Bear Bryant Taught Him to Win, the Packers Taught Him to Believe
Our American Stories
iHeartPodcasts
4.6 • 817 Ratings
🗓️ 18 September 2025
⏱️ 33 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
On this episode of Our American Stories, Rich Wingo’s football journey began under legendary Alabama coach Paul “Bear” Bryant, whose tough, uncompromising style forged players into men prepared for more than just Saturdays in Tuscaloosa. Bryant’s influence followed Wingo beyond his college years and into the NFL, where he suited up for the Green Bay Packers at Lambeau Field. It was in those two worlds, the Crimson Tide and the Packers, that Wingo’s understanding of discipline, perseverance, and faith deepened. Looking back, he shares how the lessons from a storied college football program and one of the NFL’s most iconic franchises transformed not just his playing career, but his entire outlook on life.
Support the show (https://www.ouramericanstories.com/donate)
Support the show: https://www.ouramericanstories.com/donate
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Transcript
Click on a timestamp to play from that location
| 0:00.0 | This is an I-Heart podcast. |
| 0:04.0 | What I told people, I was making a podcast about Benghazi. |
| 0:08.5 | Nine times out of ten, they called me a masochist, rolled their eyes, or just asked, why? |
| 0:15.1 | Benghazi, the truth became a web of lies. |
| 0:18.5 | From prologue projects and Pushkin Industries, this is Fiasco, Benghazi. |
| 0:23.9 | What difference at this point does it make? |
| 0:27.4 | Listen to Fiasco, Benghazi, on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. |
| 0:33.4 | You know, And we continue with our American stories and the story of J.P. Morgan. |
| 0:49.9 | Let's pick up where we last left off. |
| 0:55.0 | During the summer of 1861, three years after they had met, |
| 1:00.0 | Mimi was diagnosed with tuberculosis, almost always fatal in the 19th century. |
| 1:07.0 | Pierpont was devastated. |
| 1:09.0 | Immediately he took control of the situation. |
| 1:12.6 | He proposed to Mimi, promising her that he'd help find a cure. |
| 1:17.6 | He married her in the family house in New York. |
| 1:20.6 | In fact, he had to carry her downstairs for the ceremony. |
| 1:24.6 | Pierpont immediately took Mimi to Algiers for their honeymoon. |
| 1:28.8 | He thought the tropical climate might save her. |
| 1:32.0 | When Mimi's condition worsened, he brought in the best specialists to attend to her. |
| 1:37.4 | But his efforts were in vain. |
| 1:39.7 | Four months after their marriage, on February 17, 1862, Mimi died in Pierpont's arms. |
| 1:47.0 | He was an extraordinary outpouring of somebody trying to control life in some way. |
... |
Please login to see the full transcript.
Disclaimer: The podcast and artwork embedded on this page are from iHeartPodcasts, and are the property of its owner and not affiliated with or endorsed by Tapesearch.
Generated transcripts are the property of iHeartPodcasts and are distributed freely under the Fair Use doctrine. Transcripts generated by Tapesearch are not guaranteed to be accurate.
Copyright © Tapesearch 2026.