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Past Our Prime

Past Our Prime

Written by: Scott Johnston
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About this listen

 Growing up on boxscores, the Game of the Week, and Sports Illustrated, three longtime Sports TV Producers reflect back on the world of sports through the lens of old issues of SI from 50 years ago. Larry Csonka and the Dolphins; Reggie Jackson and The Swinging A's; The Wizard of Westwood; The Golden Bear and Muhammad Ali are just a few of the many heroes showcased weekly by Scott, Bill and Marc on the Past Our Prime podcast. Stay up to date on what happened in the past as they go back in time and return to the glory days of sports week by week, issue by issue of Sports Illustrated starting in January of 1974 Baseball & Softball Football (American)
Episodes
  • 109. Gold Medalist Sheila Young

    109. Gold Medalist Sheila Young
    Feb 2 2026
    Sheila Young entered 1976 as the face of American speed skating, and in fact her appearance on the February 2, 1976 cover of Sports Illustrated made her the face of the USA's best chance at a gold medal and captured the moment perfectly. Already a world champion with a reputation for raw power and fearless racing, Young stood out in a sport dominated by European skaters. The cover reflected more than hype—it marked her as the rare American athlete expected to challenge for Olympic gold at the upcoming Winter Games in Innsbruck. At the 1976 Winter Olympics, Young delivered a historic performance. She won gold in the 500 meters, confirming her status as the world’s premier sprinter, then added a silver medal in the 1,000 meters and a bronze in the 1,500 meters. Medaling across three distances was a remarkable feat and made her the most decorated American speed skater of the Games, showcasing both her versatility and competitive toughness on the biggest stage. Those achievements cemented Sheila Young’s place as one of the great figures in Olympic speed skating, a trailblazer who brought American confidence and personality into a traditionally European sport. Decades later, her legacy continues—not just on the ice, but in conversation—as Sheila Young joined the Past Our Prime podcast, reflecting on that unforgettable 1976 season and giving listeners a firsthand look at what it took to thrive under the brightest Olympic spotlight. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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    1 hr and 11 mins
  • 108. Jack Ham and the Steel Curtain defense

    108. Jack Ham and the Steel Curtain defense
    Jan 26 2026
    The Pittsburgh Steelers’ victory in Super Bowl X cemented their place as the NFL’s team of the decade, delivering a 21–17 win over the Dallas Cowboys and a second straight championship to cap the 1975 season. The cover of Sports Illustrated went to Lynn Swann, whose acrobatic catches and timely big plays earned him Super Bowl MVP honors and provided the game’s most indelible images. Yet the true backbone of Pittsburgh’s dynasty was once again the Steel Curtain defense, which dictated the tone of the game and the era. Built on speed, intelligence, and relentless pressure, the unit forced Dallas into mistakes, controlled field position, and delivered punishing hits that slowly tilted the game. It wasn’t just about sacks or turnovers—it was about denying comfort, eliminating rhythm, and making every yard feel contested. In Super Bowl X, that defensive suffocation allowed the Steelers to survive swings in momentum and close the door late. At the center of that defense stood Jack Ham, the quiet conductor of chaos. Playing outside linebacker with rare instincts, range, and speed, Ham could diagnose plays instantly, cover receivers downfield, or crash the line with equal effectiveness. He wasn’t flashy, but he was devastatingly efficient—often arriving at the ball just as it got there, sometimes before. Against Dallas, Ham helped neutralize the Cowboys’ passing attack by clogging lanes, disrupting timing, and making sure nothing easy developed over the middle. One of 10 Hall of Fame players on that Steelers Super Bowl team, Ham tells us on the Past Our Prime podcast how the team could have won without any of them but the the one person they couldn’t have won 4 Lombardi trophy’s was Hall of Fame Coach Chuck Noll. Ham tells us how winning the first Super Bowl was the hardest one. He talks about how dominant the defense was and makes the case for them being the best defense of all-time. Ham’s credentials tell the larger story of why the Steel Curtain endured. A perennial Pro Bowl selection, a multiple-time All-Pro, and later a Pro Football Hall of Famer, Ham embodied the Steelers’ defensive identity: disciplined, intelligent, and ruthless. While Swann’s catches earned the headlines and the magazine cover, it was Ham and the defense that made the repeat possible—proof that Pittsburgh’s dynasty was built not on moments, but on dominance. One of the greatest players to ever play the game for one of the NFL’s all-time great teams… Jack Ham of the Pittsburgh Steelers on the Past Our Prime podcast. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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    1 hr and 27 mins
  • 107. 1976 Swimsuit Issue and what it's worth today w/Mark Humphries

    107. 1976 Swimsuit Issue and what it's worth today w/Mark Humphries
    Jan 19 2026
    The January 19, 1976 Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue marked another glossy step in a tradition that had begun almost accidentally a little more than a decade earlier. What started in 1964 as a winter stopgap—filling pages when sports calendars were thin—had evolved into a cultural event, blending fashion, fantasy, and far-flung travel. This ’76 edition leaned hard into escapism, taking readers to Baja Mexico, where sunshine, surf, and sequins replaced box scores. The swimsuits themselves reflected the era: metallic fabrics, daring cuts, and a growing emphasis on glamour over athletic utility—a far cry from the functional swimwear once seen on Olympic pools and beaches alike. The cover perfectly captured that shift. Swedish twins Yvonne and Yvette Sylvander shimmered under the Baja sun, embodying the issue’s theme, “Taking a Shine to a Resort with New Glitter.” Inside were familiar faces who would soon define the genre—Cheryl Tiegs, Christie Brinkley, and others who became icons not just of the Swimsuit Issue, but of 1970s popular culture itself. For many readers of a certain generation, these images weren’t just pinups—they were part of the shared visual language of growing up with Sports Illustrated, when the magazine felt like a weekly companion arriving in the mailbox. And while nostalgia drives the emotional connection, there’s another side to these old issues of SI: their growing significance as collectibles. That’s where Mark Humphries comes in. Growing up in La Cañada, California, Mark’s sports education began with secondhand copies of Sports Illustrated, pages already creased, corners bent—but endlessly fascinating. That early fascination carried him through Stanford, Wall Street, and eventually back to the hobby he loved, where he became a pioneer in treating Sports Illustrated magazines as serious collectibles—worthy of grading, encapsulation, and long-term value, just like cards. As founder of the first grading system for past issues of Sports Illustrated, owner of ThePit.com, and now a contributor to PSA Magazine, Humphries has helped redefine how collectors view vintage issues. While not every Swimsuit Issue is destined to fund a retirement, condition, cover subjects, and historical context matter—and early, iconic editions continue to gain traction. In that sense, the 1976 Swimsuit Issue sits at the intersection of memory and market value: a snapshot of an era when Sports Illustrated shaped culture, sparked conversations, and—sometimes without meaning to—created artifacts that still matter, decades later. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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    1 hr and 28 mins
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