Football

Like the Buffalo Bills, the Minnesota Vikings have been to the Super Bowl four times only to lose all four. Minnesota’s last visit to the big dance was way back in 1976. Along the way, they’ve had many great players including their infamous “Purple People Eaters” defensive front (Alan Page, Carl Eller, Jim Marshall, Gary Larsen). Page and Eller were both first-round draft picks ...

2020 represented the first time the New England Patriots did not have Tom Brady on the roster since his was drafted in 2000 and they failed to make the playoffs. Brady won the Super Bowl with his new team in Tampa. Yet Brady was not a first-round draft pick. In fact, he came on board from a much later round (6th). Making their debut in 1960, the Patriots then known as the “Bost ...

For many years since their debut in the NFL, the New Orleans Saints suffered through many losing seasons so bad to the point fans put brown bags over their heads and called themselves the “Ain’ts.” But what New Orleans can take credit for is that they started the legacy of the quarterbacking family named Manning. In 1971 Archie Manning was the second pick of the NFL draft but u ...

The New York Giants' history dates back to the start of the NFL making them among the senior group of franchises in the NFL. The Giants like the Packers, Bears, Redskins, Steelers, Cardinals, and Rams have a very rich history. The Hall of Fame players who wore a Giants jersey is many. Not all were first-round draft picks but in 1981 they made their best first-round pick ever wh ...

Before the city of Tennessee landed the old Houston Oilers and renamed them to the Titans, there was a Titans team in New York City that would become the Jets. Their very first pick in 1965 with the AFL’s number one overall pick would become known as “Broadway Joe.” Joe Namath would lead the old AFL to its first victory in the Super Bowl over the NFL in 1969 in a monstrous upse ...

For those of you who are unaware, the Pittsburgh Steelers and Philadelphia Eagles once joined forces because of World War II and a shortage of players and called themselves the “Steagles” The Eagles took part in that first NFL draft ever of 1936 and they made history by having the very first draft pick in a pro draft process. Jay Berwanger put himself into draft lore after beco ...

We’ve reached the team I have been following since becoming a football fan in 1972. There’s plenty of history with the Black and Gold since then and many great players that have come and gone. There are plenty before ‘72 as well but I was fortunate enough to witness some of the greatest players in Pittsburgh Steelers history. The thing about Pittsburgh is they have the reputati ...

Think of the 49ers and two names instantly come to mind...Rice and Montana. That was one hell of a combination. Only Rice was a first-round selection amazingly lasting 15 picks before San Franciso drafted him in the 16th slot in 1985. 15 teams passed on Rice who became arguably the greatest wide receiver in history. Only the overall #1 in that draft achieved success in the NFL ...

The Seahawks achieved success quickly after coming into the league in 1976. In just their third year (1978) they finished 9-7. In less than 10 years they were in the conference championship game (1983). Their very first-round draft pick was Steve Niehaus a defensive tackle from Notre Dame. Over the years Seattle built itself into a superb defensive team that focused on the runn ...

The Bucs are Super Bowl champions. In upending the defending champion Kansas City Chiefs, Tom Brady in his first season as the starting quarterback in Tampa won his seventh Lombardi Trophy in his 10th attempt. With that said, it becomes the second NFL title for Tampa who in their debut season of 1976 got off to a terrible start losing every game that season and finishing 0-14. ...