The Pool Room with Tony Armstrong

To put it bluntly, English football in the 1970s was a boys club - to the extent that stadiums didn't even have women's toilets. Even the media rooms were full of male journalists. That was until one woman looked to challenge the status quo. A photographer named Hy Money had a passion for taking pictures, and nobody was going to stand in her way.

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Patrick Mills is one of our country's greatest athletes. He's a star on the basketball court and an NBA Champion. But the secret to his success stems from his childhood, and a very special junior b-ball club that shaped Patty into the player he is today.

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The winter of 1954 saw one of the most gruelling motor racing events in history: an 18-day, long-distance rally around Australia. And the man tipped as favourite, turned up to the start of the race wearing a gorilla mask and driving a car full of explosives. This is the story of “Gelignite Jack”.

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Les Darcy was a boxing champion and a national hero…until he wasn't. At the height of the First World War, he secretly boarded a ship to avoid impending military conscription. His destination? The glitz and glamour of New York's professional boxing scene. But by the time he arrived, the world had turned its back on this rising star. 

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Dennis Bergkamp was one of the greatest footballers of his generation. By his early 20s, he was a star in the making. But in 1995, Bergkamp's contract negotiations with Arsenal hit a snag when the club learned about his greatest fear - a serious phobia that threatened to disrupt Dennis' football career.

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Being called "the Lionel Messi of…" anything is a badge of honour. To bethat good at your chosen sport is an incredible achievement. But Gary Hunt is the best in the world at a sport so extreme, that one wrong move could cause serious spinal injuries…or even death. 

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In 1896, Arthur Richardson became the first person to cross the Nullabor on a bicycle. It was his first taste of the open country and it left him wanting more. Four years later, Arthur set his sights on another record – to be the first person to circumnavigate the entire continent on a bike. But the adventure quickly turned into a race, when three other blokes just so happened to be attempting the same feat, at the exact same time.

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Curling is a sport that's usually associated with cold places, like Scotland, Canada or New Zealand. So, just how did Australia, the driest inhabited continent on Earth, manage to produce an Olympic-qualifying curling team?  

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A 16-year-old Wilma Rudolph was the youngest athlete in the United States Olympic team at the 1956 Games in Melbourne. Representing her country on the world stage was a proud moment for the high school student. Even the bronze medal she took home was a huge achievement, considering Wilma was once told as a child that she would never walk again.

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The 1991 Canadian Grand Prix was a race full of surprises. Despite winning the first four races of the season, Ayrton Senna had qualified in third. That made way for Williams duo Riccardo Patrese and Nigel Mansell. By the last lap, Mansell had taken pole position...but a spur-of-the-moment decision would put his entire race in jeopardy.

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In 1967, salesman Des Renford is enjoying a few drinks with his mates down the pub, when one of them proposes a mighty dare: to swim across Port Phillip Bay...the very next morning. What happened next, unexpectedly propelled Des into a new athletic career. 

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The name Michael Buffer might not mean much to you, but you definitely know his voice. He’s probably the world’s most recognisable ring announcer, in boxing and professional wrestling. But the story of how he went from fight night favourite to American cultural phenomenon, is all thanks to a family secret that remained hidden for decades. 

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The annual Sydney to Hobart Yacht Race is one of the longest of its kind in the world. Sailors from around the globe make the trip to Sydney each year to compete in this iconic event. But when it was first established in 1945, it wasn't supposed to be a race at all. 

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If you don’t associate squash with sporting legends, you just haven’t met Heather McKay. Heather came from a sports mad family and squash wasn't her first choice - she took up the sport to maintain her fitness while playing hockey. But Heather quickly learned that she was pretty good at squash, and after entering her first competition, she never looked back.

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Bill Roycroft might just be Australia's greatest Olympian you've never heard of. He competed in five consecutive Summer Games, winning several medals. But his debut at Rome 1960 was the scene of a remarkable feat, when not even severe injury could keep Bill down.

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The name Karl Power is not synonymous with great sporting heroes, and yet, it has graced Wimbledon's Centre Court, the Formula 1 podium at Silverstone, and the hallowed turf of Headingly Cricket Ground. That's because Karl Power is better known as Britain's greatest impostor.

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They say you should never meet your heroes, but what if you beat your heroes? That's the conundrum Mark Taylor faced in 1998, when he became just the fourth Australian to score a triple-century in Test cricket. But dare he surpass the Aussie record of 334 not out, held by Sir Donald Bradman since 1930?

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If you’ve ever taken a stroll down the top end of Melbourne’s Flinders Street, you might have noticed the Hotel Lindrum, fire-engine red, with fancy swirls and arch windows. The hotel is closed now, but the building was named after a family who became known for their dominance of the local billiards scene. Walter Lindrum, in particular, was so good they had to change the rules to stop him.

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You've heard the stories about Phar Lap. He was Australia's greatest-ever racehorse. A national treasure. So much so, that his unusually large heart, which is thought to be the source of his incredible abilities, is famously on display in Canberra. But the thing is...that heart sitting in a museum might actually be a fake. 

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It’s June 12 1970. Pittsburgh Pirates versus San Diego Padres in Major League Baseball. Pitcher, Dock Ellis, is on the mound for the Pirates, but he isn’t exactly having his best game. He’s throwing pitches in the dirt, he’s hitting batters, he’s all over the shop. Because right in the middle of a professional baseball game, Dock Ellis is high on LSD.

Know a great sports story that you want to hear on The Pool Room? Send Tony an email.

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When it comes to nicknames, most Aussie sports teams typically choose from one of two options: Animals, which don’t play sport, or words to describe great warriors. Like, the Magpies or the Power. The Sea Eagles or the Force. But behind every team name is an origin story that can tell you a lot about their communities and the place they call home.

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Footy comes from the country. It’s a community sport, born and bred in towns where your dad’s the coach and your best mate’s dad is the umpire. But how it came to be there is another question.

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Routine is an important part of being a pro athlete. But sometimes there's a fine line between ritual and irrational. Whether it’s Rafa Nadal refusing to walk on tennis court lines or Tiger Woods always wearing a red shirt on Sundays, for some reason, athletes are a superstitious bunch.

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On the 28th of September 1918, Ballarat played host to a historic sporting event. With the end of the First World War in sight, the construction of a commemorative Arch of Victory and Avenue of Honour were proposed to pay respects to all the lives lost. But how to fund such a significant project? That's when a group of trailblazing women came together to stage one of the earliest known women's football matches in Aussie Rules history.

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Frank Hayes had always loved horses. From a young age, he dreamed of becoming a jockey. At 20, he worked as a stable hand but always longed for the thrill of race day. Then Frank came across a horse that he immediately felt a connection with - an old mare named Sweet Kiss that had never won a race. It seemed like everyone had given up on her…but not Frank.

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Motorsport is chock full of great rivalries. In Australia, we have cherished decades of Ford vs Holden, with legendary names like Peter Brock, Dick Johnson and Bob Jane. They all had their heated moments but one duo gets pole position when it comes to argy-bargy: Mark Skaife and Russell Ingall.

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It's 1964 and the Tokyo Olympics are drawing to a close. The Aussie team is in party mode and the celebrations stretch into the early hours of the morning. But one Olympic champion isn’t having the best night. Instead of enjoying the party, she’s being questioned by police. It’s gold medalist, Dawn Fraser. Dawn is due to be Australia’s flag bearer in the closing ceremony the very next day. But first, she’ll have to avoid jail time.

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Athletes can spend their entire careers in pursuit of medals and trophies…only to misplace them in a moment of excitement or lose them while moving house. And other times, these shiny objects are outright stolen, right under the noses of armed guards. Today on the show, tales of missing medallions, compromised security and lost dreams.

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When a 61-year-old potato and sheep farmer from regional Victoria lined up for the 1983 Ultramarathon, the athletic world didn't know what to think. Wearing overalls and gumboots, Cliff Young certainly didn't look the part. But as the race got underway, Cliff's opponents realised they were up against a very serious competitor.

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On the race track, Ayrton Senna and Gerhard Berger were fierce teammates. But off the track, their rivalry looked a little different. Ayrton was one of the most serious drivers in Formula 1, and when Gerhard joined McLaren, he made it his mission to break down this stone-cold exterior. His weapon of choice? Practical jokes.

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When Eric Moussambani made his Olympic debut in the 100m Freestyle at Sydney 2000, it was also his competitive debut. Eight months prior, Eric didn't know how to swim. Now, he was representing Equatorial Guinea on the world stage. Eric made history that day but the experience also changed the rest of his life.

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Signing a professional contract is an important moment for any athlete, no matter the stage of their sports career. But it always pays to read the fine print. Today on the show, three very real contract stories that you won't quite believe.

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Turning professional in one sport is hard enough. But two? That sort of prowess is reserved for the best of the best. Whether it's cricket in the summer and footy in the winter, or switching from one Olympic sport to another, these all-time legends have truly mastered the art of athleticism.

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What happens when the starting goalie and backup goalie are both injured in the same game of ice hockey? It was just the 1st period of a crucial NHL matchup in February of 2020, when 42-year-old fan David Ayers was plucked from the crowd and thrown into the action. Thanks to a bizarre rule, David was about to play in his first professional hockey game.

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Sports fans are a dedicated bunch. Home or away, rain, hail or shine, they'll do anything for their favourite team. But some can take their fandom too far, and others go on to become just as iconic as the players on the field.

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Bill Fong loves ten-pin bowling. He's pretty good at it too. It's not uncommon for Bill to score a few 300 games here and there - 12 strikes in a row. But that's nothing compared to a perfect series, which is completing three perfect games in succession. In other words, 900 points or 36 consecutive strikes. And one night, Bill Fong is dangerously close to this incredible achievement.

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It's no secret that Australian soccer has had it tough over the years. You only need to look at the 32-year World Cup drought, where Australia failed to qualify again and again…and again. But some people believe there's a simple explanation for those long and painful years. In 1969, a desperate Socceroos team came up with a devious plot to overcome their opposition. But the plan unexpectedly backfired, haunting Australian soccer for decades.

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If there's one thing that's guaranteed to liven up any dull sporting event, it's a member of the crowd putting on their birthday suit and sprinting across the field of play, pursued by a group of security guards. Streaking, as it's affectionately known, is the art of running around a sports ground completely naked. And Australia has played a special role in its short but amusing history.

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At the 1912 Stockholm Olympics, 20-year-old marathon runner Shizo Kanakuri was one of only two athletes to represent Japan in the nation's first ever Olympic Games. It was a huge occasion for Shizo. But halfway through his marathon event, Shizo disappeared. Olympic officials were baffled. With no sign of him, Shizo was officially reported missing. So, what happened to the Japanese athlete?

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Welcome to The Pool Room with Tony Armstrong, a short-form narrative sports podcast that celebrates the winners, losers, and the weird stuff between.

Join Tony on a trip through history to discover the wildest, most unexpected and inspiring stories; from the Olympic marathon runner who mysteriously disappeared, to the curse that haunted Australian soccer for decades. Every episode is a bite-sized but immersive experience. You’ll come away with fun, quirky stories and trivia gems that are guaranteed to impress your friends. New episodes release Fridays.

Credits:

Produced by James Parkinson

Additional writing by Anna Spargo-Ryan

Theme Music by Nic Buchanan

Show development by James Parkinson and Annaliese Redlich.

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