Groundbreaking College Football Podcast Franchise Glory Days: Dreams and Nightmares Set to Launch August 25 at 9 A.M.
First Person Accounts of Ohio State’s Incredible 2014 Journey to the First-Ever College Football Playoff National Championship Kicks Off Season One
COLUMBUS, Ohio–(BUSINESS WIRE)–#GloryDaysPod–Former Ohio State standouts Joshua Perry and Evan Spencer have teamed up with veteran sports television executive Chris Caldwell to launch GLORY DAYS: DREAMS AND NIGHTMARES, an enterprising podcast franchise that over 11 episodes recounts the Buckeyes’ historic 2014 championship run in capturing the first-ever College Football Playoff. (https://www.glorydayspodcasts.com)
After enduring a sputtering regular-season start, injuries to multiple Heisman Trophy candidates and the tragic death of a teammate, the Buckeyes dispatched the favored Alabama Crimson Tide and Oregon Ducks in the landmark inaugural playoff. The first episode of the audio series GLORY DAYS: DREAMS AND NIGHTMARES debuts Wednesday, August 25 at 9 a.m. Subsequent episodes will debut Wednesdays throughout the fall and all episodes will be available free via multi-platform distribution, including downloads on Apple Podcasts, Spotify and Google Podcasts.
“Glory Days: Dreams and Nightmares is a destination for anybody who wants to be brought inside one of the most tumultuous and magical college football seasons ever,” said Perry, a starting linebacker on the 2014 team and now an Emmy®-Award-nominated Big Ten Network broadcaster. “We bring fans on a journey of game-breaking moments, adversity, tragedy and perseverance that was powered by a firm belief that teamwork and brotherhood would prevail.”
“Producing this series allows us to re-live and share this extraordinary year,” said Spencer, a wide receiver on the 2014 team and now a Columbus-based financial executive. “The conversations are unfiltered and full of intimate details that revisit the challenges, obstacles and opponents we overcame to capture the inaugural College Football Playoff Championship.”
“I may bleed scarlet and gray as an OSU grad, but I could not be more proud of the collection of stories and first-person narratives that drive Glory Days: Dreams and Nightmares all the way from the end of the 2013 season to the National Championship Game,” said Chris Caldwell, moderator and executive producer. “Season one of this franchise will hopefully serve as a worthy companion and enhancement to the enjoyment of the 2021 season.”
Led by third-year head coach Urban Meyer, the 2014 Ohio State Buckeyes were loaded with superior talent, while generations of fans were hungry for the team’s first national title in more than a decade. The experiences behind the 14-1 season are described in comprehensive fashion by Perry and Spencer, who co-host the original series.
In the Big Ten championship game, the Buckeyes delivered a knockout performance with a backup quarterback making his first start (Cardale Jones), defeating Wisconsin, 59-0. Then in the first-ever CFP, the fourth-seeded Buckeyes stunned the top-seeded Alabama Crimson Tide, 42-35. In the national title game versus powerful Oregon and Heisman Trophy winner Marcus Mariota, the underdog Buckeyes scored a 42-20 triumph. Future NFL stars Ezekiel Elliott (Dallas Cowboys), Joey Bosa (Los Angeles Chargers) and Michael Thomas (New Orleans Saints) were among the major contributors to the championship run.
The Buckeyes’ opponent for the 2021 home opener on Sept. 11 are the Oregon Ducks. It will be first meeting of the two programs since the dramatic national championship showdown, a key moment to be explored on the podcast series.
Excerpts from Glory Days: Dreams and Nightmares
From episode #2 – drops Sept. 8 – on the difference between the 2013 Ohio State team that lost its last two games and the 2014 national championship team.
Says Evan Spencer: “That intense obsession to finish was the difference. The leaders of both teams – in one case, one group of individuals were more obsessed to do whatever they could to finish… The clarity of that obsession was the difference in my opinion.”
From episode #4 – drops Sept. 22 – the co-hosts discuss Urban Meyer’s ban on anyone wearing blue to the team practices. ESPN announcers preparing for the 2014 Virginia Tech-OSU game were asked to change shirts when they arrived at practice wearing blue.
“Here’s a guy who after he was done coaching at Ohio State would not say the word ‘Michigan’ on any of the media spots he was doing for FOX and that was a team they had to cover closely, says Joshua Perry. “He would say, ‘The Wolverines.’ He would never say, ’Michigan.’ That’s what he was. He took it that far all the time.”
Contributing in season one will be 2014 Buckeyes co-captain Curtis Grant, who will deliver the “Captain’s Perspective” segment across all original episodes.
Glory Days: Dreams and Nightmares is executive produced by Chris Caldwell, Evan Spencer and Joshua Perry. Geoff Webb is coordinating producer.
Official Trailer – Glory Days: Dreams and Nightmares (Click to watch & share)
Contacts
Media:
Glory Days: Dreams and Nightmares
Ray Stallone
Raystallone12@gmail.com