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

Members of the Luv Ya Blue era Houston Oilers reflect on the magical seasons of 1978 and 1979. Join Elvin Bethea, Robert Brazile, Dan Pastorini, Mike Renfro, Billy “White Shoes” Johnson, Kenny Burrough, Mike Barber, Carl Mauck, Willie Alexander, Coach Ed Biles, Gregg Bingham, Vernon Perry, Rich Caster, and Andy Dorris for a wonderful trip down memory lane.

Interview clips are taken from the new book Red, White, and Columbia Blue: Chasing the Dream with the 1979 Houston Oilers as well as the DVD We Were the Oilers: The Luv Ya Blue Era!

Both the new book and DVD were written by The Game before the Money Podcast host and producer Jackson Michael. The Game before the Money Podcast usually comes out on a weekly basis and often features interviews with NFL, AFL, and NCAA football legends. Learn more at https://TheGameBeforeTheMoney.com. Learn more about the Houston Oilers projects at https://Houston79.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.

Chad Hennings shares stories about dangerous flying missions during the Gulf War and Super Bowl wins with the Dallas Cowboys. We repost this episode to honor our veterans. 

Chad Hennings is the only Air Force lineman to win the prestigious Outland Trophy. The Dallas Cowboys drafted him despite his upcoming commitment to military service, much like they did with Roger Staubach. Hennings flew fighter jets during the Gulf War and later won 3 Super Bowls with the Cowboys on a team led by Troy Aikman.

Hear him share about those great Cowboys teams, what the locker room was like after the famous Leon Lett game, and how the Cowboys found out that Jimmy Johnson was replaced by Barry Switzer as head coach.

This is a repeat of an episode that was first released in 2018. The Game before the Money Podcast will return next week with a brand new episode.

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.

Pete Koch interviews with The Game before the Money Podcast and talks about his NFL career and starring in the movie Heartbreak Ridge with Clint Eastwood.

Pete Koch talks about being a first-round draft pick in 1984 and what it was like to hold out for a better contract. He also shares stories about starting on the defensive line for the Chiefs and Raiders. He shares memories of Chiefs’ owner Lamar Hunt, playing against John Elway, and what made Hall of Famer Howie Long such a great player.

You will also learn some helpful workout tips from a former NFL player who remains in fantastic shape!

This is a repeat of an episode that was first released in 2018.

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.

Bob Griese, the Miami Dolphins’ Hall of Fame quarterback, talks about playing in the 1972 AFC Championship Game after returning from a dislocated ankle injury similar to that of Dallas Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott.

In this episode we hear a brief interview clip from Griese’s interview for the book, The Game before the Money: Voices of the Men Who Built the NFL. I also examine Griese’s career before and after the dislocated ankle and broken leg he sustained in Week 5 of the 1972 season. I discuss the similarities between Prescott’s dislocated ankle and compound fracture with Griese’s injury, and how Griese’s recovery might predict Prescott’s return.

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

What future president played football against Jim Thorpe? What president won an NCAA national championship? Who is the only president to attend an AFL game? Find out the answers on this episode.

Let’s have some election-time fun and look at presidents with a connection to football. One worked as an assistant coach on a team that produced two Heisman Trophy winners. Another performed the Super Bowl coin flip live from the White House via satellite. You will greatly enjoy this non-political look at a few U.S. Presidents and their love of the game.  

New 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.

Ron McDole shares NFL and AFL stories on The Game Before the Money Podcast. He is the NFL's all-time leader in interceptions by a defensive lineman. His storied 18-year career includes winning the 1964 and 1965 AFL Championships with the Buffalo Bills, and playing in Super Bowl 7 as part of Washington's Over the Hill Gang. You might know McDole by his nickname, “The Dancing Bear.”

This episode is a repeat of an episode posted in 2018. We will be back with a brand new episode next week.  

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.

Walt Garrison played for the Dallas Cowboys from 1966-1974. In this podcast, you will hear excerpts from his interview for The Game before the Money: Voices of the Men Who Built the NFL. You will get a feel for what it’s like to sit down with a true NFL legend and hear him share some great stories.

In these outtakes not used in the book, Walt takes us into the huddle with Don Meredith and Roger Staubach, fills you in on who he thought was one of the hardest hitters in the NFL (the answer may surprise you), and brings us into meetings with Tom Landry. He also shares memories about his roommate and close friend Dan Reeves, who later went on to coach both the Denver Broncos and Atlanta Falcons into Super Bowls.

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.