A Football Life

He grew up in a Pittsburgh suburb, and as the Steelers head coach he won eight division titles and a Super Bowl championship. He'll always be known for his Western Pennsylvania roots and blue-collar toughness, but Bill Cowher now has a new home, and a softer side.

The story of the former 49ers wide receiver who thought he wouldn't make the team, but went on to make "The Catch," arguably the single greatest reception in NFL history. The play propelled San Francisco to a decade of dominance in the 1980s that saw the team win four Super Bowl titles. Stricken with ALS in his later years, Clark died on June 4, 2018.

He was known as Weapon X on the field, but he was a gentle family man off it. A Football Life: Brian Dawkins looks at the two sides of Dawkins, from the beginnings of his superstar career, through his battles with depression, all the way to the Hall of Fame.

He played for a high school known for producing NFL players. At USC he became an All American. And he helped turn the New England Patriots into a dynasty. Willie McGinest is no stranger to success, but his journey to the top of the football world had anything but a smooth start.

The story of how a perfectionist with a love for sports went from small-town Wisconsin to become the face of America's Team for nearly a decade.

L.T. has been in the spotlight from the moment he stepped into the NFL, and as destructive as he was on the field as one of the best defensive players of all time, he may have been more destructive to himself off the field. Through three decades of interviews, Taylor gives raw, unfiltered, honest answers about the highest and lowest points in a triumphant and tumultuous football life.

The golden boy with the golden arm won the Heisman Trophy at USC and was the first overall pick in the 2003 NFL draft. In the NFL, he endured two torn ACLs, two trades, and one very public disagreement with an owner. But he still managed a 15-year career, and currently ranks 12th all-time in passing yards and touchdown passes.

Hall of Fame Head Coach Joe Gibbs tries to balance his personal and professional life while building the NFL’s most diverse dynasty.

Eddie George played football for his father. After a brilliant career at Ohio State and with the Tennessee Titans, he started acting for himself.

The globetrotting journey of Larry Fitzgerald a man who’s caught more than 1,000 passes, scored more than 100 touchdowns, visited nearly 100 countries, and lived one fascinating Football Life.

How does a man emerge a champion after a life filled with loss? Leading the Buffalo Bills to four straight Super Bowls is only part of Jim Kelly’s legend

He was once deemed too short to play in the NFL, but Sam Mills became an All-Pro and built a legacy that still looms larger than life.

Undersized and unwanted, Wes Welker overcomes obstacles to re-define the role of the slot receiver in the NFL.

The many football lives of Raiders Hall of Fame coach, broadcaster, commercial star and video game pioneer John Madden.

Emmitt Smith makes an indelible impact on the game of football and builds a case as the greatest running back of all time by breaking one of the NFL’s hallowed records and making everyone around him better.

The singular talent and legacy of Hall of Famer Dan Marino, The Quarterback’s Quarterback.

The most exciting player of his generation relives his rise, fall and long road to redemption.

The extraordinary life and legacy of the Arizona Cardinal who left the NFL to defend his country after 9/11.

This fall "A Football Life" returns for its sixth season featuring some of the most memorable personalities to play the game, including a young man from Kiln, Mississippi who created a legacy in Green Bay that took him all the way to the Pro Football Hall of Fame. 

The long climb to the top for Hall of Fame quarterback Steve Young, as told by Young himself through excerpts from his autobiography.

The unpredictable life of the endzone dancing, trash talking, name-changing receiver who was "always open".

One of football’s greatest safeties and one of its most controversial players remains a vital and passionate voice of the game.

The inspiring story of Curtis Martin, who rose from the streets of Pittsburgh to become a Hall of Fame running back.

A profile of Hall of Famer Mike Singletary, the centerpiece of the famed Chicago Bears defense of the mid-1980s.

A profile of Hall of Fame coach Paul Brown, who built the Cleveland Browns into a championship team in the 1940s and helped invent the modern game.

A profile of coach Dick Vermeil, who took three separate teams to the playoffs and won Super bowl XXXIV with the Rams.

A profile of NFL Hall of Famer and former congressman Steve Largent.

One of the most impressive careers in pro football history was just the beginning for the great Alan Page.

A profile of Terrell Owens, one of the most talented and polarizing players in NFL history.

A profile of running back Jerome Bettis, who went from Detroit to Notre Dame, Los Angeles to Pittsburgh and finally to the Hall of Fame in Canton.

The rise, fall, and redemption of Dexter Manley, one of the most dominant and beloved players in Washington history. Known as the "Secretary of Defense," he was functionally illiterate and became addicted to drugs.

The story of Christian Okoye, football's Nigerian Nightmare, who left an indelible impression on the game and his opponents.

A look at the careers of wide receivers Keenan McCardell and Jimmy Smith, who were known as "Thunder and Lightning" when they played together for Jacksonville from 1996-2001.

A look at the career of Roger Staubach, who won the Heisman Trophy for Navy in 1963 and went on to have a Hall of Fame career with the Dallas Cowboys.

A look at the careers of Bears greats Dick Butkus and Gale Sayers, who were drafted with back-to-back first-round picks in 1965 and went on to become Hall of Famers.

"Three Mile" Lyle Alzado became one of the most dominant pass rushers in the NFL and even fought Muhammad Ali, all while concealing a secret that would rock the sports world.

Larry Csonka, Jim Kiick, and Eugene ''Mercury'' Morris, the three running backs who led the Dolphins in the 1970s, reunite in present-day Alaska.

A look at the life of Earl Campbell, a premiere running back at both the collegiate and professional levels. Earl won the Heisman trophy while playing at the University of Texas and went on to be the first overall pick in the 1978 NFL draft. He has since been inducted into both the collegiate and NFL halls of fame.

A look at the life and career of Heisman Trophy-winning tailback Ricky Williams, who was drafted by the New Orleans Saints in 1999 and played 11 seasons in the NFL.

A look at the career of Terrell Davis, a two-time NFL Offensive Player of the Year and the Broncos all-time rushing leader.

The world said he was too small, however, Doug Flutie has left a giant imprint on the football world.

The smooth, bespectacled Hall-of-Famer whose career was as distinctive as his running style.

Warren Moon was as physically gifted as any quarterback, but prejudices almost robbed him of opportunities until his talent proved he belonged with the best.

The life and death of the Washington Redskins late, beloved all-pro safety Sean Taylor.

The inspiring story of Brandon Marshall, who has become the national face of borderline personality disorder and one of the NFL's best wide receivers.

The life and times of Mean Joe Greene, foundation of the Steel Curtain and the first Pittsburgh Steeler to have his number retired in 50 years.

Part 2 of the Vince Lombardi story details the final years of his life, from his three-peat in Green Bay to his brief tenure as head coach in Washington and sudden, tragic death from cancer.

Part 1 of the Vince Lombardi story chronicles the legendary coach’s rise from his Brooklyn youth to the sidelines of Lambeau Field.

A Football Life honor's the life of the NFL's Ahab, a man who never quite caught his white whale, but put together one of the most successful head coaching careers of the past 40 years.

In 1993 the high-flying Houston Oilers fielded one of the most talented teams in football, expected by many to represent the AFC in the Super Bowl. What ensued was one of the wildest, most controversial seasons any team has ever had, a season that may have changed the course of pro football in one of America's largest cities.

A Football Life honors perhaps the most dominant offensive line in NFL history, who paved the way for Emmitt Smith and a Dallas dynasty but suffered the pitfalls of fame and fortune along the way.

A Football Life honors the life of the former Saints star, now battling ALS.

2013 marks the 100th anniversary of the official arrival of the forward pass - the most significant rule change in the history of sports. Sparked by a health and safety crisis that threatened the future of football, the forward pass has become the defining play in America's Game.

A Football Life honors the life and career of legendary wide receiver Cris Carter with an all access look at his induction into the Pro Football Hall of Fame, the culmination of a roller coaster career.

A Football Life honors the life and career of one of the most influential players of his time. Now 50, Cunningham is a born-again minister who tragically lost one son and is in the midst of watching another become a football star of his own.

The career of Jimmy Johnson, best known for architecting the Dallas Cowboys’ success in 1992 and 1993.

The inspiring story of former linebacker Chris Spielman and the strength of his family.

Known to everyone in the 49ers family as “Mr. D.”, the beloved Eddie DeBartolo won the hearts of many in the city of San Francisco during his tenure as team owner. Under DeBartolo, the 49ers became a dynasty that captured 13 division titles and 5 Super Bowl trophies.

A Football Life launches its sixth episode of the season, featuring the late, great Steve McNair.

The life and times of arguably the greatest defensive line in football history. A Football Life takes an in-depth look at the Fearsome Foursome using unique on and off-the-field sights, sounds and stories.

The untold story of Bill Belichick's Cleveland Browns and a talented staff who rose from the ashes of the 1995 season.

Profile of Giants Head Coach Tom Coughlin, who has brought two Super Bowl championships to the “Big Apple” in the past five years.

A look at Baltimore Ravens linebacker Ray Lewis, whose inspiration and leadership not only has a profound effect on his teammates, but also, his coaches.

A Football Life takes an in-depth look at the life of NFL running back great, Walter Payton, using unique on and off-the-field sights, sounds and stories.

A Football Life takes an in-depth look at the life of NFL quarterback, Kurt Warner, using unique on and off-the-field sights, sounds and stories.

A Football Life takes an in-depth look at the lives and relationship of NFL Defensive Linemen, Reggie White and Jerome Brown, using unique on and off-the-field sights, sounds and stories.

A Football Life takes an in-depth look at the life of one of the NFL's most intriguing coaches, Bill Belichick, using unique on and off-the-field sights, sounds and stories. Part 2 of 2.

A Football Life takes an in-depth look at the life of one of the NFL's most intriguing coaches, Bill Belichick, using unique on and off-the-field sights, sounds and stories. Part 1 of 2.