Reliving Gridiron Glory: Pro Football in the 1970s with Joe Zagorski
Professional football is one of the most exciting spectator sports in America. The decade of the 1970s saw the sport grow by leaps and bounds, thanks mostly to exciting players who quickly became icons. NFL players such as Joe Namath, Roger Staubach, O.J.Simpson, Terry Bradshaw, “Mean” Joe Greene and Fran Tarkenton are still considered household names today.
During the 1970s, the growing millions of pro football fans also witnessed numerous exciting games and plays, many of which are still remembered and discussed today. Plays like Franco Harris’ Immaculate Reception in 1972, or the original Hail Mary Pass in 1975, or the Sea of Hands game in 1974, or the Ghost to the Post game in 1977…so many memories, and all during one of the greatest decades in NFL history.
Joe Zagorski’s Pro Football in the 1970s podcast explores all the great memories that occurred in the NFL during that memorable decade. Each segment will tackle a specific event or player in the NFL during the 1970s. Each episode will also include a trivia question from some aspect of that particular episode’s theme or topic.
Joe Zagorski’s Pro Football in the 1970s podcast takes listeners back to a time of old school pro football, where the game might have been simpler in the form of strategy, but it was also more pure and more robust than it had ever been before. Practically everything that happened during that decade on pro gridirons gets attention in this podcast.
Joe Zagorski is a member of the Pro Football Writers of America. He has also spent many years watching and writing about pro football and has been a member of the Pro Football Researchers Association since the mid-1980s. He has also worked for quite some time as a former sportswriter in his home state of Pennsylvania. He has written five books on the sport and is currently in the process of writing his sixth pro football book. Be sure to catch the next installment of Pro Football in the 1970s, only on the Sports History Network.
The Bears of the 1970s: The Worst of Times, and the (Almost) Best of Times
Pro Football in the 1970s is part of the Sports History Network - The Headquarters For Your Favorite Sport's Yesteryear (https://sportshistorynetwork.com/).
JOE ZAGORSKI'S BOOKS ON AMAZON
From the Outhouse to the Penthouse: The Football Journey of Hall of Famer Larry Little (https://amzn.to/4lPW1Da)
Free Spirit at Free Safety: The Incredible (But True!) Football Journey of Bill Bradley (https://amzn.to/3MwK0mX)
The 2,003-Yard Odyssey: The Juice, The Electric Company, and an Epic Run For A Record (https://amzn.to/454GHMj)
America's Trailblazing Middle Linebacker: The Story of NFL Hall of Famer Willie Lanier (https://amzn.to/3jUYFaC)
The Year the Packers Came Back: The 1972 Resurgence (https://amzn.to/2TNZuHW)
The NFL in the 1970s: Pro Football's Most Important Decade (https://amzn.to/3mEmPrQ)
EPISODE SUMMARY
CHECK OUT THE NFL IN THE 1970S FACEBOOK PAGE (https://www.facebook.com/NFLinthe1970s)
CHECK OUT JOE'S WEBSITE - JOE ZAGORSKI WRITER (https://www.joezagorskiwriter.com/)
The Chicago Bears seemed to split the decade of the 1970s in half. From 1970 to 1974, they suffered through some very woeful seasons. Then from 1975 to 1979, they began becoming competitive again in pro football. Let’s take a look at the bad years first, because they would eventually set the stage for the overall improvement of the Chicago franchise.......
Read the entire episode blog post and check out some other cool info regarding this episode here (https://sportshistorynetwork.com/football/nfl/chicago-bears-of-the-1970s).
PRO FOOTBALL IN THE 1970S BACKGROUND
Reliving Gridiron Glory: Pro Football in the 1970s (https://sportshistorynetwork.com/podcasts/pro-football-in-the-1970s/) with Joe Zagorski
Professional football is one of the most exciting spectator sports in America. The decade of the 1970s saw the sport grow by leaps and bounds, thanks mostly to exciting players who quickly became icons. NFL players such as Joe Namath, Roger Staubach, O.J.Simpson, Terry Bradshaw, “Mean” Joe Greene and Fran Tarkenton are still considered household names today.
During the 1970s, the growing millions of pro football fans also witnessed numerous exciting games and plays, many of which are still remembered and discussed today. Plays like Franco Harris’ Immaculate Reception in 1972, or the original Hail Mary Pass in 1975, or the Sea of Hands game in 1974, or the Ghost to the Post game in 1977…so many memories, and all during one of the greatest decades in NFL history.
Joe Zagorski’s Pro Football in the 1970s podcast explores all the great memories that occurred in the NFL during that memorable decade. Each segment will tackle a specific event or player in the NFL during the 1970s. Each episode will also include a trivia question from some aspect of that particular episode’s theme or topic.
Joe Zagorski’s Pro Football in the 1970s podcast takes listeners back to a time of old school pro football, where the game might have been simpler in the form of strategy, but it was also more pure and more robust than it had ever been before. Practically everything that happened during that decade on pro gridirons gets attention in this podcast.
1 Sept 2026
The Kings of Monday Night Football
Pro Football in the 1970s is part of the Sports History Network - The Headquarters For Your Favorite Sport's Yesteryear (https://sportshistorynetwork.com/).
JOE ZAGORSKI'S BOOKS ON AMAZON
From the Outhouse to the Penthouse: The Football Journey of Hall of Famer Larry Little (https://amzn.to/4lPW1Da)
Free Spirit at Free Safety: The Incredible (But True!) Football Journey of Bill Bradley (https://amzn.to/3MwK0mX)
The 2,003-Yard Odyssey: The Juice, The Electric Company, and an Epic Run For A Record (https://amzn.to/454GHMj)
America's Trailblazing Middle Linebacker: The Story of NFL Hall of Famer Willie Lanier (https://amzn.to/3jUYFaC)
The Year the Packers Came Back: The 1972 Resurgence (https://amzn.to/2TNZuHW)
The NFL in the 1970s: Pro Football's Most Important Decade (https://amzn.to/3mEmPrQ)
EPISODE SUMMARY
CHECK OUT THE NFL IN THE 1970S FACEBOOK PAGE (https://www.facebook.com/NFLinthe1970s)
CHECK OUT JOE'S WEBSITE - JOE ZAGORSKI WRITER (https://www.joezagorskiwriter.com/)
During the 1970s, there was no better team in the NFL at winning Monday Night Football games than the Oakland Raiders. From 1970 to 1979, Oakland posted an incredible 13-1-1 record on their Monday Night Football games. Only the Miami Dolphins and the Washington Redskins came close to Oakland’s win total. Both the Dolphins and the Redskins each won 12 Monday Night Football games. But both also had at least four losses on their Monday night ledgers......
Read the entire episode blog post and check out some other cool info regarding this episode here (https://sportshistorynetwork.com/football/nfl/the-kings-of-monday-night-football-1970s).
PRO FOOTBALL IN THE 1970S BACKGROUND
Reliving Gridiron Glory: Pro Football in the 1970s (https://sportshistorynetwork.com/podcasts/pro-football-in-the-1970s/) with Joe Zagorski
Professional football is one of the most exciting spectator sports in America. The decade of the 1970s saw the sport grow by leaps and bounds, thanks mostly to exciting players who quickly became icons. NFL players such as Joe Namath, Roger Staubach, O.J.Simpson, Terry Bradshaw, “Mean” Joe Greene and Fran Tarkenton are still considered household names today.
During the 1970s, the growing millions of pro football fans also witnessed numerous exciting games and plays, many of which are still remembered and discussed today. Plays like Franco Harris’ Immaculate Reception in 1972, or the original Hail Mary Pass in 1975, or the Sea of Hands game in 1974, or the Ghost to the Post game in 1977…so many memories, and all during one of the greatest decades in NFL history.
Joe Zagorski’s Pro Football in the 1970s podcast explores all the great memories that occurred in the NFL during that memorable decade. Each segment will tackle a specific event or player in the NFL during the 1970s. Each episode will also include a trivia question from some aspect of that particular episode’s theme or topic.
Joe Zagorski’s Pro Football in the 1970s podcast takes listeners back to a time of old school pro football, where the game might have been simpler in the form of strategy, but it was also more pure and more robust than it had ever been before. Practically everything that happened during that decade on pro gridirons gets attention in this podcast.
1 Aug 2026
My Book 10-Year Anniversary (NFL in the 1970s)
Pro Football in the 1970s is part of the Sports History Network - The Headquarters For Your Favorite Sport's Yesteryear (https://sportshistorynetwork.com/).
JOE ZAGORSKI'S BOOKS ON AMAZON
From the Outhouse to the Penthouse: The Football Journey of Hall of Famer Larry Little (https://amzn.to/4lPW1Da)
Free Spirit at Free Safety: The Incredible (But True!) Football Journey of Bill Bradley (https://amzn.to/3MwK0mX)
The 2,003-Yard Odyssey: The Juice, The Electric Company, and an Epic Run For A Record (https://amzn.to/454GHMj)
America's Trailblazing Middle Linebacker: The Story of NFL Hall of Famer Willie Lanier (https://amzn.to/3jUYFaC)
The Year the Packers Came Back: The 1972 Resurgence (https://amzn.to/2TNZuHW)
The NFL in the 1970s: Pro Football's Most Important Decade (https://amzn.to/3mEmPrQ)
EPISODE SUMMARY
CHECK OUT THE NFL IN THE 1970S FACEBOOK PAGE (https://www.facebook.com/NFLinthe1970s)
CHECK OUT JOE'S WEBSITE - JOE ZAGORSKI WRITER (https://www.joezagorskiwriter.com/)
In 2008, I decided to write a book. I wanted this book to be about a subject that was dear to my heart, pro football. And I wanted it to be about the 1970s. That was the decade that I grew up watching and falling in love with the sport. I had a specific outline in my mind for this book. I wanted to devote one individual chapter on each year of the decade of the 1970s. In effect, I wanted it to be an all-encompassing reference style of book.
Why? Because although previous books have been written about the NFL in the 1970s, no other book on that subject was comprehensive enough to explore every individual year of the 1970s. So, that’s the direction that I wanted my book to take.......
Read the entire episode blog post and check out some other cool info regarding this episode here (https://sportshistorynetwork.com/football/nfl/10-year-anniversary-book-nfl-in-the-1970s).
PRO FOOTBALL IN THE 1970S BACKGROUND
Reliving Gridiron Glory: Pro Football in the 1970s (https://sportshistorynetwork.com/podcasts/pro-football-in-the-1970s/) with Joe Zagorski
Professional football is one of the most exciting spectator sports in America. The decade of the 1970s saw the sport grow by leaps and bounds, thanks mostly to exciting players who quickly became icons. NFL players such as Joe Namath, Roger Staubach, O.J.Simpson, Terry Bradshaw, “Mean” Joe Greene and Fran Tarkenton are still considered household names today.
During the 1970s, the growing millions of pro football fans also witnessed numerous exciting games and plays, many of which are still remembered and discussed today. Plays like Franco Harris’ Immaculate Reception in 1972, or the original Hail Mary Pass in 1975, or the Sea of Hands game in 1974, or the Ghost to the Post game in 1977…so many memories, and all during one of the greatest decades in NFL history.
Joe Zagorski’s Pro Football in the 1970s podcast explores all the great memories that occurred in the NFL during that memorable decade. Each segment will tackle a specific event or player in the NFL during the 1970s. Each episode will also include a trivia question from some aspect of that particular episode’s theme or topic.
Joe Zagorski’s Pro Football in the 1970s podcast takes listeners back to a time of old school pro football, where the game might have been simpler in the form of strategy, but it was also more pure and more robust than it had ever been before. Practically everything that happened during that decade on pro gridirons gets attention in this podcast.
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