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

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.

Lamar Hunt founded both the American Football League and the Kansas City Chiefs. He hired Hank Stram as the team’s head coach and the franchise won more AFL championships than any other team. Learn how Hunt and Stram built the Chiefs (originally known as the Dallas Texans) and how connections with two universities played a major role in the team’s history. You’ll also find out how the Chiefs got their name.

This episode is a “Five Minutes of Football History” edition of The Game before the Money Podcast. 

Episodes of The Game before the Money Podcast are released each week, except when certain episodes take longer 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.

We toast the kickoff to the 2020 NFL season by celebrating some of the best NFL Week 1 games of all-time. What are some of the best Week 1 moments in NFL history?

We look at some record-setting performances, including one NFL record that has stood for nearly 70 years! Take a trip to the first-ever American Football League game, the first game in Minnesota Vikings history (a breakout game for a future Hall of Famer), and the first game at Lambeau Field. Join the Cincinnati Bengals in their greatest comeback in franchise history and experience a triumphant comeback from a career-threating injury by one of the NFL’s most iconic quarterbacks.  

The Game before the Money Podcast is released each Tuesday. 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. Learn more at https://TheGameBeforeTheMoney.com.