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!

Let’s face it: we, as football fans, were subjected to a lot of Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce during the 2023 FOotball season and postseason. This is not a new thing though as celebrity treatment inundating our favorite sports has gone on for over a century. Timothy Brown of Football Archaeology shares with us his...
Jack McBride’s football career, which spanned the late 1920s and early 1930s, embodied the versatility that defined the early years of the NFL. He excelled at multiple positions, showcasing his athleticism and adaptability throughout his ten seasons in the league. He was an important player in the New York Giants’ first few seasons and helped...
Patrick John “Kangaroo Kicker” O’Dea was a unique figure in the early days of American football. The Aussie’s football career defies easy categorization. It’s a story that transcends statistics and touchdowns, weaving together tales of sporting dominance and an enigmatic later life. We share the story of this legend who was born on March 17,...
Our guest in this episode is longtime historian John Maxymuk. John is the author of over a dozen books and over thirty articles in publications such as the PFRA’s Coffin Corner on football history. Maxymuk also dabbles in creating some cards of football legends and shares them in a blog post of his dedicated to...
I have heard of many strange situations during football games throughout the ages. Ill weather, lost balls, and even nonplayers and vehicles out on the field of play. However, when I read the Football Archaeology.com Tidbit titled: Punting From Behind A Barbed Wire Fence It may just take the cake for being the strangest. I...
Despite the lack of undisputed champions, the 1939 season was pivotal for college football. It showcased the sport’s increasing depth and competitiveness, with multiple teams vying for national relevance. Additionally, it paved the way for future discussions and advancements in determining a national champion, shaping the landscape of college football as we know it today....
Imagine getting all of your equipment at the beginning of the long football season. Shoulder pads, pants and pads, and of course a helmet. You look and the head piece looks a bit funny… it has no chinstrap. This is how it was in one era of football, and FootballArchaeology.com’s Timothy Brown explains. From Tim’s...
Nick Webster, John Turney, and others over at the Pro Football Journal have painstakingly helped us know how players prior to the NFL officially adopting some statistics fared in comparison to today’s athletes on the gridiron. Nick joins us in this episode to tell us how they did it and bring some good old-time football...
John Heisman is one of the more famous early football coaches, especially since he has the college game’s most prestigious end-of-the-year award in his honor. Heisman is known for many events and innovations in football history, one of them being the winning coach in the most lopsided contest in history. Please note that the following...
The tipped pass is an exciting play that we see often in the pass-happy offenses of modern times and the athletes on both sides of the ball downfield. The rules we know today concerning the play were very much different than they are today. Find Tim’s original Tidbit on the subject at When Tipped Passes...

Join the newsletter

Learn more about the Sports History Network

    We respect your privacy. Unsubscribe at any time.
    Powered By ConvertKit