EPISODE SUMMARY

It was December of 1924 when Big Jim Thorpe of the NFL’s Rock Island Independents decided to escape the harsh, frigid weather of northern Illinois for a post-season gridiron tour of several southern states. The idea seemed promising. Most of his Rock Island teammates would join Thorpe for a leisurely trip to Texas (and beyond) for a series of games against the locals in each of many cities. It would be both relaxing and an opportunity to meander through several warm locations, with a grand finale in tropical Havana, Cuba. Most important, it would be a great opportunity for Thorpe and the players to earn some easy money by playing the game they loved before thousands of adoring fans eager to sample the unknown world (at the time) of professional football!

Unfortunately, none of those promising and attractive ideals came to fruition, except the tour itself…

Read the entire episode blog post and check out some other cool info regarding this episode here.

WHEN FOOTBALL WAS FOOTBALL BACKGROUND

Each episode takes the listener back to the very early days of the National Football League. Author Joe Ziemba will share a forgotten or lost story from one of the NFL’s two oldest teams: The Bears and the Cardinals. Team championships, individual exploits, or long-buried items of interest from the earliest years of the NFL will be dusted off and resurrected for the listener.

Not for the football faint-of-heart since these programs will document when the struggling Bears nearly went out of business or when Cardinals’ players earned $15 a game and were proud of it! It’s NFL history—with a twist!. See Joe's books below.

Cadets, Canons, and Legends: The Football History of Morgan Park Military Academy

When Football Was Football: The Chicago Cardinals and the Birth of the NFL

Music for the episode - https://www.purple-planet.com/

WHEN FOOTBALL WAS FOOTBALL HOME PAGE

EPISODE SUMMARY

Throughout the history of professional football, every so often you might notice a club roster that is so strong, so impressive, and so very talented, that you just could not anticipate anything less than total success for that specific team.

This may have been the case with the 1931 Chicago Bears, a squad that featured no less than four future Hall of Famers in Red Grange, Bronko Nagurski, Link Lyman, and George Trafton. Despite this wealth of talent, the Bears stumbled to a good, but not great, 8-5 record, finishing in just third place in the final standings of the National Football League. This was before the league was divided into two divisions and there was no playoff system in effect, so that last game was indeed the end of the season......

Read the entire episode blog post and check out some other cool info regarding this episode here.

WHEN FOOTBALL WAS FOOTBALL BACKGROUND

Each episode takes the listener back to the very early days of the National Football League. Author Joe Ziemba will share a forgotten or lost story from one of the NFL’s two oldest teams: The Bears and the Cardinals. Team championships, individual exploits, or long-buried items of interest from the earliest years of the NFL will be dusted off and resurrected for the listener.

Not for the football faint-of-heart since these programs will document when the struggling Bears nearly went out of business or when Cardinals’ players earned $15 a game and were proud of it! It’s NFL history—with a twist!. See Joe's books below.

Cadets, Canons, and Legends: The Football History of Morgan Park Military Academy

When Football Was Football: The Chicago Cardinals and the Birth of the NFL

Music for the episode - https://www.purple-planet.com/

EPISODE SUMMARY

Since the Arizona Cardinals are the NFL’s oldest team, with roots extending back to 1899, there are many examples of unusual plays, strange accomplishments, and perhaps odd statistics! Most of this stuff has been relegated to history, and remains hidden on yellowed newspapers or dusty microfilm. In other words, once the game or experience is over, we’re likely never to hear about these occurrences again.

As the months and years pass, the information becomes buried, if not simply forgotten. And many of these brief situations that were once in the spotlight soon completely fade, and probably deserve that fate!

Read the entire episode blog post and check out some other cool info regarding this episode here.

WHEN FOOTBALL WAS FOOTBALL BACKGROUND

Each episode takes the listener back to the very early days of the National Football League. Author Joe Ziemba will share a forgotten or lost story from one of the NFL’s two oldest teams: The Bears and the Cardinals. Team championships, individual exploits, or long-buried items of interest from the earliest years of the NFL will be dusted off and resurrected for the listener.

Not for the football faint-of-heart since these programs will document when the struggling Bears nearly went out of business or when Cardinals’ players earned $15 a game and were proud of it! It’s NFL history—with a twist!. See Joe's books below.

Cadets, Canons, and Legends: The Football History of Morgan Park Military Academy

When Football Was Football: The Chicago Cardinals and the Birth of the NFL

Music for the episode - https://www.purple-planet.com/

EPISODE SUMMARY

As usual during the staging of the Summer Olympics, numerous stars are born, discovered, and revered forever based on their gold-medal winning performances. World-wide coverage of the numerous events is eagerly followed by millions and many of the champions quickly become household names. Recognition, riches, and honor quickly follow, although not necessarily in that order!

But did you know that a member of the Chicago Cardinals football team was once an Olympic gold medal winner?

Of course, you might think that this would certainly be the great Jim Thorpe, a Cardinal for just one game in 1928, since he won the gold medal in both the decathlon and the pentathlon at the 1912 Stockholm Olympics. But that would be too obvious…

Later, halfback/sprinter Ollie Matson of the Cardinals grabbed both bronze and silver medals while representing the United States during the 1952 Olympics in Helsinki. Lots of well-deserved medals for Ollie, but no gold…

Yet there was one other Cardinal who achieved Olympic fame when he was the gold medalist in the decathlon at the 1932 Los Angeles Olympics. Thousands cheered him, Knute Rockne once called him “the greatest,” but very few today have ever heard his name.......

Read the entire episode blog post and check out some other cool info regarding this episode here.

WHEN FOOTBALL WAS FOOTBALL BACKGROUND

Each episode takes the listener back to the very early days of the National Football League. Author Joe Ziemba will share a forgotten or lost story from one of the NFL’s two oldest teams: The Bears and the Cardinals. Team championships, individual exploits, or long-buried items of interest from the earliest years of the NFL will be dusted off and resurrected for the listener.

Not for the football faint-of-heart since these programs will document when the struggling Bears nearly went out of business or when Cardinals’ players earned $15 a game and were proud of it! It’s NFL history—with a twist!. See Joe's books below.

Cadets, Canons, and Legends: The Football History of Morgan Park Military Academy

When Football Was Football: The Chicago Cardinals and the Birth of the NFL

Music for the episode - https://www.purple-planet.com/

EPISODE SUMMARY

This episode covers some of the greatest moments in Paddy Driscoll's career.

Read the entire episode blog post and check out some other cool info regarding this episode here.

WHEN FOOTBALL WAS FOOTBALL BACKGROUND

Each episode takes the listener back to the very early days of the National Football League. Author Joe Ziemba will share a forgotten or lost story from one of the NFL’s two oldest teams: The Bears and the Cardinals. Team championships, individual exploits, or long-buried items of interest from the earliest years of the NFL will be dusted off and resurrected for the listener.

Not for the football faint-of-heart since these programs will document when the struggling Bears nearly went out of business or when Cardinals’ players earned $15 a game and were proud of it! It’s NFL history—with a twist!. See Joe's books below.

Cadets, Canons, and Legends: The Football History of Morgan Park Military Academy

When Football Was Football: The Chicago Cardinals and the Birth of the NFL

Music for the episode - https://www.purple-planet.com/

EPISODE SUMMARY

On this episode of “When Football Was Football,” we’ll take a break from covering professional football and journey back to 1937 for a celebration of one of Chicago’s most prominent annual sporting events: the Prep Bowl. Each year, the high school season in the city would conclude with the enormously popular clash between the champions of the Chicago Catholic League and the Chicago Public League. Things have changed over the years, of course, but for decades the Prep Bowl easily garnered one of the largest attendances of any sporting competition in the United States.

Read the entire episode blog post and check out some other cool info regarding this episode here.

WHEN FOOTBALL WAS FOOTBALL BACKGROUND

Each episode takes the listener back to the very early days of the National Football League. Author Joe Ziemba will share a forgotten or lost story from one of the NFL’s two oldest teams: The Bears and the Cardinals. Team championships, individual exploits, or long-buried items of interest from the earliest years of the NFL will be dusted off and resurrected for the listener. Not for the football faint-of-heart since these programs will document when the struggling Bears nearly went out of business or when Cardinals’ players earned $15 a game and were proud of it! It’s NFL history—with a twist!. See Joe's books below.

Cadets, Canons, and Legends: The Football History of Morgan Park Military Academy

When Football Was Football: The Chicago Cardinals and the Birth of the NFL

Music for the episode - https://www.purple-planet.com/

EPISODE SUMMARY

And, you may ask, who is Joseph T. Sternaman?

Sternaman was more commonly known as Joey Sternaman during his professional football playing days from 1922 through 1930. As such, Joey was actually the very first quarterback of the Bears when the team incorporated in Chicago in 1922. He was also the head coach of the Duluth Kelleys in 1923 as well as the player/owner/coach of the short-lived Chicago Bulls in 1926 when that team was a member of the original American Football League. And, for a short time, he was also a part-owner of the Chicago Bears!

Read the entire episode blog post and check out some other cool info regarding this episode here.

WHEN FOOTBALL WAS FOOTBALL BACKGROUND

Each episode takes the listener back to the very early days of the National Football League. Author Joe Ziemba will share a forgotten or lost story from one of the NFL’s two oldest teams: The Bears and the Cardinals. Team championships, individual exploits, or long-buried items of interest from the earliest years of the NFL will be dusted off and resurrected for the listener. Not for the football faint-of-heart since these programs will document when the struggling Bears nearly went out of business or when Cardinals’ players earned $15 a game and were proud of it! It’s NFL history—with a twist!. See Joe's books below.

Cadets, Canons, and Legends: The Football History of Morgan Park Military Academy

When Football Was Football: The Chicago Cardinals and the Birth of the NFL

Music for the episode - https://www.purple-planet.com/

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EPISODE SUMMARY

Cardinals’ fans are familiar with the long, sad story concerning the current championship dry spell for the club that has now stretched into its 76th year. That will be 76 years this fall without an NFL title, the longest such streak in the National Football League, as well as in all professional sports! On this episode of “When Football Was Football” here on the Sports History Network, we’ll travel back to 1948 when the Cardinals franchise achieved its most successful regular season. And, what a season it was!

Read the entire episode blog post and check out some other cool info regarding this episode here.

WHEN FOOTBALL WAS FOOTBALL BACKGROUND

Each episode takes the listener back to the very early days of the National Football League. Author Joe Ziemba will share a forgotten or lost story from one of the NFL’s two oldest teams: The Bears and the Cardinals. Team championships, individual exploits, or long-buried items of interest from the earliest years of the NFL will be dusted off and resurrected for the listener. Not for the football faint-of-heart since these programs will document when the struggling Bears nearly went out of business or when Cardinals’ players earned $15 a game and were proud of it! It’s NFL history—with a twist!. See Joe's books below.

Cadets, Canons, and Legends: The Football History of Morgan Park Military Academy

When Football Was Football: The Chicago Cardinals and the Birth of the NFL

Music for the episode - https://www.purple-planet.com/

EPISODE SUMMARY

Long before we could watch football games on our phones, or talk with our friends using our wrist watch, there was Dick Tracy. On this episode of “When Football Was Football,” we’ll visit the original Dick Tracy, a crime fighting cartoon character whose fame achieved world-wide status thanks to a rather large former lineman from the Chicago Cardinals. We’ll also visit with an enormously successful punt returner for the Cardinals whose brief career, and small stature, in the NFL has been largely forgotten, but whose story remains an inspiration.

When you encounter an NFL player named “Tiny,” your expectations for the story behind that nickname intensify. Was he a big man, or rather a smaller player? Sometimes, nicknames can often go both ways…

Read the entire episode blog post and check out some other cool info regarding this episode here.

WHEN FOOTBALL WAS FOOTBALL BACKGROUND

Each episode takes the listener back to the very early days of the National Football League. Author Joe Ziemba will share a forgotten or lost story from one of the NFL’s two oldest teams: The Bears and the Cardinals. Team championships, individual exploits, or long-buried items of interest from the earliest years of the NFL will be dusted off and resurrected for the listener. Not for the football faint-of-heart since these programs will document when the struggling Bears nearly went out of business or when Cardinals’ players earned $15 a game and were proud of it! It’s NFL history—with a twist!. See Joe's books below.

Cadets, Canons, and Legends: The Football History of Morgan Park Military Academy

When Football Was Football: The Chicago Cardinals and the Birth of the NFL

Music for the episode - https://www.purple-planet.com/

EPISODE SUMMARY

Every so often, we encounter a football story that just screams to be shared. In this episode of “When Football Was Football” we’ll actually discuss a kicker who, believe it or not, boomed 100-yard punts in practice. Sometimes, there are true stories that just cannot be made up…

Such was the case of punter Harry Ghaul, whose startling back story includes the previously mentioned punting skills, but also a hall-of-fame collegiate football career at a major football university. That type of accomplishment is not necessarily unusual in pro football circles where only the best of the best from the college ranks makes it with the NFL big boys. However, the spectacular college career for Harry Ghaul began AFTER his professional time with the Cardinals.

Let’s begin this unique story of Mr. Ghaul who was born on June 4, 1921......

Read the entire episode blog post and check out some other cool info regarding this episode here.

WHEN FOOTBALL WAS FOOTBALL BACKGROUND

Each episode takes the listener back to the very early days of the National Football League. Author Joe Ziemba will share a forgotten or lost story from one of the NFL’s two oldest teams: The Bears and the Cardinals. Team championships, individual exploits, or long-buried items of interest from the earliest years of the NFL will be dusted off and resurrected for the listener. Not for the football faint-of-heart since these programs will document when the struggling Bears nearly went out of business or when Cardinals’ players earned $15 a game and were proud of it! It’s NFL history—with a twist!. See Joe's books below.

Cadets, Canons, and Legends: The Football History of Morgan Park Military Academy

When Football Was Football: The Chicago Cardinals and the Birth of the NFL

Music for the episode - https://www.purple-planet.com/

EPISODE SUMMARY

Stories about unknown or undrafted collegiate players making it big in the NFL, are rare, but always entertaining!

One such case occurred in December of 1953 when Chicago Bears’ assistant coach Clark Shaughnessy was scouting the Blue-Gray all-star game in Montgomery, AL.

A local coach shared that “the best end in this part of the country wasn’t chosen to play in this game.” From the hotel lobby gossip, Shaughnessy learned about a rangy, and unstoppable, big end from Florence State Teachers College (now North Alabama) known as Harlon Hill who was not invited to the game simply because he was from a smaller college. The other coaches who had seen this marvel in person considered Hill a better prospect than any one from the bigger state schools such as Alabama or Auburn.

This guy apparently had super-hero powers on the gridiron and could easily demolish any and all opposition. And yet, during his senior season, with his team running the archaic single wing offense, the talented end captured just 12 passes for 246 yards for the year. By that time, he was a marked man on offense due to his speed and exceptional hands........

Read the entire episode blog post and check out some other cool info regarding this episode here.

WHEN FOOTBALL WAS FOOTBALL BACKGROUND

Each episode takes the listener back to the very early days of the National Football League. Author Joe Ziemba will share a forgotten or lost story from one of the NFL’s two oldest teams: The Bears and the Cardinals. Team championships, individual exploits, or long-buried items of interest from the earliest years of the NFL will be dusted off and resurrected for the listener. Not for the football faint-of-heart since these programs will document when the struggling Bears nearly went out of business or when Cardinals’ players earned $15 a game and were proud of it! It’s NFL history—with a twist!. See Joe's books below.

Cadets, Canons, and Legends: The Football History of Morgan Park Military Academy

When Football Was Football: The Chicago Cardinals and the Birth of the NFL

Music for the episode - https://www.purple-planet.com/

EPISODE SUMMARY

Who is Art Folz, and why is he one of the most notorious villains in NFL history that you never heard about?

On this episode of “When Football Was Football” we’ll introduce you to Mr. Folz who was banned from the NFL for his unwitting attempt to be helpful, but then became the godfather of stock car racing in Chicago, and later a successful newspaper publisher. It’s a complicated story, but one that demonstrates the importance of not being in the wrong place at the wrong time! During his NFL career, Mr. Folz, unfortunately, was in the wrong place at the wrong time and was banned for life. What the heck did he do?

Let’s start at the beginning…

Read the entire episode blog post and check out some other cool info regarding this episode here.

WHEN FOOTBALL WAS FOOTBALL BACKGROUND

Each episode takes the listener back to the very early days of the National Football League. Author Joe Ziemba will share a forgotten or lost story from one of the NFL’s two oldest teams: The Bears and the Cardinals. Team championships, individual exploits, or long-buried items of interest from the earliest years of the NFL will be dusted off and resurrected for the listener. Not for the football faint-of-heart since these programs will document when the struggling Bears nearly went out of business or when Cardinals’ players earned $15 a game and were proud of it! It’s NFL history—with a twist!. See Joe's books below.

Cadets, Canons, and Legends: The Football History of Morgan Park Military Academy

When Football Was Football: The Chicago Cardinals and the Birth of the NFL

Music for the episode - https://www.purple-planet.com/

EPISODE SUMMARY

The episode recounts the story of World War II hero Edward "Butch" O'Hare and his gangster-affiliated father. Butch O'Hare, an American naval aviator, displayed extraordinary courage and skill by single-handedly taking down five enemy bombers threatening his ship, the USS Lexington, an act that earned him the Medal of Honor in 1942.

His father, Edward O'Hare, despite being a lawyer and one of the directors of the Chicago Cardinals football team in the 1930s, was also a partner of infamous gangster Al Capone. Edward was murdered in what appeared to be a mob hit in 1939, but was later revealed to have secretly helped the government convict Capone on tax evasion charges.

Butch O'Hare's untimely death came in 1943 when he was lost in aerial combat. His heroism and legacy are commemorated in the naming of the O'Hare International Airport in Chicago.

Read the entire episode blog post and check out some other cool info regarding this episode here.

WHEN FOOTBALL WAS FOOTBALL BACKGROUND

Each episode takes the listener back to the very early days of the National Football League. Author Joe Ziemba will share a forgotten or lost story from one of the NFL’s two oldest teams: The Bears and the Cardinals. Team championships, individual exploits, or long-buried items of interest from the earliest years of the NFL will be dusted off and resurrected for the listener. Not for the football faint-of-heart since these programs will document when the struggling Bears nearly went out of business or when Cardinals’ players earned $15 a game and were proud of it! It’s NFL history—with a twist!. See Joe's books below.

Cadets, Canons, and Legends: The Football History of Morgan Park Military Academy

When Football Was Football: The Chicago Cardinals and the Birth of the NFL

Music for the episode - https://www.purple-planet.com/

From a personal standpoint, I truly love the game of football…and to write about it. At times, it’s easy to slip back in time during my research of pro football topics to be captivated by some obscure player or fact from the history of the game itself. A few minutes searching for verification on a specific topic can quickly turn into hours as the stories and legends seem to spin off and blossom. One of these obscure searches was prompted by my interest in determining the identity of the youngest player to ever play in the National Football League and I’ll share that discovery on this episode of “When Football Was Football” here on the Sports History Network.

EPISODE SUMMARY

This episode covers some of the greatest moments in Chicago Cardinal Christmas history.

Read the entire episode blog post and check out some other cool info regarding this episode here.

WHEN FOOTBALL WAS FOOTBALL BACKGROUND

Each episode takes the listener back to the very early days of the National Football League. Author Joe Ziemba will share a forgotten or lost story from one of the NFL’s two oldest teams: The Bears and the Cardinals. Team championships, individual exploits, or long-buried items of interest from the earliest years of the NFL will be dusted off and resurrected for the listener. Not for the football faint-of-heart since these programs will document when the struggling Bears nearly went out of business or when Cardinals’ players earned $15 a game and were proud of it! It’s NFL history—with a twist!. See Joe's books below.

Cadets, Canons, and Legends: The Football History of Morgan Park Military Academy

When Football Was Football: The Chicago Cardinals and the Birth of the NFL

Music for the episode - https://www.purple-planet.com/

Join us at the Pigskin Dispatch website and the Sports Jersey Dispatch to see even more Positive football news! Sign up to get daily football history headlines in your email inbox @ Email-subscriber

Miss our football by the day of the year podcasts, well don't, because they can still be found at the Pigskin Dispatch website.

Mentioned in this episode:

Sports History Theme Song

This theme song was produced by Ron "Tyke" Oliver of Music Meets Sportz https://sites.google.com/view/sportsfanztastic/sports-history-network?authuser=0

EPISODE SUMMARY

On November 6, 1927, a few thousand of his closest friends gathered to honor Chicago Cardinals’ lineman Willis Brennan. But Willis Brennan was much more than a football player. In fact, if you consider some of the landmark events of Chicago in the 1920s, chances are Willis Brennan was there…such as the birth of the NFL in 1920, Red Grange’s first professional game in 1925, the infamous Leopold-Loeb murder case, and the gang wars on the south side of Chicago. For Brennan was not only a respected gridiron giant, he was also one of Chicago’s finest.....

Read the entire episode blog post and check out some other cool info regarding this episode here.

WHEN FOOTBALL WAS FOOTBALL BACKGROUND

Each episode takes the listener back to the very early days of the National Football League. Author Joe Ziemba will share a forgotten or lost story from one of the NFL’s two oldest teams: The Bears and the Cardinals. Team championships, individual exploits, or long-buried items of interest from the earliest years of the NFL will be dusted off and resurrected for the listener. Not for the football faint-of-heart since these programs will document when the struggling Bears nearly went out of business or when Cardinals’ players earned $15 a game and were proud of it! It’s NFL history—with a twist!. See Joe's books below.

Cadets, Canons, and Legends: The Football History of Morgan Park Military Academy

When Football Was Football: The Chicago Cardinals and the Birth of the NFL

Music for the episode - https://www.purple-planet.com/

EPISODE SUMMARY

Before player drafts, salary caps, and heck, even before the National Football League, we had the Cardinals! On this episode of “When Football Was Football,” we’ll chronicle the very first season of the NFL’s oldest team—the Arizona Cardinals. Along the way, we’ll discover some surprising facts about the early activities of the club.

Back in 1899, things were different in the virtually unknown world of pro football. Rules were different, rosters were unsettled, and player payments were both sparse and irregular.

But it was in 1899 that the team we know today as the Arizona Cardinals emerged as a rag-tag neighborhood club that played its first games with no uniforms, very little padding, and certainly minimal recognition. If we were to boldly state that the players played for the love of the game, that statement would be very, very accurate.....

Read the entire episode blog post and check out some other cool info regarding this episode here.

WHEN FOOTBALL WAS FOOTBALL BACKGROUND

Each episode takes the listener back to the very early days of the National Football League. Author Joe Ziemba will share a forgotten or lost story from one of the NFL’s two oldest teams: The Bears and the Cardinals. Team championships, individual exploits, or long-buried items of interest from the earliest years of the NFL will be dusted off and resurrected for the listener. Not for the football faint-of-heart since these programs will document when the struggling Bears nearly went out of business or when Cardinals’ players earned $15 a game and were proud of it! It’s NFL history—with a twist!. See Joe's books below.

Cadets, Canons, and Legends: The Football History of Morgan Park Military Academy

When Football Was Football: The Chicago Cardinals and the Birth of the NFL

Music for the episode - https://www.purple-planet.com/

EPISODE SUMMARY

No one knew it existed. But suddenly, there it was: a dusty, withered document, that brought a quick end to a daring rivalry, disrupted an NFL team’s plans for an economic revival, and may have even saved the NFL. That was then, but six decades later, no one knows where this incredibly valuable manuscript is hiding.

Read the entire episode blog post and check out some other cool info regarding this episode here.

WHEN FOOTBALL WAS FOOTBALL BACKGROUND

Each episode takes the listener back to the very early days of the National Football League. Author Joe Ziemba will share a forgotten or lost story from one of the NFL’s two oldest teams: The Bears and the Cardinals. Team championships, individual exploits, or long-buried items of interest from the earliest years of the NFL will be dusted off and resurrected for the listener. Not for the football faint-of-heart since these programs will document when the struggling Bears nearly went out of business or when Cardinals’ players earned $15 a game and were proud of it! It’s NFL history—with a twist!. See Joe's books below.

Cadets, Canons, and Legends: The Football History of Morgan Park Military Academy

When Football Was Football: The Chicago Cardinals and the Birth of the NFL

Music for the episode - https://www.purple-planet.com/

EPISODE SUMMARY

Bidwill was the founder of the Chicago Bluebirds professional softball team and was also the co-founder of the National Girls Baseball League (NGBL) which began in 1944 with all teams based in Chicago. Many of the games were played at Charley’s own Bidwill Stadium, located at 1975 East 75th Street on the south side of Chicago.

Read the entire episode blog post and check out some other cool info regarding this episode here.

WHEN FOOTBALL WAS FOOTBALL BACKGROUND

Each episode takes the listener back to the very early days of the National Football League. Author Joe Ziemba will share a forgotten or lost story from one of the NFL’s two oldest teams: The Bears and the Cardinals. Team championships, individual exploits, or long-buried items of interest from the earliest years of the NFL will be dusted off and resurrected for the listener. Not for the football faint-of-heart since these programs will document when the struggling Bears nearly went out of business or when Cardinals’ players earned $15 a game and were proud of it! It’s NFL history—with a twist!. See Joe's books below.

Cadets, Canons, and Legends: The Football History of Morgan Park Military Academy

When Football Was Football: The Chicago Cardinals and the Birth of the NFL

Music for the episode - https://www.purple-planet.com/

EPISODE SUMMARY

Remember the infamous “Spygate” scandal from a few years ago? As a reminder, one prominent NFL team was severely penalized for allegedly, and illegally, filming another team’s defensive signals from an on-field camera during a game, thus offering the offending club a significant offensive advantage.

On this episode of “When Football Was Football” we’ll dance around the “Spygate” scandal from 2007-2008 and zoom back to one of the original NFL spying controversies in 1934. Back in 1934, this particular scandal involved the Chicago Bears and the Chicago Cardinals, the only two remaining original league members.

Things could certainly be tough when two NFL teams who really didn’t like each other were not only in the same town, but also for a time, shared the same field! Such was the case for the Bears and the Cardinals during the 1930s.

Although the teams traditionally operated out of the north side (Bears) and the south side (Cardinals), both clubs counted Wrigley Field as their home base beginning in 1931. During this program of “When Football Was Football,” we’ll examine not only the unusual scheduling procedures that were in place when two NFL teams shared the same field, but also how the close-knit atmosphere contributed to growing suspicions of “spying” between the two local squads.

Read the entire episode blog post and check out some other cool info regarding this episode here.

WHEN FOOTBALL WAS FOOTBALL BACKGROUND

Each episode takes the listener back to the very early days of the National Football League. Author Joe Ziemba will share a forgotten or lost story from one of the NFL’s two oldest teams: The Bears and the Cardinals. Team championships, individual exploits, or long-buried items of interest from the earliest years of the NFL will be dusted off and resurrected for the listener. Not for the football faint-of-heart since these programs will document when the struggling Bears nearly went out of business or when Cardinals’ players earned $15 a game and were proud of it! It’s NFL history—with a twist!. See Joe's books below.

Cadets, Canons, and Legends: The Football History of Morgan Park Military Academy

When Football Was Football: The Chicago Cardinals and the Birth of the NFL

Music for the episode - https://www.purple-planet.com/

EPISODE SUMMARY

In this episode of “When Football Was Football” we’ll look back at a battle between the two rivals that has largely been erased from the record books despite the game being played under the lights on Wednesday, October 17, 1934 at State Fair Park in Milwaukee, WI.

Read the entire episode blog post and check out some other cool info regarding this episode here.

WHEN FOOTBALL WAS FOOTBALL BACKGROUND

Each episode takes the listener back to the very early days of the National Football League. Author Joe Ziemba will share a forgotten or lost story from one of the NFL’s two oldest teams: The Bears and the Cardinals. Team championships, individual exploits, or long-buried items of interest from the earliest years of the NFL will be dusted off and resurrected for the listener. Not for the football faint-of-heart since these programs will document when the struggling Bears nearly went out of business or when Cardinals’ players earned $15 a game and were proud of it! It’s NFL history—with a twist!. See Joe's books below.

Cadets, Canons, and Legends: The Football History of Morgan Park Military Academy

When Football Was Football: The Chicago Cardinals and the Birth of the NFL

Music for the episode - https://www.purple-planet.com/

EPISODE SUMMARY

In this episode of “When Football Was Football,” we’ll look closely at the arrival of the original Chicago Bulls back in 1926. Unlike the NBA champions of almost 70 years later, these Bulls were formed to participate as members of the newly formed American Football League. And the creation of that team sent shock waves through the existing pro football establishment in Chicago.

Read the entire episode blog post and check out some other cool info regarding this episode here.

WHEN FOOTBALL WAS FOOTBALL BACKGROUND

Each episode takes the listener back to the very early days of the National Football League. Author Joe Ziemba will share a forgotten or lost story from one of the NFL’s two oldest teams: The Bears and the Cardinals. Team championships, individual exploits, or long-buried items of interest from the earliest years of the NFL will be dusted off and resurrected for the listener. Not for the football faint-of-heart since these programs will document when the struggling Bears nearly went out of business or when Cardinals’ players earned $15 a game and were proud of it! It’s NFL history—with a twist!. See Joe's books below.

Cadets, Canons, and Legends: The Football History of Morgan Park Military Academy

When Football Was Football: The Chicago Cardinals and the Birth of the NFL

Music for the episode - https://www.purple-planet.com/

EPISODE SUMMARY

Something didn’t look right…

It was the morning of December 28, 1947, 75 years ago today, and both the Philadelphia Eagles and the Chicago Cardinals were preparing for their eagerly awaited NFL title game at Comiskey Park in Chicago.

Despite the presence of 18 tons of hay being used to cover the field in the week before the game, the turf had quickly become frozen overnight once the hay was removed the day before. After surveying the scene prior to the game, Cardinals coach Jimmy Conzelman ordered his players to wear gym shoes, to hopefully secure better traction on the field. Would that work on the frozen tundra more commonly known as the south side of Chicago?

Read the entire episode blog post and check out some other cool info regarding this episode here.

WHEN FOOTBALL WAS FOOTBALL BACKGROUND

Each episode takes the listener back to the very early days of the National Football League. Author Joe Ziemba will share a forgotten or lost story from one of the NFL’s two oldest teams: The Bears and the Cardinals. Team championships, individual exploits, or long-buried items of interest from the earliest years of the NFL will be dusted off and resurrected for the listener. Not for the football faint-of-heart since these programs will document when the struggling Bears nearly went out of business or when Cardinals’ players earned $15 a game and were proud of it! It’s NFL history—with a twist!. See Joe's books below.

Cadets, Canons, and Legends: The Football History of Morgan Park Military Academy

When Football Was Football: The Chicago Cardinals and the Birth of the NFL

Music for the episode - https://www.purple-planet.com/

Join us at the Pigskin Dispatch website and the Sports Jersey Dispatch to see even more Positive football news! Sign up to get daily football history headlines in your email inbox @ Email-subscriber

Miss our football by the day of the year podcasts, well don't, because they can still be found at the Pigskin Dispatch website.

Mentioned in this episode:

Sports History Theme Song

This theme song was produced by Ron "Tyke" Oliver of Music Meets Sportz https://sites.google.com/view/sportsfanztastic/sports-history-network?authuser=0

EPISODE SUMMARY

As we continue our tribute to the 1947 Chicago Cardinals NFL championship, we head back to December 27, 1947, the day before the title game with the Philadelphia Eagles at Comiskey Park in Chicago.

Absolutely no one gave the Eagles a chance in this game, except, perhaps Cardinals’ coach Jimmy Conzelman who was overly cautious in his approach to the title contest: “We keep hearing that we’re two-touchdowns better. That’s all out of line.

Anybody who saw the Eagles beat Pittsburgh last Sunday knows that they should not be a two-touchdown underdog to any team. That Steve Van Buren is a terrific runner, give him an inch and he’ll go all the way.

And their passer, Tommy Thompson, has a better percentage of completions than our Paul Christman. How can people say those things, that we’re so much better?”

Read the entire episode blog post and check out some other cool info regarding this episode here.

WHEN FOOTBALL WAS FOOTBALL BACKGROUND

Each episode takes the listener back to the very early days of the National Football League. Author Joe Ziemba will share a forgotten or lost story from one of the NFL’s two oldest teams: The Bears and the Cardinals. Team championships, individual exploits, or long-buried items of interest from the earliest years of the NFL will be dusted off and resurrected for the listener. Not for the football faint-of-heart since these programs will document when the struggling Bears nearly went out of business or when Cardinals’ players earned $15 a game and were proud of it! It’s NFL history—with a twist!. See Joe's books below.

Cadets, Canons, and Legends: The Football History of Morgan Park Military Academy

When Football Was Football: The Chicago Cardinals and the Birth of the NFL

Music for the episode - https://www.purple-planet.com/

Join us at the Pigskin Dispatch website and the Sports Jersey Dispatch to see even more Positive football news! Sign up to get daily football history headlines in your email inbox @ Email-subscriber

Miss our football by the day of the year podcasts, well don't, because they can still be found at the Pigskin Dispatch website.

Mentioned in this episode:

Sports History Theme Song

This theme song was produced by Ron "Tyke" Oliver of Music Meets Sportz https://sites.google.com/view/sportsfanztastic/sports-history-network?authuser=0

Join us at the Pigskin Dispatch website and the Sports Jersey Dispatch to see even more Positive football news! Sign up to get daily football history headlines in your email inbox @ Email-subscriber

Miss our football by the day of the year podcasts, well don't, because they can still be found at the Pigskin Dispatch website.

Mentioned in this episode:

Sports History Theme Song

This theme song was produced by Ron "Tyke" Oliver of Music Meets Sportz https://sites.google.com/view/sportsfanztastic/sports-history-network?authuser=0

EPISODE SUMMARY

They called them “Cinderellas”—a couple of previously woebegone National Football League teams that had never been to the big ball-- more commonly known as the NFL Championship game. Since the NFL staged its first “playoff” in 1932—due to a tie in the standings—neither the Philadelphia Eagles nor the Chicago Cardinals had ventured into the annual battle for pro football’s top prize. By 1933, the separation of league clubs by division led to the natural creation of a yearly skirmish for the overall NFL title.....

Read the entire episode blog post and check out some other cool info regarding this episode here.

WHEN FOOTBALL WAS FOOTBALL BACKGROUND

Each episode takes the listener back to the very early days of the National Football League. Author Joe Ziemba will share a forgotten or lost story from one of the NFL’s two oldest teams: The Bears and the Cardinals. Team championships, individual exploits, or long-buried items of interest from the earliest years of the NFL will be dusted off and resurrected for the listener. Not for the football faint-of-heart since these programs will document when the struggling Bears nearly went out of business or when Cardinals’ players earned $15 a game and were proud of it! It’s NFL history—with a twist!. See Joe's books below.

Cadets, Canons, and Legends: The Football History of Morgan Park Military Academy

When Football Was Football: The Chicago Cardinals and the Birth of the NFL

Music for the episode - https://www.purple-planet.com/

EPISODE SUMMARY

It was a long week—and a long wait—for the Chicago Cardinals as the club waited for an Eastern Division playoff result to determine which team would play the Cardinals for the 1947 NFL championship.

And now, 75 years ago to the day, we continue our mini-series on the 1947 Chicago Cardinals championship quest here on the Sports History Network. After handily defeating the Chicago Bears 30-21 on December 14 to grab the Western Division title, the Cardinals learned that Pittsburgh and Philadelphia were deadlocked atop the Eastern Division and the aforementioned playoff would be held in Pittsburgh on December 21......

Read the entire episode blog post and check out some other cool info regarding this episode here.

GET A 7-DAY FREE TRIAL TO NEWSPAPERS.COM TO LEARN MORE ABOUT THIS TOPIC AND MANY MORE SPORTS HISTORY MOMENTS FROM THE TIMEFRAME OF WHEN THEY OCCURRED.

WHEN FOOTBALL WAS FOOTBALL BACKGROUND

Each episode takes the listener back to the very early days of the National Football League. Author Joe Ziemba will share a forgotten or lost story from one of the NFL’s two oldest teams: The Bears and the Cardinals. Team championships, individual exploits, or long-buried items of interest from the earliest years of the NFL will be dusted off and resurrected for the listener. Not for the football faint-of-heart since these programs will document when the struggling Bears nearly went out of business or when Cardinals’ players earned $15 a game and were proud of it! It’s NFL history—with a twist!. See Joe's books below.

Cadets, Canons, and Legends: The Football History of Morgan Park Military Academy

When Football Was Football: The Chicago Cardinals and the Birth of the NFL

Music for the episode - https://www.purple-planet.com/

EPISODE SUMMARY

How does a team adequately prepare for an NFL title game? Even more, so, how does a club prepare itself for the biggest game of the season when the name of the opposition is not yet known?

Such was the case for the Chicago Cardinals 75 years ago today on December 18, 1947. As the winners of the Western Division of the National Football League after a stirring 30-21 win over the Chicago Bears, the Cardinals were forced into an idle period of two weeks prior to the title game due to the Eastern Division winner of the NFL still needing to be determined.....

Read the entire episode blog post and check out some other cool info regarding this episode here.

WHEN FOOTBALL WAS FOOTBALL BACKGROUND

Each episode takes the listener back to the very early days of the National Football League. Author Joe Ziemba will share a forgotten or lost story from one of the NFL’s two oldest teams: The Bears and the Cardinals. Team championships, individual exploits, or long-buried items of interest from the earliest years of the NFL will be dusted off and resurrected for the listener. Not for the football faint-of-heart since these programs will document when the struggling Bears nearly went out of business or when Cardinals’ players earned $15 a game and were proud of it! It’s NFL history—with a twist!. See Joe's books below.

Cadets, Canons, and Legends: The Football History of Morgan Park Military Academy

When Football Was Football: The Chicago Cardinals and the Birth of the NFL

Music for the episode - https://www.purple-planet.com/

EPISODE SUMMARY

With all of the hype now delivered and the big day finally arriving, we’ll take you back to December 14, 1947 when the Bears and the Cardinals met in Chicago to determine the NFL’s Western Division championship. It had already been an unusual decade for both teams. Each organization survived the horrors of World War II and moved forward to this glorious day. For the Bears, another appearance in a championship game was expected. After all, the team under George Halas had already captured four NFL titles during the 1940s.....

Read the entire episode blog post and check out some other cool info regarding this episode here.

WHEN FOOTBALL WAS FOOTBALL BACKGROUND

Each episode takes the listener back to the very early days of the National Football League. Author Joe Ziemba will share a forgotten or lost story from one of the NFL’s two oldest teams: The Bears and the Cardinals. Team championships, individual exploits, or long-buried items of interest from the earliest years of the NFL will be dusted off and resurrected for the listener. Not for the football faint-of-heart since these programs will document when the struggling Bears nearly went out of business or when Cardinals’ players earned $15 a game and were proud of it! It’s NFL history—with a twist!. See Joe's books below.

Cadets, Canons, and Legends: The Football History of Morgan Park Military Academy

When Football Was Football: The Chicago Cardinals and the Birth of the NFL

Music for the episode - https://www.purple-planet.com/

EPISODE SUMMARY

With the NFL Western Division title on the line, both the Bears and the Cardinals continued their pre-game preparations for that upcoming contest 75 years ago today. By Saturday, December 13, 1947, both teams were confident in their game plans and overall preparation for the battle to be held on December 14 at Wrigley Field in Chicago. With both clubs checking in with 8-3 records, only the winner would move forward to the upcoming NFL championship clash against the still-unknown Eastern Division champ......

Read the entire episode blog post and check out some other cool info regarding this episode here.

WHEN FOOTBALL WAS FOOTBALL BACKGROUND

Each episode takes the listener back to the very early days of the National Football League. Author Joe Ziemba will share a forgotten or lost story from one of the NFL’s two oldest teams: The Bears and the Cardinals. Team championships, individual exploits, or long-buried items of interest from the earliest years of the NFL will be dusted off and resurrected for the listener. Not for the football faint-of-heart since these programs will document when the struggling Bears nearly went out of business or when Cardinals’ players earned $15 a game and were proud of it! It’s NFL history—with a twist!. See Joe's books below.

Cadets, Canons, and Legends: The Football History of Morgan Park Military Academy

When Football Was Football: The Chicago Cardinals and the Birth of the NFL

Music for the episode - https://www.purple-planet.com/

Join us at the Pigskin Dispatch website and the Sports Jersey Dispatch to see even more Positive football news! Sign up to get daily football history headlines in your email inbox @ Email-subscriber

Miss our football by the day of the year podcasts, well don't, because they can still be found at the Pigskin Dispatch website.

Mentioned in this episode:

Sports History Theme Song

This theme song was produced by Ron "Tyke" Oliver of Music Meets Sportz https://sites.google.com/view/sportsfanztastic/sports-history-network?authuser=0

EPISODE SUMMARY

As you may recall from our previous episode in this new mini-series that chronicles the 1947 Chicago Cardinals championship run, the Cards had nearly blown their opportunity to contend for the 1947 NFL title.

After compiling a 7-1 record and facing two dreary opponents, the Cardinals shocked the NFL world by dropping two straight to fall behind the Chicago Bears in the western division race. But then, the Cards managed to dispatch the Eagles 45-21 on December 7, 1947, while the Bears were surprised by the Rams. We now move to December 10, 1947 with both teams deadlocked with 8-3 records and with just one game remaining on the schedule…against each other!

Read the entire episode blog post and check out some other cool info regarding this episode here.

WHEN FOOTBALL WAS FOOTBALL BACKGROUND

Each episode takes the listener back to the very early days of the National Football League. Author Joe Ziemba will share a forgotten or lost story from one of the NFL’s two oldest teams: The Bears and the Cardinals. Team championships, individual exploits, or long-buried items of interest from the earliest years of the NFL will be dusted off and resurrected for the listener. Not for the football faint-of-heart since these programs will document when the struggling Bears nearly went out of business or when Cardinals’ players earned $15 a game and were proud of it! It’s NFL history—with a twist!. See Joe's books below.

Cadets, Canons, and Legends: The Football History of Morgan Park Military Academy

When Football Was Football: The Chicago Cardinals and the Birth of the NFL

Music for the episode - https://www.purple-planet.com/

EPISODE SUMMARY

As we kick off our bonus coverage of the 1947 Chicago Cardinals championship run, we begin with a mid-season stumble that nearly cost the Cards any shot at the championship.

Read the entire episode blog post and check out some other cool info regarding this episode here.

WHEN FOOTBALL WAS FOOTBALL BACKGROUND

Each episode takes the listener back to the very early days of the National Football League. Author Joe Ziemba will share a forgotten or lost story from one of the NFL’s two oldest teams: The Bears and the Cardinals. Team championships, individual exploits, or long-buried items of interest from the earliest years of the NFL will be dusted off and resurrected for the listener. Not for the football faint-of-heart since these programs will document when the struggling Bears nearly went out of business or when Cardinals’ players earned $15 a game and were proud of it! It’s NFL history—with a twist!. See Joe's books below.

Cadets, Canons, and Legends: The Football History of Morgan Park Military Academy

When Football Was Football: The Chicago Cardinals and the Birth of the NFL

Music for the episode - https://www.purple-planet.com/

EPISODE SUMMARY

In this episode of “When Football Was Football’” Joe Ziemba previews his latest book, “Bears vs. Cardinals: The NFL’s Oldest Rivalry,” and shares some of the stories that are included within the book.

The recent release of the book by McFarland Publishing coincides with the 75th anniversary of the last NFL championship won by the Cardinals in 1947. As such, Ziemba will also launch of series of podcasts on the Sports History Network looking back at key games and events from December of 1947 to honor that last Cardinals’ title.

Read the entire episode blog post and check out some other cool info regarding this episode here.

WHEN FOOTBALL WAS FOOTBALL BACKGROUND

Each episode takes the listener back to the very early days of the National Football League. Author Joe Ziemba will share a forgotten or lost story from one of the NFL’s two oldest teams: The Bears and the Cardinals. Team championships, individual exploits, or long-buried items of interest from the earliest years of the NFL will be dusted off and resurrected for the listener. Not for the football faint-of-heart since these programs will document when the struggling Bears nearly went out of business or when Cardinals’ players earned $15 a game and were proud of it! It’s NFL history—with a twist!. See Joe's books below.

Cadets, Canons, and Legends: The Football History of Morgan Park Military Academy

When Football Was Football: The Chicago Cardinals and the Birth of the NFL

Music for the episode - https://www.purple-planet.com/

Join us at the Pigskin Dispatch website and the Sports Jersey Dispatch to see even more Positive football news! Sign up to get daily football history headlines in your email inbox @ Email-subscriber

Miss our football by the day of the year podcasts, well don't because they can still be found at the Pigskin Dispatch website.

Mentioned in this episode:

Sports History Theme Song

This theme song was produced by Ron "Tyke" Oliver of Music Meets Sportz https://sites.google.com/view/sportsfanztastic/sports-history-network?authuser=0

Orville Mulligan: Sports Writer is sent to cover the Pitt-Penn State “Keystone Classic” of 1924; in so doing, he discovers a throughline of the football-on-Thanksgiving tradition going back to 1621 (okay, actually, that’s going back to 1869) and reminds us that high-level football games on Thanksgiving are nearly as old as the official Thanksgiving holiday itself.  

Orville Mulligan: Sports Writer is an audio drama podcast from Number 80 Productions and the Sports History Network.

Thanksgiving and Football (or maybe Vice Versa) script & story by Os Davis.

Orville Mulligan: Sports Writer stars Doug Fye, Ilona Fye, and Eric Bodwell. Thanksgiving and Football (or maybe Vice Versa) co-stars, in order of appearance, Caedmon Holland, Forrest Hartl and Wayne Brett.

Additional direction by Eric Bodwell. Sound recording and primary editing by Don McIver.

The theme song of Orville Mulligan: Sports Writer is “the Dayton Triangles Rag” and was arranged and performed by Bruce Smith. 

Other tracks in this episode include

•  “Jazz Club” by Kriss (available through fair-use agreement via FreeMusicArchive.org);

•  “Litany of the Street” by Silverman Sound Studios;

•  “Bimini Bay” (1921) by the Benson Orchestra of Chicago; and

•  “Orville Mulligan: Sports Writer (Outro)” by David Liso of Dynamo Stairs.

Orville Mulligan: Sports Writer is produced by Os Davis and Darin Hayes. Series concept by Darrin Hayes.

Stay tuned for more episodes of Orville Mulligan: Sports Writer – coming soon!

EPISODE SUMMARY

Some may claim that Chicago has a bad reputation…and not necessarily just in football! Much of this aura stems from the glorified gangster days of the 1920s and 1930s when Al Capone and his cohorts ruled the Chicago area underworld. These were not nice people, but Capone attempted to position the reality of his local status by claiming to be just another businessman. He offered help to the needy and opened soup kitchens to help feed the hungry during the early days of the Great Depression......

Read the entire episode blog post and check out some other cool info regarding this episode here.

WHEN FOOTBALL WAS FOOTBALL BACKGROUND

Each episode takes the listener back to the very early days of the National Football League. Author Joe Ziemba will share a forgotten or lost story from one of the NFL’s two oldest teams: The Bears and the Cardinals. Team championships, individual exploits, or long-buried items of interest from the earliest years of the NFL will be dusted off and resurrected for the listener. Not for the football faint-of-heart since these programs will document when the struggling Bears nearly went out of business or when Cardinals’ players earned $15 a game and were proud of it! It’s NFL history—with a twist!. See Joe's books below.

Cadets, Canons, and Legends: The Football History of Morgan Park Military Academy

When Football Was Football: The Chicago Cardinals and the Birth of the NFL

Music for the episode - https://www.purple-planet.com/

EPISODE SUMMARY

Most NFL football games played almost 100 years ago, where two teams with losing records opposed against each other would all but be forgotten by our current generation. Especially when no one famous made a debut or set some kind of long-standing record. A game at Chicago’s Comiskey Park on November 9, 1924, where the Chicago Cardinals hosted the Dayton Triangles is one of those games in this forgotten genre. We at the Sports History Network, just like you, our faithful listeners and readers, love the history of athletics no matter what the case. Hey, this is the Headquarters of Sports Yesteryear, after all!

We found it to be an interesting game because with having SHN partners who are among the top historians of the Triangles (Bruce Smith) and the Cardinals (Joe Ziemba), along with the talented writing and acting crew of Orville Mulligan: Sportswriter, that we can bring back to life this seemingly lost contest of so long ago. Join us in this presentation of NFL history as Darin Hayes of Pigskin Dispatch hosts experts Bruce, Joe, and the Orville Mulligan ensemble to creatively tell the tale of the Dayton at Chicago game of 1924.

Thanks to:

Joe Ziemba of Sports History Network’s, “ When Football was Football Podcast”

Bruce Smith of Sports History Network’s “ “Triangles: The Life and Times of an NFL Original Team”

As well as some of the fine music “Dayton Piano Rag” which was created and performed by Bruce Smith

Special recognition to our actors from Orville Mulligan: Sportswriter audio drama segments are:

FREDDIE CARSON (radio announcer) - Caedmon Holland

ORVILLE - Doug Fye

Also, the great writing and producing of Mr. Os Davis are evident. Find more episodes on SportsHistoryNetwork.com, at OrvilleMulligan.com, or your favorite podcast provider.

Special Thanks to the Football History Dude, Arnie Chapman for allowing us to hijack his feed!

For feedback on this episode contact Darin Hayes at PigskinDispatch@gmail.com

WHEN FOOTBALL WAS FOOTBALL BACKGROUND

Each episode takes the listener back to the very early days of the National Football League. Author Joe Ziemba will share a forgotten or lost story from one of the NFL’s two oldest teams: The Bears and the Cardinals. Team championships, individual exploits, or long-buried items of interest from the earliest years of the NFL will be dusted off and resurrected for the listener. Not for the football faint-of-heart since these programs will document when the struggling Bears nearly went out of business or when Cardinals’ players earned $15 a game and were proud of it! It’s NFL history—with a twist!. See Joe's books below.

Cadets, Canons, and Legends: The Football History of Morgan Park Military Academy

When Football Was Football: The Chicago Cardinals and the Birth of the NFL

Music for the episode - https://www.purple-planet.com/

EPISODE SUMMARY

Tuesday, October 18, 1938, was one of the most unique days in the history of Hammond, IN.

Nestled in the northeast corner of the state, the solidly blue-collar metropolis of Hammond is actually closer to downtown Chicago than many of the windy city’s far-flung suburbs. Yet as close as it resides to Chicago, the two cities are worlds apart.

On this episode of “When Football Was Football,” here on the Sports History Network, we’ll return to that night in Hammond when both George Halas and First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt visited at the same time and both were competing for the attention of the local residents!

Read the entire episode blog post and check out some other cool info regarding this episode here.

WHEN FOOTBALL WAS FOOTBALL BACKGROUND

Each episode takes the listener back to the very early days of the National Football League. Author Joe Ziemba will share a forgotten or lost story from one of the NFL’s two oldest teams: The Bears and the Cardinals. Team championships, individual exploits, or long-buried items of interest from the earliest years of the NFL will be dusted off and resurrected for the listener. Not for the football faint-of-heart since these programs will document when the struggling Bears nearly went out of business or when Cardinals’ players earned $15 a game and were proud of it! It’s NFL history—with a twist!. See Joe's books below.

Cadets, Canons, and Legends: The Football History of Morgan Park Military Academy

When Football Was Football: The Chicago Cardinals and the Birth of the NFL

Music for the episode - https://www.purple-planet.com/

EPISODE SUMMARY

Perhaps the best recollection, in my humble opinion, was a run that Trippi of the Chicago Cardinals made in the 1947 NFL championship game against the Philadelphia Eagles. Working on a frozen field at Chicago’s Comiskey Park, the Cardinals switched to gym shoes before the game in an effort to secure better traction on the unforgiving turf.

Trippi scored twice that day to lead the Cardinals to a 28-21 victory over the Eagles, but it was his dazzling performance on a punt return that left the Philadelphia defenders in a shambles. How bad was the field you may ask? Reporter Art Daley of the Green Bay Gazette wrote: “They [the players] staggered around like 22 drunken men in a dark alley!”

Read the entire episode blog post and check out some other cool info regarding this episode here.

WHEN FOOTBALL WAS FOOTBALL BACKGROUND

Each episode takes the listener back to the very early days of the National Football League. Author Joe Ziemba will share a forgotten or lost story from one of the NFL’s two oldest teams: The Bears and the Cardinals. Team championships, individual exploits, or long-buried items of interest from the earliest years of the NFL will be dusted off and resurrected for the listener. Not for the football faint-of-heart since these programs will document when the struggling Bears nearly went out of business or when Cardinals’ players earned $15 a game and were proud of it! It’s NFL history—with a twist!. See Joe's books below.

Cadets, Canons, and Legends: The Football History of Morgan Park Military Academy

When Football Was Football: The Chicago Cardinals and the Birth of the NFL

Music for the episode - https://www.purple-planet.com/

EPISODE SUMMARY

In the early years of the 20th century before the start of the National Football League, semi-professional football teams could be found in a number of areas, including Chicago. I used the word “semi-pro” because the individuals playing the games were not always guaranteed that they would be paid for their participation. Written contracts were usually non-existent and players generally were secured for each individual contest, rather than locked in for an entire season.

In 1919, the Racine Cardinals (short for the Racine Cardinals Pleasure Club) scratched out a 4-2-2 record in the Chicago area with a roster consisting of a combination of local street players alongside former collegiate athletes. In this episode of “When Football Was Football” we’ll take a peek at those pioneer Cardinals of 1919, the forerunner of today’s Arizona Cardinals, and the energetic teenager named Jack Glynn who basically served as the team’s general manager.

Read the entire episode blog post and check out some other cool info regarding this episode here.

WHEN FOOTBALL WAS FOOTBALL BACKGROUND

Each episode takes the listener back to the very early days of the National Football League. Author Joe Ziemba will share a forgotten or lost story from one of the NFL’s two oldest teams: The Bears and the Cardinals. Team championships, individual exploits, or long-buried items of interest from the earliest years of the NFL will be dusted off and resurrected for the listener. Not for the football faint-of-heart since these programs will document when the struggling Bears nearly went out of business or when Cardinals’ players earned $15 a game and were proud of it! It’s NFL history—with a twist!. See Joe's books below.

Cadets, Canons, and Legends: The Football History of Morgan Park Military Academy

When Football Was Football: The Chicago Cardinals and the Birth of the NFL

Music for the episode - https://www.purple-planet.com/

NETWORK SPONSORS

Row One - the vintage shop for sports history fans!

EPISODE SUMMARY

There were plenty of big names on those clubs from Sid Luckman to Bulldog Turner, to George McAfee, to Joe Stydahar, all of whom eventually found their way into the Pro Football Hall of Fame. And there were several others such as Ken Kavanaugh and Hugh Gallarneau who enjoyed All-Pro seasons while helping the Bears dominate the NFL during the 1940s.

But our subject on this episode of “When Football Was Football” was neither voted into the Hall of Fame, nor was he a regular visitor to the All-Pro squad, although he was named to four Pro Bowls. His name was Raymond Robert Bray or Ray for short. However, those who played with him during those glory years for the Bears simply referred to him as “Muscles.”

Read the entire episode blog post and check out some other cool info regarding this episode here.

WHEN FOOTBALL WAS FOOTBALL BACKGROUND

Each episode takes the listener back to the very early days of the National Football League. Author Joe Ziemba will share a forgotten or lost story from one of the NFL’s two oldest teams: The Bears and the Cardinals. Team championships, individual exploits, or long-buried items of interest from the earliest years of the NFL will be dusted off and resurrected for the listener. Not for the football faint-of-heart since these programs will document when the struggling Bears nearly went out of business or when Cardinals’ players earned $15 a game and were proud of it! It’s NFL history—with a twist!. See Joe's books below.

Cadets, Canons, and Legends: The Football History of Morgan Park Military Academy

When Football Was Football: The Chicago Cardinals and the Birth of the NFL

Music for the episode - https://www.purple-planet.com/

GET YOUR WHEN FOOTBALL WAS FOOTBALL MERCHANDISE AT THE SHOP SPORTS HISTORY STORE

NETWORK SPONSORS

Row One - the vintage shop for sports history fans!

EPISODE SUMMARY

When we think of really big men who have had a positive impact on the National Football League, some familiar names readily come to mind, such as Ed “Too Tall” Jones, William “The Refrigerator” Perry, Gene “Big Daddy” Lipscomb, and many others.

But here in Chicago, a gentleman who was not nearly as large as some of the aforementioned athletes provided a massive contribution to the NFL and may have even saved it! Hugh Light “Shorty” Ray was only 5-5 and 135 pounds, but his dedication, innovation, and persistence helped ease the league into a new era at a time when professional football was still looked upon as the poor stepchild of the collegiate version.

Read the entire episode blog post and check out some other cool info regarding this episode here.

WHEN FOOTBALL WAS FOOTBALL BACKGROUND

Each episode takes the listener back to the very early days of the National Football League. Author Joe Ziemba will share a forgotten or lost story from one of the NFL’s two oldest teams: The Bears and the Cardinals. Team championships, individual exploits, or long-buried items of interest from the earliest years of the NFL will be dusted off and resurrected for the listener. Not for the football faint-of-heart since these programs will document when the struggling Bears nearly went out of business or when Cardinals’ players earned $15 a game and were proud of it! It’s NFL history—with a twist!. See Joe's books below.

Cadets, Canons, and Legends: The Football History of Morgan Park Military Academy

When Football Was Football: The Chicago Cardinals and the Birth of the NFL

Music for the episode - https://www.purple-planet.com/

NETWORK SPONSORS

Row One - the vintage shop for sports history fans!

EPISODE SUMMARY

Every so often, an NFL team strikes gold with a draft choice. In 2022, virtually no stone is left unturned when teams belly up to evaluate potential draftees. Film, personal workouts, sprint times, psychological profiles, and personal interviews are all considered as part of the process to determine which players will be identified as probable draft prospects. After all, big, big money is at stake along with the future success of the selecting team.

But when the draft was initiated in 1936, many of the draftees simply were not interested in pursuing professional football. This prompted teams to begin looking at prospects with a little more scrutiny instead of simply relying on newspapers or football magazines to learn about the top prospects. Or in many cases, a bit of luck was involved…

Less study was required for the Chicago Bears in 1940 when a fairly well-known, although smaller player, was a draft day objective of the team. He was selected as the second pick in the first round of the 1940 draft by the Philadelphia Eagles but eventually enjoyed such a stellar career with the Bears that owner George Halas once said: “The highest compliment you can pay any ball carrier is to just compare him to George McAfee.”

Read the entire episode blog post and check out some other cool info regarding this episode here.

WHEN FOOTBALL WAS FOOTBALL BACKGROUND

Each episode takes the listener back to the very early days of the National Football League. Author Joe Ziemba will share a forgotten or lost story from one of the NFL’s two oldest teams: The Bears and the Cardinals. Team championships, individual exploits, or long-buried items of interest from the earliest years of the NFL will be dusted off and resurrected for the listener. Not for the football faint-of-heart since these programs will document when the struggling Bears nearly went out of business or when Cardinals’ players earned $15 a game and were proud of it! It’s NFL history—with a twist!. See Joe's books below.

Cadets, Canons, and Legends: The Football History of Morgan Park Military Academy

When Football Was Football: The Chicago Cardinals and the Birth of the NFL

Music for the episode - https://www.purple-planet.com/

NETWORK SPONSORS

Row One - the vintage shop for sports history fans!

EPISODE SUMMARY

With electronic, board, and online fantasy games extremely popular for both football and baseball fans, one can imagine the wild matchups that might be possible through these outlets. How would Nolan Ryan pitch to Babe Ruth? Could Ty Cobb fool Bob Gibson on the base path? And would Jim Thorpe have a chance against Dick Butkus, or vice-versa?

Listeners to this program, appropriately called “When Football Was Football,” on the Sports History Network may have figured out by now that I have no life. I’m perfectly content to research the heroics and exploits of key professional football players from a century ago with the wonderful opportunity to share their stories via this platform.

Read the entire episode blog post and check out some other cool info regarding this episode here.

GET A 7-DAY FREE TRIAL TO NEWSPAPERS.COM TO LEARN MORE ABOUT THIS TOPIC AND MANY MORE SPORTS HISTORY MOMENTS FROM THE TIMEFRAME OF WHEN THEY OCCURRED.

WHEN FOOTBALL WAS FOOTBALL BACKGROUND

Each episode takes the listener back to the very early days of the National Football League. Author Joe Ziemba will share a forgotten or lost story from one of the NFL’s two oldest teams: The Bears and the Cardinals. Team championships, individual exploits, or long-buried items of interest from the earliest years of the NFL will be dusted off and resurrected for the listener. Not for the football faint-of-heart since these programs will document when the struggling Bears nearly went out of business or when Cardinals’ players earned $15 a game and were proud of it! It’s NFL history—with a twist!. See Joe's books below.

Cadets, Canons, and Legends: The Football History of Morgan Park Military Academy

When Football Was Football: The Chicago Cardinals and the Birth of the NFL

Music for the episode - https://www.purple-planet.com/

NETWORK SPONSORS

Row One - the vintage shop for sports history fans!

EPISODE SUMMARY

Since the Arizona Cardinals began in 1899, the team has captured just two NFL titles and both were in the pre-Super Bowl era. In fact, the last championship won by the Cards was in 1947, 75 years ago this season. Unfortunately, that is the longest “non-winning” title streak by any professional team in any sport! An even more obscure question might be to identify the coaches of those teams.

While the name of Jimmy Conzelman, who led the Cards to the 1947 title, might be more familiar, especially with his membership in the Pro Football Hall of Fame, recalling the name of the 1925 mentor might be a bit of a challenge.

Read the entire episode blog post and check out some other cool info regarding this episode here.

WHEN FOOTBALL WAS FOOTBALL BACKGROUND

Each episode takes the listener back to the very early days of the National Football League. Author Joe Ziemba will share a forgotten or lost story from one of the NFL’s two oldest teams: The Bears and the Cardinals. Team championships, individual exploits, or long-buried items of interest from the earliest years of the NFL will be dusted off and resurrected for the listener. Not for the football faint-of-heart since these programs will document when the struggling Bears nearly went out of business or when Cardinals’ players earned $15 a game and were proud of it! It’s NFL history—with a twist!. See Joe's books below.

Cadets, Canons, and Legends: The Football History of Morgan Park Military Academy

When Football Was Football: The Chicago Cardinals and the Birth of the NFL

Music for the episode - https://www.purple-planet.com/

NETWORK SPONSORS

Row One - the vintage shop for sports history fans!

EPISODE SUMMARY

In 1950, the Chicago Cardinals faced a challenging coaching predicament. After Jimmy Conzelman retired in 1948 following two straight trips to the NFL championship game, the club named Phil Handler and Buddy Parker as co-head coaches for the 1949 season. That experiment lasted only five games before Handler was booted upstairs while Parker was appointed as the sole head coach......

Read the entire episode blog post and check out some other cool info regarding this episode here.

WHEN FOOTBALL WAS FOOTBALL BACKGROUND

Each episode takes the listener back to the very early days of the National Football League. Author Joe Ziemba will share a forgotten or lost story from one of the NFL’s two oldest teams: The Bears and the Cardinals. Team championships, individual exploits, or long-buried items of interest from the earliest years of the NFL will be dusted off and resurrected for the listener. Not for the football faint-of-heart since these programs will document when the struggling Bears nearly went out of business or when Cardinals’ players earned $15 a game and were proud of it! It’s NFL history—with a twist!. See Joe's books below.

Cadets, Canons, and Legends: The Football History of Morgan Park Military Academy

When Football Was Football: The Chicago Cardinals and the Birth of the NFL

Music for the episode - https://www.purple-planet.com/

NETWORK SPONSORS

Row One - the vintage shop for sports history fans!

EPISODE SUMMARY

As you scroll through the list of NFL head coaches and their overall records throughout history, you’ll find his name last.

Dead last.

But if you check into his brilliant resume and his coaching accomplishments, you’ll discover that this two-time NFL champion may have been one of the most valuable performers in his chosen profession.

His name was Phil Handler and his coaching regimes included some awful head coaching stints balanced by some key unsung assistant roles that helped two different clubs claim NFL championships. In other words, his pertinent value was not always splashed among the headlines of the sports pages, but rather deep in the strategy rooms of the NFL.

Read the entire episode blog post and check out some other cool info regarding this episode here.

WHEN FOOTBALL WAS FOOTBALL BACKGROUND

Each episode takes the listener back to the very early days of the National Football League. Author Joe Ziemba will share a forgotten or lost story from one of the NFL’s two oldest teams: The Bears and the Cardinals. Team championships, individual exploits, or long-buried items of interest from the earliest years of the NFL will be dusted off and resurrected for the listener. Not for the football faint-of-heart since these programs will document when the struggling Bears nearly went out of business or when Cardinals’ players earned $15 a game and were proud of it! It’s NFL history—with a twist!. See Joe's books below.

Cadets, Canons, and Legends: The Football History of Morgan Park Military Academy

When Football Was Football: The Chicago Cardinals and the Birth of the NFL

Music for the episode - https://www.purple-planet.com/

NETWORK SPONSORS

Row One - the vintage shop for sports history fans!

EPISODE SUMMARY

In the long, long history of the Arizona Cardinals, it is interesting to note that in over 120 years, only five team uniform numbers have been retired.

But these guys deserved it…

In this episode of “When Football Was Football” we’ll look back at the accomplishments of those individuals, while focusing on one member of that illustrious club who seems to have been…a bit forgotten.

The retired numbers are those of Marshall Goldberg, who wore #99, J.V. Cain (#88), Stan Maudlin (#77), Larry Wilson (#8) and Pat Tillman (#40). Only Wilson is a member of the Pro Football Hall of Fame, although Goldberg was once a finalist in the senior voting. However, each of these players has made unique contributions to pro football’s oldest team.

Read the entire episode blog post and check out some other cool info regarding this episode here.

WHEN FOOTBALL WAS FOOTBALL BACKGROUND

Each episode takes the listener back to the very early days of the National Football League. Author Joe Ziemba will share a forgotten or lost story from one of the NFL’s two oldest teams: The Bears and the Cardinals. Team championships, individual exploits, or long-buried items of interest from the earliest years of the NFL will be dusted off and resurrected for the listener. Not for the football faint-of-heart since these programs will document when the struggling Bears nearly went out of business or when Cardinals’ players earned $15 a game and were proud of it! It’s NFL history—with a twist!. See Joe's books below.

Cadets, Canons, and Legends: The Football History of Morgan Park Military Academy

When Football Was Football: The Chicago Cardinals and the Birth of the NFL

Music for the episode - https://www.purple-planet.com/

NETWORK SPONSORS

Row One - the vintage shop for sports history fans!

EPISODE SUMMARY

In 1946, the Chicago Bears won still another championship in the National Football League under head coach and owner George Halas. Yet, this was not an ordinary year for both Halas and the Bears. Not only did the team rebound from an ugly 3-7 finish in 1945 to finish with an 8-2-1 title-winning performance in 1946, but Halas and many of his players literally “came back” from lengthy service commitments in World War II.

During this episode of “When Football Was Football” on the Sports History Network, we’ll examine how Halas (and his players) were able to merge back into the NFL after their often-horrific experiences during the war. How does a coach discipline a player who has encountered the challenges of modern warfare and the hopeless brutality that went along with it? And, how does a coach even attempt to establish team rules for mature, former soldiers who might now view the game of football as child’s play after being shot at just months previously?

Read the entire episode blog post and check out some other cool info regarding this episode here.

WHEN FOOTBALL WAS FOOTBALL BACKGROUND

Each episode takes the listener back to the very early days of the National Football League. Author Joe Ziemba will share a forgotten or lost story from one of the NFL’s two oldest teams: The Bears and the Cardinals. Team championships, individual exploits, or long-buried items of interest from the earliest years of the NFL will be dusted off and resurrected for the listener. Not for the football faint-of-heart since these programs will document when the struggling Bears nearly went out of business or when Cardinals’ players earned $15 a game and were proud of it! It’s NFL history—with a twist!. See Joe's books below.

Cadets, Canons, and Legends: The Football History of Morgan Park Military Academy

When Football Was Football: The Chicago Cardinals and the Birth of the NFL

Music for the episode - https://www.purple-planet.com/

NETWORK SPONSORS

Row One - the vintage shop for sports history fans!

EPISODE SUMMARY

George Halas, the founder and also coach of the Chicago Bears for many decades, is remembered for many reasons. He was an exceptional leader on the field who continually kept his club in contention for NFL honors and won several league titles himself. He is recalled as one of the founders of the National Football League, while also remembered as being tough, frugal, and perhaps visionary. Bears fans adored him, Green Bay fans hated him, while Cardinals fans still blame him for forcing their team out of Chicago over 60 years ago!

Read the entire episode blog post and check out some other cool info regarding this episode here.

WHEN FOOTBALL WAS FOOTBALL BACKGROUND

Each episode takes the listener back to the very early days of the National Football League. Author Joe Ziemba will share a forgotten or lost story from one of the NFL’s two oldest teams: The Bears and the Cardinals. Team championships, individual exploits, or long-buried items of interest from the earliest years of the NFL will be dusted off and resurrected for the listener. Not for the football faint-of-heart since these programs will document when the struggling Bears nearly went out of business or when Cardinals’ players earned $15 a game and were proud of it! It’s NFL history—with a twist!. See Joe's books below.

Cadets, Canons, and Legends: The Football History of Morgan Park Military Academy

When Football Was Football: The Chicago Cardinals and the Birth of the NFL

Music for the episode - https://www.purple-planet.com/

NETWORK SPONSORS

Row One - the vintage shop for sports history fans!

EPISODE SUMMARY

Back in 1920, center, George Trafton of the Decatur Staleys was so despised, that the fans of the Rock Island Independents nearly caused a riot trying to crucify him after one game. The reason? Trafton had merely knocked three of the Rock Island players out of the game, cleverly rearranging the betting chances of those same excitable Independents’ followers.

And, many will recall that as the Staleys headed north in 1921 and eventually emerged as the Chicago Bears, Trafton was a fixture in the starting lineup for coach George Halas until 1932, missing only the 1922 season. He was later inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1964, but his reputation always loomed in the background. As one writer once noted: “Trafton was strongly disliked in every city in the NFL except Green Bay and Rock Island. In those places, he was hated!”.......

Read the entire episode blog post and check out some other cool info regarding this episode here.

WHEN FOOTBALL WAS FOOTBALL BACKGROUND

Each episode takes the listener back to the very early days of the National Football League. Author Joe Ziemba will share a forgotten or lost story from one of the NFL’s two oldest teams: The Bears and the Cardinals. Team championships, individual exploits, or long-buried items of interest from the earliest years of the NFL will be dusted off and resurrected for the listener. Not for the football faint-of-heart since these programs will document when the struggling Bears nearly went out of business or when Cardinals’ players earned $15 a game and were proud of it! It’s NFL history—with a twist!. See Joe's books below.

Cadets, Canons, and Legends: The Football History of Morgan Park Military Academy

When Football Was Football: The Chicago Cardinals and the Birth of the NFL

Music for the episode - https://www.purple-planet.com/

NETWORK SPONSORS

Row One - the vintage shop for sports history fans!

EPISODE SUMMARY

Our program today will focus on a pair of brothers who were nationally known for their stardom on the fields of the Ivy League, but who also demonstrated exceptional ability on the professional level with the Chicago Cardinals in the early days of the National Football League. And yet, long after they left this planet, the brothers continued to have a presence at every single game of the NFL, even if no one really knew their name (or any of their names)! This surprising story began way back in the late 19th century when the brothers were born in Chicago......

Read the entire episode blog post and check out some other cool info regarding this episode here.

WHEN FOOTBALL WAS FOOTBALL BACKGROUND

Each episode takes the listener back to the very early days of the National Football League. Author Joe Ziemba will share a forgotten or lost story from one of the NFL’s two oldest teams: The Bears and the Cardinals. Team championships, individual exploits, or long-buried items of interest from the earliest years of the NFL will be dusted off and resurrected for the listener. Not for the football faint-of-heart since these programs will document when the struggling Bears nearly went out of business or when Cardinals’ players earned $15 a game and were proud of it! It’s NFL history—with a twist!. See Joe's books below.

Cadets, Canons, and Legends: The Football History of Morgan Park Military Academy

When Football Was Football: The Chicago Cardinals and the Birth of the NFL

Music for the episode - https://www.purple-planet.com/

NETWORK SPONSORS

Row One - the vintage shop for sports history fans!

EPISODE SUMMARY

This episode of “When Football Was Football” is indeed a special one. Although it is hard to believe, “When Football Was Football” emerged nearly two years ago on the Sports History Network.

As such, the program that you are about to hear is the 50th edition in our efforts to share some unusual stories about the early days of pro football in Chicago. Twice each month, we enter the dusty football archives in search of a forgotten hero, or simply to present another side of a familiar historical person or event. Although it was totally unexpected, we were very honored recently when this podcast was named as one of the eight finalists in the category of “team” podcasts in the global competition presented by the Sports Podcast Awards.

Read the entire episode blog post and check out some other cool info regarding this episode here.

WHEN FOOTBALL WAS FOOTBALL BACKGROUND

Each episode takes the listener back to the very early days of the National Football League. Author Joe Ziemba will share a forgotten or lost story from one of the NFL’s two oldest teams: The Bears and the Cardinals. Team championships, individual exploits, or long-buried items of interest from the earliest years of the NFL will be dusted off and resurrected for the listener. Not for the football faint-of-heart since these programs will document when the struggling Bears nearly went out of business or when Cardinals’ players earned $15 a game and were proud of it! It’s NFL history—with a twist!. See Joe's books below.

Cadets, Canons, and Legends: The Football History of Morgan Park Military Academy

When Football Was Football: The Chicago Cardinals and the Birth of the NFL

Music for the episode - https://www.purple-planet.com/

NETWORK SPONSORS

Row One - the vintage shop for sports history fans!

EPISODE SUMMARY

Billy Cross had heard it all before—that he was too short, too light, and not tough enough for football. Yet he persisted in continually proving his doubters wrong all the way through high school, college, and into the National Football League. Billy Cross stood just 5-6 and weighed a mere 145 pounds when he joined the Chicago Cardinals in 1951—then made an immediate impact on head coach Curly Lambeau.....

Read the entire episode blog post and check out some other cool info regarding this episode here.

WHEN FOOTBALL WAS FOOTBALL BACKGROUND

Each episode takes the listener back to the very early days of the National Football League. Author Joe Ziemba will share a forgotten or lost story from one of the NFL’s two oldest teams: The Bears and the Cardinals. Team championships, individual exploits, or long-buried items of interest from the earliest years of the NFL will be dusted off and resurrected for the listener. Not for the football faint-of-heart since these programs will document when the struggling Bears nearly went out of business or when Cardinals’ players earned $15 a game and were proud of it! It’s NFL history—with a twist!. See Joe's books below.

Cadets, Canons, and Legends: The Football History of Morgan Park Military Academy

When Football Was Football: The Chicago Cardinals and the Birth of the NFL

Music for the episode - https://www.purple-planet.com/

NETWORK SPONSORS

Row One - the vintage shop for sports history fans!

EPISODE SUMMARY

He was an imposing figure, whether tracking down opposing quarterbacks or selling caskets. At 6-8 and approximately 280 pounds, with a high jumper’s athleticism, it’s not difficult to imagine what it was like to play quarterback with this defensive end bearing down on you. His name was Doug Atkins, and after an NFL career that stretched from 1953 to 1969, his portfolio of quotes from terrified quarterbacks combined both respect and humor from those opponents.

Read the entire episode blog post and check out some other cool info regarding this episode here.

WHEN FOOTBALL WAS FOOTBALL BACKGROUND

Each episode takes the listener back to the very early days of the National Football League. Author Joe Ziemba will share a forgotten or lost story from one of the NFL’s two oldest teams: The Bears and the Cardinals. Team championships, individual exploits, or long-buried items of interest from the earliest years of the NFL will be dusted off and resurrected for the listener. Not for the football faint-of-heart since these programs will document when the struggling Bears nearly went out of business or when Cardinals’ players earned $15 a game and were proud of it! It’s NFL history—with a twist!. See Joe's books below.

Cadets, Canons, and Legends: The Football History of Morgan Park Military Academy

When Football Was Football: The Chicago Cardinals and the Birth of the NFL

Music for the episode - https://www.purple-planet.com/

NETWORK SPONSORS

Row One - the vintage shop for sports history fans!

EPISODE SUMMARY

When his coaching career ended almost 95 years ago, he was so successful that he remains today as the NFL’s winningest coach of all time.

He won four NFL titles in six years of coaching.

In those four championship seasons, he piled up a phenomenal 42-2-6 record, and did so with three different teams!

And yet, in his only season with the Chicago Cardinals, he stumbled with his first losing campaign and was fired before the end of the schedule, never to coach again.

In this episode of “When Football Was Football,” we’ll look at the incredible career of Guy Chamberlin, a member of the Pro Football Hall of Fame. While Chamberlin excelled as both a professional player and coach from 1919 through 1927, it was his mysterious departure from the Cardinals in 1927 that deserves a deeper look at this time.

Read the entire episode blog post and check out some other cool info regarding this episode here.

WHEN FOOTBALL WAS FOOTBALL BACKGROUND

Each episode takes the listener back to the very early days of the National Football League. Author Joe Ziemba will share a forgotten or lost story from one of the NFL’s two oldest teams: The Bears and the Cardinals. Team championships, individual exploits, or long-buried items of interest from the earliest years of the NFL will be dusted off and resurrected for the listener. Not for the football faint-of-heart since these programs will document when the struggling Bears nearly went out of business or when Cardinals’ players earned $15 a game and were proud of it! It’s NFL history—with a twist!. See Joe's books below.

Cadets, Canons, and Legends: The Football History of Morgan Park Military Academy

When Football Was Football: The Chicago Cardinals and the Birth of the NFL

Music for the episode - https://www.purple-planet.com/

NETWORK SPONSORS

Row One - the vintage shop for sports history fans!

EPISODE SUMMARY

In professional sports, we have experienced a wide spectrum of clearly memorable nicknames. For example, in baseball, we instantly recognize nicknames like the Babe, Mick, Yogi, and Moose. Moose? Of course, that would be “Moose” Skowron who played for the New York Yankees and the Chicago White Sox among other teams. But what about pro football?

As with baseball, we can often mention one word and it will translate into an image of a well-known player. Try this one: the Refrigerator! We can easily visualize William Perry, the sterling, and rather large, lineman for the Super Bowl champion Chicago Bears in the 1980s. The Refrigerator was known for his immoveable status in the center of the Bears’ defensive line and he also scored a touchdown in the Super Bowl XX victory over the Patriots in January of 1986. So where did Perry earn his infamous nickname? Apparently, while he was a student at Clemson in 1981 Perry was taking his laundry down to the washing machine. When another student had difficulty sliding into the elevator with Perry, the student said: "Man, you're about as big as a refrigerator." The name stuck!

Read the entire episode blog post and check out some other cool info regarding this episode here.

WHEN FOOTBALL WAS FOOTBALL BACKGROUND

Each episode takes the listener back to the very early days of the National Football League. Author Joe Ziemba will share a forgotten or lost story from one of the NFL’s two oldest teams: The Bears and the Cardinals. Team championships, individual exploits, or long-buried items of interest from the earliest years of the NFL will be dusted off and resurrected for the listener. Not for the football faint-of-heart since these programs will document when the struggling Bears nearly went out of business or when Cardinals’ players earned $15 a game and were proud of it! It’s NFL history—with a twist!. See Joe's books below.

Cadets, Canons, and Legends: The Football History of Morgan Park Military Academy

When Football Was Football: The Chicago Cardinals and the Birth of the NFL

Music for the episode - https://www.purple-planet.com/

NETWORK SPONSORS

Row One - the vintage shop for sports history fans!

EPISODE SUMMARY

As we approach the 2022 Super Bowl, one old and familiar name will be missing from the participants: the Cardinals. Again. After a promising start to the 2021 season that sputtered and then ground to a halt in the first round of the playoffs, the Cardinals have ensured that the longest streak without a championship in any professional sport will now stretch into its 75th year. 75 years!

While many fans of the team certainly hoped that the impressive start this year signaled the imminent end of the team’s title drought, fate interceded and crushed those hopes with nary a look back. Very few are still around who personally witnessed the Cardinals' last championship in 1947 yet we can always dip into the history books to experience the heroes and highlights of that long-ago victory over the Philadelphia Eagles on December 28, 1947.

In a past episode of “When Football Was Football,” we covered that title contest but as we near the conclusion of still another NFL season without a Cardinals’ championship, we’ll peek behind the curtain from another direction and share the Philadelphia side of that famous battle. The result of that long ago contest will remain the same: the Cardinals survived the Eagles 28-21 behind two touchdowns each from Charley Trippi and Elmer Angsman. It was a tough game, played on the frozen surface of Comiskey Park in Chicago and the weather played a prominent role in the outcome, at least early in the game......

Read the entire episode blog post and check out some other cool info regarding this episode here.

GET A 7-DAY FREE TRIAL TO NEWSPAPERS.COM TO LEARN MORE ABOUT THIS TOPIC AND MANY MORE SPORTS HISTORY MOMENTS FROM THE TIMEFRAME OF WHEN THEY OCCURRED.

WHEN FOOTBALL WAS FOOTBALL BACKGROUND

Each episode takes the listener back to the very early days of the National Football League. Author Joe Ziemba will share a forgotten or lost story from one of the NFL’s two oldest teams: The Bears and the Cardinals. Team championships, individual exploits, or long-buried items of interest from the earliest years of the NFL will be dusted off and resurrected for the listener. Not for the football faint-of-heart since these programs will document when the struggling Bears nearly went out of business or when Cardinals’ players earned $15 a game and were proud of it! It’s NFL history—with a twist!. See Joe's books below.

Cadets, Canons, and Legends: The Football History of Morgan Park Military Academy

When Football Was Football: The Chicago Cardinals and the Birth of the NFL

Music for the episode - https://www.purple-planet.com/

NETWORK SPONSORS

Row One - the vintage shop for sports history fans!

EPISODE SUMMARY

It is now common in the National Football League to have quarterbacks who are bigger in size than linemen were in days gone by. Consider guys like Big Ben Roethlisberger and Cam Newton who both stand 6-5 and weigh over 240 pounds. A century ago, when the NFL was struggling to survive, it was rare to find a tackle who was as large as today’s signal callers. Big, fast, mobile, and crafty—those are traits that are highly desirable among quarterbacks in the 21st century.

In this episode of “When Football Was Football,” we’ll look at the colorful career of quarterback Joey Sternaman of the Chicago Bears who certainly did not fit the mold when it came to big, powerful quarterbacks. But Sternaman had all of the attributes just mentioned except for one: size. Joey stood just 5-6 and was listed as being 150 pounds, although many felt that he was likely just a shade over 135 during his playing days.....

Read the entire episode blog post and check out some other cool info regarding this episode here.

GET A 7-DAY FREE TRIAL TO NEWSPAPERS.COM TO LEARN MORE ABOUT THIS TOPIC AND MANY MORE SPORTS HISTORY MOMENTS FROM THE TIMEFRAME OF WHEN THEY OCCURRED.

WHEN FOOTBALL WAS FOOTBALL BACKGROUND

Each episode takes the listener back to the very early days of the National Football League. Author Joe Ziemba will share a forgotten or lost story from one of the NFL’s two oldest teams: The Bears and the Cardinals. Team championships, individual exploits, or long-buried items of interest from the earliest years of the NFL will be dusted off and resurrected for the listener. Not for the football faint-of-heart since these programs will document when the struggling Bears nearly went out of business or when Cardinals’ players earned $15 a game and were proud of it! It’s NFL history—with a twist!. See Joe's books below.

Cadets, Canons, and Legends: The Football History of Morgan Park Military Academy

When Football Was Football: The Chicago Cardinals and the Birth of the NFL

Music for the episode - https://www.purple-planet.com/

NETWORK SPONSORS

Row One - the vintage shop for sports history fans!

EPISODE SUMMARY

In the early days of the National Football League, it was not uncommon for pro teams to take on non-league teams from anywhere or at any time. If a local club could offer a decent financial proposal, it could almost guarantee that the pros would show up for a bit of cash and hopefully an easy victory. And if that same pro team could string together one or more games in a particular geographic area, they might call it a tour and then take their chances against several local clubs without the benefit of scouting reports or specific game-related information.......

Read the entire episode blog post and check out some other cool info regarding this episode here.

GET A 7-DAY FREE TRIAL TO NEWSPAPERS.COM TO LEARN MORE ABOUT THIS TOPIC AND MANY MORE SPORTS HISTORY MOMENTS FROM THE TIMEFRAME OF WHEN THEY OCCURRED.

WHEN FOOTBALL WAS FOOTBALL BACKGROUND

Each episode takes the listener back to the very early days of the National Football League. Author Joe Ziemba will share a forgotten or lost story from one of the NFL’s two oldest teams: The Bears and the Cardinals. Team championships, individual exploits, or long-buried items of interest from the earliest years of the NFL will be dusted off and resurrected for the listener. Not for the football faint-of-heart since these programs will document when the struggling Bears nearly went out of business or when Cardinals’ players earned $15 a game and were proud of it! It’s NFL history—with a twist!. See Joe's books below.

Cadets, Canons, and Legends: The Football History of Morgan Park Military Academy

When Football Was Football: The Chicago Cardinals and the Birth of the NFL

Music for the episode - https://www.purple-planet.com/

NETWORK SPONSORS

Row One - the vintage shop for sports history fans!

EPISODE SUMMARY

When an incredible football player is consistently overlooked for inclusion in the Pro Football Hall of Fame, we often hear several reasons for this absence…things like:

“He was OK, but he never led the league in anything.”

“He was good, but he never won a title.”

Or even: “He was great for his team, but he was never an All-Pro or MVP.”

In this episode of “When Football Was Football,” we’ll look at the impressive career of Marlin “Pat” Harder who accomplished all of the superlatives that have been utilized as reasons for keeping a player out of the Hall of Fame.

Read the entire episode blog post and check out some other cool info regarding this episode here.

GET A 7-DAY FREE TRIAL TO NEWSPAPERS.COM TO LEARN MORE ABOUT THIS TOPIC AND MANY MORE SPORTS HISTORY MOMENTS FROM THE TIMEFRAME OF WHEN THEY OCCURRED.

WHEN FOOTBALL WAS FOOTBALL BACKGROUND

Each episode takes the listener back to the very early days of the National Football League. Author Joe Ziemba will share a forgotten or lost story from one of the NFL’s two oldest teams: The Bears and the Cardinals. Team championships, individual exploits, or long-buried items of interest from the earliest years of the NFL will be dusted off and resurrected for the listener. Not for the football faint-of-heart since these programs will document when the struggling Bears nearly went out of business or when Cardinals’ players earned $15 a game and were proud of it! It’s NFL history—with a twist!. See Joe's books below.

Cadets, Canons, and Legends: The Football History of Morgan Park Military Academy

When Football Was Football: The Chicago Cardinals and the Birth of the NFL

Music for the episode - https://www.purple-planet.com/

NETWORK SPONSOR

Row One - the vintage shop for sports history fans!

Orville Mulligan: Sports Writer

A Different way to hear sports history.

I am Orville Mulligan and yes the career journey I took was as a Sports Writer. My story will fill the listener’s ears with my journey of perhaps the greatest time in sports history, the roaring 1920s. I was fortunate enough to rub elbows with the greatest legends of sport in the era and attend some of the most iconic events in sports history.

The tales are complete with the music, people, places and slang used at the time to place the listener into the feelings that we experienced as I started my epic career.

Join us in the adventure of a lifetime, Orville Mulligan: Sports Writer, found here on Sports History Network, on OrvilleMulligan.com or your favorite podcast provider.

Head to the ORVILLE MULLIGAN OFFICIAL WEBSITE for more information.

NETWORK SPONSOR

Row One - the vintage shop for sports history fans!

Orville Mulligan: Sports Writer

A Different way to hear sports history.

I am Orville Mulligan and yes the career journey I took was as a Sports Writer. My story will fill the listener’s ears with my journey of perhaps the greatest time in sports history, the roaring 1920s. I was fortunate enough to rub elbows with the greatest legends of sport in the era and attend some of the most iconic events in sports history.

The tales are complete with the music, people, places and slang used at the time to place the listener into the feelings that we experienced as I started my epic career.

Join us in the adventure of a lifetime, Orville Mulligan: Sports Writer, found here on Sports History Network, on OrvilleMulligan.com or your favorite podcast provider.

Head to the ORVILLE MULLIGAN OFFICIAL WEBSITE for more information.

NETWORK SPONSORS

Row One - the vintage shop for sports history fans!

EPISODE SUMMARY

But travel has been a way of life for sports teams since organized leagues were established primarily in the 19th century. Major league baseball teams in the early 20th century were camped around the east coast and the Midwest so the constant movement for those three-or four-game series was difficult, but not impossible. Early pro football clubs traveled less often and were also located east of the Mississippi, but the challenge for football squads was the issue that many players also worked regular jobs and they needed to be back from road trips in time for work on Monday morning. This usually translated into overnight train travel after Sunday afternoon games with players and other team personnel putting up with less than attractive sleeping accommodations on the trip home........

Read the entire episode blog post and check out some other cool info regarding this episode here.

GET A 7-DAY FREE TRIAL TO NEWSPAPERS.COM TO LEARN MORE ABOUT THIS TOPIC AND MANY MORE SPORTS HISTORY MOMENTS FROM THE TIMEFRAME OF WHEN THEY OCCURRED.

WHEN FOOTBALL WAS FOOTBALL BACKGROUND

Each episode takes the listener back to the very early days of the National Football League. Author Joe Ziemba will share a forgotten or lost story from one of the NFL’s two oldest teams: The Bears and the Cardinals. Team championships, individual exploits, or long-buried items of interest from the earliest years of the NFL will be dusted off and resurrected for the listener. Not for the football faint-of-heart since these programs will document when the struggling Bears nearly went out of business or when Cardinals’ players earned $15 a game and were proud of it! It’s NFL history—with a twist!. See Joe's books below.

Cadets, Canons, and Legends: The Football History of Morgan Park Military Academy

When Football Was Football: The Chicago Cardinals and the Birth of the NFL

Music for the episode - https://www.purple-planet.com/

NETWORK SPONSOR

Row One - the vintage shop for sports history fans!

Orville Mulligan: Sports Writer

A Different way to hear sports history.

I am Orville Mulligan and yes the career journey I took was as a Sports Writer. My story will fill the listener’s ears with my journey of perhaps the greatest time in sports history, the roaring 1920s. I was fortunate enough to rub elbows with the greatest legends of sport in the era and attend some of the most iconic events in sports history.

The tales are complete with the music, people, places and slang used at the time to place the listener into the feelings that we experienced as I started my epic career.

Join us in the adventure of a lifetime, Orville Mulligan: Sports Writer, found here on Sports History Network, on OrvilleMulligan.com or your favorite podcast provider.

Head to the ORVILLE MULLIGAN OFFICIAL WEBSITE for more information.

NETWORK SPONSORS

Row One - the vintage shop for sports history fans!

EPISODE SUMMARY

They would argue over ineligible players, the height of the grass on a field, suspected spies watching their practices, and even the quality of post-game meals hosted by the home team. The battles raged for forty years, with each game seeming to bring out the best (or worst) on both sides until suddenly it was over. And even the reason for that disruption was embroiled in controversy.

On November 28, 1920, the Chicago Cardinals (5-1-1) edged the undefeated Decatur Staleys (9-0-1) 7-6 to ignite the NFL’s oldest rivalry. Of course, the teams today are known as the Arizona Cardinals and the Chicago Bears and they remain as the only two original franchises still active in the National Football League. .....

Read the entire episode blog post and check out some other cool info regarding this episode here.

GET A 7-DAY FREE TRIAL TO NEWSPAPERS.COM TO LEARN MORE ABOUT THIS TOPIC AND MANY MORE SPORTS HISTORY MOMENTS FROM THE TIMEFRAME OF WHEN THEY OCCURRED.

WHEN FOOTBALL WAS FOOTBALL BACKGROUND

Each episode takes the listener back to the very early days of the National Football League. Author Joe Ziemba will share a forgotten or lost story from one of the NFL’s two oldest teams: The Bears and the Cardinals. Team championships, individual exploits, or long-buried items of interest from the earliest years of the NFL will be dusted off and resurrected for the listener. Not for the football faint-of-heart since these programs will document when the struggling Bears nearly went out of business or when Cardinals’ players earned $15 a game and were proud of it! It’s NFL history—with a twist!. See Joe's books below.

Cadets, Canons, and Legends: The Football History of Morgan Park Military Academy

When Football Was Football: The Chicago Cardinals and the Birth of the NFL

Music for the episode - https://www.purple-planet.com/

NETWORK SPONSORS

Row One - the vintage shop for sports history fans!

Plaay Classic - sports simulation board games (use code SHN for 10% off your first order)

EPISODE SUMMARY

He was known for his clothesline tackles, his less than courteous activity underneath the pile, and for his unrelenting will to win. On this episode of “When Football Was Football,” we’ll take a look back at the remarkable career of defensive end Ed Sprinkle, a former member of the Chicago Bears, who is now enshrined in the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

When we think of overpowering pass rushers, highly regarded names like Reggie White, Aaron Donald, Bruce Smith, and J.J. Watt pop up—big, quick, agile defenders who relied on both physical strength and keen intuition to trample over and around offensive blockers......

Read the entire episode blog post and check out some other cool info regarding this episode here.

GET A 7-DAY FREE TRIAL TO NEWSPAPERS.COM TO LEARN MORE ABOUT THIS TOPIC AND MANY MORE SPORTS HISTORY MOMENTS FROM THE TIMEFRAME OF WHEN THEY OCCURRED.

WHEN FOOTBALL WAS FOOTBALL BACKGROUND

Each episode takes the listener back to the very early days of the National Football League. Author Joe Ziemba will share a forgotten or lost story from one of the NFL’s two oldest teams: The Bears and the Cardinals. Team championships, individual exploits, or long-buried items of interest from the earliest years of the NFL will be dusted off and resurrected for the listener. Not for the football faint-of-heart since these programs will document when the struggling Bears nearly went out of business or when Cardinals’ players earned $15 a game and were proud of it! It’s NFL history—with a twist!. See Joe's books below.

Cadets, Canons, and Legends: The Football History of Morgan Park Military Academy

When Football Was Football: The Chicago Cardinals and the Birth of the NFL

Music for the episode - https://www.purple-planet.com/

WIN A FREE PLAAY CLASSIC BOARD GAME

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Row One - the vintage shop for sports history fans!

Plaay Classic - Sports Simulation Board Games (use code SHN for 10% off your first purchase)

EPISODE SUMMARY

Of course, the teams no longer play each other every season due to the expansion of the NFL over the years, but the rivalry that began on November 20, 1921, in Chicago looks even more appealing this year since both teams have legitimate Super Bowl aspirations.

But back in 1921, when it all began, the Packers were the mysterious new entry into the professional ranks while the Cardinals were solid contenders behind the playing and coaching of Paddy Driscoll. The Cards enjoyed a favorable schedule in 1921 by playing all of their games in the city of Chicago......

Read the entire episode blog post and check out some other cool info regarding this episode here.

GET A 7-DAY FREE TRIAL TO NEWSPAPERS.COM TO LEARN MORE ABOUT THIS TOPIC AND MANY MORE SPORTS HISTORY MOMENTS FROM THE TIMEFRAME OF WHEN THEY OCCURRED.

WHEN FOOTBALL WAS FOOTBALL BACKGROUND

Each episode takes the listener back to the very early days of the National Football League. Author Joe Ziemba will share a forgotten or lost story from one of the NFL’s two oldest teams: The Bears and the Cardinals. Team championships, individual exploits, or long-buried items of interest from the earliest years of the NFL will be dusted off and resurrected for the listener. Not for the football faint-of-heart since these programs will document when the struggling Bears nearly went out of business or when Cardinals’ players earned $15 a game and were proud of it! It’s NFL history—with a twist!. See Joe's books below.

Cadets, Canons, and Legends: The Football History of Morgan Park Military Academy

When Football Was Football: The Chicago Cardinals and the Birth of the NFL

Music for the episode - https://www.purple-planet.com/

NETWORK SPONSORS

Row One - the vintage shop for sports history fans!

EPISODE SUMMARY

When Jacksonville recently dropped its 19th straight game, it marked just the fifth time in history that a club experienced that regrettable distinction. In fact, since the Super Bowl began in 1967, it was only the third time that an NFL organization suffered that many consecutive setbacks. Jacksonville equaled the Detroit Lions mark of 19 losses in a row from 2007-2009, but both teams still fell short of the woeful Tampa Bay Buccaneers. During the 1976-1977 seasons, the Bucs lost 26 straight games, the second-worst such streak in NFL history.

But today, we’ll look back at the longest losing mark in NFL history from a team that was on the short end of the score 29 straight times. 29 straight losses? Is that possible in today’s age of parity? It’s possible, but the team holding this dismal record found every conceivable way to lose 29 ball games. It managed to keep the streak alive due to player disappearances, bad luck, poor play, and even a punter knocking himself out on one of his kicks. It is a streak of hopelessness and humor, ugly play and valiant efforts, but it is still, unfortunately, the worst ever. For nearly three full years, this team never saw daylight. So, in this episode of “When Football Was Football” we’ll take a closer look at the Chicago Cardinals from 1942 through 1945, the holders of the record that every coach wants to avoid in his career, although some have strayed very close to doing so!

Read the entire episode blog post and check out some other cool info regarding this episode here.

GET A 7-DAY FREE TRIAL TO NEWSPAPERS.COM TO LEARN MORE ABOUT THIS TOPIC AND MANY MORE SPORTS HISTORY MOMENTS FROM THE TIMEFRAME OF WHEN THEY OCCURRED.

WHEN FOOTBALL WAS FOOTBALL BACKGROUND

Each episode takes the listener back to the very early days of the National Football League. Author Joe Ziemba will share a forgotten or lost story from one of the NFL’s two oldest teams: The Bears and the Cardinals. Team championships, individual exploits, or long-buried items of interest from the earliest years of the NFL will be dusted off and resurrected for the listener. Not for the football faint-of-heart since these programs will document when the struggling Bears nearly went out of business or when Cardinals’ players earned $15 a game and were proud of it! It’s NFL history—with a twist!. See Joe's books below.

Cadets, Canons, and Legends: The Football History of Morgan Park Military Academy

When Football Was Football: The Chicago Cardinals and the Birth of the NFL

Music for the episode - https://www.purple-planet.com/

NETWORK SPONSORS

Row One - the vintage shop for sports history fans!

Thrive Fantasy - daily fantasy player props. Get a 100% instant match up to $100 using the promo code: SHN

EPISODE SUMMARY

Back in the very early days of the National Football League, many of the players were multi-sport athletes. For example, George Halas of the Chicago Bears also played major league baseball with the New York Yankees. There is, of course, an old tale that Babe Ruth replaced him in right field for the Yankees! Not true, but it is an interesting concept. Then there was Paddy Driscoll who played football with the Chicago Cardinals and was the highest-paid player in the NFL in 1920, earning $300 per game when most individuals were paid $25 to $50 per outing. Driscoll, although standing just 5-7, also played pro basketball and was once a member of the Chicago Cubs baseball team......

Read the entire episode blog post and check out some other cool info regarding this episode here.

GET A 7-DAY FREE TRIAL TO NEWSPAPERS.COM TO LEARN MORE ABOUT THIS TOPIC AND MANY MORE SPORTS HISTORY MOMENTS FROM THE TIMEFRAME OF WHEN THEY OCCURRED.

WHEN FOOTBALL WAS FOOTBALL BACKGROUND

Each episode takes the listener back to the very early days of the National Football League. Author Joe Ziemba will share a forgotten or lost story from one of the NFL’s two oldest teams: The Bears and the Cardinals. Team championships, individual exploits, or long-buried items of interest from the earliest years of the NFL will be dusted off and resurrected for the listener. Not for the football faint-of-heart since these programs will document when the struggling Bears nearly went out of business or when Cardinals’ players earned $15 a game and were proud of it! It’s NFL history—with a twist!. See Joe's books below.

Cadets, Canons, and Legends: The Football History of Morgan Park Military Academy

When Football Was Football: The Chicago Cardinals and the Birth of the NFL

Music for the episode - https://www.purple-planet.com/

NETWORK SPONSORS

Row One - the vintage shop for sports history fans!

ThriveFantasy - 100% instant match up to $100 with code SHN at checkout

EPISODE SUMMARY

In late 1921, Lambeau scheduled back-to-back games in Chicago against the Cardinals and the Bears. On November 20, the Packers tied the Cardinals 0-0, but a week later dropped a 20-0 decision to the Chicago Staleys (now the Chicago Bears). The results of both games were impressive since the Packers, at the time, were having difficulty not only securing players but also in arranging for practice time. The team relied on players from around the Midwest who usually gathered on weekends to practice before the game wherever the contest was scheduled. Lambeau pulled in as many players as necessary to fill out his game-day roster.......

Read the entire episode blog post and check out some other cool info regarding this episode here.

GET A 7-DAY FREE TRIAL TO NEWSPAPERS.COM TO LEARN MORE ABOUT THIS TOPIC AND MANY MORE SPORTS HISTORY MOMENTS FROM THE TIMEFRAME OF WHEN THEY OCCURRED.

WHEN FOOTBALL WAS FOOTBALL BACKGROUND

Each episode takes the listener back to the very early days of the National Football League. Author Joe Ziemba will share a forgotten or lost story from one of the NFL’s two oldest teams: The Bears and the Cardinals. Team championships, individual exploits, or long-buried items of interest from the earliest years of the NFL will be dusted off and resurrected for the listener. Not for the football faint-of-heart since these programs will document when the struggling Bears nearly went out of business or when Cardinals’ players earned $15 a game and were proud of it! It’s NFL history—with a twist!. See Joe's books below.

Cadets, Canons, and Legends: The Football History of Morgan Park Military Academy

When Football Was Football: The Chicago Cardinals and the Birth of the NFL

Music for the episode - https://www.purple-planet.com/

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Row One - the vintage shop for sports history fans!

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EPISODE SUMMARY

For those who remember George Halas, we might think of him in his later years as the aging, but still cranky, coach of the Chicago Bears. Stiff-jawed, intense, and focused, one wonders if Halas ever smiled on the field. From all accounts, he did not! Football was his passion and the urge to play pushed him into pro football in 1919 with the Hammond Bobcats after he told his mother pretty confidently that he “was through with football.”

This followed his break-through season with the Great Lakes Naval Training Center football team which won the Rose Bowl in early 1919. With World War I and the flu epidemic hitting the country in 1918, many college football teams either disbanded or played a reduced schedule. This left military bases, teeming with servicemen who played in high school or college, to fill in the gaps and participate on the football landscape in the fall of 1918......

Read the entire episode blog post and check out some other cool info regarding this episode here.

GET A 7-DAY FREE TRIAL TO NEWSPAPERS.COM TO LEARN MORE ABOUT THIS TOPIC AND MANY MORE SPORTS HISTORY MOMENTS FROM THE TIMEFRAME OF WHEN THEY OCCURRED.

WHEN FOOTBALL WAS FOOTBALL BACKGROUND

Each episode takes the listener back to the very early days of the National Football League. Author Joe Ziemba will share a forgotten or lost story from one of the NFL’s two oldest teams: The Bears and the Cardinals. Team championships, individual exploits, or long-buried items of interest from the earliest years of the NFL will be dusted off and resurrected for the listener. Not for the football faint-of-heart since these programs will document when the struggling Bears nearly went out of business or when Cardinals’ players earned $15 a game and were proud of it! It’s NFL history—with a twist!. See Joe's books below.

Cadets, Canons, and Legends: The Football History of Morgan Park Military Academy

When Football Was Football: The Chicago Cardinals and the Birth of the NFL

Music for the episode - https://www.purple-planet.com/

NETWORK SPONSORS

Row One - the vintage shop for sports history fans!

EPISODE SUMMARY

Each year, when we learn of our favorite NFL team’s schedule, we can be certain of one thing: we’ll know the opponent no matter how rarely the two clubs might meet.

But there was a time before the NFL became so formal, that a team might go anywhere, or play anybody, just to get a game on the books. In the very early years of the league, there were no playoffs in place, so teams were free to schedule just about any type of opposition in order to get in an extra game…hopefully a winning one! While most of these teams were professional in some sense of the word, many more were semi-pros, while others were simply club or town teams anxious to take on one of the big, bad NFL members.....

Read the entire episode blog post and check out some other cool info regarding this episode here.

GET A 7-DAY FREE TRIAL TO NEWSPAPERS.COM TO LEARN MORE ABOUT THIS TOPIC AND MANY MORE SPORTS HISTORY MOMENTS FROM THE TIMEFRAME OF WHEN THEY OCCURRED.

WHEN FOOTBALL WAS FOOTBALL BACKGROUND

Each episode takes the listener back to the very early days of the National Football League. Author Joe Ziemba will share a forgotten or lost story from one of the NFL’s two oldest teams: The Bears and the Cardinals. Team championships, individual exploits, or long-buried items of interest from the earliest years of the NFL will be dusted off and resurrected for the listener. Not for the football faint-of-heart since these programs will document when the struggling Bears nearly went out of business or when Cardinals’ players earned $15 a game and were proud of it! It’s NFL history—with a twist!. See Joe's books below.

Cadets, Canons, and Legends: The Football History of Morgan Park Military Academy

When Football Was Football: The Chicago Cardinals and the Birth of the NFL

Music for the episode - https://www.purple-planet.com/

NETWORK SPONSORS

Row One - the vintage shop for sports history fans!

EPISODE SUMMARY

Every year about this time, from 1934 through 1976, an enormous football extravaganza took place each summer that captured the interest of football fans across the country. It was the annual College All-Star Football game which pitted the defending NFL champions against a team of recently graduated collegiate players who were selected by a nationwide vote of the fans. Before the creation of the Super Bowl, this game was indeed the BIG ONE on the football calendar, drawing over 100,000 fans and a huge television audience.

On this episode of “When Football Was Football,” we’ll charge into the very beginnings of the All-Star game including when it started and how it was developed. Of course, it became wildly successful, and we’ll examine the reasons behind that as well. When it began in 1934, the concept of the game was a fan’s delight and here’s why…....

Read the entire episode blog post and check out some other cool info regarding this episode here.

GET A 7-DAY FREE TRIAL TO NEWSPAPERS.COM TO LEARN MORE ABOUT THIS TOPIC AND MANY MORE SPORTS HISTORY MOMENTS FROM THE TIMEFRAME OF WHEN THEY OCCURRED.

WHEN FOOTBALL WAS FOOTBALL BACKGROUND

Each episode takes the listener back to the very early days of the National Football League. Author Joe Ziemba will share a forgotten or lost story from one of the NFL’s two oldest teams: The Bears and the Cardinals. Team championships, individual exploits, or long-buried items of interest from the earliest years of the NFL will be dusted off and resurrected for the listener. Not for the football faint-of-heart since these programs will document when the struggling Bears nearly went out of business or when Cardinals’ players earned $15 a game and were proud of it! It’s NFL history—with a twist!. See Joe's books below.

Cadets, Canons, and Legends: The Football History of Morgan Park Military Academy

When Football Was Football: The Chicago Cardinals and the Birth of the NFL

Music for the episode - https://www.purple-planet.com/

NETWORK SPONSORS

Row One - the vintage shop for sports history fans!

EPISODE SUMMARY

With training camps around the National Football League opening up soon, we’d like to take you back to a different time and place when pre-season sessions looked much, much different. For this episode of “When Football Was Football,” we’ll sample some training camp tales from the Chicago Bears and the Chicago Cardinals going way, way back to the beginnings of the NFL. You’ll quickly notice two significant differences from then and now: the conditioning of the players and the more simple purpose of the camps......

Read the entire episode blog post and check out some other cool info regarding this episode here.

GET A 7-DAY FREE TRIAL TO NEWSPAPERS.COM TO LEARN MORE ABOUT THIS TOPIC AND MANY MORE SPORTS HISTORY MOMENTS FROM THE TIMEFRAME OF WHEN THEY OCCURRED.

WHEN FOOTBALL WAS FOOTBALL BACKGROUND

Each episode takes the listener back to the very early days of the National Football League. Author Joe Ziemba will share a forgotten or lost story from one of the NFL’s two oldest teams: The Bears and the Cardinals. Team championships, individual exploits, or long-buried items of interest from the earliest years of the NFL will be dusted off and resurrected for the listener. Not for the football faint-of-heart since these programs will document when the struggling Bears nearly went out of business or when Cardinals’ players earned $15 a game and were proud of it! It’s NFL history—with a twist!. See Joe's books below.

Cadets, Canons, and Legends: The Football History of Morgan Park Military Academy

When Football Was Football: The Chicago Cardinals and the Birth of the NFL

Music for the episode - https://www.purple-planet.com/

EPISODE SUMMARY

While we remember Jimmy Conzelman as the coach of the last Cardinals team to grab an NFL championship back in 1947, his career was simply incredible well before that time. Born in 1898, Conzelman graduated from Washington University in Missouri where he was an All-Conference quarterback. He was also a member of the prestigious Great Lakes Naval Training Center football team that captured the Rose Bowl on January 1, 1919, when military teams battled for the Rose Bowl crown during World War I. NFL pioneers George Halas and Paddy Driscoll were also part of that powerful squad......

Read the entire episode blog post and check out some other cool info regarding this episode here.

GET A 7-DAY FREE TRIAL TO NEWSPAPERS.COM TO LEARN MORE ABOUT THIS TOPIC AND MANY MORE SPORTS HISTORY MOMENTS FROM THE TIMEFRAME OF WHEN THEY OCCURRED.

WHEN FOOTBALL WAS FOOTBALL BACKGROUND

Each episode takes the listener back to the very early days of the National Football League. Author Joe Ziemba will share a forgotten or lost story from one of the NFL’s two oldest teams: The Bears and the Cardinals. Team championships, individual exploits, or long-buried items of interest from the earliest years of the NFL will be dusted off and resurrected for the listener. Not for the football faint-of-heart since these programs will document when the struggling Bears nearly went out of business or when Cardinals’ players earned $15 a game and were proud of it! It’s NFL history—with a twist!. See Joe's books below.

Cadets, Canons, and Legends: The Football History of Morgan Park Military Academy

When Football Was Football: The Chicago Cardinals and the Birth of the NFL

Music for the episode - https://www.purple-planet.com/

EPISODE SUMMARY

Who do you think is the fastest player in big league history? Ricky Henderson? Lou Brock? Ty Cobb? Tim Raines? The correct answer would be none of the above and the person in question was actually better known as a football player with the Chicago Cardinals, not for his solid major league baseball career.....

Read the entire episode blog post and check out some other cool info regarding this episode here.

GET A 7-DAY FREE TRIAL TO NEWSPAPERS.COM TO LEARN MORE ABOUT THIS TOPIC AND MANY MORE SPORTS HISTORY MOMENTS FROM THE TIMEFRAME OF WHEN THEY OCCURRED.

WHEN FOOTBALL WAS FOOTBALL BACKGROUND

Each episode takes the listener back to the very early days of the National Football League. Author Joe Ziemba will share a forgotten or lost story from one of the NFL’s two oldest teams: The Bears and the Cardinals. Team championships, individual exploits, or long-buried items of interest from the earliest years of the NFL will be dusted off and resurrected for the listener. Not for the football faint-of-heart since these programs will document when the struggling Bears nearly went out of business or when Cardinals’ players earned $15 a game and were proud of it! It’s NFL history—with a twist!. See Joe's books below.

Cadets, Canons, and Legends: The Football History of Morgan Park Military Academy

When Football Was Football: The Chicago Cardinals and the Birth of the NFL

Music for the episode - https://www.purple-planet.com/

EPISODE SUMMARY

While pro football in the 1940s often presented a lucrative opportunity for a few of the very best players, it was certainly a different story for rookies and journeymen. Even though the draft was in place since 1936, NFL teams would still recruit key collegiate players through a combination of football and off-season job opportunities. A unique example on how the Chicago Cardinals "sold" themselves to new recruits and draftees was found in a letter sent to rookies prior to the 1941 season by line coach Phil Handler. Handler was careful to explain the financial aspects of professional football in his note.......

Read the entire episode blog post and check out some other cool info regarding this episode here.

GET A 7-DAY FREE TRIAL TO NEWSPAPERS.COM TO LEARN MORE ABOUT THIS TOPIC AND MANY MORE SPORTS HISTORY MOMENTS FROM THE TIMEFRAME OF WHEN THEY OCCURRED.

WHEN FOOTBALL WAS FOOTBALL BACKGROUND

Each episode takes the listener back to the very early days of the National Football League. Author Joe Ziemba will share a forgotten or lost story from one of the NFL’s two oldest teams: The Bears and the Cardinals. Team championships, individual exploits, or long-buried items of interest from the earliest years of the NFL will be dusted off and resurrected for the listener. Not for the football faint-of-heart since these programs will document when the struggling Bears nearly went out of business or when Cardinals’ players earned $15 a game and were proud of it! It’s NFL history—with a twist!. See Joe's books below.

Cadets, Canons, and Legends: The Football History of Morgan Park Military Academy

When Football Was Football: The Chicago Cardinals and the Birth of the NFL

Music for the episode - https://www.purple-planet.com/

EPISODE SUMMARY

Fans of football history usually find the name of Ernie Nevers to be a familiar one. Maybe not a household word in 2021, but certainly one that ripples with respect with the knowledge that Nevers was one of the all-time greats in the National Football League. And yet, his entrance into the world of pro football back in 1926 is a bit obscure and perhaps confusing.........

Read the entire episode blog post and check out some other cool info regarding this episode here.

GET A 7-DAY FREE TRIAL TO NEWSPAPERS.COM TO LEARN MORE ABOUT THIS TOPIC AND MANY MORE SPORTS HISTORY MOMENTS FROM THE TIMEFRAME OF WHEN THEY OCCURRED.

WHEN FOOTBALL WAS FOOTBALL BACKGROUND

Each episode takes the listener back to the very early days of the National Football League. Author Joe Ziemba will share a forgotten or lost story from one of the NFL’s two oldest teams: The Bears and the Cardinals. Team championships, individual exploits, or long-buried items of interest from the earliest years of the NFL will be dusted off and resurrected for the listener. Not for the football faint-of-heart since these programs will document when the struggling Bears nearly went out of business or when Cardinals’ players earned $15 a game and were proud of it! It’s NFL history—with a twist!. See Joe's books below.

Cadets, Canons, and Legends: The Football History of Morgan Park Military Academy

When Football Was Football: The Chicago Cardinals and the Birth of the NFL

Music for the episode - https://www.purple-planet.com/

EPISODE SUMMARY

As we celebrate our first anniversary of “When Football Was Football” on the Sports History Network, we can look back at a wide variety of episodes from the golden days of football in the Chicago area. While we’ve covered topics such as the first-ever indoor football games held in Chicago, the individual heroics of players such as Charley Trippi, Ernie Nevers, and Paddy Driscoll, as well as intriguing team topics such as the merger of the Cardinals and Steelers in 1943, we’ve never taken the approach of discussing the passion of football fans in the Chicago area......

Read the entire episode blog post and check out some other cool info regarding this episode here.

WHEN FOOTBALL WAS FOOTBALL BACKGROUND

Each episode takes the listener back to the very early days of the National Football League. Author Joe Ziemba will share a forgotten or lost story from one of the NFL’s two oldest teams: The Bears and the Cardinals. Team championships, individual exploits, or long-buried items of interest from the earliest years of the NFL will be dusted off and resurrected for the listener. Not for the football faint-of-heart since these programs will document when the struggling Bears nearly went out of business or when Cardinals’ players earned $15 a game and were proud of it! It’s NFL history—with a twist!. See Joe's books below.

Cadets, Canons, and Legends: The Football History of Morgan Park Military Academy

When Football Was Football: The Chicago Cardinals and the Birth of the NFL

Music for the episode - https://www.purple-planet.com/

EPISODE SUMMARY

One of the most important innovations in the history of the National Football League occurred in February of 1936 when the NFL initiated its very first draft of collegiate players. It was a revolutionary concept; each team, beginning with the one having the worst record to the best from the previous season, would be able to secure the sole rights to negotiate with a specific player that the team selected........

Read the entire episode blog post and check out some other cool info regarding this episode here.

WHEN FOOTBALL WAS FOOTBALL BACKGROUND

Each episode takes the listener back to the very early days of the National Football League. Author Joe Ziemba will share a forgotten or lost story from one of the NFL’s two oldest teams: The Bears and the Cardinals. Team championships, individual exploits, or long-buried items of interest from the earliest years of the NFL will be dusted off and resurrected for the listener. Not for the football faint-of-heart since these programs will document when the struggling Bears nearly went out of business or when Cardinals’ players earned $15 a game and were proud of it! It’s NFL history—with a twist!. See Joe's books below.

Cadets, Canons, and Legends: The Football History of Morgan Park Military Academy

When Football Was Football: The Chicago Cardinals and the Birth of the NFL

Music for the episode - https://www.purple-planet.com/

EPISODE SUMMARY

Throughout the years, the National Football League has seen its share of rogues, complainers, whiners, and personality problems among its players…but we’ll just call these guys “characters”!

Each brought something different to the Bears and all were valuable in their own distinct way, but all were under the watchful eye of none other than team owner and coach George Halas. Ironically, all three were on the field for the Bears during one of the most groundbreaking games ever played in the NFL…and all three were comfortable on the gridiron, as well as in the ring.....

Read the entire episode blog post and check out some other cool info regarding this episode here.

WHEN FOOTBALL WAS FOOTBALL BACKGROUND

Each episode takes the listener back to the very early days of the National Football League. Author Joe Ziemba will share a forgotten or lost story from one of the NFL’s two oldest teams: The Bears and the Cardinals. Team championships, individual exploits, or long-buried items of interest from the earliest years of the NFL will be dusted off and resurrected for the listener. Not for the football faint-of-heart since these programs will document when the struggling Bears nearly went out of business or when Cardinals’ players earned $15 a game and were proud of it! It’s NFL history—with a twist!. See Joe's books below.

Cadets, Canons, and Legends: The Football History of Morgan Park Military Academy

When Football Was Football: The Chicago Cardinals and the Birth of the NFL

Music for the episode - https://www.purple-planet.com/

EPISODE SUMMARY

There have been very few Olympic medalists that are also in the Pro Football Hall of Fame. In fact, we can think of only two: Jim Thorpe and Ollie Matson. Thorpe grabbed the gold medal in both the decathlon and the pentathlon in 1912 at the Stockholm games, while Matson won both a silver and bronze medal at the 1952 Olympics in Helsinki. Matson took third in the 400-meter run and then was a member of the U.S. 4X400-meter relay team that took the silver that year. And, ironically, both were members of the Chicago Cardinals football team!

 Thorpe’s time with the Cardinals was brief, playing just a single game in 1928 in what would prove to be his final game played in the National Football League. Matson, however, considered himself a “lifer” in the Cardinals organization, joining the club as a first-round draft pick in 1952.......

Read the entire episode blog post and check out some other cool info regarding this episode here.

WHEN FOOTBALL WAS FOOTBALL BACKGROUND

Each episode takes the listener back to the very early days of the National Football League. Author Joe Ziemba will share a forgotten or lost story from one of the NFL’s two oldest teams: The Bears and the Cardinals. Team championships, individual exploits, or long-buried items of interest from the earliest years of the NFL will be dusted off and resurrected for the listener. Not for the football faint-of-heart since these programs will document when the struggling Bears nearly went out of business or when Cardinals’ players earned $15 a game and were proud of it! It’s NFL history—with a twist!. See Joe's books below.

Cadets, Canons, and Legends: The Football History of Morgan Park Military Academy

When Football Was Football: The Chicago Cardinals and the Birth of the NFL

Music for the episode - https://www.purple-planet.com/

EPISODE SUMMARY

the focus of this program will be to drift back to 1921 when the two teams first met on the gridiron. Some familiar names were already in place with Curly Lambeau leading the Packers and George Halas fronting the squad then known as the Decatur Staleys. Halas had recently worked out an agreement in October of 1921 with owner A.E. Staley where Halas would take over the operation of the club and move its home games from Decatur, IL to Chicago. As part of this agreement, the team would play under the name of the Staleys for the remainder of the 1921 campaign. In 1922, Halas would officially change the name of his team to the Chicago Bears.

The inclusion of tiny Green Bay into membership in the NFL was not unusual in the early 1920s. Many smaller towns and cities such as Hammond, IN, Canton, OH, and Rock Island, IL were also members of the league during that time. Green Bay, however, is the only representative from the smaller communities that has survived to this day in the NFL. Through solid community support, an innovative method of financing the team, and eventual league television revenue sharing, the Packers remained viable in the NFL over the last century..........

Read the entire episode blog post and check out some other cool info regarding this episode here.

WHEN FOOTBALL WAS FOOTBALL BACKGROUND

Each episode takes the listener back to the very early days of the National Football League. Author Joe Ziemba will share a forgotten or lost story from one of the NFL’s two oldest teams: The Bears and the Cardinals. Team championships, individual exploits, or long-buried items of interest from the earliest years of the NFL will be dusted off and resurrected for the listener. Not for the football faint-of-heart since these programs will document when the struggling Bears nearly went out of business or when Cardinals’ players earned $15 a game and were proud of it! It’s NFL history—with a twist!. See Joe's books below.

Cadets, Canons, and Legends: The Football History of Morgan Park Military Academy

When Football Was Football: The Chicago Cardinals and the Birth of the NFL

Music for episode - https://www.purple-planet.com/

EPISODE SUMMARY

Sixty-one years ago this month the Chicago Cardinals, the NFL’s oldest franchise, suddenly pulled up its roots and left for St. Louis. Certainly, there had been rumors in the past that the team would leave the city at some time in the future. In fact, these rumors had swirled for decades, with possible destinations being Atlanta, Buffalo, Dallas, or even San Francisco. But fans of the team, located on the south side of the windy city, were always comforted by the reassuring words of its owners that such desertion would never, ever happen.

 That is why on March 9, 1960, Cardinals' fans were stunned by the rumors that the team would soon be departing for a new home in St. Louis. After being around the south side of Chicago since 1899, the team had established a solid presence in the National Football League. Despite a woeful 2-10 mark in 1959 which included a move of its home games to Soldier Field as well as a hosting a pair of "home" games in Minneapolis, supporters of the club were not overly concerned that a departure from the city would be imminent.

Read the entire episode blog post and check out some other cool info regarding this episode here.

WHEN FOOTBALL WAS FOOTBALL BACKGROUND

Each episode takes the listener back to the very early days of the National Football League. Author Joe Ziemba will share a forgotten or lost story from one of the NFL’s two oldest teams: The Bears and the Cardinals. Team championships, individual exploits, or long-buried items of interest from the earliest years of the NFL will be dusted off and resurrected for the listener. Not for the football faint-of-heart since these programs will document when the struggling Bears nearly went out of business or when Cardinals’ players earned $15 a game and were proud of it! It’s NFL history—with a twist!. See Joe's books below.

Cadets, Canons, and Legends: The Football History of Morgan Park Military Academy

When Football Was Football: The Chicago Cardinals and the Birth of the NFL

EPISODE SUMMARY

As kids, we all looked up to our favorite athletic heroes. After all, they were taller than us, so looking up at them, literally, was a realistic requirement as well as a figure of speech. In this episode of “When Football Was Football” we’ll look back at the life and career of a pro football hall of famer, who was one of those very few athletes who also played pro basketball and major league baseball.

He was an All-American, won a Rose Bowl, was selected as an All-Pro eight times, and was the finest field goal kicker of his generation. He could shoot hoops from the outside and his speed could easily turn singles into doubles on the baseball diamond.

In short, he was a giant among men even though he stood just 5’8’ and weighed about 160 lbs. His name was John Leo Driscoll, but we can call him Paddy!

Read the entire episode blog post and check out some other cool info regarding this episode here.

WHEN FOOTBALL WAS FOOTBALL BACKGROUND

Each episode takes the listener back to the very early days of the National Football League. Author Joe Ziemba will share a forgotten or lost story from one of the NFL’s two oldest teams: The Bears and the Cardinals. Team championships, individual exploits, or long-buried items of interest from the earliest years of the NFL will be dusted off and resurrected for the listener. Not for the football faint-of-heart since these programs will document when the struggling Bears nearly went out of business or when Cardinals’ players earned $15 a game and were proud of it! It’s NFL history—with a twist!. See Joe's books below.

Cadets, Canons, and Legends: The Football History of Morgan Park Military Academy

When Football Was Football: The Chicago Cardinals and the Birth of the NFL

EPISODE SUMMARY

Back in 1947, the team was still in Chicago and was taking advantage of a talented crop of returning veterans along with some promising rookies—including the great Charley Trippi—to push for the crown in the competitive western division of the NFL. Since there was no Super Bowl, the championship game would pit the winners of the eastern and western circuits against each other in a battle to secure the overall NFL championship. However, for the Cardinals, the real prize would be the opportunity to conquer their heated rivals—the Chicago Bears—for the western crown. The winner of that game would then face the eastern champs on December 28.

Read the entire episode blog post and check out some other cool info regarding this episode here.

WHEN FOOTBALL WAS FOOTBALL BACKGROUND

Each episode takes the listener back to the very early days of the National Football League. Author Joe Ziemba will share a forgotten or lost story from one of the NFL’s two oldest teams: The Bears and the Cardinals. Team championships, individual exploits, or long-buried items of interest from the earliest years of the NFL will be dusted off and resurrected for the listener. Not for the football faint-of-heart since these programs will document when the struggling Bears nearly went out of business or when Cardinals’ players earned $15 a game and were proud of it! It’s NFL history—with a twist!. See Joe's books below.

Cadets, Canons, and Legends: The Football History of Morgan Park Military Academy

When Football Was Football: The Chicago Cardinals and the Birth of the NFL

EPISODE SUMMARY

When you mention the name of George Halas, several things may come to mind. Born in 1895, Halas was the founder of the Chicago Bears as well as the National Football League. But he was also an outfielder for the New York Yankees and the MVP of the 1919 Rose Bowl before settling in as the owner and coach of the Bears for several decades. Halas was one person that I always wanted to meet, since his lofty stature often contains more fiction than fact due to his legendary nature. Since this gridiron legend passed away in 1983, the opportunity to personally conduct an interview session has been long gone. However, since Halas was such a legacy, he left much behind in terms of published quotations along with his esteemed autobiography simply called, Halas. So—based on what I know in 2021 (which is very little), I decided to research suitable answers to some of the key questions that I would like to ask Mr. Halas if he was around today. Please note that all of the Halas responses are drawn from his published quotations over the past 100 years. Hopefully, they will provide us with a concise viewpoint of not only George Halas, but also the very early days of the NFL itself.

 Our interview time frame begins in early 1920 and ends in 1925. By 1920, Halas had graduated from the University of Illinois, and played in the 1919 Rose Bowl with the Great Lakes Naval Training Center team. After his discharge from the service, Halas spent the summer of 1919 with the New York Yankees organization, and then completed the year with the Hammond, IN pro football team. By the spring of 1920, he was working in Chicago for the Chicago, Burlington, and Quincy Railroad in the bridge design department. This prompted my first question for Mr. Halas.

Read the entire episode blog post and check out some other cool info regarding this episode here.

WHEN FOOTBALL WAS FOOTBALL BACKGROUND

Each episode takes the listener back to the very early days of the National Football League. Author Joe Ziemba will share a forgotten or lost story from one of the NFL’s two oldest teams: The Bears and the Cardinals. Team championships, individual exploits, or long-buried items of interest from the earliest years of the NFL will be dusted off and resurrected for the listener. Not for the football faint-of-heart since these programs will document when the struggling Bears nearly went out of business or when Cardinals’ players earned $15 a game and were proud of it! It’s NFL history—with a twist!. See Joe's books below.

Cadets, Canons, and Legends: The Football History of Morgan Park Military Academy

When Football Was Football: The Chicago Cardinals and the Birth of the NFL

EPISODE SUMMARY

When a team like the Cardinals has been around for over 120 years, we tend to find some unusual stories and circumstances about that team. While we are all aware of how the club has called three major cities home during its lifetime, and captured NFL championships in 1925 and 1947, we’ll dive a bit deeper today on “When Football Was Football” to share five of those odd--or unknown—stories. We’ll start with one of the strangest names ever for a pro football team!

Read the entire episode blog post and check out some other cool info regarding this episode here.

WHEN FOOTBALL WAS FOOTBALL BACKGROUND

Each episode takes the listener back to the very early days of the National Football League. Author Joe Ziemba will share a forgotten or lost story from one of the NFL’s two oldest teams: The Bears and the Cardinals. Team championships, individual exploits, or long-buried items of interest from the earliest years of the NFL will be dusted off and resurrected for the listener. Not for the football faint-of-heart since these programs will document when the struggling Bears nearly went out of business or when Cardinals’ players earned $15 a game and were proud of it! It’s NFL history—with a twist!. See Joe's books below.

Cadets, Canons, and Legends: The Football History of Morgan Park Military Academy

When Football Was Football: The Chicago Cardinals and the Birth of the NFL

EPISODE SUMMARY

This episode covers some of the greatest moments in Chicago Cardinal Christmas history.

Read the entire episode blog post and check out some other cool info regarding this episode here.

WHEN FOOTBALL WAS FOOTBALL BACKGROUND

Each episode takes the listener back to the very early days of the National Football League. Author Joe Ziemba will share a forgotten or lost story from one of the NFL’s two oldest teams: The Bears and the Cardinals. Team championships, individual exploits, or long-buried items of interest from the earliest years of the NFL will be dusted off and resurrected for the listener. Not for the football faint-of-heart since these programs will document when the struggling Bears nearly went out of business or when Cardinals’ players earned $15 a game and were proud of it! It’s NFL history—with a twist!. See Joe's books below.

Cadets, Canons, and Legends: The Football History of Morgan Park Military Academy

When Football Was Football: The Chicago Cardinals and the Birth of the NFL

EPISODE SUMMARY

Welcome to this week’s episode of “When Football Was Football.” I’m your host, Joe Ziemba. Usually, we dig into the dusty archives and share some interesting stories about the early days of professional football in the Chicago area. But for this episode, we’ll move away from the pro game and examine what we consider the most dominant program in the history of Illinois high school football…and one that most people have never heard about!

Read the entire episode blog post and check out some other cool info regarding this episode here.

WHEN FOOTBALL WAS FOOTBALL BACKGROUND

Each episode takes the listener back to the very early days of the National Football League. Author Joe Ziemba will share a forgotten or lost story from one of the NFL’s two oldest teams: The Bears and the Cardinals. Team championships, individual exploits, or long-buried items of interest from the earliest years of the NFL will be dusted off and resurrected for the listener. Not for the football faint-of-heart since these programs will document when the struggling Bears nearly went out of business or when Cardinals’ players earned $15 a game and were proud of it! It’s NFL history—with a twist!. See Joe's books below.

Cadets, Canons, and Legends: The Football History of Morgan Park Military Academy

When Football Was Football: The Chicago Cardinals and the Birth of the NFL

EPISODE SUMMARY

Football games on Thanksgiving Day have been part of our culture since the game itself evolved in the 19^th century. Even before professional football teams locked horns on turkey day, we enjoyed watching everything from colleges, to high schools, to local kids’ games match-up on this holiday. It’s a type of sports tradition that silently transpired through the years until it has become synonymous with traditional professional games in cities such as Detroit and Dallas. Like turkey and dressing, we have come to expect pro football games on Thanksgiving Day!

Read the entire episode blog post and check out some other cool info regarding this episode here.

WHEN FOOTBALL WAS FOOTBALL BACKGROUND

Each episode takes the listener back to the very early days of the National Football League. Author Joe Ziemba will share a forgotten or lost story from one of the NFL’s two oldest teams: The Bears and the Cardinals. Team championships, individual exploits, or long-buried items of interest from the earliest years of the NFL will be dusted off and resurrected for the listener. Not for the football faint-of-heart since these programs will document when the struggling Bears nearly went out of business or when Cardinals’ players earned $15 a game and were proud of it! It’s NFL history—with a twist!. See Joe's books below.

Cadets, Canons, and Legends: The Football History of Morgan Park Military Academy

When Football Was Football: The Chicago Cardinals and the Birth of the NFL

EPISODE SUMMARY

This episode covers a little history of one of the NFL's first grudge matches. The game was between two teams no longer in the cities they were back then - Rock Island, IL and Decatur, IL. The game featured some twists and turns, no doubt, in the first season of the league.

Read the entire episode blog post and check out some other cool info regarding this episode here.

WHEN FOOTBALL WAS FOOTBALL BACKGROUND

Each episode takes the listener back to the very early days of the National Football League. Author Joe Ziemba will share a forgotten or lost story from one of the NFL’s two oldest teams: The Bears and the Cardinals. Team championships, individual exploits, or long-buried items of interest from the earliest years of the NFL will be dusted off and resurrected for the listener. Not for the football faint-of-heart since these programs will document when the struggling Bears nearly went out of business or when Cardinals’ players earned $15 a game and were proud of it! It’s NFL history—with a twist!. See Joe's books below.

Cadets, Canons, and Legends: The Football History of Morgan Park Military Academy

When Football Was Football: The Chicago Cardinals and the Birth of the NFL

To learn more about this episode, you can check out the page here.

To learn more about this episode, you can check out the page here.

Music from https://www.purple-planet.com/

Music from https://www.purple-planet.com/

Music from https://www.purple-planet.com/

Music from https://www.purple-planet.com/

Music from https://www.purple-planet.com/

Music from https://www.purple-planet.com/

Music from https://www.purple-planet.com/

In this episode, we talk about a team considered possibly the worst of all-time.  It was tough in 1944 trying to manage rosters, but the Chicago Cardinals and Pittsburgh Steelers managed to combine forces for a season.

Music from https://www.purple-planet.com/

In this episode we talk about a man who played professional football BEFORE he played in college, and later went on to become the only person who coached an NFL team as well as managed a major league baseball team.

Music from https://www.purple-planet.com/

Music: https://www.purple-planet.com/

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WHEN FOOTBALL WAS FOOTBALL BACKGROUND

Each episode takes the listener back to the very early days of the National Football League. Author Joe Ziemba will share a forgotten or lost story from one of the NFL’s two oldest teams: The Bears and the Cardinals. Team championships, individual exploits, or long-buried items of interest from the earliest years of the NFL will be dusted off and resurrected for the listener. Not for the football faint-of-heart since these programs will document when the struggling Bears nearly went out of business or when Cardinals’ players earned $15 a game and were proud of it! It’s NFL history—with a twist!. See Joe's books below.

Cadets, Canons, and Legends: The Football History of Morgan Park Military Academy

When Football Was Football: The Chicago Cardinals and the Birth of the NFL

Music for the episode - https://www.purple-planet.com/

When Football Was Football is part of the Sports History Network, the headquarters for your favorite sport's yesteryear.  Learn more about the Sports History Network and When Football Was Football here.

 Music:https://www.purple-planet.com