Past Our Prime

Growing up in the 70's, soccer was barely a footnote when it came to the sports culture here in the States. The North American Soccer League was trying to compete with the other leagues, but the game just didn't have the appeal that it does in much of the world. It lacked the star power that other sports had. Until…   In 1975, the New York Cosmos signed Edson Arantes do Nascimento, the Brazilian superstar known across the globe simply as… Pele. That's right, Pele was coming to America… North America, NYC, The Big Apple… and with it, soccer was about to experience a boom in the U.S. Michael Lewis was just a young sports reporter looking to get a beat covering one of the four sports he grew up loving… Baseball, football, basketball, and hockey… Soccer wasn't on that list. Not even close. But the young scribe was given a shot to cover the Rochester Lancers of the NASL… and his career and life were never the same. Over 50 years later, he's written 9 books on the sport, including Soccer for Dummies and Alive and Kicking: The incredible but true story of the Rochester Lancers.  That opportunity to cover the NASL allowed Michael to get a firsthand look at what he calls the biggest “BANG” for soccer in the United States: the arrival of Pele. He tells us how the global sensation arrived with no ego as an ambassador to the sport that saw him win 3 World Cups for Brazil in 1958, 1962, and 1970. He went from the pinnacle of the sport to a fledgling league, and did everything he could to bring attention to the sport he was famous for playing… Famous everywhere except maybe in the States…. But that was about to change. Pele was a man of the people, and that was apparent everywhere he went. He would talk with the guys in the kitchen of the restaurant as he was about to be introduced at his inaugural press conference in America. He would sign autographs for hours and give the jersey off his back to fellow players. In 1977, he led the Cosmos to the Soccer Bowl, winning in the quarterfinals in front of almost 78,000 fans at Giants Stadium before winning the Soccer Bowl in Oregon three weeks later. After the match, Brazilian journalists on hand to cover their famous countrymen carried him on their shoulders and paraded him around the locker room in jubilation at the conclusion of the superstar's incredible career. Michael Lewis was in that locker room and says almost 50 years later it's still the most amazing postgame celebration he's ever witnessed. Next summer, Lewis will cover his 14th World Cup… and when the finals of that tournament are played at Met Life Stadium, right where Giants Stadium used to stand, his career will have come full circle to when a young reporter was given a beat he didn't really want… and set him on a course that changed his life and gave him the opportunity to cover the greatest player and ambassador the sport has ever known… Pele. Listen wherever you get your podcasts and leave a review if you wish. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Ryan Express was rolling along in June of 1975 as Nolan Ryan had just thrown the 4th no-hitter of his career while pitching for the California Angels. The flame throwing righty was doing things nobody had ever seen before, and would continue to do until his bionic arm finally gave out while with the Rangers in 1993. 27 seasons, 5,714 strikeouts, and 7 no-hitters later, Ryan finally was put out to pasture where he continued to be a success in whatever he did… and people noticed. One such person was Leo Ullman who two years after Ryan threw the final pitch of his Hall-of-Fame career purchased 11 Nolan Ryan baseball cards at a $1 a piece… and so began the largest collection of Nolan Ryan memorabilia that has been assembled. Saddles, cleats, bats, balls, if it had Nolan Ryan's name attached to it, Ullman purchased it, eventually amassing close to 15,000 different items in a collection that now resides at Stockton University in New Jersey. Ullman wanted the entire collection to stay input, so instead of it going to the Hall of Fame where they might have picked over the items in the collection, he kept it intact at the campus in Galloway Township. A lawyer by trade, Ullman is also an author, having written a book about his collection titled, ‘Nolan Ryan, The Largest And Most Unique Collection Of All Things Nolan Ryan, The Greatest Power Pitcher Of All Time.” But that's not the only book Mr. Ullman wrote. ‘796 Days: Hiding as a child in occupied Amsterdam during WWII and then coming to America' is the story of Leo as a 3-year old when he was taken in by a couple and hidden in their attic for over 2 1/2 years during the Nazi occupation of Amsterdam. The Dutch resistance put his parents in a different house and it wasn't until the war was over that young Leo was reunited with his birthparents… who survived without knowing if their little Leo had as well. Leo comes on the Past Our Prime podcast and tells us the similarities between his life's story and that of Anne Frank's. He would later go on to become a Director and Chairman of the Anne Frank Center USA  and tells us that his war-parents brought him to stay with them knowing they could be executed if the Jewish boy was found for one reason… “It was the right thing to do.”  His parents would emigrate to the States and settle in Brooklyn and 8-year old Leo would fall in love with Jackie Robinson and the Dodgers. A few years later the team would break Leo's heart and leave for Los Angeles, but Leo's love for baseball never waned. At some point, his allegiance turned to the Mets and years later, when Mets owner Steve Cohen heard of Leo's story, he invited him to throw out the first pitch at a game…  Leo recalls how, much like a former Mets pitcher by the name of Nolan Ryan, he bounced the pitch in the dirt much to his chagrin. But he refused to let his time in that attic define him. Instead, he joyfully tells us how he spent time with the Mets in a fantasy camp years ago and still keeps in touch with his fellow Mets buddies… At age 86, Leo has gone from the nightmare of the Holocaust to a Mets Dream Week… and in between, put together the largest collection of Nolan Ryan collectibles of all-time. It's been quite the life for Leo and he tells us all about it on the Past Our Prime podcast… Give us a listen and drop us a review wherever you get your podcasts. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

When Rocky Bleier went to Vietnam he had just finished his rookie season with the Pittsburgh Steelers… wounded in action, Rocky would return to the States and begin a long and arduous rehabilitation. Doctors told him if all went well, he should be able to walk again… but Rocky was having none of that. He was determined to make it back to the NFL… He missed the entire 1970 season and made it back to the Steelers roster in 1971, eventually helping Pittsburgh win 4 Super Bowls as the team of the 70's. His time in Vietnam is chronicled in the June 9, 1975 issue of Sports Illustrated with Bleier featured on the cover. Bob Kalsu was in the same 1968 NFL Draft as Bleier, chosen by the Buffalo Bills in the 8th round after being an All-American tackle at the University of Oklahoma… and much like Bleier, he too left the NFL after his rookie season to fight in Vietnam. The difference is, Kalsu never came home. On July 21, 1970 a blast took his life and made him the only active duty NFL player to die in the Vietnam War. It also left his wife, Jan Kalsu, a widow, and a single mother of two children. A daughter, and a son, who was born two days later after the father he would never meet was killed in action. Jan gave birth to Bob, Jr. and was informed of the death of her husband while at the hospital giving birth to their son.  Bob was the Buffalo Bills rookie of the year in 1968. He was awarded a Bronze Star and a Purple Heart for his service… but at the age of 25, his life was cut short, and Jan was left on her own to raise their two children. And that's just what she did. 55 years later, Jan is still telling the story of her late husband, Bob Kalsu. How they met, how it was love at first sight, and how they planned to get married in Miami after the Orange Bowl until the head coach at the University of Oklahoma, Chuck Fairbanks, put an end to that. They did get married — after the Orange Bowl — and Bob soon went from being an only child to having 4 brothers-in-law and another 4 sisters-in-law. Jan says Bob loved being part of a big family and took to it with ease and grace. On the Past Our Prime podcast, Jan recounts how she and her 1-year old daughter Jill met with Bob in Hawaii while he was on leave and how he loved his little girl. But she also recalls how loud noises could bring him from a deep sleep back into enemy territory and for a second, understand what her giant of a husband was going through while he was away. Jan says the Bills never forgot Bob and put his number 61 in their Wall of Fame on his birthday 25 years ago. The mother of two, and grandmother of nine lives a happy life in Oklahoma and tries not to play the ‘what if' game when it comes to Bob. He made a commitment to serve, and, being a man of his word, he honored that commitment, and Jan's Catholic faith helped her deal with his decision, and the tragic results of it as best she could. It's a powerful talk with a normal woman who went through a very abnormal time and 55 years later, can talk with pride, laugh with ease, and reminisce about a man, a husband, a father, and a soldier… who just happened to also be a football player. Before there was Pat Tillman, there was Bob Kalsu… hear his story from the woman who knew him best of all… his wife, Jan Kalsu on the Past Our Prime podcast. Please give us a listen and download and share the show… and a review never hurts. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Before Billy Martin ever wore the pinstripes as a manager, he guided three different American League clubs. The Twins in 1969; the Tigers from 1971-73 and the Rangers from 1973-75. In each case, Martin did what he would always do: take a losing club and turn them around. The Twins improved 18 games to 97-65 in 1969, and won their division. In 1971, Detroit won 12 more games than they did the year prior and a year later, they went to the playoffs. But his biggest challenge had to be the Rangers, who were an abysmal 57-105 in 1973… and a year later, 84-76… a 28-game improvement. Sports Illustrated called him a fiery genius when he was on their cover in June of 1975 and that's just what he was. As smart a baseball man as there ever was who wouldn't take crap from anyone. Not the owner. Not the GM. Not his players. Not the guy at the bar. And he had issues with all of them. But rarely on the field. Once they said ‘Play Ball' there was no better strategist than Billy. His players weren't scared of him… but they were scared to lose for him. Billy wouldn't stand for it. He got the best out of his players because he believed they could be better than they actually were… and more often than not, he was right… and he has the wins to back it up. Tom Grieve played under Martin and had two of his best seasons in the bigs while Billy was his manager. 50 years later, Grieve says that Martin was the best manager he ever played for. He's not the only one to think that. Tom Grieve played for the Rangers 7 seasons. He would later become their General Manager for 10 years and followed that up by working as a broadcaster for the Rangers for another 22 years… there is a reason he is referred to as Mr. Ranger and is a member of the Texas Rangers Hall of Fame. But he says those years with Martin may have changed baseball in Texas for good, as fans for the first time showed interest in what had been, until that time, a pretty dreadful organization. “Billy revitalized baseball,” according to Mr. Grieve. On the Past Our Prime podcast, Grieve looks back at those years with Martin and talks about how he instilled in them a fear of losing, and a path to winning. He says that Billy believed they could win, much to the disbelief of many on that Rangers roster, and told them so in the first team meeting upon his arrival. And sure enough, wins started piling up, and the Rangers were making believers out of just about everyone, including themselves. Grieve says that the team knew their manager gave them an edge in the dugout and that carried out onto the field. Six weeks after Martin was on the cover of SI he was let go by the Rangers after another disagreement with management. It was a pattern that Martin had his entire career, and would follow him to his next position… as the manager of the New York Yankees… but before Steinbrenner and Reggie and the Bronx Zoo… there was Billy in Texas… and Tom Grieve, “The man who signed Nolan Ryan!”  tells us how it all went down on the Past Our Prime podcast… Please review, subscribe, listen, download… whatever you do with a podcast… when you can. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In 1975, track and field was a major sport in the U.S.A. and across the globe and there was no bigger race than the mile. So in Kingston, Jamaica, they had the best milers in the world gather for the latest Dream Mile, and for Filbert Bayi of Tanzania, that's just what it was… a dream mile. He hit the tape with a time of 3 minutes and 51 seconds, setting a world record by a tenth of a second and landing him on the cover of the May 26th, 1975 issue of Sports Illustrated. Two other runners were on the cover with Bayi… trying to chase him down and run to glory. Marty Liquori was one of them and while he would finish 2nd in the race, he ran the best time of his life at 3:52.2. Running sub 4-minute miles was nothing new to Marty. He first did in 1967 when he became the 3rd American high schooler to do so while attending Essex Catholic High School in Newark, NJ. From there he went to Villanova and made the 1968 US Olympic team as a 19-year old freshman but suffered a stress fracture in the finals of the 1,500 meter run. Being on the cover of SI was nothing new to Liquori. Four years earlier he was on the cover of Sports Illustrated in May of 1971 when he beat another legendary runner, Jim Ryun in the original Dream Mile race. Despite the big win for Liquori, he told us on the Past Our Prime podcast that the week leading up to the race was a miserable experience and that he could never get used to what the Jordan's and LeBron's of today have to go through on a daily basis. He tells us that his rivalry with Jim Ryun was strictly on the track and that they didn't get to know each other very well until almost 40 years after their famous race. He says that even though he ran his best in the Bayi race he could have done even better if not for a mistake on the final lap and that the strategy used by Bayi was the difference in the race. And he tells us that he still plays softball, rides a bike, paddles around in a kayak and plays guitar in a band… The man does a little bit of everything and he does it all rather well. While at the height of his career he founded the Athletics Attic footwear chain…at the age of 23! He continued racing competitively until 1980 while also starting a broadcasting career for ABC sports that saw him cover numerous Olympics and major races for over 30 years. He ran into the record books and into at least 16 different Hall of Fames including the National Track and Field Hall of Fame and the Collegiate Athlete Hall of Fame.  In the 70's, track and field was bigger than the NBA and and Marty was in the center of it all. He stops long enough to tell us all about it on the Past Our Prime podcast. Give us a review and a download if you would and share it with your friends. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

His name is synonymous with sports in the 70's. You didn't have to follow racing to know who AJ Foyt was. He's a part of Americana and in 1975 he was looking to win his 4th Indy 500. A week earlier, he was on the cover of Sports Illustrated after winning the pole position in true Foyt fashion. His first lap in qualifying was a blistering 195.313 mph and his 4-lap average of 193.975 secured the pole position in Indianapolis. But rain and Bobby Unser had other plans… a downpour ended the race after just 174 of the 200 laps, and Unser was awarded the victory with 1974 champion Johnny Rutherford finishing 2nd and AJ a disappointing 3rd… taking it all in was a kid who grew up just north of the famous racetrack and attended his first race at the age of 6 in 1966… Scott Gauger hasn't missed an Indy 500 since, including the '75 race that saw Mother Nature end the race before it could properly come to it's scheduled conclusion. Gauger grew up around racing and started working at Indianapolis Motor Speedway when he was just 13. 5 years later in 1978, he took his first official position with an IndyCar team, and almost 50 years later, he's still a part of the Old Brickyard, working on two winning Indy 500 teams… 2016 He worked for the Andretti-Herta Autosport team that won the checkered flag for the 100th running of the Indy 500 with Alexander Rossi behind the wheel… and a year later, he was with Andretti Autosport when Takuma Sato was the first to cross the finish line. And while Gauger works officially for separate IndyCar teams, his unofficial position is Ambassador of the Indy 500. He gives tours, gets tickets for kids, and promotes the race 24/7, 365 days a year. On the Past Our Prime podcast, Gauger tells us about how he grew up near 3-time Indy 500 winner Louis Meyer, who is widely known for starting the annual tradition of drinking mile after winning at Indy… Gauger talks about the greats and says AJ Foyt is the best racer of all-time, and the first person he ever saw hav a personalized license plate… He tells us about drinking the milk after winning in '16 and again in '17 and he tells us which famous actor was the best racer of the bunch… if you know racing, it won't be a surprise. And Gauger tells us why the racers of today aren't as well-known as the ones we grew up watching 50 years ago. The Indy 500. It's as American as it gets… and so is Scott Gauger, Mr. Indy 500 on the Past Our Prime podcast. Give us a review and a download if you would and share it with your friends. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In the middle of the 70's horse racing was huge, and in the middle of it all in 1975 was Hall of Fame jockey Jacinto Vasquez who had the pleasure of riding some of the greatest horses of that era. And on May 12, 1975, he was on the cover of Sports Illustrated as he helped guide Foolish Pleasure to victory in the Kentucky Derby. The great horse had lost but once entering the race at Churchill Downs, yet some didn't think he could handle the distance. They were wrong. Vasquez knew he had the right horse at the right time to win his first Derby. The same held true 5 years later, when aboard Genuine Risk, he won it again. Only one of three fillies to win the Derby ever and the first since Regret in 1915! Despite being on the Kentucky Derby winner, Vasquez would get off of Foolish Pleasure to mount another great horse and another filly later that summer of '75 when he rode Ruffian in a match race against Pleasure. One of the greatest horses ever, Ruffian had been in 10 races since May of 1974… and won all of them… in fact, in all 10 races, she won wire-to-wire. That's right, she never trailed in a race. And in the 8 stakes races she entered, she set new stakes records in all 8 of them. But on that summer day at Belmont Park against Foolish Pleasure, Ruffian broke down, breaking two bones in her right foreleg. After surgery, the great thoroughbred came out of anesthesia and reacted poorly. She had to be put down. Vasquez and the racing world mourned the loss of one of the top 100 American horses of the 20th century. With over 5,200 wins, and a member of the United States Racing Hall of Fame since 1998, Vasquez is one of the all-time greats, but he tells us on the Past Our Prime podcast, that great horses make great jockeys and he would know. He also recounts the three times he beat Secretariat… the only jockey to ever beat the iconic horse three times. And he tells us why he was suspended from racing for a year and how to this day he vehemently denies the charges that were brought up against him. Vasquez is one of the all-time greats and at 81 years old, you can hear the competitive fire still burn inside of him when he recounts his rides on Pleasure, Ruffian and Forego or his battles with other great jockey's of his time such as Angel Cordero and Willie Shoemaker. It was a great time for fans of horse racing and Vasquez was one of the greats.  Listen and subscribe to the Past Our Prime podcast for weekly shows that look back at sports icons like Jacinto Vasquez wherever you get your podcasts. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In the spring of 1975, the Red Sox came racing out of the gate led by a trio of outfielders who were making a mark in the American League… Dwight Evans first came on the scene in 1972 and was now the everyday right fielder. Joining him in '75 in left was future Hall of Famer Jim Rice who would have a spectacular rookie season finishing 3rd in the league in the MVP race and 2nd in Rookie of the Year. That's because the guy manning center in Fenway had an even better first season in the bigs. Fred Lynn would go on to become the first player ever to win MVP and Rookie of the Year in the same season, a feat only matched one other time when Ichiro Suzuki did it in 2001. And for Lynn and the Sox fans, it was love at first sight. The 23-year old kid won the CF job out of Spring Training and never looked back… He would finish the season with a .331 average, 21 home runs and 105 RBI's while also winning a Gold Glove for his defensive prowess in centerfield. It was a season for the ages for Lynn and the Sox that culminated in one of the All-time classic World Series matchups between the Sox and the Big Red Machine that went 7 games after one of the most famous October HR's ever... a shot by Carlton Fisk that won arguably the greatest World Series game ever played…  That Game 6 contest was a moment in sports where the people of Boston for years would ask… ‘Where were you for Game 6?” The answer for a young Dan Shaughnessy was… Fenway Park… Years before the Hall of Fame writer was hired by the Boston Globe to cover the team he grew up loving, Dan was there with his sister taking in one of the greatest games he ever witnessed… and he's seen a lot… from that Game 6, to Bucky Dent's blast in '78, to the euphoria of Dave Henderson's HR that helped propel the '86 Sox back to the World Series to the Buckner play that same October that kept the curse alive to Boone's HR in '03 and the comeback that ended 86 years of futility in 2004… Shaughnessy has literally covered it all. The author of a dozen books including One Strike Away, The Curse of the Bambino, and Reversing the Curse: Inside the 2004 Boston Red Sox, nobody knows the Sox of the last 50 years better than this kid from Groton, MA who's had a birds eye view of it all and access to the players and team like no other. Shaughnessy tells us on the Past Our Prime podcast how his friend and mentor Peter Gammons told them all to watch out for this kid from USC who was going to be the next big thing in Boston and how Freddie Lynn started hot, and never stopped in that magical Rookie season of '75. It would be almost 30 more years before the Red Sox broke the curse and Shaughnessy relives the highs, the lows, the ups and the downs of that Sox ride beginning 50 years ago, when a young phenom from L.A. took New England by storm and had a season we're still talking about on the Past Our Prime podcast. Listen wherever you get your podcasts. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

It's April 28th, 1975 and the best basketball player in the NBA plays in Buffalo. Bob McAdoo wins the MVP for the Buffalo Braves who are in the playoffs and taking on Wes Unseld, Elvin Hayes and the Washington Bullets in a fierce series that would eventually go 7 games. One of the unsung heroes for the Braves is on the cover of Sports Illustrated from 50 years ago as he soars to the basket during game four of the Eastern Conference playoffs. The 6'6 forward had a standout college career for the Oklahoma Sooners where he was the schools 2nd all-time leading scorer and all-time leading rebounder at the time of his graduation. Playing for John McLeod at Oklahoma, Heard averaged 21.7 points and 12.5 rebounds per game in his senior year. Taken by the Supersonics in the 3rd round, Heard didn't do much in his first two years in Seattle before being traded to Chicago and then in 1973 to Buffalo… and it was there where his NBA career took off. Playing alongside McAdoo and Randy Smith, Heard did the hard work averaging a double-double in his two years and helping take the team to their first two playoff appearances… But after a successful 1974-75 season, Heard was shocked when he was dealt yet again… this time to Phoenix where he once again would play for head coach, John McLeod. The Suns were languishing in the West before Heard's arrival, but soon they took off… Playing in a league high 86 games, Heard once again averaged a double-double as the Suns made the playoffs and beat Seattle in 6 games and the defending champion Warriors in 7 with Heard once again averaging 14 points and 11 rebounds to advance to the '76 NBA Finals. Awaiting the Suns were the Celtics and with the series knotted at two games each, game 5 was played on the parquet floor in Boston… and what a game five it was. Some call it the greatest NBA playoff game ever played. In one of the craziest finishes of all-time, the Celtics took a 2-point lead with 1 second left to play in the 2nd overtime. That's when Gar Heard made the basketball version of The Shot Heard Round the World. A 20-footer over the outstretched hands of Don Nelson that hit nothing but the bottom of the net. On to the 3rd overtime it went where the luck of the Celtics Green finally prevailed and won the series in 6 games. But for one moment… one second to be more precise… Gar Heard made a shot of a lifetime. On the Past Our Prime podcast, Heard tells us all about the shot, and the technical foul Paul Westphal and the Suns took on purpose to help give them a shot… a shot Heard says was meant for him to take! Heard tells us how shocked he was to be dealt from cold and snowy Buffalo to the desert in Arizona in the middle of the 75-76 season and how Coach McLeod mentored him both in college and the pro's.  Heard's career was more than just one miraculous shot and he tells us about the block he had on a young Keith Wilkes baseline jumper that helped  knock off the Warriors and send the Suns to the Finals. A week after the Giants Bobby Thompson hit the Shot Heard Round the World in New York it's Gar Heard's turn to do it… this time in Boston. Just a few miles away from where the original Shot Heard Round the World took place two hundred years earlier in April of 1775. One of the greatest shots in NBA history and Heard tells us all about it on the Past Our Prime podcast. Listen and subscribe to the show for your weekly dose of sports history. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The week of April 21, 1975 saw Jack Nicklaus on the cover of Sports Illustrated after he had won his 5th Masters in a classic tournament by one stroke over Tom Weiskopf and Johnny Miller. It was the Golden Bear's 13th major championship and came one year after he had already been inducted into the World Golf Hall of Fame. Inside that issue was another excerpt from the book Nice Guys Finish Last by another Hall of Famer… Leo Durocher was put into Cooperstown after amassing the 5th most wins as a manager when he retired after the 1973 season with the Houston Astros with a total of 2,008 victories which now ranks him 12th all-time. In his 23 years as a skipper, Leo the Lip won one World Series which came in 1954 and went to another in '51 when his Giants overcame the Dodgers 13.5 game lead and won the pennant on the Shot Heard Round the World before beating the Yankees in 6 games. It was one of the greatest comebacks in sports history and Bobby Thompson became a legend for his 3-run pennant winning HR off Ralph Branca of the Brooklyn Dodgers to complete the Giants ascent to the Fall Classic. A moment that will forever live in baseball lore that now 74 years later lives in controversy. That's because of a telescope, a buzzer and a scheme the Giants implemented that helped them figure out what pitches were coming and catapulted New York to finish the season winning 37 of their final 44 games and overtake the Dodgers on the final pitch of the final inning of the final game of their season prior to the World Series. A fastball that Thompson knew was coming. Author and journalist Joshua Prager heard about this story and started to investigate it, and soon he had enough to write a front-page story for the Wall Street Journal and in 2006, a book called The Echoing Green: The Untold Story of Bobby Thompson, Ralph Branca and the Shot Heard Round the World. He goes into great detail of how the Giants took their 3rd base coach, Herman Franks, and put him in the clubhouse in centerfield armed with a telescope and a buzzer to alter the course of baseball history. Prager joins us on Past Our Prime and tells us how Thompson and Branca's lives were both forever altered by that one pitch and how years later they were able to get past it and move on. He tells us how Franks confessed to him what took place right before he died, over 50 years after it all took place. And he tells us how a young 20-year old kid by the name of Willie Mays wanted to know what pitches were coming but didn't want to come to bat in that bottom of the 9th inning and watched from the on-deck circle as Thompson connected for the famous/infamous 3-run blast. Before the Astros banged their way to a World Series title in 2018 it was the Giants and Leo Durocher who were doing whatever it took to get an advantage back in 1951. Nice guys finish last but what about cheaters? In this case, they became world champs and we tell you how it all went down with Joshua Prager on this weeks Past Our Prime podcast.  Listen and subscribe wherever you listen and subscribe to podcasts. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The strongest man in the world 50 years ago was Vasily Alekseyev of the Soviet Union and there he was on the cover of Sports Illustrated on April 14th, 1975. The question is… was he a nice guy? Apparently the answer was no. Because also in that issue was the 2nd part of a 4 part series from the book, “Nice Guys Finish Last,” from former player and Hall of Fame manager, Leo Durocher. The “Lip” was a heckuva ballplayer, spanning 20 years with the Yankees, Reds, Cardinals and Brooklyn Dodgers from 1925-1945. A 3-time All-Star, and 4-time World Series champion, Durocher ended his playing days as a player/manager in Brooklyn and would go on to retire as the 5th winningest skipper in MLB history. Starting in 1939 with the Dodgers and then spending 8 more years with the Nw York Giants from 1948-1955, Durocher won his only World Series as a manager when Willie Mays and the Giants swept the Cleveland Indians in 1954. The next year was his last in New York and he wouldn't manage again until the Cubs hired him in 1966. Chicago was 59-103 in his first season guiding the team but didn't have a losing season in the remainder of his 5+ seasons at the helm. He would finish his Hall of Fame managerial career in Houston with another winning season in 1973. On that '73 teams was a young lefty who started 40 games for the Astros, completing 12 of them and amassing 279 innings pitched. Jerry Reuss was just 23 years old when he played for Durocher and the two had an adventurous time together with Durocher riding his young stud as often as he could, and Reuss often questioning the tactics of the veteran manager. It was a memorable season in Houston for the southpaw who would go on to win 220 games in his 22 years in the bigs. Reuss tells us how he pranked Dave Parker when he and The Cobra met up with Muhammad Ali in an elevator while playing for the Pirates. He takes us to Candlestick Park on a warm June night in 1980 when he no-hit the Giants, and he recounts the time Ron Cey was beaned in the head by a Goose Gossage fastball in the '81 world Series. But more than anything we talk to Reuss about what was it like for a kid born in 1950 to play for a manager who had been managing in the majors for 23 years by the time their paths crossed in the Lone Star state. It was a bumpy ride to say the least. Reuss tells us that much of it was his fault and that he and Durocher didn't see eye-to-eye most of the time. He goes on to tell us that years later they met up in the office of another Dodgers manager, Tommy Lasorda, and both admitted they could have handled things differently. Reuss and The Lip patched things up and shortly thereafter, Durocher passed away.  One of the greatest managers in baseball history was a mercurial and difficult man who never finished last in his 24 years as a manager. Was it because he was a Hall of Fame manager or because only Nice Guys Finish Last? In Durocher's case… probably a little of both. Listen, download, subscribe and review the Past Our Prime podcast. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On March 31, 1975, the UCLA Bruins beat the Kentucky Wildcats 92-85 for the 10th and final championship under the legendary Wizard of Westwood, John Wooden. The greatest collegiate coach in U.S. history retired after his team's 7-point win at the Sports Arena in San Diego. UCLA was the best in college basketball in 1964, 1965, 1967, 1968, 1969, 1970, 1971, 1972, 1973 & 1975. An astonishing 10 titles in 12 years! Nothing in major collegiate sports compares to the dominance of what Wooden accomplished in his final dozen years in Westwood. A week later, Steve Garvey was on the April 7, 1975 issue of SI, but the story that captivated the sports world was the final game of Wooden's time at UCLA. The end of an era that will never be replicated… and he went out a champion. Now in retirement at the age of 64, Wooden retreated to his home and continued to be a mentor to the many players who played for him at UCLA, notably, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Bill Walton, Lucius Allen, Larry Farmer and countless others. His beloved wife Nell passed in 1985 and Coach fell into a deep funk. His children were deeply worried about the mental anguish the widowed Wooden was enduring with the passing of his wife after 53 years of marriage. Gradually he came out of it with the help of his family, friends, and players who visited with him regularly. One of those who saw Coach Wooden on a regular basis for home visits was his podiatrist, Dr. Michael Levi. Michael would come often to check on the now 80+ year old Coach Wooden and the two soon became more than just a doctor-patient relationship. They would often have breakfast together and talk about family, life, baseball, God, books and any other topic that Wooden found interesting… which was everything. Michael would return home and write down everything that had taken place upon his visit with Coach… and in 2016, 6 years after Coach Wooden was laid to rest at the age of 99, Levi published a book with the help of former L.A. times writer Larry Stewart called, “Wednesdays with Wooden.” Levi talks about how he went to a camp as a 6-year old and saw Wooden for the first time and how is father idolized the legendary Bruins coach. He tells us on the Past Our Prime podcast how he and Wooden became friends over their time together and how he was able to give his father the best birthday gift ever… lunch with Coach Wooden. Levi tells us about the depression that felled the Coach after the death of Nell and what brought him out of it and how the phone never stopped ringing at Coach Wooden's house with players calling to check up on him constantly throughout the day…. Every day… It's an intimate and personal look at the most successful college coach in NCAA history from a man who checked on Wooden's feet, and ended up getting a piece of his heart. Listen wherever you get your podcasts and hit that subscribe button while you're at it. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

1975 was a banner year for Rookies in Major League Baseball. Fred Lynn broke onto the scene in Boston and won Rookie of the Year and MVP… the first player ever to do that. And in the National League, John, “The Count” Montefusco took home the honors of National League Rookie of the Year. The Giants hurler narrowly beat out The Kid, Gary Carter, who went on to have a Hall of Fame career as a catcher. The only other player to get a vote for American League Rookie of the Year was Lynn's teammate, a future Hall of Famer himself, Jim Rice who had a fantastic freshman year. The 3rd Hall of Famer in that rookie class was a pitcher in Cleveland by the name of Dennis Eckersley. But he wasn't the only young stud on that staff… Enter The Amazing Emu… Jim Kern.  A non-drafted pitcher out of Midland, Michigan, Kern didn't rise quickly through the minors and took a detour when he joined the marines in 1969. After a year of serving and 5 more in the reserves, Kern's baseball career started to take off and after a brief callus to the bigs in '74, he came up for good in '75. As a starter he had inconsistent success but with Frank Robinson as his manager, he converted to a receiver in 1976 and a star was born. One of the hardest throwers in the game, Kern took to his new role immediately, winning 10 games and saving 15 with an ERA of 2.37 over 117 innings. He was an American League All-Star the next three seasons culminating in 1979 when he won 13 games out of the pen and saved another 29 while amassing 143 innings with an ERA of 1.57. A season for the ages for the 6'5 flamethrower. Unfortunately injuries plagued Kern for much of the rest of his career. He bounced around the league and other than a resurgence in 1982 for a bad Reds team, he never was as dominant as he was during that 4-year stretch from 1976-79… On the Past Our Prime podcast, Kern tells us about his journey from being undrafted out of high school, to the marines to a 3-time All-Star reliever from 1977 to 1979. He tells us about his days in Cleveland that included playing for the first black manager in baseball history, Hall of Famer Frank Robinson and being on the same pitching staff as another Hall of Famer, Dennis Eckersley. Kern speaks fondly of many teammates including Gaylord Perry, Pat Dobson, Sparky Lyle and Boog Powell who taught this “dumbass rookie” as much about being a pitcher as anyone he ever came across. And this baseball character tells us about the best prank he ever took part in, and how Buddy Bell got his revenge! It's a bunch of laughs with one of the funniest relief pitchers of the late 70's who could throw the ball about as hard as anyone for a brief, yet electric time in Cleveland and Texas. The Amazing Emu, Jim Kern, on the Past Our Prime podcast. Download, listen, subscribe and review the show wherever you get your podcasts. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

After beating Joe Frazier and George Foreman in two of the biggest fights in boxing history, Muhammad Ali was looking for an easy win over somebody. Enter Chuck Wepner... This would be a walk in the park for the champ before he could move on to bigger things. Chuck had other plans. After knocking Ali down in the 9th round Wepner told his trainer Al Braverman to start the car... "We're going to the bank, " he said. "We're millionaires." To which Braverman told his fighter, "You better turn around. He's getting up and he looks pissed off." For the remainder of the fight, Ali battered the challenger, opening up cuts above both of Wepner's eyes. But Wepner kept coming, and kept coming, and never stopped until 19 seconds left in the 15th round when Ali sent him to the canvas... and even then, Wepner got back up, but the fight was stopped. He had given everything he had and then some and his courageous fight caught the attention of everyone... most notably a young Sylvester Stallone who would use this Wepner fight against Ali to write a screenplay about a fighter getting the opportunity of a lifetime, and coming this close to becoming the heavyweight champion of the world. We know him as Rocky Balboa. But another filmmaker also was interested in the story of Chuck Wepner. Enter Jeff Feuerzeig, who wasn't as interested in Rocky Balboa, but rather... The Bayonne Bleeder, Wepner. So Feuerzeig set out to tell the story of Wepner in an ESPN 30-for-30 documentary called 'The Real Rocky" and then followed that up by writing the screenplay for a feature film titled, "Chuck" starring Liev Schreiber. Nobody knows the story of Chuck Wepner better than Feuerzeig and he joins us this week on the 50-year anniversary of when this unheralded fighter got into the ring with the most famous boxer of all-time, and stood toe-to-toe with the great Ali for 15 rounds. Feuerzeig tells how he first heard of Chuck as an 11-year old kid and the fight Wepner had against Sonny Liston that was the bloodiest battle one could imagine. The Sundance Award winning director for The Devil and Daniel Johnston, Feuerzeig tells the story of how over 30 years after the Ali fight, he was able to tell the story of the Real Rocky on ESPN's signature 30-for-30 series and how the ensuing court battle of the former marine Wepner, vs the Hollywood icon, Stallone was more a matter of honor and recognition than anything else. March 24, 1975 had Chuck Wepner on the cover of Sports Illustrated... the day he and Ali battled in Cleveland, Ohio for all the world to see... Wepner's 15 minutes of fame, turned into 15 rounds of theatre... and Jeff Feuerzeig tells the story better than anyone and shares it with us on the Past Our Prime podcast. Listen, download, review... all that good stuff... wherever you get your podcasts. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In 1975, the University of North Carolina basketball team were being led by two men... A 44 year old coach named Dean Smith, and a 19 year old Freshman Point Guard by the name of Phil Ford. The two of them were about to change the program forever. The ACC tournament was Ford's coming out party as he averaged 26 points a game and was named the MVP of the conference tourney as he helped the Tar Heels shock David Thompson and the defending champion Wolfpack in the finals to advance to the NCAA Tournament. Ford would go from there to have one of the greatest four years in UNC basketball history finishing as the school's all-time leading scorer. As it turns out, this kid was golden as well. Playing for Smith again, he guided Team USA to a Gold Medal win in the 1976 Olympics. His junior season he led the Heels to the Final Four and the title game as a consensus first team All-American and in his final season, he once again was a first team All-American before winning the coveted John R. Wooden Award given out to college basketball's top player. When he done, #12 would hang from the rafters and he still to this day is the $4 all-time leading scorer in North Carolina basketball history. An eye injury would derail his promising NBA career which started as the #2 pick of the Kansas City Kings. He would finish his first year as the NBA Rookie of the Year and was well on his way to a long professional career before his vision was forever altered. His playing days over, Ford would return to Chapel Hill in 1988 as an assistant coach under Dean Smith and in 1993 was on his staff for Smith's 2nd national title and first since another freshman sensation by the name of Michael Jordan won it all in 1982 for the Tar Heels. Ford would stay with Smith until he retired and then another three seasons before leaving in 2000. He tells us on the Past Our Prime podcast how much he loved and admired Coach Smith and how his spiritual guidance may have saved his life. He talks about that sensational ACC Tournament that in 1975 that led him to being on the cover of Sports Illustrated and how a year later he was one of 4 UNC players to bring home an Olympic gold medal for the USA. And he talks about the famous "Four Corners" offense that Coach Smith came up with, and Ford helped him perfect. Before there was an Air Jordan, there was Phil Ford... the best point guard in the University of North Carolina's history and one of the best ever to do it... and he shares his insights and stories with us on Past Our Prime. Download and listen wherever you get your podcasts. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In 1947, Jackie Robinson changed the scope of sports and the entire country when he broke baseball color barrier, becoming the first black man to play Major League Baseball. But it would take another 28 years for a man of color to play The Masters in Augusta, Georgia. That man was Lee Elder, and on March 10, 1975, Elder was on the cover of Sports Illustrated exactly a month from when he would tee off and change the sport of golf. Elder was a fine golfer and won a tournament in April of '74 on the Tour that got him an invitation to play at Augusta. He would have to wait almost an entire year before his day would come, and he would tee off at The Masters. He wasn't playing his best golf at the time and missed the cut, but it didn't matter. He had captured the attention of the country and the world of golf would never be the same. Laury Livsey is the PGA Tour historian and joins us on the Past Our Prime podcast to tell us more about Mr. Elder. How he almost didn't play in the Monsanto Open in '74 that he eventually won and earned him the right to play at Augusta in '75. How he basically taught himself how to play golf and was a late bloomer, dominating the Black Tour before joining the PGA Tour in the late 60's. and Livsey tells us Elder came out on fire, finishing in the money 9 straight times as a rookie on the Tour and taking Jack Nicklaus to a dramatic playoff that the Golden Bear won on the 5th playoff hole! And he tells us about a trip Elder took to South Africa in the height of apartheid with Gary Player so that kids could see a golfer that "looked like him." Elder would go on to win 4 times on the PGA Tour and another 8 times on the Champions Tour... but it was the two rounds of golf in 1975 at The Masters that made him a legend, 50 years ago this month. Please listen to this historical man give us a history lesson on the breaking of the color barrier at Augusta this week on the Past Our Prime podcast on Apple, Spotify or anywhere where you get your podcasts. Thank you. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Towards the end of the March 3, 1975 issue of Sports Illustrated a reader wrote in on the exploits of a little known swimmer who had appeared in two issues of SI the previous month. The woman wrote, "Thank you for a beautifully written piece on an incredible woman. Lynne Cox. How refreshing it is to read a story written by a man (Sam Moses) about a woman that does not go on about the color of her hair or how she looked in her bathing suit." What was noticeable is that Miss Cox was wearing a bathing suit, but not a wetsuit... despite the obvious need for one as she was a long distance swimmer who sometimes swam in temps that were below freezing. When Lynne was 14, she and three other teammates swam the 31 miles it takes to cross the Catalina Island Channel... and that the beginning of a life like no other. She would go on to swim the English Channel, as well as a mile in 26 degree water in Antartica. Yes, you read that correctly... she swam for a mile in just bathing suit in below freezing temps. But her most famous swim was in 1987 when she crossed the Bering Strait... it took her over 2 hours to go from Little Diomede in Alaska to Big Diomede in the USSR in waters that were 38 degrees. She was trying to raise attention to how close the two Superpowers were in proximity and to help bring an end to the Cold War. President's Reagan and Gorbachev both toasted her on her amazing accomplishment. Cox is now 68 years old, and tells us how Russian doctors were prepared to help her immediately once she came ashore in the Soviet Union and how cardiac arrest was a real possibility. How the people of the islands were actually families who hadn't been able to communicate with each other in almost 50 years and began to rejoice and sing once she brought them together! She recalls a swim where she thought a shark might be in the water, but instead it was a pod of dolphins guiding her across the Cook Strait in New Zealand. She tells amazing stories because she has amazing stories to tell... and she does it on this weeks Past Our Prime podcast. You won't believe it unless you hear it. Subscribe to the show wherever you get your podcasts. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In February of 1974, a high school junior by the name of Bill Cartwright showed up in Sports Illustrated's Faces in the Crowd after the Elk Grove start scored 62 points in a game. A year later, the senior was once again in SI as he was once dominating the high school basketball scene in Northern California. Soon, the hard-working, laid back 7-footer would be headed to San Francisco to play for the Dons... the 2nd Big Bill to dominate at USF. And dominate is exactly what Cartwright did... a 3-time WCAC player of the year, he would have his #24 retired by his college, and then was drafted two picks back of Magic Johnson as the 3rd choice of the 1979 NBA Draft. And as a rookie he thrived being named an All-Star after scoring almost 22 points a game and pulling down 9 boards as well. And none of this load management for Bill... he played over 38 minutes a game in all 82 games that season. in fact, in his first 5 seasons he missed only 15 games. But then disaster struck. Injuries to his left foot caused him to miss almost two full seasons of ball. All of a sudden this man who was never hurt, couldn't get on the court. His time in New York was never the same and in 1988 he was traded to the Bulls. This is when we say... and the rest is history. The dominant big man became the starting center in Chicago and was a key player on the Michael Jordan led teams that won the first of three straight NBA championships from 1991-93. And when his playing days ended, he returned to Chicago under Phil Jackson and won 2-more NBA titles as an assistant coach. Now over 50 years since the kid out of Sacramento was a face in the crowd, Bill joins us on the Past Our Prime podcast to tell us how his hard-working parents impacted his life... why he chose USF over UCLA and how he went from the frustration of two lost seasons in New York to the ultimate joy of not one, not two, but three NBA Crowns. A star player in high school, college and the NBA, 2-time championship-winning assistant coach, NBA Head Coach and now author of the book Living Life at the Center, Big Bill Cartwright is still the man in the middle... Listen wherever you get your podcasts and subscribe to the show. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The final All-American to play for UCLA's John Wooden was Dave Meyers and on February 17, 1975, Meyers was on the cover of Sports Illustrated as the leading man in the final championship run for the Wizard of Westwood. A bruising big man, Meyers was the center on a team that wasn't supposed to make another run at a title. The dynasty was ended by North Carolina State the year prior... right? Not so fast. Wooden had one more run in him led by a group of guys who put the team first and checked their egos at the door. Along with Meyers was a tough shooting guard from Indiana by the name of Pete Trgovich who was one of four Bruins to average in double figures that year. After coming up short in the finals a year earlier, Trgovich and his teammates weren't about to let this final opportunity slip away. A magical run was ahead of them that saw them fight and claw and take home the 10th National Championship in 12 years for Wooden and his Bruins and this one was as special as any of them... maybe more so. Trgovich tells us how he motivated the team when they were down to Michigan in the first round of the tournament... how he felt for a kid who missed a big free throw for Louisville that allowed UCLA to win their semi-final matchup. And Trgovich gives a raw and honest take on his relationship with his coach. It wasn't what you would think... and the conversation the two had 20 years after Pete played for Wooden that the kid from Indiana has never forgotten. It's a different look into the last year of Wooden's magical run at UCLA led by a different guy who calls 'em as he sees 'em... then and now. Honest and insightful, Pete Trgovich leaves it all on the line... just like he did when he was lacing it up at Pauley Pavilion 50 years ago. Listen and subscribe wherever you get your podcasts. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In February of 1975, fans in the NHL had to do a double take when they looked at the standings. That's because alongside the Montreal Canadiens and the defending champion Flyers was a rag-tag group of castoffs who scored just often enough to give their goalie a lead, and he would do the rest. Rogie Vachon and the L.A. Kings were playing inspiring hockey and were on the cover of Sports Illustrated this week 50 years ago. After winning three Stanley Cups in Montreal, Vachon was now in his 4th season in Southern California and the 5'7 goaltender was bigger than ever as fans began to really notice they had something special as the last line of defense at the Forum in Inglewood. "Save, Vachon!" was a common phrase heard numerous times a game from Bob Miller, the voice of the Kings and a special bond between Rogie and the fans of L.A. was formed. He would go on to be the first player in Kings history to have his number retired in 1985 and 30 years later, he was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame. Despite never winning a Cup after his playing days in Montreal ended, Vachon made a lasting impression on Los Angeles as both a player and a General Manager. In 1988, under the ownership of Bruce McNall, Vachon was instrumental in making one of the biggest deals in sports history acquiring Wayne Gretzky from the Edmonton Oilers. The Great One was now in L.A. and the NHL was about to explode on the West Coast. Hear how this hockey lifer who played as a kid with the grown ups and slept in the car when they would go grab a beer afterwards came from a rural farm in Canada and ended up being a member of royalty in L.A. The Kings Rogie Vachon on this weeks Past Our Prime podcast. Listen and subscribe to the show. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The latest Past Our Prime podcast takes us to the heartland and the beginning of the changing of the guard in college basketball. 1975 would be the last season for John Wooden and his UCLA dominance, and the Indiana Hoosiers were set to claim their spot atop the college basketball world. They would go 31-1 in '75 and follow that up in 1976 with a perfect 32-0 and the first National Championship for Bobby Knight. In 1975, the Hoosiers had 4 All Big-10 players in Kent Benson, Quinn Buckner, Scott May and Steve Green... and yet on the cover of that February 3rd issue 50 years ago was none other than John Laskowski... The Super Sub. The senior guard from South Bend was the first guy off the bench for Coach Knight and a main reason for the teams success. Half a century later, he still can't believe he was the guy on the cover of SI. But Laskowski was emblematic of what his coach was preaching. A team-first attitude where you left your ego at the door and went to work doing whatever was needed to win. And they won a lot... 37 consecutive Big-10 wins in fact, still the most ever in conference play... by a large margin. Laskowski went on to play in the NBA, and then was an analyst for Hoosiers basketball for years and he says much of that is because of the legendary Knight. Much more than just a coach to Laskowski, Bobby Knight was a mentor and an impactful man for the rest of his life until his death in 2023. He negotiated Laskowski's NBA deal with the Bulls, helped him get his TV job for IU and got him into the movie Blue Chips starring Nick Nolte. Laz tells us about a side of The General we rarely saw... He tells us about an assistant on that team that went on to become the all-time winningest coach in college basketball history... and he tells us about how Notre Dame rescinded their scholarship offer to him and how devastating that was to him before it turned into a blessing of a lifetime. It's a great talk with a great guy that was the first one off the bench for Coach Knight and on the cover of SI in 50 years ago today but in the POP starting lineup. The Super Sub---John Laskowski on the Past Our Prime podcast. Give it a listen wherever you get your podcasts. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue became a cultural phenomenon in the mid 70's thanks in large part to supermodel Cheryl Tiegs who was on the cover in 1970, 1975 and again in 1983 becoming the first Swimsuit to be on the cover three times. She went from a shy midwestern gal to living in New York City as one of the top models in the world thanks in large part to those 3 covers for SI. But her most famous shot was probably the fishnet suit she wore in 1978. Lets just say not much was left to the imagination and a star was born. In 1989, Sports Illustrated celebrated the 25th anniversary of the swimsuit issue with a 306 page layout that celebrated the woman over the years that made the popular publication what it was... a must see event that arrived in your mailbox in the middle of January to the delight of most men, young and old, and to the chagrin of mothers and wives across the land. Kathy Ireland was on the cover of that 1989 SI and once again, Cheryl Tiegs was a part of it... one of 9 times she appeared in the iconic issue. Curry Kirkpatrick wrote the corresponding piece of Tiegs in 1989 and remembers her as breathtaking in her early 40's as she had been 19 years earlier when she first was on a cover for Sports Illustrated. Kirkpatrick recalls when he first met Cheryl in her penthouse in New York City... and exactly what she wore as they strolled through the Big Apple to grab lunch on the Upper East Side. It was the only time the SI writer ever worked on the swimsuit issue and it's one he never forgot. He tells us on the show how Tiegs became the first SI model to become a huge celebrity and how she wasn't a fan of being in the spotlight. He recollects how Cheryl became a full fledged business-woman and paved the way for future models to be more than just a beautiful woman. And he tells how in the end, he received a hand-written note from Cheryl telling him she loathed the article Curry wrote of her in that 1989 issue. Why? Hear for yourself on the Past Our Prime podcast. Listen wherever you get your podcasts and hear a great tidbit of how the Uptown Girl, Christie Brinkley, and husband Billy Joel, were purposely left behind at the airport one year by the woman who ran the entire project, Julie Campbell. It's one for the ages, on the POP podcast. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In 1975, the Steelers were on the verge of greatness. They had just beaten the Vikings to win their first Super Bowl Championship and Terry Bradshaw adorned the cover of Sports Illustrated after leading Pittsburgh to the big win in Super Bowl IX. For legendary broadcaster Curt Gowdy, it was one of 9 Super Bowls he called to go along with 13 World Series and 8 Olympic Games. Nine years later, in 1984, a young Dan Roche walked into a radio station owned by Gowdy in Lawrence, MA looking to break into the sports media business. There was no opening for the Syracuse student but Rochie hung around and did whatever was asked. Unbeknownst to him, that decision changed the course of his life. Now, 40 years later, the WBZ-TV anchor and reporter has covered 9 Super Bowls of his own during the Brady-Belichick dynasty... he covered the Red Sox 4 World Series Championships as well including the one in 2004 that ended the Curse... and he's done it all in his hometown of Boston. And it all started at WCGY where Dan met his future wife, and started a career in sports that has seen him cover the teams he grew up idolizing, including the Red Sox whose play-by-play announcer was.... Curt Gowdy. In the late 80's Danny worked for the ole Cowboy who gave Rochie some advice he never would forget... hear how Gowdy changed Roche's life and followed Dan from afar as his career began to take off. How Dan uncovered a lost tape that revealed how Ted Williams announced his retirement... before Gowdy called the Splendid Splinter's final amazing at bat. It's a look back at one of the greatest sportscasters in American history through the lens of a student, an employee, a colleague... and a dear friend. Dan Roche on the one-of-a-kind Curt Gowdy on the Past Our Prime podcast. Listen wherever you get your podcasts. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Chris McCarron burst onto the scene in 1974... he won his first race in February of that year... and 546 more the rest of the year... setting an all-time record at the time. And he was just getting started. He would go on to be in the winner's circle an astonishing 7,141 times amassing over $264 million dollars in earnings... the most ever. Born in Boston, McCarron was introduced to America when Frank Deford wrote a feature on him in Sports Illustrated in January of '75... and from there, Chris rode into history. He won the Kentucky Derby in '87 on Alysheba, and again in '94 on Go For Gin. He won the Preakness twice as well as the Belmont twice. 5 times he won the Breeders Cup Classic. And in 1984, he rode John Henry for the final 14 times of the legendary horses career, when at the age of 9, he won horse of the year. In 1977, he took his talents to the West Coast and Santa Anita and was part of the greatest pack of jockeys ever to ride at the same time. Willie Shoemaker, Laffit Pincay, Jr., Eddie Delahoussaye, Gary Stevens, Kent Desormeaux, Sandy Hawley, Alex Solis, and Pat Valenzuela... and McCarron more than held his own, winning 21% of his races in his storied career. Now, 20+ years removed from the saddle, McCarron joins us on the Past Our Prime podcast to talk about that feature in SI... what Deford wrote about him that he didn't care for... how his older brother Gregg, also a jockey, called his parents and said Chris was too scared to ride horses... how it felt to win the Derby with Alysheba and how John Henry did the impossible at age 9. He's part of horse racing royalty. A king in the Sport of Kings. Join us for a trip around the track with an all-time great... Chris McCarron on the POP podcast. Please subscribe wherever you get your podcasts. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Steelers and Raiders were two of the great teams in the NFL in the 70's... but in January of '75, neither had asserted their dominance just yet. That was about to change. Pittsburgh was heading to Oakland a week after the Silver and Black had dethroned the two-time Super Bowl Champion, Miami Dolphins in a classic game known as "The Sea of Hands". Now John Madden's team had to take on a Steelers team that was about to come into it's own... and they started that with a dominant performance against Oakland. The Raiders were used to being the ones who were punching their opponents in the face, but not this time. It was a tough loss for Oakland and for Pro Bowl linebacker Phil Villapiano. A man of many words couldn't explain what happened to his team that day 50 years ago and still has a tough time putting into words what took place that Sunday so long ago. Starting with the Immaculate Reception in '72, Villapiano and the Steelers had a history of meeting up when it mattered most with the winner often headed to play in the Super Bowl. That was the case in January of '75 and Villapiano tells us what it was like to go up against those incredible Pittsburgh teams... how his friendship with Franco Harris started with their parents and lasted over 50 years until Franco's death in 2022... what it was like to play for John Madden... and go drinking with John Matuszak. And he talks about finally getting over the hump, and winning it all in Super Bowl XI. Villapiano is a master talker and storyteller who epitomizes what the NFL was like in the 70's... tough, sassy, outrageous and fun... Football at its absolute best and Phil V was right in the middle of it... like always. Listen in on a great conversation about a great time in the NFL with Phil Villapiano on the Past Our Prime podcast. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Past Our Prime podcast is heading into season 2 but before we look back to the future lets look ahead to the past. There were plenty of great stories in sports from 1974 starting with the Miami Dolphins repeating as Super Bowl champions behind SB MVP Larry Csonka who joined us for our 3rd episode. A week later, the UCLA Bruins 88-game winning streak ended at the hands of Notre Dame and former Bruins team captain and later their head coach Larry Farmer joined us to talk about that fateful day before joining us a 2nd time when his friend and teammate Bill Walton died suddenly this past May. And from there, we just took off... in April of 1974, Hank Aaron set the all-time record for Home Runs by hitting one out in Atlanta. That ball was caught by his teammate, Tom House who joined us to talk about Henry, and a great story about a no-hitter by Nolan Ryan when he was the pitching coach for the Rangers. Jenny Fulle became the first girl to play Little League, Johnny Rutherford won the Indy 500, Hall of Fame goaltender Bernie Parent led the Flyers to a Cup and Boston Globe writer Bob Ryan joined us for one of three times to talk about the Celtics winning it all in '74. Mike Eruzione and the Miracle on Ice. Ali beats Frazier and Foreman. Tommy John has surgery. The Oakland A's make it 3 straight. Jimmy Connors is #1 in the world and engaged to Chrissy Evert. Jennifer Chandler and John Kinsella both win gold medals. Evel Knievel is jumping over any and everything. JK MccKay and Anthony Davis are leading USC to a national title and Rocky Bleier returns from Vietnam to win the first of 4 Super Bowls with the Steelers. It was an amazing year in sports 50 years ago and we cover it from start to finish with the help of Curry Kirkpatrick and Hall of Famers Joe Delamielleure, Rick Barry and Nancy Lieberman who caps off the year talking about her friend and mentor Muhammad Ali, the 1974 Sportsman of the Year. So, before we get on to 1975, take a look back at what took place 50 years ago in '74. It was a year to remember, and that;s just what we did on the Past Our Prime podcast. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

He started the year by beating Joe Frazier in Superfight II to avenge his loss to Smokin' Joe from three years earlier. 9 months later, in the Rumble in the Jungle, he shocked the world by knocking out George Foreman to once again become the Heavyweight Champion of the world. So how did Muhammad Ali cap off this eventful year? By being named the 1974 Sports Illustrated Man of the Year. It wasn't just the two iconic fights that cemented his place in boxing history, but the way Ali did it. Seven years after being stripped of his belt for refusing to partake in the Vietnam War, Ali made the comeback of all comebacks, beating two of the most feared heavyweights of his, or anyone's time. Pro Basketball Hall of Famer Nancy Lieberman idolized the Greatest as a child from afar until a chance meeting at a banquet brought them together in 1979 and for the next 37 years, the two were as tight as tight can be, with Muhammad playing a vital role as a mentor and friend of Nancy's until Ali's death. Now, this trailblazer for women in sports, Nancy talks about the impact Muhammad had on her life and how she is attempting to pay it forward each day to honor him; How the Ali and Foreman families have come together 50 years after the famous fight in Zaire in a show of strength and peace and how George's biggest regret was not being able to congratulate Muhammad for his win between the two. There are too many stories to tell but Nancy does her best to bring a side of Ali only a few got to witness, and she shares that side with us on the Past Our Prime podcast. Join us for a look into "The Greatest" that we've never heard before wherever you get your podcasts and make sure to hit that subscribe button if you wouldn't mind. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Golden State Warriors were picked to finish last in the Pacific Division before the 1974 season tipped off. They had the best record in the Western Conference. After defeating both Seattle and Chicago to advance to the NBA Finals, they were picked to get destroyed by the Bullets. Instead, they did the destroying... sweeping Washington in 4 games to win the Championship. And they were led by their captain, Rick Barry, who capped off a great season by taking home the NBA Finals MVP. Sports Illustrated noticed what was going on out by the Bay in December of '74 and put Barry on the cover and 50 years later, one of the greatest players in NBA/ABA history is joining us on the POP podcast to talk about that team, what being captain meant to him, how he started shooting free throws underhanded and why his sons wouldn't do the same. He tells of a great story of when he skipped school to go see a New York Giants game and met Willie Mays and how they became friends later in life and wore #24 in honor of his boyhood idol. Barry has opinions on most everything from comparing players from different eras to Wilt Chamberlain to the pick-n-roll. He's brash and energetic and entertaining, just like he was when he starred in the NBA/ABA half a century ago. One of the greatest to ever lace 'em up Barry is just as good with a mic in his hand as he was a basketball...and that's what he loves talking about most. Listen to one of the best to ever play on the Past Our Prime podcast wherever you get your shows and make sure you give us a follow and a review. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Notre Dame was up 24-0 in the 2nd quarter over the USC Trojans. The defending champion Irish were in complete control. Only a late first half TD pass from Pat Haden to Anthony Davis kept ND from a perfect first half. Even then, the Trojans couldn't convert on the PAT. At halftime, USC Coach John McKay said he needed his team to make a play and that "It's not illegal to block on kick returns." His team heard Coach McKay, and on the kick to start the 2nd half Davis took the ball in his end zone and 100 yards later, after a few good blocks, was in the end zone again to make it 24-12... and from there, the greatest 16 minutes and 31 seconds in football history was taking off. USC would score 35 points in the 3rd quarter alone, with Davis scoring 4 touchdowns in the amazing 55-24 comeback win over their rivals. Anthony Davis was a star back at Tailback U. Archie Griffin won the Heisman Trophy but possibly AD would have won it had the voting not taken place prior to this game. In his career at SC, Davis won 5 National Championships... 2 as a running back, and 3 as a switch-hitting centerfielder. He was a 2-sport stud... the kind Nike could really get behind. And AD would know as he was the first running back to ever wear the shoes in a game. In fact, the win over Notre Dame was the 2nd time he wore the not-yet-famous brand of sneakers. And to think... this wasn't Davis' best game ever against Note Dame. Nope. Two years earlier USC beat the Irish 45-3 behing 6 touchdowns by Anthony Davis. A truly remarkable talent and we sit down with him for a 2nd time this week on the Past Our Prime podcast. Please listen wherever you can and don't forget to subscribe to the show. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The guys go freestyle for the first time all season long as Scott, Bill and Marc talk about a range of topics including the 1974 college basketball season that is about to tip off with Denny Crum's Louisville Cardinals the pre-season choice to win it all led by Junior Bridgeman. Bridgeman would go on to have a fine NBA career but did you know that in 2016, according to Forbes magazine, he was the 4th most wealthy retired athlete behind only Jordan, Beckham and Arnold Palmer? Tune in to see what made Bridgeman's net worth sore to close to a billion dollars. Elsewhere, NC State won it all shocking UCLA in the Finals and have the high-flying superstar David Thompson returning as well as Past Our Prime guest Monty Towe (4/2/24) but are without their big man Tom Burleson? Will they be able to get through the ACC and defend their title? And what about those Bruins? No more Walton as he's a Trailblazer now. What will the Wizard do for what turned into his final act? In college football, unlike present day times, Ohio State owned Michigan and beat them 12-10 behind 4 field goals from Tom Klaban, a walk on kicker who fled the Iron Curtain with his family under gunfire to become a hero in Columbus. And in the NFL, the Raiders are being led by two geniuses... Al Davis and John Madden. But will they ever get over the hump and put it all together? Lots to talk about for the week of 12/2/74 and that's what we do here on the POP podcast. Listen wherever you get your podcasts and get a glimpse of what the sports world was talking about 50 years ago each week. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

It's the greatest moment in the history of sports. A group of amateur kids from America taking on the most powerful hockey team in the world, the USSR. Tied at 3 in the 3rd period the youngsters from the U.S. were doing everything they could to keep up with the Russians when the captain of the team let one rip... and in the blink of an eye Mike Eruzione had given his squad a 4-3 lead and sent the fans in Lake Placid, NY into a frenzy, while the entire country watched with their own eyes the impossible come true. From there, the Soviets came at them with everything they had, but on this night, it wasn't enough. ABC's Al Michaels summed it up with this iconic call "5 seconds left in the game. Do you believe in Miracles? YES!" And with that win, coupled with Michaels remarks, the Miracle on Ice team was forever etched into the annals of American history. Working with Michaels was Hall of Fame goaltender Ken Dryden, who was saying that American goalie Jim Craig was working too hard right when Eruzione cut him off and blasted one into the net. Dryden is on the cover of this week's issue of SI and Eruzione talks about what kind of man the former Montreal star was and how their paths have crossed over the years. But on this night, it was Dryden in the booth, and Eruzione on the ice. And that's where miracles happen. Now, almost 45 years later, Captain Eruzione recounts that night and that win... how head coach Herb Brooks told the team they would "take it to their f'ing graves" if they didn't beat Finland in the Gold Medal game... how he prepped for the game against Russia like he did most other games in his life, and how the win changed his life forever, but didn't change the man much at all. A wonderful talk about a wonderful night in February of 1980 with the one and only, Mike Eruzione. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The 1974 NFL Draft was historic in many ways. Ed 'Too Tall ' Jones was the first overall pick by the Dallas Cowboys and the first of many intriguing stories. Such as Randy Gradishar being taken by the Broncos with the 14th pick and 50 years later, being inducted into the Hall of Fame. He was one of 7 players who debuted in '74 that ended up enshrined in Canton... 5 of them by the Pittsburgh Steelers in what is considered the greatest draft in NFL history. And get this, not one of them was a quarterback. In fact, no QB's were taken in the first round... or the 2nd round... the first time since 1938 that had happened and only the 5th time ever. But who did get picked in the 15th round? That's right, there were 17 rounds in 1974 and the first pick in the 15th was Billy Johnson... you know him as Billy 'White Shoes' Johnson, the only member of the NFL's all-75th anniversary team not in the Hall... Joining us to talk about this incredible draft is longtime sports talk radio host Paul Jolovitz of WIP sports radio in Philadelphia. Jolly knows his football from half a century ago... and being from DC, he knows Bullets basketball as well. We'll talk about one of the greatest to ever don a Bullets uniform... the great Wes Unseld. Wes wasn't the biggest, but he may be the best to ever play for Washington. Jolly will talk about what it was like to attend Bullets playoff games in his youth when Wes and Elvin Hayes were winning 7 division titles in 10 seasons, culminating in their lone championship in 1978. Unseld and the NFL draft... a lot to talk about with a guy who talks a lot about sports for a living... on this weeks Past Our Prime podcast. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

It was one of the biggest fights in the history of boxing. The undefeated George Foreman putting his heavyweight championship on the line against Muhammad Ali from Zaire, Africa. The Rumble in the Jungle where Ali shocked he world to regain his belt for the first time since 1967 when he was forced to give it up. But there was a dynamic duo making noise in November of '74. Hank Aaron was in Japan having a hitting contest with Japanese superstar Sadarahu Oh. The two Home Run kings taking different kind of swings against each other. Joining us to talk about both stories is a good friend and baseball analyst for 670 the Score in Chicago as well as the Marquee Network, Bruce Levine, who has been covering sports since Reagan's first term in office. Bruce has seen and been a part of it all for over 40 years. He remembers watching the Rumble on closed circuit TV at the very loud St. Louis Arena. He'll tell us how he met Ali at his house as a kid on the South Side of Chicago and how Ali influenced a generation of kids in the late 60's. As for Sadarahu Oh, Bruce shares with us how The Hammer told him that Oh could definitely have thrived in the majors and how 50 years later Japanese players are finally getting the respect Oh may have never received during his playing days. Ali & Foreman... Hank and Oh... lots to talk about in November of 1974 and we get to it all on the Past Our Prime podcast. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In 1974, the Oklahoma Sooners were practically unbeatable... in fact, they were unbeatable. The Sooners outscored their opponents by an average score of 43-8 and won twice by the score of 63-0. They were stacked on offense and defense as they ran the table en route to a perfect 11-0 record that culminated in a sharing of the National Championship. Nobody had a better view of that than John Brooks who was in his first season as part of the Sooners broadcast team and he had a birds eye view of it all. Brooks was in the right place at the right time as Barry Switzer's Sooners were a dominant force as soon as John joined the crew. How good were they? Perfect. How good was SI cover man Joe Washington? Sensational. How good was Barry Switzer? Hall of Fame good. A Hall of Fame broadcaster in his own right, Brooks takes us behind the curtain for some great stories about a team that was kicking butt and taking names 50 years ago. Join us for a bonus edition of the Past Our Prime podcast with the great John Brooks.... GEEMINY CHRISTMAS! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

They couldn't play in a bowl game. They couldn't play on TV. All they could do was play and win... and win big for that matter. The '74 Sooners were a wrecking ball... the defense led by the Selmon brothers gave up just 92 points. And the offense led by one of the greatest running backs in Oklahoma history, Joe Washington, averaged 43 points a game. They started the season on probation... and they ended it co-national champions. Washington would finish 3rd in the Heisman voting after a sensational junior year and after Barry Switzer's team demolished Kansas State 63-0, the Sooners back was on the cover of Sports Illustrated as he and his teammates were on their way to a perfect 11-0 season. Now, 50 years later, Washington talks about that great team and how they were able to look past being on probation. He spoke of his love of his head coach, Switzer and how he was a 2nd dad to him. He tells us about a night ... a Monday Night... when Howard Cosell introduced the country to Joe as he did something for the Colts nobody else has ever done in the NFL... Threw a TD, caught a TD, and returned a kick for a TD. And he does it while impersonating the iconic ABC sportscaster! Finally, he reminisces about winning a Super Bowl with the Redskins and what it was like sharing a backfield with Hall of Fame Running Back John Riggins. SI cover man Joe Washington is the reason we do this show. A 2-time National Champion & a Super Bowl Champion. He was a great all-around football player and 50 years later, he's still a great all-around guy. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Anthony Davis is one of the greatest athletes to ever play at USC winning 5 National Championships. That's right... FIVE! Two in football, and three more in baseball. Before there was Bo Knows, there was AD Does. Davis had a legendary career at SC capped off with wins over UCLA where he ran for 195 yards, followed by his 4 TD's against Notre Dame in the famous Comeback Game that the Trojans won 55-24 and finishing with a win in the Rose Bowl win over Ohio State to secure yet another National Championship. But it was all about the shoes, man. THE SHOES. That's because Davis played those final three games wearing shoes by a little known company out of Oregon by the name of Nike. That's right, AD was one of the first to wear the swoosh before anyone knew what the swoosh was. And when Anthony was on the cover of Sports Illustrated in December of 1974, you could see that shoe running all over the Fighting Irish. AD talked with us about his relationship with the shoe company and the man who designed a shoe for him over 50 years ago. It was a match made in heaven. Hear the amazing story of how one of college football's all-time greats took a chance on a company nobody had ever heard of and... well, the rest is history... Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The October 28, 1974 issue of Sports Illustrated once again had George Foreman and Muhammad Ali on the cover as their fight from Kinshasa, Zaire, delayed by 6 weeks due to a cut suffered by big George during a sparring session, was now just 2 days away from taking place. The whole world was watching a fight that would start at 3am in Africa and be broadcast across the globe. There may not have been two more well known athletes in the world at this time. The trash-talking, brash, Ali vs the silent, sullen Foreman. Two contrasting styles both in and out of the ring. Foreman was the overwhelming favorite to dispose of Ali like he had everyone else up to this point in his career. It was a fight that would be a part of both men for the rest of their lives: The Rumble in the Jungle. Boxing was at its zenith and these two gladiators were at the top of their profession. But only one would come out a winner. And to the shock of most... it was Ali. Foreman pounded and pounded and pounded on Muhammad, but Ali kept moving and famously used the rope-a-dope technique to wear out the ferocious champion. And in the 8th round, big George went down, and lost his title. But in defeat, Foreman gained so much. And a new man was born. A happy, peaceful, man of God who left the squared circle for 10 years before returning in 1987. And 7 years later, he regained his belt and was once again the Heavyweight Champion of the World. Nobody knows his story or the man better than his daughter Georgetta Foreman. She tells us that the happy, optimistic, entrepreneur is the only version of George Foreman she's ever known. We know him as the Champ or Big George but Georgetta knows him simply as 'Dad'. She tells us that Big George loves Westerns, how the Foreman grill changed his life, and what it was like to grow up with one of the most well-known athletes of the 20th Century. To hear about a side of this captivating fighter join us as we talk with Georgetta Foreman on the Past Our Prime podcast. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

As the Dodgers get ready to play in the World Series this coming week, we look back at the Series they played in October of 1974 against the Oakland Athletics. It didn't go well for Los Angeles, but that didn't deter a young kid from South Pasadena who fell in love with the Dodgers as a 9-year old and has kept that love affair with the team for half a century. Mark Langill knew from a very young age that he wanted to be around baseball... and the Dodgers in particular. And so he became a sportswriter and covered the team he adored fora few years. But that wasn't enough for Langill. He wanted to be even closer to the team... a part of it if you will. And that's just what happened. The Dodgers hired him to be their team historian. Never has someone been more perfect for a position. Mark's recollection of Dodgers history is unparalleled. He can tell you about every start Don Drysdale had in August of 1968. He can tell you the date Maury Wills was traded away from the Dodgers. He can tell you what Tommy John's record was in 1974 before his season ended with a surgery that would be named after the Dodgers lefty. He can tell you more than you'll ever want to know... and he's the first to admit that he crosses that line enthusiastically. But in this case, he'll tell you about that '74 series when Mike Marshall picked off Herb Washington in Gm 2 to help secure the Dodgers lone win of the series.. He'll tell you about the throw Joe Ferguson made to nail Sal Bando at the plate in Game 1. He'll tell you about Tommy Lasorda wearing two different shoes while coaching third base. And he'll tell you how he told his favorite player, Jimmy Wynn, about a grand slam that Wynn hit that Mark never forgot... but the Toy Cannon sure did. Before there was Wikipedia, there was Mark Langill... and he's way more fun and interesting. It's time for Dodgers Baseball on the Past Our Prime podcast. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

They were the two greatest players in college basketball history, separated by just a couple of years in Westwood. Lew Alcindor was 88-2 with three national titles at UCLA from 1967-69. A couple of years later the Big Red-Head, Bill Walton, arrived on campus and guided the Bruins to two more championships and an 86-4 record. John Wooden's dynasty was literally centered around these two stars. Now, the two former college standouts are on the cover of Sports Illustrated as they are about to face-off for the first time in the NBA, in Dayton, Ohio of all places. The Milwaukee Bucks and 3-time MVP Kareem Abdul-Jabbar against the Portland Trailblazers and their number one overall pick... Bill Walton. It was as big of a matchup as one could imagine for a preseason game with the center of attention on the two teams prolific centers. Bob Ryan covered the NBA for the Boston Globe for over 40 years and is known within the industry as a basketball guru. He's seen it all. He's covered it all. And he has the stories to prove it. He joins us for a 3rd time to discuss the dominance of Kareem, how Walton helped Portland become a championship team. How both of them loved music and how his friend Bill went from a shy college kid, to an announcer who "would never shut up." Ryan and Walton went from a working connection to a relationship built on trust and respect that lasted for the better part of almost 40 years until Bill's untimely death this past May. If you want to talk about the NBA in 1974, there is nobody better to do that with than Bob Ryan... and that's what we do this week on the Past Our Prime podcast. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

They were a dynasty unlike any other. The Oakland A's in 1974 were looking for a 3-peat and the only two things in their way were themselves... and their owner, Charlie Finley. They fought, they battled, and they scrapped amongst themselves mostly before they beat the Dodgers in 5 games to win their 3rd straight World Series and nobody chronicled that team better than author Jason Turbow who wrote the book "Dynastic, Bombastic, Fantastic: Reggie, Rollie, Catfish, and Charlie Finley's Swingin' A's. Catfish Hunter is on the cover of the October 7th, 1974 issue of Sports Illustrated after winning 25 games in the regular season for the A's, but that was about the only thing that was regular about that season in Oakland. After winning it all in 1972 & '73 Manager Dick Williams left the team and was replaced by Alvin Dark. And while chaos was always a part of this team, it exploded in '74. Fights were everywhere. Outfielders Reggie Jackson and Billy North got into it. And on the eve of the Fall Classic, so did Rollie Fingers and John 'Blue Moon Odom'. The team didn't like each other, and they couldn't stand their owner. But they loved winning and that's what they did best. Turbow goes behind the curtain and tells some of the stories from that crazy time by the Bay. How Jim Hunter came to be known as Catfish, while Vida Blue refused to be called anything other than his God-given name. How Reggie and Joe Rudi were friends to the end and how the enigmatic Finley was his own worst enemy, but still belongs in Cooperstown alongside some of the players he helped get there. The author of many books, including singer/songwriter Kenny Loggins' memoir "Still Alright", Turbow talks with the guys in the green and gold who fought and bickered with each other but stopped long enough to win 3 straight World Series 50 years ago. It's a great talk about a great team on the Past Our Prime podcast. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

December 31, 1973... The Fighting Irish taking on the Alabama Crimson Tide in the Sugar Bowl with the National Championship hanging in the balance. Ara Parseghian coaches his Notre Dame kids to a 24-23 upset win over Bear Bryant with Tom Clements leading the way and Frank Allocco on the sidelines, as usual, rooting on the starting QB. That was Allocco's job as the backup quarterback and he did it the way he did everything... with grace and enthusiasm. And after the 1974 season ended, Alloco's patience and work ethic would pay off. He would be the starting QB for Notre Dame. And then he wasn't. A separated shoulder before the season began ended his senior year. He would never start a game while playing at South Bend. Most would be devastated that the dream they had worked so hard to fulfill only to have it taken away when they were so close to achieving it. But not Frank. He admired greatly his coach Ara Parseghian who would often say, ‘Adversity has the effect of eliciting talents that which under prosperous conditions may have remained dormant.” Allocco graduated from ND and started a coaches clinic for basketball. Years later, that turned into a high school coaches job in California in Walnut Creek where he won a state championship in 1995. From there, he went to Concord De La Salle High School and won a 2nd state championship there. He would go on to win 600 games faster than any coach in the history of California and ended his 24 year coaching career 2nd all-time in winning percentage and is the only coach to win state titles with 2 different schools. Now at the University of San Francisco, Allocco is still changing young people lives, just like his coach and mentor Parseghian did at Notre Dame. He relishes his time in South Bend and tells us how he went from 9th on the depth chart to the backup. How he admired the tenacity of another player at Notre Dame just looking for a chance: Rudy Ruettiger. And how a chance meeting with an 86-year old "Angel" changed his life. 50 years ago he was the backup to the man on the cover of the 9/30/74 issue of Sports Illustrated, Tom Clements, but on the Past Our Prime podcast he's the starter and the winner. Give it a listen on any and all podcast formats. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In 1968 Rocky Bleier was drafted in the 16th round of the NFL, the 417th player selected. In 1969 Rocky Bleier was drafted again. This time by the Army. Instead of training camp for the Steelers he was in basic training for the United States. A few months later he found himself halfway across the world, with a grenade launcher in his hand when he heard gunfire. He took cover but it was too late... a bullet had struck him in the leg. Despite being wounded, he located where the North Vietnamese soldier was firing from and sent a grenade in his direction. Unfortunately, a grenade was also heading towards him, hitting a soldier square in the back before falling to the ground right at Rocky's legs. An instant later it blew up, badly injuring Bleier. His time in Vietnam was over and many thought his time in the NFL was over as well. But not Bleier. Despite his doctor's telling him he'd live a "normal life" that didn't include football, Rocky had other plans. And a note from Steelers owner Art Rooney provided all the motivation he would need to get back on the field. It said simply, "Rock – the team's not doing well. We need you.“ In 1970, Rocky was one of the final cuts for the Steelers but once again the Steelers loyalty to Bleier provided him the strength and will to continue on. Dan Rooney, the Steelers GM decided the team wasn't cutting Bleier but instead was putting him on injured reserve. After another year of training and rehad, Bleier tried out for the Steelers again in 1971.... and made the team. And he made that same Pittsburgh team for 9 more seasons, winning four Super Bowl along the way before retiring after the 1980 season. It's a story of perseverance and dedication, of duty and honor, of loyalty and resilience. It's the story of Rocky Bleier... and he tells it in great detail this week on the Past Our Prime podcast. Listen and review the show on all formats. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Joe DeLamielleure will tell you he has lived a charmed life. An All-American at Michigan State he was drafted in the first round by the Buffalo Bills in 1973. In his 13 years in the NFL, he never missed a game due to injury. In fact, he's never once had any kind of surgery in his life. And that rookie season was one to behold. He helped solidify the Bills line and opened up holes for OJ Simpson to run through en route to being the first player ever to eclipse 2,000 yards in a season. The O-line was known as the Electric Company because they would turn on the Juice, otherwise known as OJ. 6-times a Pro Bowler, Joe D. was a member of the NFL's All 70's All-Decade Team, the Bills Wall of Fame and the Browns Ring of Honor and was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2003. And since his retirement he has worked tirelessly to get older NFL players taken care of financially as well as their health care needs tended to. It's been a struggle but DeLamielleure doesn't back down to a challenge... like when he rode 2,000 miles to Mexico on a bike to raise money for an orphanage south of the US Border... this despite the fact that Joe had never ridden a bike before. That's the kind of man he is... one who values friends, family and faith over money, fame and recognition. And that's why when the topic of OJ comes up, he doesn't back down from portraying his friend from 50 years ago in a light many of us haven't seen in quite some time. Not that he excuses Simpson for what took place, but Joe knew another side to OJ and still struggles to this day to separate the man he played with and blocked for on a football field with the man who killed two people in Brentwood, CA thirty years ago. It's a powerful talk with a man who tells us about the last time he spoke with Simpson just days before the former Heisman Trophy winner died from cancer this past April. It's a Past Our Prime episode you won't want to miss. Listen wherever you get your podcasts. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The 1973 season did not end the way JK McKay and his Trojans teammates had hoped it would. Against Ohio State in the Rose Bowl USC was tied with the Buckeyes, 14-14 at the half. But the guys from Ohio blitzed the Men of Troy in the 2nd half and won handily, 42-21 ending SC's season on a down note. But on January 1, 1975... a chance for redemption. Down 17-10 late in the 4th against those same Buckeyes, Pat Haden connected with his best friend, JK McKay in the corner of the end zone from 38 years out to cut the lead to 17-16... and after a successful 2-point conversion, SC had a lead they would not relinquish. The 5th ranked Trojans won the Rose Bowl and a few hours later, after a Notre Dame win over Alabama, they were National Champions thanks to the co-MVP's of the game: Haden and McKay. JK had quite a career playing for his father, John McKay, at USC and then turned that into a career in the NFL with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers... also coached by his legendary father. For a time, he didn't know if he wanted to play for the elder McKay. Heck, for a time, he didn't even know what to call him... Dad or Coach. But in the end, he followed his dad to SC and enjoyed a few years in the NFL with him as well and now, 50 years after being named an MVP of the Rose Bowl, a stadium he grew up in, he joins us on the Past Our Prime podcast to talk about his days as a Trojan and what they meant to his entire family including his forever quote-able father; how his dad straightened him out in 8th grade and had him pick between a Catholic High School or a military institution; and how he and USC QB Pat Haden became friends 50+ years ago and remain so today, and what JK does every so often to remind Pat about a certain connection they had. It's a really fun chat with a really fun guy. Fight On with JK on the Past Our Prime podcast Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

There may not have been a more famous person in sports entertainment in the 70's than Evel Knievel. His motorcycle jumps were legendary... both the successful ones and the not so successful ones. And in the summer of '74, Evel was on the cover of Sports Illustrated about to trade in his bike for a rocket ship... the Sky-Cycle... so that he could jump the Snake River. It too was not successful, but the attempt just increased Knievel's status with his fans... especially young boys. One of those boys was a kid growing up in the South by the name of Bubba Blackwell, who, like millions of others, idolized Knievel. But Bubba wasn't like millions of others... No, he was one in a million. And when it came to making jumps on a motorcycle, Bubba was second to none. And that includes his friend, Evel Knievel. Bubba would go on to break many of the icon's records and is best known for breaking Evel Knievel's jump record for buses using a Harley-Davidson XR-750 flat-track racing motorcycle. But when your job title is daredevil, Bubba would be the first to tell you that means sometimes you're going to bite off more than you can chew and that was the case on the 4th of July, 2001 in Del Mar, CA. Blackwell's attempt to jump 22 cars ended in a spectacular crash that almost killed the showman. Bubba went into a coma and broke 19 bones but survived... got healthy... and continued to test the limits. Now 57 years old, the fearless rider looks back on a career that saw him eclipse his idol's record jumps, talks about his greatest shows, and his worst moments, and how he got to know one of the most famous persons in the world: Evel Knievel... It's a life like no other we've ever spoken with: Bubba Blackwell on the Past Our Prime podcast. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

John Kinsella did it all in a pool. At the 1968 Olympic Games in Mexico City he won a silver medal at the age of 16... 16!!! And he followed that up in Munich in 1972 by taking gold and helping set a World Record in the 4 x 200 freestyle... Kinsella started that race, and Mark Spitz ended it. But a pool just wasn't big enough for Kinsella... and he took to the open waters... and marathon swimming... something he raced in 26 times, and never lost culminating in his 9 hour and 9 minute swim across the English Channel in 1979. This was a man driven to be the best distance swimmer in the world, and he proved it time and time again. The winner of the 1970 Sullivan Award for the best amateur athlete in the land, Kinsella looks back on a career that started in his teens and took him all over the world and back. He talks about how Montezuma's Revenge almost cost him in '68 and the terror of being in the Olympic Village during the '72 Games in Munich when 11 Israeli athletes were killed by terrorists... how the Games almost didn't go on and what the Village was like after that horrible siege... and how his friend and teammate Spitz almost backed out of his attempt at a 7th Gold in '72. Over 50 years later, Kinsella recollects on a life of swimming... and the ebbs and flows of a life determined one stroke at a time. Join us for a great talk with a great guy and a phenomenal athlete that you may not remember, but won't soon forget... John Kinsella on the Past Our Prime podcast. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The 1976 Summer Olympics in Montreal will always be remembered for the perfection of Nadia Comaneci; the golden smile from Sugar Ray Leonard; the perseverance of Bruce Jenner in the decathlon; the grace of hurdler extraordinaire Edwin Moses; and the youthful exuberance of 17-year old diver Jennifer Chandler in the 3M springboard. Two years earlier, Jenni was a 15-year old kid getting ready for those games and featured in article by Sports Illustrated. She was spending the summer with her family on their farm in a small town in Alabama... her two parents and her two sisters driving everywhere for competitions that were prepping Jenni for a shot at Gold. That hard work, determination, and sacrifice from the teenager and her "Gold Medal Driver" mother put the young girl in a position to make the U.S. diving team and once she did that, her coach, Carlos de Cubas, had her ready to reach her potential when it mattered most. 50 years after that precocious 15-year old was featured in SI we talk with the Gold Medalist about how that moment shaped the rest of her life... what it was like to be a part of the Opening Ceremonies... how hearing the National Anthem still moves her to tears and how she looks back on a time in her life when for one brief moment... she was the best in the world... Jennifer Chandler, the last U.S. woman to win Olympic Gold in the 3M diving event, is engaging, thoughtful and grateful for what diving did for her and she shares her story on the Past Our Prime podcast. Listen and review us wherever you get your podcasts. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In 1973 the Dodgers had an 8 1/2 game lead in the Cincinnati Reds before the Big Red Machine hunted them down and won the division. So in the offseason, the Dodgers acquired Jimmy Wynn... and relief pitcher Mike Marshall... and they both made quite the difference... The Toy Cannon provided a big bat in the middle of the lineup and Marshall was sensational out of the pen. Pitching in a MLB record 106 games including 13 in a row at one point, the relief pitcher was on the cover of the 8/12/74 issue of Sports Illustrated because of a season that would see him notch 208 1/3 innings pitched while winning 15 and saving another 21 en route to the Cy Young Award, and helping the Dodgers capture the NL West crown over Pete Rose, Johnny Bench, Joe Morgan and the Reds. And while the Reds had a surplus of stars, so did the Dodgers... with a pitching staff of Don Sutton, Tommy John, Andy Messersmith and Marshall and an infield of Ron Cey, Bill Russell, Davey Lopes and Steve Garvey that would play together for a record 8 1/2 seasons. Cey would make his first of 6 All-Star teams in 1974 and manned the hot corner for the Dodgers until leaving for Chicago after the 1982 season but not before amassing the 2nd most HR's in L.A. Dodgers history with 228. The Penguin talks about being a part of the most successful infield in baseball history, why the Reds are in the Hall of Fame and he and his Dodger teammates are not, what it was like to go up against his boyhood idol, Willie Mays and much more when he joins us for a candid conversation on the Past Our Prime podcast. If you enjoyed baseball in the 70's, you'll enjoy this chat with a player that embodies everything there was about the National League and baseball back in 1974. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

It was the summer of '74 and the WFL was looking to compete with the NFL... only one problem... the NFL was on strike. And 6 weeks into the work stoppage the owners not only weren't interested in the players demands... neither were a bunch of the players as well. They were in need of some leadership and the great Hall of Fame Tight End and first NFLPA President John Mackey was ready to turn the control over to his teammate and friend Bill Curry. The only problem was... Bill didn't want the job. A 2-time Pro-Bowl Center and 3-time NFL Champion including Super Bowl I and V wins, Curry has a football resume that is 2nd to none. But that summer 50 years ago was a stressful time for him as the owners refused to negotiate, the players were not united, and the union was in shambles. But the cool handedness of Curry settled things, and while the players returned to the field without a deal, the foundation was set for the players to finally get a piece of the action... and then some. Curry talks about his time in Green Bay and his relationship with Vince Lombardi and his wife, Marie and how a death bed conversation with his coach changed his life. He went on to be a coach himself at Georgia Tech, Alabama and Kentucky and then capped off a football career as an analyst at ESPN. He's a thoughtful, kind and wise man who has seen it all and done it all. Now at age 81, Coach Curry looks back on a life well lived... the highs, the lows... the good, the not-so-good... the wins... and the losses. We talk about it all starting with the strike of 1974 on the Past Our Prime podcast. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The numbers are staggering... Over 6 decades of work... 300+ covers... and countless stories that go with each one of them. Walter Iooss is the most prolific photographer Sports Illustrated has ever had. There is a reason it's not called Sports Literature, but Sports Illustrated... and that's because of the shooters like Iooss who captured a generation of sports idols with their photos. A time when the only way to see Willie Mays, Elgin Baylor, Lee Trevino, Joe Namath and so many more was through the weekly magazine and the photos provided by men like Walter Iooss. Starting as a teenager, Walter 's love for sports was equally matched with his passion for photography. After sending in a few photos from a NY Giants football game he and his father attended to an editor at SI he was given an assignment... he was so young, his dad had to drive him to it. And from there, a career like none other in the field of Sports Photography was born. From The Catch to Broadway Joe at Super Bowl III, Iooss had a habit of being in the right place at the right time and made a career out of it. Oh... and did we mention his numerous Sports Illustrated Swimsuit shoots? Ever heard of Christie, or Tyra, or Elle or Paulina? A generation of super models helped made famous because they were in front of the lens of a Walter Iooss camera. What's his best shot? Who did he laugh at with the most? How did he get the Swimsuit gig and much more as we talk with the man that helped put SI on the map --- Walter Iooss... Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Jim Kaat pitched in the big leagues for 25 seasons, debuting in 1959 and hanging 'em up in 1983. He holds the distinction of the longest time in between World Series appearances first appearing in the Fall Classic in 1965 when his Twins took on the Dodgers with Kaat matching up 3 times against Sandy Koufax. 17 years later, as a member of the Cardinals, Jim was on the winning side of things as St. Louis defeated the Milwaukee Brewers in 1982. The 24 years it took for Kaat to finally win a championship is a record for all professional team sports and a testament to his longevity and determination... That longevity and determination along with 283 wins helped Jim get inducted into the Hall of Fame. That and one baseball glove that he used for most of his career. That's right, Jim played for 25 years in the Major Leagues and won 16 Gold Gloves all with the same piece of leather. If it works, it works. And for Kaat, it worked. And when his playing days were over... he found new work... as an Emmy-Award winning baseball analyst... a job he held for close to 40 years! What was it like to go up against Koufax in his prime? Why are pitchers being injured at such an alarming rate? Why is his friend of 60+ years, Tommy John, not in Cooperstown and what was it like to finally become a World Series champion in his 24th season in the Big Leagues? Kaat played for 1/4 of a century and he has the stories to prove it. An interesting chat with an interesting man on the Past Our Prime podcast. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices