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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...
Fred Williamson: "The Hammer Just Got Nailed!"
Super Bowl I, known originally as the First AFL-NFL World Championship Game, was played January 15, 1967 at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. In an effort to commemorate the game, NFL Films worked to reassemble every play from the game despite having to cull the footage from over 20 different sources. Although this game was not considered as important as the NFL Championship Game played two weeks before, Vince Lombardi was very nervous at the potential of losing to an AFL team. The 'old guard' of the NFL was putting pressure on Lombardi – not only to win – but...
Frank Clarke: In The Spotlight
In the very early days of the Dallas Cowboys wins were rare, players were average at best, and the franchise struggled in nearly every aspect of the business. Through these rough times, there was one player that stood out and became the Cowboys first “star” player. Frank Clarke, a cast off from the Cleveland Browns, found himself on the Cowboys roster via the expansion draft. His time on the Browns was unremarkable as he battled to catch on – both on the field and off. Despite the segregation, Jim Crow laws, and prejudices awaiting him in Dallas, Frank Clarke was...
Meadowlark Transformed The Sport Of Basketball
As a kid in the 1970s it was impossible not to know who the Harlem Globetrotters were. They had their own cartoon on Saturday mornings Super Harlem Globetrotters (with one of the grooviest cartoon theme songs ever), they guest-starred on Scooby-Doo, The Love Boat, and the White Shadow, and starred in their own live-action show The Harlem Globetrotter's Popcorn Machine. They also traveled the world showcasing their mixture of comedy and basketball to millions of fans. The fact of the matter is, the Harlem Globetrotters help make basketball what it is today and offered a wide appeal of showmanship, skill,...
1967 Chiefs Set: AFL Champs In 1966
The 1966 Kansas City Chiefs season saw their first AFL Championship as they dispensed with Jack Kemp and the Buffalo Bills, winners of the 1964 and 1965 Championships. But the season didn’t end there because 1966 was to be the first ever NFL-AFL Championship between the winner of each league. This game of course was Super Bowl I and a lot was riding on this game as the NFL did not want to be embarrassed by the junior league. Vince Lombardi was nervous about this game but he needn’t have been as his Green Bay Packers dispensed with the Chiefs...
Lee Elia And The Art Of Profanity
The name Lee Elia may conjure up images of the old Chicago Cubs of the 70s and early 80s, a hapless team that took losing to new levels. Elia only managed in the big leagues for 4 season and bounced around as coach for another xx years or so. But he is known for a profanity-laced tirade after a Wrigley field game that some would consider a work of art. In 1983 the Cubs were off to a difficult start and the fans were letting the team have it. It’s hard to believe that Wrigley Field went without lights until...
1963 Rams: Green And Growing
The 1962 season was not kind to the Los Angeles Rams. Eventual Hall of Famer Bob Waterfield, the team's head coach in 1960 and 1961, came back in 1962 and coached the Rams to a 1–7 record before being fired. Harland Svare, Waterfield's successor, could only manage a 0–5–1 record to finish a dismal season. Despite the poor record, the Rams began adding pieces that would result in the powerful team the Rams came to be during the 1966-1969 seasons. RetroCards added 18 supplemental Rams to the 1963 set: Lamar Lundy, Bill Jobko, Art Perkins, Larry Hayes, Carver Shannon, Duane...
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