In part two of our look back at when sports stopped, we take you through the last two times an NFL season was interrupted due to owner/player disagreements. The 1982 NFL Strike caused a complete reconfiguration of the playoffs, the crazy ways networks filled programming time without football, and the special teams we saw qualify for the post-season - at least the ones with winning records! The 1987 work stoppage was as bizarre as the movie ‘The Replacements’ made it seem: Scab games, stars...

In getting along without live sports, we look back at the last two times we had to get along without baseball, and how some Special Teams emerged. You won’t believe the details in how MLB decided to play out the season in 1981 after having it interrupted due to a player’s strike. (First-half champions? Second half-champions? Possible second-half second place playoff teams? Changing managers mid-season after clinching a playoff berth?) And while the 1994 lockout has been well-documented due to...

To have a winless NFL season is the worst of football events for a team and its fans, as winning just one game brings all sorts of relief. But sometimes even those one-win campaigns were just as bad as the zeroes - for all sorts of crazy reasons. This week, we’ll look back at three special 1-15’ers: The last year of the Ryan Leaf era in San Diego, which had allegations of fake injuries and golf, while the 2007 Dolphins nearly cost Jason his relationship with his best friend but featured the...

No college football season in modern history was as insane as 2007. Virtually every team who was ranked second in the country ended up losing their perch and a chance at the national championship. This week, we’ll look back at four of those teams who came oh-so-close before succumbing to upsets in the most spectacular manner. Adding to it is that none of those teams have been close to what they were that year: South Florida (Who?), Boston College (Matty Ice!), Kansas (What?) and West Virginia...

This week, it’s the second part of our look back at what some special teams did in the NFL Draft. We’ll revisit just how Jerry Rice landed in the laps of the 49ers - a lot of it had to do with a sleepy head coach and the Jets being the Jets. No one in NFL history can match the Cowboys three-year run of first-round picks from 1988-90 - despite doing all they could to screw it up during that time. And what sort of career begins when a franchise quarterback is booed by fans when he’s drafted?...

NFL teams who win - or lose - nearly always have to do special things in the NFL Draft to stand out. This week, it’s Part I of our look back at the squads who did what they had to do - or didn’t do - to get there. You know about the famous John Elway trade following the 1983 draft - but there’s all kinds of dramatic twists and turns (especially from the Colts side) you won’t believe happened for this deal to finally go down. We also spotlight a team who could’ve made a draft-day trade that...

This week we take a look back at the last World Series title for the New York Yankees. 2009 began with off-season fireworks and huge changes for the team, which were then dwarfed by the shocking Alex Rodriguez revelations. How close was Joe Girardi to being fired before he even got started? How unlikely was A-Rod’s redemption story? And what former Evil Empire nemesis did they have to conquer - once again - to hoist the trophy? Learn more about your ad-choices at...

In our second installment of March Cinderellas, this week we look back at three teams whose NCAA tournament runs were not only unexpected, but full of star power and trend-setting. The 1987 Providence Friars were led by head coach Rick Pitino and senior point guard Billy Donovan, well before either of them started winning NCAA titles behind the bench. Their tournament success could’ve been sunk by a single free throw.  George Mason set the bar as high as it could be for mid-majors in THE...

We continue our special month of college hoops ‘Special Teams’ with the first of two shows spotlighting some of the great Cinderella teams of all time. In 1986, David Robinson led Navy all the way to the Elite Eight as the Admiral became a mythic figure in college basketball. Before becoming a yearly power, Gonzaga hit the radar screen in 1999 with a first-round tournament win wracked with controversy, and qualified for the Elite Eight with some last second magic. But the real crazy thing for...

After years of living in the shadow of John Wooden’s dynasty, UCLA returned to glory with their first national championship in twenty years by beating Arkansas in 1995. The Bruins needed one of the greatest buzzer-beaters in NCAA history - that was aided by a critical mistake - the surprise help of two freshmen, and the leadership of Ed O’Bannon, who became famous for much different reasons after his playing days. We also get into why UCLA didn’t become another dynasty after that title - and...

To kick off the Madness of March, on Special Teams we look back at the last Duke team to win the national championship. Possibly one of the most unexpected titles of Coach K’s career, it came with a questionable coaching decision that nearly cost the Blue Devils the title against the ultimate Cinderella Butler Bulldogs.  Learn more about your ad-choices at https://news.iheart.com/podcast-advertisers

KD. Russ. The Beard. The Oklahoma City Thunder of this century’s second decade looked like they would be the dominant team in the NBA for years, but failed to win it all despite the massive talent of their big three. In this episode of ‘Special Teams,’ we look back at the year the Thunder came the closest to winning it all as they ascended to a legendary battle with the “other” big 3 of the Miami Heat in the NBA Finals. So what happened? How did it nearly go so right, and then how did it all...

Imagine a world where the New York Knicks not only were a threat, but they were positioned to be great for years to come. In 1999, smart trades (!) helped fortify a team for an NBA Finals run that no one saw coming. Full of big personalities and historic moments, New York went from the barely-qualifying 8th seed in the East all the way to the game’s biggest stage, overcoming a devastating injury in their playoff chase. Learn more about your ad-choices at...

There was no roller-coaster ride more fun than the 2009 Minnesota Vikings, who went as far - and fell as suddenly - as Brett Favre's arm would carry them. The entire world expected a Super Bowl, but what we got was potentially more entertaining - and controversial. And yeah, the NFL completely changed a huge rule because of Favre and the Vikings. The second act to the Favre career drama brought all the thrills you could possibly want. Relive it with us here. Learn more about your ad-choices...

The last ‘Special Team’ the Los Angeles Lakers had was in 2009-2010, when Kobe Bryant led them to their most recent championship - in thrilling fashion over the Boston Celtics. This week, we look back at the final title on Kobe’s resume. Yes, the Lakers had to overcome injuries and get surprising clutch production from improbable places in order to win, but this was about Kobe. How when he played ‘poorly', he was still great. How he became so beloved after his early years - as the answer...

By 1993, the world had seen the Bills play in four straight Super Bowls, winning none. Despite the lack of a signature win, their place in NFL history is secure. In this episode, we re-live the last of their Super Bowl seasons - and defeats. You'll learn plenty of new things about one of the most legendary 'losing' teams in sports history. Why couldn't they get over the hump? Were they as great as we remember them? And what do they have in common with Tiger Woods? Learn more about your...

For every person who wants to tell you how great the '85 Bears defense was, you can respond with the excellence of the 2000 Ravens. Did anyone see this coming? Especially considering how the season began under a cloud of tragedy and legal issues for the team's best player? To say it was rocky is an understatement. But when the games started, the Ravens defense did things we hadn't seen in the NFL in the decades before - or since. If that's not enough, they weathered a quarterback change and a...

Before he turned into the baseball-playing-reality-show-hosting-former-NFL-quarterback, Tim Tebow officially became an icon by leading the 2008 Florida Gators to the national championship. How did it happen? It had to do with a big loss, a bigger speech, a bloody jersey, and revenge over losing out on the Heisman Trophy. And after it was all over, you could make a case for Tebow being the greatest college football player of all time. Learn more about your ad-choices at...

Some called it the greatest college football game they’d ever seen. There wasn’t anything else in the world like the Ohio State-Miami Fiesta Bowl to decide the national champion of the 2002 season. Twists, turns, injury, drama and controversy dotted a spectacular close to a season in which the Buckeyes shocked the world. From a freshman tailback who was first a superstar and then a cautionary tale, to the contributions of a surprising two-way standout, OSU always found a way to win. But that...

Is the current college football playoff perfect? Not remotely. But it’s a far cry from 1991, when not one, but two incredibly talented teams split the national championship due to the voting process that used to determine the national champion. Re-live the craziness, which featured a dominant year from the Miami Hurricanes - the bad boys of college football - and the Washington Huskies, who turned out to be the new bad boys for different and shocking reasons.  Chock full of future NFL stars,...

Happy Holidays from Special Teams! This week, we play with our format a bit and take a look at some of the "special teams" who have had incredible performances on Christmas Day! You’ll find out why 12/25 was a controversial day in the NFL for so long, we'll re-live two incredible NBA games - between the same teams and just a few years apart - before diving into some of the bizarre and history-making performances that occurred just hours after Santa Claus came down the chimney. And we’ll...

While it was their later teams who won championships, the 2010-11 Miami Heat was the squad who changed basketball forever. We take you back to The Decision and its effects on both the NBA and LeBron James nearly a decade later. The league’s first modern day traveling rock show had it all: a polarizing team not ready for the backlash they received, the near firing of their head coach and an early-season meltdown of one of their stars. But the wins would come. The Heat roared into the Finals...

The 2005 Texas Longhorns blew the doors off of their opponents under Vince Young, the most exciting quarterback in college football. Lighting up the scoreboard throughout the season, it was destiny for Young to face off against the USC Trojans twice: once for the Heisman Trophy, and once for the National Championship. Many call the Longhorns win over USC the greatest Rose Bowl game ever, and it's hard to argue. This game had it all: star-power, excitement, plenty of points, last-minute...

The 1997 Michigan Wolverines entered the season with high hopes - and one of the best defenses in the history of college football. Along the way to their first national title in 50 years, Tom Brady was beaten out for the starting quarterback job, Charles Woodson made Heisman Trophy history, and the Wolverines won a thriller for the championship over Ryan Leaf (Ryan Leaf!) and Washington State. But the real controversy came AFTER all the Bowl games were played. Learn more about your...

The 1996 Green Bay Packers had one of the most dominant football teams in history in all three phases of the game. Their Super Bowl triumph started the legend of Brett Favre, and an unheralded Heisman Trophy winner who barely made the team became an unlikely hero. An anticipated showdown with a bitter rival never materialized - probably for the Packers own good - and even Bill Parcells couldn’t stop the Packers return to glory. The Super Bowl played out in New Orleans, brought to life with...