Épisodes

  • 105. Preston Pearson and America's Team

    105. Preston Pearson and America's Team
    Jan 5 2026
    The 1975 Dallas Cowboys were a good organization led by General Manger Tex Schramm, Head Coach Tom Landry, and Quarterback Roger Staubach. But they were about to become a part of the sports world that 50 years later, love 'em or hate 'em, has stood the test of time. After beating the Minnesota Vikings in a playoff game on the original Hail Mary pass from Staubach to Drew Pearson, they were now America's Team. They were original, and they were innovative but mostly, they were just good. Lining up in shotgun, Roger the Dodger had his choice of weapons, and more often than not on 3rd downs, he would throw to #26 out of the backfield, Preston Pearson. The "other" Pearson, Preston had a big game against the Vikings. In fact, the man who never played college football, had a habit of having big games when they mattered most, and being on the field when the games were being decided. So despite the fact that it was Drew Pearson who caught the winning prayer vs the Vikes, it was Preston who was on the cover of the first issue of Sports Illustrated in 1976. The 14-year NFL veteran showed off his hops on that cover and said he had a pretty good game in that playoff win for the Cowboys. A week later, he had 3 touchdowns against the Rams that propelled the Boys to the Super Bowl. Preston takes us inside the huddle and tells us what it was like on that final winning drive for Dallas that included a 4th and 17 before Staubach and Drew Pearson hooked up again for that miraculous finish. He says despite being on the Steelers when they beat the Raiders on the 'Immaculate Reception', that this play is the biggest of his career. He remembers what it was like to lose Super Bowl III to Joe Namath and the Jets when he was on the Colts. The original 3rd down back, Preston Pearson made the most out of his talent and became an integral part of those great Dallas teams and he joins us on the Past Our Prime podcast to tell us what it was like when Dallas turned from the Cowboys into America's Team. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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    1 h et 28 min
  • 104. The Best of Past Our Prime-1975

    104. The Best of Past Our Prime-1975
    Dec 29 2025
    The end of the 2nd year of the Past Our Prime podcast is a great time to look back on a wonderful year, filled with great guests, unbelievable stories, and moments from half a century ago that are still hard to imagine 50 years later. 1975 was a great year in sports, and we chronicled it all week by week with the stars who gave us those moments of wonder and helped turn us into the sports fans we became. We started the year off with Phil Villapiano of the Oakland Raiders, who told us about how he was clipped on the Immaculate Reception vs. the Steelers… sort of, maybe. His energy is only matched by his sense of humor and enthusiasm. Later that month, SI’s Curry Kirkpatrick recalled how he was given a beauty of an assignment—writing a piece on Cheryl Tiegs for the swimsuit issue. Let’s just say the supermodel wasn’t super happy with how the article turned out. From there we were off and running… or in Lynne Cox’s case, swimming and freezing. If you don’t know Lynne’s story, do yourself a favor and listen to the March 3rd show. She was a marathon swimmer who did her best work in frigid waters—English Channel, no problem. Antarctica, you bet. Alaska to Russia, sure thing. We talked with Jeff Feuerzeig, director of ESPN’s 30 for 30 on The Real Rocky, Chuck Wepner, as well as the Big Emu, All-Star pitcher Jim Kern, to close out March. In April, author Joshua Prager told us how “the Giants stole the pennant” in ’51, and about his personal mission of coming face-to-face with the man responsible for paralyzing him. The story of the year may well have been Ruffian, the amazing filly who had never lost—never even trailed—in a race heading into her much-anticipated match race with Kentucky Derby winner Foolish Pleasure. The jockey who rode both horses, Jacinto Vazquez, chose Ruffian, and the race ended in tragedy. Fifty years later, Ruffian’s story is still a tear-jerker. So is Jan Kalsu’s. The widow of the only active NFL player to die in the Vietnam War, Jan told us how just hours after giving birth to their son, she learned of her husband Bob’s death while still in the hospital. And so was Leo Ulman’s—the man who collected more Nolan Ryan memorabilia than anyone after immigrating to America as a child, narrowly escaping the Nazis in Amsterdam. In August, Adam Greenberg recalled how his first Major League at-bat nearly killed him. In September, former Oklahoma Sooners QB Dean Blevins shared how Barry Switzer recruited him on a golf course by carrying his bags. October brought Mark Kram Jr. and the Thrilla in Manila, followed by a trip to space with Bill “The Spaceman” Lee, who told stories only he can tell. In November, one of the greatest ever—Fran Tarkenton—joined us, sharing the day he lost both a playoff game and his father. And Jim Lampley gave us chills talking about his friend George Foreman, who passed in 2025. That’s a year and then some. A look back at the world of sports in 1975. It’s been a great ride with great people on the Past Our Prime podcast. Listen and enjoy wherever you get your podcasts. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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    1 h et 1 min
  • 103. Author Keith O'Brien “Charlie Hustle: The Rise and Fall of Pete Rose, and the Last Glory Days of Baseball.”

    103. Author Keith O'Brien “Charlie Hustle: The Rise and Fall of Pete Rose, and the Last Glory Days of Baseball.”
    Dec 22 2025
    The Reds won the World Series 50 years ago in a classic highlighted by the amazing game six eventually won by the Red Sox on the foul-pole hitting HR by Carlton Fisk in the 12th inning. Prior to that, legend has it that Pete Rose said to Fisk "Man, isn't this the most exciting game you've ever played in?”. Rose had a knack for being in the moment and enjoying this game called baseball more than maybe any player that ever lived. And Sports Illustrated rewarded him at the end of the year by naming him “Sportsman of the Year”. Rose was at the top of his game, beloved by not only fans of the Big Red Machine, but baseball fans everywhere. His popularity transcended the game, as he was an everyday man, who played the game the right way. His work ethic and daily grind were legendary and he resonated with a great amount of folks whose lives were built around that same dedication to whatever their profession was. He was the working mans idol. Everyone could relate to this kid who was born on the wrong side of Cincinnati and was now the king of the town. A 44-game hitting streak in 1978 captured the attention of the nation before he left Cincy for Philly the following year, helping the Phils win a World Series in 1980… the 3rd and final championship of his career. He returned to the Reds as a player manager and in 1985 became the the game’s all-time leader in hits before retiring as a player a year later with a still record of 4,256 knocks. And then it all came crumbling down. Keith O’Brien is also a kid from Cincinnati who grew up watching Rose in his latter years and chronicled his entire life in his bestselling book, “Charlie Hustle: The Rise and Fall of Pete Rose, and the Last Glory Days of Baseball.” It goes into great detail about Rose’s humble beginnings, how he got the nickname Charlie Hustle from two of the game’s greats, Mickey Mantle and Whitey Ford, and how his prowess as one of the greatest players of all-time made him one of the game's most popular players of the 20th century. But O’Brien also did countless research into Rose’s gambling addiction, the people that he associated with and the eventual suspension and expulsion from baseball. He joins us on POP to discuss at length in great passion how this man of the people who was adored by legions of fans everywhere would fall from grace, and end up on the outside of the Hall of Fame looking in… literally. It’s a tragic tale of the American Dream going awry. A kid who had nothing but grit and determination turns himself into one of the greatest ballplayers of all-time, only to let his addiction to betting… and betting on the game he lived for...keep him away from the thing he loved most… baseball. Join us as we look back on the year Rose was at this top his game… 1975… and the decline that would take place a decade later as we talk with Keith O’Brien to discuss his book, “Charlie Hustle: The Rise and Fall of Pete Rose and the Last Glory Days of Baseball,” on the Past Our Prime podcast. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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    1 h et 27 min
  • 102. Jim Lampley and Big George Foreman

    102. Jim Lampley and Big George Foreman
    Dec 15 2025
    There was no more feared boxer than George Foreman in his prime. Tough, strong, mean, talented, smart… George had it all and was at the top of his game as heavyweight champ until October 30, 1974 when he lost to Muhammad Ali in the Rumble in the Jungle. Now a year later, Big George is on the cover of Sports Illustrated, wanting another shot at Ali for “his title.” The fight never took place. And in 1977, George retired from boxing. And that set up one of the greatest 2nd acts in the history of the sport. 10 years later, a 38-year old George came out of retirement and got back into the ring. He kept at it, and finally, on November 5, 1995 in the 10th round against heavyweight champion Michael Moorer, George caught him, knocked him out and was once again the heavyweight champion of the world at the age of 45. On the mic calling that fight was a colleague of George’s who had known Foreman for years. Jim Lampley had been around almost as long as Foreman, starting his incredible broadcasting career the same year George and Ali hooked up in Zaire. Now in the prime of his own boxing career at HBO, Lamps was the voice of a generation, especially for those who loved the sweet science. He had asked George how he planned to beat a much younger Moorer and George told him what was going to take place. And when it unfolded exactly how George had said it would, Lampley exclaimed, It Happened, It Happened… his famous four word account of George Foreman recapturing the belt he had lost over 20 years ago to his nemesis Ali. Jim Lampley joins us on the Past Our Prime podcast to talk about his start in the business as a 24-year old kid for ABC Sports. His rise in the industry and how he won over the trust of Foreman as a broadcasting partner, and eventually an equal and… a friend. He talks about the sudden passing of the champ and how that still moves him to tears and about the transformation George had from angry, intimidating, brute to the lovable, jovial gentle giant we all came to embrace during George’s successful Act Two. And Lampley tells a story about George and Bob Dylan that lets you get behind the curtain and see a different side of George altogether. It’s a great talk with a man who has been in the broadcasting business for 50 years and seen some of the greatest fights of the last 50 years. The author of the book, “It Happened, A Uniquely Lucky Life in Sports Television,” Jim Lampley on the Past Our Prime podcast. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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    1 h et 38 min
  • 101. Talking ABA Hoops and The Steelers Dynasty with Jim O'Brien

    101. Talking ABA Hoops and The Steelers Dynasty with Jim O'Brien
    Dec 9 2025
    The December 8, 1975 issue of Sports Illustrated had Texas A&M star back Bubba Bean on the cover because the Aggies were 10-0 after they beat the Longhorns. But the SI curse would get the better of A & M as the win over UT was their last of the season, as they lost to Arkansas and USC to close out the season. Another football team was also streaking… this one the NFL’s Baltimore Colts who after a 1-4 start were in the midst of a 9-game winning streak led by young QB Bert Jones. The good news is that run got them into the playoffs. The bad news… it was in Pittsburgh. And the Steelers took care of business en route to their 2nd straight Super Bowl title. Pittsburgh writer Jim O’Brien has written over 30 books in his Pittsburgh Proud series many featuring the Steelers dynasty that began in 1974 and continued through the end of the decade. Franco Harris, Andy Russell, Rocky Bleier, Jack Lambert and more often were the subjects of O’Brien’s writings and he knows that team as well as anyone. But Jim isn’t relegated to just football. The founding editor of Street and Smith’s Basketball Yearbook in 1970, O’Brien is an expert on hoops from half a century ago as well and he covered ‘em all… Dr. J and George McGinnis, the Squires and the Spirits, the ABA and the NBA… He tells us that Dr. J was better off the court than he was on it… how he cornered Franco Harris on a flight for 12 hours, interviewing him for most of the trip, and how the owners of the Spirits of St. Louis engineered the greatest business deal in the history of sports… and the key to the deal was that they would no longer exist. If you’re looking for a 70’s hoops expert, O’Brien is your man… add his expertise when it comes to that Steelers Dynasty of the 70’s and he’s the perfect guest for this week’s Past Our Prime show. Download and listen to wherever you get your podcasts… I’m looking at you, Uzbekistan! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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    1 h et 29 min
  • 100. Kent Benson & Bobby Wilkerson: Perfect teammates on a perfect team

    100. Kent Benson & Bobby Wilkerson: Perfect teammates on a perfect team
    Dec 1 2025
    Perfection… it doesn’t happen very often in sports. The ’72 Dolphins are the only team to ever have a perfect season in the NFL. Mary Lou Retton nailed a perfect vault in the ’84 Games to secure her Gold medal. Michael Jordan’s Bulls were a perfect 6-0 in their trips to the NBA Finals. And in college basketball, it’s been 50 years since a mens team went undefeated and won the National Championship. That team was the 1975-76 Indiana Hoosiers. Bobby Knight’s team was a special group of players that sacrificed individual prowess for the good of the team. And it worked… to perfection. Kent Benson was a 2-time All-American at IU and on the cover of the December 1, 1975 issue of Sports Illustrated as the Hoosiers were the pre-season favorite to win it all. There would be no SI jinx on this team. They were too good. They were ready for the challenge each time they hit the floor thanks to an abundance of talent and a coach that had them prepared and focused like no other. And it was that preparation that separated this team from the others. Coach Knight said, “The key is not the will to win… everybody has that. It is the will to prepare to win that is important.” Led by Benson and Scott May and Quinn Buckner, the Hoosiers finished 32-0 that season… 33-0 if you ask Benson, who joins us on the Past Our Prime podcast and tells us that beating the defending Gold Medal winning Soviets should count in their final tally. But Benson is still the ultimate team centered center. When asked to come on our show to talk about that great team, he said yes… but he’d like Bobby Wilkerson, the 6’7 defensive specialist who would jump center for the Hoosiers to join him. And the two former #1 draft picks come together again on POP 50 years after they were a part of something that changed their lives for forever. The last team in college hoops to have a perfect season and if you ask Benson, probably the last one to ever do it. Benson and Wilkerson talk about that team and what made them such a close group. How beating UCLA in the season opener was just the beginning of this historic season and how their coach never took anything for granted and had them ready one game at a time. 32 games later… it all paid off. A perfect season. Bobby Wilkerson and Kent Benson on the Past Our Prime podcast. Listen and download a perfect show wherever you get your podcasts. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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    1 h et 35 min
  • 99. Hall of Fame Quarterback Dan Fouts

    99. Hall of Fame Quarterback Dan Fouts
    Nov 24 2025
    When Archie Griffin won his unprecedented 2nd Heisman Trophy Award in 1975 he was heralded as the best running back in the nation. But was he? Finishing 2nd in the voting was a beast out west by the name of Chuck Muncie and the senior Golden Bear was putting up huge numbers in Berkeley. In fact, in 17 fewer rushing attempts than Griffin, Chuck had 103 more yards rushing and 9 more TD’s. Add in the 26 more receptions and 234 more yards receiving than the Buckeyes Back and you could make a strong case that Muncie, the guy on the cover of the 11/24/75 issue of Sports Illustrated, should have come home with the Heisman hardware. At the next level, Muncie continued to excel becoming a 3-time Pro Bowl back in the NFL with his best season coming in 1981 when he had over 1,500 yards from scrimmage and 19 touchdowns in the high-powered offense in San Diego. The Chargers were loaded with offensive weapons: Muncie and James Brooks in the backfield with John Jefferson, Charlie Joiner, Wes Chandler and Kellen Winslow catching everything in sight. Muncie passed away in May of 2013 but the man who ran that “Air Coryell” offense Dan Fouts joins us on the POP podcast to talk about how good a back and what a weapon Muncie was while playing with the Chargers. Fouts discusses the famous playoff shootout in Miami, known as the Kellen Winslow game. A game in which the Hall of Fame QB threw for 433 yards, and 3 touchdowns in the 41-38 San Diego overtime victory over Miami. Fouts recalls how the next week he and his team suffered through frigid temps in Cincinnati and how the lingering effects of frost bite have been in his hands ever since. And he talks about being part of possibly the best Hall of Fame class (1993) of all-time: Larry Little, Bill Walsh, Chuck Noll, Walter Payton and Dan Fouts! One of the greatest QB’s to ever sling it in the NFL looks back on his Hall of Fame career and gives an in depth look at SI caveman and his former teammate Chuck Muncie on the Past Our Prime podcast. Download, subscribe, give a review, wherever you get… yada, yada, yada. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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    1 h et 15 min
  • 98. Dave 'The Hammer' Schultz

    98. Dave 'The Hammer' Schultz
    Nov 17 2025
    Professional hockey was a different game in the mid 70’s that it is today. Whether it’s better or more entertaining is up for debate, but what is not up for debate is back then, there was a level of brutality that the sport fully allowed if not encouraged. Fighting was as part of the game as goals and saves, checks and assists. Bobby Clarke was the 2nd leading scorer in the NHL’s 1975-76 season with 119 points for the two-time defending Stanley Cup Champion Flyers. But he had help and he had protection. The Broad Street Bullies as the Flyers were affectionately known in Philadelphia would come into an opposing arena, score goals, beat you up, and leave town with a smile on their face. And they used that recipe to hoist the Cup in 1974 and 1975. And nobody embodied that persona more than Dave ‘The Hammer’ Schultz. In 1974 he set a record for penalty minutes in one season with 472, a tally that 50 years later still stands. The Hammer was known to drop the gloves at the drop of a hat… but he had a job to do and he did it well… Protect Captain Clark and high scoring forwards Bill Barber, Reggie Leach, and Rick "The Hawk" MacLeish. This helped lead Philly to a record of 51-13-16 in ’75-76 and a 3rd straight appearance in the Stanley Cup Finals. But after thrilling wins over Boston in ’74 and Buffalo in ’75, the Flyers were swept aside by the Canadiens in ’76 ending their run as the league’s top team. Still, the team was a force on the ice and with a healthy Bernie Parent back in the nets after the disappointing loss to Montreal, the Flyers were still major contenders for the Cup With Clark, Barber and Dave Schultz going into the 1976 season. But on September 29, 1976, a week before the start of the season, The Hammer was sent to Los Angeles for two draft picks. And just like that, the Broad Street Bullies were no more. The end of an era and for Schultz, the beginning of the end of his career. This Flyer was now a King, then a Penguin and finally a Sabre before retiring following the 1980 season. His heart was broken when he left Philly and he and the Flyers were never the same without each other. Philadelphia hasn’t won a Stanley Cup since. Now, 50 years later, Dave has written a book called ‘Hammered’: The Fight of my Life where Schultz talks openly about his lifelong battle with alcohol and how getting sober in his 70’s is the biggest win of his life. He tells us how being sent away to L.A. —“not traded”— was a blow to him that he never fully accepted and how he will always be a Flyer. He recollects how he’d be admonished for fighting by NHL President Clarence Campbell only to never hear from him and that the league said one thing publicly about players fighting and yet did nothing to stop it. His job was to fight, and stand up for his teammates and protect them at all costs… and he did it very well. It’s Hammer time on the Past Our Prime podcast. Listen and subscribe wherever you get your podcasts. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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    1 h et 21 min
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