Morten Andersen, a Pro Football Hall Of Fame placekicker, played for 25 seasons with the Saints, Falcons, Giants, Chiefs and Vikings. He talks about what it takes to be a great athlete over a long period of time. Andersen, who was born in Denmark, tells how he had never kicked a football until age 17 when he came to America as an exchange student and how it felt to hear he was being inducted into the Hall of Fame.
In this episode of Sports Byline, Ron Barr talks to the directors of the film Battle of the Sexes, a film based on the historic tennis match of 1973 between Billie Jean King and Bobby Riggs, starring Steve Carell and Emma Stone. Directors Valerie Faris and Jonathan Dayton discuss the technical difficulties of making a great sports movie and the lesser known backstories of King and Riggs.
Tony Granato played 13 seasons in the NHL, including a trip to the Stanley Cup while with the Los Angeles Kings. After his playing career, Granato coached the Colorado Avalanche. He's now the head coach at the University of Wisconsin. In this interview, he discusses his return to college hockey and the changes to the college game in recent years.
Tommy Heinsohn is Boston Celtics' royalty as a player, coach and broadcaster. He has the distinction of being part of all 17 of the Celtics' championships, including eight as a player and two as a coach. He's a member of the NBA Hall of Fame and his #15 jersey is retired. He does color commentary for the Celtics TV coverage. He discusses his college career, NBA draft changes and his career as a coach, player and commentator.
Terry Porter played 17 years in the NBA including 10 years for the Portland Trailblazers. Porter earned two all-star selections and had his #30 retired by the Trailblazers. The former first round pick is now the head basketball coach at the University of Portland. Porter talks about growing up in Milwaukee, playing for Dick Bennett and his NBA career.
College Football Hall of Famer Steve Spurrier is the only person to win both the Heisman Trophy and the NCAA FBS Championship as a coach. Spurrier played for nearly a decade in the NFL before returning to college football, where he became the winningest head coach at both Florida and the South Carolina. He talks about his book, Head Ball Coach: My Life in Football, Doing it Differently - and Winning, his playing career and his road to becoming a head coach.
Shirley Babashoff owns 8 Olympic swimming medals and has a part in 39 national records. Widely regarded as one of the best female swimmers of all time, she received the Olympic Order and was inducted into the International Swimming Hall of Fame. She discusses her book, Making Waves: My Journey to Winning Olympic Gold and Defeating the East German Doping Program, her Olympic experiences, and how her childhood affected her career.
2005 NFL MVP Shaun Alexander played 9 years in the NFL including 8 with the Seahawks. He set the single-season NFL rushing record with 27 touchdowns. He was named to the Pro Bowl three times in his career and was named to the 2000's All-Decade Team. In this interview, he discusses his upbringing in Florence, Kentucky, his college career at Alabama and his pro career in Seattle.
Sam Smith, author of the New York Times best seller The Jordan Rules talks about his book, Hard Labor: The Battle That Birthed the Billion-Dollar NBA, which details exactly how and why the NBA, and NBA players, make so much money. Smith explains the significance of the historic Oscar Robertson v. National Basketball Association lawsuit that allowed players free agency for the first time.
In this interview, Ron Barr talks to Pierre Turgeon, 19 season NHL center and the 34th player in NHL history to score 500 goals. Turgeon reminisces about growing up 7 hours north of Montreal, learning English, and Canada's 1987 World Junior Ice Hockey Championships bench-clearing brawl with the Soviet Union.
Hockey Hall of Famer Phil Esposito played 18 years in the NHL. He's widely considered one of the best hockey players of all time, and ranks sixth all time in goals. After his playing career, Esposito was a founder of the NHL's Tampa Bay Lightning, where he's still part of the broadcasting team. This interview looks back at his time playing youth hockey, how the game has changed and his playing career.
Paul Beston, author of The Boxing Kings: When American Heavyweights Ruled the Ring talks about his book and the history of America's fascination with heavyweight champs. His book focuses on the history of boxing in America through the careers of John L. Sullivan, Jack Johnson, Jack Dempsey, Joe Lewis, Rocky Marciano, Mohamad Ali and Mike Tyson; iconic figures that had the ability to appeal to people beyond the ring.
