Poster for Saturdays in the South: A History of SEC Football

SEC Network 2019 1 season 8 eps Ended

Saturdays in the South: A History of SEC Football

2019 1 season 8 eps

7.7

Season 1

No results found

Season 1

79 min

S1 · E1 Sep 3, 2019

Part 1: Beginnings (1869-1932) Episode 1

In the aftermath of the Civil War, America's South is looking to put the past behind it, and finds one path in a growing cultural passion of the North: Football. The sport steadily grows in popularity into the early 20th century through intercollegiate play, led by John Heisman along with powers Sewanee and Vanderbilt setting an early standard of excellence. In December 1932, the Southeastern Conference is officially formed.

8.1 · You

79 min

S1 · E2 Sep 10, 2019

Part 2: A Call to Duty (1933-59) Episode 2

In the early years of the SEC, through the Great Depression and World War II, many young men in the South get the opportunity to become first-generation college students, and play football. Numerous players and coaches fight in the war, including Brigadier General Robert Neyland, who leads the most dominant program of the era, the Tennessee Volunteers. Multiple SEC schools claim national titles through the '50s, including LSU with star running back Billy Cannon in 1958, prior to Cannon's epic game-winning punt return against powerhouse Ole Miss a year later.

7.9 · You

79 min

S1 · E3 Sep 17, 2019

Part 3: The Third Rail (1960-70) Episode 3

In the 1960s, as Georgia Tech leaves the conference and the Civil Rights Movement becomes embedded in the history and image of the region, Bear Bryant, hired in 1958, becomes the face of Alabama - and SEC football. Meanwhile, other heroes of the era include Archie Manning at Ole Miss, and two-sport star Richmond Flowers Jr., who - with his father, Alabama's attorney general, fighting against Governor George Wallace - spurns the Crimson Tide for Tennessee.

79 min

S1 · E4 Sep 24, 2019

Part 4: The Best Years of Their Lives (1971-79) Episode 4

As the 1970s dawn, Bear Bryant recommits himself with a wishbone offense that will generate a claim to three more national titles at Alabama over the course of the decade. Meanwhile, the rise of television sports transforms the SEC, with Georgia native Keith Jackson establishing himself as the voice of college football, as the game further embeds itself as synonymous with southern culture, and an enduring and powerful force in the lives of the young men who are part of it.

79 min

S1 · E5 Oct 1, 2019

Part 5: Star Power (1980-89) Episode 5

The 1980s begin with Georgia recruiting the finest halfback the South, and perhaps the country, has ever produced, Herschel Walker, who leads the Bulldogs to a national title as a freshman. Meanwhile, with college football's financial profile growing, universities reap the benefits of all the dollars. And after Bear Bryant retires following the 1982 season and passes away four weeks later, control of the SEC is eventually transferred to Pat Dye and Bo Jackson at Auburn, which at the end of the decade, hosts its arch-rival for the first time ever at Jordan-Hare Stadium.

79 min

S1 · E6 Oct 8, 2019

Part 6: Revolution (1990-99) Episode 6

The 1990s bring change to the South, with businesses moving into the region, and the rust belt giving way to the Sun Belt - while on the football field, the SEC is transformed as well. TV deals with CBS and ESPN, combined with the introduction of the sport's first-ever conference championship game, give the league more of a national profile than ever, and expansion brings in Arkansas and South Carolina as members. Meanwhile, Steve Spurrier at Florida fashions an era of high-octane offense, and his Gators form a heated rivalry with Tennessee and quarterback Peyton Manning, though the Volunteers only win a national title after Manning leaves and Tee Martin steps behind center.

79 min

S1 · E7 Oct 15, 2019

Part 7: Faith, Family & Football (2000-09) Episode 7

The first Division 1-A college football game played after the attacks of 9/11 is in the SEC when South Carolina visits Mississippi State. Nick Saban comes to LSU in 2000 and eventually wins the Tigers' first national championship since 1958 - a feat followed up by his successor Les Miles four years later. At Florida, Tim Tebow becomes a cult hero, and wins a Heisman Trophy and two national championships for Urban Meyer's Gators - two of the five titles won by SEC teams in the 2000s.

79 min

S1 · E8 Oct 22, 2019

Part 8: SEC, SEC, SEC! (2010-present) Episode 8

Over a century and a half of college football, and nearly 90 years of the SEC, so much has changed. But the conference is where the best football in the country is played - as the SEC has a run of seven straight national titles, and nine in 12 years. Expansion in 2012 brings two more programs in Texas A&M and Missouri. Meanwhile, Nick Saban arguably becomes the greatest coach in the history of college football. With the arrival of the sport's 150th anniversary, it's clear that indelible moments in SEC history encompass the very history of the region - and the very history of America.

8.3 · You

8 episodes in Season 1

Some details come from TheTVDB.

“The story of a game that became a way of life.”

Saturdays in the South: A History of SEC Football is an eight-part, 12-hour film, presented by Regions Bank and directed by Peabody and Emmy-winning director Fritz Mitchell. It highlights over a century of college football history within the South. The passion for college football in the South runs deep, and on the occasion of the 150th anniversary of the sport, there’s no better time to thoroughly and memorably explore it than through the lens of the Southeastern Conference. As part of the ESPN Films’ SEC Storied series and ESPN’s College Football 150 initiative, SEC Network debuted Saturdays in the South: A History of SEC Football over the course of eight consecutive Tuesdays at 9 p.m. ET, beginning September 3, 2019.

Documentary Sport History

Where to watch

Not streaming anywhere

Not on any streaming service in United States, and not available to rent.

Your rating

Your review

Cast

1 person

Flip Pallot

Narrator

Fritz Mitchell Director · John Dahl Executive producer · Rob King Executive producer

Director

Fritz Mitchell

Executive producer

John Dahl

Executive producer

Rob King

Executive producer

Lee Fitting

Composer

Brian Keane

Editor

Paul Carruthers

Total runtime 88h 0m · Episode length 660 min · Type Documentary

Show info

Premiered

September 3, 2019

Final episode

October 22, 2019

Status

Ended

Networks

SEC Network · ESPN+

Country

United States

Type

Documentary

Episode length

660 min

Total runtime

88h 0m

Original language

English

Production

E

ESPN

Production

E

ESPN Films

Production

S

SEC Network Films

Production

United States

Produced in

Languages

Spoken on screen

English

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