John Tesh's other fantastic NBC Sports theme: "Gridiron Dreams"

A few weeks ago, I wrote about John Tesh's "Roundball Rock" and how I was ready to move on from it. Don't get me wrong, I love the iconic NBA on NBC theme, but I wanted to show some love to the fab NBA Game of the Week theme ABC used in the Seventies.

Well, to show there are no hard feelings, I want to tout a Tesh composition that doesn't get the same kind of love: His dynamic song for the NBC's NFL coverage. Here's a nice clean copy of "Gridiron Dreams." This is electric!

And, yes, I chose that upload because of the shot of Tesh with the shades and backwards cap.

Here's a sample of it as aired on NBC: The opening to the 1989 AFC Championship:

Enberg, Tesh, NBC--I love it! The description of Browns QB Bernie Kosar as unconventional, even sometimes awkward, is great.

Inside the Guide: TV Guide 40 years ago this week (April 28-May 4, 1984) Part 3

You know what happened on May 1, 1984. The NFL Draft. Yes, it was televised, but it was only on ESPN, and it was on TUESDAY, May 1, 1984, in the daytime. 

It was not the big TV event (and ratings-grabber) it is today!

By the way, I always loved it when something went on so long that TV Guide decided it had to put in another listing. "1984 NFL Draft Continues."  "We gotta put something there, or people will think ESPN went off the air."

Great Moments in 70s and 80s TV History: Jessica Fletcher has eyes for...Dick Butkus?

In a first-season Murder, She Wrote, "Sudden Death," Jessica Fletcher, who has inherited a share of a pro football team, "accidentally" wanders into the shower area, and it sure looks like she has wandering eyes. The late great Dick Butkus happens to be on the team, known in this episode as TANK MASON!

Tank looks great, but the "defensive captain" of a pro football team at the age of 43? Impressive!

Jessica is asking about a possible theft in the locker room, but she just happens to do it when the team is in the showers, leading to a run-in with Tank Mason, who says (and, yes, I am taking this out of context), "They don't call me Tank for nothing," even as he takes haste to cover himself with his towel.

His eyes are up THERE, Jess!

OK, so when Tank says he didn't expect to see her there at that time, during the showering, she feigns modesty and runs out. We know better, though, right?

The entire cast for this episode is top notch, featuring known 70s performers like David Doyle, Jan Smithers, Tim Thomerson, then Bruce Jenner; and character actor standouts like Allen Miller, James MCeachin, and Warren Berlinger. I'm on Season 9 of a series watch, and those days of exciting loaded casts like in the early seasons are long gone.

Dick Butkus never returned to Murder, She Wrote despite the simmering tension that is so prevalent in this episode.

Power Rankings: NFL color commentators of the 1980s

The recent passing of John Madden inspired me to rank my favorite NFL color guys of the BOTNS era. Hey, the former coach thrived on competition, right?

This ranking is a very personal list of what I felt back then combined with a wee bit of adjustment for the decades of sports watching I have enjoyed since. Note that I didn't watch the NFL on TV on a regular basis until the early 1980s, and I also cheated to include a couple guys who started early Nineties-ish.

Also keep in mind that there was no Sunday Ticket, I was too young to roam the sports bars, and bonus coverage wasn't as much a thing. I just remember there were less games, period.  So regular folks didn't necessarily get a lot of exposure to the full network announcer rosters beyond the top teams and the guys who happened to be calling the local game.

1) Merlin Olsen: I was an NBC guy growing up. I liked the Steelers and the AFC anyway, but I also just liked NBC. So my team of choice was not Summerall and Madden, but Enberg and Olsen. Merlin seemed like a decent guy, and I didn't even watch Father Murphy.

2) John Madden: It's impossible to miss his importance and his impact, but back then I didn't appreciate him as I would later. Even now, I think this rating is as much because of his great commercials as much as his work on CBS.

3) Paul Maguire: I liked him a lot on NBC, and for a while, I thought he even made the ESPN broadcasts tolerable. He was a funny guy and a likable presence. Is there an alternate universe in which HE is the star of Father Murphy?

4) Dan Dierdorf: I thought he got a little full of himself on Monday Night Football, but in retrospect, it couldn't have been easy dealing with everyone else on that show. I liked his work on CBS teaming with Verne Lundquist, but that was wayyyy outside the time period. However, he did do work before MNF on CBS, so I am including him!

5) Todd Christensen: Boy, whatever happened to him? He went from a rising star in the NFL booth lauded for his use of big words to something like the 12th team on ESPN college football coverage. I mean, Roy Firestone loved him. ROY FIRESTONE, people! I really dug him and his pairing with the venerable Charlie Jones.

6) Don Meredith: But I admit it's more the idea of Dandy Don since I was well aware of the myths of the glory days of Monday Night Football in the 1980s but didn't always watch much of it.

7) Terry Bradshaw: It's easy to forget his color commentary run on CBS after he's been on the FOX pregame show so long. It wasn't easy at the time to forget his playing career as a Steeler fan watching the likes of Cliff Stoudt and Mark Malone (who himself became a play-by-play guy).

8) Dan Fouts: He had a heck of a career in both pro and college football broadcasting.

9) Hank Stram: Another one where it's more the idea of Hank Stram and the fun of imitating him because I don't think I actually got to watch too many Jack Buck/Hank Stram games.

10) Beasley Reece: Nothing against the guy, but he kind of became a punchline for us when we saw the announce teams in USA Today the weekend of the games or when he actually turned up on an NBC game: "Who the heck is Beasley Reece?" Pretty sure I somehow had at least 4 or 5 football cards of him, though.

Bowl season just ain't what it used to be

I miss the old days when pre-New Year's bowl games weren't all (or at least 95%) on ESPN, but when many of them were scattered throughout the dial at random times. Did they mean more then? Yeah, it seemed like they did. But they also meant nothing, and that was part of what was cool about the experience. It was just more football, and you often had no idea when or why it was on a given channel.

Here are some old promos for bowl games that were syndicated:

I mean, don't you miss the days when a bowl game could be on "Channel 46"?

And my beloved Channel 11 got in the game, too.  After the New Year's Run portion of this clip, hear the sounds of "Dancing in the Dark" as WPIX hypes the upcoming "Blue Bonnet Bowl."  And, man, when was the last time anyone on TV referred to TCU as "Texas Christian"?

Finally today, I posted this before, but I love it so much I am sharing it again. Hugo Faces, the great account that gave us that WPIX video, uploaded this clip from 1984. I didn't remember WOR being a major college football player, but they had the Aloha Bowl! I wonder if they ever had the short-lived Garden State Bowl.

Happy National Play Outside Day (Redux)

 (Note: This was supposed to publish Saturday, November 6, but due to a technical error--I botched it--it ran Wednesday morning. Please accept my apologies and enjoy National Play Outside Day on its true milestone date, now with a bonus embedded commercial.)

Yes, it's National Play Outside Day, which is the first Saturday in November, just in time for...the temperature to start falling dramatically. Well, hey, kids can bundle up, right?

What better way to get pumped up for playing outside than by watching The Baseball Bunch, which you recall we talked about this season.

Could The Baseball Bunch be in line for Batty consideration? Will there be a Batty for Outstanding Demonstration of Outside Play? Stay tuned!

If football is more your thing, how about picking up one of these sweet Nerfs?

AND if you aren't into those sports, why not just pretend it's summer and get this one out of the garage:

When I think "hot and fast," I think John Madden

John Madden was not only a big-time NFL coach and one of the most acclaimed broadcasters of all time, he was also a pitchman extraordinaire. His Lite Beer run is legendary, and he had a steady gig for Ace Hardware, but I had forgotten about his stint representing McDonald's!

These are great ads. He's totally into it and embraces the telestrator gimmick. I can't find any evidence of Madden doing ads for the Golden Arches after 1986, which means we were deprived of his breakdowns of the McLean and the Arch Deluxe!

This Day in TV History: Stay tuned after the Super Bowl for...

For a long time, the Super Bowl was not seen as a launchpad for future hits and would-be hits by the TV networks.  On this day 40 years ago, NBC broadcast Super Bowl XV, in which Tom Flores' Oakland Raiders became the first Wild Card team to win the big game by beating the Philadelphia Eagles 27-10.

Just under 69 million viewers tuned into the game, but NBC didn't take that audience for granted. It kept the night going with CHiPs--and not even a new episode, but a repeat of season 3's Thrill Show, which had aired nearly a year earlier.  Perhaps the strike that delayed much of the 80-81 season affected NBC's plans, but, wow, that sounds like an unimpressive Super Bowl leadout.

Promo Theatre: Y'all ready for some football?

 This 1985 college football promo just doesn't feel like TBS...until halfway through:

Yes, veteran broadcaster Lindsay Nelson shows up and I think, "Ah, yes, this feels like TBS." It's SUPER Football Saturday Night! "I'm Lindsay Nelson, and I'm part of it!" "All riiiight."

It's easy to forget the Superstation showed college football games in the 1980s, but in fact it was the first cable outlet to show games on a national basis, even beating ESPN. it was a limited package, but it was football! Then TBS began showing SEC games in 1984, but as you can see from this promo, it also showed key intersectional match-ups like...Boston College vs. Army.

(For more about TBS, check out our episode about the Superstation here!)

In case you're curious, Army crushed the Eagles 45-14. B.C. was coming off a great season culminating in a Cotton Bowl win but had lost star QB Doug Flutie to the USFL. Army would go on to finish 9-3 (but with a loss to Navy!), including a narrow victory over Illinois in an exciting Peach Bowl. 

Here's a glimpse of the B.C.-Army match-up . Notice that Harry Kalas leads off the highlights by mentioning the national television audience:

This Day in TV History: Joe Namath's All-American Pie on ABC

40 years ago today on ABC, August 17, 1980 Joe Namath hosted a variety special called All-American Pie.  This description is from Vincent Terrace's Encyclopedia of Television Pilots:

Joe Namath hosts this variety magazine, looking at unusual occupations and lifestyles against a variety of colorful American backdrops. Highlights include a visit with a driving instructor in San Francisco; a New York coach-lawyer and his juvenile basketball team; a look at a phone answering service in Chicago; kids in Phoenix discuss ways in which they make life rough for grown-ups; and the patrons of a Youngstown, Ohio cafe talk about "perfect 10s" while the women in a local beauty salon explain what they like about men.

What can be more all-American than womanizing, hard-drinking, playboy-ing ex-jock Joe Namath!

Michael McKenna talks about the show in his book Real People and the Rise of Reality Television. He says the result seems like the producers wanted to combine Real People with That's Incredible and that it was burned off in August with little attention.

Namath would go on to join the Monday Night Football booth for ABC later in the decade, an experiment that did not end happily for either side.  Let's enjoy Joe in a more successful venture:

Great Moments in 70s and 80s TV History: Deacon Jones meets Peter Brady

In season 2 of The Brady Bunch, music consumes the family as Bobby hammered away at the drums while Peter tried out for the glee club. The problem in The Drummer Boy (original airdate ###) is that Pete's football teammates mock him for his pursuit of singing.

Peter is not alone, though.  His coach has brought in L.A. Rams great Deacon Jones to help teach the kids, and he takes exception to the wise-ass kid's comments.

you think this guy can't play football because he sings?"

the kids says singing is for sissies--canary stuff.

Deacon stares at him and says, "I sing. Am I a sissy?" and things get really quiet for a second.

This is one of the great moments in the show's run.  In tone, it's not all that different from Bobby DeNiro's, "I have nipples, Greg. Can you milk ME?" in meet the Parents. For a split-second, though, this brady Bunch moment is even more tense.


Oh, let me tell you, I really wanted ol' Deac to give that kid a patented head slap, but instead he talks about how guys can sing and be real sportsmen.  He and Coach mention guys like Rosey Grier, Joe Namath, and Joe Frazier as examples.

The real lesson here is not that Deacon Jones can sing and still be a tough guy. No, the real lesson is that Deacon Jones can wear these pants and still be a tough guy.

Alex Karras returns!

We conclude our semi-official NFL Draft week with another appearance by one of our favorite pro footballer/pitchmen: Alex Karras.  Before Peyton Manning was in every other ad break in any given sporting event, the Detroit Lions Pro Bowl DT carved out a pretty good commercial resume even as he built up his acting career.


I didn't know Alex Karras did commercials for Faygo Redpop.  I didn't even know Faygo did commercials for Faygo Redpop.  I must have grown up in the post-glory years of the Faygo empire.  And, yes, it is Redpop--one word.

And now a look at the 1983 USFL Draft

I don't think the actual draft of the USFL, the awesome short-lived 1980s spring football league, was televised, but Keith Jackson talking about it is an acceptable alternative:

The 1983 NFL Draft

I have zero interest in watching this year's draft, but I love old-school footage like the 1983 draft! Let's go back to the days when ESPN was just a little bit more...reserved in its coverage.Talk about refreshing. Check out part 1 here:




The same uploader posted the next 3 segments as well, and the running storyline is John Elway's drafting by and refusal to play for the Baltimore Colts.  Paul Zimmerman, Howard Balzer, Bob Ley, and a subdued Chris Berman are the talent.

Toyman Alex Karras returns

A couple weeks ago, we looked at the effectiveness of Alex Karras pitching Transformers. Now let's watch him as 'Super Jock" tell us about Super Toe:




Karras is closer to his prime here but still mellow considering he's playing SUPER JOCK!  This looks like a great toy, though I am dissapointed by the apparent lack of potential to break a window. 

And how ANGRY does Super Toe look? They say kickers are a different breed, but, man, I bet you really have to be on eggshells on gameday around this guy.

Happy birthday, John Madden

Happy birthday to one of the most revered sportscasters of all time, the legendary John Madden. After coaching the Oakland Raiders for 10 seasons, Madden joined the CBS booth and became one of the most influential broadcast personalities ever. For better and worse, countless color commentators imitated him or at least were inspired by him. I wonder if we're due for a wave of Tony Romo imitators?

Now let's watch Madden breaking down the 1985 Chicago Bears defense.  You have to love that instead of using the "coach's clicker" he would have later, or even just game film, he has a regular-size board and a marker!

And now a word from THEIR sponsor: Bert Jones, Superstar?

I used to think Baltimore Colts quarterback Bert Jones was one of the biggest stars in the National Football League. That is, I assumed he was. After all, he was in all those ads, like the Ivory soap spots:



For a while, I thought he was massively overrated, but that view is as ignorant as thinking that after a practice, Jones uses a deodorant soap. "No way!"

In reality, Jones had a storied career at LSU and is in the College Football Hall of fame, but was not on the elite tier of QBs in the pros.  He was the NFL MVP in 1976, but injuries limited his career. He led the Colts to a solid run in the mid 70s, but that was overshadowed by the likes of the Steelers and the Raiders.

 He was a star but not a superstar, maybe, but he was a national figure with this ad campaign. He also did a print campaign for Chaps by Ralph Lauren, but according to an interview with Jones himself, he only did this one TV spot. I would have sworn he was in a bunch of these. Did I just see this one a thousand times?

One of my favorite aspects of this particular commercial is that Jones, then gearing up for a final season with the L.A. Rams, wears a generic #7 jersey with "BERT JONES" on the front. Or IS it generic?

Maybe Bert Jones is playing for the Louisiana Bert Joneses.  I'd love to get a look at the back of his jersey because I hope it says "BERT JONES" on the back, too.  "And at quarterback for your Bert Joneses...number 7...Bert Jones!"

Show Notes: Episode 6-6: Greatest Sports Legends

*Greatest Sports Legends aired in first-run syndication from 1972-, producing 207 episodes. In this week's podcast, we discuss the profiles of Terry Bradshaw (May 1987) and Bob Uecker (July 1985).

*The series featured multiple hosts over the years, including Jayne Kennedy (who hosts the Uecker episode) and George Plimpton, but also jocks (ex- and current) like Tom Seaver and Reggie Jackson.

*Despite what Rick says on the podcast, the New England Patriots have won 6 Super Bowls, with quarterback Tom Brady winning all of them.

*Here's a cool pic from Pinterest of the old Sears catalog NFL merch:

*Terry Bradshaw played QB for the Pittsburgh Steelers from 1970-1983, then entered the Pro Football Hall of Fame in his first year of eligibility in 1989. he started his broadcasting career in 1984 as a color commentator on CBS' NFL game coverage, then moved to FOX and became a studio analyst.

*Check out Franco Harris' Immaculate Reception in our YouTube playlist this week!

*Willie Stargell, the "guest host" for the Bradshaw episode, is himself a Hall of Famer, entering the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1988 after a 21-year career with the Pittsburgh Pirates in which he hit 475 home runs.

*Bob "Mr. Baseball" Uecker was a career .200 hitter.

*Mr. Belvedere aired 1985-1990 on ABC. Let us know if you want us to cover it on the podcast!

*There are no plans for a Belvedere revival...none that we know of, anyway.

*Ahmad Rashad is a former NFL Pro Bowl Wide Receiver and sportscaster who was NBC's main sideline reporter during the Michael Jordan years.

6-6: Greatest Sports Legends Terry Bradshaw and Bob Uecker

This week, we look back at an unofficial TV genre, weekend dad TV, the kind of show that might fill the gap between the early game and the late game. Greatest Sports Legends combines interviews and documentary footage to cover the great athletes of the day. In a typical episode, Willie Stargell interviews Terry Bradshaw. Then an atypical episode parodies the show buy focusing on legendary bad player, raconteur, announcer, and actor Bob Uecker.


Check out this episode!