have come home with the Heisman hardware.

At the next level, Muncie continued to excel becoming a 3-time Pro Bowl back in the NFL with his best season coming in 1981 when he had over 1,500 yards from scrimmage and 19 touchdowns in the high-powered offense in San Diego. The Chargers were loaded with offensive weapons: Muncie and James Brooks in the backfield with John Jefferson, Charlie Joiner, Wes Chandler and Kellen Winslow catching everything in sight.

Muncie passed away in May of 2013 but the man who ran that “Air Coryell” offense Dan Fouts joins us on the POP podcast to talk about how good a back and what a weapon Muncie was while playing with the Chargers. Fouts discusses the famous playoff shootout in Miami, known as the Kellen Winslow game. A game in which the Hall of Fame QB threw for 433 yards, and 3 touchdowns in the 41-38 San Diego overtime victory over Miami. Fouts recalls how the next week he and his team suffered through frigid temps in Cincinnati and how the lingering effects of frost bite have been in his hands ever since. And he talks about being part of possibly the best Hall of Fame class (1993) of all-time: Larry Little, Bill Walsh, Chuck Noll, Walter Payton and Dan Fouts!

One of the greatest QB’s to ever sling it in the NFL looks back on his Hall of Fame career and gives an in depth look at SI caveman and his former teammate Chuck Muncie on the Past Our Prime podcast. 

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The Broad Street Bullies as the Flyers were affectionately known in Philadelphia would come into an opposing arena, score goals, beat you up, and leave town with a smile on their face. And they used that recipe to hoist the Cup in 1974 and 1975. And nobody embodied that persona more than Dave ‘The Hammer’ Schultz. In 1974 he set a record for penalty minutes in one season with 472, a tally that 50 years later still stands.

The Hammer was known to drop the gloves at the drop of a hat… but he had a job to do and he did it well… Protect Captain Clark and high scoring forwards Bill Barber, Reggie Leach, and Rick "The Hawk" MacLeish. This helped lead Philly to a record of 51-13-16 in ’75-76 and a 3rd straight appearance in the Stanley Cup Finals. But after thrilling wins over Boston in ’74 and Buffalo in ’75, the Flyers were swept aside by the Canadiens in ’76 ending their run as the league’s top team.

Still, the team was a force on the ice and with a healthy Bernie Parent back in the nets after the disappointing loss to Montreal, the Flyers were still major contenders for the Cup With Clark, Barber and Dave Schultz going into the 1976 season. But on September 29, 1976, a week before the start of the season, The Hammer was sent to Los Angeles for two draft picks. And just like that, the Broad Street Bullies were no more. The end of an era and for Schultz, the beginning of the end of his career.

This Flyer was now a King, then a Penguin and finally a Sabre before retiring following the 1980 season. His heart was broken when he left Philly and he and the Flyers were never the same without each other. Philadelphia hasn’t won a Stanley Cup since.

Now, 50 years later, Dave has written a book called ‘Hammered’: The Fight of my Life where Schultz talks openly about his lifelong battle with alcohol and how getting sober in his 70’s is the biggest win of his life. He tells us how being sent away to L.A. —“not traded”— was a blow to him that he never fully accepted and how he will always be a Flyer. He recollects how he’d be admonished for fighting by NHL President Clarence Campbell only to never hear from him and that the league said one thing publicly about players fighting and yet did nothing to stop it. His job was to fight, and stand up for his teammates and protect them at all costs… and he did it very well.

It’s Hammer time on the Past Our Prime podcast. Listen and subscribe wherever you get your podcasts. 

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After three more very successful seasons in Minnesota, Tarkenton retired after his 18th year in the NFL. He finished his career with numerous NFL records at the time including completions (3,686), attempts (6,467) yards (47,003). and (342) touchdowns. Known as the 'Mad Scrambler', Tarkenton was the game’s first true dual threat, retiring as the NFL’s all-time leader in rushing yards by a quarterback and he did it all by winning games… the most ever by a QB at the time of him hanging it up. 

He was named a Pro-Bowler 9 times, and had his #10 retired by the Vikings while being named one of the 50 greatest Vikings and Giants players of all-time. And in 1986, he earned a gold jacket and was enshrined into Canton as a member of the NFL’s Hall of Fame.

Unfortunately his success didn’t translate to the postseason. Three times he took his Vikings teams to the Super Bowl and three times they came up short. But Fran tells us on the Past Our Prime podcast there is a reason the Vikings lost 4 of the first 11 Super Bowls. He also tells us about his love and admiration for the coach of those Minnesota teams, Bud Grant, and how if he could prepare for those Super Bowl games from back then differently now the results may have been different.

Tarkenton also tells us how the loss to the Cowboys in the playoffs in 1975 was a “monumental day” in his life… one that changed him forever. Minutes after Roger Staubach connected with Drew Pearson on possibly the first ‘Hail Mary’ ever, his life was forever altered. A tragic tale only made worse by how it all unfolded.

Once retired, Fran embarked on his 2nd act and 50 years later, he’s still as competitive and active as ever and more often than not… still coming out on top. As the CEO of https://tarkentonfinancial.com/ Fran continues to produce at a high level. His financial company has seen him rise to the top of the business world and he tells us how he stays up to date on the newest business trends like pipIQ which reduces risks associated with misusing AI in small and mid-size businesses at a fraction of the cost. If you’re interested in learning more about this breakthrough technology go to https://pipiq.com/?via=proTV

Fran tells us that the similarities between being a QB in a huddle or a CEO in a board room are numerous. That he learned more by his failures than by his successes and that the great leaders all have one thing in common. What is it? Listen and find out as we chat with one of the NFL’s All-Time greats on the Past Our Prime podcast.

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The Reds had a team littered with Hall of Famers. Tony Perez, Joe Morgan and Johnny Bench as well as *Pete Rose were part of what was known as the Big Red Machine. They could do it all… Power, speed, average,, defense… the one thing they couldn’t do was win the big one.

They lost to Baltimore in 5 games in 1970… to the A’s in 7 in 1972… to the Mets in the NLCS in ’73 and didn’t even make the playoffs in ’74. But a bloop single by Joe Morgan in the 9th inning brought in the winning run for the Reds who won their first World Series title since 1940! 

A year later, they did it again, sweeping the Yankees to make it two straight championships for the Reds. Cincinnati was the toast of baseball and the Big Red Machine was now legendary. 50 years later we’re still talking about that team and how good they were and nobody knows them better than Dr. Daryl Smith who currently serves as a Management professor at Cedarville University in Ohio.  Previously, Daryl served as an Air Force office and pilot over a 24 year career.

Much of his academic studies and research have centered on leadership and its role in organizational success.  He has been trained to find the root causes of organizations’ successes and failures.

Daryl has a long association with the Cincinnati Reds.  As a boy, he attended several games at Crosley Field, the first game at Riverfront Stadium and the 1970, 1972, and 1975 World Series.  Twenty years ago, Daryl met and became acquainted with Bob Howsam, the brains behind the Big Red Machine and the central figure in his book, “Making the Big Red Machine: Bob Howsam and the Cincinnati Reds of the 1970's."

Daryl talks to us about the small trade that became a huge deal when Howsam acquired the diminutive Morgan from Houston. He tells us how Cincy thought he was crazy to give up so much for the future 2-time MVP. He recalls how Manager Sparky Anderson moved Rose to 3rd base and how that changed the course of history for the team. And he tells how free agency and one trade prior to the 1977 season put an end to the greatest team in Reds history.

November 3rd, 1975 saw Will McEnaney leaping into the arms of Johnny Bench after winning the greatest World Series ever played and Professor Smith helps us replay that Series one last time on the Past Our Prime podcast. 

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Still, the talent in the ABA couldn’t be ignored. Despite McGinnis, the man on the cover of the 10/27/75 issue of Sports Illustrated, leaving the Indiana Pacers, the league still had Dr. J, Juliue Erving, arguably the most electrifying player in all of basketball. The Atlanta Hawks drafted David Thompson out of college, but couldn’t come to terms on a deal. So the ABA’s Denver Nuggets swooped in and signed the prolific scorer out of North Carolina State. Armed with that Red, White and Blue ball and the 3-point shot, the ABA was still a league for the fans. Except, the fans had a hard time watching because there was no real TV deal. 19-year old Moses Malone was doing his thing in Utah before they too couldn’t make payroll and called it quits on the season just a few weeks in.

Eventually, the ABA would have 4 teams (Denver, San Antonio, Indiana and the New York Nets) merge with the NBA while two others (Kentuck & St. Louis) would stop operations. All eyes would then focus on the NBA… Kareem in Los Angeles, Rick Barry and the Warriors, the Blazers and Bill Walton, and those banner-hanging Celtics in Boston. Bob Ryan had a front row seat for much of that time period and saw it all first hand and he joins us to look ahead to that 1975 season of hoops which turned out to be a great one for the NBA… and a last hurrah for the ABA.

The Boston Globe’s NBA expert tells us how McGinnis came to the NBA and was still a force, but not quite the same player as he was in Indiana… and for good reason. Ryan recalls how Charlie Scott was acquired by the Celtics from Phoenix for Paul Westphal in a deal that helped both teams and how Scott came up big in the playoffs. He tells us why the 3-point shot is the worst thing to ever happen to basketball and he tells us about one of the ABA teams that didn’t merge with the NBA, instead making one of the best business deals in the history of sports to do nothing.

It’s a show about nothing… and everything… and all things basketball. And that’s a perfect topic for Bob Ryan… but so is baseball. And Ryan tells us all about his experience covering the ’75 World Series between the Sox and the Reds and how he almost missed the Fisk HR in Game 6! Just when you think we’re talking just dunks and jumpers with one of the most renowned basketball writers of all-time, we throw you a curveball and get Ryan to talk about his other passion. ABA? Check! NBA? Check! MLB? Check! Bob Ryan and he Past Our Prime podcast has you covered.

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The Big Red Machine was a juggernaut in ’75 led by Johnny Bench, Joe Morgan, Pete Rose, Tony Perez and their Hall of Fame skipper Sparky Anderson. Yet, the upstart Red Sox were matching them at every turn with Rookie of the Year/MVP Fred Lynn, Yaz, El Tiante and Carlton Fisk playing inspiring baseball. The only thing that could stop either of these teams was Mother Nature. Rain interrupted the series on mud;tiple occasions, but once they got on the field… some of the most thrilling baseball ever played was on full display.

None more thrilling than the 12th inning home run by Carlton Fisk that ended a captivating Game 6 and sent the series to a 7th game. The shot of Fisk waving the ball fair as it hugged the left field line and then bounced off the foul pole is a moment that has stood the test of time for half a century and will be forever remembered by baseball fans as long as they still play this game.

The starting pitcher for Game 7 for Boston was Bill Lee… the Spaceman. One of the gams true characters and at this time, one of the games best left-handed starters. The winner of 17 games in 1975, Lee had thrown 8 beautiful innings in Game 2 only to leave in the 9th when the Reds rallied for a 3-2 win. Now, in Game 7, he once again tossed 6 innings and came out with the lead in the 7th only to see the Reds rally again. Two wonderful starts for Lee, two no decisions… and a lifetime of what if’s…

50 years later, the Spaceman is still as outrageous and entertaining as he was back in Boston in the mid 70’s. He tells us how he couldn’t stand Don Zimmer as a manager and how wearing a Rolling Stones shirt cost him and the Red Sox the 1972 AL East Division. He recalls how as a teenager he had a job as locksmith and locked some of the most famous people in the world out of their own houses. He tells us how he almost died on the pitching mound pitching for the Savannah Bananas and how he’s lucky to still be alive. And mostly, he just tells us all sorts of things you can’t believe happened… but they did. 

One of the most revered and loved Red Sox pitchers in their storied history… Bill The Spaceman Lee on the Past Our Prime podcast… Listen and download wherever you get your podcasts.

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The Thrilla in Manila.

The two great heavyweights despised each other. Muhammad Ali famously said “It will be a killa and a thrilla and a chilla, when I get the gorilla in Manila.” His constant verbal abuse of Joe Frazier made Joe’s blood boil, to the point where he didn’t want to knock Ali out in their 3rd clash.  He made it clear, “ I want to hurt Ali”.

And he did.

Ali said this fight was the "closest thing to dyin' that I know of”. By the end of the 14th round both men had been brutally punished. Frazier could no longer see, both his eyes swollen shut by the constant barrage of jabs to the face by his counterpart. When the bell rang for the 15th, neither man wanted to give in or give up… but Frazier’s trainer Eddie Fuchs knew his man couldn’t defend himself any longer… and much to the chagrin of Frazier, threw in the towel, ending one of the most brutal fights in boxing history.

The fight was covered by senior writer Mark Kram, Sr. of Sports Illustrated who writes of it in the October 13, 1975 issue of SI. It’s one of the best pieces of sports writing you will ever come across, beautifully combined with the photos from Neil Leifer. It is Sports Illustrated at its absolute best and 50 years later, it is a lesson in sports journalism that holds up to this day.

When it comes to Joe Frazier, Mark Kram, Jr. wrote the book on him… literally. Smokin’ Joe: The Life of Joe Frazier is a biography that goes into depth on the life of the former heavyweight champion and the three fights against his nemesis, Muhammad Ali, culminating in the ‘Thrilla’. Kram, Jr. tells us how Frazier tried fighting Ali in the later rounds by listening to him breathe since he could no longer see. He tells of the incredible heat that day in Manila with the arena reaching temps over 115 degrees. Kram also tells us that both Ali and Frazier wanted to go one more time — ‘Ali-Frazier IV!’— before their handlers put that idea to bed. And he tells us how they both grew to respect each other later in life despite the animosity that surrounded them during their fighting days.

It’s a great conversation about possibly the last truly great heavyweight fight. Two warriors fighting for a championship… fighting for respect… fighting for their lives. The Thrilla in Manila… 50 years later… on the Past Our Prime podcast. 

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Playing centerfield for those World Series winning teams in ’73 & ’74 was speedster Billy North. Acquired by Charlie Finley from the Cubs prior to the 1973 season, North immediately fit in with the defending champs and his style of play was exactly what manager Dick Williams loved… speed and defense. North would lead the AL in stolen bases in 1974 and 1976 when he stole a career high 75 bags while playing a sterling centerfield.

After missing the entire postseason in ’73 when the Athletics repeated as Champs by beating Tom Seaver and the Mets in 7 games, North was looking forward to the ’74 season and a chance to play in the playoffs. But on June 5th in Detroit, he and Reggie Jackson had an altercation that ended up with both of them injured as well as catcher Ray Fosse. It wasn’t the first time the Swinging A’s brawled with each other and it had very little effect on the team’s play. Three months later they were back in the World Series for the 3rd straight year, with Fosse, Jackson and North all in the starting lineup.

Despite having won the last two World Series titles, the A’s were underdogs against the Dodgers who won 102 games in the National League and they didn’t give the A’s much respect going into their matchup. On the POP podcast, North tells us how he was called the “Paperboy” because he read all the newspapers and he told his teammates on the flight back from Baltimore after winning the ALCS that a Dodger player was quoted as saying that there were only two players on the A’s that could play for the Dodgers… the champs didn’t need more than that… 5 games later… they were champs again for the 3rd straight year.

North tells us how he and Reggie put that incident behind them and remain friends to this day… and how that team 50 years later still gathers together. He talks of how Dusty Baker influenced his life and remains one of his best friends and how Dusty honored him at an All-Star game a couple of years ago… and he talks about the NorthLegacyProject.com that he helped start in honor of his mom to help kids with special needs. For a man who made a living stealing bags in his 20’s, he now lives to give back in his 70’s. 

A 2-time champion of the only team in baseball history other than the Yankees to win 3 straight World Series Championships. The Fighting A’s… The Swinging A’s… The Winning A’s… Billy North on the Past Our Prime podcast.

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Ken MacAfee is one of the greatest college tight ends of all-time. A 2-time All-American for Notre Dame, he would break out in ’75 and follow it up with two sensational seasons as a junior and senior. 

In 1977, Joe Montana was now the quarterback and MacAfee was his top target. He caught 54 passes, and finished 3rd in the Heisman Voting while taking home the Walter Camp Award for the nations top player. All this led the Irish to a New Years Day win over Heisman winner Earl Campbell and the Texas Longhorns in the Cotton Bowl, 38-10… MacAfee would close his college career with a National Championship…the 10th in the programs storied history.

Drafted by the 49ers, MacAfee played two seasons in the NFL in San Francisco but in his 3rd season, new head coach Bill Walsh asked the 6’4, 250 lb tight end to switch to guard. That didn’t sound like a good idea to Ken, and despite being reunited with Montana by the Bay, after a few pre-season games playing nothing but O-Line, MacAfee abruptly retired from the NFL.

Ya see, MacAfee didn’t just play football at Notre Dame… he got an education and after graduating with a degree in pre-professional studies he went to Penn and earned his DMD—-Doctor of Medicine in Dentistry… He would later become an oral surgeon and an expert in the field. That’s what it means to be a student athlete.

MacAfee joins us to tell us about the difference between Parsegian and Devine… who was behind helping get a walk-on by the name of Rudy Ruettiger into that now famous game… what was real and what wasn’t from the iconic movie, “Rudy” and if he ever thinks about what if he had stayed and played with Montana in San Francisco.

Ken loved his time at Notre Dame and we loved our time with him on the Past Our Prime podcast. Listen wherever you get your podcasts.

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And on the defensive side of things… the Steel Curtain was ready to wreak havoc on the opposing quarterbacks throughout the NFL. LC Greenwood, Ernie Holmes, Dwight White and the man on the cover of the September 22, 1975 issue of Sports Illustrated, Mean Joe Greene were laying the foundation for a Steelers dynasty… 4 Super Bowl wins in 6 years! 

The NFL’s first two-time Defensive Player of the Year winner, Joe Greene was everything you wanted in a leader… tough, driven, disciplined, and in this case, yes, a little mean. His years in Pittsburgh would end with a gold jacket in Canton and a legacy that is second to none in the Steel City, or anywhere for that matter.

Alex Kozora is someone who appreciates Mean Joe and the Steelers and has been covering the team for over a decade as one of the hosts on The Terrible Podcast, a Steelers podcast for Pittsburgh Steelers fans where he and Dave Bryan discuss the goings on of one of the most successful franchises in the NFL. But that wasn’t always the case. Prior to Chuck Noll’s and Mean Joe’s arrival in 1969, the Steelers had been to one playoff game in their 37 years in the NFL. But in 1972, that all changed…

David Orochena is a writer for www.steelersdepot.com and contributor to The Terrible Podcast and he tells us that the “Immaculate Reception” was much more than just the Steelers winning their first ever playoff game. It was a defining moment for the sports structure of Pittsburgh. A week after Franco Harris caught the ball out of midair off a deflection, Roberto Clemente was tragically killed in a plane crash helping bring aid to an earthquake-ravaged Nicaragua. The death of a man who symbolized Pittsburgh and the Pirates completely devastated the city and according to Orochena, it was the Steelers that helped fill that void going forward.

It’s much more than just the X’s & O’s of professional football. It’s a chat with two guys who know the ins and outs of a franchise that were the laughing stock of the NFL for decades… and turned it around in the mid 70’s to become the envy of every organization in the league. Alex and David tell us about how Terry Bradshaw finally won the QB job for good in ’75, how the Terrible Towel came to be and inspired a couple of guys years later to start a Terrible Podcast… and how one play changed the course of the Steelers franchise and how the Steel Curtain came to symbolize a team on it’s way glory. They dominated and kicked tail and didn’t care who got in their way… Was it nice? No… it was mean… Mean Joe Greene and the 1975 Steelers on the Past Our Prime podcast… 

Listen to both Past Our Prime and The Terrible Podcast wherever you get your podcasts and please leave a review and a 5-star rating if you desire.

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Was this the beginning of the end for Connors? Hardly. He would win 5 of his Grand Slam titles starting in 1976 at the US Open where he would there again in ’78, ’82 & ’83 as well as Wimbledon for a 2nd time in 1982. And who would forget his incredible run at the 1991 US Open at at the age of 39.

Curry Kirkpatrick hasn’t forgotten it. He was covering a good portion of Connors and Evert’s careers back when they were the King & Queen of tennis for Sports Illustrated and gives us an inside look at what happened to Jimmy against Orantes in the finals of ’75. A simple reason for the shocking win was the Spaniard was sensational on clay courts, and beginning in 1975, Forest Hills surface was clay for 3 years. Advantage Orantes.

Curry also tells us what happened on the women’s side of the draw as Chris Evert was beginning her dominance of tennis… Having won the French Open in 1974 & ’75 as well as Wimbledon a year earlier, Evert added the US Open to her list of achievements… and it was the first of 6 US Open Titles in her storied career as she would win it again in ’76, ’77, ’78, ’80 & ’82. 

Two of tennis all-time greats were dominating tennis in the 70’s and Curry was there for all of it and joins us on POP to tell us how Orantes almost didn’t even get to the finals and how that loss by Connors was just a blip as he would continue to be a force in tennis for another 15 years! And he tells us how at age 16 “he invented” Chris Evert writing the first major story about her in SI before penning the final installment of her illustrious career in the late 80’s when she retired from the sport.

Nobody knows Connors and Evert from the mid 70’s like Curry Kirkpatrick and he joins us for a record 5th time on the show to regale us with great stories of two of tennis’ all-time greats… Jimmy and Chrissy… on the Past Our Prime podcast

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On the cover of Sports Illustrated September 8, 1975, was their fearless quarterback, Steve Davis, who in three years at the helm lost one time in 34 games. Switzer was also on the cover, having not lost a game in his first two seasons as the Head Coach at OU… and on the cover, he was giving Heisman hopeful Joe Washington a big hug as the pre-season ranked #1 Sooners looked to have a 3rd straight season without a loss.

For much of the year, it looked like they were destined to do just that… 8-0 after a win at Oklahoma State, they had outscored their opponents 264-88… and then, out of nowhere, a home loss to Kansas ended their perfect season, and probably a chance at a 2nd straight National Championship.

The backup to QB Steve Davis was a two sport star by the name of Dean Blevins who grew up in Norman, Oklahoma. He started 6 games in his 4 years at OU, and won all 6, but he was a throwing quarterback on a team… that didn’t throw. He got hurt, and was replaced by Thomas Lott who ran the wishbone the way Coach Switzer liked to run it. 50 years later, Blevins might have taken his talents to another school, but he stayed at Oklahoma, and after his playing days were over, he stayed in Oklahoma, becoming both a local and national broadcaster for the next 5+ decades.

Blevins joins us on the Past Our Prime podcast to tell us about his friend and roommate Davis who wasn’t the most talented player except for one thing… he was very good at winning…. 32-1-1 was the Sooners QB. Dean tells us about the special bond he and Davis had and about that horrible night in 2013, when his friend died suddenly in a plane crash in South Bend, Indiana.

Dean also talks about how Coach Switzer recruited him 50+ years ago on a golf course and would end up caddying for the young Blevins a few times in the course of trying too get him to commit to OU. Blevins committed to Oklahoma, and Switzer committed to Blevins… the way he committed to all his players then… and now. Dean gives an inside look to Barry Switzer that many may not be aware of but as the Coach gets close to turning 88, Blevins makes it clear that the relationship formed between Switzer and his players is one that will never be broken. 

And Dean gives an inside look to the complicated relationship between Troy Aikman and Coach Switzer… one that started with Troy coming to Oklahoma before Barry called UCLA’s Terry Donahue and told him he had a QB for him that was destined for the Hall of Fame… When Donahue didn’t call back, Switzer called a 2nd time, and soon Aikman was playing in Westwood. The two would reunite to win a Super Bowl in Dallas before a falling out took place that was displayed in the recent Netflix series, but Blevins has an update on their situation that is 30 years in the making.

And how about that ’75 team with Washington, the Selmon Brothers, Davis and Washington, and a freshman running back named Billy Sims? Did they recover from that loss to Kansas? You bet they did… a win over Michigan in the Orange Bowl secured a 2nd straight National Championship for Switzers Sooners… and Dean Blevins who retired from TV just two months ago after 41 years in the business, is here on the Past Our Prime podcast to tell us all about one of the greatest college football teams of all-time: Switzers Sooners.

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Once again he anchored the 800m freestyle relay, and this time the result was perfect at the swimming championships in Kansas City… a new world record… and one of three times he touched the wall first in K.C.

"It happens very seldom," he said, grinning through his braces, "but once in a while you get a second chance.”

A year later in Montreal he would win 2 gold medals including in the 200m freestyle… Only three American men have ever won gold in that event… Mark Spitz (1972), Michael Phelps (2008) and Furniss in ’76. 

With shot-putter Brian Oldfield on the cover of SI in September if ’75, Furniss took center stage in the pool and shook off that disappointing meet from a month earlier while showing the sporting world he was ready to be one the of the all-time greats. Now 50 years later, he looks back on a career where he would go on to set 10 world records and was inducted into the International Swimming Hall of Fame in 1987.

On the podcast, he recounts the story of what happened in Colombia and afterwards how he went to dinner with his teammates when a waiter asked if they had heard what the American had done to cost them a world record? His brother without missing a beat said, yea… you want to ask him about it? That broke the ice as they all had a good laugh and set him on course to his great swim meet in Kansas City that propelled him to greater things in the Summer Games.

He tells us how his house was robbed in 1980 and the only things taken? His two gold medals… and what he did to try and replicate them is a great story.. And he tells us how in early 2020, he almost died from a cardiac arrest but was saved by his wife and then upon arriving at the hospital induced into a coma all while Covid was beginning to wreak havoc on the world. Once again given a 2nd chance and just like 50 years ago, Bruce Furniss is making the most of it. Listen to one of the all-time greats to ever get in the pool on the Past Our Prime podcast.

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The Hall of Fame QB was now back in Green Bay as the coach and GM trying to revitalize an organization that hadn’t seen much success since Starr retired prior to the 1972 season. He didn’t want to be seen as the savior and was not comfortable being on the cover of Sports Illustrated, but that’s right where he was on the 25th of August 1975.

For Starr, his 9 years back in Green Bay as the head coach could never replicate what he had done as a player a decade earlier. And that surprised some of his former teammates who thought Starr would have tremendous success as a coach. And that included the man who snapped the ball to Starr for two seasons… The 1965 NFL Championship season as well as the win in the first Super Bowl played against the Chiefs. Bill Curry was as close to Starr as you could be as a player with Starr lining up over center for those two seasons.

Now, 60 years later, Curry looks back on those years playing alongside Starr as a rookie and how the veteran quarterback welcomed him to the team and paved the way for a lifelong friendship. Curry would go on to quite an NFL career himself becoming a 2-time Pro Bowl Center with the Colts and winning not only that first SB with the Packers, but another with Baltimore in Super Bowl 5. And when his playing days were over, he worked with Starr on his staff as an offensive line coach before taking the head coaching job at Georgia Tech in 1980. After 6 years with the Rambling Wreck, he went to Bama and guided the Crimson Tide for three seasons before going to Kentucky for 7 seasons and ending his coaching career at Georgia State in 2012.

Drafted in the 20th round as an undersized center out of Georgia Tech, Curry was a fish out of water in Green Bay in the summer of ’65 until encounters with both Bart Starr and the captain of the defense, Willie Davis changed his life. As Curry puts it, “Unexpected, undeserved, unrewarded acts of kindness change lives.” And they changed his for sure.

He talks glowingly about his time in Green Bay and how he fell in love with the community that is like no there in the country. He tells us on the Past Our Prime podcast how Starr became a mentor and Wiilie Davis a man he came to respect like no other. And he talks about how forgiveness can set you free… something Coach Lombardi did for him on his death bed.

Every once in a while you come across someone who instantly makes your life better. For Curry, that was Bart Starr in 1965. And 60 years later, Curry is paying that forward making an impact on the lives of people he comes in contact with… or in our case, talks with, every day. A powerful, inspirational conversation with a man who was a part of the most legendary football team ever assembled…  The 1960’s Green Bay Packers. Bill Curry on the Past Our Prime podcast. He’s as good as they get.

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In 1975, Sports Illustrated did a piece on the “beanball” and recounted the story of the only player in MLB history to die from being struck in the head by a pitch… In 1920 Ray Chapman was hit by a Carl Mays pitch and 12 hours later died as a result. The sound of the ball striking Chapman's skull was so loud that Mays thought it had hit the end of Chapman's bat; he fielded the ball and threw to first base.

Now imagine you’ve worked the better part of your life trying to get to the big leagues. Countless batting cages and practices… until you secure a full scholarship to play at a top school, like North Carolina, where you are named All-Conference in 2002. A few months later you get one step closer to fulfilling your dream when the Chicago Cubs take you in the 9th round of the MLB Draft.

For three years, you play minor league ball… Lansing, Daytona, West Tennessee and finally Iowa… the Cubs triple a-team… and then on July 7, 2005, the call is made… Adam Greenberg is a Major Leaguer. Two nights later, in the 9th inning of a game against the Marlins in Miami, Dusty Baker summons Greenberg to pinch-hit. He confidently takes the bat he's been holding onto all game, puts on a helmet and strides to the plate for his first major league at bat. Valerio de los Santos goes into his windup… and less than a half second later… it’s all over.

The pitch hit Adam in the back of his head just under the helmet he had just placed on his head for the first time. He crumbled to the ground with a fractured skull and while on the ground told himself, “Stay alive. Stay alive. Stay alive.” 

He did stay alive, but his Major League career was over. In a flash, all Greenberg had spent his entire life preparing for was gone. The life he had planned… over.

He wouldn’t give up easily, playing in the minors for a half dozen years and being a member of Team Israel in the WBC in 2013. And as it was, his major league career wasn’t officially in the books just yet… the Marlins had other plans. 

An online petition by a fan picked up steam and in October of 2012, the Marlins signed Greenberg to a 1-day contract… he was getting another at bat… Cy Young pitcher RA Dickey said he was going to treat him like the Major Leaguer Greenberg was, and three pitches later, the knuckleballer had struck him out. The greatest strikeout of all-time.

The author of “Get Up: The Art of Perseverance”, Greenberg joins us on the Past Our Prime podcast and recounts as best he can what took place in that first at bat… he tells us how when he was on the ground they asked him questions like “Do you know where you were two days ago?” and Adam said reflexively, “In the minors… and I’m not going back!” It’s a story of courage and determination about a kid who did get up, and stayed alive and battled his way back into the box. 

In an instant Adam Greenberg’s best moment of his life became the worst moment of his life. And yet 20 years later, he refers to it as “The Gift”. You have to hear the full story to know he actually means it.

Listen and download wherever you get your podcasts.

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Overall baseball drew 29 million fans… its the last time MLB drew under 30 million fans in a full season of play… and soon, teams were regularly attracting 2 million fans to their games annually… in fact, by 2001, 20 of the 30 teams had more than 2 million fans in attendance including both Oakland and Pittsburgh… and 8 had more than 3 million coming through the turnstiles. Baseball was exploding… the days of small crowds were over… and so the powers that be at MLB set their sights on a new generation of fans and how to grow the game for those who couldn’t attend in person.

Enter Dinn Mann… hired by MLB in ’01 to lead the MLBAM division (Advanced Media) the longtime journalist and even longer fan of the game, Mann came to New York with a plan and in the next 15 years, he executed it perfectly. MLB.TV was born, and MLB.com. Oh, and that MLB app on your phone… that too… and before long, the game was being seen, and downloaded, and streamed to the tune of $600 million in revenue per year. 

In other words, MLB hired the right guy. Mann’s infectious attitude helped spearhead a digital revolution on the diamond, and the fans were happily going along for the ride whether it be with their TV, their laptop or their phone. Play ball, play ball and play ball!

Dinn joins us on the Past Our Prime podcast to tell us what was different at the turn of the century compared to 50 years ago and how they used the momentum of an ever increasing fan base to do what many, including Mark Cuban said, was impossible... Baseball was covering baseball… and the fans couldn’t get enough of it. Mr. Mann tells us how he told his crew never tell me how we did things last year… tell me how we’re going to do things this year. He’s a visionary in every sense of the word and as the grandson of the man who owned the Astros and built the Astrodome, Dinn is a lifelong fan of the game. It’s in his blood. And you can hear that passion when he talks about the game of today… how blackouts are the biggest issue for fans and what the owners and players can do to avert a labor stoppage in 2027. And he reflects back on his time at MLB including a morning, afternoon and evening in March of 2015 when he helped create a day where  comedic superstar Will Ferrell donned the cap of the A’s…I mean, White Sox… I meant to say, Dodgers… Mariners, Angels, Cubs, Reds, Giants, Padres and D’Backs in Arizona and played 10 positions for 10 teams in about 10 hours! A great day for baseball… a great day for Dinn Mann… and for the 16 years Mann was at MLB… that happened quite a bit.

If you like baseball half as much as Dinn does, and you want an inside look at how the game got better and can get better, listen up to a man… the Mann… who knows a thing or two about the inner-workings of MLB.

Download and review wherever you get your podcasts.

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That means plenty of beer, young folks wearing as little clothing as possible and plenty of games… Volleyball, badminton and kicking the soccer ball around are staples of the beach scene, but in San Diego, no place combines the trio of sand, suds and scantily clad women as well as the Old Mission Beach Athletic Club which will put on the annual Over the Line tournament once again. Starting in 1953, the OTL has been going on strong for 22 years and Sports Illustrated’s Curry Kirkpatrick got wind of the tourney and set out to see what it was all about.

What he found were plenty of teams that took the tournament very seriously… and an equal number of teams that did not. Over the Line is a softball game that involves 3-player teams and no running, no bases… The object is to hit the ball on the fly over a line about 20 yards in front of the batter and not have one of the the three fielders catch the ball on the fly… three outs per inning, 5 innings in a game… and no throwing beer cans or disrobing completely on the field.

The tournament had gotten so big, and so out of hand, that it could no longer be played on the beach… what started as an 8-team tournament over a weekend turned into 594 teams playing almost 600 games on 18 courts over two weekends of play… the one thing that didn’t change? The drinking and the shenanigans that ensued that the veteran SI scribe Kirkpatrick writes about gleefully. One of the directors of the tournament took umbrage with the portrayal of the tournament saying, “"I get the impression you're looking for wild stuff. We're not a bunch of buffoons conducting an orgy. This is an athletic event.” Shortly thereafter the man was seen attempting to climb through a dog door.

It was a summer of horror in the water thanks to Spielberg, but a ton of fun in the sun on the beach back in ’75 thanks to a bunch of beachgoers who knew how to have a good time and Curry Kirkpatrick relives his time covering the OTL tournament from 50 years ago that continues to this day… on the Past Our Prime podcast.

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Back in the pack playing in her first US Open was the 1975 LPGA Rookie of the Year… Amy Alcott, fresh out of high school, turned pro at age 18… a day after turning 19 she won her first professional tournament in February of ’75… a year later she won her 2nd of 29 LPGA titles… 5 of them majors including the 1980 US Women’s Open. 

A golf prodigy, Alcott’s parents turned their home… and more specifically their front and backyards, into a golf playhouse for their precocious 8-year old… and before you knew it, she was putting, chipping, and improving her game on her own… until she met a man that changed the course of her life… Walter Keller was her coach her entire career, and he knew Amy was something special the moment he saw her first swing a club.

Alcott herself would go on to a Hall of Fame career that included 3 major wins at the Nabisco Dinah Shore in Rancho Mirage, CA… and in 1988, when Alcott won for the 2nd time, she celebrated by taking a plunge with her caddie in the nearby pond… an iconic moment that has become a tradition for this major tournament on the Women’s tour.

Alcott tells us on the Past Our Prime podcast that she never planned on taking the leap into the pond… it just kind of happened… and a tradition was born… in 1991, she won the tournament for a 3rd time, and with her mom having passed, Dinah Shore agreed to take the dive with Amy into the pond one last time. She tells of how she loved golf from the moment she first laid eyes on it, and that love has never wavered… She recaps her first major win and how she almost fainted from heatstroke late in that tournament, but plowed through to take home the title… 

A member of the Jewish Sports Hall of Fame, Alcott reminisces about a time she showed up at La Costa and just happened to play a few holes with arguably the greatest Jewish athlete of all-time… Sandy Koufax…

She is as precocious and fun today as she was when she walked into that golf school 60 years ago and Walter Keller told her mother, “She’s a little racehorse. This girls got talent.” 

He was right.

One of the best to ever do it, LPGA Hall of Fame golfer Amy Alcott on the Past Our Prime podcast.

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After they each won the Cy Young Award in 1973, both of these aces suffered through injury-plagued, down seasons in 1974. Palmer was 7-12 in 26 starts while Tom Terrific was 11-11 while throwing the fewest innings of his then 8-year career. 

Healthy again in ’75, the two #1’s were back at the top of their games… and both would go on to win the Cy Young again in 75, the 3rd for Seaver and the 2nd for Palmer who would match Seaver with his 3rd a year later. Palmer would end the decade with 186 wins, the most in the 70’s while Seaver would finish tied for 3rd with 178. They were the best of the best and cementing a resume that would end with both of them in Cooperstown.

Mike Torrez was every bit as tough as the two cover guys. Starting his career with the Cardinals, Torrez came into his own after he was dealt to Montreal in 1971. He won 16 games for the Expos in ’72 and another 15 in ’74… but it was in 1975 when it all came together for the winningest Mexican pitcher of all-time.

Teaming with Palmer, Torrez had a sensational season going 20-9 with a 3.06 ERA over 270 innings of work. He started 36 games and completed 16 of them. It would be his only season in Baltimore but it was one to remember for the righty from Topeka, Kansas. A year later he won 16 games in Oakland before another sensational season in New York with the Yankees. After a regular season that saw Torrez win 17 games, 14 of them in pinstripes, Torrez had an October to remember. And if it weren’t for a historic performance from Mr. October himself, more would remember how brilliant Torrez was in the Yankees World Series win over the Dodgers.

With the series tied at 1-1 heading to Los Angles, Torrez matched up against Tommy John, Torrez went the distance in a 5-3 win over L.A. striking out 9. Just 4 days later, Torrez got the start again and behind Reggie Jackson’s 3 home runs, and another complete game win out of Torrez, the Yankees were champions again… their first title since 1962. Reggie was the MVP of the series but Torrez could have easily won that with his 2 CG wins over Tommy Lasorda’s club.

From there, this tough hombre would go to Boston where he would win more games in his career than any other club in his big league career before ending his 18 year career with Tom Seaver and the Mets and then 2 games with the A’s in 1984. 

But it was the 70’s where he was one of the best, winning 134 games that decade, 15th most in all of baseball, and certainly proving he was one of the toughest pitchers in the game. Looking back on his career, Torrez tells us that Bob Gibson had an integral part in his success, teaching him how to throw his famous slider. Torrez bookends that by sharing how he went to bat for a young Mets pitcher to make the club out of Spring Training, even though it might mean the end of his time in the majors. Torrez told the GM, you gotta let this kid make the team… this kid is ready. This kid was Doc Gooden.

Torrez talks about both Palmer and Seaver as pitchers… about Weaver and Martin as managers. About winning those two games with the Yankees in the Series… and about losing to the Yanks a year later when Bucky Dent hit one over the wall in Game 163. The ups, the downs, the highs and the lows… Torrez went through it all, and tells us all about them… on the Past Our Prime podcast.

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But Arthur had different plans… and a strategy that worked perfectly against Connors… The normally hard-hitting Ashe implemented a softer approach, with lobs and drop-shots that kept Jimmy off balance for much of the match… and when it was all said and done, the 40-1 longshot had pulled off one of the biggest upsets in tennis history in becoming the first black man to become a Wimbledon champion winning in 4 sets, 6-1, 6-1, 5-7, 6-4.

Already the first black men to win the U.S. Open and the Australian Open, Ashe cemented his place as a tennis legend with this third and final grand glam victory, this one being the least likely of the three. Ashe would win 76 Singles titles in his career, but only 9 more after his Wimbledon triumph, with his final one coming in September of 1978. 18 months later at the age of 36, he retired from tennis and set his sights on bigger things…

Like changing the world.

The humble athlete wasn’t as vociferous as Muhammad Ali when it came to his stances… but he was every bit as effective in getting his point across. He became an advocate for Civil Rights, stood up against South Africa’s Apartheid, and founded the Arthur Ashe Foundation for the Defeat of AIDS after contracting HIV from a blood transfusion. He died at the age of 49 and was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom posthumously by President Bill Clinton as well as an award for lifelong contributions to humanitarianism named aptly, the Arthur Ashe Humanitarian of the Year Award in 1993.

His life off the court was more impressive than his Hall of Fame career on the court and was chronicled in the documentary ‘Citizen Ashe’, directed by Rex Miller and Sam Pollard. Miller grew up a fan of tennis and of Ashe and after a chance encounter with Ashe’s widow, Jeanne Moutoussamy, the film had her blessing and Miller’s expertise. The result being a wonderful sports doc that the New York Times said “Ashe’s story certainly has moments of great drama and high tension, but, as a sports figure, he inspired decidedly undramatic sobriquets like 'the gentle warrior.’ This documentary shows you a truer, sharper picture.”

Rex Miller tells us how Ashe came up with the strategy that beat Connors in 75 at Wimbledon and how Connors dropped a lawsuit against Arthur the day after the match in England concluded. He tells the story of how he found lost audio tapes of Ashe, that became the primary voice of his film and a goldmine for a director. He recounts how being recruited by UCLA changed his life and how winning at Wimbledon was the crowning moment of his career which gave him a new sense of credibility and opened up his ability to effect change for the rest of his life.

It’s a show about a tennis player who was much, much more than that. Rex Miller helps tell the story of Arthur Ashe in his film ‘Citizen Ashe’ and he does it again on the Past Our Prime podcast.

Listen, download, share, review… Apple, Spotify, Amazon, IHeart, yada, yada, yada…

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It was widely considered the sports story of the year with future Hall of Fame players throughout both rosters. The star power of Rose, Rice, Yaz, Morgan, Fisk and Perez along with Tiant, Lynn, Concepcion, Foster, and Griffey was off the charts… and the Big Red Machine finally prevailed in that game 7 to win the Series.

That was one to remember… the other big story was one we’d like to forget… The Match Race between Foolish Pleasure and the great filly, Ruffian was the talk of the horse racing world and the excitement at Belmont Park was similar to when Secretariat was going for the triple crown at the same track two years earlier… 

After a blistering 1/4 mile, Ruffian had just taken the lead by a neck over the Kentucky Derby winner… in fact, that first 1/2 mile was the only time in Ruffians career she ever trailed in a race… she was running with the boys and holding her own… when she suffered a catastrophic leg injury breaking two bones in her right leg. The great horse continued to run for a bit even on the broken leg as her jockey Jacinto Vasquez tried to bring her to a stop. The jubilant atmosphere came to a sudden stop at the race track and nationwide as the TV audience realized what had just taken place… there was no way to describe it, yet that was the job of Dave Johnson, the track announcer at Belmont… Even he was at a loss for words as the ambulance made its way on to the track to tend to the fallen horse… she would be carted away, and after multiple attempts to save her, the great Ruffian was finally put to rest.

Johnson was off the next two days, but when he returned to work on Wednesday he said there was one word that described everything… 

“Crying”

Everyone was crying. Writers, trainers, guys in the stall… women in the offices… everywhere you went, people were at a loss… In a career that would span over 50 years, it was as tough a day as Johnson can recall.

Now 84, the legendary Horse Racing announcer is still as energetic and exuberant when it comes to the sport he loves. On the Past Our Prime podcast, Johnson shares inside details on that horrific July day when Ruffian rode for the final fatal time… He talks about how the atmosphere at the track was electric and how he thought Ruffian would remain undefeated after beating Foolish Pleasure… but it didn’t happen the way anybody thought it would.

Johnson also reflects on the recent passing of his good friend, D. Wayne Lukas and gives personal insights to what made him such a great trainer… and an even better person. The legendary trainer was 89 years old when he died June 28th… just 16 days after the final horse he trained won a race… Johnson claims his work ethic was second to none and that Lukas was everything that was good about the sport.

“And down the stretch they come!!!”… A legendary call from a legendary broadcaster talking about a legendary horse and a legendary trainer… sounds like a legendary show… and it is…

The Past Our Prime podcast with Dave Johnson… listen wherever you get your podcasts.

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A month later at the AAU Track n Field championships in Eugene, OR, Shorter ran with determination and a heavy heart, winning the 10,000 meters in front of Steve’s hometown fans who gave Frank a long and emotional ovation for winning his race. It was a surreal month for Shorter and running helped him get through this tumultuous time… as it always had before.

Frank started running to see how good he could be. He didn’t set out to win medals or gain fame… he just wanted to get better… to improve over time… and he did just that eventually becoming the best distance runner the U.S. had to offer. He was in Munich in 1972 awaiting his time to run the marathon when members of the Palestinian militant organization Black September stormed the Olympic Village and murdered two Israeli athletes. As the hostage crisis ensued, Shorter didn’t know what to expect and when all of the athletes died he figured the Olympics would be called.

But they weren’t, and 4 days later, Frank took to the streets of Munich looking to close out the Games in style and give the people something to cheer for. However, as he entered the stadium with just a lap to go in the marathon, there was silence. No cheering… just whistling… the European way of booing. Why were they jeering instead of cheering? As Frank neared the finish line it became clear… an imposter had come into the stadium ahead of Shorter and crossed the finish line… and the fans were having none of it… they knew that America’s Frank Shorter was the winner and they were booing the fraud that had stolen Frank’s moment… but he didn’t steal his Gold. And Frank says to this day he doesn’t think about that moment being tarnished in any way because he wasn’t running for accolades. He was running for himself… and he knew on this day… that there was nobody faster in the world at 26.2 miles than he was.

50 years later he still gets emotional when talking about his friend Steve. He tells us about the two movies made about his buddy and how he played a part in both of them. He says on the Past Our Prime podcast that how Steve died is not what the authorities will have you believe and that the details of his death are not accurate for a reason. Frank talks at length about the quiet determination his friend had as a runner, and as an advocate for other runners. Mostly, Frank recollects about a 24-year old man who was gone way, way too soon… 

The only American to ever medal in the Olympic Marathon twice… Frank Shorter on the Past Our Prime podcast.

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Until…  

In 1975, the New York Cosmos signed Edson Arantes do Nascimento, the Brazilian superstar known across the globe simply as… Pele. That’s right, Pele was coming to America… North America, NYC, The Big Apple… and with it, soccer was about to experience a boom in the U.S.

Michael Lewis was just a young sports reporter looking to get a beat covering one of the four sports he grew up loving… Baseball, football, basketball, and hockey… Soccer wasn’t on that list. Not even close. But the young scribe was given a shot to cover the Rochester Lancers of the NASL… and his career and life were never the same. Over 50 years later, he’s written 9 books on the sport, including Soccer for Dummies and Alive and Kicking: The incredible but true story of the Rochester Lancers. 

That opportunity to cover the NASL allowed Michael to get a firsthand look at what he calls the biggest “BANG” for soccer in the United States: the arrival of Pele. He tells us how the global sensation arrived with no ego as an ambassador to the sport that saw him win 3 World Cups for Brazil in 1958, 1962, and 1970. He went from the pinnacle of the sport to a fledgling league, and did everything he could to bring attention to the sport he was famous for playing… Famous everywhere except maybe in the States…. But that was about to change.

Pele was a man of the people, and that was apparent everywhere he went. He would talk with the guys in the kitchen of the restaurant as he was about to be introduced at his inaugural press conference in America. He would sign autographs for hours and give the jersey off his back to fellow players. In 1977, he led the Cosmos to the Soccer Bowl, winning in the quarterfinals in front of almost 78,000 fans at Giants Stadium before winning the Soccer Bowl in Oregon three weeks later. After the match, Brazilian journalists on hand to cover their famous countrymen carried him on their shoulders and paraded him around the locker room in jubilation at the conclusion of the superstar’s incredible career.

Michael Lewis was in that locker room and says almost 50 years later it’s still the most amazing postgame celebration he’s ever witnessed. Next summer, Lewis will cover his 14th World Cup… and when the finals of that tournament are played at Met Life Stadium, right where Giants Stadium used to stand, his career will have come full circle to when a young reporter was given a beat he didn’t really want… and set him on a course that changed his life and gave him the opportunity to cover the greatest player and ambassador the sport has ever known…

Pele.

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One such person was Leo Ullman who two years after Ryan threw the final pitch of his Hall-of-Fame career purchased 11 Nolan Ryan baseball cards at a $1 a piece… and so began the largest collection of Nolan Ryan memorabilia that has been assembled. Saddles, cleats, bats, balls, if it had Nolan Ryan’s name attached to it, Ullman purchased it, eventually amassing close to 15,000 different items in a collection that now resides at Stockton University in New Jersey. Ullman wanted the entire collection to stay input, so instead of it going to the Hall of Fame where they might have picked over the items in the collection, he kept it intact at the campus in Galloway Township.

A lawyer by trade, Ullman is also an author, having written a book about his collection titled, ‘Nolan Ryan, The Largest And Most Unique Collection Of All Things Nolan Ryan, The Greatest Power Pitcher Of All Time.” But that’s not the only book Mr. Ullman wrote. ‘796 Days: Hiding as a child in occupied Amsterdam during WWII and then coming to America’ is the story of Leo as a 3-year old when he was taken in by a couple and hidden in their attic for over 2 1/2 years during the Nazi occupation of Amsterdam. The Dutch resistance put his parents in a different house and it wasn’t until the war was over that young Leo was reunited with his birthparents… who survived without knowing if their little Leo had as well.

Leo comes on the Past Our Prime podcast and tells us the similarities between his life’s story and that of Anne Frank’s. He would later go on to become a Director and Chairman of the Anne Frank Center USA  and tells us that his war-parents brought him to stay with them knowing they could be executed if the Jewish boy was found for one reason… “It was the right thing to do.” 

His parents would emigrate to the States and settle in Brooklyn and 8-year old Leo would fall in love with Jackie Robinson and the Dodgers. A few years later the team would break Leo’s heart and leave for Los Angeles, but Leo’s love for baseball never waned. At some point, his allegiance turned to the Mets and years later, when Mets owner Steve Cohen heard of Leo’s story, he invited him to throw out the first pitch at a game…  Leo recalls how, much like a former Mets pitcher by the name of Nolan Ryan, he bounced the pitch in the dirt much to his chagrin. But he refused to let his time in that attic define him. Instead, he joyfully tells us how he spent time with the Mets in a fantasy camp years ago and still keeps in touch with his fellow Mets buddies…

At age 86, Leo has gone from the nightmare of the Holocaust to a Mets Dream Week… and in between, put together the largest collection of Nolan Ryan collectibles of all-time. It’s been quite the life for Leo and he tells us all about it on the Past Our Prime podcast…

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Bob Kalsu was in the same 1968 NFL Draft as Bleier, chosen by the Buffalo Bills in the 8th round after being an All-American tackle at the University of Oklahoma… and much like Bleier, he too left the NFL after his rookie season to fight in Vietnam. The difference is, Kalsu never came home. On July 21, 1970 a blast took his life and made him the only active duty NFL player to die in the Vietnam War.

It also left his wife, Jan Kalsu, a widow, and a single mother of two children. A daughter, and a son, who was born two days later after the father he would never meet was killed in action. Jan gave birth to Bob, Jr. and was informed of the death of her husband while at the hospital giving birth to their son. 

Bob was the Buffalo Bills rookie of the year in 1968. He was awarded a Bronze Star and a Purple Heart for his service… but at the age of 25, his life was cut short, and Jan was left on her own to raise their two children. And that’s just what she did.

55 years later, Jan is still telling the story of her late husband, Bob Kalsu. How they met, how it was love at first sight, and how they planned to get married in Miami after the Orange Bowl until the head coach at the University of Oklahoma, Chuck Fairbanks, put an end to that. They did get married — after the Orange Bowl — and Bob soon went from being an only child to having 4 brothers-in-law and another 4 sisters-in-law. Jan says Bob loved being part of a big family and took to it with ease and grace.

On the Past Our Prime podcast, Jan recounts how she and her 1-year old daughter Jill met with Bob in Hawaii while he was on leave and how he loved his little girl. But she also recalls how loud noises could bring him from a deep sleep back into enemy territory and for a second, understand what her giant of a husband was going through while he was away. Jan says the Bills never forgot Bob and put his number 61 in their Wall of Fame on his birthday 25 years ago.

The mother of two, and grandmother of nine lives a happy life in Oklahoma and tries not to play the ‘what if’ game when it comes to Bob. He made a commitment to serve, and, being a man of his word, he honored that commitment, and Jan’s Catholic faith helped her deal with his decision, and the tragic results of it as best she could.

It’s a powerful talk with a normal woman who went through a very abnormal time and 55 years later, can talk with pride, laugh with ease, and reminisce about a man, a husband, a father, and a soldier… who just happened to also be a football player. Before there was Pat Tillman, there was Bob Kalsu… hear his story from the woman who knew him best of all… his wife, Jan Kalsu on the Past Our Prime podcast.

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Sports Illustrated called him a fiery genius when he was on their cover in June of 1975 and that’s just what he was. As smart a baseball man as there ever was who wouldn’t take crap from anyone. Not the owner. Not the GM. Not his players. Not the guy at the bar. And he had issues with all of them. But rarely on the field. Once they said ‘Play Ball’ there was no better strategist than Billy.

His players weren’t scared of him… but they were scared to lose for him. Billy wouldn’t stand for it. He got the best out of his players because he believed they could be better than they actually were… and more often than not, he was right… and he has the wins to back it up.

Tom Grieve played under Martin and had two of his best seasons in the bigs while Billy was his manager. 50 years later, Grieve says that Martin was the best manager he ever played for. He’s not the only one to think that.

Tom Grieve played for the Rangers 7 seasons. He would later become their General Manager for 10 years and followed that up by working as a broadcaster for the Rangers for another 22 years… there is a reason he is referred to as Mr. Ranger and is a member of the Texas Rangers Hall of Fame. But he says those years with Martin may have changed baseball in Texas for good, as fans for the first time showed interest in what had been, until that time, a pretty dreadful organization. “Billy revitalized baseball,” according to Mr. Grieve.

On the Past Our Prime podcast, Grieve looks back at those years with Martin and talks about how he instilled in them a fear of losing, and a path to winning. He says that Billy believed they could win, much to the disbelief of many on that Rangers roster, and told them so in the first team meeting upon his arrival. And sure enough, wins started piling up, and the Rangers were making believers out of just about everyone, including themselves. Grieve says that the team knew their manager gave them an edge in the dugout and that carried out onto the field.

Six weeks after Martin was on the cover of SI he was let go by the Rangers after another disagreement with management. It was a pattern that Martin had his entire career, and would follow him to his next position… as the manager of the New York Yankees… but before Steinbrenner and Reggie and the Bronx Zoo… there was Billy in Texas… and Tom Grieve, “The man who signed Nolan Ryan!”  tells us how it all went down on the Past Our Prime podcast…

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Two other runners were on the cover with Bayi… trying to chase him down and run to glory. Marty Liquori was one of them and while he would finish 2nd in the race, he ran the best time of his life at 3:52.2. Running sub 4-minute miles was nothing new to Marty. He first did in 1967 when he became the 3rd American high schooler to do so while attending Essex Catholic High School in Newark, NJ. From there he went to Villanova and made the 1968 US Olympic team as a 19-year old freshman but suffered a stress fracture in the finals of the 1,500 meter run.

Being on the cover of SI was nothing new to Liquori. Four years earlier he was on the cover of Sports Illustrated in May of 1971 when he beat another legendary runner, Jim Ryun in the original Dream Mile race. Despite the big win for Liquori, he told us on the Past Our Prime podcast that the week leading up to the race was a miserable experience and that he could never get used to what the Jordan’s and LeBron’s of today have to go through on a daily basis. He tells us that his rivalry with Jim Ryun was strictly on the track and that they didn’t get to know each other very well until almost 40 years after their famous race. He says that even though he ran his best in the Bayi race he could have done even better if not for a mistake on the final lap and that the strategy used by Bayi was the difference in the race. And he tells us that he still plays softball, rides a bike, paddles around in a kayak and plays guitar in a band… The man does a little bit of everything and he does it all rather well.

While at the height of his career he founded the Athletics Attic footwear chain…at the age of 23! He continued racing competitively until 1980 while also starting a broadcasting career for ABC sports that saw him cover numerous Olympics and major races for over 30 years. He ran into the record books and into at least 16 different Hall of Fames including the National Track and Field Hall of Fame and the Collegiate Athlete Hall of Fame. 

In the 70’s, track and field was bigger than the NBA and and Marty was in the center of it all. He stops long enough to tell us all about it on the Past Our Prime podcast.

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But rain and Bobby Unser had other plans… a downpour ended the race after just 174 of the 200 laps, and Unser was awarded the victory with 1974 champion Johnny Rutherford finishing 2nd and AJ a disappointing 3rd… taking it all in was a kid who grew up just north of the famous racetrack and attended his first race at the age of 6 in 1966… Scott Gauger hasn’t missed an Indy 500 since, including the ’75 race that saw Mother Nature end the race before it could properly come to it’s scheduled conclusion.

Gauger grew up around racing and started working at Indianapolis Motor Speedway when he was just 13. 5 years later in 1978, he took his first official position with an IndyCar team, and almost 50 years later, he’s still a part of the Old Brickyard, working on two winning Indy 500 teams… In 2016 he worked for the Andretti-Herta Autosport team that won the checkered flag for the 100th running of the Indy 500 with Alexander Rossi behind the wheel… and a year later, he was with Andretti Autosport when Takuma Sato was the first to cross the finish line.

And while Gauger works officially for separate IndyCar teams, his unofficial position is Ambassador of the Indy 500. He gives tours, gets tickets for kids, and promotes the race 24/7, 365 days a year.

On the Past Our Prime podcast, Gauger tells us about how he grew up near 3-time Indy 500 winner Louis Meyer, who is widely known for starting the annual tradition of drinking mile after winning at Indy… Gauger talks about the greats and says AJ Foyt is the best racer of all-time, and the first person he ever saw have a personalized license plate… He tells us about drinking the milk after winning in ’16 and again in ’17 and he tells us which famous actor was the best racer of the bunch… if you know racing, it won’t be a surprise. And Gauger tells us why the racers of today aren’t as well-known as the ones we grew up watching 50 years ago.

The Indy 500. It’s as American as it gets… and so is Scott Gauger, Mr. Indy 500 on the Past Our Prime podcast. Give us a review and a download if you would and share it with your friends.

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The great horse had lost but once entering the race at Churchill Downs, yet some didn’t think he could handle the distance. They were wrong. Vasquez knew he had the right horse at the right time to win his first Derby. The same held true 5 years later, when aboard Genuine Risk, he won it again. Only one of three fillies to win the Derby ever and the first since Regret in 1915!

Despite being on the Kentucky Derby winner, Vasquez would get off of Foolish Pleasure to mount another great horse and another filly later that summer of ’75 when he rode Ruffian in a match race against Pleasure. One of the greatest horses ever, Ruffian had been in 10 races since May of 1974… and won all of them… in fact, in all 10 races, she won wire-to-wire. That’s right, she never trailed in a race. And in the 8 stakes races she entered, she set new stakes records in all 8 of them.

But on that summer day at Belmont Park against Foolish Pleasure, Ruffian broke down, breaking two bones in her right foreleg. After surgery, the great thoroughbred came out of anesthesia and reacted poorly. She had to be put down. Vasquez and the racing world mourned the loss of one of the top 100 American horses of the 20th century.

With over 5,200 wins, and a member of the United States Racing Hall of Fame since 1998, Vasquez is one of the all-time greats, but he tells us on the Past Our Prime podcast, that great horses make great jockeys and he would know. He also recounts the three times he beat Secretariat… the only jockey to ever beat the iconic horse three times. And he tells us why he was suspended from racing for a year and how to this day he vehemently denies the charges that were brought up against him.

Vasquez is one of the all-time greats and at 81 years old, you can hear the competitive fire still burn inside of him when he recounts his rides on Pleasure, Ruffian and Forego or his battles with other great jockey’s of his time such as Angel Cordero and Willie Shoemaker. It was a great time for fans of horse racing and Vasquez was one of the greats. 

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And for Lynn and the Sox fans, it was love at first sight. The 23-year old kid won the CF job out of Spring Training and never looked back… He would finish the season with a .331 average, 21 home runs and 105 RBI’s while also winning a Gold Glove for his defensive prowess in centerfield. It was a season for the ages for Lynn and the Sox that culminated in one of the All-time classic World Series matchups between the Sox and the Big Red Machine that went 7 games after one of the most famous October HR’s ever... a shot by Carlton Fisk that won arguably the greatest World Series game ever played… 

That Game 6 contest was a moment in sports where the people of Boston for years would ask… ‘Where were you for Game 6?” The answer for a young Dan Shaughnessy was… Fenway Park… Years before the Hall of Fame writer was hired by the Boston Globe to cover the team he grew up loving, Dan was there with his sister taking in one of the greatest games he ever witnessed… and he’s seen a lot… from that Game 6, to Bucky Dent’s blast in ’78, to the euphoria of Dave Henderson’s HR that helped propel the ’86 Sox back to the World Series to the Buckner play that same October that kept the curse alive to Boone’s HR in ’03 and the comeback that ended 86 years of futility in 2004… Shaughnessy has literally covered it all.

The author of a dozen books including One Strike Away, The Curse of the Bambino, and Reversing the Curse: Inside the 2004 Boston Red Sox, nobody knows the Sox of the last 50 years better than this kid from Groton, MA who’s had a birds eye view of it all and access to the players and team like no other. Shaughnessy tells us on the Past Our Prime podcast how his friend and mentor Peter Gammons told them all to watch out for this kid from USC who was going to be the next big thing in Boston and how Freddie Lynn started hot, and never stopped in that magical Rookie season of ’75.

It would be almost 30 more years before the Red Sox broke the curse and Shaughnessy relives the highs, the lows, the ups and the downs of that Sox ride beginning 50 years ago, when a young phenom from L.A. took New England by storm and had a season we're still talking about on the Past Our Prime podcast. Listen wherever you get your podcasts.

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The 6’6 forward had a standout college career for the Oklahoma Sooners where he was the schools 2nd all-time leading scorer and all-time leading rebounder at the time of his graduation. Playing for John McLeod at Oklahoma, Heard averaged 21.7 points and 12.5 rebounds per game in his senior year.

Taken by the Supersonics in the 3rd round, Heard didn’t do much in his first two years in Seattle before being traded to Chicago and then in 1973 to Buffalo… and it was there where his NBA career took off. Playing alongside McAdoo and Randy Smith, Heard did the hard work averaging a double-double in his two years and helping take the team to their first two playoff appearances… But after a successful 1974-75 season, Heard was shocked when he was dealt yet again… this time to Phoenix where he once again would play for head coach, John McLeod.

The Suns were languishing in the West before Heard’s arrival, but soon they took off… Playing in a league high 86 games, Heard once again averaged a double-double as the Suns made the playoffs and beat Seattle in 6 games and the defending champion Warriors in 7 with Heard once again averaging 14 points and 11 rebounds to advance to the ’76 NBA Finals.

Awaiting the Suns were the Celtics and with the series knotted at two games each, game 5 was played on the parquet floor in Boston… and what a game five it was. Some call it the greatest NBA playoff game ever played. In one of the craziest finishes of all-time, the Celtics took a 2-point lead with 1 second left to play in the 2nd overtime. That’s when Gar Heard made the basketball version of The Shot Heard Round the World. A 20-footer over the outstretched hands of Don Nelson that hit nothing but the bottom of the net.

On to the 3rd overtime it went where the luck of the Celtics Green finally prevailed and won the series in 6 games. But for one moment… one second to be more precise… Gar Heard made a shot of a lifetime.

On the Past Our Prime podcast, Heard tells us all about the shot, and the technical foul Paul Westphal and the Suns took on purpose to help give them a shot… a shot Heard says was meant for him to take! Heard tells us how shocked he was to be dealt from cold and snowy Buffalo to the desert in Arizona in the middle of the 75-76 season and how Coach McLeod mentored him both in college and the pro’s.  Heard’s career was more than just one miraculous shot and he tells us about the block he had on a young Keith Wilkes baseline jumper that helped  knock off the Warriors and send the Suns to the Finals.

A week after the Giants Bobby Thompson hit the Shot Heard Round the World in New York it’s Gar Heard’s turn to do it… this time in Boston. Just a few miles away from where the original Shot Heard Round the World took place two hundred years earlier in April of 1775. One of the greatest shots in NBA history and Heard tells us all about it on the Past Our Prime podcast. Listen and subscribe to the show for your weekly dose of sports history.

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Inside that issue was another excerpt from the book Nice Guys Finish Last by another Hall of Famer… Leo Durocher was put into Cooperstown after amassing the 5th most wins as a manager when he retired after the 1973 season with the Houston Astros with a total of 2,008 victories which now ranks him 12th all-time. In his 23 years as a skipper, Leo the Lip won one World Series which came in 1954 and went to another in '51 when his Giants overcame the Dodgers 13.5 game lead and won the pennant on the Shot Heard Round the World before beating the Yankees in 6 games.

It was one of the greatest comebacks in sports history and Bobby Thomson became a legend for his 3-run pennant winning HR off Ralph Branca of the Brooklyn Dodgers to complete the Giants ascent to the Fall Classic. A moment that will forever live in baseball lore that now 74 years later lives in controversy.

That’s because of a telescope, a buzzer and a scheme the Giants implemented that helped them figure out what pitches were coming and catapulted New York to finish the season winning 37 of their final 44 games and overtake the Dodgers on the final pitch of the final inning of the final game of their season prior to the World Series.

A fastball that Thomson knew was coming.

Author and journalist Joshua Prager heard about this story and started to investigate it, and soon he had enough to write a front-page story for the Wall Street Journal and in 2006, a book called The Echoing Green: The Untold Story of Bobby Thomson, Ralph Branca and the Shot Heard Round the World. He goes into great detail of how the Giants took their 3rd base coach, Herman Franks, and put him in the clubhouse in centerfield armed with a telescope and a buzzer to alter the course of baseball history.

Prager joins us on Past Our Prime and tells us how Thomson and Branca’s lives were both forever altered by that one pitch and how years later they were able to get past it and move on. He tells us how Franks confessed to him what took place right before he died, over 50 years after it all took place. And he tells us how a young 20-year old kid by the name of Willie Mays wanted to know what pitches were coming but didn’t want to come to bat in that bottom of the 9th inning and watched from the on-deck circle as Thompson connected for the famous/infamous 3-run blast.

Before the Astros banged their way to a World Series title in 2018 it was the Giants and Leo Durocher who were doing whatever it took to get an advantage back in 1951. Nice guys finish last but what about cheaters? In this case, they became world champs and we tell you how it all went down with Joshua Prager on this weeks Past Our Prime podcast. 

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Because also in that issue was the 2nd part of a 4 part series from the book, “Nice Guys Finish Last,” from former player and Hall of Fame manager, Leo Durocher. The “Lip” was a heckuva ballplayer, spanning 20 years with the Yankees, Reds, Cardinals and Brooklyn Dodgers from 1925-1945. A 3-time All-Star, and 4-time World Series champion, Durocher ended his playing days as a player/manager in Brooklyn and would go on to retire as the 5th winningest skipper in MLB history.

Starting in 1939 with the Dodgers and then spending 8 more years with the Nw York Giants from 1948-1955, Durocher won his only World Series as a manager when Willie Mays and the Giants swept the Cleveland Indians in 1954. The next year was his last in New York and he wouldn’t manage again until the Cubs hired him in 1966. Chicago was 59-103 in his first season guiding the team but didn’t have a losing season in the remainder of his 5+ seasons at the helm. He would finish his Hall of Fame managerial career in Houston with another winning season in 1973.

On that ’73 teams was a young lefty who started 40 games for the Astros, completing 12 of them and amassing 279 innings pitched. Jerry Reuss was just 23 years old when he played for Durocher and the two had an adventurous time together with Durocher riding his young stud as often as he could, and Reuss often questioning the tactics of the veteran manager. It was a memorable season in Houston for the southpaw who would go on to win 220 games in his 22 years in the bigs.

Reuss tells us how he pranked Dave Parker when he and The Cobra met up with Muhammad Ali in an elevator while playing for the Pirates. He takes us to Candlestick Park on a warm June night in 1980 when he no-hit the Giants, and he recounts the time Ron Cey was beaned in the head by a Goose Gossage fastball in the ’81 world Series.

But more than anything we talk to Reuss about what was it like for a kid born in 1950 to play for a manager who had been managing in the majors for 23 years by the time their paths crossed in the Lone Star state. It was a bumpy ride to say the least. Reuss tells us that much of it was his fault and that he and Durocher didn’t see eye-to-eye most of the time. He goes on to tell us that years later they met up in the office of another Dodgers manager, Tommy Lasorda, and both admitted they could have handled things differently. Reuss and The Lip patched things up and shortly thereafter, Durocher passed away. 

One of the greatest managers in baseball history was a mercurial and difficult man who never finished last in his 24 years as a manager. Was it because he was a Hall of Fame manager or because only Nice Guys Finish Last? In Durocher’s case… probably a little of both. Listen, download, subscribe and review the Past Our Prime podcast.

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A week later, Steve Garvey was on the April 7, 1975 issue of SI, but the story that captivated the sports world was the final game of Wooden’s time at UCLA. The end of an era that will never be replicated… and he went out a champion.

Now in retirement at the age of 64, Wooden retreated to his home and continued to be a mentor to the many players who played for him at UCLA, notably, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Bill Walton, Lucius Allen, Larry Farmer and countless others. His beloved wife Nell passed in 1985 and Coach fell into a deep funk. His children were deeply worried about the mental anguish the widowed Wooden was enduring with the passing of his wife after 53 years of marriage. Gradually he came out of it with the help of his family, friends, and players who visited with him regularly.

One of those who saw Coach Wooden on a regular basis for home visits was his podiatrist, Dr. Michael Levi. Michael would come often to check on the now 80+ year old Coach Wooden and the two soon became more than just a doctor-patient relationship. They would often have breakfast together and talk about family, life, baseball, God, books and any other topic that Wooden found interesting… which was everything. Michael would return home and write down everything that had taken place upon his visit with Coach… and in 2016, 6 years after Coach Wooden was laid to rest at the age of 99, Levi published a book with the help of former L.A. times writer Larry Stewart called, “Wednesdays with Wooden.”

Levi talks about how he went to a camp as a 6-year old and saw Wooden for the first time and how is father idolized the legendary Bruins coach. He tells us on the Past Our Prime podcast how he and Wooden became friends over their time together and how he was able to give his father the best birthday gift ever… lunch with Coach Wooden. Levi tells us about the depression that felled the Coach after the death of Nell and what brought him out of it and how the phone never stopped ringing at Coach Wooden’s house with players calling to check up on him constantly throughout the day…. Every day…

It’s an intimate and personal look at the most successful college coach in NCAA history from a man who checked on Wooden’s feet, and ended up getting a piece of his heart. Listen wherever you get your podcasts and hit that subscribe button while you’re at it.

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The only other player to get a vote for American League Rookie of the Year was Lynn’s teammate, a future Hall of Famer himself, Jim Rice who had a fantastic freshman year.

The 3rd Hall of Famer in that rookie class was a pitcher in Cleveland by the name of Dennis Eckersley. But he wasn’t the only young stud on that staff… Enter The Amazing Emu… Jim Kern. 

A non-drafted pitcher out of Midland, Michigan, Kern didn’t rise quickly through the minors and took a detour when he joined the marines in 1969. After a year of serving and 5 more in the reserves, Kern’s baseball career started to take off and after a brief callus to the bigs in ’74, he came up for good in ’75. As a starter he had inconsistent success but with Frank Robinson as his manager, he converted to a receiver in 1976 and a star was born.

One of the hardest throwers in the game, Kern took to his new role immediately, winning 10 games and saving 15 with an ERA of 2.37 over 117 innings. He was an American League All-Star the next three seasons culminating in 1979 when he won 13 games out of the pen and saved another 29 while amassing 143 innings with an ERA of 1.57. A season for the ages for the 6’5 flamethrower.

Unfortunately injuries plagued Kern for much of the rest of his career. He bounced around the league and other than a resurgence in 1982 for a bad Reds team, he never was as dominant as he was during that 4-year stretch from 1976-79…

On the Past Our Prime podcast, Kern tells us about his journey from being undrafted out of high school, to the marines to a 3-time All-Star reliever from 1977 to 1979. He tells us about his days in Cleveland that included playing for the first black manager in baseball history, Hall of Famer Frank Robinson and being on the same pitching staff as another Hall of Famer, Dennis Eckersley. Kern speaks fondly of many teammates including Gaylord Perry, Pat Dobson, Sparky Lyle and Boog Powell who taught this “dumbass rookie” as much about being a pitcher as anyone he ever came across. And this baseball character tells us about the best prank he ever took part in, and how Buddy Bell got his revenge! It’s a bunch of laughs with one of the funniest relief pitchers of the late 70’s who could throw the ball about as hard as anyone for a brief, yet electric time in Cleveland and Texas. The Amazing Emu, Jim Kern, on the Past Our Prime podcast. Download, listen, subscribe and review the show wherever you get your podcasts.

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After knocking Ali down in the 9th round Wepner told his trainer Al Braverman to start the car... "We're going to the bank, " he said. "We're millionaires." To which Braverman told his fighter, "You better turn around. He's getting up and he looks pissed off." For the remainder of the fight, Ali battered the challenger, opening up cuts above both of Wepner's eyes. But Wepner kept coming, and kept coming, and never stopped until 19 seconds left in the 15th round when Ali sent him to the canvas... and even then, Wepner got back up, but the fight was stopped.

He had given everything he had and then some and his courageous fight caught the attention of everyone... most notably a young Sylvester Stallone who would use this Wepner fight against Ali to write a screenplay about a fighter getting the opportunity of a lifetime, and coming this close to becoming the heavyweight champion of the world.

We know him as Rocky Balboa.

But another filmmaker also was interested in the story of Chuck Wepner. Enter Jeff Feuerzeig, who wasn't as interested in Rocky Balboa, but rather... The Bayonne Bleeder, Wepner. So Feuerzeig set out to tell the story of Wepner in an ESPN 30-for-30 documentary called

'The Real Rocky" and then followed that up by writing the screenplay for a feature film titled, "Chuck" starring Liev Schreiber. Nobody knows the story of Chuck Wepner better than Feuerzeig and he joins us this week on the 50-year anniversary of when this unheralded fighter got into the ring with the most famous boxer of all-time, and stood toe-to-toe with the great Ali for 15 rounds.

Feuerzeig tells how he first heard of Chuck as an 11-year old kid and the fight Wepner had against Sonny Liston that was the bloodiest battle one could imagine. The Sundance Award winning director for The Devil and Daniel Johnston, Feuerzeig tells the story of how over 30 years after the Ali fight, he was able to tell the story of the Real Rocky on ESPN's signature 30-for-30 series and how the ensuing court battle of the former marine Wepner, vs the Hollywood icon, Stallone was more a matter of honor and recognition than anything else.

March 24, 1975 had Chuck Wepner on the cover of Sports Illustrated... the day he and Ali battled in Cleveland, Ohio for all the world to see... Wepner's 15 minutes of fame, turned into 15 rounds of theatre... and Jeff Feuerzeig tells the story better than anyone and shares it with us on the Past Our Prime podcast. Listen, download, review... all that good stuff... wherever you get your podcasts.

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Ford would go from there to have one of the greatest four years in UNC basketball history finishing as the school's all-time leading scorer. As it turns out, this kid was golden as well. Playing for Smith again, he guided Team USA to a Gold Medal win in the 1976 Olympics. His junior season he led the Heels to the Final Four and the title game as a consensus first team All-American and in his final season, he once again was a first team All-American before winning the coveted John R. Wooden Award given out to college basketball's top player. When he was done, #12 would hang from the rafters and he still to this day is the #4 all-time leading scorer in North Carolina basketball history.

An eye injury would derail his promising NBA career which started as the #2 pick of the Kansas City Kings. He would finish his first year as the NBA Rookie of the Year and was well on his way to a long professional career before his vision was forever altered.

His playing days over, Ford would return to Chapel Hill in 1988 as an assistant coach under Dean Smith and in 1993 was on his staff for Smith's 2nd national title and first since another freshman sensation by the name of Michael Jordan won it all in 1982 for the Tar Heels. Ford would stay with Smith until he retired and then another three seasons before leaving in 2000. He tells us on the Past Our Prime podcast how much he loved and admired Coach Smith and how his spiritual guidance may have saved his life. He talks about that sensational ACC Tournament that in 1975 that led him to being on the cover of Sports Illustrated and how a year later he was one of 4 UNC players to bring home an Olympic gold medal for the USA. And he talks about the famous "Four Corners" offense that Coach Smith came up with, and Ford helped him perfect.

Before there was an Air Jordan, there was Phil Ford... the best point guard in the University of North Carolina's history and one of the best ever to do it... and he shares his insights and stories with us on Past Our Prime. Download and listen wherever you get your podcasts.

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Elder was a fine golfer and won a tournament in April of '74 on the Tour that got him an invitation to play at Augusta. He would have to wait almost an entire year before his day would come, and he would tee off at The Masters. He wasn't playing his best golf at the time and missed the cut, but it didn't matter. He had captured the attention of the country and the world of golf would never be the same.

Laury Livsey is the PGA Tour historian and joins us on the Past Our Prime podcast to tell us more about Mr. Elder. How he almost didn't play in the Monsanto Open in '74 that he eventually won and earned him the right to play at Augusta in '75. How he basically taught himself how to play golf and was a late bloomer, dominating the Black Tour before joining the PGA Tour in the late 60's. and Livsey tells us Elder came out on fire, finishing in the money 9 straight times as a rookie on the Tour and taking Jack Nicklaus to a dramatic playoff that the Golden Bear won on the 5th playoff hole! And he tells us about a trip Elder took to South Africa in the height of apartheid with Gary Player so that kids could see a golfer that "looked like him."

Elder would go on to win 4 times on the PGA Tour and another 8 times on the Champions Tour... but it was the two rounds of golf in 1975 at The Masters that made him a legend, 50 years ago this month. Please listen to this historical man give us a history lesson on the breaking of the color barrier at Augusta this week on the Past Our Prime podcast on Apple, Spotify or anywhere where you get your podcasts. Thank you.

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When Lynne was 14, she and three other teammates swam the 31 miles it takes to cross the Catalina Island Channel... and that the beginning of a life like no other. She would go on to swim the English Channel, as well as a mile in 26 degree water in Antartica. Yes, you read that correctly... she swam for a mile in just bathing suit in below freezing temps.

But her most famous swim was in 1987 when she crossed the Bering Strait... it took her over 2 hours to go from Little Diomede in Alaska to Big Diomede in the USSR in waters that were 38 degrees. She was trying to raise attention to how close the two Superpowers were in proximity and to help bring an end to the Cold War. President's Reagan and Gorbachev both toasted her on her amazing accomplishment.

Cox is now 68 years old, and tells us how Russian doctors were prepared to help her immediately once she came ashore in the Soviet Union and how cardiac arrest was a real possibility. How the people of the islands were actually families who hadn't been able to communicate with each other in almost 50 years and began to rejoice and sing once she brought them together! She recalls a swim where she thought a shark might be in the water, but instead it was a pod of dolphins guiding her across the Cook Strait in New Zealand. She tells amazing stories because she has amazing stories to tell... and she does it on this weeks Past Our Prime podcast. You won't believe it unless you hear it. Subscribe to the show wherever you get your podcasts.

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Sports Illustrated noticed what was going on out by the Bay in December of '74 and put Barry on the cover and 50 years later, one of the greatest players in NBA/ABA history is joining us on the POP podcast to talk about that team, what being captain meant to him, how he started shooting free throws underhanded and why his sons wouldn't do the same. He tells of a great story of when he skipped school to go see a New York Giants game and met Willie Mays and how they became friends later in life and wore #24 in honor of his boyhood idol.

Barry has opinions on most everything from comparing players from different eras to Wilt Chamberlain to the pick-n-roll. He's brash and energetic and entertaining, just like he was when he starred in the NBA/ABA half a century ago. One of the greatest to ever lace 'em up Barry is just as good with a mic in his hand as he was a basketball...and that's what he loves talking about most. Listen to one of the best to ever play on the Past Our Prime podcast wherever you get your shows and make sure you give us a follow and a review.

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Then Mr. Infomercial Man himself, Joe Fowler tells an amazing story of how being a fan of the Atlanta Braves got him into Super Bowl VIII... at no charge. You'll have to hear it to believe it.

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