Each episode of “When Football Was Football” will take the listener back to the very early days of the National Football League. Your host, 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!
THE NFL’S WACKY, PECULIAR, AND CONFUSING EARLY SCHEDULING PRACTICES!
When Football Is Football is part of the Sports History Network - The Headquarters For Sports Yesteryear (https://sportshistorynetwork.com/).
EPISODE SUMMARY
CARDINALS: ONE GAME PLAYED OUTSIDE CHICAGO
A century ago, things were much easier when creating game arrangements in the struggling National Football League, including for the Chicago Cardinals, the NFL’s oldest team. Instead of an army of highly qualified league representatives, bolstered by an ample array of computer considerations, the Cardinals relied on just one individual to put together the schedule each year.
With no formal scheduling requirements, a team like the Cardinals could gobble up as many home games as possible, resulting in the fact that there was no need to chase after away games. In fact, over a five-year period from 1921-1925, the Cardinals scheduled just one game outside of the city of Chicago........
Read the entire episode blog post and check out some other cool info regarding this episode here (https://sportshistorynetwork.com/football/nfl/chicago-cardinals-early-years-long-home-stand).
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 (https://amzn.to/32oYi2n)
When Football Was Football: The Chicago Cardinals and the Birth of the NFL (https://amzn.to/3T9mV0o) (Edition 2) (https://amzn.to/3eGr8jK)
Music for the episode - https://www.purple-planet.com/
14 Jul 2026
The Patriots: From Boston to Foxboro (Presented by the Sports History Network) - The Patriots: From Boston to Foxboro
This podcast is part of the Sports History Network - the headquarters of sports' yesteryear (https://sportshistorynetwork.com/podcasts/).
SHOW DESCRIPTION:
These days, the New England Patriots are often thought of as one of the elite teams in the NFL. However, that hasn’t always been the case, especially during the team’s infancy, when they were a charter member of the upstart AFL and chaos and confusion often reigned. The Patriots of the 60s and early 70s were a transient team and played its home games in no less than 5 different stadiums. The Pats also cycled thru its head coaches quite frequently back then and one coach in particular is often remembered as the one who best epitomized the team’s failings during this time.
In this 4-part series, we will take a look at the team’s humble beginnings in Boston in 1960 to their first years in Foxboro. We will also do a deep dive into the timeline between 1969 – 1972 to relive some of the most shocking and bizarre events to ever impact a professional sports franchise. The Patriots: From Boston to Foxboro.
HOST - JOE SANTOS:
Joe Santos grew up in Massachusetts and is an avid football fan, with a special fondness for the NFL in the early 70s. This Week in Pro Football and NFL Game of the Week were must-see TV back in the day. And living in Massachusetts meant you saw all of the NY Giants games on tv, both home and away, as they were the de facto home team for the NFC. Due to the blackout rules at the time, only the Patriots away games were shown. Being a huge sports history fan, Joe will continue to tell the unusual stories from an era that's considered to be the golden age of pro football.
18 May 2026
Wilfrid Smith: From the NFL to Global Recognition
When Football Is Football is part of the Sports History Network - The Headquarters For Sports Yesteryear (https://sportshistorynetwork.com/).
EPISODE SUMMARY
In this episode of “When Football Was Football” on the Sports History Network, we are delighted to bring back the unique life, and amazing accomplishments, of one Wilfrid Russell Smith. Smith was the son of a wandering minister, enjoyed playing sports, and eventually accepted a starting sports writing job for the lofty pay of $10 per week. All three of those influences (travel, sports, and writing) helped Wilfrid to become not only an exceptional pro athlete, but also one of the most recognized and influential sports authorities in the world…and he was never shy about traveling around the globe to cover the next big story!
Read the entire episode blog post and check out some other cool info regarding this episode here (https://sportshistorynetwork.com/football/nfl/wilfrid-smith).
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 (https://amzn.to/32oYi2n)
When Football Was Football: The Chicago Cardinals and the Birth of the NFL (https://amzn.to/3eGr8jK)
Music for the episode - https://www.purple-planet.com/
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Apple Podcasts (US)
5.0 / 5
9 ratings
Spotify
5.0 / 5
1 ratings
Podcast Authority Score: 55 / 100
A composite of feed quality, social presence, YouTube performance and engagement. Read the methodology.
Quality
79
Social presence
0
YouTube
0
Engagement
81
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