A Football Life is an American documentary series of 127 episodes, developed by NFL Films and aired on NFL Network that documents the lives of select National Football League (NFL) players, coaches, owners, and teams. Friends, teammates, family members and other players and coaches associated with the subjects are interviewed.
History The name of the series originated in a quote from Steve Sabol of NFL Films:
Originating as an NFL Network special on the career of Bill Parcells in November 2010, it premiered as an episodic series on September 15, 2011, with the first part of Bill Belichick's documentary. Unlike most episodes, the episode on Belichick was a two-hour documentary, and focused specifically on the 2009 season; Belichick agreed to be wired for sound for the entire season. The documentary was viewed by about 657,000 viewers, the most-watched documentary in NFL Network's history, and was the second-most watched program in Boston at the time with 151,000 viewers, trailing behind a Boston Red Sox game.
Season Two began on September 12, 2012, with The Faces of Tebow.
The series was nominated for an Emmy Award for "Outstanding Edited Sports Series/Anthology" and "Outstanding Promotional Announcement – Episodic" for Belichick's episode in 2012.
Season One was eventually released on DVD.
Episodes
Season One Source: No.SubjectOriginal air date1Bill BelichickSeptember 15, 20112September 22, 20113Reggie White & Jerome BrownSeptember 29, 20114Kurt WarnerOctober 6, 20115Walter PaytonOctober 13, 20116Ed SabolOctober 20, 20117Mike DitkaOctober 27, 20118Tom LandryNovember 3, 20119Al DavisNovember 11, 2011
Season Two Source: No.SubjectOriginal air date1Tim TebowSeptember 12, 20122Ray LewisSeptember 19, 20123Tom CoughlinSeptember 26, 20124Cleveland '95October 3, 20125The Fearsome FoursomeOctober 10, 20126Steve McNairOctober 17, 20127Eddie DeBartoloOctober 24, 20128Chris SpielmanOctober 31, 20129Jimmy JohnsonNovember 7, 201210John RigginsNovember 21, 201211Barry SandersDecember 5, 201212Marcus AllenDecember 12, 201213The Immaculate ReceptionDecember 19, 2012
Season Three Source:
No.SubjectOriginal air date1LaDainian TomlinsonSeptember 3, 20132Don ShulaSeptember 10, 20133Darrelle RevisSeptember 17, 20134Derrick ThomasSeptember 24, 20135Steve SabolOctober 1, 20136Matt MillenOctober 8, 20137Michael StrahanOctober 15, 20138Pat SummerallOctober 22, 20139Warren SappOctober 29, 201310Randall CunninghamNovember 5, 201311Cris CarterNovember 12, 201312The Forward PassNovember 19, 201313Steve GleasonNovember 26, 201314The Great Wall of DallasDecember 3, 201315Houston '93December 10, 201316Marty SchottenheimerDecember 17, 201317Vince LombardiDecember 24, 201318December 31, 201319Tiki & Ronde BarberJanuary 7, 201420Bill ParcellsJanuary 14, 201421Jerry SmithJanuary 21, 201422Jerry RiceJanuary 28, 2014
Season Four Season Four was announced for September 10, 2014.
No.SubjectOriginal air date1"Mean Joe" GreeneSeptember 12, 20142Brandon MarshallSeptember 19, 20143Sean TaylorSeptember 26, 20144Warren MoonOctober 3, 20145Eric DickersonOctober 10, 20146Doug FlutieOctober 17, 20147Terrell DavisOctober 24, 20148Ricky WilliamsOctober 31, 20149Earl CampbellNovember 7, 201410The Perfect Backfield (Csonka, Kiick & Morris)November 14, 201411Lyle AlzadoNovember 21, 201412Dick Butkus & Gale SayersNovember 28, 201413Roger StaubachDecember 5, 201414Keenan McCardell & Jimmy SmithDecember 19, 2014152006 Rose BowlJanuary 2, 201516Bill WalshJanuary 23, 201517Joe NamathJanuary 30, 2015
Season Five Season Five began on September 18 at 9 pm, and it had 13 new episodes including Terrell Owens, Dick Vermeil, Paul Brown, and more.
No.SubjectOriginal air date1Christian OkoyeSeptember 18, 20152Dexter ManleySeptember 25, 20153Jerome BettisOctober 2, 20154Terrell OwensOctober 9, 20155Alan PageOctober 16, 20156Steve LargentOctober 23, 20157Dick VermeilOctober 30, 20158Paul BrownNovember 6, 20159Mike SingletaryNovember 13, 201510Charles HaleyNovember 19, 201511Bruce AriansDecember 11, 201512Marshall FaulkDecember 18, 201513Ken StablerDecember 25, 2015
Season Six Season Six premiered Friday, September 16 at 9:00 PM ET and aired 13 new episodes starting with the story of Pro Football Hall of Fame running back Curtis Martin, and including Brett Favre, Chuck Noll, and Jim Brown.
Two mini-episodes were released on the NFL's official YouTube channel. In contrast to the television series, these two episodes feature fictional characters Rod Tidwell and Frank Cushman from the movie Jerry Maguire, with Cuba Gooding Jr. and Jerry O'Connell reprising their roles. The Tidwell episode used footage from the film, while Cushman's used edited footage of Brian Griese from the NFL Films archives.
No.SubjectOriginal air date1Curtis MartinSeptember 16, 20162Rodney HarrisonSeptember 23, 20163Chad JohnsonSeptember 30, 20164Steve YoungOctober 7, 20165Brett FavreOctober 21, 20166Pat TillmanOctober 28, 20167Michael VickNovember 4, 20168Jim BrownNovember 10, 20169Steve Smith Sr.November 18, 201610Chuck NollNovember 25, 201611Troy AikmanDecember 2, 201612Charles WoodsonDecember 9, 201613Kevin GreeneDecember 16, 2016
Season Seven Season Seven of A Football Life premiered on Friday, September 15 at 9:00 PM ET and subsequently aired 13 episodes beginning with the former Miami Dolphins quarterback Dan Marino. Other episodes featured former Oakland Raiders coach John Madden, former Buffalo Bills quarterback Jim Kelly, Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones, and former Washington Redskins coach and current NASCAR owner Joe Gibbs.
No.SubjectOriginal air date1Dan MarinoSeptember 15, 20172Emmitt SmithSeptember 22, 20173John MaddenSeptember 29, 20174Wes WelkerOctober 6, 20175Sam MillsOctober 13, 20176Jim KellyNovember 3, 20177Larry FitzgeraldNovember 10, 20178Eddie GeorgeNovember 17, 20179Joe GibbsNovember 25, 201710Jerry JonesDecember 1, 201711Aeneas WilliamsDecember 9, 201712John RandleDecember 15, 201713Lynn Swann & John StallworthDecember 22, 2017
Season Eight Season Eight of A Football Life premiered on Friday, September 14, 2018 at 9:00 PM ET and subsequently aired 11 episodes. It featured Mike Holmgren, Dwight Clark and The Catch, Lawrence Taylor, Thurman Thomas, Carson Palmer, Brian Dawkins, Doug Williams, Willie McGinest, Cris Collinsworth, Tony Romo, and Bill Cowher.
No.SubjectOriginal air date1Carson PalmerSeptember 14, 20182Lawrence TaylorSeptember 21, 20183Tony RomoSeptember 28, 20184Willie McGinestOctober 5, 20185Brian DawkinsOctober 12, 20186Dwight ClarkNovember 2, 20187Bill CowherNovember 9, 20188Mike HolmgrenNovember 16, 20189Cris CollinsworthNovember 23, 201810Doug WilliamsDecember 7, 201811Thurman ThomasDecember 14, 2018
Season Nine Season Nine premiered on Friday September 13, 2019, and the episodes included Hall of Famers Terry Bradshaw, Tony Gonzalez, Bruce Smith, and Ronnie Lott.
No.SubjectOriginal air date1Terry BradshawSeptember 13, 20192Tony GonzalezSeptember 20, 20193Ronnie LottNovember 1, 20194Bruce SmithNovember 29, 2019
Season Ten Season Ten premiered on September 17, 2021.
No.SubjectOriginal Air Date1Nick SabanSeptember 17, 20212James HarrisonSeptember 24, 20213Calvin JohnsonOctober 1, 20214Drew PearsonDecember 3, 20215John LynchDecember 24, 2021
Season Eleven Season 11 premiered on September 16, 2022.
No.SubjectOriginal Air Date1Joe TheismannSeptember 16, 20222Rod WoodsonSeptember 23, 20223Edgerrin JamesNovember 18, 20224Julian EdelmanNovember 25, 20225Franco HarrisDecember 23, 20226The 1972 Miami DolphinsJanuary 13, 2023 7DeMarcus WareNovember 17, 2023
References