THAT 70’S SHOW

THE STEEL CURTAIN

1972-1979

In 1972, the Pittsburgh Steelers were a franchise that had never been relevant. The next eight seasons changed all that. With one of the great defenses of all time, the Steelers ripped off a run of eight playoff berths, six AFC Championship Game trips and four Super Bowl trophies. They were not only dominant, but they changed the complete arc of their franchise history. Read all about eight seasons, including the development of Terry Bradshaw, the rise of Franco Harris and…

STAUBACH'S COWBOYS

1971-1979

Since their founding in 1960, the Cowboys had been gradually gaining steam. They lost epic championship games to Vince Lombardi’s Green Bay Packers in 1966 and 1967. Dallas returned to the playoffs in 1968 and 1969. In 1970, Tom Landry’s team reached the Super Bowl. They were pounding on the door. But they were also gaining a “can’t win the big one” reputation. 1971 was the year the franchise finally broke through and won a championship. By itself, that’s big enough. But it was about much more…

DOLPHIN DYNASTY

1970-1974

Pro football came to Miami in 1966 with the creation of the Dolphin franchise. This was an era when the NFL didn’t make it easy for new teams to get up and running, so the four losing seasons that followed were predictable. Meanwhile, Don Shula was establishing himself as a winning coach in Baltimore. But Shula, in one of the most famous upsets in Super Bowl history, had lost to Joe Namath’s Jets following the 1968 season…

MADDEN'S RAIDERS

1969-1978

For a generation of football fans, John Madden was the face of the NFL. He was the e game analyst for CBS, Fox and later on Monday Night Football. He routinely called the biggest games of the year. His name was on the legendary video game. But before all that, he was an awfully good football coach himself—the highest winning percentage of any man who coached at least 100 games. That coaching run ran from…

THE PURPLE PEOPLE EATERS

1967-1978

It was the time when Bud Grant built an expansion franchise into a team that went to four Super Bowls. It was the time of Fran Tarkenton and John Gilliam. It was the time Chuck Foreman, Mick Tingelhoff and Ron Yary. But above all, it was the time of a defensive front called The Purple People Eaters. They were Carl Eller, Alan Page, Jim Marshall and, for most of the years, Gary Larsen. They lived by a simple motto—meet at the quarterback…

RAMS RESURGANCE

1967-1978

In 1965, the NFL expanded to have four teams per conference make the playoffs. They retained that format after merging with the AFL in 1970. But in spite of the more generous playoff standards (albeit still stingy by the standards of our own day), the Rams only sniffed postseason play twice over the ensuing eight years. It’s not that they were uncompetitive—there had been some notable near-misses. But they weren’t getting to the Dance. The 1973 Los Angeles…

THE OVER THE HILL GANG

1971-1977

George Allen took over a franchise that had been losing for nearly twenty years. Allen had no tolerance for rookies and began trading off draft picks and younger players for experienced veterans. These Redskins became known as The Over The Hill Gang and they immediately started winning. Allen went to the playoffs his first year and made the Super Bowl by his second. He made Larry Brown an MVP running back, oversaw the last great stands…

BIG RED MACHINE

1970-1981

The great baseball town of Cincinnati had waited a long time for a winner. The Reds had not won the World Series since 1940. They ended two decades of mostly losing baseball with a pennant in 1961. But despite fielding mostly winning teams the rest of the 1960s, they had not returned to the Fall Classic. The franchise wanted more. And throughout the 1970s, they got it. Cincinnati became known as The Big Red Machine…

THE A'S DYNASTY

1970-1975

Moving west was proving to be a good thing for the A’s franchise. The years they spent in Kansas City from 1955-67 had been about as fruitless as any 13-year stretch in baseball history. The A’s hadn’t even played good baseball since they were still in Philadelphia and the legendary Connie Mack was still their manager back in 1949. And they hadn’t been to the World Series since a 1929-31 stretch when they won three consecutive…

THE 1970'S PIRATES

1970's

EARL'S ORIOLES

1969-1982

The 1969 Baltimore Orioles came into the season just three years removed from winning the franchise’s first World Series title in 1966, but still in the midst of change. Hank Bauer had managed the ’66 champs. But after slipping under .500 in 1967, then being a middling 43-37 halfway through 1968, Bauer had been replaced by a young feisty skipper named Earl Weaver. Under Earl, the Orioles went 48-34 down the stretch…

BASEBALL’S AGE OF PARITY

YANKEE RENAISSANCE

YANKEES: 1976-81

By Yankee standards, they were on hard times in the mid-1970s, over a decade since their last championship. George Steinbrenner bought the team and hired Billy Martin as his manager. 1976 was their first run together and the Yankees returned to prominence. Over the next six years, New York won five AL East titles, four American League pennants and two World Series crowns. There were iconic home runs off the bats of…

BOSTON'S AGONY

RED SOX: 1968-80

After the Boston Red Sox miracle pennant run of 1967, great things—and a long-sought World Series title—were expected. For the ensuing decade-plus, the Red Sox produced good teams and great players. There was franchise icon Carl Yastrzemski, future Hall of Famer Jim Rice, the electric Fred Lynn and the dynamic Reggie Smith. There were good pitchers, like clutch Luis Tiant and colorful Bill Lee. They played in one of…

PHILLIES REVIVAL

PHILLIES: 1976-83

The late 1970s and early 1980s were a great time to be a Philadelphia Phillies fan. From 1976 through 1983, the franchise won five NL East titles, two National League pennants and a World Series crown. These Phils had Hall of Fame players in third baseman Mike Schmidt and left handed ace Steve Carlton. They had scrappiness in Larry Bowa, defensive wizardry in Garry Maddox, consistency from…

DODGER BLUE

DODGERS: 1977-88

For two decades of Los Angeles Dodgers history they were defined by manager Tom Lasorda. The Hall of Fame skipper“bled Dodger Blue” by his own proud admission. The Dodgers won games, pennants and championships and this compilation captures his best era, from 1977 to 1988. You’ll read about six NL West titles, four National League pennants and two World Series titles. The compilation includes…

A ROYAL DECADE

ROYALS: 1976-85

Over a ten-year stretch, the Royals won six division crowns, two American League pennants and one World Series. They played incredible postseason series They weren’t always—or even usually—on the winning side, but the moments were electric. KC had pitchers like workhorse Dennis Leonard, crafty Paul Splitorff, a young Bret Saberhagen and submarine-style closer Dan Quisenberry. The lineup had reliable Hal McRae, underrated…

MILWAUKEE SIX-PACK

BREWERS: 1978-83

The six years from 1978-83 were great ones for baseball in Milwaukee. The Brewers produced a potent offense that drew nationwide attention. They produced MVPs and Cy Young award winners. Future Hall of Fame players Robin Yount and Paul Molitor led their lineup. They made the playoffs twice, the Word Series in 1982 and played some of the most epic games baseball has ever seen in the process. And they were fun…

THE WHITEYBALL CARDINALS

ST. LOUIS IN THE 1980s

After a slow decade in the 1970s, the St. Louis Cardinals hired Whitey Herzog to restore their franchise to greatness. It didn’t take the Cardinals long to start painting the town red again. St. Louis won three National League pennants and a World Series under Herzog in the 1980s. It was the era of Willie McGee, Ozzie Smith, Tommy Herr and Vince Coleman. It was a time for George Hendrick, Jack Clark, Joaquin Andujar…

SHEA IT'S SO

METS: 1984-90

It was the greatest era for the New York Mets. They won a World Series, two division titles and finished second in the NL East five other times–all of which would have been playoff seasons by the wild-card standards of today. It was the time of Dwight Gooden and Ron Darling, of Darryl Strawberry and Lenny Dykstra, Gary Carter and Keith Hernandez, all with Davey Johnson orchestrating from the dugout. And with the New York Yankees…

MOTOR CITY REVIVAL

THE 1978-88 TIGERS

In the late 1970s and early 1980s the Detroit Tigers brought in a slew of young players that transformed a franchise that had been in a lull. Alan Trammell, Lou Whitaker, Jack Morris, Lance Parrish and Kirk Gibson broke in. Sparky Anderson was brought in to manage. And for eleven years, the Tigers were a consistent contender and their 1984 World Series champion was one of baseball’s all-time best. Read how these rising stars…

BLUE JAY DYNASTY

TORONTO FROM 1983-93

After six years of building, the expansion Toronto Blue Jays jumped onto the national radar in 1983. For the next eleven years there was no more consistent contender in baseball. They had the game’s most dynamic outfield. They had reliable pitching. They had a steady farm system. They had great management. Over a nine-year stretch, they won three AL East titles and contended every other year. What they didn’t have…

OAKLAND'S BASH BROTHERS

THE 1988-92 A'S

For five years, the Oakland A’s where the focal point of baseball. Led by Jose Canseco and Mark McGwire, the notorious Bash Brothers, the A’s could outmuscle opponents. And there was plenty of help. From arms like Dave Stewart and Dennis Eckersley to bats like Rickey Henderson and Carney Lansford to Tony LaRussa in the dugout overseeing it all, the A’s racked up wins and pennants. They won four AL West titles. They dominated…

RED SOX RENEWAL

1985-91 AT FENWAY PARK

After several years of re-tooling, the Boston Red Sox returned to prominence in the second part of the 1980s. They had one of the game’s best pure contact hitters in Wade Boggs. Dwight Evans and Jim Rice were holdovers from the contending teams of the 1970s. And when the Red Sox found an ace for the rotation in Roger Clemens they were ready to win again. Boston won AL East titles in 1986, 1988 and 1990. The ’86…

TBA

49ERS: TEAM OF THE EIGHTIES

49ERS: 1981-89

With Joe Montana at quarterback and Bill Walsh calling the plays, the San Francisco 49ers mastered the “West Coast offense” of short precision passing. In this compilation you’ll read about their surprise 1981 run to a Super Bowl title and an iconic playoff win that got them there. Their 1984 championship run was one of history’s underrated great teams. Then read on as Montana starts to struggle with injuries…

THE GIBBS GLORY YEARS

REDSKINS: 1981-92

The glory years of pro football in the nation’s capital was the first term of Joe Gibbs, from 1981-92. Inheriting a team that had gone 6-10, Gibbs went to four Super Bowls and won three titles. What’s more, each championship was with a different quarterback. The Gibbs’ Redskins got their identity from a great offensive line, Hall of Fame players like Darrell Green and Art Monk, physical running backs and above all from their…

BIG BLUE WRECKING CREW

GIANTS: 1984-90

New York had never made the playoffs since the birth of the Super Bowl era. In 1981, the Giants drafted an outside linebacker named Lawrence Taylor. “LT” did nothing short of changing the way football was played. And he changed the culture of the New York Giants. By 1984, Bill Parcells was settled in as coach and the Giants became a playoff perennial. Over seven seasons, they made the playoffs five times and won…

DITKA'S BEARS

BEARS: 1984-91

The era of Mike Ditka was a great one to be in Chicago and if you came of age in the 1980s, you saw the Bears as the powerhouse of the old NFC Central. Ditka had a Hall of Fame inside linebacker in Mike Singletary, one of the greatest running backs of all time with Walter Payton and these Bear teams included colorful characters like Jim McMahon, Gary Fencik and Dan Hampton. They played hard, hit hard and…

ELWAY'S 1st RUN

BRONCOS: 1983-92

John Elway’s Hall of Fame run as quarterback of the Denver Broncos has two distinctive eras. He got his rings at the end of his career in the late 1990s. But Elway built his legend in the first ten seasons, 1983-92, by routinely carrying undermanned rosters into Super Bowls and building a reputation as a man who could deliver in the clutch. This collection includes those three Super Bowl trips, his MVP season and great battles…

DAWG POUND DAYS

BROWNS: 1985-89

The 1980s Cleveland Browns were the modern high point for a franchise that hasn’t enjoyed much success in the Super Bowl era. In the 1980s, Cleveland consistently got close and gave its proud city real hope. It starts in 1980 with MVP quarterback Brian Sipe and The Cardiac Kids. The narrative resumes in 1985 when hometown boy Bernie Kosar came home to play quarterback. For the next five years…

COWBOY DYNASTY

COWBOYS: 1990-96

It was 1989 and the Dallas Cowboys had fallen on hard times. No playoff trips since 1985. No postseason victories since 1982. And their last Super Bowl title was back in 1977. Jerry Jones bought the franchise and hired Jimmy Johnson. After a brutal ’89 season, the Cowboys got into contention for 1990, made the playoffs by 1991 and won the Super Bowl a year later. The great dynasty of the early 1990s was off and running. A team remembered for its Big Three of…

FAVRE'S PACKERS

PACKERS: 1992-2007

It had been a long quarter-century in Wisconsin since the Vince Lombardi glory years ended in 1967. A new management team of general manager Ron Wolf and head coach Mike Holmgren came on board in 1992. And when they found their quarterback, a 23-year-old named Brett Favre, they were on their way. Favre was with the Packers from 1992-2007. He won three straight MVP awards and the Super Bowl in 1996. He captivated an entire nation…

MARTY'S CHIEFS

CHIEFS: 1989-98

The Kansas City Chiefs had been an irrelevant franchise for nearly twenty years. Marty Schottenheimer, having made Cleveland a winner in the late 1980s, now came to Kansas City. Marty built the Chiefs around one of the game’s great outside linebackers, the late Hall of Famer Derrick Thomas, and a punishing running game. They overcame what was often pedestrian quarterback play with intelligent play and a good system. They become synonymous…

KNIGHT TRIFECTA