Episodes
Tuesday Sep 29, 2020
Ep 31: Columbia Football and the Manhattan Project
Tuesday Sep 29, 2020
Tuesday Sep 29, 2020
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.
Tuesday Sep 08, 2020
Ep 28: Karl Mecklenburg – 1980s Broncos Stories and More
Tuesday Sep 08, 2020
Tuesday Sep 08, 2020
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.
Tuesday Sep 01, 2020
Ep 27: A Brief History of Football Protests
Tuesday Sep 01, 2020
Tuesday Sep 01, 2020
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.
Tuesday Aug 18, 2020
Ep 25: Pete Brewster talks 50s Browns, Super Bowl 4 Chiefs
Tuesday Aug 18, 2020
Tuesday Aug 18, 2020
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.
Tuesday Jul 28, 2020
Ep 22: Roger Zatkoff -- NFL and Michigan Legend Shares Stories
Tuesday Jul 28, 2020
Tuesday Jul 28, 2020
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.
Tuesday Jun 30, 2020
Ep 18: The National High School Rushing Record -- Derrick Henry and Ken Hall
Tuesday Jun 30, 2020
Tuesday Jun 30, 2020
Ken Hall owned the national high school rushing record for 59 years until NFL star Derrick Henry broke the record in 2012. Learn about the history of the record and where NFL greats like Emmitt Smith and Herschel Walker fit into the mix.
This episode is a Five Minutes of Football History edition of The Game before the Money Podcast. 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.
Thursday Mar 05, 2020
Episode 10: Marv Levy on his Hall of Fame Life and Career
Thursday Mar 05, 2020
Thursday Mar 05, 2020
Coach Levy led the Buffalo Bills to four straight Super Bowls. Most NFL fans know him for that epic run. His life story and coaching history proves incredible beyond that remarkable feat. In fact, when he became head coach at the University of California in 1960 he added a high school coach to his staff who later became one of the most successful head coaches in NFL history. Even more amazingly, there was even another future NFL coaching legend who attended Levy's practices at Cal. Hear Coach Levy share his memories of those days in this football history podcast.
Many fans will also be surprised to learn that his four Super Bowls with the Bills weren't Levy's first visits to the big game. He worked as an assistant to George Allen on the 1972 Washington Redskins in Super Bowl 7. Coach Levy shares his memory of that game and working for Allen with the Los Angeles Rams in this episode The Game Before the Money Podcast.
You'll step inside Coach Levy's office as he and Bills General Manager Bill Polian work a trade for star linebacker Cornelius Bennett. Coach Levy will also take you into the Bills' draft day war room as they select future Hall of Fame running back Thurman Thomas.
The Game Before the Money Podcast is hosted and produced by Jackson Michael, author of the book The Game Before the Money: Voices of the Men Who Built the NFL, an acclaimed oral history of pro football that includes interviews with 40 NFL legends, including Bart Starr, Frank Gifford, and Jack Youngblood.
Thursday Jan 09, 2020
Episode 9: Tom Osborne and Nebraska Football Pt. 2
Thursday Jan 09, 2020
Thursday Jan 09, 2020
This is part two of a two-part series with Tom Osborne. We delve into Coach Osborne's head coaching career in this episode. Osborne led Nebraska to three national championships in four years. He came literally within inches of winning two more national championships during the 1980s and missed yet another national championship in 1993 by a missed field goal at the end of the Orange Bowl.
Hear Coach Osborne discuss his halftime speech and play calling in an Orange Bowl victory over Miami that gave Nebraska the 1994 national championship. We also examine Coach Osborne's famous decision to go for two points at the end of the 1984 Orange Bowl. You will also listen to Coach Osborne explain the reasons behind Nebraska's changes to the option offense and the 4-3 defense, as well as a look into the team's innovative Unity Council -- all elements that helped elevate Nebraska football into college football's highest tier.
Relive some of Nebraska Cornhusker football's greatest moments in the 1980s and 1990s -- from the "Scoring Explosion" to the Tommy Frazier's amazing run against Florida, from the "Fumblerooskie" to the "Flea Kicker."
The Game Before the Money Podcast is produced and hosted by Jackson Michael, author of The Game before the Money: Voices of the Men Who Built the NFL and writer/director of We Were the Oilers: the Luv Ya Blue Era!. The podcast is sponsored by NBAutographs.com and the transcription partner is Sonix.ai. Special thanks to Coach Osborne, the University of Nebraska Press, and Teammates.org for this podcast.
Thursday Jun 06, 2019
EPISODE 8: Tom Osborne and Nebraska Football Part 1
Thursday Jun 06, 2019
Thursday Jun 06, 2019
Nebraska football coaching legend Tom Osborne joins The Game Before the Money Podcast. In Part 1 of a two-part series, we discuss his early life, his time working as an assistant for legendary Nebraska coach Bob Devaney, and Nebraska's back-to-back National Championships in 1970 and 1971.
You'll hear inside details about the Cornhuskers' game plan in their legendary 1971 Game of the Century showdown with Oklahoma, how Coach Osborne became an assistant and later head coach of the Cornhuskers, and a brief overview of Nebraska football history in the years before Bob Devaney arrived. Also hear about Coach Osborne's exceptional athletic career before he became an NCAA coaching icon.
What nicknames did Nebraska go by before they were the Cornhuskers? What traits made Bob Devaney a winning head coach? What famous beverage was created in Coach Osborne's hometown? Learn all of this and more in "Tom Osborne and Nebraska Football -- Part 1" on The Game Before the Money Podcast.
The Game Before the Money Podcast is produced and hosted by Jackson Michael, author of The Game before the Money: Voices of the Men Who Built the NFL and writer/director of We Were the Oilers: the Luv Ya Blue Era!. The podcast is sponsored by NBAutographs.com and the transcription partner is Sonix.ai. Special thanks to Coach Osborne, the University of Nebraska Press, and Teammates.org for this podcast.
Monday Apr 22, 2019
Monday Apr 22, 2019
John Wooten truly is a legend. Coming into the NFL in 1959, he blocked for Jim Brown, played for Paul Brown, and was a key part of the 1964 Cleveland Browns NFL championship team. Hear him share stories of his friendships with Ernie Davis and Muhammad Ali, including great info on the famous "Cleveland Summit" with Ali, Jim Brown, Bill Russell, and many other sports superstars. In college, he helped the Colorado Buffaloes to the Orange Bowl.
John worked as a scout for the Dallas Cowboys for 16 years, then worked for the Eagles and Ravens. He now chairs the Fritz Pollard Alliance. He worked with Commissioner Pete Rozelle and other NFL legends to establish an important program to develop African-Americans for coaching and front office positions. John's amazing story -- which includes working with Pete Rozelle to avoid filing a discrimination lawsuit against the NFL in the 1960s and Clemson mailing a threatening letter to Colorado before the 1957 Orange Bowl because he and a teammate were African-American -- is told in this episode.