Yesterdays Hero (Your Sporting Hero’s)

How often do you stop to reminisce on the good old days of growing up? Thinking about just how different things are these days and of some of the things you wish had not changed?

I recall the days when we used to watch Rex Mossop on the television with the song “Shaft” by Isaac Hayes leading into Sunday’s Hunter Douglas Big Game at 6.00pm. You would only see 45 minutes of the game but you didn’t know any better or you’d listen to Frank Hyde’s commentary on the radio of the match of the day waiting in great anticipation on who Frank presented the Seiko watch man of the match to.

There were times you went to the game and the clock at the ground would stop with five minutes to fulltime. All the kids would be at the fence ready to grab the corner post when the referee blew the full time whistle.

As I grew up on the great Aussie sports diet of Sport for Breakfast, lunch and dinner I have always had a passion for sport.

After Playing 315 first grade games over 17 seasons of First Grade Rugby League with the Bulldogs 1983 -1990, Western Suburbs 1991 – 1998 and Roosters 1999 and winning premierships in 1984, 1985 and 1988 with the Bulldogs I had a dream. In mid 2000 I approached my good mate Executive Produce of the Channel 9 Footy Show Matt Callendar about interviewing Legends of the past whereby we would talk about their career highlights, what they are doing now and about the real characters and villains they played with and against.

My first assignment was at Cumberland Golf Course interviewing the stars of the eighties of the great Parramatta teams. I interviewed Mick Cronin, Ray Price and Peter Wynn to name a few. The following week I decided to call myself Yesterdays Hero and wear a white as Australian rock star John Paul Young sang the No 1 hit song Yesterdays Hero wearing a white suit as I thought. Well for the Grand Final Show I sang with JPY singing the hit song. Later that night JPY told me he actually wore the white singing Love is in the Air.

Over timed I interviewed players like Larry Corowa, Martin Bella, Bob McCarthy, George Piggins etc Anyway I took up the coaching role at Souths and the rest is history.

Yesterdays Hero is back as these days everyone loves to reminisce about the good old days.

Yesterday's Hero is for every sport and everyone and I invite you to forward me your opinions on how we can do it better and what sporting hero’s you want me to interview.

Yesterdays Hero is the vehicle to reminisce about the glory days of sport and your own life.

Paul Langmack