Pigskin Dispatch

About Pigskin Dispatch

The host of the podcast is Darin Hayes who hails from Northwest Pennsylvania. The area is in the center of an NFL triangle approximately 100 miles away from Cleveland, Pittsburgh and Buffalo.

This dynamic helped to ingrain football into the fabric of the region. Darin played football as a youth and then officiated on the high school gridiron for almost 3 decades! 

His love of the game has spurned him to promote the positive aspects of football and preserve the game’s history with this podcast and his websites PigskinDispatch.com and CleteMarxComics.com.

Darin Hayes - Pigskin Dispatch Host

I grew up in North Western PA (still live there) and my earliest memories are in the early 70’s watching Steeler’s games with my Dad and Grandfather. The ’70’s Steelers had finally given some redemption for my Dad and Gramps after the longevity of suffering through some pretty terrible Steelers seasons in an area of the country that is filled with Cleveland Browns and Buffalo Bills fans along with those of  the Steelers, and that was my hook for football.

I loved watching High School, college and Pro football and even played a bit as a youngster. After college I still had the bug so I got involved in officiating HS football for 27 years. While still officiating I wrote for a couple of officiating websites and really got enamoured in the history of the game and it’s rules. This led me to May of 2020 starting PigskinDispatch.com to help give recognition to the good folks of football and also to preserve the history of the game.

What This Podcast Brings to the Table

The Pigskin Daily History Dispatch Podcast takes the listener through the historical events, people, inventions and plays that had some significance to the game of football on the date discussed.

We try to cover every angle, and look in every nook and cranny to bring these yester-year gridiron nuggets from all levels of American football all over the globe to help tell the story of American football. Check out our websites PigskinDispatch.com & CleteMarxComics.com for more positive football entertainment. So hold on as we are going to go no-huddle and throw quick slants to bring you the Pigskin Daily History Dispatch Podcast!

I state that the Denver Broncos underwent a decisive transformation into a winning franchise, with 1976 serving as the pivotal turning point. I recount the team’s early struggles in the 1960s and early 1970s, when losses were frequent and the club lacked major achievements. I describe how the franchise rose to prominence by winning the...
We commence with our Week Two 2026 NFL selections, in which we undertake the task of picking every game and adjudicating outcomes both straight-up and against the spread. I, Darren Hayes, and my colleague Ed Cleese articulate rapid, sixty-second appraisals for each of the sixteen contests and embrace a disciplined method of record-keeping. We recapitulate...
We open by noting that Week 1 of the 2026 NFL season produced 791 points, tying the league record set in 2012. My co-host and I examine the many record-setting performances and notable statistics from the weekend. We detail high scoring affairs, rare final scores, and individual milestones, including the Bears’ 59-37 victory and Kenneth...
We state that the first clearly documented use of numbers on the fronts of football jerseys occurred on September 15, 1928, when the Presidio team in San Francisco wore front numbers. I explain that teams had used numbers on their backs since the early 1900s, but front numbering did not become common until that Presidio...
I state that Michigan canceled the 1910 game over eligibility paperwork, and that decision froze the dispute for 33 years. We explain that Michigan’s athletic director called off the game because Notre Dame listed players who exceeded allowed years of varsity play. I describe how the argument never resolved and how Fritz Chrysler later offered...
Historian Scott Perry joins us and states that if the Buffalo Bills finish 13-5 this season, they will be a winning organization for the first time since the 1970 NFL merger. I welcome Scott Perry, and we frame the conversation around his book, NFL Since 1970, which provides a visual record of franchise standings. We...
The commencement of the National Football League season for 2026 heralds a momentous occasion, as we eagerly anticipate the inaugural games that promise to enthrall fans across the nation. Our discourse today is centered upon the pivotal matchups, specifically the highly anticipated Super Bowl rematch between the New England Patriots and the Seattle Seahawks, alongside...
This episode delves into the intriguing intersection of football history and innovation, specifically exploring the contributions of Walter Eckersall and Joe Lip. We examine the lesser-known aspects of their collaboration, particularly the development of the “Ecky Lip” down marking system, which aimed to enhance the accuracy of officiating in the game. Timothy P. Brown, our...
Walter Eckersall, heralded as college football’s inaugural superstar, epitomized the duality of athletic prowess and moral ambiguity in early 20th-century sports. This discourse delves into Eckersall’s meteoric rise as a quarterback at the University of Chicago, where he achieved remarkable accolades yet was ultimately expelled under dubious circumstances that marred his legacy. We uncover how...
This episode delves into the intriguing history of Week One matchups in the NFL, particularly those that will unfold in the 2026 season. Our discussion, led by the erudite Ed Cleese, uncovers the fascinating fact that there are three matchups this year that have never occurred before in Week One since 1980. Among these novel...

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