This sounds like a worthy cause to fight for. It will need leadership and direction. We can probably look to longtime NFL owners; franchises that have stayed in a particular family being perhaps the best place to start. I'm looking at YOU, Mara, Bidwell and Halas families.
I thought he was in the NFL Hall of Fame and I can't believe that those who are part of the NFL Hall of Fame have not recognized the great contribution of John Facenda to the game of football. Shame on you NFL Hall of Fame members.
You nailed it, Dude. I dont know why they decided recently to speed it up, and try to look like some kind of blurred rock video, where you see 8 hits in 2 seconds, and you have no idea what you just saw, and they play horrible modern music. --- THIS is what made the NFL what it is. They would have done better to leave it as was.
YES! I became a football fan because of NFL Films and the narration by John Facenda. The greatest sports films in the history of professional sports. John Facenda and Ed Sabol should had been cloned to continue the tradition.
The greatest anthem in professional football and professional sports. This documentary would not have been complete if it didn't include the Oakland Raiders and John Facenda last narration of NFL Films couldn't have been better narrating the Super Bowl victory of the Raiders in Super Bowl XVIII. If it wasn't for NFL Films, the Raiders and John Facenda, I would have never been a die hard football fan. I think John Facenda enjoy narrating NFL Films when it was about the Raiders more than any other NFL team. GO RAIDERS!
The John Facenda era of NFL Films from the late '60s to the early '80s - there was no better time. The narration, the music. They turned football into art and drama. It was magic to watch them. Still is. I never get tired of them.
There is nothing, absolutely nothing today that compares to the work these guys did for the game of football. So many memories of playing slow motion football on the floor where no one gets hurt started here with these brilliant productions.
K Bear, that’s ok. I grew up outside of Philly and still confuse Facenda with Harry Kalis, who called Phillies Games, And I know the damn difference. But when I watch those NFL films, each voice was perfect.
John Facenda had a great voice. Watched him as a kid on WCAU Channel 10 in Philadelphia. What is really special about the NFL narrations were the scripts... they were really well written
John Facenda WAS NFL Films as its key narrator. From 1965-84 he could make football sound exciting. Other memorable narrators have included Pat Summerall, Lindsey Nelson,Chris Schenkel, Jim Gibbons (former Redskins broadcaster of the 1950s) Chuck Thompson, Harry Kalas and Ray Scott. Facenda was the "Voice of God"; his dramatic sounding voice made watching game highlights very entertaining.
Growing up and watching This week in Pro Football was a great joy.Nothing like that music and John’s fantastic narration to go along with that slow motion footage.
I think that Steve Sabol once stated that John Facenda " could make a laundry list sound dramatic". I was spoiled to grow up in the 1960's and 1970's and to have Pat Summerall & Tom Brookshier & John Facenda narrate slow motion hard hitting football, on grass, with the music of Sam Spence in the background. It was good then and still good now.
Indeed, the era of pro football's ascendancy was uniquely special to behold. I wasn't old enough to appreciate the game itself until the mid-70's, but remember that the first Superbowl that I was aware of, and wanted to watch (and did) was VI; Dallas over Miami. 1975: The memory of Brent, Irv and Phyllis; a veritable Mod Squad, as the original lineup of The NFL Today is still fresh. Musburger was quite young and raw, then, and the show was only a half-hour of pregame, but it gave the viewer a sense of connected-ness to the game. Facenda was still in his NFL Films prime, at that time, and I can remember watching what we now see as faded TH-cam clips in their original glory. In many ways, the NFL is like a rock band with a long career. Fans tend to idealize the up-and-coming, "hungry" era; the early albums, if you will, as being the band's best output. Sure, we have bigger, stronger, faster and thicker athletes now, with better protective technology, and rules that also try to help the cause of safety, but for those of us who remember the golden age of the early MNF era, those days will always be the best that the league could be. Maybe it was because the players were not so overpaid, and were more relatable. Today's players seem to live in more of their own bubble. I could go on about this age, but know when to quit. There's probably an entire treatise within me about MNF in the 70's. It was always epic, even when the games were crap, because of the dynamic in the booth, and the fact that TV options were largely limited. Great stuff. Thanks for letting an old man ramble.
Pat Summerall & Tom Brookshier got me interested in football in the late '60s. I used to watch CBS on my Sony Triniton, on Sunday afternoons with my young son. It was a special time! Before then, I could care less about football.
Facenda is the voice of the NFL! Thank you Sabol for putting it all on film for us! I grew up watching NFL films highlights every Christmas Eve with my dad till we both fell asleep! Lol sadly I didn’t give a damn about Chriscringle I just wanted to watch the NFL films marathon with my old man!! Sure do miss you dad!!
I have similar memories with my father...that is why Sabol, Facenda, & Spence should all be in the HOF...they helped build the NFL through their artistic beauty
“The team that hits.. is the team that win..”. John Facenda narrating the preview of the 1970 Super Bowl …Minnesota Vikings vs Kansas City Chiefs. Man I used to like his voice when I was a teenager!
7:55 Billy Crystal is a funny comedian. I like his work a lot. But in truth John Facenda never said the name "Jerry Rice" at least not in his work. Rice was a rookie a year after Facenda died.
My absolute favorite game reviews of Facenda was of the plethora of Earl Campbell running plays bulldozing half of the defense every play making a defense take punishment to finally tackle big Earl Campbell. Talk about war, the sad reality is that older Earl still has a native Texas heart of gold but can barely walk today in ungodly painful movement after several surgeries.
What John Williams' soundtracks are to Star Wars and so many other movies, John Facenda's voice and Sam Spence's music is to NFL Films. You would have still likely watched anyway, but that sound just hits you right in the gut and it is something you feel. It is what makes these films so rewatchable.
12:00pm Sundays were essential viewing on CBS with "This Week In Football" reviewing all of the previous week's games. Every game was epic and told with prowess. Even the then new and hapless Tampa Bay Buccaneers were spoken of as warriors on the field. One of his last game reviews involved the "Refrigerator" boring through the defensive line like a Mack truck in the 1985 Super Bowl. I was never even an Oakland Raiders fan and yet "The Autumn Wind" was simply epic for all football fans. Damn, without the hint of exaggeration, John Facenda with triumphant orchestral music was an amazing essential force for the current success of the NFL in American culture.
In the spot of George Allen John Facenda got it wrong when he said he did n t swear.You watch the 1971 Redskins highlight film & he does alot of swearing
Good to hear Mr. Facenda's voice again. I heard him as a newscaster growing up in the suburbs of Philadelphia (Delaware County) and then as a teenager I heard him transition in NFL films. Such a great match!
Anything relating to football not narrated by John Facenda was a letdown of epic proprtions!! God looks like Cary Grant and sounds like John Facenda. His vocal cords were dipped in liquid gold!! There will never be another to approach him.
During the early 70s, when we were kids growing up in Brooklyn, we played football in Cooper Park under the streetlights. We played a game called Doo-wayne, (Named after Cowboys running back Duane Thomas.) We actually ran in slow motion, mimicking highlights on NFL Films. One of us would create the music...den den daa! That was the only highlight show on TV back then.
I can't quite place Facenda's accent. He doesn't say "dirt", he says "duht". He doesn't say "learned", he says "luhnd". It's a non-rhotic accent, common in parts of New England and the South, but he sounds neither. He grew up in Portsmouth VA, as did Marty Brenneman, Reds broadcaster, but Marty doesn't drop his r's.
Hearing the Spiderman 1967 - 1970 Cartoon music background was cool , that meant these composers o f music 🎶 must had no contract agreement just permission to use there music , John Facenda hands down was The voice of the NFL...
Philadelphia is the Land of Legendary Announcers! The greatest ones ever all come from Philadelphia broadcasting. JohnFacemda. Harry Kalas (also of NFL Films) and the GreatMerrill Reese just to name a few!
Charm City Gamer harry was known locally for baseball but he was objectively much better and more well known nationally as the NFL Films narrator than as the Phillies announcer
These films helped make football replace baseball as America's favorite sport. I love both, but frankly, I'd rather watch a football game than a baseball game. Football is simply more exciting more often and these films really captured that.
John Facenda can turn the Oakland Raider's silver & black uniforms into full Kodachrome color with his illustrustrative narration and growling baritone.
John Facenda should be in Canton. He is the first person I think of when someone mentions NFL Films.
This sounds like a worthy cause to fight for. It will need leadership and direction. We can probably look to longtime NFL owners; franchises that have stayed in a particular family being perhaps the best place to start. I'm looking at YOU, Mara, Bidwell and Halas families.
I thought he was in the NFL Hall of Fame and I can't believe that those who are part of the NFL Hall of Fame have not recognized the great contribution of John Facenda to the game of football. Shame on you NFL Hall of Fame members.
It's disrespectful that he's not already
You damn right
Yep I think of him and Sam Spence
I miss the Sabols and Facenda. It's just not the same anymore.
Dont forget Sam Spence too (music to NFL Films)
Yes Sam spence was great
The NFL of old was beautiful.
3 things made NFL films great
1. The slowed down motion of the camera.
2. The music
3. FACENDA
EXACTLY!!
You nailed it, Dude. I dont know why they decided recently to speed it up, and try to look like some kind of blurred rock video, where you see 8 hits in 2 seconds, and you have no idea what you just saw, and they play horrible modern music.
--- THIS is what made the NFL what it is. They would have done better to leave it as was.
Or vice-a-versa!
The writing was also great "It starts with a whistle and ends with a gun." Perfect.
YES! I became a football fan because of NFL Films and the narration by John Facenda. The greatest sports films in the history of professional sports. John Facenda and Ed Sabol should had been cloned to continue the tradition.
Steve Sabol and John Facenda are legends. May they both rest with God
Oakland Raiders - The Autumn Wind
The greatest anthem in professional football and professional sports. This documentary would not have been complete if it didn't include the Oakland Raiders and John Facenda last narration of NFL Films couldn't have been better narrating the Super Bowl victory of the Raiders in Super Bowl XVIII. If it wasn't for NFL Films, the Raiders and John Facenda, I would have never been a die hard football fan. I think John Facenda enjoy narrating NFL Films when it was about the Raiders more than any other NFL team. GO RAIDERS!
The John Facenda era of NFL Films from the late '60s to the early '80s - there was no better time. The narration, the music. They turned football into art and drama. It was magic to watch them. Still is. I never get tired of them.
Once the money got in it was never the same.
When I was a kid in the 1970’s watching NFL Films with John Facenda narrating made you wanted to run through a wall😀
His voice made Football something to be a part of. You imagined him saying your name as you made the great play . Rest Well Mr Facenda.
Why isn't John Facenda in Canton?
Best quote I ever heard about John Facenda “he could make a coin toss sound like Armegeddon”. 😂
Welcome to the Hall of Fame Mr Facenda. It's been long over due.
Al Davis said his voice was the voice of God.
There is nothing, absolutely nothing today that compares to the work these guys did for the game of football. So many memories of playing slow motion football on the floor where no one gets hurt started here with these brilliant productions.
Missing Steve Sabol
the voice of doom, some called him the voice of God. no one like the great john facenda
Grew up in south Jersey in the 60's.Was spoiled by the great announcers.John Facenda wow still. Love 2 hear his voice.
Hearing The Autumn Wind with that theme always put a smile on my face
The Ice Bowl film that I caught on a slow Sunday as a little kid made me a football fan for life. That voice.
Facenda didn't narrate the Ice Bowl film. William Woodson did. Sorry.
K Bear, that’s ok. I grew up outside of Philly and still confuse Facenda with Harry Kalis, who called Phillies Games,
And I know the damn difference. But when I watch those NFL films, each voice was perfect.
This voice IS football!!!!!
I would have loved to listen to John Facenda narration today's NFL.
They could probably have some fun with that - editing old Facenda clips to appear to be describing a modern game.
Dont forget Sam Spence too (music to NFL Films)
@August Canaille - Thanks Charlie. I put together Special list of them and in a certain order, just got to put them on a cd
Modern football is a bunch of guys dancing around in Trump USFL arena underwear. Puke!😲😲😲😲😲😲😲😲😲😲😲😲.
John Facenda had a great voice. Watched him as a kid on WCAU Channel 10 in Philadelphia. What is really special about the NFL narrations were the scripts... they were really well written
TheNavyJim a legend on Philadelphia TV and radio.
I remember him as a little girl going way back to the early 60s ... he felt like a member of the family because he was a fixture of Philly for so long
He truly is the voice of God.
He lived in Wyndmoor about a half mile from my grandmom, who was a cousin of his. We considered him family.
John Fancinda and Harry Kalas narratoring at NFL Films were magic making it you stop and hearing one or both
John Facenda WAS NFL Films as its key narrator. From 1965-84 he could make football sound exciting. Other memorable narrators have included Pat Summerall,
Lindsey Nelson,Chris Schenkel, Jim Gibbons (former Redskins broadcaster of the 1950s) Chuck Thompson, Harry Kalas and Ray Scott. Facenda was the "Voice of God"; his dramatic sounding voice made watching game highlights very entertaining.
I've always loved John Facenda, but I especially like the way he said, "qwatahback."
Growing up and watching This week in Pro Football was a great joy.Nothing like that music and John’s fantastic narration to go along with that slow motion footage.
"The voice of God". No one better
Nah that's Morgan Freeman. Facenda's great though.
Zinho9 True. I would also put James Earl Jones (the voice of Darth Vader) up there as well.
Bob Sheppard too
Couldn't agree more.....Facenda is the voice of the NFL.
@@zinho9169 Facenda is 10 times better
I think that Steve Sabol once stated that John Facenda " could make a laundry list sound dramatic". I was spoiled to grow up in the 1960's and 1970's and to have Pat Summerall & Tom Brookshier & John Facenda narrate slow motion hard hitting football, on grass, with the music of Sam Spence in the background. It was good then and still good now.
He's not listening, Mr. He was a troll.
So you think Sesame Street should of had him on doing that? They had celebrities come on an say the alphabet in the early years.
Indeed, the era of pro football's ascendancy was uniquely special to behold. I wasn't old enough to appreciate the game itself until the mid-70's, but remember that the first Superbowl that I was aware of, and wanted to watch (and did) was VI; Dallas over Miami.
1975: The memory of Brent, Irv and Phyllis; a veritable Mod Squad, as the original lineup of The NFL Today is still fresh. Musburger was quite young and raw, then, and the show was only a half-hour of pregame, but it gave the viewer a sense of connected-ness to the game. Facenda was still in his NFL Films prime, at that time, and I can remember watching what we now see as faded TH-cam clips in their original glory.
In many ways, the NFL is like a rock band with a long career. Fans tend to idealize the up-and-coming, "hungry" era; the early albums, if you will, as being the band's best output. Sure, we have bigger, stronger, faster and thicker athletes now, with better protective technology, and rules that also try to help the cause of safety, but for those of us who remember the golden age of the early MNF era, those days will always be the best that the league could be. Maybe it was because the players were not so overpaid, and were more relatable. Today's players seem to live in more of their own bubble. I could go on about this age, but know when to quit. There's probably an entire treatise within me about MNF in the 70's. It was always epic, even when the games were crap, because of the dynamic in the booth, and the fact that TV options were largely limited.
Great stuff. Thanks for letting an old man ramble.
Pat Summerall & Tom Brookshier got me interested in football in the late '60s. I used to watch CBS on my Sony Triniton, on Sunday afternoons with my young son. It was a special time! Before then, I could care less about football.
It’ll never be this good again
Facenda is the voice of the NFL! Thank you Sabol for putting it all on film for us! I grew up watching NFL films highlights every Christmas Eve with my dad till we both fell asleep! Lol sadly I didn’t give a damn about Chriscringle I just wanted to watch the NFL films marathon with my old man!! Sure do miss you dad!!
I have similar memories with my father...that is why Sabol, Facenda, & Spence should all be in the HOF...they helped build the NFL through their artistic beauty
Amazing voice. John Facenda provided the soundtrack for the NFL in a way no other can.
I miss Sabol and his father,They also made nfl films
Also?
“The team that hits.. is the team that win..”. John Facenda narrating the preview of the 1970 Super Bowl …Minnesota Vikings vs Kansas City Chiefs. Man I used to like his voice when I was a teenager!
He will always be the voice of the NFL.
The Voice of Philadelphia…
I plan to have AI recreate John Facenda’s voice and have him deliver my eulogy. 👍🏻
When I get to Heaven and God does not sound like John Facenda, I will be very disappointed..
I have no idea how quarterbacks survived in those days.
"It starts with a whistle and ends with a gun"
Ends with a gun has a different meaning these days, lol
Wow this should be shown the kids in history class
His voice, Sabol’s words and vision.... just amazing. Never repeated.
“The autumn wind is a pirate...” (6:30)
The one and only.
I've never quite been able to get over my disappointment that Facenda did not live long enough to narrate a recap of the 1985 Bears.
His voice is so distinctive , just like the late Ted Cassidy..
Best Narrator to ever narrate
LOVE his reading of "The Autumn Wind"
RIP - Steve Sabol & John Facenda 🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹
What other profession could the man do besides using his voice. THE G.O.A.T. hands down.
When I die, this is the what I expect Gods voice to sound like.. lol
The matter of fact delivery on "America's Team" is superb
Getting blindsided by Jack Lambert....Man’s game.
I love that he used all local talent. Home town man to the end. Actors in Hollywood would jump to narrate their fav team highlights for NFL Films.
7:55 Billy Crystal is a funny comedian. I like his work a lot. But in truth John Facenda never said the name "Jerry Rice" at least not in his work. Rice was a rookie a year after Facenda died.
Facenda means Pro Football. The best voice there ever
Thank you Dan Patrick. Long overdue.
My absolute favorite game reviews of Facenda was of the plethora of Earl Campbell running plays bulldozing half of the defense every play making a defense take punishment to finally tackle big Earl Campbell. Talk about war, the sad reality is that older Earl still has a native Texas heart of gold but can barely walk today in ungodly painful movement after several surgeries.
What John Williams' soundtracks are to Star Wars and so many other movies, John Facenda's voice and Sam Spence's music is to NFL Films. You would have still likely watched anyway, but that sound just hits you right in the gut and it is something you feel. It is what makes these films so rewatchable.
God the memories!
John could read the phone book and we would listen.
17:43 one of the Raiders gets tackled by a group of Eagles ;-)
It's actually a group of Redskins. This was super bowl 18 Raiders vs Redskins
All sports used to be connected to the people directly. Now it’s just millionaires talking about millionaires.
Storytelling
John facenda is the voice of my childhood. I love it
🥲🥲🥲
12:00pm Sundays were essential viewing on CBS with "This Week In Football" reviewing all of the previous week's games. Every game was epic and told with prowess. Even the then new and hapless Tampa Bay Buccaneers were spoken of as warriors on the field. One of his last game reviews involved the "Refrigerator" boring through the defensive line like a Mack truck in the 1985 Super Bowl. I was never even an Oakland Raiders fan and yet "The Autumn Wind" was simply epic for all football fans. Damn, without the hint of exaggeration, John Facenda with triumphant orchestral music was an amazing essential force for the current success of the NFL in American culture.
I listened to him on the radio as a kid. His recording of the Nativity is wonderful.
Nothing like being transported back to a great time in history.Thanks John Facenda!
Absolutely the best narrator, barring none!!!
"The shattering impact of a block..."
Where did it all go? Now we have spoiled, kneeling pay me now and forgettable players.
There's no A Football Life about John Facenda. Can someone explain this?
THIS IS TOO GOOD!
This is a real gem.
In the spot of George Allen John Facenda got it wrong when he said he did n t swear.You watch the 1971 Redskins highlight film & he does alot of swearing
"1ton of of muscle with a 1 track mind"...so good.
Good to hear Mr. Facenda's voice again. I heard him as a newscaster growing up in the suburbs of Philadelphia (Delaware County) and then as a teenager I heard him transition in NFL films. Such a great match!
Grew up in Philly in the early ‘70’s. I wasn’t interested in football. Until I heard this guy’s voice.
I like those old helmets the Redskins used with the arrow along the side,and the maroon color, much better than the style they have now...
Anything relating to football not narrated by John Facenda was a letdown of epic proprtions!! God looks like Cary Grant and sounds like John Facenda. His vocal cords were dipped in liquid gold!! There will never be another to approach him.
GREAT GUY GREAT SHOW 👍🏻👍🏻💪🏻💪🏻💪🏻💯💯💯💯
Voice of God , many others are great but not as great as this man 🙏🏻
Even his face fits the voice. Today's Hollywood would pay him billions for voiceovers
You don't get this in baseball
John Facenda, Channel 10. I miss him
4:21 "The splintering force of a fararmed shiver"
THE AUTUMN WIND IS A RAIDERRRRRRRRRRRRRR!!!!!!!!!!!!
Back when men played football.
Anyone know where we can see NFL films again ... ?
Have searched for years without luck
Find myself quoting this guy thru out the day
Archetypal Newscaster too. One I grew up with.
Back when Ch. 10 was CBS, he had the prime 6 PM slot. He was THE MAN.
The first of the legendary Philly news anchors,right?
The golden era of NFL films.
The autumn wind is a Raider
I heard Star Trek the next generation theme song
Love john fecenda 👍😁👍
The Voice of God.
The greatest sports voice ever
The best ever magic I'm also Italian John u makes us proud , rip Mr facenda and thank you.
During the early 70s, when we were kids growing up in Brooklyn, we played football in Cooper Park under the streetlights. We played a game called Doo-wayne, (Named after Cowboys running back Duane Thomas.) We actually ran in slow motion, mimicking highlights on NFL Films. One of us would create the music...den den daa! That was the only highlight show on TV back then.
I can't quite place Facenda's accent. He doesn't say "dirt", he says "duht". He doesn't say "learned", he says "luhnd". It's a non-rhotic accent, common in parts of New England and the South, but he sounds neither. He grew up in Portsmouth VA, as did Marty Brenneman, Reds broadcaster, but Marty doesn't drop his r's.
Hearing the Spiderman 1967 - 1970 Cartoon music background was cool , that meant these composers o f music 🎶 must had no contract agreement just permission to use there music , John Facenda hands down was The voice of the NFL...
Philadelphia is the Land of Legendary Announcers! The greatest ones ever all come from Philadelphia broadcasting. JohnFacemda. Harry Kalas (also of NFL Films) and the GreatMerrill Reese just to name a few!
Harry was more known for baseball, but I heard a lot of him in NFL Films too.
@@CharmCityGamer Jeff Kaye
Charm City Gamer harry was known locally for baseball but he was objectively much better and more well known nationally as the NFL Films narrator than as the Phillies announcer
They should be showing clips between games being it's the 100th anniversary
These films helped make football replace baseball as America's favorite sport. I love both, but frankly, I'd rather watch a football game than a baseball game. Football is simply more exciting more often and these films really captured that.
John Facenda can turn the Oakland Raider's silver & black uniforms into full Kodachrome color with his illustrustrative narration and growling baritone.