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Past Our Prime

Past Our Prime

Auteur(s): Scott Johnston
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 Growing up on boxscores, the Game of the Week, and Sports Illustrated, three longtime Sports TV Producers reflect back on the world of sports through the lens of old issues of SI from 50 years ago. Larry Csonka and the Dolphins; Reggie Jackson and The Swinging A's; The Wizard of Westwood; The Golden Bear and Muhammad Ali are just a few of the many heroes showcased weekly by Scott, Bill and Marc on the Past Our Prime podcast. Stay up to date on what happened in the past as they go back in time and return to the glory days of sports week by week, issue by issue of Sports Illustrated starting in January of 1974 Baseball Football (américain)
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  • 79. Dave Johnson and the death of Ruffian

    79. Dave Johnson and the death of Ruffian
    Jul 7 2025
    In the summer of ’75 it was becoming clear that something special was happening in Boston. A rookie centerfielder was having a season for the ages. Fred Lynn would lead the Sox to the pennant behind one of the greatest, if not THE greatest rookie season in baseball history. The first year sensation would become the first player to win Rookie of the Year and MVP in the same season. It culminated in a World Series that 50 years later is considered to be one of the all-time classics with the Sox and the Reds providing thrill after thrill that saw reach a 7th game after Carlton Fisk’s legendary home run over the Monster and off the Pole in left to win Game 6. It was widely considered the sports story of the year with future Hall of Fame players throughout both rosters. The star power of Rose, Rice, Yaz, Morgan, Fisk and Perez along with Tiant, Lynn, Concepcion, Foster, and Griffey was off the charts… and the Big Red Machine finally prevailed in that game 7 to win the Series. That was one to remember… the other big story was one we’d like to forget… The Match Race between Foolish Pleasure and the great filly, Ruffian was the talk of the horse racing world and the excitement at Belmont Park was similar to when Secretariat was going for the triple crown at the same track two years earlier… After a blistering 1/4 mile, Ruffian had just taken the lead by a neck over the Kentucky Derby winner… in fact, that first 1/2 mile was the only time in Ruffians career she ever trailed in a race… she was running with the boys and holding her own… when she suffered a catastrophic leg injury breaking two bones in her right leg. The great horse continued to run for a bit even on the broken leg as her jockey Jacinto Vasquez tried to bring her to a stop. The jubilant atmosphere came to a sudden stop at the race track and nationwide as the TV audience realized what had just taken place… there was no way to describe it, yet that was the job of Dave Johnson, the track announcer at Belmont… Even he was at a loss for words as the ambulance made its way on to the track to tend to the fallen horse… she would be carted away, and after multiple attempts to save her, the great Ruffian was finally put to rest. Johnson was off the next two days, but when he returned to work on Wednesday he said there was one word that described everything… “Crying” Everyone was crying. Writers, trainers, guys in the stall… women in the offices… everywhere you went, people were at a loss… In a career that would span over 50 years, it was as tough a day as Johnson can recall. Now 84, the legendary Horse Racing announcer is still as energetic and exuberant when it comes to the sport he loves. On the Past Our Prime podcast, Johnson shares inside details on that horrific July day when Ruffian rode for the final fatal time… He talks about how the atmosphere at the track was electric and how he thought Ruffian would remain undefeated after beating Foolish Pleasure… but it didn’t happen the way anybody thought it would. Johnson also reflects on the recent passing of his good friend, D. Wayne Lukas and gives personal insights to what made him such a great trainer… and an even better person. The legendary trainer was 89 years old when he died June 28th… just 16 days after the final horse he trained won a race… Johnson claims his work ethic was second to none and that Lukas was everything that was good about the sport. “And down the stretch they come!!!”… A legendary call from a legendary broadcaster talking about a legendary horse and a legendary trainer… sounds like a legendary show… and it is… The Past Our Prime podcast with Dave Johnson… listen wherever you get your podcasts. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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    1 h et 10 min
  • 78. Frank Shorter: Running Forever

    78. Frank Shorter: Running Forever
    Jun 30 2025
    In 1975, the world of Track & Field was sent into a state of shock at the sudden death of Steve Prefontaine. The charismatic 24-year old perished in a car accident shortly after dropping off his good friend and fellow distance runner, 1972 Olympic Gold Medalist in the marathon, Frank Shorter. Frank would be the last person to see Pre alive. A month later at the AAU Track n Field championships in Eugene, OR, Shorter ran with determination and a heavy heart, winning the 10,000 meters in front of Steve’s hometown fans who gave Frank a long and emotional ovation for winning his race. It was a surreal month for Shorter and running helped him get through this tumultuous time… as it always had before. Frank started running to see how good he could be. He didn’t set out to win medals or gain fame… he just wanted to get better… to improve over time… and he did just that eventually becoming the best distance runner the U.S. had to offer. He was in Munich in 1972 awaiting his time to run the marathon when members of the Palestinian militant organization Black September stormed the Olympic Village and murdered two Israeli athletes. As the hostage crisis ensued, Shorter didn’t know what to expect and when all of the athletes died he figured the Olympics would be called. But they weren’t, and 4 days later, Frank took to the streets of Munich looking to close out the Games in style and give the people something to cheer for. However, as he entered the stadium with just a lap to go in the marathon, there was silence. No cheering… just whistling… the European way of booing. Why were they jeering instead of cheering? As Frank neared the finish line it became clear… an imposter had come into the stadium ahead of Shorter and crossed the finish line… and the fans were having none of it… they knew that America’s Frank Shorter was the winner and they were booing the fraud that had stolen Frank’s moment… but he didn’t steal his Gold. And Frank says to this day he doesn’t think about that moment being tarnished in any way because he wasn’t running for accolades. He was running for himself… and he knew on this day… that there was nobody faster in the world at 26.2 miles than he was. 50 years later he still gets emotional when talking about his friend Steve. He tells us about the two movies made about his buddy and how he played a part in both of them. He says on the Past Our Prime podcast that how Steve died is not what the authorities will have you believe and that the details of his death are not accurate for a reason. Frank talks at length about the quiet determination his friend had as a runner, and as an advocate for other runners. Mostly, Frank recollects about a 24-year old man who was gone way, way too soon… The only American to ever medal in the Olympic Marathon twice… Frank Shorter on the Past Our Prime podcast. Listen wherever you get your podcasts and leave a review if you wish. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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    1 h et 30 min
  • 77. Pele: Coming to America

    77. Pele: Coming to America
    Jun 23 2025
    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
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    1 h et 27 min

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