The Football History Dude

Sports History Network

Details

The Football History Dude is a show dedicated to teaching fans about the rich history of the NFL and other professional football leagues. Each episode your host, Arnie Chapman, asks you to him and a guest in his Delorean and go back in time with him to explore the yesteryear of the gridiron.

Recent Episodes

JUL 14, 2026
The Patriots: From Boston to Foxboro (Presented by the Sports History Network) - The Patriots: From Boston to Foxboro
This podcast is part of the Sports History Network - the headquarters of sports' yesteryear. SHOW DESCRIPTION: These days, the New England Patriots are often thought of as one of the elite teams in the NFL. However, that hasn’t always been the case, especially during the team’s infancy, when they were a charter member of the upstart AFL and chaos and confusion often reigned. The Patriots of the 60s and early 70s were a transient team and played its home games in no less than 5 different stadiums. The Pats also cycled thru its head coaches quite frequently back then and one coach in particular is often remembered as the one who best epitomized the team’s failings during this time. In this 4-part series, we will take a look at the team’s humble beginnings in Boston in 1960 to their first years in Foxboro. We will also do a deep dive into the timeline between 1969 – 1972 to relive some of the most shocking and bizarre events to ever impact a professional sports franchise. The Patriots: From Boston to Foxboro. HOST - JOE SANTOS: Joe Santos grew up in Massachusetts and is an avid football fan, with a special fondness for the NFL in the early 70s. This Week in Pro Football and NFL Game of the Week were must-see TV back in the day. And living in Massachusetts meant you saw all of the NY Giants games on tv, both home and away, as they were the de facto home team for the NFC. Due to the blackout rules at the time, only the Patriots away games were shown. Being a huge sports history fan, Joe will continue to tell the unusual stories from an era that's considered to be the golden age of pro football.
1 MIN
APR 17, 2023
Fantasy Football Origin Stories: Matthew Berry (The Talented Mr. Roto)
***This episode was originally aired on Fantasy Football Origin Stories*** Fantasy Football Origin Stories is part of the Sports History Network - The Headquarters For Sports Yesteryear. EPISODE SUMMARY In this fourth episode, Matthew Berry (The Talented Mr. Roto) rides shotgun in the DeLorean, to take us back in time and learn about his Fantasy Football Origin Story. We talk about many topics, including: Matthew's first recollection of fantasy football How he used a Hollywood writing career (most specifically Married With Children) to launch his fantasy football career The process of writing for Married With Children and how he uses the process of organizing a story in fantasy football The origin of his nickname, "Talented Mr. Roto" His experience working Avengers: Endgame Some of Matthew's most trusted friends in the fantasy space and what they contribute Much more If you’re a fan of fantasy football, there's an almost 100% chance you've heard of Matthew Berry. You have certainly listened to him before your drafts, figuring out how to adjust your starting lineup, and most importantly the laughter you received listening to his shows. Either way, fantasy football fan or not, this episode will give you a little history into the origin story of one of the most influential people in the industry of all-time. So sit back, relax, and crank that baby up to 88mph!!! MATTHEW BERRY BIO ***This bio is from the NBC Sports website*** Football Analyst Matthew Berry, the celebrated fantasy football commentator and industry pioneer, joined NBC Sports in August 2022 as an analyst to provide his unique fantasy football and sports betting expertise. Berry regularly appears on Football Night in America and Sunday Night Football Final, Peacock’s exclusive NFL post-game show. Throughout the NFL season, Berry hosts a weekly game-day fantasy football and sports betting show on Sundays from as well as “Fantasy Football Happy Hour with Matthew Berry,” a daily weekday show on Peacock and NBC Sports Digital properties. Berry also contributes weekly articles and video content across Rotoworld on NBCSportsEdge.com and NBC Sports digital properties, including his popular Love/Hate article, weekly fantasy football rankings, and more. Prior to joining NBC Sports, Berry spent 15 years at ESPN (2007-2022) as the lead fantasy football expert and is universally recognized as one of the pioneers of the fantasy sports industry. While at ESPN, Berry became one of the most popular sportswriters at the company, with his “Love/Hate” columns regularly among the most read pieces on ESPN.com on a weekly basis. Berry hosted ESPN2’s Sunday morning show Fantasy Football Now and The Fantasy Show, which was ESPN’s first daily show devoted to fantasy sports. He also appeared on programs such as Monday Night Countdown, Sunday NFL Countdown, SportsCenter, NFL Live, and ESPN’s annual coverage of the NFL Draft. He also was host of the Fantasy Focus Football podcast, which was one of ESPN’s top podcasts on a yearly basis. It was named best Fantasy Sports Podcast for 2015 and 2016 by the Fantasy Sports Trade Association. Berry is one of only five people to be named to the Hall of Fame for both the Fantasy Sports Trade Association and the Fantasy Sports Writers Association. He wrote the New York Times best-selling book Fantasy Life in 2013 and won an Emmy for his work on ESPN2’s Fantasy Football Now. Constantly aiming to innovate fans’ fantasy sports experience, Berry created and will continue to be involved with the top-rated Fantasy Life app and newsletter. He has more than two million social followers. Berry was raised in College Station, Texas, and is a graduate of Syracuse University. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
54 MIN
APR 15, 2023
Fantasy Football Origin Stories: Dave Richard (CBS Sports Fantasy Football Today)
***This episode originally aired on Fantasy Football Origin Stories**** Fantasy Football Origin Stories is part of the Sports History Network - The Headquarters For Sports Yesteryear. EPISODE SUMMARY In this second episode, Dave Richard rides shotgun in the DeLorean, to take us back in time and learn about his Fantasy Football Origin Story. We talk about many topics, including: Dave's first recollection of fantasy football (his first-ever draft pick holds a special place in my heart) The origin story that resulted in working on one of the most popular fantasy football podcasts, Fantasy Football Today, a CBS Sports Podcast Some of Dave’s most memorable moments in fantasy football His “fantasy superpower” What podcasting was like way back in the beginning Some advice if you're looking to "break into the industry" Much more If you’re a fan of the Fantasy Football Today podcast, this episode will give you some insight into one of your favorite hosts. If you’ve never heard of the Fantasy Football Today podcast, this episode will make you fall in love with one of the O.G. analysts and want to start listening today. Either way, fantasy football fan or not, this is a fun interview. So sit back, relax, and crank that baby up to 88mph!!! DAVE RICHARD BIO *** Bio from the CBS Sports website*** Dave Richard has spent nearly his entire career covering the National Football League. Beginning with NFL.com at the boom of the Internet, Richard was that site's first Fantasy Football writer before transitioning to CBS Sports in 2006. Since then he's crunched the numbers, studied the film, developed tiers and trade charts, previewed every NFL game, talked to the decision makers, spoken on the radio, appeared on live television, earned multiple honors and watched a lot of football. And he's done it with one goal in mind: to help you win your league. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
51 MIN