The Official Football Learning Academy Podcast

This episode is a celebration of the 100th season of the New York Giants. We will talk about their early history, early Hall of Famers, and will cap it off with an archival interview with Hall of Fame coach Bill Parcells.

Football Learning Academy Website:

To learn more about the FLA, go to: https://www.football-learning-academy.com

Social Media:

Follow us on Twitter: https://twitter.com/FootballLearn1

Follow us on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/footballlearningacademy/

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@footballlearningacademy

Music By:

Jeff Nixon, Safety for the Buffalo Bills from 1979-82.

Today’s special guest is legendary broadcaster Chris Berman, who joined ESPN in 1979, a month after its founding. He spent 31 years hosting Sunday NFL Countdown and ten years hosting Monday Night Countdown, among his many other duties at the network. In this episode, we go behind the scenes at the Pro Football Hall of Fame Induction Ceremonies, as well as talk about the American Football League.

Apologies for the audio quality of this broadcast.

Football Learning Academy Website:

To learn more about the FLA, go to: https://www.football-learning-academy.com

Social Media:

Follow us on Twitter: https://twitter.com/FootballLearn1

Follow us on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/footballlearningacademy/

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@footballlearningacademy

Music By:

Jeff Nixon, Safety for the Buffalo Bills from 1979-82.

This episode’s special guest is Greg Thomas, who made history when he was the first starting African-American quarterback in high school in San Angelo, Texas, and he became the first African-American starting quarterback in University of Arkansas history. He was 28-8 as a starter, played in four bowl games, and was named MVP of the 1987 Liberty Bowl.

For the Pro Football History Nugget of the Week, we will actually talk college football, specifically Martin Lemond, who was the first African-American quarterback to play at the University of Arkansas.

Apologies for the audio quality of this broadcast.

Football Learning Academy Website:

To learn more about the FLA, go to: https://www.football-learning-academy.com

Social Media:

Follow us on Twitter: https://twitter.com/FootballLearn1

Follow us on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/footballlearningacademy/

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@footballlearningacademy

Music By:

Jeff Nixon, Safety for the Buffalo Bills from 1979-82.

This Day In Sports History is part of the Sports History Network - The Headquarters For Sports Yesteryear.

HIGHLIGHTED SHOW: THIS DAY IN SPORTS HISTORY

Relive the greatest moments in sports every day of the year. From the triumphs to the tragedies, the first to do it to the last time it happened, the unbelievable to the strange, This Day in Sports History is a 365-day journey remembering those significant events that made a lasting impact. 

HOST: STEVE WHITE

Steve White has spent most of his life behind a microphone. As a kid, he realized the power of the spoken word, hanging out with his dad while the pair talked to people around the world via ham radio.

Later, Steve put that penchant for communication into practice and ventured into radio and TV. He worked for a few television stations in North Carolina doing sports reporting and anchoring before transitioning to voiceover in 2015. He’s voiced more than 80 audiobooks in a variety of genres.

He’s never been much for awards, probably due to the fact he’s never won any but he loves the challenge of diving into new projects. His ‘This Day in Sports History’ evolved from a lifetime of watching, listening to, and going to ballgames, reading books, magazines, and newspaper articles about his favorite teams and sports heroes. It’s not only a labor of love but a voyage of discovery, finding those forgotten tidbits or fascinating things he never knew.

Learn more about the show on the Sports History Network.

Mentioned in this episode:

Sports History Network Theme Song

This theme song was produced by Ron "Tyke" Oliver of Music Meets Sportz

Today’s special guest is Hall of Fame offensive lineman Ron Mix, who played for the Los Angeles/San Diego Chargers and the Oakland Raiders. He was a nine-time all-AFL player and an eight-time AFL All-Star.

For the Pro Football History Nugget of the Week, we talk about we talk about other American Football League players who played all ten years of the league’s existence and are in the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

Visit the Pro Football Retired Players Association at: https://www.pfrpa.com/

Football Learning Academy Website:

To learn more about the FLA, go to: https://www.football-learning-academy.com

Social Media:

Follow us on Twitter: https://twitter.com/FootballLearn1

Follow us on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/footballlearningacademy/

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@footballlearningacademy

Music By:

Jeff Nixon, Safety for the Buffalo Bills from 1979-82.

Today’s special guest is Hall of Fame linebacker Brian Urlacher, who played with the Chicago Bears from 2000 through 2012. He was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2018. In this episode, we talk about something that is important to both Brian and me, and that is helping retired players in need. Brian is on the board of directors for the Gridiron Greats Assistance Fund, and we spend time talking about that organization in this interview. We also talked a little Hall of Fame and the current state of the Chicago Bears.

For the Pro Football History Nugget of the Week, we talk about the lineage of great linebackers for the Chicago Bears.

Visit Gridiron Greats Assistance Fund at: https://www.gridirongreats.org/

Football Learning Academy Website:

To learn more about the FLA, go to: https://www.football-learning-academy.com

Social Media:

Follow us on Twitter: https://twitter.com/FootballLearn1

Follow us on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/footballlearningacademy/

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@footballlearningacademy

Music By:

Jeff Nixon, Safety for the Buffalo Bills from 1979-82.

Today’s special guest is former NFL quarterback Heath Shuler, who played with Washington and the New Orleans Saints. After his football career, he was elected to the United States House of Representatives for three terms. We talk about all of this and more in this episode.

For the Pro Football History Nugget of the Week, we discuss George Taliaferro, the first Black player to be drafted by the NFL.

This episode brought to you by the PowerPlus Mouthguard, a device whose data shows that it reduces concussions by over 99%. To learn more, go to https://powerplusmouthguard.com/

Football Learning Academy Website:

To learn more about the FLA, go to: https://www.football-learning-academy.com

Social Media:

Follow us on Twitter: https://twitter.com/FootballLearn1

Follow us on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/footballlearningacademy/

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@footballlearningacademy

Music By:

Jeff Nixon, Safety for the Buffalo Bills from 1979-84.

Today’s special guest is former Cincinnati Bengals’ linebacker Reggie Williams. He played with the team from 1976 through 1989, was named NFL Man of the Year in 1986, The “Whizzer” White NFL Man of the Year in 1985 and the Sports Illustrated Sportsperson of the Year in 1987. After his football career, he became an executive in the World League of American Football and with Disney. He was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 2007.

For the Pro Football History Nugget of the Week, we discuss the Freezer Bowl.

Football Learning Academy Website:

To learn more about the FLA, go to: https://www.football-learning-academy.com

Social Media:

Follow us on Twitter: https://twitter.com/FootballLearn1

Follow us on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/footballlearningacademy/

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@footballlearningacademy

Music By:

Jeff Nixon, Safety for the Buffalo Bills from 1979-84.

Today, we are focusing on Andy Russell, who passed away February 29th at the age of 82. I interviewed him back in 2012 and the audio you’re about to listen to is from that interview. Russell played linebacker for the Pittsburgh Steelers from 1963 through 1976. He was on two of the Steelers Super Bowl Championship teams and went to seven Pro Bowls. He is a member of the Pittsburgh Steelers All-Time Team, in the Pittsburgh Steelers Ring of Honor, and is in the Pittsburgh Pro Football Hall of Fame. It was a true pleasure to get to know Andy Russell, and he will be missed.

This episode contains snippets from my 2012 interview with Andy Russell.

Football Learning Academy Website:

To learn more about the FLA, go to: https://www.football-learning-academy.com

Social Media:

Follow us on Twitter: https://twitter.com/FootballLearn1

Follow us on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/footballlearningacademy/

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@footballlearningacademy

Music By:

Jeff Nixon, Safety for the Buffalo Bills from 1979-84.

This week's special guest is historian and author Mike Richman, who just wrote a book titled "George Allen: A Football Life." He has also authored "The Redskins Encyclopedia," "The Washington Redskins Football Vault," and "Joe Gibbs: An Enduring Legacy." Finally, he has written thousands of feature articles for such publications as The Washington Post, The Baltimore Sun, and Sports Illustrated. This episode focuses on Mike's new biography of Hall of Fame coach George Allen.

Mike Richman's Website:

https://mikerichmanjournalist.com/

Football Learning Academy Website:

To learn more about the FLA, go to: https://www.football-learning-academy.com

Social Media:

Follow us on Twitter: https://twitter.com/FootballLearn1

Follow us on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/footballlearningacademy/

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@footballlearningacademy

Music By:

Jeff Nixon, Safety for the Buffalo Bills from 1979-84.