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1963 Browns - On The Rise
The Cleveland Browns are one of the iconic franchises in all of professional sports. The name itself conjures images of black-and-white films, games in the snow and cold, rabid fans in the “dawg pound”, and Jim Brown running over defenders. The 1950’s were the golden era for the Browns, as they appeared in six straight NFL championship games, winning three. By 1962 their championship level had faded, as their 7-6-1 record indicated. However, 1963 would be a year of return to their championship form as they put together a 10-4 record and a second place finish in the East. They...
1963 Giants: Always The Bridesmaid
The 1962 season was one of great success for the New York Giants as they finished 12-2 and appeared in the NFL Championship Game for the fifth time in the past seven seasons. It was also one of great disappointment, as they lost their fourth straight championship game, this time being a 16-7 loss to the Green Bay Packers, in a blustery and bitterly cold game at Yankee Stadium. The 1963 season would also be one of great success, as they would, again, return to the NFL Championship Game following an 11-3 record. However, disappointment would again befall the franchise,...
Spotlight On: The White Shadow, Ken Howard
Ken Howard’s 40-year acting career came to a close with his passing on March 23, 2016. His 40+ years in acting include career highlights such as being a Tony winner (Child’s Play, 1970), Emmy winner (Grey Gardens, 2009), and the President of Screen Actor’s Guild. But he may be best remembered as Coach Reeves in the critically-acclaimed late-70s show The White Shadow. Howard’s television work included a starring role opposite Blythe Danner in the short-lived Adam’s Rib (1973), the Quinn Martin show The Man Hunter (1974-75), Dynasty, and The Colbys. He guest starred on numerous shows over 30 years and...
Kolchak: The Night Stalker...RetroCards Goes Paranormal
RetroCards dives deep once again into the non-sport world with a focus on cult favorite 70s TV show, Kolchak: The Night Stalker. Starring veteran actor Darren McGavin as Carl Kolchak, this short-lived series featured a fictional Chicago newspaperman who investigated paranormal and mysterious cases that law enforcement wouldn’t touch. Though dated, the show made efficient use of narration, well-written stories, and minimal effects to build suspense. Simon Oakland, one of the better supporting actors in any era, played the frustrated Tony Vincenzo, Kolchak’s boss, and steals nearly every scene he is in. Other regulars and semi-regulars include Jack Grinnage,...
Spotlight On: Junior Bridgeman
One of the ultimate compliments an athlete can receive is having his jersey number retired. Back when players stayed on the same team for long stretches of time, teams and fans viewed them as family. It was normal for athletes to live in modest homes in the cities they played and they were often involved in their respective communities - not for marketing purposes like today’s athletes - but because they actually lived there. This created some special bonds between player, franchise, and fans - especially with the Milwaukee Bucks from the mid 1970s to the mid 1980s. One of...
1958 Giants: Second Best Ain't So Bad
After winning the NFL Championship in 1956, the New York Giants had a decent season in 1957, finishing second in the NFL’s Eastern Division with a 7-5 record. However, in 1958, the Giants were about to embark on a successful run, in which they would appear in the NFL Championship Game in five of the next seven years. Unfortunately for Giants fans, they would lose all five games. However, the 1958 NFL Championship would become one of the landmark games in professional sports history. Facing the Baltimore Colts, the Giants would lose a heartbreaker in a 23-17 overtime decision. Tim...
Spotlight on: Bill Goldthorpe – Enforcer Supreme
Bill Goldthorpe was known as one of the fiercest, wildest enforcers ever to play professional hockey, though most of his career was spent in the minor leagues. He was immortalized to some degree in the 1977 film Slap Shot starring Paul Newman, where the character Ogie Oglethorpe was based upon him. In his prime, Goldthorpe was as volatile as nitroglycerin. He’d blow up and fight if someone so much as looked at him funny, even if the game hadn’t started, even if it meant going into the stands. It was all part of the rough-and-rumble 1970s, the golden era of...
1976 Cowboys: Becoming America's Team
1975 was supposed to be a rebuilding year for the Cowboys. In 1974 they had missed the playoffs for the first time since 1965 and when the smoke cleared at the end of training camp in 1975, twelve rookies had made the team (this doesn't include Mike Hegman, who joined the team in 1976 and Jim Zorn who was cut at the end of camp). This “Dirty Dozen” rookie class included future All-Pros Thomas Henderson, Pat Donovan, Bob Bruenig, and Herbert Scott plus Hall of Famer Randy White. After finishing in second place to the 11-3 Cardinals, the 10-4 Cowboys...
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