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Nancy Lieberman – Blazing Another Trail
Outside the Lines (Sunday, 9 a.m. ET, ESPN)

Thirty-four years after becoming the youngest basketball player in Olympic history to win a medal, Nancy Lieberman has become the first woman to coach a men’s basketball team affiliated with the NBA. The basketball Hall-of-Famer is the head coach of the Texas Legends – in their first season in the NBA Developmental League.

Some have called it a publicity stunt, but Dallas Mavericks general manager and Legends owner Donnie Nelson says he considers his hire of Lieberman “groundbreaking.” SportsCenter anchor Jay Harris reports on the latest incarnation of Nancy Lieberman.

“I had my – as anybody has – your little list of coaches, and serendipitously bumped into Nancy. I think it was at a Starbucks. And after a brief encounter, I left there, and I was like, ‘Man, maybe the best man for this job isn’t even a man,’” – Donnie Nelson, Mavs GM and Texas Legends owner, on why he hired Lieberman

“I’ve earned the right to be here. I’ve invested my life in basketball for forty years. There are coaches that know so much more than I do, but I know a lot more about some things than they do. So, I’m right where I belong; God’s put me where I belong, and I’m just making the most of those opportunities,” – Lieberman

Silence is Golden: Reliving the Announcerless NFL Game
Outside the Lines (Sunday, 9 a.m. ET, ESPN)

Imagine watching a football game and only hearing just the clash of helmets and the cheers of the crowd, without the familiar voices of broadcasters describing the action. In 1980, NBC Sports Executive Producer Don Ohlmeyer turned a meaningless matchup into a source of fascination and intrigue as he left the broadcast booth bare for the regular-season finale between the New York Jets (3-12) and the Miami Dolphins (8-7). Outside the Lines celebrates the 30th anniversary of the “announcerless” game as Dick Enberg, Bryant Gumbel and former NBC producers reflect on its inception, impact, and place in NFL history.

Holding in the NFL Trenches
NFL Countdown (Sunday, 11 a.m., ESPN)

While the NFL sets rules dictating what offensive and defensive linemen can and can’t do, players often do whatever they can to gain an advantage. In NFL trenches, there is an art form to “holding” your opponent without drawing the officials’ yellow flag. Do players believe that holding occurs on every play? Greg Garber, as part of ESPN’s “The State of Officiating” series, examines how holding is called in today’s NFL.

ESPN Films ‘30 for 30’ Concludes with Pony Exce$$
(Saturday, 9 p.m., ESPN)

As the dominant Southern Methodist University Mustangs of the early ‘80s were stacking up wins, the program was also piling up NCAA violations. Finally on February 25, 1987, the NCAA meted out “the death penalty” on a college football program for the first and only time in its history. Pony Exce$$, the final installment of ESPN Films critically acclaimed 30 for 30 documentary series, shines the light on the city of Dallas in the 1980s and chronicles the rise, fall, and rebirth of this once mighty college football program.

The Pony Exce$$ concludes ESPN Films’ 18-month series of 30 sports documentaries by award-winning producers and directors. The groundbreaking sports storytelling project has received critical acclaim. Some excerpts:

“A pleasure to heartily recommend ESPN’s gripping, well-made series of documentary sports films, ‘30 for 30,’ which the network is producing for its 30th anniversary. Whether you care about sports or not, they are excellent, insightful television.” – Linda Holmes, NPR.org

“30 reasons to love sports.” – Joanna Weiss, Boston Globe

“ESPN scores with ‘30 for 30.’” – Alan Sepinwall, Newark Star-Ledger

A look back at the series: