Episode 194
Caroline Stanley is a former pro soccer goalkeeper and an assistant coach with the University of Tulsa.
In January of 2018, Stanley retired from professional soccer after playing in the National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL) for the Seattle Reign (2015), Sky Blue New Jersey (2016) and Orlando Pride (2017).
Stanley was a three-year letterwinner at the University of Southern California, after playing her freshman season at the University of Missouri. She started in 55 of 58 games at USC, and had 245 saves in her career.
Stanley represented the U.S. Youth Women’s National Team as a member of the U15, U17, U18 and U20 teams. She also played for Lee’s Summit North High School, where she earned back-to-back Goalkeeper of the Year honors from the Missouri State High School Soccer Coaches Association. Stanley was a two-time first-team all-state honoree and Examiner all-area first-team selection. She was also a member of the KCFC Intensity, Scream and Pink Panthers club teams, winning four state titles and capturing the 2011 Summer National Championship with KCFC.
Stanley earned her bachelor’s degree in psychology in May 2015 from USC.
In part 1 of our two part conversation, Caroline shares how she came to faith in Christ, what it was like growing up as a pastor's kid, dealing with peer pressure as a teenager, retiring at age 24 and how her faith was renewed when she went to college at USC.
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Episode 193
Tyler Trent is fighting for his life. The 20 year-old Purdue college student has cancer and is in hospice care.
In 2014, Tyler was diagnosed with bone cancer in high school when his arm snapped playing ultimate Frisbee. He had his right arm removed from elbow to shoulder and replaced with titanium. In April of 2017, he was diagnosed with Osteosarcoma, a rare form of bone cancer and after undergoing a 10-hour surgery in August of 2017, he was able to start classes in his first year of college at Purdue.
As he's continued his courageous battle, the past few months have brought Trent's story into the national spotlight after ESPN did a feature on him in October.
On this episode of the podcast, we talk to Tyler about his health, his sudden fame, how his faith in Christ has guided him during this battle and what he is most thankful for.
Purchase a t-shirt at http://Represent.com/Tyler where all proceeds will go to the V Foundation for Cancer Research.
Derwin Gray is a former defensive back, who played 5 seasons in the NFL with the Colts and Panthers. He’s also the Pastor of Transformation Church near Charlotte, North Carolina.
On this Throwback Thursday edition of the podcast, we hear Derwin's encounter with a teammate known as “The Naked Preacher” that changes Derwin’s life forever and led him to faith in Christ.
You can listen to the entire interview of Episode 3 of the podcast here.
For more, log on to SportsSpectrum.com
Episode 192
Mike Tolbert played 10 years in the NFL with the Chargers, Panthers and Bills. He was undrafted in 2008 coming out of college at Coastal Carolina, but quickly signed a free-agent contract with San Diego.
After 4 years with the Bolts, Tolbert signed a contract with the Carolina Panthers, where he would play 5 seasons, be named to three Pro Bowls, and was named First Team All-Pro in 2013 and 2015.
Tolbert finished up his NFL career in 2017 with the Buffalo Bills, where he helped the club to the playoffs for the first time since 1999.
On this episode of the podcast, we talk to Mike about his decision to call himself a "former" NFL running back, the story of how he almost died after being born, growing up without a father, coming to faith in Christ, and how he stayed connected to Jesus during his NFL career, and what it was like to walk into the weight room for the first time as an NFL rookie.
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Episode 191
Reza Zadeh was born in Iran in 1977. He came to the United States in 1980 at the age of 3.
Through his teen years in high school, Reza was focused on football and school but it was during his time at Colorado State in college that he was first introduced to Jesus Christ.
Today, he's the chaplain for the Denver Broncos and working for Athletes in Action ministering to college athletes at various schools across the state of Colorado.
In part 2 of our conversation, Reza tells us what his Iranian family's reaction was when they heard his son had become a Christian, why community and establishing relationship with people allows us to share our faith, what the biggest spiritual battles he's seen athletes struggle, and how he gets fed in his spiritual life when so much of what he's doing is feeding others.
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Episode 190
Reza Zadeh was born in Iran in 1977. He came to the United States in 1980 at the age of 3.
Through his teen years in high school, Reza was focused on football and school but it was during his time at Colorado State in college that he was first introduced to Jesus Christ.
Today, he's the chaplain for the Denver Broncos and working for Athletes in Action ministering to college athletes at various schools across the state of Colorado.
In part 1 of our conversation, Reza shares his powerful testimony of coming to faith in Christ at college, why he came to the USA from Iran with his family and why ministering to pro and college athletes is something he has a passion for.
For more, log on to http://SportsSpectrum.com
Episode 189
Matthew Boyd is a pitcher with the Detroit Tigers. After playing his college ball at Oregon State, Boyd was selected in the 6th round of the 2013 MLB Draft by the Toronto Blue Jays.
He made his MLB debut on June 26, 2015 against the Texas Rangers. One month later, on July 30, he was traded to Detroit as part of the David Price deal.
Boyd earned his first MLB victory on August 5, 2015 against Kansas City.
In 2018, Boyd had his best season yet, starting 31 games, 170 innings, 159 strikeouts and led the team in wins with 9.
A contributor to Sports Spectrum's INCREASE articles, Boyd and his wife Ashley started a non-profit in 2018 called "Kingdom Home" where young people in Uganda are rescued from sex trafficking, gender based violence, forced child marriages and abandonment and given the safety they need while being raised up with the love of Jesus Christ.
On this episode of the podcast, we talk with Matthew about his 2018 season, how his faith has shaped him throughout his MLB career, the crazy 2015 season that saw him get married and live in 5 different cities after being traded, and why he felt compelled to start a non-profit and help those in Uganda who are in need.
For more, log on to http://SportsSpectrum.com
Katie Lentz is currently an administrator for MLB’s Baseball Assistance Team, a charitable organization that assists members of the baseball family in need of financial, medical or psychological assistance.
But this story isn’t about baseball, it’s about survival. Katie should have died after being hit, head on, by a drunk driver. She suffered multiple fractures including two broken femurs, a broken tibia and fibia, a broken left wrist, nine broken ribs, a lacerated liver, ruptured spleen and bruised lung.
But she didn't die. She lived and her story is incredible.
In this Throwback Thursday edition of the podcast, Katie shares the story of the mysterious priest who showed up at the site of her wreckage while she was trapped in her car.
You can listen to the entire interview of Episode 18 of the podcast here.
For more, log on to SportsSpectrum.com
Episode 188
Wesley Woodyard plays linebacker for the Tennessee Titans in the NFL. He was originally undrafted in 2008 coming out of Kentucky, where he was two-time First Team All-SEC in 2006 and 2007.
In 2008, he signed with the Denver Broncos, where he played five seasons and helped Denver to a Super Bowl berth in 2013.
In 2014, he signed with the Tennessee Titans and is now in his 5th season in Nashville.
This season, he has helped the Titans to a 5-4 start and had 20 combined tackles and 2.5 sacks in wins over Dallas on Monday Night Football and New England.
On this episode of the podcast, we talk to Wesley about the Titans recent success, playing through injuries, what faith looks like in the Tennessee locker room, how his faith has evolved since coming to the NFL, leading the team's chapel for the first time and his biggest spiritual challenge this season.
For more, log on to http://SportsSpectrum.com
Episode 187
Trevor Knight played quarterback at Oklahoma from 2012-2015. He was the 2014 Sugar Bowl MVP after throwing for 348 yards and 4 touchdowns in a 45-31 win over Alabama.
In 2016, he transferred to Texas A&M, where he threw for 19 touchdown passes and ran for 10 touchdowns in his senior season.
After not being selected in the 2017 NFL Draft, Knight signed a deal with the Arizona Cardinals before getting released right before the season began. After a stint on the Falcons practice squad, he underwent back surgery.
Knight will return to football in the Alliance of American Football spring league that makes its debut in the spring of 2019.
In part 2 of our conversation, we talk to Trevor about being recognized on College Gameday by pop singer Katy Perry, how faith played a role in his decision to transfer from Oklahoma to Texas A&M, what he learned from Carson Palmer and Matt Ryan and how missions trips to Haiti impacted his life in a powerful way.
For more, log on to http://SportsSpectrum.com
Episode 186
Trevor Knight played quarterback at Oklahoma from 2012-2015. He was the 2014 Sugar Bowl MVP after throwing for 348 yards and 4 touchdowns in a 45-31 win over Alabama.
In 2016, he transferred to Texas A&M, where he threw for 19 touchdown passes and ran for 10 touchdowns in his senior season.
After not being selected in the 2017 NFL Draft, Knight signed a deal with the Arizona Cardinals before getting released right before the season began. After a stint on the Falcons practice squad, he underwent back surgery.
Knight will return to football in the Alliance of American Football spring league that makes its debut in the spring of 2019.
In part 1 of our conversation, we talk to Trevor about returning to football after being out for over a year, where his faith journey began, how he dealt with the news of his father's cancer diagnosis in high school, dealing with adversity and how he was able to fight temptations during his time in college.
For more, log on to http://SportsSpectrum.com
Episode 185
Kevin McCadam played 5 seasons in the NFL with the Falcons and Panthers. He was selected in the 5th round of the 2002 NFL Draft by Atlanta where he would play 4 seasons before signing in Carolina in 2006.
He played his college football at Virginia Tech where he starred at safety for the Hokies.
In 2007, his NFL career was over after being released by the Jaguars in the preseason.
But it was what happened to his life after retirement that changed him forever.
Kevin is now the assisting pastor at Calvary Chapel in Morgantown, West Virginia.
On this episode of the podcast, we talk to Kevin about his NFL journey, playing with Michael Vick, winning a playoff game at Lambeau Field, coming to faith in Christ after his playing days and leaving the sports world to go into ministry full-time in West Virginia.
For more, log on to http://SportsSpectrum.com
James Brown is the host of CBS Sports' NFL Today show and joined us on Episode 17 of the podcast back in June of 2017.
Since February 2006, JB has served as host for the CBS Television Network’s NFL pre-game show, THE NFL TODAY. He has also hosted the Network’s Super Bowl pre-game show for its coverage of Super Bowl XLIV (2010) and for Super Bowl XLI (2007).
On this Throwback Thursday edition of the show, we bring back JB's story of how he shares his faith in the workplace.
You can listen to the entire interview of Episode 17 of the podcast here.
For more, log on to SportsSpectrum.com
Episode 184
Les Norman was selected by the Kansas City Royals in the 25th round of the 1991 MLB Draft. He made his Major League debut on May 29, 1995 and played 2 seasons with the Royals.
He is currently a syndicated sports radio host, TV analyst, author and motivational speaker. You can hear his show "Breaking the Norm" on ESPN's 1510 AM and 94.5 FM in Kansas City each Tuesday as well streaming on his website LesNorman.com.
Les grew up in less than ideal conditions with a father who was abusive and an alcoholic. Years of battling the ‘father wounds’ drove Les to those same addictions, and attempts to cover them up almost cost him his family. Through God’s healing power and His Word, Les uses His story and years of experience to share and help other men live a life ARMED for battle.
On this episode of the podcast, we talk to Les about growing up with an abusive father, how he dealt with his Dad's death, how baseball drove him to many of the same decisions that his Dad had made and the awesome story of a coach coming alongside Les and sharing the Gospel with him. This is a story of redemption and amazing grace.
For more, log on to http://SportsSpectrum.com
Episode 183
Jason Eaker joined Oklahoma Baptist as their head men’s basketball coach in April 2018. Eaker, who spent one season in a Bison uniform before finishing his playing days at Hardin-Simmons University, grew up coming to OBU games. His father, Allen Eaker, is an OBU Athletics Hall of Famer who played on the 1966 OBU national championship basketball team.
Eaker came to OBU from Mercer, where he has been an assistant coach since 2013. He has 15 years of coaching experience, including nine years as a NCAA Division I assistant coach. He has been in the postseason six times with three different programs and has recruited or developed 16 players that have earned All-Conference honors.
Eaker previously worked as an assistant coach at Liberty University from 2007 to 2013 after being director of basketball operations for the Flames from 2005 to 2007.
Eaker spent a year as Kelvin Sampson’s graduate assistant at the University of Oklahoma in the 2004-05 season and started his basketball staff career as Hoffman’s video coordinator at Texas Pan-American in 2003-04.
In part 2 of our two-part conversation, Jason opens up about a mistake he made that led to him stepping away from coaching. He shares why he did what he did, and the lessons he's learned from God about healing, reconciliation and redemption.
For more, log on to http://SportsSpectrum.com
Episode 182
Jason Eaker joined Oklahoma Baptist as their head men’s basketball coach in April 2018. Eaker, who spent one season in a Bison uniform before finishing his playing days at Hardin-Simmons University, grew up coming to OBU games. His father, Allen Eaker, is an OBU Athletics Hall of Famer who played on the 1966 OBU national championship basketball team.
Eaker came to OBU from Mercer, where he has been an assistant coach since 2013. He has 15 years of coaching experience, including nine years as a NCAA Division I assistant coach. He has been in the postseason six times with three different programs and has recruited or developed 16 players that have earned All-Conference honors.
Eaker previously worked as an assistant coach at Liberty University from 2007 to 2013 after being director of basketball operations for the Flames from 2005 to 2007.
Eaker spent a year as Kelvin Sampson's graduate assistant at the University of Oklahoma in the 2004-05 season and started his basketball staff career as Hoffman's video coordinator at Texas Pan-American in 2003-04.
In part 1 of our two-part conversation with Jason Eaker, we learn about his coaching journey, what it meant to him to get his first head coaching job, his biggest adjustment going from assistant coach to head coach, what the grind of recruiting is like and how his faith shapes the way he goes about his job.
For more, log on to http://SportsSpectrum.com
Episode 181
Ashley Brewer covers sports in Los Angeles for ABC7 as a reporter and anchor.
Ashley attended the University of Southern California, where she was a member of the varsity women's swimming team and competed in the 2012 Olympic Trials (100-meter backstroke).
After graduating from USC, Ashley became a college football sideline reporter for Cox 7 Arizona. She then became the weekend sports anchor at KGUN-9, the ABC affiliate in Tucson, Arizona. In her two years at KGUN, Ashley covered all professional and college sports, as well as Super Bowl XLIX and the 2016 College Football National Championship game.
Her love of sports comes from growing up in a family of five Division-I athletes. Her oldest brother, Charles, was a pitcher for the Diamondbacks, her brother Chase played baseball at UCLA, and her younger brother Connor played QB at the University of Virginia. Her younger sister, Abby, played volleyball at USC. Ashley's mother, Deborah Pyburn Brewer, was also a television anchor in Phoenix for almost 10 years before leaving to start a family.
On this episode of the podcast, Ashley shares what it likes to cover sports in Los Angeles, growing up in a sports family of elite athletes, where her faith began to take shape, what Jesus and church looks like in Hollywood and how she stays grounded in her faith through Matthew 5:16.
For more, log on to http://SportsSpectrum.com
Ernie Johnson hosts TNT's Inside the NBA and joined us on Episode 7 of the podcast back in May of 2017.
On this Throwback Thursday edition of the show, we bring back Ernie's story of coming to faith in Christ.
You can listen to the entire interview of Episode 7 of the podcast here.
For more, log on to SportsSpectrum.com
Episode 180
Tony Bennett has been the men's basketball coach at the University of Virginia since 2009. He's led the Cavaliers to 3 ACC regular season titles, and 2 ACC conference titles. In 2018, Virginia was the number one overall seed in the NCAA Tournament after finishing with a 31-3 record. For his accomplishments, Bennett was named the NABC Coach of the Year, the Naismith Coach of the Year and the AP National Coach of the Year.
After playing his college basketball at the University of Wisconsin-Green Bay under his father Dick Bennett, Tony was selected in the second round of the 1992 NBA Draft by the Charlotte Hornets. He would go on to a 4-year NBA stint from 1992-95 before a foot injury would end his career.
Prior to Virginia, Bennett was the head coach at Washington State, where he brought that program to the national spotlight by winning 26 game in back-to-back seasons in 2006-07 and 2007-08.
On this episode of the podcast, we talk to Coach Bennett about becoming the first No. 1 seed to lose to a No. 16 seed in the NCAA Tournament, how he was able to face that adversity with humility and grace, where his faith journey in Christ began, why beginning his day in the Lord is a discipline that he instilled into his life and how he lives his faith out everyday as a prominent coach, and the Bible verse that he is clinging to right now.
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Episode 179
Christa Dietzen is a 2-time Olympic Volleyball player with Team USA. She was the co-captain of the 2012 London team that captured the Silver Medal and the 2016 team that won Bronze.
She was selected to join the U.S. National team roster in May of 2009. Prior to that, she led Penn State University to 2 back-to-back NCAA championships.
The 2007 Big-10 player of the year retired from volleyball following the 2016 Olympics and is now a public speaker, encouraging and sharing her testimony and story to others.
In part 2 of our two-part podcast, Christa shares the emotional journey of her first Olympic experience in London at the 2012 games, returning to the 2016 games in Rio, retiring at the age of 29 and how her platform has led her to sharing and speaking about her faith testimony to others.
For more, log on to http://SportsSpectrum.com
Episode 178
Christa Dietzen is a 2-time Olympic Volleyball player with Team USA. She was the co-captain of the 2012 London team that captured the Silver Medal and the 2016 team that won Bronze.
She was selected to join the U.S. National team roster in May of 2009. Prior to that, she led Penn State University to 2 back-to-back NCAA championships.
The 2007 Big-10 player of the year retired from volleyball following the 2016 Olympics and is now a public speaker, encouraging and sharing her testimony and story to others.
In part one of our 2-part podcast, Christa shares how she came to love volleyball, her time at Penn State and how her drive toward becoming an Olympian actually led her to faith in Christ.
For more, log on to http://SportsSpectrum.com
Episode 177
George Schroeder is in his 7th season covering college football for USA Today. Previously, he worked in Arkansas and Oregon before taking the job with USA Today in 2012.
The University of Oklahoma grad is married to Elizabeth and has 3 children, Elizabeth, 18, George, 17 and Christopher, 8.
On this episode of the podcast, we hear about George's work covering college football and where George's passion for the sport began. But the majority of this interview is spent telling the story of George's son Christopher and how God was able to do a miracle in his young son's life. This is a story of faith, trust, hope and love through a difficult season of life for George Schroeder and his family.
For more, log on to http://SportsSpectrum.com
Episode 176
Charlie Ward played 11 seasons in the NBA with the Knicks, Spurs and Rockets. He was selected in the first round of the 1994 NBA Draft by New York (26th overall) after a stellar college career that saw him shine as a football player.
In 1993, Charlie won the Heisman Trophy as college football's most outstanding player. He would lead the Seminoles to the National Championship and 13 years later, would be inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 2006.
Ward is the only Heisman Trophy winner to ever play in the NBA and he was a member of the Knicks team in 1999 that made it all the way to the NBA Finals before losing to San Antonio.
On this episode of the podcast, we talk to Charlie Ward about the 25th anniversary of that 1993 college football season, deciding to play pro basketball instead of football, what Florida State coach Bobby Bowden taught him about faith, how he lived his life in the NBA as an outspoken follower of Christ and why he decided to start the Charlie Ward Family Foundation.
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Episode 175
Kyle Gibson is a pitcher for the Minnesota Twins. In 2018, he set career-highs in ERA (3.62), innings pitcher (196.2), and strikeouts (179). His 10 wins placed second for a club that finished the year with 11 wins in their final 14 games.
Selected in the first round (22nd overall) of the 2009 MLB Amateur Draft, Gibson has been a part of the Twins organization his entire pro career.
He made his MLB debut on June 29, 2013 going 6 inning and getting the win against the Kansas City Royals.
On this episode of the podcast, Kyle helps us preview the 2018 World Series, shares what its like to pitch at Fenway Park, seeing his former teammate Brian Dozier get traded and now playing in the World Series, and what he learned from the Lord this year that was different from other seasons as an MLB player.
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Episode 174
Rich Donnelly coached and played professional baseball for 48 seasons. He was signed as a catcher by the Minnesota Twins in 1967 and played for the late, great baseball legend, Ted Williams.
He has spent 25 years as a MLB coach with the Rangers, Pirates, Marlins, Rockies, Brewers, Dodgers and Mariners.
In 2018, he spent time as a coach with the New York Mets minor league affiliate in Brooklyn.
Rich was a member of the 1997 Florida Marlins team that won the World Series. A book on the life of Rich titled "The Chicken Runs at Midnight"released on October 2, 2018 with Zondervan Publishers.
In part 2 of our two-part podcast, Rich Donnelly shares takes the story of "The Chicken Runs at Midnight" and shares why his daughter Amy's death helped him as more difficult times entered into his life. Overcoming cancer, the loss of another son and watching two daughters get caught in a mass shooting. Through it all, Rich has remained positive and faithful to God's promises.
For more, log on to http://SportsSpectrum.com