Fourth and History

Thirty-five wins. Zero losses. And a football journey that went far beyond Toledo. Explore the story of Chuck Ealey, the undefeated college quarterback who went undrafted by the NFL before leading the Hamilton Tiger-Cats to a Grey Cup championship as a rookie. A remarkable journey of perseverance, leadership, and finding your own path to greatness.

Photo credit: University of Toledo Athletics.

On November 14, 1970, a plane carrying members of the Marshall University football team, coaches, staff, supporters, and crew crashed while returning home to Huntington, West Virginia. All 75 people aboard were killed.

What followed became one of the most remarkable stories in college football history.

In this episode of Fourth & History, we look beyond the tragedy to the people who were lost, the community that refused to let their memory disappear, and the rebuilding of Marshall football. From the formation of the Young Thundering Herd to an unforgettable first home victory in

1971, this is the story of grief, perseverance, and a program finding its way forward.

College football has a story. We tell it.

Photo courtesy of Marshall University Special Collections

The 1963 Rose Bowl looked like a rout—until Wisconsin launched one of the greatest comebacks in college football history. With records falling and time disappearing, USC had to survive a finish Pasadena would never forget.

I’m Jake, and this is Fourth & History—where college football has a story, and we tell it. Photo: UW–Madison Archives | Modified for Fourth & History

On November 19, 1966, two undefeated giants met in East Lansing.

No. 1 Notre Dame. No. 2 Michigan State.

The Spartans had Bubba Smith and one of the most talented teams in college football. Notre Dame arrived with Ara Parseghian and a national championship within reach.

What followed became one of the most famous—and controversial—games in the history of the sport.

A brutal defensive battle. Injuries to key players. A 10–10 score. And a final decision by Notre Dame that college football fans are still debating six decades later.

In this episode of Fourth & History, we go back to 1966 to revisit the buildup, the players, the controversy, and the legacy of the game forever remembered as The Game of the Century.

College football has a story. We tell it.

In 1960, Missouri finished one of the greatest seasons in program history — but a controversial loss to Kansas kept the Tigers from being crowned national champions.

Decades later, the story changed.

In this episode of Fourth & History, we go back to Dan Devine’s 1960 Missouri Tigers, the Kansas controversy, the Orange Bowl victory over Navy, and the strange world of college football championships before there was ever a playoff to settle things on the field.

Then, 66 years later, Missouri finally recognized that team as national champions.

College football has a story. We tell it.

Jim Tressel arrived at Ohio State in 2001 with enormous expectations—and a promise Buckeye fans would never forget.

From ending Michigan’s dominance to the unforgettable 2002 national championship run, Tressel helped restore Ohio State as one of college football’s defining programs.

But his tenure would also end in controversy, making his legacy more complicated than the sweater vest and championship banners.

This is the story of the Jim Tressel era at Ohio State.

College football has a story. We tell it.

Episode artwork: “Ohio State Coach Jim Tressel with his team” by Johntex, via Wikimedia Commons. Licensed under CC BY-SA 2.5. Cropped and modified with text and color effects.

Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Ohio_State_Coach_Jim_Tressel_with_his_team.jpg

License: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.5/

Oklahoma and Texas meet every year at the State Fair of Texas, surrounded by noise, tradition, and a stadium split perfectly at the fifty-yard line. This episode of Fourth and History travels back to the unforgettable 1963 showdown between No. 1 Oklahoma and No. 2 Texas—and explores how the Red River Rivalry became one of college football’s defining traditions.

October 15, 1988. No. 1 Miami arrived in South Bend carrying a 36-game regular-season winning streak and the swagger of the defending national champions. Waiting for them was No. 4 Notre Dame—and one of the most heated games college football has ever seen.

This is the story of Catholics vs. Convicts: the controversy, the personalities, the infamous T-shirt, and a game decided by a single point that helped propel Notre Dame toward a national championship.

Fourth & History — College football has a story. We tell it.