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

You often hear people say, "Football builds character."  Here are four life lessons that can be gleaned from 1970s NFL football that you can apply to your life and career today! The Game before the Money Podcast comes out each Tuesday. You can learn more at https://TheGameBeforeTheMoney.com. 

What NFL franchises have changed nicknames through the years? We look at 5 franchises who have rebranded themselves under a new name. Teams include the Pittsburgh Steelers, Chicago Bears, New York Jets, Dallas Cowboys, and Oakland Raiders. This is a 5 Minutes of Football History edition of The Game before the Money Podcast. New editions of 5 Minutes of Football History are posted each Tuesday. Other episodes of the podcast include documentary episodes with NFL and college football legends. The Game before the Money Podcast is an extension of the book, The Game before the Money: Voices of the Men Who Built the NFL, an oral history of pro football featuring interviews with NFL greats such as Frank Gifford, Bart Starr, and Don Maynard. The book is published by the University of Nebraska Press and available at all major outlets.  

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.  

Dub Jones played for the Cleveland Browns during their glory days winning championships in the NFL and AAFC. He is one of only three players in NFL history to score 6 touchdowns in one game. He shares stories accomplishing the feat and about the 1950 NFL Championship Game. He also was a member of the Browns coaching staff when they won the 1964 NFL Championship Game. Jones fills us in about the Browns' game plan and tells us how Jim Brown was a valuable part of the Browns offense even on plays that he didn't touch the ball. Dub is also the father of Baltimore Colts legend Bert Jones.   The Game before the Money Podcast is hosted and produced 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. You can learn more football history at https://TheGameBeforeTheMoney.com .

A look at Pat Mahomes leading the Kansas City Chiefs to victory in Super Bowl 54 after entering the fourth quarter trailing by 10 points and what similarities that comeback has with two other great fourth-quarter comebacks in NFL championship history: Otto Graham with the 1950 Cleveland Browns and Johnny Unitas with the 1958 Baltimore Colts. 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. 

Chicago Bears rookie Gale Sayers scored on the Bears first possession against the San Francisco 49ers on December 12, 1965. He scored two more touchdowns in the second quarter. Then he kept right on scoring and didn't stop until he blasted the 49ers with six touchdowns on a cold and muddy afternoon at Wrigley Field. Sayers became the third player in NFL history to score six touchdowns in one game. He, Ernie Nevers, and Dub Jones remain the only three players in NFL history to accomplish the feat. Hear the story of Gale Sayers' six touchdown day in this episode of  The Game before the Money Podcast -- Five Minutes of Football History.  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.

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.

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.

Don Shula stands as one of the greatest coaches in NFL history. His name is forever attached to the Miami Dolphins but he also coached another franchise to the Super Bowl.  Did you know that Shula also played in the NFL? Not only did he enjoy a 7-year playing career, he also played for two Hall of Fame coaches.  Learn about Don Shula's life and career in this episode of The Game before the Money Podcast. This episode is a "Five Minutes of Football History" segment. New episodes appear every Tuesday. The Game before the Money Podcast is hosted and produced by Jackson Michael, author of The Game before the Money: Voices of the NFL. You can learn more at TheGameBeforeTheMoney.com. 

The Spanish Flu pandemic ravaged the 1918 College Football Season. Hear how major football teams such as Michigan, Notre Dame, Texas A&M, Oklahoma, Pitt, and Nebraska were affected. This is a "Five Minutes of Football History" segment.

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.  

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.

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.

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. 

Eddie Meador played defensive back for the Los Angeles Rams from 1959-1970. The Pro Football Hall of Fame named him to their 1960s All-Decade Team. Nearly 50 years after his last game, Eddie still holds Rams team records for interceptions, blocked kicks, fumble recoveries, and is tied for the franchise lead in interceptions returned for touchdowns. He joins The Game Before the Money Podcast to share stories of growing up in Arkansas, his difficulty of getting into college football, and his glory days with the Rams playing for George Allen and with the legendary Fearsome Foursome. The Game Before the Money Podcast is hosted, produced, and edited by author Jackson Michael. The podcast is presented by NB Autographs -- https://NBAutographs.com. Learn more about The Game Before the Money at https://thegamebeforethemoney.com.