The 1975 Dallas Cowboys were a good organization led by General Manger Tex Schramm, Head Coach Tom Landry, and Quarterback Roger Staubach. But they were about to become a part of the sports world that 50 years later, love 'em or hate 'em, has stood the test of time. After beating the Minnesota Vikings in a playoff game on the original Hail Mary pass from Staubach to Drew Pearson, they were now America's Team.  They were original, and they were innovative but mostly, they were just good. Lining up in shotgun, Roger the Dodger had his choice of weapons, and more often than not on 3rd downs, he would throw to #26 out of the backfield, Preston Pearson. The "other" Pearson, Preston had a big game against the Vikings. In fact, the man who never played college football, had a habit of having big games when they mattered most, and being on the field when the games were being decided. So despite the fact that it was Drew Pearson who caught the winning prayer vs the Vikes, it was Preston who was on the cover of the first issue of Sports Illustrated in 1976. The 14-year NFL veteran showed off his hops on that cover and said he had a pretty good game in that playoff win for the Cowboys. A week later, he had 3 touchdowns against the Rams that propelled the Boys to the Super Bowl. Preston takes us inside the huddle and tells us what it was like on that final winning drive for Dallas that included a 4th and 17 before Staubach and Drew Pearson hooked up again for that miraculous finish. He says despite being on the Steelers when they beat the Raiders on the 'Immaculate Reception', that this play is the biggest of his career. He remembers what it was like to lose Super Bowl III to Joe Namath and the Jets when he was on the Colts.  The original 3rd down back, Preston Pearson made the most out of his talent and became an integral part of those great Dallas teams and he joins us on the Past Our Prime podcast to tell us what it was like when Dallas turned from the Cowboys into America's Team. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The end of the 2nd year of the Past Our Prime podcast is a great time to look back on a wonderful year, filled with great guests, unbelievable stories, and moments from half a century ago that are still hard to imagine 50 years later. 1975 was a great year in sports, and we chronicled it all week by week with the stars who gave us those moments of wonder and helped turn us into the sports fans we became. We started the year off with Phil Villapiano of the Oakland Raiders, who told us about how he was clipped on the Immaculate Reception vs. the Steelers… sort of, maybe. His energy is only matched by his sense of humor and enthusiasm. Later that month, SI’s Curry Kirkpatrick recalled how he was given a beauty of an assignment—writing a piece on Cheryl Tiegs for the swimsuit issue. Let’s just say the supermodel wasn’t super happy with how the article turned out. From there we were off and running… or in Lynne Cox’s case, swimming and freezing. If you don’t know Lynne’s story, do yourself a favor and listen to the March 3rd show. She was a marathon swimmer who did her best work in frigid waters—English Channel, no problem. Antarctica, you bet. Alaska to Russia, sure thing. We talked with Jeff Feuerzeig, director of ESPN’s 30 for 30 on The Real Rocky, Chuck Wepner, as well as the Big Emu, All-Star pitcher Jim Kern, to close out March. In April, author Joshua Prager told us how “the Giants stole the pennant” in ’51, and about his personal mission of coming face-to-face with the man responsible for paralyzing him. The story of the year may well have been Ruffian, the amazing filly who had never lost—never even trailed—in a race heading into her much-anticipated match race with Kentucky Derby winner Foolish Pleasure. The jockey who rode both horses, Jacinto Vazquez, chose Ruffian, and the race ended in tragedy. Fifty years later, Ruffian’s story is still a tear-jerker. So is Jan Kalsu’s. The widow of the only active NFL player to die in the Vietnam War, Jan told us how just hours after giving birth to their son, she learned of her husband Bob’s death while still in the hospital. And so was Leo Ulman’s—the man who collected more Nolan Ryan memorabilia than anyone after immigrating to America as a child, narrowly escaping the Nazis in Amsterdam. In August, Adam Greenberg recalled how his first Major League at-bat nearly killed him. In September, former Oklahoma Sooners QB Dean Blevins shared how Barry Switzer recruited him on a golf course by carrying his bags. October brought Mark Kram Jr. and the Thrilla in Manila, followed by a trip to space with Bill “The Spaceman” Lee, who told stories only he can tell. In November, one of the greatest ever—Fran Tarkenton—joined us, sharing the day he lost both a playoff game and his father. And Jim Lampley gave us chills talking about his friend George Foreman, who passed in 2025. That’s a year and then some. A look back at the world of sports in 1975. It’s been a great ride with great people on the Past Our Prime podcast. Listen and enjoy wherever you get your podcasts. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Reds won the World Series 50 years ago in a classic highlighted by the amazing game six eventually won by the Red Sox on the foul-pole hitting HR by Carlton Fisk in the 12th inning. Prior to that, legend has it that Pete Rose said to Fisk  "Man, isn't this the most exciting game you've ever played in?”. Rose had a knack for being in the moment and enjoying this game called baseball more than maybe any player that ever lived. And Sports Illustrated rewarded him at the end of the year by naming him “Sportsman of the Year”. Rose was at the top of his game, beloved by not only fans of the Big Red Machine, but baseball fans everywhere. His popularity transcended the game, as he was an everyday man, who played the game the right way. His work ethic and daily grind were legendary and he resonated with a great amount of folks whose lives were built around that same dedication to whatever their profession was. He was the working mans idol. Everyone could relate to this kid who was born on the wrong side of Cincinnati and was now the king of the town.  A 44-game hitting streak in 1978 captured the attention of the nation before he left Cincy for Philly the following year, helping the Phils win a World Series in 1980… the 3rd and final championship of his career. He returned to the Reds as a player manager and in 1985 became the the game’s all-time leader in hits before retiring as a player a year later with a still record of 4,256 knocks. And then it all came crumbling down. Keith O’Brien is also a kid from Cincinnati who grew up watching Rose in his latter years  and chronicled his entire life in his bestselling book, “Charlie Hustle: The Rise and Fall of Pete Rose, and the Last Glory Days of Baseball.” It goes into great detail about Rose’s humble beginnings, how he got the nickname Charlie Hustle from two of the game’s greats, Mickey Mantle and Whitey Ford, and how his prowess as one of the greatest players of all-time made him one of the game's most popular players of the 20th century. But O’Brien also did countless research into Rose’s gambling addiction, the people that he associated with and the eventual suspension and expulsion from baseball. He joins us on POP to discuss at length in great passion how this man of the people who was adored by legions of fans everywhere would fall from grace, and end up on the outside of the Hall of Fame looking in… literally. It’s a tragic tale of the American Dream going awry. A kid who had nothing but grit and determination turns himself into one of the greatest ballplayers of all-time, only to let his addiction to betting… and betting on the game he lived for...keep him away from the thing he loved most… baseball. Join us as we look back on the year Rose was at this top his game… 1975… and the decline that would take place a decade later as we talk with Keith O’Brien to discuss his book, “Charlie Hustle: The Rise and Fall of Pete Rose and the Last Glory Days of Baseball,” on the Past Our Prime podcast. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

There was no more feared boxer than George Foreman in his prime. Tough, strong, mean, talented, smart… George had it all and was at the top of his game as heavyweight champ until October 30, 1974 when he lost to Muhammad Ali in the Rumble in the Jungle. Now a year later, Big George is on the cover of Sports Illustrated, wanting another shot at Ali for “his title.” The fight never took place. And in 1977, George retired from boxing. And that set up one of the greatest 2nd acts in the history of the sport. 10 years later, a 38-year old George came out of retirement and got back into the ring. He kept at it, and finally, on November 5, 1995 in the 10th round against heavyweight champion Michael Moorer, George caught him, knocked him out and was once again the heavyweight champion of the world at the age of 45. On the mic calling that fight was a colleague of George’s who had known Foreman for years. Jim Lampley had been around almost as long as Foreman, starting his incredible broadcasting career the same year George and Ali hooked up in Zaire. Now in the prime of his own boxing career at HBO, Lamps was the voice of a generation, especially for those who loved the sweet science. He had asked George how he planned to beat a much younger Moorer and George told him what was going to take place. And when it unfolded exactly how George had said it would, Lampley exclaimed, It Happened, It Happened… his famous four word account of George Foreman recapturing the belt he had lost over 20 years ago to his nemesis Ali. Jim Lampley joins us on the Past Our Prime podcast to talk about his start in the business as a 24-year old kid for ABC Sports. His rise in the industry and how he won over the trust of Foreman as a broadcasting partner, and eventually an equal and… a friend. He talks about the sudden passing of the champ and how that still moves him to tears and about the transformation George had from angry, intimidating, brute to the lovable, jovial gentle giant we all came to embrace during George’s successful Act Two. And Lampley tells a story about George and Bob Dylan that lets you get behind the curtain and see a different side of George altogether. It’s a great talk with a man who has been in the broadcasting business for 50 years and seen some of the greatest fights of the last 50 years. The author of the book, “It Happened, A Uniquely Lucky Life in Sports Television,” Jim Lampley on the Past Our Prime podcast. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The December 8, 1975 issue of Sports Illustrated had Texas A&M star back Bubba Bean on the cover because the Aggies were 10-0 after they beat the Longhorns. But the SI curse would get the better of A & M as the win over UT was their last of the season, as they lost to Arkansas and USC to close out the season. Another football team was also streaking… this one the NFL’s Baltimore Colts who after a 1-4 start were in the midst of a 9-game winning streak led by young QB Bert Jones. The good news is that run got them into the playoffs. The bad news… it was in Pittsburgh. And the Steelers took care of business en route to their 2nd straight Super Bowl title. Pittsburgh writer Jim O’Brien has written over 30 books in his Pittsburgh Proud series many featuring the Steelers dynasty that began in 1974 and continued through the end of the decade. Franco Harris, Andy Russell, Rocky Bleier, Jack Lambert and more often were the subjects of O’Brien’s writings and he knows that team as well as anyone. But Jim isn’t relegated to just football. The founding editor of Street and Smith’s Basketball Yearbook in 1970, O’Brien is an expert on hoops from half a century ago as well and he covered ‘em all… Dr. J and George McGinnis, the Squires and the Spirits, the ABA and the NBA… He tells us that Dr. J was better off the court than he was on it… how he cornered Franco Harris on a flight for 12 hours, interviewing him for most of the trip, and how the owners of the Spirits of St. Louis engineered the greatest business deal in the history of sports… and the key to the deal was that they would no longer exist. If you’re looking for a 70’s hoops expert, O’Brien is your man… add his expertise when it comes to that Steelers Dynasty of the 70’s and he’s the perfect guest for this week’s Past Our Prime show.  Download and listen to wherever you get your podcasts… I’m looking at you, Uzbekistan! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Perfection… it doesn’t happen very often in sports. The ’72 Dolphins are the only team to ever have a perfect season in the NFL. Mary Lou Retton nailed a perfect vault in the ’84 Games to secure her Gold medal. Michael Jordan’s Bulls were a perfect 6-0 in their trips to the NBA Finals. And in college basketball, it’s been 50 years since a mens team went undefeated and won the National Championship. That team was the 1975-76 Indiana Hoosiers. Bobby Knight’s team was a special group of players that sacrificed individual prowess for the good of the team. And it worked… to perfection. Kent Benson was a 2-time All-American at IU and on the cover of the December 1, 1975 issue of Sports Illustrated as the Hoosiers were the pre-season favorite to win it all. There would be no SI jinx on this team. They were too good. They were ready for the challenge each time they hit the floor thanks to an abundance of talent and a coach that had them prepared and focused like no other. And it was that preparation that separated this team from the others. Coach Knight said, “The key is not the will to win… everybody has that. It is the will to prepare to win that is important.” Led by Benson and Scott May and Quinn Buckner, the Hoosiers finished 32-0 that season… 33-0 if you ask Benson, who joins us on the Past Our Prime podcast and tells us that beating the defending Gold Medal winning Soviets should count in their final tally. But Benson is still the ultimate team centered center. When asked to come on our show to talk about that great team, he said yes… but he’d like Bobby Wilkerson, the 6’7 defensive specialist who would jump center for the Hoosiers to join him. And the two former #1 draft picks come together again on POP 50 years after they were a part of something that changed their lives for forever. The last team in college hoops to have a perfect season and if you ask Benson, probably the last one to ever do it. Benson and Wilkerson talk about that team and what made them such a close group. How beating UCLA in the season opener was just the beginning of this historic season and how their coach never took anything for granted and had them ready one game at a time. 32 games later… it all paid off. A perfect season.  Bobby Wilkerson and Kent Benson on the Past Our Prime podcast. Listen and download a perfect show wherever you get your podcasts. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

When Archie Griffin won his unprecedented 2nd Heisman Trophy Award in 1975 he was heralded as the best running back in the nation. But was he? Finishing 2nd in the voting was a beast out west by the name of Chuck Muncie and the senior Golden Bear was putting up huge numbers in Berkeley. In fact, in 17 fewer rushing attempts than Griffin, Chuck had 103 more yards rushing and 9 more TD’s. Add in the 26 more receptions and 234 more yards receiving than the Buckeyes Back and you could make a strong case that Muncie, the guy on the cover of the 11/24/75 issue of Sports Illustrated, should have come home with the Heisman hardware. At the next level, Muncie continued to excel becoming a 3-time Pro Bowl back in the NFL with his best season coming in 1981 when he had over 1,500 yards from scrimmage and 19 touchdowns in the high-powered offense in San Diego. The Chargers were loaded with offensive weapons: Muncie and James Brooks in the backfield with John Jefferson, Charlie Joiner, Wes Chandler and Kellen Winslow catching everything in sight. Muncie passed away in May of 2013 but the man who ran that “Air Coryell” offense Dan Fouts joins us on the POP podcast to talk about how good a back and what a weapon Muncie was while playing with the Chargers. Fouts discusses the famous playoff shootout in Miami, known as the Kellen Winslow game. A game in which the Hall of Fame QB threw for 433 yards, and 3 touchdowns in the 41-38 San Diego overtime victory over Miami. Fouts recalls how the next week he and his team suffered through frigid temps in Cincinnati and how the lingering effects of frost bite have been in his hands ever since. And he talks about being part of possibly the best Hall of Fame class (1993) of all-time: Larry Little, Bill Walsh, Chuck Noll, Walter Payton and Dan Fouts! One of the greatest QB’s to ever sling it in the NFL looks back on his Hall of Fame career and gives an in depth look at SI caveman and his former teammate Chuck Muncie on the Past Our Prime podcast.  Download, subscribe, give a review, wherever you get… yada, yada, yada. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Professional hockey was a different game in the mid 70’s that it is today. Whether it’s better or more entertaining is up for debate, but what is not up for debate is back then, there was a level of brutality that the sport fully allowed if not encouraged. Fighting was as part of the game as goals and saves, checks and assists. Bobby Clark was the 2nd leading scorer in the NHL’s 1975-76 season with 119 points for the two-time defending Stanley Cup Champion Flyers. But he had help and he had protection. The Broad Street Bullies as the Flyers were affectionately known in Philadelphia would come into an opposing arena, score goals, beat you up, and leave town with a smile on their face. And they used that recipe to hoist the Cup in 1974 and 1975. And nobody embodied that persona more than Dave ‘The Hammer’ Schultz. In 1974 he set a record for penalty minutes in one season with 472, a tally that 50 years later still stands. The Hammer was known to drop the gloves at the drop of a hat… but he had a job to do and he did it well… Protect Captain Clark and high scoring forwards Bill Barber, Reggie Leach, and Rick "The Hawk" MacLeish. This helped lead Philly to a record of 51-13-16 in ’75-76 and a 3rd straight appearance in the Stanley Cup Finals. But after thrilling wins over Boston in ’74 and Buffalo in ’75, the Flyers were swept aside by the Canadiens in ’76 ending their run as the league’s top team. Still, the team was a force on the ice and with a healthy Bernie Parent back in the nets after the disappointing loss to Montreal, the Flyers were still major contenders for the Cup With Clark, Barber and Dave Schultz going into the 1976 season. But on September 29, 1976, a week before the start of the season, The Hammer was sent to Los Angeles for two draft picks. And just like that, the Broad Street Bullies were no more. The end of an era and for Schultz, the beginning of the end of his career. This Flyer was now a King, then a Penguin and finally a Sabre before retiring following the 1980 season. His heart was broken when he left Philly and he and the Flyers were never the same without each other. Philadelphia hasn’t won a Stanley Cup since. Now, 50 years later, Dave has written a book called ‘Hammered’: The Fight of my Life where Schultz talks openly about his lifelong battle with alcohol and how getting sober in his 70’s is the biggest win of his life. He tells us how being sent away to L.A. —“not traded”— was a blow to him that he never fully accepted and how he will always be a Flyer. He recollects how he’d be admonished for fighting by NHL President Clarence Campbell only to never hear from him and that the league said one thing publicly about players fighting and yet did nothing to stop it. His job was to fight, and stand up for his teammates and protect them at all costs… and he did it very well. It’s Hammer time on the Past Our Prime podcast. Listen and subscribe wherever you get your podcasts.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In his 15th season in the NFL Fran Tarkenton was having another great year. Maybe his best. The Vikings would start the season 10-0 and finish 12-2 atop the NFL Central in large part to the numbers put up by Tarkenton. He completed 273 of his 425 attempts, 25 of them for touchdowns to lead the league in those 3 categories. And when the season concluded, he would take home the Most Valuable Player Award for the 1975 season. After three more very successful seasons in Minnesota, Tarkenton retired after his 18th year in the NFL. He finished his career with numerous NFL records at the time including completions (3,686), attempts (6,467) yards (47,003). and (342) touchdowns. Known as the 'Mad Scrambler', Tarkenton was the game’s first true dual threat, retiring as the NFL’s all-time leader in rushing yards by a quarterback and he did it all by winning games… the most ever by a QB at the time of him hanging it up.  He was named a Pro-Bowler 9 times, and had his #10 retired by the Vikings while being named one of the 50 greatest Vikings and Giants players of all-time. And in 1986, he earned a gold jacket and was enshrined into Canton as a member of the NFL’s Hall of Fame. Unfortunately his success didn’t translate to the postseason. Three times he took his Vikings teams to the Super Bowl and three times they came up short. But Fran tells us on the Past Our Prime podcast there is a reason the Vikings lost 4 of the first 11 Super Bowls. He also tells us about his love and admiration for the coach of those Minnesota teams, Bud Grant, and how if he could prepare for those Super Bowl games from back then differently now the results may have been different. Tarkenton also tells us how the loss to the Cowboys in the playoffs in 1975 was a “monumental day” in his life… one that changed him forever. Minutes after Roger Staubach connected with Drew Pearson on possibly the first ‘Hail Mary’ ever, his life was forever altered. A tragic tale only made worse by how it all unfolded. Once retired, Fran embarked on his 2nd act and 50 years later, he’s still as competitive and active as ever and more often than not… still coming out on top. As the CEO of https://tarkentonfinancial.com/ Fran continues to produce at a high level. His financial company has seen him rise to the top of the business world and he tells us how he stays up to date on the newest business trends like pipIQ which reduces risks associated with misusing AI in small and mid-size businesses at a fraction of the cost. If you’re interested in learning more about this breakthrough technology go to https://pipiq.com/?via=proTV Fran tells us that the similarities between being a QB in a huddle or a CEO in a board room are numerous. That he learned more by his failures than by his successes and that the great leaders all have one thing in common. What is it? Listen and find out as we chat with one of the NFL’s All-Time greats on the Past Our Prime podcast. Listen and subscribe wherever you get your podcasts. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Cincinnati Reds won the 1975 World Series in a classic 7-game matchup against the Boston Red Sox. The recent Dodgers victory over the Blue Jays is being argued as maybe the best Fall Classic ever, but that ’75 Series saw the Reds come from behind to win all 4 of their games, including 4-3 in Game 7 at Fenway Park. The Reds had a team littered with Hall of Famers. Tony Perez, Joe Morgan and Johnny Bench as well as *Pete Rose were part of what was known as the Big Red Machine. They could do it all… Power, speed, average,, defense… the one thing they couldn’t do was win the big one. They lost to Baltimore in 5 games in 1970… to the A’s in 7 in 1972… to the Mets in the NLCS in ’73 and didn’t even make the playoffs in ’74. But a bloop single by Joe Morgan in the 9th inning brought in the winning run for the Reds who won their first World Series title since 1940!  A year later, they did it again, sweeping the Yankees to make it two straight championships for the Reds. Cincinnati was the toast of baseball and the Big Red Machine was now legendary. 50 years later we’re still talking about that team and how good they were and nobody knows them better than Dr. Daryl Smith who currently serves as a Management professor at Cedarville University in Ohio.  Previously, Daryl served as an Air Force office and pilot over a 24 year career.   Much of his academic studies and research have centered on leadership and its role in organizational success.  He has been trained to find the root causes of organizations’ successes and failures.   Daryl has a long association with the Cincinnati Reds.  As a boy, he attended several games at Crosley Field, the first game at Riverfront Stadium and the 1970, 1972, and 1975 World Series.  Twenty years ago, Daryl met and became acquainted with Bob Howsam, the brains behind the Big Red Machine and the central figure in his book, “Making the Big Red Machine: Bob Howsam and the Cincinnati Reds of the 1970's." Daryl talks to us about the small trade that became a huge deal when Howsam acquired the diminutive Morgan from Houston. He tells us how Cincy thought he was crazy to give up so much for the future 2-time MVP. He recalls how Manager Sparky Anderson moved Rose to 3rd base and how that changed the course of history for the team. And he tells how free agency and one trade prior to the 1977 season put an end to the greatest team in Reds history. November 3rd, 1975 saw Will McEnaney leaping into the arms of Johnny Bench after winning the greatest World Series ever played and Professor Smith helps us replay that Series one last time on the Past Our Prime podcast.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The 1975 Basketball season was the last one in which the NBA was competing with the ABA. It wasn’t much of a competition. At least not off the court. The NBA was doing well and had just signed one of the ABA’s top players, George McGinnis, to a lucrative deal to join the 76ers while the Baltimore Claws were folding up shop before ever playing a regular season game in the ABA. The tide was certainly turning in just the NBAS’s favor. Still, the talent in the ABA couldn’t be ignored. Despite McGinnis, the man on the cover of the 10/27/75 issue of Sports Illustrated, leaving the Indiana Pacers, the league still had Dr. J, Juliue Erving, arguably the most electrifying player in all of basketball. The Atlanta Hawks drafted David Thompson out of college, but couldn’t come to terms on a deal. So the ABA’s Denver Nuggets swooped in and signed the prolific scorer out of North Carolina State. Armed with that Red, White and Blue ball and the 3-point shot, the ABA was still a league for the fans. Except, the fans had a hard time watching because there was no real TV deal. 19-year old Moses Malone was doing his thing in Utah before they too couldn’t make payroll and called it quits on the season just a few weeks in. Eventually, the ABA would have 4 teams (Denver, San Antonio, Indiana and the New York Nets) merge with the NBA while two others (Kentuck & St. Louis) would stop operations. All eyes would then focus on the NBA… Kareem in Los Angeles, Rick Barry and the Warriors, the Blazers and Bill Walton, and those banner-hanging Celtics in Boston. Bob Ryan had a front row seat for much of that time period and saw it all first hand and he joins us to look ahead to that 1975 season of hoops which turned out to be a great one for the NBA… and a last hurrah for the ABA. The Boston Globe’s NBA expert tells us how McGinnis came to the NBA and was still a force, but not quite the same player as he was in Indiana… and for good reason. Ryan recalls how Charlie Scott was acquired by the Celtics from Phoenix for Paul Westphal in a deal that helped both teams and how Scott came up big in the playoffs. He tells us why the 3-point shot is the worst thing to ever happen to basketball and he tells us about one of the ABA teams that didn’t merge with the NBA, instead making one of the best business deals in the history of sports to do nothing. It’s a show about nothing… and everything… and all things basketball. And that’s a perfect topic for Bob Ryan… but so is baseball. And Ryan tells us all about his experience covering the ’75 World Series between the Sox and the Reds and how he almost missed the Fisk HR in Game 6! Just when you think we’re talking just dunks and jumpers with one of the most renowned basketball writers of all-time, we throw you a curveball and get Ryan to talk about his other passion. ABA? Check! NBA? Check! MLB? Check! Bob Ryan and he Past Our Prime podcast has you covered. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

It’s still thought of as the World Series to which all other World Series’ are compared. The Boston Red Sox vs the Cincinnati Reds. A classic 7-game series that had as much drama, controversy, rain, Hall of Famers, and unforgettable moments as baseball fans could ever hope for. The Big Red Machine was a juggernaut in ’75 led by Johnny Bench, Joe Morgan, Pete Rose, Tony Perez and their Hall of Fame skipper Sparky Anderson. Yet, the upstart Red Sox were matching them at every turn with Rookie of the Year/MVP Fred Lynn, Yaz, El Tiante and Carlton Fisk playing inspiring baseball. The only thing that could stop either of these teams was Mother Nature. Rain interrupted the series on mud;tiple occasions, but once they got on the field… some of the most thrilling baseball ever played was on full display. None more thrilling than the 12th inning home run by Carlton Fisk that ended a captivating Game 6 and sent the series to a 7th game. The shot of Fisk waving the ball fair as it hugged the left field line and then bounced off the foul pole is a moment that has stood the test of time for half a century and will be forever remembered by baseball fans as long as they still play this game. The starting pitcher for Game 7 for Boston was Bill Lee… the Spaceman. One of the gams true characters and at this time, one of the games best left-handed starters. The winner of 17 games in 1975, Lee had thrown 8 beautiful innings in Game 2 only to leave in the 9th when the Reds rallied for a 3-2 win. Now, in Game 7, he once again tossed 6 innings and came out with the lead in the 7th only to see the Reds rally again. Two wonderful starts for Lee, two no decisions… and a lifetime of what if’s… 50 years later, the Spaceman is still as outrageous and entertaining as he was back in Boston in the mid 70’s. He tells us how he couldn’t stand Don Zimmer as a manager and how wearing a Rolling Stones shirt cost him and the Red Sox the 1972 AL East Division. He recalls how as a teenager he had a job as locksmith and locked some of the most famous people in the world out of their own houses. He tells us how he almost died on the pitching mound pitching for the Savannah Bananas and how he’s lucky to still be alive. And mostly, he just tells us all sorts of things you can’t believe happened… but they did.  One of the most revered and loved Red Sox pitchers in their storied history… Bill The Spaceman Lee on the Past Our Prime podcast… Listen and download wherever you get your podcasts. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Four words. That’s all you need to take you back in time to a fight that to this day resonates with a generation of boxing fans. Ali and Frazier for a 3rd and final time. I’m talking about… The Thrilla in Manila. The two great heavyweights despised each other. Muhammad Ali famously said “It will be a killa and a thrilla and a chilla, when I get the gorilla in Manila.” His constant verbal abuse of Joe Frazier made Joe’s blood boil, to the point where he didn’t want to knock Ali out in their 3rd clash.  He made it clear, “ I want to hurt Ali”. And he did. Ali said this fight was the "closest thing to dyin' that I know of”. By the end of the 14th round both men had been brutally punished. Frazier could no longer see, both his eyes swollen shut by the constant barrage of jabs to the face by his counterpart. When the bell rang for the 15th, neither man wanted to give in or give up… but Frazier’s trainer Eddie Fuchs knew his man couldn’t defend himself any longer… and much to the chagrin of Frazier, threw in the towel, ending one of the most brutal fights in boxing history. The fight was covered by senior writer Mark Kram, Sr. of Sports Illustrated who writes of it in the October 13, 1975 issue of SI. It’s one of the best pieces of sports writing you will ever come across, beautifully combined with the photos from Neil Leifer. It is Sports Illustrated at its absolute best and 50 years later, it is a lesson in sports journalism that holds up to this day. When it comes to Joe Frazier, Mark Kram, Jr. wrote the book on him… literally. Smokin’ Joe: The Life of Joe Frazier is a biography that goes into depth on the life of the former heavyweight champion and the three fights against his nemesis, Muhammad Ali, culminating in the ‘Thrilla’. Kram, Jr. tells us how Frazier tried fighting Ali in the later rounds by listening to him breathe since he could no longer see. He tells of the incredible heat that day in Manila with the arena reaching temps over 115 degrees. Kram also tells us that both Ali and Frazier wanted to go one more time — ‘Ali-Frazier IV!’— before their handlers put that idea to bed. And he tells us how they both grew to respect each other later in life despite the animosity that surrounded them during their fighting days. It’s a great conversation about possibly the last truly great heavyweight fight. Two warriors fighting for a championship… fighting for respect… fighting for their lives. The Thrilla in Manila… 50 years later… on the Past Our Prime podcast.  Download and subscribe wherever you get your podcasts. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Oakland A’s of the 70’s were at their absolute best when it came to October baseball. They beat the Big Red Machine to win the 1972 World Series. They beat the Miracle Mets in ’73 to win it again. And in 1974, they made it back-to-back-to-back when they disposed of the Dodgers in 5 games. Flooded with names like Catfish & Reggie, Blue Moon & Vida, Campy and Geno, they had talent and swagger and were the team to beat heading into the 1975 postseason. Playing centerfield for those World Series winning teams in ’73 & ’74 was speedster Billy North. Acquired by Charlie Finley from the Cubs prior to the 1973 season, North immediately fit in with the defending champs and his style of play was exactly what manager Dick Williams loved… speed and defense. North would lead the AL in stolen bases in 1974 and 1976 when he stole a career high 75 bags while playing a sterling centerfield. After missing the entire postseason in ’73 when the Athletics repeated as Champs by beating Tom Seaver and the Mets in 7 games, North was looking forward to the ’74 season and a chance to play in the playoffs. But on June 5th in Detroit, he and Reggie Jackson had an altercation that ended up with both of them injured as well as catcher Ray Fosse. It wasn’t the first time the Swinging A’s brawled with each other and it had very little effect on the team’s play. Three months later they were back in the World Series for the 3rd straight year, with Fosse, Jackson and North all in the starting lineup. Despite having won the last two World Series titles, the A’s were underdogs against the Dodgers who won 102 games in the National League and they didn’t give the A’s much respect going into their matchup. On the POP podcast, North tells us how he was called the “Paperboy” because he read all the newspapers and he told his teammates on the flight back from Baltimore after winning the ALCS that a Dodger player was quoted as saying that there were only two players on the A’s that could play for the Dodgers… the champs didn’t need more than that… 5 games later… they were champs again for the 3rd straight year. North tells us how he and Reggie put that incident behind them and remain friends to this day… and how that team 50 years later still gathers together. He talks of how Dusty Baker influenced his life and remains one of his best friends and how Dusty honored him at an All-Star game a couple of years ago… and he talks about the NorthLegacyProject.com that he helped start in honor of his mom to help kids with special needs. For a man who made a living stealing bags in his 20’s, he now lives to give back in his 70’s.  A 2-time champion of the only team in baseball history other than the Yankees to win 3 straight World Series Championships. The Fighting A’s… The Swinging A’s… The Winning A’s… Billy North on the Past Our Prime podcast. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The 1975 Notre Dame football season was one for the books… and later for the big screen. Ara Parseghian had retired as the head coach, replaced by Dan Devine. And on the cover of SI was Quarterback Rick Slager, guiding the Irish to an 8-3 season. But Slager was more than just a QB… he played just as much tennis in South Bend as he did football and would go on to get his law degree from ND… but when he was throwing the pigskin, there was a sophomore tight end often on the receiving end of it. Ken MacAfee is one of the greatest college tight ends of all-time. A 2-time All-American for Notre Dame, he would break out in ’75 and follow it up with two sensational seasons as a junior and senior.  In 1977, Joe Montana was now the quarterback and MacAfee was his top target. He caught 54 passes, and finished 3rd in the Heisman Voting while taking home the Walter Camp Award for the nations top player. All this led the Irish to a New Years Day win over Heisman winner Earl Campbell and the Texas Longhorns in the Cotton Bowl, 38-10… MacAfee would close his college career with a National Championship…the 10th in the programs storied history. Drafted by the 49ers, MacAfee played two seasons in the NFL in San Francisco but in his 3rd season, new head coach Bill Walsh asked the 6’4, 250 lb tight end to switch to guard. That didn’t sound like a good idea to Ken, and despite being reunited with Montana by the Bay, after a few pre-season games playing nothing but O-Line, MacAfee abruptly retired from the NFL. Ya see, MacAfee didn’t just play football at Notre Dame… he got an education and after graduating with a degree in pre-professional studies he went to Penn and earned his DMD—-Doctor of Medicine in Dentistry… He would later become an oral surgeon and an expert in the field. That’s what it means to be a student athlete. MacAfee joins us to tell us about the difference between Parsegian and Devine… who was behind helping get a walk-on by the name of Rudy Ruettiger into that now famous game… what was real and what wasn’t from the iconic movie, “Rudy” and if he ever thinks about what if he had stayed and played with Montana in San Francisco. Ken loved his time at Notre Dame and we loved our time with him on the Past Our Prime podcast. Listen wherever you get your podcasts. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

They were the defending champs… and they were just getting started. After a draft in 1974 that would eventually produce 5 Hall of Famers… names like Lambert, Swann, Stallworth, Shell and Webster… the Steelers were ready to repeat as champions… and while the 2nd year players began to come into their own in ’75, the team was led by Quarterback Terry Bradshaw, who 5 years after being the #1 overall pick out of Louisiana Tech, was finally ready to claim the role as QB1 without having to look over his shoulder.  And on the defensive side of things… the Steel Curtain was ready to wreak havoc on the opposing quarterbacks throughout the NFL. LC Greenwood, Ernie Holmes, Dwight White and the man on the cover of the September 22, 1975 issue of Sports Illustrated, Mean Joe Greene were laying the foundation for a Steelers dynasty… 4 Super Bowl wins in 6 years!  The NFL’s first two-time Defensive Player of the Year winner, Joe Greene was everything you wanted in a leader… tough, driven, disciplined, and in this case, yes, a little mean. His years in Pittsburgh would end with a gold jacket in Canton and a legacy that is second to none in the Steel City, or anywhere for that matter. Alex Kozora is someone who appreciates Mean Joe and the Steelers and has been covering the team for over a decade as one of the hosts on The Terrible Podcast, a Steelers podcast for Pittsburgh Steelers fans where he and Dave Bryan discuss the goings on of one of the most successful franchises in the NFL. But that wasn’t always the case. Prior to Chuck Noll’s and Mean Joe’s arrival in 1969, the Steelers had been to one playoff game in their 37 years in the NFL. But in 1972, that all changed… David Orochena is a writer for www.steelersdepot.com and contributor to The Terrible Podcast and he tells us that the “Immaculate Reception” was much more than just the Steelers winning their first ever playoff game. It was a defining moment for the sports structure of Pittsburgh. A week after Franco Harris caught the ball out of midair off a deflection, Roberto Clemente was tragically killed in a plane crash helping bring aid to an earthquake-ravaged Nicaragua. The death of a man who symbolized Pittsburgh and the Pirates completely devastated the city and according to Orochena, it was the Steelers that helped fill that void going forward. It’s much more than just the X’s & O’s of professional football. It’s a chat with two guys who know the ins and outs of a franchise that were the laughing stock of the NFL for decades… and turned it around in the mid 70’s to become the envy of every organization in the league. Alex and David tell us about how Terry Bradshaw finally won the QB job for good in ’75, how the Terrible Towel came to be and inspired a couple of guys years later to start a Terrible Podcast… and how one play changed the course of the Steelers franchise and how the Steel Curtain came to symbolize a team on it’s way glory. They dominated and kicked tail and didn’t care who got in their way… Was it nice? No… it was mean… Mean Joe Greene and the 1975 Steelers on the Past Our Prime podcast…  Listen to both Past Our Prime and The Terrible Podcast wherever you get your podcasts and please leave a review and a 5-star rating if you desire. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

1974 was a banner year for Jimmy Connors… He entered three Grand Slams and won all three of them. He was ranked #1 in the world and was engaged to Chris Evert. Life was good. But in 1975, things didn’t go quite as smoothly. His engagement to Chrissy was called off… and while he was still the most dominant player in the world, he failed to win a Grand Slam, losing in the finals at the Australian Open to John Newcombe, in the finals at Wimbledon to Arthur Ashe, and now in the finals of the US Open to Manual Orantes. Was this the beginning of the end for Connors? Hardly. He would win 5 of his Grand Slam titles starting in 1976 at the US Open where he would there again in ’78, ’82 & ’83 as well as Wimbledon for a 2nd time in 1982. And who would forget his incredible run at the 1991 US Open at at the age of 39. Curry Kirkpatrick hasn’t forgotten it. He was covering a good portion of Connors and Evert’s careers back when they were the King & Queen of tennis for Sports Illustrated and gives us an inside look at what happened to Jimmy against Orantes in the finals of ’75. A simple reason for the shocking win was the Spaniard was sensational on clay courts, and beginning in 1975, Forest Hills surface was clay for 3 years. Advantage Orantes. Curry also tells us what happened on the women’s side of the draw as Chris Evert was beginning her dominance of tennis… Having won the French Open in 1974 & ’75 as well as Wimbledon a year earlier, Evert added the US Open to her list of achievements… and it was the first of 6 US Open Titles in her storied career as she would win it again in ’76, ’77, ’78, ’80 & ’82.  Two of tennis all-time greats were dominating tennis in the 70’s and Curry was there for all of it and joins us on POP to tell us how Orantes almost didn’t even get to the finals and how that loss by Connors was just a blip as he would continue to be a force in tennis for another 15 years! And he tells us how at age 16 “he invented” Chris Evert writing the first major story about her in SI before penning the final installment of her illustrious career in the late 80’s when she retired from the sport. Nobody knows Connors and Evert from the mid 70’s like Curry Kirkpatrick and he joins us for a record 5th time on the show to regale us with great stories of two of tennis’ all-time greats… Jimmy and Chrissy… on the Past Our Prime podcast Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Oklahoma Sooners were the team to beat heading into the 1975 season and the question was… could anyone do it? Barry Switzer’s squad had split the National Championship the year prior with the Trojans of USC, but with most of that team returning, the Sooners were stacked on both sides of the ball and looking to defend their title. On the cover of Sports Illustrated September 8, 1975, was their fearless quarterback, Steve Davis, who in three years at the helm lost one time in 34 games. Switzer was also on the cover, having not lost a game in his first two seasons as the Head Coach at OU… and on the cover, he was giving Heisman hopeful Joe Washington a big hug as the pre-season ranked #1 Sooners looked to have a 3rd straight season without a loss. For much of the year, it looked like they were destined to do just that… 8-0 after a win at Oklahoma State, they had outscored their opponents 264-88… and then, out of nowhere, a home loss to Kansas ended their perfect season, and probably a chance at a 2nd straight National Championship. The backup to QB Steve Davis was a two sport star by the name of Dean Blevins who grew up in Norman, Oklahoma. He started 6 games in his 4 years at OU, and won all 6, but he was a throwing quarterback on a team… that didn’t throw. He got hurt, and was replaced by Thomas Lott who ran the wishbone the way Coach Switzer liked to run it. 50 years later, Blevins might have taken his talents to another school, but he stayed at Oklahoma, and after his playing days were over, he stayed in Oklahoma, becoming both a local and national broadcaster for the next 5+ decades. Blevins joins us on the Past Our Prime podcast to tell us about his friend and roommate Davis who wasn’t the most talented player except for one thing… he was very good at winning…. 32-1-1 was the Sooners QB. Dean tells us about the special bond he and Davis had and about that horrible night in 2013, when his friend died suddenly in a plane crash in South Bend, Indiana. Dean also talks about how Coach Switzer recruited him 50+ years ago on a golf course and would end up caddying for the young Blevins a few times in the course of trying too get him to commit to OU. Blevins committed to Oklahoma, and Switzer committed to Blevins… the way he committed to all his players then… and now. Dean gives an inside look to Barry Switzer that many may not be aware of but as the Coach gets close to turning 88, Blevins makes it clear that the relationship formed between Switzer and his players is one that will never be broken.  And Dean gives an inside look to the complicated relationship between Troy Aikman and Coach Switzer… one that started with Troy coming to Oklahoma before Barry called UCLA’s Terry Donahue and told him he had a QB for him that was destined for the Hall of Fame… When Donahue didn’t call back, Switzer called a 2nd time, and soon Aikman was playing in Westwood. The two would reunite to win a Super Bowl in Dallas before a falling out took place that was displayed in the recent Netflix series, but Blevins has an update on their situation that is 30 years in the making. And how about that ’75 team with Washington, the Selmon Brothers, Davis and Washington, and a freshman running back named Billy Sims? Did they recover from that loss to Kansas? You bet they did… a win over Michigan in the Orange Bowl secured a 2nd straight National Championship for Switzers Sooners… and Dean Blevins who retired from TV just two months ago after 41 years in the business, is here on the Past Our Prime podcast to tell us all about one of the greatest college football teams of all-time: Switzers Sooners. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

When we last saw a swimmer on the cover of SI in August of 1975, it was Tim Shaw after his dominating performance in Colombia. He won three gold medals in the aquatic championships and easily could have garnered a 4th if his teammate, Bruce Furniss hadn’t jumped the gun and left the block a bit too soon. That cost the U.S. a world record and Furniss a lot of grief. The 18-year old was despondent about his blunder but less than a month later he had a chance to redeem himself… and he did just that… Once again he anchored the 800m freestyle relay, and this time the result was perfect at the swimming championships in Kansas City… a new world record… and one of three times he touched the wall first in K.C. "It happens very seldom," he said, grinning through his braces, "but once in a while you get a second chance.” A year later in Montreal he would win 2 gold medals including in the 200m freestyle… Only three American men have ever won gold in that event… Mark Spitz (1972), Michael Phelps (2008) and Furniss in ’76.  With shot-putter Brian Oldfield on the cover of SI in September if ’75, Furniss took center stage in the pool and shook off that disappointing meet from a month earlier while showing the sporting world he was ready to be one the of the all-time greats. Now 50 years later, he looks back on a career where he would go on to set 10 world records and was inducted into the International Swimming Hall of Fame in 1987. On the podcast, he recounts the story of what happened in Colombia and afterwards how he went to dinner with his teammates when a waiter asked if they had heard what the American had done to cost them a world record? His brother without missing a beat said, yea… you want to ask him about it? That broke the ice as they all had a good laugh and set him on course to his great swim meet in Kansas City that propelled him to greater things in the Summer Games. He tells us how his house was robbed in 1980 and the only things taken? His two gold medals… and what he did to try and replicate them is a great story.. And he tells us how in early 2020, he almost died from a cardiac arrest but was saved by his wife and then upon arriving at the hospital induced into a coma all while Covid was beginning to wreak havoc on the world. Once again given a 2nd chance and just like 50 years ago, Bruce Furniss is making the most of it. Listen to one of the all-time greats to ever get in the pool on the Past Our Prime podcast. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The best team in the NFL in the 60’s was Vince Lombardi’s Green Bay Packers. They won NFL Championships in 1961, 1962 & 1965 and the first two Super Bowls in 1966 and 1967. They were littered with future Hall of Famers throughout the roster including Jim Taylor, Forrest Gregg, Ray Nitschke, Herb Adderley, Willie Davis, Jim Ringo, Paul Horning and Willie Wood… but the leader of that team was the QB, Bart Starr who guided the team to those 5 titles in 7 years. The Hall of Fame QB was now back in Green Bay as the coach and GM trying to revitalize an organization that hadn’t seen much success since Starr retired prior to the 1972 season. He didn’t want to be seen as the savior and was not comfortable being on the cover of Sports Illustrated, but that’s right where he was on the 25th of August 1975. For Starr, his 9 years back in Green Bay as the head coach could never replicate what he had done as a player a decade earlier. And that surprised some of his former teammates who thought Starr would have tremendous success as a coach. And that included the man who snapped the ball to Starr for two seasons… The 1965 NFL Championship season as well as the win in the first Super Bowl played against the Chiefs. Bill Curry was as close to Starr as you could be as a player with Starr lining up over center for those two seasons. Now, 60 years later, Curry looks back on those years playing alongside Starr as a rookie and how the veteran quarterback welcomed him to the team and paved the way for a lifelong friendship. Curry would go on to quite an NFL career himself becoming a 2-time Pro Bowl Center with the Colts and winning not only that first SB with the Packers, but another with Baltimore in Super Bowl 5. And when his playing days were over, he worked with Starr on his staff as an offensive line coach before taking the head coaching job at Georgia Tech in 1980. After 6 years with the Rambling Wreck, he went to Bama and guided the Crimson Tide for three seasons before going to Kentucky for 7 seasons and ending his coaching career at Georgia State in 2012. Drafted in the 20th round as an undersized center out of Georgia Tech, Curry was a fish out of water in Green Bay in the summer of ’65 until encounters with both Bart Starr and the captain of the defense, Willie Davis changed his life. As Curry puts it, “Unexpected, undeserved, unrewarded acts of kindness change lives.” And they changed his for sure. He talks glowingly about his time in Green Bay and how he fell in love with the community that is like no there in the country. He tells us on the Past Our Prime podcast how Starr became a mentor and Wiilie Davis a man he came to respect like no other. And he talks about how forgiveness can set you free… something Coach Lombardi did for him on his death bed. Every once in a while you come across someone who instantly makes your life better. For Curry, that was Bart Starr in 1965. And 60 years later, Curry is paying that forward making an impact on the lives of people he comes in contact with… or in our case, talks with, every day. A powerful, inspirational conversation with a man who was a part of the most legendary football team ever assembled…  The 1960’s Green Bay Packers. Bill Curry on the Past Our Prime podcast. He’s as good as they get. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices