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

Rams legendary defensive back Eddie Meador shares stories in this reposting of one of the first episodes of The Game Before the Money. Meador passed away in September of 2023. Reposting the podcast is an effort to honor his life and career.

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

Hall of Fame offensive lineman Orlando Pace talks about playing for Coach Vermeil and winning Super Bowl 34 with the Rams. Coach Vermeil shared his stories on Episode 49 of The Game Before the Money Podcast.

Orlando Pace was the first-overall pick of the 1997 NFL Draft. This episode gives listeners a great perspective of what it was like to play for Coach Vermeil and provides a firsthand account of Super Bowl 34.

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

#Rams #SuperBowl

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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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

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.

Many fans know that Dick “Night Train” Lane holds the single-season interception record. Did you also know he also co-holds the record for the longest touchdown reception in Cardinals history? Hear the story as told by Cardinal quarterback Odgen Compton.

There are incredible triumphs and incomparable tragedies in Night Train Lane’s life – literally right from the start. Few NFL backstories compare with the journey Night Train Lane took on his way to the Pro Football Hall of Fame. The fact that Lane even got a tryout – let alone a starting position -- with the defending world champion Rams without having played regular college football is astounding. Add to it that he set an NFL record that has stood for nearly 70 years when he was simply a rookie fresh out of the military and you’ve got yourself an amazing story indeed.

In this episode you’ll hear stories from his teammate Odgen Compton and Lane’s friend, sports artist Robert Hurst.

The Game before the Money Podcast comes out every Tuesday. It is hosted and produced by Jackson Michael, author of The Game before the Money: Voices of the Men Who Built the NFL. You can learn more at https://TheGameBeforeTheMoney.com.

In this weekly episode of 5 Minutes of Football History, I look at great quarterbacks who finished their careers with new teams, like Tom Brady is doing with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

5 Minutes of Football History comes out each Tuesday. I also periodically release documentary podcasts featuring NFL and college football legends. Please subscribe to the podcast and visit TheGameBeforeTheMoney.com for more info.

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.

TERRY BAKER won the 1962 Heisman Trophy. He also played in the 1963 Final Four. Sports Illustrated named him Sportsman of the Year in 1962, and he was the first-overall pick of the 1963 NFL Draft. He played professionally for the Los Angeles Rams.

Hear his amazing stories about winning the Heisman, playing in the Final Four, and meeting President Kennedy. Also hear the story behind his record-breaking 99 yard touchdown run.

The Game Before the Money Podcast is 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. The podcast is presented by NBAutographs.com.