On March 13, 1960, the city of Chicago lost its original NFL team, the now Arizona Cardinals. The Cardinals were birthed on Chicago's southside and played most of their seasons at Comiskey Park; however, despite their being the city's original NFL team, they were not its flagship franchise, with that distinction going to their northside rivals, the Bears, who played their games at the friendly confines of Wrigley Field. In this episode, Greg and noted Cardinal history researcher and author, Joe ...
Mar 15, 2023•1 hr 15 min
At the dawn of the 21st Century, in the winter of 2001, a new gridiron football league appeared on the sports scene. The brainchild of wrestling promotor Vince McMahon and television executive Dick Ebersol, the XFL sought to become the premier weekly sporting event in America during the NFL off season. As most football fans, the original XFL fell short and, as the name of the title suggests, failed spectacularly on television and most importantly, in the ratings. During the season, Brett was the...
Mar 13, 2023•1 hr 2 min
For week three Dave and Greg look at the game both on and off the field as week three provided plenty of excitement as fan attendance increased, but ratings continued to nosedive. Also talked about is why San Antonio and not St. Louis was granted the XFL championship game and the unionization of the players, as well as the perceived move of desperation from FX to ABC.
Mar 11, 2023•50 min
The second episode of the season finds Greg James joined by former sports executive Dave Cieslinski for a candid look as to how the XFL performed in weeks one and two. Dave provides a perspective that you won't find on other XFL podcasts. He knows what it takes to put bottoms in the seats and to get fans interested so that they return. The two discuss ticket sales, attendance and ratings, and Dave explains why streaming numbers will likely remain a mystery to the public. They discuss not just th...
Mar 02, 2023•1 hr 11 min
In the world of sports history podcasting, there is a curious little one that has carved out a niche covering the world of defunct leagues and teams from yesteryear. "Good Seats Still Available" has its roots in Tim Hanlon's youth, when he fell in love with the New York Cosmos of the North American Soccer League, who unfortunately, like the league itself departed us to soon, and thus began for him an obsession for the stories of the teams and leagues of yesteryear. His pioneering podcast, which ...
Mar 01, 2023•1 hr 21 min
For this third episode we move up to the Great White North as Greg sits down with Don and Heath of the Third Down Gamble podcast , where they go team by team through the Canadian Football League and review last year's performance and review all that has happened in the off season. The three also talk about the ownership struggles within the league and the challenges presently faced by the teams in an ever-changing media landscape....
Feb 25, 2023•1 hr 19 min
It is XFL kickoff eve in America! In this episode Greg sits down with the elder half of The World of Football podcast dynamic duo, Randy Snow. Randy is the Adam West to his own son Adam's Burt Ward, both of whom who broadcast weekly from the Man Cave news and history lessons that encompass the gridiron game around the world, including where Greg is, in Japan. Greg and Randy review the news out of the CFL of the Alouettes being placed in receivership by the league, look ahead to the upcoming XFL ...
Feb 25, 2023•1 hr 6 min
In the inaugural episode, Greg James adds his laid-back historical approach to the crowded XFL field. Unlike the other XFL shows, he does not mince words as to what he believes was an under performing week one. Specifically, he calls out the league for catering to the white male wrestling crowd and talks about how the marketing sucks. He also discusses what he believes were poor ratings when compared to the 2020 edition of the league and how the attendance numbers were nothing to brag about....
Feb 23, 2023•21 min
From Japan, it's Greg James of CFL America Radio and the Sports History Network with a new show filled with commentary and observations about the XFL, as well as analysis of league news, and those important items that affect the business of gridiron football.
Feb 15, 2023•25 min
Welcome to the first episode of "Gridiron America," where Japan based Greg James (co-host of the "From the 55 Yard Line" and "Gridiron Japan" podcasts) sits down with fellow podcasters and gridiron experts to talk about the game outside of the lines. In this inaugural episode ("the beta episode") Greg sits down with fellow Sports History Network member, Aron Harris of "The Football Odyssey" to review the Super Bowl, and talk about the business of football, including the upcoming XFL season and t...
Feb 14, 2023•1 hr 29 min
The Million Dollar Game was the XFL's championship game at the end of its only season in 2001. At first it had no special name, then was going to be called "The Big Game at the End," but eventually received the name it ended up with because a pot of one million dollars was to be split among the players of the winning team. The game was played on Saturday April 21, 2001 at the LA Memorial Coliseum. The game was between the Western Division champion Los Angeles Xtreme and the western runner-up San...
Jul 29, 2022•2 hr 11 min
The Xtreme came out focused, moving 60 yards in six plays on the game's opening possession. Maddox capped the drive with a 26-yard pass to Copeland that provided a 6-0 lead. It looked like the Xtreme would extend the lead on their next possession as they moved deep into Chicago territory. But Copeland fumbled at the 10 and linebacker Chike Egbuniwe recovered. Copeland, the league leader in receptions, was held to four for 62 yards After Jose Cortez and Andy Crosland traded field goals, the Enfor...
Jul 22, 2022•2 hr 5 min
Jeff Brohm was the quarterback of the Rage for most of the regular season, amassing a 6-0 record as starter during his first time at the helm. The team looked to be the league's powerhouse franchise under Brohm. He showed his toughness after he suffered an injury from a devastating hit by at the hands of Memphis Maniax defensive end Shante Carver in Week 5. Brohm came back a week later against Las Vegas, but the following week he suffered a career ending shoulder injury against the Los Angeles E...
Jul 15, 2022•2 hr 4 min
Kevin McDougal threw a touchdown pass and ran for another score as Chicago beat Orlando 23-6 to take the final XFL playoff spot. The Enforcers, who overcame an 0-4 start to finish the regular season 5-5, opened the playoffs in Los Angeles against the Western Division-champion Xtreme. The Rage (8-2) the Eastern Conference champion had already clinched home-field advantage throughout the playoffs before the game. McDougal, 13-of-20 for 182 yards, scored on a 2-yard run late in the second quarter, ...
Jul 08, 2022•1 hr 47 min
Los Angeles Xtreme disgusted with their lackluster play in their prior loss at Memphis, LA came to the Coliseum to make a point--and made several in a 24-0 victory over the Demons before 18,121. It was the second shutout in XFL play and earned L.A. the West Division title and a home playoff game. Los Angeles had a league-low 556 rushing yards entering the game, but ran for a season high 173 against the Demons, who ranked second in the league in total defense. Saladin McCullough had 73 yards and ...
Jul 01, 2022•2 hr 6 min
Mike Pawlawski's 25-yard touchdown pass to Terry Battle helped give the San Francisco Demons a 14-9 victory over the Las Vegas Outlaws and a spot in the XFL playoffs. The touchdown pass with 5:17 left in the third quarter followed a 49-yard interception return by Dwayne Harper and broke a 6-6 tie. Pawlawski finished with 138 passing yards on 17 of 28 attempts for the Demons (5-4). Las Vegas (4-5) was threatening to regain the lead in a 12-play, 69-yard fourth-quarter drive, but Toby Wright knock...
Jun 24, 2022•2 hr 31 min
Jim Druckenmiller threw three touchdown passes as the Memphis Maniax beat the Los Angeles Xtreme 27-12 in week nine of the XFL 2001 season. The Maniax (4-5) beat the Western Division-leading Xtreme (6-3) for the second time this season. Los Angeles had won four straight following an 18-12 loss to Memphis on Feb. 25. Druckenmiller connected with Beau Morgan on a 7-yard scoring pass to give Memphis a 20-6 early in the third quarter, and put the game out of reach with a 28-yard TD pass to Daryl Hob...
Jun 24, 2022•2 hr 20 min
Kevin McDougal returned from a neck injury and threw a 19-yard touchdown pass to Willy Tate with 1:41 to play to give the Chicago Enforcers a 23-18 victory over the New York-New Jersey Hitmen. McDougal also threw touchdown passes of 9 and 16 yards to Luke Leverson and linebacker Jamie Beasley preserved the Enforcers' fourth win in five games by intercepting a pass at the goal line with two seconds to play. Chicago did its best to give the game away, turning the ball over three times in the secon...
Jun 17, 2022•2 hr 4 min
The Los Angeles Xtreme (6-2) needed a win over the Las Vegas Outlaws Saturday night in front of 20,132 at the Los Angeles Coliseum to clinch its first playoff birth in team history. The Xtreme did just that handing the Outlaws a 35-26 defeat to sweep the season series with its division rival. Tommy Maddox threw for four touchdowns in the first half as the Los Angeles Xtreme defeated the visiting Las Vegas Outlaws, 35-26, last night to clinch a berth in the XFL playoffs. Maddox had thrown at leas...
Jun 10, 2022•2 hr 11 min
The Orlando Rage jumped on the Hitmen early and held on late to beat NY 17 to 12 in front of 20,000 Rage fans. Orlando was coming off a demoralizing loss to LA in their previous game, they lost their leader Jeff Brohm and the Hitmen were looking to avenge an early season defeat at the hands of the Rage. The task wasn't supposed to be easy and the game didn't start out easy for the Hitmen. They made things hard on themselves all game. The Rage struck NY early and fast when Brian Shay returned the...
Jun 03, 2022•2 hr
Wally Richardson threw a 1-yard touchdown pass to Zola Davis in the corner of the end zone with nine seconds left Saturday night, giving the New York/New Jersey Hitmen a 16-15 victory over the Memphis Maniax in the XFL. It was the second TD hookup of the night for the Richardson and Davis, who combined for a 9-yarder to the third quarter after Memphis had taken a 15-3 lead. The Hitmen (3-4), who overcame three quarters of turnovers, penalties and missed opportunities, drove downfield 64 yards in...
May 27, 2022•2 hr 33 min
LeShon Johnson ran for two touchdowns, and the Chicago Enforcers withstood San Francisco's second-half surge to beat the Demons 25-19. John Avery ran for 110 yards, and Kevin McDougal completed 11 of 14 for 175 yards and a score for Chicago (2-5) before an announced Soldier Field crowd of 11,428. San Francisco (3-4) trailing by 19 points in the second half and made a big comeback. But its final drive was stopped with less than a minute left on an interception by Dorian Brew. Charles Wiley's 1-ya...
May 20, 2022•2 hr 16 min
Week seven in the XFL saw the 2-4 Birmingham Bolts vs the Las Vegas Outlaws 3-3. With three weeks to go the Bolts amazingly still had a chance to make the playoffs. Unfortunately they would go on to lose the rest of their games finishing dead last in their division. Twenty two unanswered points ruined Jay Barker's first start in a 34-12 defeat before 23,538 at Las Vegas' Sam Boyd Stadium. Brad Palazzo would score Birmingham's first and last points on a 37 yard field goal in the first and a 21 ya...
May 13, 2022•2 hr 6 min
Week 7 of the XFL season saw the undefeated Orlando Rage take on the LA Xtreme. A day after NBC dropped to a new-low 2.1 overnight rating for an XFL telecast, the Los Angeles Xtreme drew a sparse crowd for what was billed as the XFL's "game of the year" at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. The announced crowd was 20,382 -- that's tickets sold. There were maybe 14,000 people in the stands as the Xtreme beat the Orlando Rage, 31-6. The Rage (6-1) came into the game as the most productive offense ...
May 06, 2022•2 hr 2 min
Joe Aska, the former Oakland Raider, returned to the Bay Area as New York / New Jersey defeated San Francisco 20-12 at Pacific Bell Park. Joe Aska's return to the Bay Area was an overwhelming success. The former Oakland Raider put the finishing touches on his team's victory with a 2-yard touchdown dive late in the fourth quarter as the New York/New Jersey Hitmen defeated the San Francisco Demons 20-12 in the XFL before 33,522 fans Sunday at Pacific Bell Park. Aska added a conversion run and watc...
Apr 29, 2022•2 hr 13 min
Nine unanswered points in the fourth by the visitors from LA resulted in a 35-26 defeat before only 11,197 fans at Legion Field. Before sustaining an injury late in the third, Casey Weldon passed for over 300 yards and three touchdown on a nine yard pass to Quincy Jackson on the opening drive, a short pass to James Bostic and an 80-yard bomb to Stepfret Williams.
Apr 22, 2022•2 hr 11 min
Just a week removed from a very serious neck injury, Rage qb Jeff Brohm outgunned the Outlaws slinger Ryan Clement at the Florida Citrus Bowl. Brohm's numbers were impressive to say the least. 13 of 20 for 235 yards and two touchdowns as the boys from Orlando closed in, on clinching a playoff berth. Remaining as the only team that had not tasted defeat in the XFL, Orlando outscored Sin City 27-15 before almost 25,000 Raged fans. For three quarters it looked as if the mighty 6-0 Rage were going t...
Apr 15, 2022•2 hr 9 min
In front of 17,434, Jim Druckenmiller threw a 26-yard touchdown pass to Daryl Hobbs with 20 seconds left to give the Memphis Maniax a 29-23 victory over the Chicago Enforcers. The td pass, Druckenmiller's third of the night, capped a 413-yard passing performance by the Memphis quarterback. Charles Jordan caught 10 passes from Druckenmiller for 240 yards. The victory was the first home win of the year for Memphis (3-3), while the road woes continued for Chicago (1-5), which has now lost all four ...
Apr 08, 2022•2 hr 19 min
Week 5 saw two teams the LA Xtreme (2-2) vs the struggling NY/NJ Hitmen (1-3) trying to keep pace with their first place rivals in each one's respective division. Midway through XFL season fans had already started tuning out in large numbers and by now Vince McMahon was so desperate for ratings that he concocted a stunt (you can see it on my channel) for the following week in which he would have a camera man entering the Orlando cheerleaders locker room at halftime. Of course we all know how it ...
Apr 01, 2022•1 hr 56 min
Backup quarterback Brian Kuklick threw for 207 yards and a touchdown and Jay Taylor kicked a go-ahead field goal in the fourth quarter to lead the Orlando Rage to a 21-19 victory over the Memphis Maniax in week 5. The victory left the Rage (5-0) as the XFL's only undefeated team. Memphis (2-3) has lost all three of its home games. Kuklick, subbing for starter Jeff Brohm after he was knocked out of the game with a concussion in the first quarter, connected with Dialleo Burks on an 81-yard pass wi...
Mar 25, 2022•2 hr 13 min
