Past Our Prime

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...

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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.

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Curry Kirkpatrick covered tennis and college hoops for almost 30 years at Sports Illustrated so it's not a shock that the two athletes who became good friends to him were a tennis star and a college basketball icon... Curry tells us how Chris Evert and Bill Walton crossed that line from subjects of articles to objects of affection and how Walton's recent passing hit him hard.

Listen in and go behind the lines as Curry goes from professional to personal on two of America's all-time beloved figures on the Past Our Prime podcast bonus edition.

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In 1974, royalty showed up at Wimbledon. American royalty. The King and Queen of Wimbledon were 21-year old Jimmy Connors and his fiance, 19-year old Chris Evert. Both arrived at the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club ranked #1 in the world, and both would leave as Wimbledon champions...

Sports Illustrated's Curry Kirkpatrick covered them both for most of their careers and gives great insight to what they were like off the court... Connors, the rambunctious, emotional male and Chrissy, the Ice Princess... a power couple in the world of tennis.

A few months later, the engagement was over, but for one crazy England summer, they were the talk of the sports world. Go back 50 years when two of America's all-time greats took Great Britain by storm... How different was Chrissy away from the court? Once she broke up with Jimmy, who was next for Miss Evert? And how she and Martina Navratilova turned one of the sports greatest rivalry's into a lifelong friendship. Curry knows cause he was there asking the questions and writing the stories in that summer of '74.... and 50-years later, he can recall them like it was yesterday... a great talk with a great talker, Curry Kirkpatrick... on the Past Our Prime podcast.

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Mike Neel was heading in the wrong direction as a teenager. When it came time to make a decision on which path to take, he got on a bike, and road off to a life of adventure and success. From the Sierras to the Summer Olympics, to Paris and Italy, cycling took him all over the world.

Being on a bike saved Mike's life... and almost cost him his life as well. Listen to a bonus interview on the Past Our Prime podcast as this Hall of Fame Cyclist takes us on a journey of ups and downs that 50 years of riding and coaching and mentoring could provide. From battling hypothermia in the Alps to pedestrians in Carson City, it's a tale of survival and passion that Mike found in a bike store in Berkeley, CA a long, long time ago.

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Henry Lawrence grew up in the deep south... and in the late 60's, that was a tough place to be. When he wasn't playing football, he was in the fields with his family, picking whatever crop was coming in to put food on the table. His parents were hard-working folks doing back-breaking work.

In Henry's junior year, his all black high school was going to integrate with the all-white high school. A tough time was made even tougher for the 17-year old football star... but he persevered and received a football scholarship to Florida A & M. And while at times he felt like quitting, he didn't, and 4 years later, Al Davis and John Madden had drafted young Henry in the first round of the 1974 NFL Draft. Both men had huge impacts on Henry's life, Madden in particular. They bonded from the day they met and had a deep affection for each other that lasted until the day Henry sang at his coach's funeral.

Henry played 13 years in the NFL... all with the Raiders. Once a Raider...Always a Raider.

A 2-time Pro-Bowl tackle and 3-time Super Bowl Champion, Henry Lawrence embodies what it is to wear the Silver and Black.

Pride and Poise. A Commitment to Excellence. Just Win Baby.

The first thing Henry did after being drafted was to set up a scholarship fund for future Florida A & M players. Giving back is just something that the Lawrence family always did, even when they had nothing to give. Where did that sense of giving come from? What was his relationship like with Al Davis? How did Henry overcome racism in the 60's in the Deep South? What was the most memorable play of his career? Hint: It's one of the most famous plays in Super Bowl history.

It's a great conversation with an all-time Raiders great... Henry Lawrence on the Past Our Prime podcast.

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It was the hey day of boxing when the heavyweight ruled supreme... Ali, Frazier and Foreman were the kings of the ring in the 70's but there were plenty of contenders who wished to ascend to the throne. One of them was Jerry Quarry who in a different era may have been a champion but in 1974, he was not at the level of the titans of the sport.

In a brutal beating at the hands of Smokin' Joe, Quarry suffered another loss in his quest to rise to the top of the sport. At the age of 29 he was clearly done as a fighter, no longer a contender to the crown he so desperately wanted. And yet, he would fight for another 17 years taking beating after beating until he died prematurely at the age of 53 from dementia pugilistica which is a neurological disorder from too many hits to the head.

He was literally beaten to death.

Steve Springer is a veteran LA Times sportswriter and author of 14 books, including the co-author with Blake Chavez of " Hard Luck: The Triumph and Tragedy of Irish Jerry Quarry" joins us to talk about what could have been for Jerry... how he never met a fight he wouldn't take... and how that would lead to his early death. Steve says Jerry had real talent as a fighter... he just came around at the wrong time. And how Jerry hated being known as "The Great White Hope."

Steve covered the fight game for years and tells us about the time Will Smith, while filming "Ali", asked him if he could be a real boxer, what he saw at ringside of the infamous Tyson-Holyfield biting ear fight that grossed him out, and why the daughter of "The Greatest of All-Time" isn't a fan of this reporter.

It was a time when boxing ruled and Steve had a seat in the front row... and he's got the stories to prove it.

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It was known as the Massacre at Winged Foot. The 1974 US Open was a brutal four days for some of the greatest golfers in the history of the game. Nicklaus, Palmer, Trevino, Floyd, Miller and Watson all were tamed by the course... but a little known 29-year old PGA tour veteran was slow and steady and when it came to Sunday, Hale Irwin was ready to pounce... with the help of his caddie... a homegrown kid by the name of Peter McGarey.

And when we say kid, we're not kidding. Peter was 16 years old and right in the middle of one of the greatest group of golfers ever assembled. How did he hold up during this incredible week? What was it like working for a future Hall of Famer and how did the two get paired up for a week they'll both never forget? How did he react where everywhere he looked was a golf icon he grew up idolizing? The kid isn't a kid anymore but Peter still looks back on his great fortune from 50 years ago with the the awe of a teenager who was swept up in a moment he'll never forget.

Peter McGarey: US Open Champion on the Past Our Prime podcast.

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In the summer of 1974, the Cleveland Indians were not a very good team and their owner was thinking of every way possible to get fans in the seats. How about this for an idea: 10-cent Beer Night? All you can drink for just 10-cents a cup. What could go wrong?

To the 9th inning we go and after a game highlighted with fans jumping onto the field, many of them in their birthday suits, the chaos turned into complete bedlam. Rangers Outfielder Jeff Burroughs was being harassed in right field by fans who were surrounding him. His manager Billy Martin led the "Charge of the Light Brigade" with his players rushing out of the dugout... bats in hand.

Seats were being thrown from the top deck onto the field. 60,000 cups of beer had been purchased and the results of that were now evident. It was a full-scale riot.

Milt Wilcox pitched the top of the 9th inning for the Indians and tells us how some of his "connected" friends kept him out of harms way while Cleveland writer Vince Guerreri, author of the book, "Weird Moments in Clebeland Sports" tells us that despite the comeplete bedlam this wasn't the first time they held the promotion... and shockingly... it wouldn't be the last...

Wilcox and Guerreri have stories you will not believe on one of the craziest nights in the history of baseball...

10-cent Beer Night on the Past Our Prime podcast

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When you think of athletes in the 70's... and 1974 in particular... it doesn't take long to get to Bill Walton's name. The UCLA dynasty under Coach John Wooden was still in full force thanks to what many say is the greatest college basketball player to ever lace 'em up punctuated by the 1973 Title Game against Memphis when Bill was an astounding 21-22 from the floor to finish with 44 points and 13 rebounds in the 87-66 win over the Tigers.

Right next to him was Team Captain, Larry Farmer, playing the final game of his college career and doing what he always did every time but once... winning. Farmer was 89-1 at UCLA winning National Titles his last 3 years with the Bruins. Larry joins us to talk about his late friend, the free-thinking, fast-talking, life-loving, Bill Walton who passed away on May 27th.

Larry will tell us how Bill says he had an even better game vs Memphis than the numbers indicate... how Walton overcame a speech impediment to become a beloved broadcaster... and how the bond with his Bruins mates and Bill has stood the test of time since the first time he met this 7-foot red head over 50 years ago.

It's a look back at an incredible life and career of one of basketball's all-time greats... on the Past Our Prime podcast.

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