Cover image of show The Pro Football Time Machine

The Pro Football Time Machine

Podcast by Tom Pollin

English

History & religion

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About The Pro Football Time Machine

Every two weeks, you’ll take a trip with me and Zo-Zo the cat to discover events and people who contributed, each in their own way, to building a league that has become the king of professional sports. Sometimes we will visit an event or star player, but to hopefully bring to light something that has always flown under the radar that is an important part of their story. More often though, we’ll find events and people who’ve been missed by documentaries and books but have stories that need telling. Those are the destinations that are the most fun to discover. Join me, Tom Pollin, and Zo-Zo the cat as we have fun on our journeys.

All episodes

7 episodes

episode The Greatest Draft Steal in NFL History: Roosevelt Brown's Journey to Gold artwork

The Greatest Draft Steal in NFL History: Roosevelt Brown's Journey to Gold

The Pro Football Time Machine is part of the Sports History Network - The Headquarters For Sports Yesteryear [https://sportshistorynetwork.com/]. EPISODE SUMMARY *********** THE PRO FOOTBALL TIME MACHINE BACKGROUND PRO FOOTBALL TIME MACHINE WEB PAGE [https://sportshistorynetwork.com/podcasts/the-pro-football-time-machine/] Every two weeks, you’ll take a trip with me and Zo-Zo the cat to discover events and people who contributed, each in their own way, to building a league that has become the king of professional sports. Sometimes we will visit an event or star player, but to hopefully bring to light something that has always flown under the radar that is an important part of their story. More often though, we’ll find events and people who’ve been missed by documentaries and books but have stories that need telling. Those are the destinations that are the most fun to discover. Join me, Tom Pollin, and Zo-Zo the cat as we have fun on our journeys. HOST - TOM POLLIN BIO I grew up in the Chicagoland area, Waukegan to be specific and now make my home in Chicago. I’ve been a fan of football, and the Chicago Bears, since I first became aware of the existence of both. Of course, in those years the Bears dwelled at the bottom of the NFL standings but I grew to love the team more as I began to read everything about their storied history that I could get my hands on. The diving into the Bears history spread into a need to know more about the NFL from the times before its birth, through its formation and growing pains, to the present day. Writing and talking about pro football history is a labor of love for me. Since I began writing about the NFL in 2011, I’ve written hundreds of articles on teams, games and opinion pieces but the pieces I’ve written about teams, games and players gone by have been the most satisfying of the work I’ve published.

26 Apr 2026 - 13 min
episode Kent McCloughan: The Forgotten Architect of the Bump-and-Run artwork

Kent McCloughan: The Forgotten Architect of the Bump-and-Run

The Pro Football Time Machine is part of the Sports History Network - The Headquarters For Sports Yesteryear [https://sportshistorynetwork.com/]. EPISODE SUMMARY Land on Kent McCloughan’s page on Pro Football Reference and it’s likely that you’d barely give it a glance before moving on. Stay and you’ll see a six season career that had a brilliant start but disappointing finish. The two, first team All Pro honors will grab your eye but a look at the final three seasons of McCloughan’s career and it will have you wondering, what happened? The fact is, McCloughan left a lasting mark on the NFL that I say extends to the present day. During McCloughan’s brief time in professional football, he stamped his name on what became known as “bump and run” pass coverage. You can read the full article on the Sports History Network site here [https://sportshistorynetwork.com/football/nfl/kent-mccloughan-architect-of-bump-and-run]. THE PRO FOOTBALL TIME MACHINE BACKGROUND PRO FOOTBALL TIME MACHINE WEB PAGE [https://sportshistorynetwork.com/podcasts/the-pro-football-time-machine/] Every two weeks, you’ll take a trip with me and Zo-Zo the cat to discover events and people who contributed, each in their own way, to building a league that has become the king of professional sports. Sometimes we will visit an event or star player, but to hopefully bring to light something that has always flown under the radar that is an important part of their story. More often though, we’ll find events and people who’ve been missed by documentaries and books but have stories that need telling. Those are the destinations that are the most fun to discover. Join me, Tom Pollin, and Zo-Zo the cat as we have fun on our journeys. HOST - TOM POLLIN BIO I grew up in the Chicagoland area, Waukegan to be specific and now make my home in Chicago. I’ve been a fan of football, and the Chicago Bears, since I first became aware of the existence of both. Of course, in those years the Bears dwelled at the bottom of the NFL standings but I grew to love the team more as I began to read everything about their storied history that I could get my hands on. The diving into the Bears history spread into a need to know more about the NFL from the times before its birth, through its formation and growing pains, to the present day. Writing and talking about pro football history is a labor of love for me. Since I began writing about the NFL in 2011, I’ve written hundreds of articles on teams, games and opinion pieces but the pieces I’ve written about teams, games and players gone by have been the most satisfying of the work I’ve published.

12 Apr 2026 - 19 min
episode Bart Starr: The GOAT at Quarterback in Green Bay Packers History artwork

Bart Starr: The GOAT at Quarterback in Green Bay Packers History

The Pro Football Time Machine is part of the Sports History Network - The Headquarters For Sports Yesteryear [https://sportshistorynetwork.com/]. EPISODE SUMMARY The Green Bay Packers have a history of excellence at the quarterback position. For most fans, the argument over the greatest to wear green and gold begins and ends with Brett Favre and Aaron Rodgers but in the team's past there's a quiet man who brought five NFL Championships, two Super Bowl titles and the MVP hardware that went with those titles home to Green Bay. The true GOAT at quarterback for the Packers is Bart Starr. THE PRO FOOTBALL TIME MACHINE BACKGROUND PRO FOOTBALL TIME MACHINE WEB PAGE [https://sportshistorynetwork.com/podcasts/the-pro-football-time-machine/] Every two weeks, you’ll take a trip with me and Zo-Zo the cat to discover events and people who contributed, each in their own way, to building a league that has become the king of professional sports. Sometimes we will visit an event or star player, but to hopefully bring to light something that has always flown under the radar that is an important part of their story. More often though, we’ll find events and people who’ve been missed by documentaries and books but have stories that need telling. Those are the destinations that are the most fun to discover. Join me, Tom Pollin, and Zo-Zo the cat as we have fun on our journeys. HOST - TOM POLLIN BIO I grew up in the Chicagoland area, Waukegan to be specific and now make my home in Chicago. I’ve been a fan of football, and the Chicago Bears, since I first became aware of the existence of both. Of course, in those years the Bears dwelled at the bottom of the NFL standings but I grew to love the team more as I began to read everything about their storied history that I could get my hands on. The diving into the Bears history spread into a need to know more about the NFL from the times before its birth, through its formation and growing pains, to the present day. Writing and talking about pro football history is a labor of love for me. Since I began writing about the NFL in 2011, I’ve written hundreds of articles on teams, games and opinion pieces but the pieces I’ve written about teams, games and players gone by have been the most satisfying of the work I’ve published.

8 Feb 2026 - 26 min
episode The Nesser Brothers: Forgotten NFL Pioneers artwork

The Nesser Brothers: Forgotten NFL Pioneers

The Pro Football Time Machine is part of the Sports History Network - The Headquarters For Sports Yesteryear [https://sportshistorynetwork.com/]. EPISODE SUMMARY Back in the prehistoric days of professional football, a family of rugged, tough as steel brothers, the Nessers, ruled pro football gridirons throughout the Midwest. The Nesser brothers competed against celebrated pioneers of the game, notably Jim Thorpe and brought professional football to thousands of fans, helping to ensure the success of the early NFL. Yet, the Nessers never received Pro Football Hall of Fame consideration and are forgotten pioneers today. THE PRO FOOTBALL TIME MACHINE BACKGROUND PRO FOOTBALL TIME MACHINE WEB PAGE [https://sportshistorynetwork.com/podcasts/the-pro-football-time-machine/] Every two weeks, you’ll take a trip with me and Zo-Zo the cat to discover events and people who contributed, each in their own way, to building a league that has become the king of professional sports. Sometimes we will visit an event or star player, but to hopefully bring to light something that has always flown under the radar that is an important part of their story. More often though, we’ll find events and people who’ve been missed by documentaries and books but have stories that need telling. Those are the destinations that are the most fun to discover. Join me, Tom Pollin, and Zo-Zo the cat as we have fun on our journeys. HOST - TOM POLLIN BIO I grew up in the Chicagoland area, Waukegan to be specific and now make my home in Chicago. I’ve been a fan of football, and the Chicago Bears, since I first became aware of the existence of both. Of course, in those years the Bears dwelled at the bottom of the NFL standings but I grew to love the team more as I began to read everything about their storied history that I could get my hands on. The diving into the Bears history spread into a need to know more about the NFL from the times before its birth, through its formation and growing pains, to the present day. Writing and talking about pro football history is a labor of love for me. Since I began writing about the NFL in 2011, I’ve written hundreds of articles on teams, games and opinion pieces but the pieces I’ve written about teams, games and players gone by have been the most satisfying of the work I’ve published.

26 Dec 2025 - 21 min
episode John Henry Johnson and The Million Dollar Backfield artwork

John Henry Johnson and The Million Dollar Backfield

The Pro Football Time Machine is part of the Sports History Network - The Headquarters For Sports Yesteryear [https://sportshistorynetwork.com/]. EPISODE SUMMARY John Henry Johnson combined size and speed as a runner with toughness, meanness and grit as a blocker to carve out a reputation as one of the greatest running backs in NFL history and earn his place in the Pro Football Hall of Fame alongside his Million Dollar Backfield teammates. THE PRO FOOTBALL TIME MACHINE BACKGROUND PRO FOOTBALL TIME MACHINE WEB PAGE [https://sportshistorynetwork.com/podcasts/the-pro-football-time-machine/] Every two weeks, you’ll take a trip with me and Zo-Zo the cat to discover events and people who contributed, each in their own way, to building a league that has become the king of professional sports. Sometimes we will visit an event or star player, but to hopefully bring to light something that has always flown under the radar that is an important part of their story. More often though, we’ll find events and people who’ve been missed by documentaries and books but have stories that need telling. Those are the destinations that are the most fun to discover. Join me, Tom Pollin, and Zo-Zo the cat as we have fun on our journeys. HOST - TOM POLLIN BIO I grew up in the Chicagoland area, Waukegan to be specific and now make my home in Chicago. I’ve been a fan of football, and the Chicago Bears, since I first became aware of the existence of both. Of course, in those years the Bears dwelled at the bottom of the NFL standings but I grew to love the team more as I began to read everything about their storied history that I could get my hands on. The diving into the Bears history spread into a need to know more about the NFL from the times before its birth, through its formation and growing pains, to the present day. Writing and talking about pro football history is a labor of love for me. Since I began writing about the NFL in 2011, I’ve written hundreds of articles on teams, games and opinion pieces but the pieces I’ve written about teams, games and players gone by have been the most satisfying of the work I’ve published.

26 Nov 2025 - 18 min
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