Afleveringen
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George Allen is one of the NFL's legendary coaches. So, to call him a "forgotten hero" is not exactly accurate. Certainly, most avid football fans know about his colorful career as the head coach of the Washington Redskins, and some might even remember him as the head coach of the Los Angeles Rams. But few know the "behind-the-scenes" story of George Allen and his journey to becoming the legend he was. The fact that he actually offered to pay University of Michigan coach Fritz Crisler for the opportunity to coach. Or, his falling out with Chicago Bears owner/head coach George Halas. Few know that George Allen actually traded the same draft pick to two different teams or that he was a good friend of three different U.S. Presidents. His paranoia when it came to the press or his disdain for seeing trash littered about the practice facility. Allen might actually be the "father" of film study. No one studied it like George Allen. And his attention to Special Teams was way ahead of his time. Allen knew more about the opponent than the opponent knew about themselves. He was an incredible strategist, and his knowledge of the game was the proverbial second to none. If there was a weakness in Allen's method of coaching, most would point to his reliance on veteran players and his reluctance to play rookies or younger players. When you examine the career of George Allen, and you see his incredible winning percentage during the regular season vs. his 2-7 record in the playoffs, you scratch your head and wonder why. Well, it might just have been that reliance on veteran players. On this episode of Sports' Forgotten Heroes, I get into all of that with my guest, Mike Richman. Mike is somewhat of an expert when it comes to the Washington Redskins (now the Commanders), and his latest book, "George Allen: A Football Life," is absolutely fantastic, and we discuss a lot of it here on Sports' Forgotten Heroes.
The examination of George Allen's coaching career reveals a man driven by a profound love for football and an unwavering commitment to winning. The podcast captures the essence of Allen's coaching philosophy, which revolved around discipline, strategy, and a deep understanding of the game. His relationships with players were complex, characterized by both admiration and criticism, particularly regarding his intense coaching style and strict policies. The episode further delves into the intricacies of Allen's time with the Rams, detailing how his innovative defensive schemes and emphasis on special teams were revolutionary for the era, yet how these same traits sometimes alienated him from those he coached. Richmond articulates the paradox of Allen's career: a coach who never experienced a losing season yet struggled to translate regular-season success into playoff victories. The discussion invites listeners to consider the broader implications of Allen's story, exploring themes of ambition, legacy, and the quest for greatness against the backdrop of a fiercely competitive sport.
George Allen's legacy in professional football is a tapestry woven with threads of brilliance, controversy, and resilience. The podcast offers a detailed narrative of his rise from a young, ambitious coach to a figure synonymous with NFL coaching excellence. Listeners are taken through pivotal moments in Allen's life, including his unconventional methods of securing coaching positions—such as offering to pay for opportunities—demonstrating his relentless drive and creativity. The conversation also addresses the challenges Allen faced, including friction with players and management, which ultimately shaped his career trajectory. Special attention is given to his time with the Los Angeles Rams and Washington Redskins, where he employed a fierce competitive spirit that led to impressive regular-season records but often resulted in playoff disappointments. The episode serves as a reminder of Allen's significant contributions to the game, while
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In 1930 the NFL moved one of the original franchises from Dayton, Ohio to the borough of Brooklyn, New York and re-branded the "Triangles" to a very familiar name - Dodgers. Yes, that's right. From 1930 through the 1944 NFL season, the NFL placed a team in Brooklyn, Ebbets Field. Looking to capitalize on the same name as their baseball cousins, the Brooklyn FOOTBALL Dodgers had high hopes. In Dayton, the fact is, the community was too small to support an NFL team. The Triangles, as they were known in Dayton, played in a small stadium (5,000 seats) and couldn't sellout. Less than capacity crowds, financial struggles and the inability to attract the game's top talent, the NFL was left with no choice but to move the team in order to keep it alive. So, with baseball the No. 1 sport at that time and the NFL still trying to establish itself as a viable league, it was moving its franchises from small cities to larger metropolitan areas and tried to capitalize on names that would be instantly recognizable. But, it didn't always work out, and the football-Dodgers are an example of that. During the team's 15-year stay in Brooklyn, only five times did it finish at .500 or above. The Dodgers never won their division and never appeared in a post-season game. They also struggled at the gate. So, after the 1944 season (in which they had renamed themselves the Brooklyn Tigers), they packed up and moved to Boston and merged with the Yanks. Amazingly, the Dodgers actually still exist today. Yes, this franchise is still in the NFL and on this episode of Sports' Forgotten Heroes we explore it all with guest Roger Godin who several years ago wrote a fascinating book that looks back at the history of this long-forgotten team, "The Brooklyn Football Dodgers, The Other "Bums."
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Zijn er afleveringen die ontbreken?
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Before there was an NBA, before there was a BAA, professional basketball looked a lot different than it does today. Back in the early 1900s, professional basketball was largely made up of regional leagues spread out across the country. A particular hotbed for these regional leagues was the Northeast. One of the leagues, the NEBL (New England Basketball League), was also one of the more progressive leagues. In fact, it was the first to allow "colored" players and leading the way was Harry "Bucky" Lew. Now known as the first African-American professional basketball player, Lew was also one of the game's stars. On this episode of Sports' Forgotten Heroes, author Chris Boucher joins as we discuss the career of Bucky Lew, how these leagues were set up and what the game of basketball looked like back then. Chris, who wrote the book, "The Original Bucky Lew", and I discuss how different the ball was and how difficult it was to dribble the ball. How basketball courts were boxed in by chicken wire, so there was no out-of-bounds, there were no backboards, and fouling a player and the free-throws were no where near the same as they are in the game we watch today. But, the main focus is Lew. The racism he faced, how he played the game, how he continued to break down barriers such as becoming the first African-American to officiate a game, the first to coach a team and the first to own a team. Bucky Lew was certainly a pioneer and we dive into it all on this episode of Sports' Forgotten Heroes.
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The podcast delves into the remarkable career of Mel Hein, a legendary figure in NFL history known for his exceptional skills as both a center and a linebacker. Celebrated as one of the greatest centers of all time, Hein is the only offensive lineman to ever win the NFL MVP award, a testament to his extraordinary impact on the game. He played 15 years with the New York Giants, earning accolades such as being named to multiple All-Pro teams and being part of the Pro Football Hall of Fame's inaugural class. The discussion highlights Hein's athleticism, football IQ, and leadership qualities, which set him apart from his peers. Listeners will also learn about his unique journey, including how he transitioned from a player to a respected coach and official, leaving a lasting legacy in the sport.
When you think of NFL MVP's, you think of guys like Tom Brady, Aaron Rodgers, great quarterbacks, great running backs and, every once in a while, a great defensive player. But, an offensive lineman? They're never part of such conversations. Well, in 1938, center Mel Hein of the New York Giants was named as the league's MVP. He was that good! Hein joined the Giants after a terrific career at Washington State. From 1931 through 1945, Hein played center for the Giants and linebacker as well. In fact, not only was Hein a great center, Bronko Nagurski said Hein was the best linebacker he ever faced. Hein's game set the standard. Other centers, future Hall of Fame players, watched and learned from Hein. As early as his childhood, Hein was working on his craft, snapping the ball to his older brothers. Little did Hein know it would lead to a Hall of Fame career. Hein was part of the inaugural Pro Football Hall of Fame class of 1963, he was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 1954, he was named to the NFL's 75th Anniversary Team and the NFL's 100th Anniversary Team; and is listed as the Giants 3rd Greatest player on their 100th Anniversary Team. On this episode of Sports' Forgotten Heroes, author Chris Willis, Archivist at NFL Films, is back for a wonderful and fun discussion of one of football's forgotten - but - all-time greats, Mel Hein.
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Chuck Foreman was one of the NFL's most feared fullback's of the 1970s. In fact, he might have been the best fullback in the game during those years. Drafted in the 1973 first round by the Minnesota Vikings out of the University of Miami, Foreman was told by Vikings Head Coach Bud Grant that he would be the focal point of the Minnesota offense, but the way they would use him, despite the fact that he would rack up big numbers, he wouldn't get the recognition he deserved. Grant was right. Over the course of Foreman's 8-year career, he he combined to rush for and catch passes for 9,106-yards. He scored 76 touchdowns, in 1973 he led the NFL in receptions with 73. He was the 1973 Offensive Rookie of the Year, First Team All-Pro in 1975, Pro Bowl in 1973, 74, 75, 76. Led the Vikings to three NFC Championships and played in three Super Bowls. yet, with all of those accolades, somehow, Foreman's accomplishments got lost in the shuffle. Somehow, his numbers did not impress the right people and despite the fact that his numbers are better than such Hall of Famers as Terrell David, Marion Motley, Larry Csonka, and others, Foreman was never considered for the Hall of Fame. On this episode of Sports' Forgotten Heroes, Chuck joins for a discussion on his great career, the Hall of Fame and some very fun stories.
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In 1946, a new professional football league launched - The All America Football Conference (AAFC) and the strongest team created was the Cleveland Browns. It was filled with superstars and an eventual legend at coach - Paul Brown. In the backfield was another budding superstar, Marion Motley. Standing at 6-foot-1 and weighing 232-pounds was, by today's standards, not exactly HUGE. But, in 1946, 6-foot-1, 232-pounds was very intimidating. Motley steamrolled the opposition during his playing days and led the Browns to the AAFC's first-ever Championship. But he didn't stop there. In fact, Motley was a catalyst for the Browns who also won the AAFC i1947, '48 & '49. The Browns moved to the NFL in 1950, and again, they won the championship with Motley leading the charge out of the backfield. Cleveland also played for the NFL Championship in 1951, '52 & '53, and although they lost each of those championships, Motley still was a key ingredient in helping Cleveland reach those title games. His career was shortened by knee injuries. Overall, he played eight full seasons and averaged over 5-yards a carry and scored 31 touchdowns. During that period of time, the great NFL players lined up on both sides of the line of scrimmage and Motley did so as a linebacker. In fact, he picked off two passes during his career, one of which was a 48-yard pick-six. On this episode of Sports' Forgotten Heroes, we take a look back at the Hall of Fame career of Marion Motley with George Bozeka, President of the Professional Football Researcher's Association.
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Fritz Pollard is not a name most football fans are familiar with. Yet, his place in NFL History is about as iconic as any. Pollard is the first African-American to coach and NFL team. To be fair, he was a co-head coach. In 1920, with the Akron Pros of the American Professional Football Association, the APFA, later to re-brand itself as the NFL, Pollard led the Pros to an 8-0-3 season and the APFA Championship. Art Shell, who many consider to be the first, certainly deserves his share of such recognition as well, only his historic standing is that of the first African-American Head Coach in modern NFL history. Pollard coached in a totally different time in American history. In fact, he coached before minorities such as African-Americans were "banned" from the game. Pollard was also a player. A dual role as player-coach, which wasn't totally unusual during that period of time. A terrific tailback, Pollard rushed for 16 touchdowns during his playing days and also caught two touchdown passes. The game was played much differently than it is today and those numbers, 18 touchdowns, were quite impressive during that era. On this episode of Sports' Forgotten Heroes, Dr. Charles Ross, Professor of History and African American Studies at Ole Miss joins the podcast for a terrific discussion about one of the most important figures in American Sports History - Fritz Pollard.
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There was a time when NFL rosters were significantly smaller than they are today. Back in the 1920s, 30s, 40s, 50s, even into the 60s, teams did not carry as many players as they do today. Of course, less players means more playing time - and not just on one side of the line of scrimmage. In fact, most players played on both sides of the line of scrimmage. Not only that, several played on special teams as well. They were on the field for punt coverage, kickoff coverage, punt returns and kickoff returns. So many played every down of a game. Now, of course, they might not have done it every single game, but on occasion, they did. Regardless, if you played on both sides of the line of scrimmage, you were referred to as a 60-minute man. In episode 137, we discussed the career of Ace Parker. He played every down of every game on several occasions. Other players who are referred to as 60-minute men and whom I have done podcasts on include Dutch Clark (episode 89), Paddy Driscoll (episode 112), Ernie Nevers (episode 65) and Duke Slater (episode 39). On this episode of author Chris Willis, who is also the heard archivist at NFL Films, is back to discuss several others including the likes of Bronko Nagurski, Red Grange, Sammy Baugh and more. Chris recently released a new book (from McFarland Publishing) called, "The NFL's 60 Minute Men, All-Time Greats of the Two-Way Player Era, 1920-1945," and his knowledge runs deep as we explore the two-ways players of yesteryear and just how special they were.
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Ace Parker was a terrific multi-sport star - especially football and baseball. Baseball, though, was his first love and he tried to make it as a Major League Baseball player with the Philadelphia Athletics in 1937 and 1938. However, as good as he was throughout his college career at Duke University and in the minor leagues, he just couldn't crack through only hitting .179 during his two seasons. However, football was another story. Parker was a stud, an eventual Hall of Famer. He played, quarterback, tailback, defensive back. He kicked. He punted. He returned kicks. He returned punts. He did it all. A true 60-minute man. In fact, he once led the NFL in passing and co-led in interceptions. Playing for the NFL's version of the Brooklyn Dodgers, however, was like playing in obscurity and the career of Ace Parker is not as well-known as some of his contemporaries. Ace played just five years in the NFL before serving in WWII and returning for one final season, his sixth, with the Dodgers (they had moved to Boston and were renamed the Boston Yanks), and then moved to the All America Football Conference (AAFC) and the football version of the New York Yankees. It was with the Yankees that Ace played in his only Championship Game, a loss to the powerful Cleveland Browns. On this episode of Sports' Forgotten Heroes, the President of the Professional Football Researcher's Association (PFRA), George Bozeka, joins as we take a look back at the career of two-sport star Ace Parker a member of the Pro Football Hall of Fame and the College Football Hall of Fame ... and, if you're interested in knowing more about the PFRA, please check out www.profootballresearchers.com.
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In 1920, the Negro National League started play and the historic Kansas City Monarchs took the field for the first time. Leading the way was a 5-foot-7 two-way ballplayer who was about to embark on a journey that didn't end until 1938 - Bullet Joe Rogan. What no one knew then was that Rogan was going to put up numbers that ultimately led him into the Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown. Rogan is considered by many to be one of the top 5 baseball players of all time. In fact, some say he is the greatest. On the mound, in the Negro National League he was 120-52 with an ERA of 2.65. But, when you combine the barnstorming tours and other leagues that Bullet played in, there is evidence that he won more than 350 games and struck out more than 2,000 batters. And, he did all of this without a windup. He just stood on the mound reared back and fired the ball. But, that's only half the story. Bullet was a star in the batter's box too. He hit cleanup for the Monarchs and for his NNL career, he hit .338 with an OPS of .934, connected for 50 home runs, drove in 419. He was an all-around superstar. But there is so much more to the Bullet Joe Rogan story and joining me on this episode of Sports' Forgotten Heroes is a very special guest - The President of Negro Leagues Baseball Museum Bob Kendrick. Bob shares some very fascinating stories with us, talks about how spectacular Bullet was and recalls so much more about the Negro Leagues and who Bullet compares to today ... and that might surprise you.
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The name "Wahoo Sam Crawford" might not sound familiar to many Major League Baseball fans. But, it's probably quite familiar to fans of the Detroit Tigers. Wahoo Sam played for the Tigers back in the early 1900s. He was a phenomenally good hitter. In fact, if not for Ty Cobb, one could argue that Wahoo Sam might be the greatest to ever play for the Tigers. He had a career batting average of .309 to go along with a career OPS of .814. He averaged 191 hits a year as well. Not known for blazing speed, perhaps the most surprising of all when it comes to Wahoo Sam is this - he holds the record for most triples in a Major League career with 309 ... and ... he also holds the record for most inside-the-park home runs in a year with 12! But, the fact that he played during the same period as Ty Cobb stifled Crawford's popularity. Along with Cobb, however, Wahoo Sam helped the Tigers to three straight American League pennants: 1907, 1908, 1909. Unfortunately, Detroit never came out on top of any of those World Series. And the fact that this was the early 1900s also contributes to the fact that Wahoo Sam is not widely as known as he should be. However, the Veteran's Committee, at the constant urging of Cobb, elected Crawford to the Hall of Fame in 1957; and honor that was long overdue. Joining me on this episode of Sports' Forgotten Heroes to talk about Sam is author Kent Krause. Kent's book "Wahoo Sam Crawford, The King of Sluggers" is a must read for any fan of baseball, particularly fans of the Detroit Tigers. Kent shares so much with us, from Sam's upbringing, to his days working in a barber shop, through his career in the Majors, to his days playing in the Pacific Coast League.
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Back in the early 1900s, the National League was the only game in town. It was Major League Baseball, thus the name the "Senior Circuit". In 1901, Ban Johnson, and others, joined the game with the American League and it was granted Major League status in 1903. Both leagues operated as separate entities, but met every year in the World Series. In 1913, the Federal League was a minor league, but it wanted to join the party and in 1914 and 1915 it called itself a Major League as well. The Federal League, however, did not gain widespread acceptance. Despite going to head-to-head in Pittsburgh, Chicago, Brooklyn and St. Louis with established NL and AL teams, it couldn't gain a foothold. It also played in Buffalo, Indianapolis, Kansas City and Baltimore, it struggled in those cities as well. Poor attendance and high salaries for the players it poached from its NL and AL rivals, the Federal League didn't make it. In fact, very - very - few have challenged MLB. On this episode of Sports' Forgotten Heroes, baseball historian and author Dan Levitt joins the podcast to discuss the Federal League. Its teams, players, the court cases and so much more. Dan is an expert on the Federal League having written the book, "The Outlaw League And The Battle That Forged Modern Baseball."
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When Football Is Football 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.
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Jake Daubert was a star for the Brooklyn Robins and Brooklyn Dodgers during the early 1900s and finished his career with the Cincinnati Reds. He played during baseball's deadball era and was about as good as anyone. His play at first base was second-to-none and, at the plate, you would be hard-pressed to find many who could handle the bat as well as he did. In fact, when Daubert's career came to a tragic end in 1924, not only did he have a career batting average of .303, he was also 7th all-time in hits with 2,326. Now, back in those days, numbers like 3,000 hits weren't discussed. And, this was long before there was a Hall of Fame. However, had Daubert started his career earlier (he didn't break in until he was 26), perhaps he could have amassed 3,000 hits and his name would be much more familiar to baseball fans. As it is, though, he hit .300 or better 10 our of 12 years (including 6 in a row from 1911 through 1916) including 1913 when he hit .350 to lead the Majors and win the Chalmers Award. The Chalmers Award is what was given to the league's MVP at that time. Daubert holds the record for most sacrifices in one year, which was very important to Jake as he was a total team player. Daubert also fught hard for player's right and after the 1918 season in which baseball ad to shut down early because of the flu epidemic and World War I, Daubert fought for his pay. He ultimately won the battle, but was shipped by Charles Ebbets from Brooklyn to Cincinnati for his efforts. With the Reds, Daubert hardly missed a beat, helping Cincy to a World Series Championship over the White in the famous 1919 Series, and he continued to hit. In fact, in 1922, Jake hit .336 and played in all but 14-innings the whole year. Two years later, however, tragedy struck and Jake's career and, more importantly, his life ended tragically. On this episode of Sports' Forgotten Heroes I discuss it all with author/sports writer Harry Deitz who recently published a book about the life of Jake Daubert, "Gentleman Jake."
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The 1955 U.S. Open Golf Championship was supposed to be the crowning achievement to one of the greatest careers in the history of sports. Golf enthusiasts and sports fans all thought the U.S. Open, staged at San Francisco's Olympic Club, was a virtual lock for Ben Hogan to win. In fact, Hogan almost proved everyone to be right. The Hawk calculated what he needed to shoot to win on this "terror" of a course. And, he wasn't that far off. Hogan found himself 5-strokes back after the first round having shot a 2-over 72. He then started working his way up the leaderboard by shooting a 3-over 73 in round 2, a 2-over 72 in round 3 and an even-par 70 in the final round, five strokes better then all but one other golfer. No one ever considered journeyman Jack Fleck to contend. But, he too worked a little magic that weekend. After a first round 76, Fleck fired a 1-under 69 in the second round, followed that with a 5-over 75 in the third round and then he masterfully conquered the course by shooting a 3-under 67 in the final round and found himself in a tie with Hogan. The two would face each other in an 18-hole playoff the next day. Fleck was a huge fan of Hogan. In fact, he was the first to carry Ben Hogan golf clubs in his bag. He was would follow Hogan around the course to see how Ben played. He even wore the same type of hat, sweater and slacks as Ben. Fleck had never won an official TOUR event. And now he was going to face his idol over the course of 18 holes for a date with infamy. Incredibly, he did it. He outlasted Hogan in the playoff to win the 1955 U.S. Open and enter his name into golf lore. On this episode of Sports' Forgotten Heroes, Neil Sagebiel who wrote the book "The Longest Shot," joins the podcast to talk about the career of Jack Fleck and that one magical weekend in June of 1955 when Davey took down Goliath.
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The name "Shoeless Joe Jackson" is one of the most famous in baseball history. A key figure to the dominant Chicago White Sox of the late 19-teens, Joe led the team to the World Series Championship in 1917 when he hit .304 in the 6-game series. However, we all know the story of what happened next. In 1919, the White Sox threw the Series against the Cincinnati Reds and a year later, despite batting .375 in the series Jackson, along with seven of his teammates, was banned for life. So, every year, when voting for the Baseball Hall of Fame rolls around, the name Joe Jackson is brought up and debated as to whether or not his ban should be lifted and entrance into the Hall of Fame granted. But, that's not what this episode is about. Rather, this episode is a discussion about the great career Shoeless Joe put together. A career that included a season in which he hit over .400, a career in which he hit .356 over 13 years. A career in which he connected for 168 triples (at the time, a triple was also a sign of power), stole 202 bases and finished with an OPS of .940. Yes, Joe Jackson was one of the greatest to ever play the game. What he did over the course of his career, I think, gets overlooked and is not spoken about enough. Sure, the debates rage on as to whether or not his lifetime ban should be lifted so he can gain entrance into the Hall of Fame. But, what gets lost in the debate is the conversation that focuses on the incredible numbers he put up. And, BTW, in his final year, at the age of 32, he hit .382, with an OPS of 1.033, led all of baseball with 20 triples and had 121 RBI. Another phenomenal year, in fact, it was one of the best seasons he ever had. On this episode of SFH, we are going to explore his career. Not debate whether or not he should be in the Hall of Fame, we're just going to discuss the great numbers he put up with David Fleitz, the author of "Shoeless - The Life and Times of Joe Jackson".
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Jim Bottomley played for the St. Louis Cardinals from 1922 to 1933. During his 11 years with the Redbirds, Bottomley just might have been the best first baseman in the National League. If he wasn't you'd be hard-pressed to find another first baseman who was better. During that 11 year span, Bottomley hit .325, whacked 181 home runs and knocked in 1,105. In 1928, he won the National League MVP. Four times, he helped the Cardinals win the pennant and in 1926, he helped St. Louis to a magical World Series Championship over the juggernaut that was to become the New York Yankees. He again, helped the Cardinals to a World Series Championship in 1931 over the Philadelphia Athletics. Bottomley is one of the only players in Major League history to twice have 6 hits in a single game and he once had 12 RBI in a game. Yet, when baseball fans are asked about Jim Bottomley, most have never heard of him. That could be because Bottomley played with Rogers Hornsby who was winning triple crowns while Jim was just going about his business. On this episode of SFH, Kent Krause, the author of "Sunny Jim Bottomley" joins the show as we explore Jim's career and just how magnificent a baseball player he was during a career that also saw him play for the Cincinnati Reds and St. Louis Browns.
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Sid Gordon broke into the Majors in 1941 with the New York "baseball" Giants, bounced back-and-forth between the minors, served for two years during World War II and then made it back to the big league club in 1946; and proceeded to put together a terrific career. In fact, from 1948 through 1952 he established himself as one of the game's best by averaging 27 home runs a year, over 97 RBI a year, and during that 5-year span he hit .292 with his high, for that stretch, coming in 1950 when he hit .304. Gordon was a Jeff McNeil type of ballplayer. He could play the infield (3B) or outfield and even asked to play catcher. Over the course of his career, he played 809 games in left, 454 at third, 108 in right, 42 at first, 6 in center and 3 at second base. He clubbed 202 home runs, knocked in 805 and had a career batting average of .283. Gordon, a favorite of Leo Durocher, was reluctantly traded by the Giants to the Braves prior to the 1950 season. The native of Brooklyn, New York, was the one player the Boston Braves wanted in exchange for Alvin Dark and Eddie Stanky - catalysts for the Giants 1951 run to the NL Pennant. And that's one of the knocks against Gordon's popularity. He never played for a championship. He languished on teams that were rarely in a pennant race. Nonetheless, Gordon still had a terrific career and on this episode of SFH, Steve Cahn, Gordon's young cousin, who also authored the book, "Sid Gordon, An American Baseball Story", joins to talk about Gordon's career.
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He is the only quarterback - ever - to only play for 10 seasons and lead his team into the championship game every year of his career. He won the championship seven (7) times. And, yet, when the discussion about who is the greatest QB of all-time comes up, very few football fans mention the name Otto Graham. He played for the Cleveland Browns when they were "born" as an AAFC (All America Football Conference) team. The Browns, simply stated, were the best team in the league. In fact, Graham led the Browns to the AAFC title every year of the league's existence: 1946, 47, 48, 49. When the Browns (along with the San Francisco 49'ers and Baltimore Colts) moved into the NFL, most thought they had no chance to compete. Well, not only did the Browns compete, Graham led them to the NFL Championship in 1950. Graham played with the Browns, NFL-style, in 1950, 51, 52, 53, 54 and 55. He won the Championship withe Bowns three times. The four years he didn't win the Championship, the Browns made the title game, but lost. Graham won the NFL MVP in 1951, 1953 and 1955. In his six years in the NFL, he led the league in passing yards twice, QBR twice and completion percentage three times. Yet, Graham is one of the most overlooked superstars in the history of the game. On this episode of SFH, Ken Crippen from the Football Learning Academy, a football historian, author and expert on the AAFC joins the podcast as we discuss the career of Otto Graham and so much more.
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In 1967, a new basketball league was born, the ABA (American Basketball Association) with teams in 11 cities including Indianapolis, Oakland, New Orleans, Denver and Dallas. The ABA also put a team in Pittsburgh, the Pipers. After a slow start, the Pipers got it going and twice won as many as 14 games in a row. In fact, the Pipers finished the season with a record of 54-24. They won the Eastern Conference and then worked their way through playoffs. In the first round, they swept the Indiana Pacers 3-0. In the Eastern Finals, they took out the Minnesota Muskies 4-1 and in the championship, in seven games, the Pipers outlasted the New Orleans Buccaneers 4-games-to-3. The Pipers were good. real good. In fact, they might have been good enough to qualify for the NBA playoffs. They were led by a budding superstar - Connie Hawkins. Blackballed by the NBA for his alleged involvement in a point shaving scandal, Hawkins was named the ABA's regualr season MVP and playoff's MVP. He averaged 26.8 ppg during the regular season and 29.9 ppg in the playoffs. Of course, later in hi career, he was finally granted entry into the NBA where he continued to excel and was ultimately elected into the Pro Basketball Hall of Fame. Back to the Pipers. Despite winning the East, the team's fanbase was minimal at best. So, the Pipers, after just one year in Pittsburgh, packed up and headed north to Minneapolis. The Muskies left for Florida. Ironically, the Muskies couldn't draw fans and the Pipers, after relocating to Minnesota, couldn't draw fans in Minneapolis either. So, they packed up and headed back to Pittsburgh. Without a doubt, the Pipers had quite a unique history and on this episode of Sports' Forgotten Heroes, basketball historian and author Mark Whited stops by for a lively discussion about the Pipers, the ABA and Connie Hawkins.
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