PODCAST · sports
Past Our Prime
by Scott Johnston
Growing up on boxscores, the Game of the Week, and Sports Illustrated, three longtime Sports TV Producers reflect back on the world of sports through the lens of old issues of SI from 50 years ago. Larry Csonka and the Dolphins; Reggie Jackson and The Swinging A's; The Wizard of Westwood; The Golden Bear and Muhammad Ali are just a few of the many heroes showcased weekly by Scott, Bill and Marc on the Past Our Prime podcast. Stay up to date on what happened in the past as they go back in time and return to the glory days of sports week by week, issue by issue of Sports Illustrated starting in January of 1974
Episodes
-
141. Bert Jones: NFL MVP
Bert Jones was one of the NFL’s most talented and colorful quarterbacks of the 1970s. The Baltimore Colts selected him with the second overall pick in the 1973 NFL Draft, and the “Ruston Rifle” quickly earned a reputation for his powerful arm, toughness and fearless style of play. He was named…
more -
140. Rudy
The September 6, 1976 issue of Sports Illustrated — the magazine's annual College Football Preview — carried the bold headline "Michigan Is No. 1," featuring a close-up cover shot of Wolverines sophomore quarterback Rick Leach. The pick reflected genuine optimism around Bo Schembechler's program,...
-
139. Lady on the Podcast: Susan Fornoff on Reggie, the Rat, and the Locker Room
Reggie Jackson graced the August 30, 1976 cover of Sports Illustrated during the single strangest season of his Hall of Fame career — his lone year as a Baltimore Oriole. Fifty years later, the cover still surprises people who forget he ever played for anyone besides Oakland, the Yankees, or...
-
138. Dewey Selmon: Losing Seasons, Lasting Wisdom
The August 23, 1976 issue of Sports Illustrated — titled "The Buccaneers Come Aboard" — put Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Steve Spurrier on the cover, marking the very first Sports Illustrated appearance for the fledgling expansion franchise. The cover photo, shot by Heinz Kluetmeier, captured...
-
137. Jean Fugett: NFL Pro Bowler, reporter, lawyer and much more.
The August 16, 1976 issue of Sports Illustrated featured Calvin Hill on the cover under the headline "The Redskins Shop for a Super Bowl," a nod to George Allen's expensive off-season spending spree that brought Hill, John Riggins, Jean Fugett, and Pat Sullivan to Washington in pursuit of a...
-
136. Mitch Kupchak: Going for Gold
The August 9, 1976 issue of Sports Illustrated closed out the magazine's Montreal Olympics coverage with the headline "Awrright! Bruce Jenner Wins Big" on the cover, capturing Jenner celebrating after his dramatic decathlon victory — a performance that included a world-record total and would go…
more -
135. Lanny Bassham: Shooting for Gold
The August 2, 1976 issue of Sports Illustrated carried the headline "She Stole the Show" on its cover, with 14-year-old Romanian gymnast Nadia Comaneci as the unmistakable star of that week's Olympic coverage out of Montreal. The issue captured the sensation of Comaneci's historic performance —…
more -
134. History Making Swimmers: Jim Montgomery & Brian Goodell
This week on Past Our Prime, we welcome two legends from one of the greatest Olympic swim teams ever assembled—Jim Montgomery and Brian Goodell. Montgomery made history at the 1976 Montreal Olympics by becoming the first swimmer to break the 50-second barrier in the 100-meter freestyle, while...
-
133. John Naber: 4-time Gold Medalist
The July 19, 1976 issue of Sports Illustrated landed on newsstands just days before the Montreal Summer Olympics, with a cover that perfectly captured America's hopes. There was marathon legend Frank Shorter, looking to defend the gold medal he'd won in Munich after putting all his focus on the...
-
132. It's a Randy Jones Ted (Leitner) Talk
Randy Jones was a left-handed sinkerball pitcher who became one of the most unlikely stars of 1970s baseball, spending the bulk of his career with the San Diego Padres after being drafted in 1972. Undersized and lacking overpowering stuff, he relied on pinpoint control and a heavy sinking…
more -
131. Frank Shorter & The Races He Never Stopped Running.
Frank Shorter landing on the cover of the July 5, 1976 issue of Sports Illustrated was perfectly timed — the Montreal Olympics were just weeks away and Shorter was heading back to defend the gold medal he had won in Munich four years earlier in one of the most memorable moments in American track...
-
130. Swen Nater and the ABA/NBA Merger
Bowie Kuhn landed on the cover of the June 28, 1976 issue of Sports Illustrated because he had just done something nobody in baseball had done quite so boldly — voided three of the biggest player sales in the history of the sport. When Charlie Finley sold Vida Blue to the Yankees and Joe Rudi and...
-
129. George Brett: Hall of Famer
George Brett spent 21 years with the Kansas City Royals and never played a single game for anyone else — which in today's era of free agency feels almost quaint. He's the only player in baseball history to win batting titles in three different decades ('76, '80, '90), hit .390 in 1980 — the…
more -
128. Dwight Stones: The Greatest Show in Track and Field
Dwight Stones is on the cover of the June 14, 1976 issue of Sports Illustrated, and he joins Past Our Prime to take us back to one of the most electric moments of his remarkable career. That cover came on the heels of a world record in the high jump — a performance that announced to the world…
more -
127 . Alvan Adams: Rookie of the Year & NBA Finals Star
Alvan Adams was the Phoenix Suns' rookie center during the memorable 1976 NBA Finals run, and he was nothing short of sensational in his debut season. A 6'9" center out of the University of Oklahoma, Adams won the NBA Rookie of the Year Award in 1975–76 after averaging around 19 points and 9...
-
126. Psycho, Fisk, Sweet Lou and the brawl that defined an era.
On the latest episode of Past Our Prime, we dive into one of the most memorable moments in baseball history — the May 31, 1976 cover of Sports Illustrated that captured a dramatic home plate confrontation between the Boston Red Sox and New York Yankees. The cover photograph, shot by Neil Leifer,...
-
125. Larry Robinson Dominated, Nick Nickson Called It, Hockey Won
Larry Robinson was the cornerstone of the Montreal Canadiens' blue line during one of the greatest dynasties in NHL history, and the 1975–76 season was where he truly announced himself to the hockey world. He had already been part of the 1973 Cup-winning team, but it was the 1976 Stanley Cup…
more -
124. Michael MacCambridge and the History of SI
The May 17, 1976 issue of Sports Illustrated is the perfect time capsule for Past Our Prime, capturing the sports world exactly 50 years ago through unforgettable stories and personalities. Headlined by Julius Erving on the cover, the issue showcased “Dr. J” at the peak of his ABA brilliance with...
-
123. 3-time Kentucky Derby Winner Angel Cordero, Jr.
This week on Past Our Prime, the guys crack open the May 10, 1976 issue of Sports Illustrated and bounce all over the sports world of the mid-’70s. We talk about Muhammad Ali looking very un-Ali-like in his sluggish fight with Jimmy Young and how many thought Ali lost this one. We break down the...
-
122. Jamie Moyer on the Phillies GOAT: Mike Schmidt
On the May 3, 1976 cover of Sports Illustrated, Mike Schmidt was exploding onto the national scene as the Phillies’ young power-hitting third baseman. Fresh off tying a major league record with 11 home runs in April — and just weeks after smashing four homers in one game on April 17 — Schmidt was...
-
121. An Original Aussie: Evonne Goolagong
Evonne Goolagong Cawley was on the cover of the April 26, 1976 issue of Sports Illustrated, a fitting spotlight for one of tennis’s most graceful and naturally gifted champions who was reaching the #1 ranking in the world in late April 50 years ago. Goolagong’s presence on the cover also…
more -
120. Pete Demers: Royalty's Hall of Fame Trainer
The April 19, 1976 issue of Sports Illustrated had Ray Floyd on the cover after he absolutely ran away with the Masters, winning by eight shots at 17-under par in a wire-to-wire masterpiece. The story made it clear this was a different Floyd — more mature and more locked in than ever— while still...
-
119. Joe Morgan through the eyes of ESPN's Tim Kurkjian
In the April 12, 1976 issue of Sports Illustrated, Joe Morgan is portrayed as the driving force behind the modern Cincinnati Reds’ dominance, embodying the perfect blend of speed, discipline, and power that made him one of baseball’s most complete players. As the Reds’ second baseman, Morgan’s...
-
118. The Perfect Season: Bobby Wilkerson and the '76 Hoosiers
It’s time, for Past Our Prime… and this week we turn the clock back to April 5th, 1976—when the Indiana Hoosiers men's basketball team completed one of the most iconic seasons in sports history. On the cover of Sports Illustrated is Scott May, and inside the story is perfection: 32–0, a national...
-
117. The perfect season with Kent Benson
The March 29, 1976 issue of Sports Illustrated featured Kent Benson soaring toward the basket on its cover, captured during Indiana’s hard-fought 65-56 victory over Marquette in the Mideast Regional Final. Benson dominated the paint that night with 18 points and 9 rebounds, helping send the...
-
116. Tracy Austin: A Star is Born
At just 13 years old, Tracy Austin was already doing things most players twice her age could only dream about—right down to landing on the March 22, 1976 cover of Sports Illustrated with the headline “A Star is Born.” And they weren’t kidding. With a calm, unshakable presence, she was already...
-
115. Bill Veeck’s Baseball Circus Features Nancy Faust at the Organ
The March 15, 1976 issue of Sports Illustrated featured the ever-colorful and once again owner of the White Sox, Bill Veeck on the cover. One of baseball’s most imaginative and controversial owners, Veeck’s reputation for showmanship and fan-friendly ideas had already made him a legend in the…
more -
114. Hall of Famer Bob McAdoo
The March 8, 1976, issue of Sports Illustrated featured Buffalo Braves star Bob McAdoo on the cover, captured in a striking close-up portrait by photographer Neil Leifer, holding the ball at Buffalo Memorial Auditorium under the headline "Hottest Shot in the Game: Buffalo's Bob McAdoo." Just one...
-
113. The Professor and.... Muhammad Ali
When Muhammad Ali stopped Jean-Pierre Coopman in five rounds on February 20, 1976, in San Juan, it was a controlled and confident defense of his heavyweight title. Ali dictated the pace from the opening bell, snapping jabs and sharp combinations while keeping the overmatched challenger at bay…
more -
112. John Papanek: From SI for Kids to ESPN the Magazine.
The February 23, 1976 issue of Sports Illustrated featured a colorful and compelling story on Seattle SuperSonics guard Slick Watts, written by veteran reporter John Papanek who had a gift for capturing the spirit of athletes who didn’t always fit the traditional superstar mold, and Watts — with...
-
111. Franz Klammer: The Ultimate Gold Medalist
On February 5, 1976, Franz Klammer delivered one of the most electrifying performances in Winter Olympic history, charging down the Patscherkofel course in Innsbruck to win gold in the men’s downhill. The 22-year-old Austrian was already a World Cup star, but the pressure on him that day was...
-
110. The Bernie and Ernie Show with Mike Keith
The February 9, 1976 cover of Sports Illustrated froze a moment that changed Tennessee basketball forever. Bernard King and Ernie Grunfeld weren’t just winning games — they were transforming the sport. King played with raw power and fearless intent, a scorer who imposed his will, while Grunfeld...
-
109. Gold Medalist Sheila Young
Sheila Young entered 1976 as the face of American speed skating, and in fact her appearance on the February 2, 1976 cover of Sports Illustrated made her the face of the USA's best chance at a gold medal and captured the moment perfectly. Already a world champion with a reputation for raw power…
more -
108. Jack Ham and the Steel Curtain defense
The Pittsburgh Steelers’ victory in Super Bowl X cemented their place as the NFL’s team of the decade, delivering a 21–17 win over the Dallas Cowboys and a second straight championship to cap the 1975 season. The cover of Sports Illustrated went to Lynn Swann, whose acrobatic catches and timely…
more -
107. 1976 Swimsuit Issue and what it's worth today w/Mark Humphries
The January 19, 1976 Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue marked another glossy step in a tradition that had begun almost accidentally a little more than a decade earlier. What started in 1964 as a winter stopgap—filling pages when sports calendars were thin—had evolved into a cultural event…
more -
106. 1976 Rose Bowl MVP John Sciarra
The 1976 Rose Bowl wasn’t necessarily a game for Ohio State to win, but rather a coronation for their National Championship. They were facing Dick Vermeil’s Bruins in Pasadena, having already battered UCLA in the regular season, 41-20 at the L.A. Coliseum. The Buckeyes were favored by 15/5 points...
-
105. Preston Pearson and America's Team
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...
-
104. The Best of Past Our Prime-1975
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...
-
103. Author Keith O'Brien “Charlie Hustle: The Rise and Fall of Pete Rose, and the Last Glory Days of Baseball.”
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...
-
102. Jim Lampley and Big George Foreman
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…
more -
101. Talking ABA Hoops and The Steelers Dynasty with Jim O'Brien
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…
more -
100. Kent Benson & Bobby Wilkerson: Perfect teammates on a perfect team
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...
-
99. Hall of Fame Quarterback Dan Fouts
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…
more -
98. Dave 'The Hammer' Schultz
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…
more -
97. Fran Tarkenton: From QB to CEO
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...
-
96. The Big Red Machine
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...
-
95. ABA, NBA and the '75 series with Bob Ryan
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...
-
94. Bill 'Spaceman ' Lee and the '75 Series
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…
more -
93. The Thrilla in Manila
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…
more -
92. Billy North and the Swinging A's
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....
We're indexing this podcast's transcripts for the first time — this can take a minute or two. We'll show results as soon as they're ready.
No matches for "" in this podcast's transcripts.
No topics indexed yet for this podcast.
Loading reviews...
ABOUT THIS SHOW
Growing up on boxscores, the Game of the Week, and Sports Illustrated, three longtime Sports TV Producers reflect back on the world of sports through the lens of old issues of SI from 50 years ago. Larry Csonka and the Dolphins; Reggie Jackson and The Swinging A's; The Wizard of Westwood; The Golden Bear and Muhammad Ali are just a few of the many heroes showcased weekly by Scott, Bill and Marc on the Past Our Prime podcast. Stay up to date on what happened in the past as they go back in time and return to the glory days of sports week by week, issue by issue of Sports Illustrated starting in January of 1974
HOSTED BY
Scott Johnston
CATEGORIES
Loading similar podcasts...
Frequently Asked Questions
How many episodes does Past Our Prime have?
Past Our Prime currently has 148 episodes available on PodParley. New episodes are automatically indexed when they're published to the podcast feed.
What is Past Our Prime about?
Growing up on boxscores, the Game of the Week, and Sports Illustrated, three longtime Sports TV Producers reflect back on the world of sports through the lens of old issues of SI from 50 years ago. Larry Csonka and the Dolphins; Reggie Jackson and The Swinging A's; The Wizard of Westwood; The...
How often does Past Our Prime release new episodes?
Past Our Prime publishes regularly with 148 episodes available. Check the episode list for the typical release schedule.
Where can I listen to Past Our Prime?
You can listen to Past Our Prime on PodParley by clicking any episode. We provide an embedded audio player for direct listening, and you can also subscribe via your preferred podcast app using the RSS feed.
Who hosts Past Our Prime?
Past Our Prime is created and hosted by Scott Johnston.
URL copied to clipboard!