When you tune into The Goon and Ironhead Show on Tuesday or Thursday afternoon, it doesn’t take long to realize you’re not listening to just another sports talk segment.

Between their friendly jabs, deep dives into Penn State athletics, and the occasional tangent on something completely unrelated to Penn State, hosts Keith “Goon” Conlin and Jeff “Ironhead” Byers have created something that feels less like a broadcast and more like sitting down with two old friends at the bar, if those friends happened to know everyone in Happy Valley sports.

The show, which airs twice a week on Fox Sports Radio and streams on Facebook Live, grew from Conlin’s desire to stay connected to the game after his Penn State football and coaching days ended. “I got done playing and coaching and started doing postgame reviews,” Conlin said. “Then it just started because I wanted to stop doing reviews of games, I wanted to preview games.”

That idea turned into a Thursday show, then a partnership with Byers, a longtime local radio broadcaster and the voice of Penn State wrestling.

“We’ve been doing it for five years now, and it’s all sports,” Conlin said. “We call it Penn State-centric, but we’re all over the damn place.”

Their on-air chemistry feels effortless, a part of that coming from their contrasting upbringings. Conlin’s an Eastern Pennsylvania Eagles and Flyers guy, and Byers is a Western Pennsylvania Steelers and Penguins fan. The back-and-forth that comes with that divide fuels the show’s banter.

“We always meet in the middle on Penn State,” Conlin said.

The story behind “Goon” and “Ironhead” is just as entertaining as their on-air chemistry. Conlin, a former Penn State offensive lineman, got his nickname in college football days, when teammates started calling him “Goon,” a nod to the tough, rough-around-the-edges enforcers from the classic hockey movie Slapshot. It stuck, and years later, it’s still the perfect fit for his larger-than-life personality. 

Byers’ nickname, “Ironhead,” comes from freshman-year dorm antics at Penn State. Living in Packer Hall, his floor decided everyone needed a nickname, and after he tried walking on to the football team, a hallmate from Puerto Rico began calling down the hall, “How was practice today, Ironhead?” referencing NFL running back Craig “Ironhead” Heyward. The name caught on fast, eventually following him into the radio booth, where even his co-hosts and dad still call him Ironhead to this day.

Despite the laughs, the show often finds its heart in the deeper moments, especially when the conversation turns to mental health in sports. After the passing of a mutual friend and former Penn State sports psychologist, Dave Yukelson, both hosts reflected on how much the game has changed.

“I’ve gone from this hard-headed, meat-headed guy from the mid-90s to understanding that mental health really does have a large impact on guys,” Conlin said. “We didn’t talk about it then, but then you talk about it now, and it’s like oh.”

Byers’ wife runs the Jana Marie Foundation, a nonprofit focused on youth mental health, and it’s a topic that now threads through many of their discussions.

“When we had Pat Kraft on, I asked what his priorities were coming in,” Byers said. “He didn’t know what my wife did, but he said his number one priority is mental health.”

Still, Conlin and Byers “just try to have fun with some serious topics,” Ironhead said. “I always feel like we get more attention than we deserve for our knuckleheadedness.” 

They’ve had guests like Olympic gold medalist David Taylor, Penn State hockey coach Guy Gadowsky, and Penn State Athletic Director Pat Kraft, but say the show really thrives on the friendship behind the mics.

“We love doing the show,” Conlin said. “It’s fun, two hours every couple of days to go in and talk about sports, it’s what we do normally anyway, just sitting around with your buddy talking some smack.”

After years on air, surviving format changes, COVID-19, and the shifts of modern college sports, both hosts say they’re still just grateful people keep tuning in.

“I still laugh when I go to Sam’s Club or Walmart and like an 80-year-old man’s like ‘Hey, you’re the Goon!” Conlin said. “I guess it’s not that hard to figure out, but it’s just funny to hear that.”

The duo says they’re happy where they are, but they’re open to growing.

“If we could do another day or two a week, who knows?” Conlin said. “We want to keep doing it as long as it’s fun, we both enjoy it right now, and it fits in with both of our schedules.”

Catch The Goon and Ironhead Show live every Tuesday and Thursday from 2 to 4 p.m. on Facebook or tune in through Fox Sports Radio on 98.7 FM The Fox for two hours of Penn State talk, random tangents, and the kind of banter that makes you feel right at home in Happy Valley.