Meet the Voices Behind Unvarnished Football
If football has a royal family, Upton Bell was raised in the throne room. He didn’t just study the history of the NFL; he lived it at the kitchen table alongside an architect of the modern game. As the son of legendary NFL Commissioner and Philadelphia Eagles founder Bert Bell—the man who gave us the NFL Draft, overtime, and the two-minute warning—Upton’s education was unparalleled.
Upton carried that legacy into the front office, serving as Director of Player Personnel for the Baltimore Colts under Hall of Fame coach Don Shula, where he built the roster that appeared in two Super Bowls, winning Super Bowl V. Later, as General Manager of the Patriots, he famously rebranded the “Boston” franchise into the New England Patriots we know today.
Upton remains the “insider’s insider,” currently writing for Clark Judge’s Talk of Fame. He watches the NFL from his own multi-screen command center, tracking every scheme in real-time. For the die-hard fan, Upton offers more than just commentary; he provides a masterclass.
Click here to visit Upton Bell’s website.
If Upton Bell is football royalty, Michael Jackson helps keep the crown jewels. One of the game’s premier oral historians, Jackson doesn’t just recap highlights; he preserves football’s golden eras by sitting down with the men who built the game. His acclaimed work, The Game Before the Money, serves as a definitive archive of the sport, featuring intimate interviews with 40 legends like Bart Starr, Don Maynard, and Frank Gifford.
From his film documentary covering the “Luv Ya Blue” Houston Oilers to his work documenting the rich legacy of HBCU football, Jackson uncovers the game’s true cultural heartbeat.
Michael spent years on the radio calling high school play-by-play and anchoring citywide postgame coverage in Central Texas, where every snap counts under the Friday Night Lights.
Click here to visit Michael’s website, The Game Before the Money.