The Football Odyssey is back from hiatus, and we're starting things back up with Thomas Fuller, a page one correspondent for the New York Times and author of The Boys of Riverside that chronicles that California School for the Dead Riverside Cubs and their pursuit of a championship. CSDR became a media sensation in 2021 for their dominance in 8-man…

Dan Moldea is an investigative journalist and author of 11 books. Today, Dan joins Aron to discuss his controversial 1989 book Interference: How Organized Crime Influences Professional Football, that explored the relationship between the NFL and the world of gamblers and bookmakers, as well as chronicled the rise of the NFL Security Department that…

On today's podcast, Aron reads a transcript of his Q&A with Open AI's ChatGPT bot regarding various football-related topics.Aron's Emailaronharris7@gmail.comTFO Bloghttps://www.thefootballodyssey.com/ TFO Social Media Accounts https://twitter.com/FootballOdyc https://www.instagram.com/thefootballodyssey/ https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC3Kv_NInjlO…

Today's episode features Aron on the other side of the mic as a guest on friend of the show Greg James' new podcast, Gridiron America, that focuses on the pop culture surrounding pro football and a look at the stories of men who play the game. This is only a portion of Greg and Aron's discussion, so to listen to the full interview, click the link b…

Super Bowl Sunday is finally here. Today, TFO presents Adagio for Rings, a highlight film chronicling the best plays in Super Bowl history and the path the Eagles and the Chiefs took to get to the big game. Aron's Email aronharris7@gmail.com TFO Blog https://www.thefootballodyssey.com/ TFO Social Media Accounts https://twitter.com/FootballOdyc http…

Tom Waggoner is an architect and consultant who has developed designs for Madison Square Garden, Notre Dame's football stadium and Kansas State's football stadium, to name a few. Last year, Tom published his first book, Designed In Kansas City : How Kansas City Became the Sports Architecture Capital of the World, that chronicles how a group of arch…

Chuck Klosterman is an author of numerous books such as Sex, Drugs and Cocoa Puffs, Downtown Owl and Killing Yourself to Live. His most recent book, The Nineties, is a collection of essays about a decade that occurred not too long ago, yet in many ways feels like an entirely different world. In this episode, Chuck sits down with Aron to discuss his…

The Detroit Lions are inching closer to a playoff berth. Will they make a push toward the Super Bowl if they get in? If so, it will be the first time since 1957 that they've reached the Championship game. On your long car ride to your New Years destination, listen back to that last Lions championship from 65 years ago today and ponder if they'll do…

Today's episode is a video analysis of Paul Zimmerman's 1974 book, The Last Season of Weeb Ewbank, a "life in the season" account of the 1973 New York Jets that was Weeb Ewbank's final year as the head coach of the organization that also serves a short biography on one of the most prolific yet under appreciated coaches in pro football history. TFO …

Michael Oriard is a former professional football player, a retired professor at Oregon State University and the author of numerous books that analyzes the cultural relevance of football in America, including The End of Autumn: Reflections On My Life In Football, King Football and Brand NFL: Making and Selling America's Favorite Sport. Today, Michae…

Alvin Roy was a fitness pioneer who introduced weight training into the game of football, debunking the long held myth that weight training impeded a player's speed and flexibility. His impact was felt at the high school, college and pro ranks, and his contributions are felt today more than ever before. TFO Blog https://www.thefootballodyssey.com/ …

Bob Cowser Jr. is an author and English professor at St. Lawrence University. In 2001, Bob embarked on a writing project in which he embedded himself as a player on the Watertown Red and Black football team, the oldest gridiron semi pro team in the United States. In 2004, Bob published his first book about his experiences playing on the Red and Bla…

Kevin Bryant is an Army veteran with over twenty years of experience safeguarding and gathering information for the Department of Defense, including thirteen years as a Special Agent during which he conducted national security investigations and instructed federal agents in training. His book, Spies on the Sidelines: The High-Stakes World of NFL Es…

Parke Hill Davis is widely regarded as the first football historian who chronicled the rich history of the early autumn athletes of gridiron football, earning the nickname "The Grandfather of Football Statistics." Here is a short biography of his career. Written by Darin Hayes of Pigpen Sports https://pigskindispatch.com/ https://twitter.com/Pigski…

Today's episode is an audio version of a new Football Odyssey documentary about the history of the line of scrimmage, the most important rule in gridiron football. If you'd like to watch the video, here is the link to the video below: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WUwEu0uhizw&t=2s If you enjoyed listening to this episode, click the link below to …

Brett Forrest is an author and writer for the Wall Street Journal. Today, Brett joins Aron to discuss his 2002 book Long Bomb: How the XFL Became TV's Biggest Fiasco, in which Brett chronicled the lone 2001 season of the catastrophic XFL through the eyes of the Las Vegas Outlaws and how XFL founders/partners Vince McMahon and NBC's Dick Ebersol fai…

Today's episode is a special Memorial Day presentation: the original broadcast of the 1946 Army vs. Notre Dame contest that became of one the first games to be labeled the "Game of the Century" that featured four eventual Heisman Trophy Award winners and numerous World War II veterans battling it out in front of 70,000 spectators at Yankee Stadium.…

Ken Crippen is a football historian and author. Ken recently launched the Football Learning Academy, a website that contains online courses and videos on football history and the impact that the game has had on society. Ken and Aron discuss his new venture, as well as his background as a football writer, his work on the All America Football Confere…

Clayton Trutor is the author of Loserville: How Professional Sports Remade Atlanta, and How Atlanta Remade Professional Sports. Clayton sits down with Aron to discuss his book, including his inspirations as a writer, the influence Atlanta had on future expansion cities, the struggles that Atlanta sports teams faced in the early years, and much more…

John Davis is a 23-year US Army Veteran/Retiree with 20+ years of coaching youth sports and 25+ years of management and leadership experience. He is the Owner/President of JD Sports Academy and host of the For The Good Of The Game podcast. In this interview, John walks Aron through his life experiences within football, including how the game helped…

Big Fan is a 2009 film starring Patton Oswald and directed by Robert Siegel. The film follows Phil Aufiero, a lonley parking garage attendant and obsessive New York Giants super-fan who's world is shattered to pieces when he is beaten up at a nightclub by his favorite Giants player, Quantrell Bishop. In this episode, Aron shares his thoughts on the…

On this special episode of the podcast, Aron is joined by NFL Films' Head of Research Chris Willis and CFL America host Greg James to discuss their favorite NFL Films productions featuring John Facenda, one of the most iconic voices in NFL history who earned the nickname "the voice of God" for his thunderous narration of pro football's beauty, viol…

Phil Villapiano is a former pro bowl linebacker who played for the Oakland Raiders from 1971-1979 and for the Buffalo Bills from 1980-1983. In this interview, Phil sits down with Aron to discuss various memories from his iconic days with the Silver and Black, including his relationship with John Madden, the infamous Immaculate Reception play, what …

Bob Lederer is the author of Beyond Broadway Joe: The Super Bowl TEAM That Changed Football. In this episode, Bob sits down with Aron to discuss his book that looks at the various unheralded players on the 1968 New York Jets football team that shocked the world with their 16-7 victory over the vaunted Baltimore Colts of the National Football League…

On today's special presentation, Aron lives up to the phrase "amateur hour" as he welcomes his cohorts at the Sports History Network for a friendly game of Super Bowl Trivia leading up to Super Bowl XLVI. Check out the various sports history podcasts at the network by clicking the links below. Enjoy the Super Bowl boys and girls!!! Darin Hayes - Pi…

Doug Drinen is the founder of Pro-Football-Reference.com, the complete source for pro football history including complete player, team, and league stats, awards, records, leaders, rookies and scores. In this interview, Doug and Aron discuss Doug's early passion for sports data and the process of creating pro-football-reference, as well as alternati…

Jeremy McFarlin is the host of the Football is Family podcast and an avid Tennessee Titans fan. Jeremy joins Aron today to talk about his podcast and his Titans fandom, followed by an exciting and informative game of Tennessee Titans trivia. The Football Odyssey @FootballOdyc thefootballodyssey Football Is Family @jeremy_mcfarlin…

Kevin McDonough is a coach at Cornell University and runs the Old Football Film (@FilmHistoric) Twitter account that posts vintage football footage of old school formations, schemes and plays from various bygone eras of gridiron football. The Football Odyssey @FootballOdyc@thefootballodyssey@FilmHistoricIntro song is edited version of "Big Sky Spy"…

This week's episode is a re-broadcast of Game Film, a podcast devoted to reviewing sports movies. Hosts Os Davis and Aron Harris review three films of all sorts. They talk classics going back to the 1920s and contemporary flicks from the 2020s; well-known classics and nearly unknown gems; dramas, documentaries, love stories, and comedies; films of …

Greg James is a football historian that runs the CFL America Radio podcast, and is the co-host of both From The 55 Year Line podcast and Gridiron Japan. In this hang out episode, Greg and Aron kick back have a wide ranging conversation that covers his Canadian football fandom, Howard Cosell, American football in Japan, and much much more.https://ww…

Branden Buehler is an assistant professor in the Visual and Sound Media Program in the College of Communication and the Arts at Seton Hall University whose research centers around sports media, with a particular focus on sports television and sports media industries. On today's episode, Branden joins Aron to discuss his 2016 journal article Manufac…

In this new episode of the Football Film Review series, Aron reviews Paper Lion, the 1968 movie based on the non fiction book of the same name that follows author George Plimpton's experiences as the last string quarterback for the duration of Detroit Lion's training camp in 1963. The picture stars Alan Alda and Lauren Hutton, along with numerous L…

Levon Kirkland is a former Pro Bowl linebacker that anchored the Steelers Blitzburgh defense of the 1990s that featured Kevin Greene, Greg Lloyd, Chad Brown and himself wreaking havoc on opposing offenses. Currently, Levon is the VP of Development for the South Carolina Football Hall of Fame, host of Inside Blitz Podcast and a 2022 College Football…

Dan Fouts is a Pro Football Hall of Fame quarterback who played 15 seasons with the San Diego Chargers. In this interview, Dan speaks with Aron on a wide variety of topics pertaining to his football career, including his early days as a 49ers ball boy, being a part of the legendary Air Coryell offense, his transition into a successful broadcasting …

Troy Lowman is the CEO of Bullitt Point Properties and the director/producer of The Ghosts of 33rd Street, a documentary that looks back at the impact the Baltimore Colts had on the city and the controversial franchise move to Indianapolis that left the city without an NFL team for 12 years.https://www.thefootballodyssey.com/https://twitter.com/Foo…

On today's episode, Aron reviews the 1979 pro football film, North Dallas Forty, directed by Ted Kotcheff and starring Nick Nolte, Mac Davis and Dayle Haddon. https://www.thefootballodyssey.com/ https://twitter.com/FootballOdyc https://www.instagram.com/thefootballodyssey/ https://sportshistorynetwork.com/podcasts/…

Michael MacCambridge returns to the show this week to discuss his book America's Game: The Epic Story of How Pro Football Captured A Nation, which many historians and critics praise as the greatest book ever written on pro football.https://www.thefootballodyssey.com/https://twitter.com/FootballOdychttps://www.instagram.com/thefootballodyssey/https:…

On today's episode, Aron gives some updates on the podcast and re-broadcasts a vintage radio program from Jean Shepherd, an iconic radio personality who from the late 50s until the late 70s was regarded as one of the greatest storytellers in American culture and also wrote served the semi-autobiographical film A Christmas Story. Jean talks about a …

Rick Mueller is a former NFL and NCAA front office executive and current President and C.O.O of eVALUATE, a sports consulting firm that provides out of the box solutions to help small colleges and high schools maximize their resources to stay competitive and to elevate their football program to the next level. https://www.thefootballodyssey.com/ ht…

Michael MacCambridge is the award winning author of several sports history books, including America's Game: The Epic Story of how Pro Football Captured a Nation, Lamar Hunt: A Life in Sports and Chuck Noll: His Life's Work. In this episode, Michael sits down with Aron to discuss his biography of Chuck Noll, an intimate portrait on the life of the u…

On this episode of The Football Odyssey, Aron and Os Davis of Truly The GOATs review the cynical 1951 college football film, Saturday's Hero, starring John Derek and Donna Reed, directed by David Miller and released by Columbia Pictures. At the end of the episode, Os and Aron also look toward their new sports film podcast, Game Film. https://www.th…

John McKeon is the CEO of American Football International. After completing his college football career, John pursued opportunities playing American football overseas that would kickstart his fascination with American Football’s global potential. John and Aron discuss his experience launching AFI, the appeal of American Football abroad and his insi…

Jordan Abbot is the Secondary coach at Butler Community College in El Dorado, Kansas. In this episode, Jordan walks Aron though his experience playing football, his defensive philosophy and what it's like coach in the world of Junior College football. https://www.thefootballodyssey.com/https://twitter.com/FootballOdychttps://www.instagram.com/thefo…

Upton Bell is a former NFL front office executive and the author of Present At The Creation, an autobiography of his life in National Football League. In this conversation, Upton takes Aron through the course of his football life that begins with his father, Commissioner Bert Bell, and carries on through his days in the front offices of the Baltimo…

Tim Hanlon is the host and producer of Good Seats Still Available, a curious little podcast devoted to the exploration of what used-to-be in professional sports. In this episode, Tim sits down with Aron to discuss his fascination for lost sports history, the role rival leagues in American football, defunct teams and much more. https://www.thefootba…

On this special edition of our Football Film Review Series, Aron is joined by Os Davis, host of Truly The GOATs Podcast and film critic, to discuss a triple feature of Super Bowl Disaster Thrillers. https://www.thefootballodyssey.com/https://twitter.com/FootballOdychttps://www.instagram.com/thefootballodyssey/https://sportshistorynetwork.com/podcas…

Scott Hanson is the host of NFL RedZone. https://www.thefootballodyssey.com/https://twitter.com/FootballOdychttps://www.instagram.com/thefootballodyssey/https://sportshistorynetwork.com/podcasts/https://twitter.com/ScottHanson

Part II of my conversation with Darin Hayes, the host of The Pigskin Daily History Dispatch. In this episode, we play a game of Steelers trivia, and have plenty of side bar conversations that Steelers and NFL history fans will enjoy.https://www.thefootballodyssey.com/https://twitter.com/FootballOdychttps://www.instagram.com/thefootballodyssey/https…

Darin Hayes is the founder of PigskinDispatch.com and the host of The Pigskin Daily History Dispatch, a podcast that takes the listener through the historical events, people, inventions and plays that had some significance to the game of football. https://www.thefootballodyssey.com/https://twitter.com/FootballOdychttps://www.instagram.com/thefootba…

Cody Alexander is the co-defensive coordinator and safeties coach at Mesquite Horn High School and the author of five defensive football books. In this episode, Cody and I discuss his journey within the game of football, how the game has evolved over time and his book Hyrbids: The Making of a Modern Defense. https://www.thefootballodyssey.com/https…