Football Attic is part of the Sports History Network - The Headquarters For Your Favorite Sport's Yesteryear.

EPISODE SUMMARY

This week on “Football Attic,” I was pleased to welcome Jerry Foley, senior editor of The Giant Insider, and co-host of the Giant Insider podcast.

I asked him how his love of the New York Football Giants came to be. He said that when he was very young, he got under his father’s skin by wearing a jersey of Eagles running back Wilbert Montgomery. It was in 1982, however, that he became a Giants fan for life.

“I remember my dad’s side of the family making fun of him because the Giants had lost to the 49ers, and they were Jets and Eagles fans, and I remember it was almost like Michael Corleone with his father, and I just said, ‘I’m with you now,’ and that was it...I just got really mad at everyone for making fun of my old man.”

We talked about if any of the four Giants Super Bowl victories stuck out the most. He fondly remembers 1986 since it was their first championship, but also gave a great deal of the credit to the 2007 team that upset the undefeated New England Patriots, saying that it all began with their defeat of Dallas in the NFC Divisional round.

“Once they beat the Cowboys, it was like, ‘They can do this,’ I wasn’t afraid of Lambeau Field or how old Brett Favre was. Then you thought, ‘Man, they played the Patriots great in week 17,’ they can take this team.” That they did, limiting the historically great New England offense to just 14 points.

Jerry has had his fair share of heartbreaks, however, namely the 2002 Wild Card playoff game against San Francisco, in which New York blew a 38-14 third-quarter lead and lost, 39-38.

“Jeremy Shockey dropping that touchdown, you just felt the momentum change. They had to kick a field goal there when he had an easy touchdown. He catches that ball, the game’s over.”

The Giant Insider originated in the 1990s, and as a teenager, Jerry would frequently write in to the then-editor, Ken Palmer, who gave him a job as a staff writer in 2013. Since then, he has taken on the duties of senior editor, and has started a podcast with beat writer Chris Bisignano.

Jerry also has an amazing memorabilia collection. He considers his crown jewel to be a seat from the Polo Grounds, which even has the old “NY” logo of the New York Baseball Giants on the side. Other artifacts of note are a program from the December 6, 1925 game between the Giants and Bears, in which the NFL’s first superstar, Chicago’s Red Grange, wowed the New York fans, and a program from the December 7, 1941 game against the Brooklyn Dodgers, the date that lives in infamy.

FOOTBALL ATTIC BACKGROUND

My name is John Gidley, and as I’m looking on my bookshelf, I see a lot of books about the National Football League.

There’s a book about the 72 Dolphins, one about the 85 Bears, another about the Immaculate Reception. Let’s be honest with ourselves, though: how many times have we heard these stories?

Where are the tales of the men who aren’t as prominent? Stories of the dominant Washington team of 1991, or of the stonewall defense of the 1977 Atlanta Falcons, or of the days when the Philadelphia Eagles wore white helmets? Well, there’s only one place to find those, right here in the Football Attic.

Each week, I’ll tell you about games, players, coaches, and teams who aren’t necessarily forgotten but are not as well-known as they should be. This isn’t just a podcast for those whose memory will be jogged by these retellings.

I’m 22 years old, and I’m an advocate for a greater historical perspective among younger NFL fans. So come join me as I take my weekly trip upstairs into the Football Attic. Just be sure to watch your step!

On this week's episode, I welcome Matt Pizzano, one of my friends from Twitter. He discusses his experience growing up as a Giants fan, and how he came to love NFL Films.

Follow Matt on Twitter @matt_pizzano

Football Attic is part of the Sports History Network - The Headquarters For Your Favorite Sport's Yesteryear.

EPISODE SUMMARY

This week I interview my father, a lifelong Philadelphia Eagles Fan.

FOOTBALL ATTIC BACKGROUND

My name is John Gidley, and as I’m looking on my bookshelf, I see a lot of books about the National Football League.

There’s a book about the 72 Dolphins, one about the 85 Bears, another about the Immaculate Reception. Let’s be honest with ourselves, though: how many times have we heard these stories?

Where are the tales of the men who aren’t as prominent? Stories of the dominant Washington team of 1991, or of the stonewall defense of the 1977 Atlanta Falcons, or of the days when the Philadelphia Eagles wore white helmets? Well, there’s only one place to find those, right here in the Football Attic.

Each week, I’ll tell you about games, players, coaches, and teams who aren’t necessarily forgotten but are not as well-known as they should be. This isn’t just a podcast for those whose memory will be jogged by these retellings.

I’m 22 years old, and I’m an advocate for a greater historical perspective among younger NFL fans. So come join me as I take my weekly trip upstairs into the Football Attic. Just be sure to watch your step!

Football Attic is part of the Sports History Network - The Headquarters For Your Favorite Sport's Yesteryear.

Read the entire episode blog post and check out some other cool info regarding this episode here.

EPISODE SUMMARY

Since today is Christmas Day, I thought it would be fitting to spend today's episode looking back on the first National Football League games to be played on Christmas, and the circumstances that led to those games being the only ones of their kind for almost 20 years. Today, we're going back to 1971.

FOOTBALL ATTIC BACKGROUND

My name is John Gidley, and as I’m looking on my bookshelf, I see a lot of books about the National Football League.

There’s a book about the 72 Dolphins, one about the 85 Bears, another about the Immaculate Reception. Let’s be honest with ourselves, though: how many times have we heard these stories?

Where are the tales of the men who aren’t as prominent? Stories of the dominant Washington team of 1991, or of the stonewall defense of the 1977 Atlanta Falcons, or of the days when the Philadelphia Eagles wore white helmets? Well, there’s only one place to find those, right here in the Football Attic.

Each week, I’ll tell you about games, players, coaches, and teams who aren’t necessarily forgotten but are not as well-known as they should be. This isn’t just a podcast for those whose memory will be jogged by these retellings.

I’m 22 years old, and I’m an advocate for a greater historical perspective among younger NFL fans. So come join me as I take my weekly trip upstairs into the Football Attic. Just be sure to watch your step!

Orville Mulligan: Sports Writer is part of the Sports History Network - The Headquarters For Sports Yesteryear.

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Orville Mulligan: Sports Writer

A Different way to hear sports history.

I am Orville Mulligan and yes the career journey I took was as a Sports Writer. My story will fill the listener’s ears with my journey of perhaps the greatest time in sports history, the roaring 1920s. I was fortunate enough to rub elbows with the greatest legends of sport in the era and attend some of the most iconic events in sports history.

The tales are complete with the music, people, places and slang used at the time to place the listener into the feelings that we experienced as I started my epic career.

Join us in the adventure of a lifetime, Orville Mulligan: Sports Writer, found here on Sports History Network, on OrvilleMulligan.com or your favorite podcast provider.

Head to the ORVILLE MULLIGAN OFFICIAL WEBSITE for more information.