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

Upton Bell gives his insights about the NFL dynasties he's witnessed since the 1940s, when he father Bert Bell was NFL Commissioner. He also previews Super Bowl 59 with host Michael Jackson.

The Game Before the Money Oral History Foundation is a 501 (c) 3 non-profit. Learn more  and donate at TheGameBeforeTheMoney.com.

Baltimore hosted the first-ever AFC Championship Game. Former Baltimore executive Upton Bell shares his memories of the game and building the Super Bowl 5 champion Baltimore Colts. He also shares memories of the 1957 Lions-49ers playoff and predicts this week's NFC Championship and AFC Championship.

Learn more about The Game Before the Money and host Jackson Michael at TheGameBeforeTheMoney.com.

Former Colts executive Upton Bell shares NFL Draft stories from the 1960s, including stories previously never told about the NFL/AFL war. He also discusses scouting star players he drafted and his conversations with Colts head coach Don Shula.

The Game Before the Money Oral History Foundation is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization dedicated to preserving the life stories of former NFL players, coaches, and executives. Learn more at TheGameBeforeTheMoney.com. 

Opinions of interviewees are not necessarily the views of the foundation or its sponsors.

Raiders Hall of Fame coach Tom Flores reflects on moments from Super Bowl 15 and Super Bowl 18. He also shares about playing quarterback for the Raiders in the 1960s in the American Football League and his college career at Pacific.

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Lionel Taylor shares about his time in the AFL with the Denver Broncos and becoming the first WR to grab 100 catches in a single season. He also talks about his time as an assistant coach on the Super Bowl champion Pittsburgh Steelers of the 1970s.

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George Toma has been the groundskeeper for every single Super Bowl, from Super Bowl I through Super Bowl LV. He shares stories about preparing the field for Super Bowls and the 1966 NFL Championship Game, his work with the AFL, as well as his early life in Pennsylvania’s coal country.

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Encore presentation about the best NFL Week 1 games in pro football history.

The program highlights Norm Van Brocklin's 554 passing yards, the first-ever AFL game, the first-ever Minnesota Vikings game, and Dan Marino's return after a career-threatening injury.

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Al Denson shares memories about his career with the Denver Broncos and playing for legendary Florida A&M coach Jake Gaither.

Denson led the American Football League in TD catches in 1967.

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Baltimore Colts Director of Player Personnel Upton Bell takes us behind the scenes of Super Bowl 3 between the Colts and the New York Jets. We all know about Joe Namath and the story of the Jets playing for the pride of the entire AFL that day, now hear inside stories about Colts owner Carroll Rosenbloom's planned victory party, what was discussed on the Colts bus going to the game, and how Super Bowl 3 was the precursor to modern Super Bowls.

This episode is Part 3 of a three-part series called, "Three Games that Changed the NFL" with Upton Bell. Learn more at https://TheGameBeforeTheMoney.com

Did you know that only a handful of NFL quarterbacks have won the Super Bowl? A mere 4 quarterbacks have combined to win 30 percent of all Super Bowls and only 33 quarterbacks have ever won the big game. Tom Brady and Patrick Mahomes have both won at least 1 Super Bowl and so the number of Super Bowl winning quarterbacks in NFL history isn’t going to change after Super Bowl 55. In fact, the trend of only a few quarterbacks winning league championships goes all the way back to the 1940s and includes the American Football League and the AFL Championship Game.

The pattern also extends to the AFC Championship Game and the NFC Championship Game. Since 1998, the AFC Championship Game has featured at least one of a select group of six quarterbacks starting the game. Learn more about this QB reality in this football history podcast.

Episodes of The Game before the Money Podcast are released each week, except for certain episodes that take about two weeks to create. The show is produced and hosted by Jackson Michael, author of The Game before the Money: Voices of the Men Who Built the NFL, published by the University of Nebraska Press. Many episodes feature interviews with pro and college football legends. Learn more at https://TheGameBeforeTheMoney.com.