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!
When Football Was Football
Claim This Podcastby Sports History Network
5.0(10 reviews)
132 episodes
Updated Weekly
Accepts GuestsHas SponsorsLocation 🇺🇸
55
Podcast Authority
BetaFairBased on show quality, social media presence, reviews, charts, and more
Quality79
Social0
YouTube0
Engagement81
Podcast Overview
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!
Language
🇺🇲
Publishing Since
5/22/2020
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55
Podcast Authority
BetaFairBased on show quality, social media presence, reviews, charts, and more
Quality79
Social0
YouTube0
Engagement81
6
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excellent
Episode Length
1 minutes
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Recent Episodes
May 18, 2026
Wilfrid Smith: From the NFL to Global Recognition
<p>When Football Is Football is part of the <a href="https://sportshistorynetwork.com/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Sports History Network - The Headquarters For Sports Yesteryear</a>.</p><p><strong><u>EPISODE SUMMARY</u></strong></p><p>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!</p><p>Read the entire episode blog post and check out some other cool info regarding this <a href="https://sportshistorynetwork.com/football/nfl/wilfrid-smith" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">episode here</a>.</p><p><strong><u>WHEN FOOTBALL WAS FOOTBALL BACKGROUND</u></strong></p><p>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.</p><p>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.</p><p><a href="https://amzn.to/32oYi2n" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Cadets, Canons, and Legends: The Football History of Morgan Park Military Academy</a></p><p><a href="https://amzn.to/3eGr8jK" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">When Football Was Football: The Chicago Cardinals and the Birth of the NFL</a></p><p></p><p>Music for the episode - https://www.purple-planet.com/</p>
January 28, 2026
Big Jim Thorpe's Forgotten Football Vacation
<p>When Football Is Football is part of the <a href="https://sportshistorynetwork.com/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Sports History Network - The Headquarters For Sports Yesteryear</a>.</p><p><strong><u>EPISODE SUMMARY</u></strong></p><p>It was December of 1924 when Big Jim Thorpe of the NFL’s Rock Island Independents decided to escape the harsh, frigid weather of northern Illinois for a post-season gridiron tour of several southern states. The idea seemed promising. Most of his Rock Island teammates would join Thorpe for a leisurely trip to Texas (and beyond) for a series of games against the locals in each of many cities. It would be both relaxing and an opportunity to meander through several warm locations, with a grand finale in tropical Havana, Cuba. Most important, it would be a great opportunity for Thorpe and the players to earn some easy money by playing the game they loved before thousands of adoring fans eager to sample the unknown world (at the time) of professional football!</p><p>Unfortunately, none of those promising and attractive ideals came to fruition, except the tour itself…</p><p>Read the entire episode blog post and check out some other cool info regarding this <a href="https://sportshistorynetwork.com/football/nfl/jim-thorpe-football-tour" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">episode here</a>.</p><p><strong><u>WHEN FOOTBALL WAS FOOTBALL BACKGROUND</u></strong></p><p>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.</p><p>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.</p><p><a href="https://amzn.to/32oYi2n" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Cadets, Canons, and Legends: The Football History of Morgan Park Military Academy</a></p><p><a href="https://amzn.to/3eGr8jK" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">When Football Was Football: The Chicago Cardinals and the Birth of the NFL</a></p><p>Music for the episode - https://www.purple-planet.com/</p>
December 17, 2025
Searching for the “Zest” of the 1931 Chicago Bears
<p>When Football Is Football is part of the <a href="https://sportshistorynetwork.com/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Sports History Network - The Headquarters For Sports Yesteryear</a>.</p><p><a href="https://sportshistorynetwork.com/podcasts/when-football-was-football/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">WHEN FOOTBALL WAS FOOTBALL HOME PAGE</a></p><p><strong><u>EPISODE SUMMARY</u></strong></p><p>Throughout the history of professional football, every so often you might notice a club roster that is so strong, so impressive, and so very talented, that you just could not anticipate anything less than total success for that specific team.</p><p>This may have been the case with the 1931 Chicago Bears, a squad that featured no less than four future Hall of Famers in Red Grange, Bronko Nagurski, Link Lyman, and George Trafton. Despite this wealth of talent, the Bears stumbled to a good, but not great, 8-5 record, finishing in just third place in the final standings of the National Football League. This was before the league was divided into two divisions and there was no playoff system in effect, so that last game was indeed the end of the season...... </p><p>Read the entire episode blog post and check out some other cool info regarding this <a href="https://sportshistorynetwork.com/football/nfl/1931-chicago-bears" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">episode here</a>.</p><p><strong><u>WHEN FOOTBALL WAS FOOTBALL BACKGROUND</u></strong></p><p>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. </p><p>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.</p><p><a href="https://amzn.to/32oYi2n" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Cadets, Canons, and Legends: The Football History of Morgan Park Military Academy</a></p><p><a href="https://amzn.to/3eGr8jK" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">When Football Was Football: The Chicago Cardinals and the Birth of the NFL</a></p><p>Music for the episode - https://www.purple-planet.com/</p>
132 total episodes available
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Frequently asked questions
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- What is When Football Was Football?
- How often does this podcast release new episodes?
This podcast updates weekly.
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This podcast is available on 10 platforms including Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and more. You can also use the RSS feed directly.
- Does this podcast accept guests?
Yes, this podcast regularly features guests.
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