Episodes

Send us Fan Mail In observance of September 11, Cowboys Not Eggheads revisits Fred Rogers’ enduring advice during times of tragedy: “Look for the helpers.” Sam Fischer is joined by three remarkable helpers—Bri Siegert, Jillian Watts and Brandi (Muhle) Preston—for a deeply personal conversation about service, sacrifice and the lasting impact one person can have on others. They remember where they were on September 11, 2001, and explore what it truly means to help: why some people feel called t...

Send us Fan Mail Killer Kane — Chapter 12: Respect and Curiosity Forty years later, Sam Fischer is left with two feelings about Coach Jim “Killer” Kane: respect and curiosity. In the final chapter of Killer Kane, Sam looks back at the coach who demanded discipline, toughness and loyalty—and at the questions Kane never answered. Why did he rely so heavily on his starting eleven? Where did Sam actually rank? And did Kane ever believe the kid sitting on his bench could have helped his team? Sam ...

Send us Fan Mail Chapter 11: The Trident What does it mean to finish something difficult when nobody hands you a trophy for it? In Chapter 11 of Killer Kane, Sam Fischer connects his eleven years of CrossFit training with the lessons that survived three football seasons under Coach Jim “Killer” Kane at Mount Michael. The connection isn’t about hearing Kane’s voice in the gym or pretending high school football was something greater than it was. It’s about a standard: choose difficult things, e...

Send us Fan Mail Killer Kane Audio Memoir — Chapter 10: Don’t Be a Victim For years, I carried the easiest version of the story: Jim “Killer” Kane told me he would find me a place to play, he didn’t, and I was the one who suffered the consequences. Then, nearly forty years later, I stood at his grave intending to curse him out. Instead, I apologized. In Chapter 10 of the Killer Kane Audio Memoir, I return to the May 2022 visit to Kane’s grave that forced me to confront an uncomfortable truth....

Send us Fan Mail Chapter 9: Seeking Affirmation From That Guy Decades after their final football season, Sam Fischer and Tom Lewis sit down to talk about Jim “Killer” Kane—and discover they may still be trying to prove something to him. Neither was a star. Neither played much. Yet Tom’s ultramarathons, Sam’s CrossFit, and their willingness to keep choosing difficult things raise an uncomfortable question: Are they still seeking affirmation from that guy? After the conversation is released, fo...

Send us Fan Mail Chapter 8: The Man Who Never Faded The final game ends, but Jim “Killer” Kane never really goes away. Years pass. Kane’s coaching career comes to an end, his health declines, and his place in Nebraska sports history becomes secure. But for the players who lived under his demanding standards, the real legacy is far more personal. His voice, his expectations—and even his disapproval—remain with them decades later. In Chapter 8, the story moves beyond what Kane did on the field ...

Send us Fan Mail Chapter 7: The Final Three Plays With the 1985 season nearly over, Sam Fischer finally gets one last chance against Elkhorn. Three plays. A tackle for loss. His name over the stadium speakers. And a few words from a teammate that mean more than anyone could have known. After a season spent waiting, quitting inside, and going through the motions, Sam’s high school football career comes down to a handful of snaps—and a moment he would still be thinking about nearly forty years ...

Send us Fan Mail Killer Kane, Chapter Six: Going Through the Motions In Chapter Six of Killer Kane, a twelve-part audio memoir from Cowboys Not Eggheads, Sam Fischer returns to the field after the disappointment at Bennington—but something has changed. He doesn’t quit. He still practices, still prepares, and still does what is asked of him. But at seventeen, convinced his opportunity has passed, Sam stops reaching for anything more. He begins simply going through the motions. There are still ...

Send us Fan Mail Chapter 5: Halftime After a summer of hard work and Coach Jim Kane’s promise that he would “find a place” for him to play, Sam enters his senior season believing he has finally earned an opportunity. But during the opening game against Bennington, he remains on the sideline while the first half passes without his name being called. At halftime, something inside him changes. Feeling overlooked and betrayed, Sam makes a quiet decision to stop caring. He continues attendin...

Send us Fan Mail Chapter Four: We’ll Find You a Place By the summer before his senior year, Sam Fischer is no longer trying merely to survive Jim “Killer” Kane’s football program. After long days working in the hayfield and months of strength training alongside his younger brother, Will, he returns to Mount Michael heavier, stronger and convinced that he is finally ready to contribute. Moved from tight end to offensive guard, Sam attacks the opening practices determined to make himself imposs...

Send us Fan Mail Chapter Three: Inside Kane’s Program There was no gradual introduction to Jim “Killer” Kane’s football program. You entered it, and the program began measuring you. In Chapter Three of Killer Kane, Sam Fischer steps inside a system built on discipline, repetition, physical force and unquestioned authority. Kane teaches every assignment, demonstrates every block and demands that his players execute the same plays again and again until they are correct. The opponent may know wh...

Send us Fan Mail Chapter Two: Before Kane Jim “Killer” Kane did not create toughness in Sam Fischer from nothing. Long before Sam arrived at Mount Michael, life on his family’s ranch in the Nebraska Sandhills had already taught him the basic rules: finish the job, keep your word and do not stop simply because you are tired or uncomfortable. His parents—especially his father—poured the foundation. Kane would later reinforce it until those lessons became inseparable from the man Sam became. In ...

Send us Fan Mail Chapter One: The Library Nearly forty years after his final football season, Sam Fischer stands alone at the grave of legendary Mount Michael coach Jim “Killer” Kane. He has come prepared to confront the man who promised to find him a place to play—and never did. But the confrontation does not unfold as expected. Instead of leaving with an accusation, Sam finds himself examining the moment he stopped fighting for his own opportunity. In the opening chapter of Killer Kane, he ...