Gridiron America Radio

On a football Sunday morning on what should have been the start of the CFL preseason for Scott and Greg, the pair sit down with Jack Gilden to discuss his book, "Collision of Wills", about the relationship of Johnny Unitas and Don Shula and the times they lived in. They discuss Jack's interviews with the Unitas family, Don Shula, Joe Namath and Earl Morrall, as well as the history of Baltimore football from the Colts, through the Stallions and Ravens, and the legacy the player and coach have had on football history. CFL America Radio has been recognized as one of the Top 15 Canadian Football League Podcasts by Feedspot @ www.feedspot.com

The 14-minute piece takes an in-depth look at the unique and friendly feud that has fueled football fans in Ottawa for generations.  It’s a territorial rite of passage between those located in the South Side Stands and those in the North Side Stands at the grounds of Lansdowne Park. The piece weaves through the history and myth that surrounds the now epic chants that echo off each grandstand as both football and fandom has transitioned from Frank Clair Stadium to TD Place, culminating with the ultimate unifying cheer of an Ottawa Redblacks win earlier this year. Numerous interviews with fans from both sides of the divide provide insight on what has become a football tradition in Canada's capital. The documentary explores the roots of the rivalry and examines how the split remains, despite a new team and a new stadium. The entire story builds towards the Redblacks’ inaugural game at TD Place – a tightly-contested 18-17 victory over the Toronto Argonauts.

In many ways, the Bears embody and even define the NFL. Chicago is the second-oldest franchise in existence today. They are also one of the NFL's most decorated and storied franchises, having more retired numbers and Hall of Famers than any other team. From "The Monsters of the Midway" to "Sweetness" to "The Super Bowl Shuffle" to points beyond, this iconic franchise represents football in America. The following is an overview of the team's first 75 years, from their beginnings as a company-sponsored football club in 1920 to the modern day.

Scott and Greg sit down with professional football historian and co-host of The World of Football podcast, Randy Snow and talk about the National Football League, Canadian Football League and Arena Football League moments he has shared with his children, and showing us how football has the power to bring families together with memories to last a lifetime. They also discuss Randy's love and long suffering fandom of the Detroit Lions and some of the best books about the team, as well as his love and admiration for the Canadian brand of professional football. CFL America Radio has been recognized as one of the Top 15 Canadian Football League Podcasts by Feedspot @ www.feedspot.com

For those players who remain, the scars still run deep when it comes to the infamous “Ice Bowl,” played December 31, 1967, between the Green Bay Packers and Dallas Cowboys. There are players even today who suffer the ravages of frostbite and lung damage from a game many of the players never thought should have been played. As one player said, “It was just too damn cold. Who plays football in that weather?” But play they did in the minus 45 degree wind-chill (that dropped to 65 below by the end of the game) because the NFL championship, and a spot in the second Super Bowl, was on the line. What resulted was a game that has become part legend, part myth. There are a thousand stories from players and fans alike about a game that, more than 50 years later, remains embedded in NFL lore because of its sheer drama. Everyone remembers the remarkable way the Packers won, capping off a decade-long dynasty. The Cowboys, meanwhile, used the game as a building block that would propel them into NFL domination for 20 years. But what few remember is that this was. In every way imaginable, a game of survival, pitting man against the worst nature could deliver. This is a story about a football game, the men who played it, the people who watched it, those who were inspired by it and it’s a story, even a half century later, that remains unforgettable.

The story of the rise and fall of the United States Football League, focusing on two owners: John Bassett, who wanted the league to compete in the spring; and Donald Trump, who wanted to take on the NFL and play in the fall.

This documentary tells the story of the overnight relocation of the Baltimore Colts to the city of Indianapolis. It explores the reactions of the fans, the various actions and interviews with the teams owner and finally how the band kept the spirit of a professional football team alive until the arrival of the Baltimore Ravens in 1996.

On Saturday, December 24, 1977, The Oakland Raiders and the then-Baltimore Colts collided in what would go down in history as one of the most exciting and memorable games in professional football. In an AFC Divisional Playoff game at Memorial Stadium in Baltimore, the Raiders and the Colts slugged it out for nearly four hours. The contest would be decided in double-overtime, and would be forever remembered for one critical play – “The Ghost to the Post.”

Wearing borrowed uniforms, practicing on obscure college campuses, and led by a former Marine Corps W.W. II fighter ace as commissioner, the American Football League (AFL) debuted in the Fall of 1960 to challenge the monopoly of the well-established National Football League. Within ten years it had won two Super Bowls and had forced a merger with its rival, splitting the NFL into the National and American Football Conferences. This colorful history of the AFL and its unforgettable cast of characters, from Billy Cannon to Joe Namath to its "Foolish Club" of team owners  recounts the startling success of an upstart league that prevailed against long odds. 

A bold challenge, a fearless experiment and ultimately, a spectacular failure. In 2001, sports entertainment titans Dick Ebersol and Vince McMahon launched the XFL. It was hardly the first time a league had tried to compete with the NFL, but the brash audacity of the bid, combined with the personalities and charisma of Ebersol and McMahon and the marketing behemoths of their respective companies - NBC and WWE - captured headlines and a sense of undeniable anticipation about what was to come. Bringing together a cast of characters ranging from the boardrooms of General Electric to the practice fields of Las Vegas, "This Was the XFL" is the tale of - yes - all that went wrong, but also, how the XFL ended up influencing the way professional team sports are broadcast today. And at the center of it all - a decades long friendship between one of the most significant television executives in media history and the one-of-a-kind WWE impresario. This documentary explores how Ebersol and McMahon brought the XFL to life, and why they had to let it go.

Paul Woods is a journalist, Canadian football historian and author of Bouncing Back: From National Joke to Grey Cup Champs, which chronicled the Toronto Argonauts winning the championship in 1983 after 31 years of futility and misery.  In this episode, Paul discusses with Scott and Greg the history of the Argonauts, including the John Candy years, as well their recent issues both on and off the field.  His next book, about the 1991 Argonauts, will be published in Summer 2021.

When it comes to great teams in Raiders history, many teams come to mind. Between the 70's and 80's, the Oakland Raiders were the winningest team in all of professional sports. However no team epitomized the Oakland Raiders quite like the team of 1976. No team was as crazy off the field, especially with their owner's approval. No team struck quite as much fear into opposing teams on the field.  Al Davis and John Madden had a great philosophy for running their team: You can be who you are off the field as long as you win on Sunday. This meant many practices with hangovers, late nights before games, and whatever antics the players brought with them. It also meant a lot of wins. Leading the team at quarterback was Ken "the Snake" Stabler, known for his 4th quarter comebacks and off the field antics. Though not in the typical sense of the word, Stabler was a true leader who had the respect of his teammates and opponents alike. Stabler was blessed with a great set of targets to throw to. Hall of Famer, Fred Biletnikoff, was the prototype hard-nosed possession receiver, while tight end Dave Casper, also a Hall of Famer, was always a big clutch play waiting to happen. However, most teams feared the speedy deep ball artist, Cliff Branch, even more than Casper and Biletnikoff.  The offense was also fueled by a great offensive line. Art Shell, Gene Upshaw, and Dave Dalby made up arguably the best left side of any offensive line in the history of the game. This line made life easy for running backs like Clarence Davis and Mark Van Eeghen. The defense struck fear into all opposing offenses. Jack "the Assassin" Tatum and George Atkinson made the hardest hitting safety duo in the game's history, while Hall of Famer Willie Brown and Skip Thomas, a.k.a. Dr. Death, made one of the best cornerback duos ever. As if that secondary wasn't enough, Hall of Famer Ted "the Mad Stork" Hendricks and Phil Villapiano made a linebacking corp no team looked forward to facing. It was also the Raiders first year with the late John Matuszak at defensive end, a giant who was a crazy on the field as he was off of it. The Raiders dominated the Minnesota Vikings in Super Bowl XI. Oakland's offense put up 32 points, led by the stellar performance of Super Bowl MVP, Fred Biletnikoff. Meanwhile, the Vikings offense was shut out in the first half and managed 14 points in the second half.  The Raiders defense showed up in full force as rookie receiver Sammie White found out when Jack Tatum and Skip Thomas knocked his helmet off with a vicious hit.  The Oakland Raiders of 1976 were the most feared team of all. They had seven Hall of Famers (if you include John Madden) and quite a few more players who should be in there. They were and still are the true epitome of the Silver and Black.

Who better to talk about and teach about the legends and history of Notre Dame football than God himself? In this documentary are reflections on the careers of famous head coaches Knute Rockne and Frank Leahy, and its Heisman Trophy winning players. It also examines Notre Dame's rivalries with USC and Army and some of Notre Dame's greatest games.

What do Teddy Roosevelt, Knute Rockne, George Carlin, the Atomic Bomb, the Hail Mary Prayer, Marcia Brady’s broken nose and “American Pie” all have in common? The Forward Pass. As ubiquitous as it is now, throwing the football was once unimaginable. For the first four decades of football’s existence, the forward pass was illegal. However, with rising safety concerns surrounding the game of football, President Roosevelt intervened. It was his demand that rules makers open up the game by legalizing the forward pass that saved football from abolition and created the sport we love. This one-hour documentary examines the implementation of the forward pass into the game of football and the profound affect it has had on the game and its players, as well as on how football is viewed in society. It also tells the story of one of North America’s greatest inventions and how it transformed football from a lackluster rugby-style game of running and kicking into the uniquely North American spectacle it has become.

The Edmonton Eskimos finished their season with a record of 14-4 (their best performance since 1989 in which they went 16-2). The Calgary Stampeders, the defending Grey Cup champions, finished with the same record as the Eskimos after the regular season. However, Edmonton clinched first place in the division (and a playoff bye) by virtue of defeating Calgary in two of three regular season contests. The two teams then met again in the Western Final after Calgary defeated the BC Lions 35–9 in the Western Semi-Final.  The Eskimos earned the right to represent the West in the Grey Cup game by virtue of a 45–31 victory against the Stampeders at Commonwealth Stadium in Edmonton. The 2015 Western Final game was the first time in CFL history where both teams came in with a 14-4 record in the regular season.  Quarterback Mike Reilly was the offensive catalyst for the Eskimos as he passed for three touchdowns and ran for two more in the win.  Edmonton reached its first championship game since winning the 93rd Grey Cup ten years earlier, making the 103rd Grey Cup the first of the modern era to be played by two teams that had not been any of the preceding nine championship games.