Afleveringen
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There may not have been a more famous person in sports entertainment in the 70's than Evel Knievel. His motorcycle jumps were legendary... both the successful ones and the not so successful ones. And in the summer of '74, Evel was on the cover of Sports Illustrated about to trade in his bike for a rocket ship... the Sky-Cycle... so that he could jump the Snake River. It too was not successful, but the attempt just increased Knievel's status with his fans... especially young boys.
One of those boys was a kid growing up in the South by the name of Bubba Blackwell, who, like millions of others, idolized Knievel. But Bubba wasn't like millions of others... No, he was one in a million. And when it came to making jumps on a motorcycle, Bubba was second to none. And that includes his friend, Evel Knievel. Bubba would go on to break many of the icon's records and is best known for breaking Evel Knievel's jump record for buses using a Harley-Davidson XR-750 flat-track racing motorcycle.
But when your job title is daredevil, Bubba would be the first to tell you that means sometimes you're going to bite off more than you can chew and that was the case on the 4th of July, 2001 in Del Mar, CA. Blackwell's attempt to jump 22 cars ended in a spectacular crash that almost killed the showman. Bubba went into a coma and broke 19 bones but survived... got healthy... and continued to test the limits.
Now 57 years old, the fearless rider looks back on a career that saw him eclipse his idol's record jumps, talks about his greatest shows, and his worst moments, and how he got to know one of the most famous persons in the world: Evel Knievel...
It's a life like no other we've ever spoken with: Bubba Blackwell on the Past Our Prime podcast.
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John Kinsella did it all in a pool. At the 1968 Olympic Games in Mexico City he won a silver medal at the age of 16... 16!!!
And he followed that up in Munich in 1972 by taking gold and helping set a World Record in the 4 x 200 freestyle... Kinsella started that race, and Mark Spitz ended it.
But a pool just wasn't big enough for Kinsella... and he took to the open waters... and marathon swimming... something he raced in 26 times, and never lost culminating in his 9 hour and 9 minute swim across the English Channel in 1979. This was a man driven to be the best distance swimmer in the world, and he proved it time and time again.
The winner of the 1970 Sullivan Award for the best amateur athlete in the land, Kinsella looks back on a career that started in his teens and took him all over the world and back. He talks about how Montezuma's Revenge almost cost him in '68 and the terror of being in the Olympic Village during the '72 Games in Munich when 11 Israeli athletes were killed by terrorists... how the Games almost didn't go on and what the Village was like after that horrible siege... and how his friend and teammate Spitz almost backed out of his attempt at a 7th Gold in '72.
Over 50 years later, Kinsella recollects on a life of swimming... and the ebbs and flows of a life determined one stroke at a time. Join us for a great talk with a great guy and a phenomenal athlete that you may not remember, but won't soon forget... John Kinsella on the Past Our Prime podcast.
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Zijn er afleveringen die ontbreken?
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The 1976 Summer Olympics in Montreal will always be remembered for the perfection of Nadia Comaneci; the golden smile from Sugar Ray Leonard; the perseverance of Bruce Jenner in the decathlon; the grace of hurdler extraordinaire Edwin Moses; and the youthful exuberance of 17-year old diver Jennifer Chandler in the 3M springboard.
Two years earlier, Jenni was a 15-year old kid getting ready for those games and featured in article by Sports Illustrated. She was spending the summer with her family on their farm in a small town in Alabama... her two parents and her two sisters driving everywhere for competitions that were prepping Jenni for a shot at Gold.
That hard work, determination, and sacrifice from the teenager and her "Gold Medal Driver" mother put the young girl in a position to make the U.S. diving team and once she did that, her coach, Carlos de Cubas, had her ready to reach her potential when it mattered most.
50 years after that precocious 15-year old was featured in SI we talk with the Gold Medalist about how that moment shaped the rest of her life... what it was like to be a part of the Opening Ceremonies... how hearing the National Anthem still moves her to tears and how she looks back on a time in her life when for one brief moment... she was the best in the world...
Jennifer Chandler, the last U.S. woman to win Olympic Gold in the 3M diving event, is engaging, thoughtful and grateful for what diving did for her and she shares her story on the Past Our Prime podcast. Listen and review us wherever you get your podcasts.
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In 1973 the Dodgers had an 8 1/2 game lead in the Cincinnati Reds before the Big Red Machine hunted them down and won the division. So in the offseason, the Dodgers acquired Jimmy Wynn... and relief pitcher Mike Marshall... and they both made quite the difference... The Toy Cannon provided a big bat in the middle of the lineup and Marshall was sensational out of the pen.
Pitching in a MLB record 106 games including 13 in a row at one point, the relief pitcher was on the cover of the 8/12/74 issue of Sports Illustrated because of a season that would see him notch 208 1/3 innings pitched while winning 15 and saving another 21 en route to the Cy Young Award, and helping the Dodgers capture the NL West crown over Pete Rose, Johnny Bench, Joe Morgan and the Reds.
And while the Reds had a surplus of stars, so did the Dodgers... with a pitching staff of Don Sutton, Tommy John, Andy Messersmith and Marshall and an infield of Ron Cey, Bill Russell, Davey Lopes and Steve Garvey that would play together for a record 8 1/2 seasons. Cey would make his first of 6 All-Star teams in 1974 and manned the hot corner for the Dodgers until leaving for Chicago after the 1982 season but not before amassing the 2nd most HR's in L.A. Dodgers history with 228.
The Penguin talks about being a part of the most successful infield in baseball history, why the Reds are in the Hall of Fame and he and his Dodger teammates are not, what it was like to go up against his boyhood idol, Willie Mays and much more when he joins us for a candid conversation on the Past Our Prime podcast. If you enjoyed baseball in the 70's, you'll enjoy this chat with a player that embodies everything there was about the National League and baseball back in 1974.
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It was the summer of '74 and the WFL was looking to compete with the NFL... only one problem... the NFL was on strike. And 6 weeks into the work stoppage the owners not only weren't interested in the players demands... neither were a bunch of the players as well. They were in need of some leadership and the great Hall of Fame Tight End and first NFLPA President John Mackey was ready to turn the control over to his teammate and friend Bill Curry. The only problem was... Bill didn't want the job.
A 2-time Pro-Bowl Center and 3-time NFL Champion including Super Bowl I and V wins, Curry has a football resume that is 2nd to none. But that summer 50 years ago was a stressful time for him as the owners refused to negotiate, the players were not united, and the union was in shambles. But the cool handedness of Curry settled things, and while the players returned to the field without a deal, the foundation was set for the players to finally get a piece of the action... and then some.
Curry talks about his time in Green Bay and his relationship with Vince Lombardi and his wife, Marie and how a death bed conversation with his coach changed his life. He went on to be a coach himself at Georgia Tech, Alabama and Kentucky and then capped off a football career as an analyst at ESPN.
He's a thoughtful, kind and wise man who has seen it all and done it all. Now at age 81, Coach Curry looks back on a life well lived... the highs, the lows... the good, the not-so-good... the wins... and the losses. We talk about it all starting with the strike of 1974 on the Past Our Prime podcast.
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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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There was a time when the winner of the Indianapolis 500 was a household name in America. AJ Foyt, Al Unser, Bobby Under, Mario Andretti, Rick Mears to name a few. Legends of the sport and none were any bigger than Johnny Rutherford who won the 500 in 1974... and in 1976... and in 1980... that's right, he took the checkered flag 3 times in 6 years... but on the Past Our Prime podcast, he'll tell us about the one that got away in 75 that still eats him up to this day...
We'll talk about some of the scariest crashes of his career including one where he somehow avoided disaster when two others died at the Brickyard in 1973... and the one in 66 that kept him from racing for years... until he returned better than ever.
The biggest wins and disappointments from one of Auto Racing's all-time greats... Lone Star JR recollects on the highs and lows of a career that 50 years ago became immortalized when he won the Indy 500 for the first time.
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It's July 17, 1974 and Dodgers pitcher Tommy John is in the midst of his best season in baseball. He's 13-3 with an ERA of 2.59 and helping lead Los Angeles to first place in the NL West. And then in the 3rd inning that day against the Montreal Expos, one pitch changed his season, his career and the course of baseball history.
One pitch.
Tommy John was hurt, and while they tried resting his sore left elbow, that wasn't doing the trick and on September 25, 1974, Dr. Frank Jobe performed the surgery and when he was asked what it was called he said, “Ulnar collateral ligament reconstruction of the elbow using ipsilateral palmaris longus tendon graft”. Understandably, he grew tired of having to say that and referred to it as "the surgery I performed on Tommy John." And soon enough, Tommy John surgery was part of the American lexicon.
Now, 50 years after undergoing this groundbreaking surgery, Tommy joins us on the Past Our Prime podcast and talks about that time in his life, the rehab, and the comeback that allowed him to win 164 games after returning from the surgery named after him. His 288 career wins is more than anyone but Roger Clemens who is not in the Hall of Fame, and the 188 No Decisions he endured are the most in baseball history... but the true irony of TJ not being a Hall of Famer -- yet -- is that had he not had to have Tommy John surgery, he certainly would have gotten to 300 wins... the golden ticket to Cooperstown.
It's a look back at a time when this arm injury ended many careers, until Tommy John said to Dr. Jobe... not me. Let's fix this.
And that's just what they did.
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If one was asked who is the most successful coach in UCLA history, John Wooden's name would quickly come to mind... but what if I told you there was a coach who had almost double the National Championships of the famous hoops coach? Yes, Al Scates, the other Wizard of Westwood won 19 titles with his UCLA Bruins in 48 years of coaching volleyball. And even though he has been retired for a number of years, he left the program in good shape as they just won their 2nd straight Championship this month... how was he so good? He'll tell you one simple reason... good players.
Players like Jim Menges... an All-American under Scates and part of the 1974 National Championship team, he graduated, and headed back to where he came from... the ocean... and one of the true legends of Beach Volleyball started an amazing career on the sands of Southern California beaches... He and his partners dominated the Beach Volleyball scene for much of the 70's with Menges and his UCLA buddy Greg Lee winning a still record 13 tournaments in a row at one point.
It's two of Volleyball's most successful men in one show. A Hall of Fame Coach and a Hall of Fame Player talking wins, spikes, digs, championships, and mostly.... good times on the Past Our Prime podcast.
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The 1974 NBA Finals was a classic 7-game affair between the Celtics and the Bucks in which the road team won 5 games, including the final 4 contests. The Bucks won a thrilling double overtime game 6, in Boston to bring it back to Milwaukee. All the momentum was with the Bucks.
But there was one thing in Bostons favor: Celtics Pride.
Boston Globe Hall of Fame writer Bob Ryan literally wrote the book on that titled Celtics Pride: The Rebuilding of Boston's World Championship Basketball Team. It was the first Championship for the C's without Bill Russell and Ryan tells us how Boston shocked the Milwaukee Bucks and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar to win banner #12.
Could the Bucks have won had they had their star point guard, Lucius Allen? Lucius seems to think so. But a knee injury sidelined Allen for the series and the Celtics took advantage of that.
Ryan and Allen join us for a wonderful discussion of what took place 50 years ago and what could have been. The favorites Kareem and Oscar vs the underdogs Havlicek and Cowens.
A Finals for the ages on the Past Our Prime podcast.
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They were known as the Broad Street Bullies. They never met a fight they didn't want.
They would beat you up... and then they would beat you down...
But most of all... they would just beat you. And for two straight years they did just that in winning back-to-back Stanley Cups.
Bernie Parent was the last man of defense for those great Philadelphia Flyers teams and came up with shutouts in clinching Cup wins two years running. A 2-time Conn Smythe winner as well as a 2-time Vezina Trophy recipient, Parent had a Hall of Fame career in his adopted hometown of Philadelphia. A city that loved him and that he loved right back---then and now.
Parent tells us about how he almost celebrated that first win too soon, how his boyhood idol mentored him into a future Hall of Famer, and how he has stayed sober for the past 46 years!
It's a great talk with one of the greatest goalies to ever play in the NHL as we look back on the Flyers Stanley Cup Championships from May of 1974 on the Past Our Prime podcast.
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