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

Dick Vermeil shares memories of coaching the Eagles, Rams, and Chiefs. He also discusses winning the Rose Bowl at UCLA, growing up in California, and his friendship with Bill Walsh. Coach Vermeil was an NFL head coach in the 1970s, 80s, 90s, and early 2000s.

Learn more about The Game Before the Money at https://TheGameBeforeTheMoney.com

Hall of Famer Hugh “The King” McElhenny shared stories via email for this episode of The Game Before the Money Podcast. McElhenny is best known for his years with the San Francisco 49ers in the 1950s and his ability to turn running plays and screen passes into huge plays and long touchdowns. He also still holds school records at the University of Washington over 70 years after his NCAA football career ended.

Learn how Hugh McElhenny got his nickname, “The King,” and about his incredible college career that made him a first-round pick in the 1952 NFL Draft. McElhenny also played for the Minnesota Vikings in their first two seasons and for the New York Giants in the 1963 NFL Championship Game. He was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1970.

Episodes of The Game before the Money Podcast are released every other week, except for certain episodes that may 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.

Green Bay Packers legend Boyd Dowler joins The Game before the Money Podcast and brings us into the Packers' locker room with stories about winning 5 NFL championships under Vince Lombardi. Hear his memories about winning the 1959 NFL Rookie of the Year award, scoring the longest NFL receiving touchdown of 1960, and how President Kennedy played a role in the Packers’ 1961 season.

Dowler also talks about quarterbacking the Colorado Buffaloes to victory in the 1957 Orange Bowl and how he, Paul Hornung, and Ray Nitschke were called into military service in the middle of the NFL season. You will also hear about an incident at a Packers’ practice that left a hole in Nitschke’s helmet!

Did you know that Dowler served as an assistant coach under George Allen? Find out more in this episode of The Game before the Money Podcast.

Episodes of The Game before the Money Podcast are released each week. 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.

John Lobon shares his experience as a member of the Syracuse 8, a group of Syracuse football players who stood up for student-athlete rights and against racial injustice. The players were ultimately suspended for the entire 1970 season but later vindicated in an investigative report ordered by the university.

John Lobon tells the story of his stellar high school football career in Hartford, Connecticut, his decision to attend Syracuse University, and his decision to join the Syracuse 8. He describes the defensive play he made that his teammates called, “The Defining Moment” of the team his freshman year, and brings us into the times of the late 1960s and early 1970s.

The story of the Syracuse 8 illustrates how discrimination can occur in places one might not expect. John Lobon and his teammates rallied against discrimination and for better medical and academic support for all student-athletes. The young men paid a heavy cost to establish gains still enjoyed by student-athletes today.

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.

Did you know the Columbia University football team helped with the Manhattan Project? Don’t feel bad if you didn’t know that – the players didn’t know either!

Learn what role the Columbia Lions football played in the top secret Manhattan Project on this 5 Minutes of Football History edition of The Game Before the Money Podcast.

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.

Karl Mecklenburg played linebacker for the Denver Broncos and helped guide the team to three Super Bowls. Hear him share memories of “The Drive” in the 1986 AFC Championship Game and “The Fumble” in the 1987 AFC Championship Game. You will also hear his inspirational story of hard work and dedication that earned him a spot in the NFL.

Karl Mecklenburg also talks about defensive coordinator Joe Collier’s leadership, shares a funny story about his jersey being stolen before a game in San Diego, and grants insight on how Broncos quarterback John Elway influenced the team’s defensive play.

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.

Have the recent boycotts in the NBA and Major League Baseball made you wonder if national events and protests affected pro and college football in the past?

This episode of The Game before the Money provides an overview of three times players protested  against the social climate: the 1965 AFL All-Star Game, the Wyoming Black 14, and the Syracuse 8. We also look at how things are different today by looking at more recent player protests at the University of Texas and the University of Missouri.

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.

Pete Brewster played nine seasons in the NFL, including seven with Paul Brown’s legendary Cleveland Browns of the 1950s and made the Pro Bowl as a receiver. He also worked as an assistant coach for the Kansas City Chiefs when they won Super Bowl 4 and was a member of the very first Minnesota Vikings coaching staff.

Brewster shared stories with me during the summer of 2019. He talked about why he chose Purdue and how he ended up playing for the Browns despite being drafted by the Cardinals. He remembered the great Cleveland teams of the 1950s and how Otto Graham paid him an enormous compliment. Brewster finished his playing career with the Pittsburgh Steelers.

Brewster passed away in January of 2020.

The Game before the Money Podcast comes out each Tuesday. Author Jackson Michael hosts and produces the program. The podcast often features stories from pro and college football legends. You can learn more at https://TheGameBeforeTheMoney.com.    

Roger Zatkoff starred at linebacker for the University of Michigan in the early 1950s. He went on to star in the NFL for the Green Bay Packers and Detroit Lions. He won the NFL Championship with the 1957 Lions.

Hear Roger share stories of playing for Michigan under iconic coach Bennie Oosterbaan and winning the 1957 NFL Championship with the Detroit Lions. He takes us into the locker room during the famous halftime scenario of the 1957 West Division Playoff against the San Francisco 49ers – a game that the Lions set a record for the largest playoff comeback in NFL history that stood for over 30 years. You will also learn what it was like to play for the Green Bay Packers in the days before Lambeau Field was built.

Zatkoff also goes behind-the-scenes to describe a trade that sent him from the Packers to the Browns, then the Rams, and ultimately the Lions. The story involves Bert Bell, then commissioner of the NFL,, future commissioner Pete Rozelle, and Cleveland Browns coach Paul Brown.

The Game before the Money Podcast comes out each Tuesday. The show is hosted and produced by Jackson Michael, author of the book The Game before the Money: Voices of the Men Who Built the NFL, writer/director of the documentary We Were the Oilers: The Luv Ya Blue Era!, and host/producer of The Texas Sports Hall of Fame Podcast.

Bengals legend Ken Riley recently passed away. In this Five Minutes of Football History we celebrate his college coach Jake Gaither. Coach Gaither stood as one of the most successful and respected coaches in college football for a quarter of a century. His Florida A and M program placed over 40 players into the NFL, including Hall of Famer Bob Hayes.

Five Minutes of Football History is released each Tuesday. I also periodically post longer documentary episodes featuring NFL legends. Please subscribe to the podcast and also visit TheGameBeforeTheMoney.com.