Benjamin Watson has played 14 NFL seasons as a tight end with the Patriots, Browns, Saints and Ravens.
Watson attended Northwestern High School in Rock Hill, South Carolina and was a letterman in football. In football, as a senior, he caught 31 passes for 515 yards. The two-time All-Region selection and Northwestern HS Student of the Year led his team to the state championship in his junior season. He was also a member of his high school chapter of The Fellowship of Christian Athletes.
After attending Duke University as a freshman, he transferred to the University of Georgia where he majored in finance. After an all-SEC senior campaign, he was drafted in the 1st round of the 2004 NFL Draft by the New England Patriots. As a Patriot, Benjamin was blessed to receive a Super Bowl ring in his rookie season as well as appear in another in 2007.
Off the field, Benjamin stays busy with his foundation One More, his growing family, and the NFL Players Association, where he serves on the Executive Committee. He is also an NFL Spokesman for the All Pro Dad Campaign.
In 2015, Watson published his first book, “Under Our Skin: Getting Real About Race- And Getting Free From The Fears and Frustrations That Divide Us”. This book stemmed from a facebook post that went viral following a football game in November of 2014.
On May 2, 2017 Watson released “The New Dad’s Playbook: Gearing Up for the Biggest Game of Your Life."
In this episode, Benjamin talks about parenthood, why he wrote his latest book, the epidemic of absent fathers, his injury rehab, how much longer he wants to play, catching touchdowns from Drew Brees and Tom Brady and his viral Facebook post that changed his life.
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In August of 2008, Brian and Kathy Haugen experienced the worst tragedy any parent could ever go through, the loss of their son. 15-year-old Taylor died on the football field playing the game he loved.
In his short 15 ½ years, Taylor Reid Haugen left an indelible mark on the community though his living faith and compassion for his friends, team, community, organizations and church. “T”, as he was known, was well-respected by his peers, teachers, congregation and family as an upbeat, positive, selfless yet self-confident young man whose, two passions were Jesus and football. T was a natural leader among his friends and teammates, a mentor to the young and a positive influence and inspiration to all who knew him and of him.
Brian and Kathy are the parents of Taylor. Kathy is the Executive Director of the Taylor Haugen Foundation. It's mission is to "build and recognize youth leaders and promote youth sports safety to honor the legacy of Taylor Haugen." You can listen to their story on the podcast below.
In this episode of the podcast, Jason Romano talks with Brian and Kathy about the legacy of their son, going through the tragedy of losing a child, and how they turned the pain of Taylor's death, into purpose.
To read the piece that compliments this podcast, please check out http://SportsSpectrum.com
Adam Wainwright is a starting pitcher for the St Louis Cardinals. He's been a mainstay with the organization now for 13 seasons. He's a 2-time World Series Champion (2006, 2011), a 3-time All Star and a 2-time Gold Glove winner.
Adam isn't just an elite Major League Baseball player, he's also a man of faith and has taken his love for Jesus into the mission field to start Big League Impact, a non-profit designed to serve and help those in need both in the U.S.A and overseas.
In this episode of the podcast, Adam shares why he believes pitchers are the best athletes, his love for hitting, how often he's asked about the Carlos Beltran pitch, how he stays grounded in his faith during a long MLB season, and why he started Big League Impact.
For more, you can check us out on the web at http://SportsSpectrum.com
Episode 13
Jon Gordon is the author of 17 books, including 5 best-sellers: The Energy Bus, The Carpenter, Training Camp, You Win in the Locker Room First and The Power of Positive Leadership.
Jon and his tips have been featured on The Today Show, CNN, CNBC, The Golf Channel, Fox and Friends and in numerous magazines and newspapers. His clients include The Los Angeles Dodgers, The Atlanta Falcons, LA Clippers, Miami Heat, Pittsburgh Pirates, and Clemson Football.
In this episode of the podcast, Jon shares about his decision to quit the corporate world and follow God's call to speak and write books. Jon shares about his story of faith and why he chose to follow Jesus. He also talks about his relationships with sports teams and how he got involved with some of the biggest teams and the most well-known coaches in football and baseball.
Jon's book "The Carpenter" has been an inspiration to host Jason Romano and Jason and Jon talk about the principles in that book that have gone on to shape the way Romano thinks and lives.
For more, you can check us out on the web at http://SportsSpectrum.com.
Episode 12
Jared Dudley is a forward on the Phoenix Suns. He just finished his 10th NBA season and has averaged 8.3 points over his career.
A second-team All-American for Boston College, Jared was the 2007 ACC player of the year and the 22nd overall selection by the Charlotte Bobcats (now Hornets) in the 2007 NBA Draft.
Dudley's career has spanned 5 NBA teams including stints with the Bobcats, Suns, Clippers, Bucks, and Wizards. In July of 2016, Jared signed a 3-year deal to return to Phoenix and supply veteran leadership for a very young team.
On this episode of the podcast, Jared Dudley talks with Jason Romano about his NBA journey, mentoring young players, being a Christian in the NBA, returning to Phoenix, and his 2017 NBA Finals prediction.
For more info on all that we're doing with the podcast, or to partner with us, you can check us out on the web at http://SportsSpectrum.com
Episode 11
David Nelson won 2 National Championships at the University of Florida and caught passes from Tim Tebow. He was undrafted in 2010 and signed a free agent contract with Buffalo. His NFL career lasted 5 seasons with the Bills, Browns and Jets.
During the 2012 NFL offseason, David took a trip to Haiti that would change his life. Seeing the conditions, the children, the poverty, Nelson felt called to do more and began a ministry called ImMe to bring the sustaining and empowering structure of family to the orphans of the world through care, prevention, and stewardship.
On this episode of the podcast, David Nelson talks with Jason Romano about his faith, the moment where a stranger helped make an encounter with Christ become real, his early struggles in college at Florida under Urban Meyer, and how his teammate Tim Tebow, helped show him what it really meant to be a man of God.
Episode 10
Scott Lehman is the founder of In His Grip Golf and the author of More Than A Game: Finding Life’s Answers Through Golf.
On this episode of the podcast, Scott takes us through his journey as a fan of golf, how God grabbed a hold of him 20 years ago in 1997 in the midst of his marriage falling apart and how he was able to repair that marriage and start a ministry to help spread the gospel of Jesus through the game of golf.
Recently, Scott has introduced the In His Grip Golf Show on YouTube that tells the stories of faith and golf.
For more, you can check us out on the web at http://SportsSpectrum.com
Episode 9
Hunter Renfrow is a wide receiver for the Clemson Tigers.
On January 9, 2017, the Clemson Tigers won College Football's National Championship game, beating Alabama 35-31. With just :01 left on the clock, Tigers QB Deshaun Watson found Renfrow for the 2-yard touchdown pass and a trip to college football immortality.
In this episode of the podcast, we talk to Hunter Renfrow about that moment where he scores the winning touchdown and wins college football's national title. We also ask him about the faith of his coach Dabo Swinney and the impact he has had on Hunter's life both on and off the field.
For more, you can check us out on the web at http://SportsSpectrum.com
Episode 8
Jerry Birch just completed his 18th season as the chaplain for the NBA Champion Cleveland Cavaliers.
He is also the co-pastor of Abundant Grace Fellowship in Cleveland and leads a marriage ministry with his wife Gail.
In this episode, Pastor Jerry discusses what it's like to be the primary spiritual advisor for the World Champion Cavs. We discuss LeBron James' faith and whether he attends chapel, as well as how the community and culture of the NBA gravitates towards matters of faith.
Pastor Jerry also shares his own story of infidelity and sin and how God grabbed a hold of him and not only brought him back to the faith, but called him to become a Pastor.
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For more on this podcast, you can check us out on the web at http://SportsSpectrum.com
Episode 7
Ernie Johnson is the host of TNT's Inside the NBA. He joined Turner Sports in 1989 and has been a legend in the broadcasting industry.
He's a 3-time Sports Emmy Award winner and considered one of the best in the business at what he does.
His new book is titled "Unscripted: The Unpredictable Moments That Make Life Extraordinary" is available everywhere now.
Ernie's most important job is probably being Cheryl's husband and the father of 6 children, 4 of which are adopted.
In this episode, Ernie shares his very personal story of coming to the Christian faith, raising a special needs son, what a typical day is like working on Inside the NBA, and what it meant to speak out on the TNT set the night after the election of President Donald Trump.
For more, you can check us out on the web at http://SportsSpectrum.com.
Episode 6
Jaccob Slavin was selected by the Carolina Hurricanes in the 4th round (120th overall) of the 2012 NHL Entry Draft. He made his NHL debut on November 20, 2015.
Slavin played every game for the Hurricanes this past year and even scored his first ever hat-trick on March 13 against the Islanders.
Jaccob comes from a very large family that has been about three things: Faith, Family and Hockey.
In this episode, Jaccob Slavin shares the story of when his faith in Christ became his own, the crazy way met his wife, and his welcome to the NHL moment as a rookie back in 2015.
For more, you can check us out on the web at http://SportsSpectrum.com
Episode 5
Sam and Emmanuel Acho are brothers who both achieved their dream of making it to the NFL.
Sam was selected in the 4th round of the 2011 NFL Draft by the Cardinals and played in Arizona from 2011-2014 before signing with the Bears in 2015 and playing the last 2 seasons in Chicago.
Emmanuel was selected in the 6th round of the 2012 NFL Draft by the Cleveland Browns. His career spanned 4 seasons with stints in Cleveland, Philadelphia and with the New York Giants. Emmanuel last played in the NFL with Philadelphia in 2015.
In this episode, the Acho brothers discuss their faith, growing up as elite athletes, faith in the NFL locker room, and how to navigate the world of race through the lens of the gospel.
For more, you can check us out on the web at http://sportspectrum.com
Episode 4
Mo Isom's story is one that you will not soon forget. She is the author of the New York Times Bestseller "WRECK MY LIFE: Journeying from Broken to Bold."
She was an All-American goalkeeper for the Louisiana State University soccer team and the first female to try out for an SEC men's football team. She holds the LSU all-time goalkeeper record as well as the #3 SEC all-time shutout record.
She trained with the US Women's National program, was honored as National Player of the Week, has appeared on ESPN SportsCenter Top-10 Plays, and has been featured in Sports Illustrated and appeared on Ellen, ESPN, CBS, The 700 Club, and countless other platforms.
Mo's life has had incredible success in the sports world, but also has been crushed through personal adversity. Isom's story is sure to inspire you and challenge you.
For more, you can check us out on the web at http://SportsSpectrum.com
Episode 3
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.
In this episode, Derwin shares his story of growing up without a Dad, making it to the NFL and an encounter he has with a teammate known as "The Naked Pastor" that changes Derwin's life forever.
Derwin talks about the transition he makes from NFL player to pastoring a very large church and the tension he wrestled with in saying yes to God's calling after his football career.
For more, you can check us out on the web at http://SportsSpectrum.com
Episode 2
Former NFL QB Matt Hasselbeck and Matt Chandler, Pastor of The Village Church in Dallas, TX, join us on the Sports Spectrum Podcast.
Chandler, grew up away from God and shares his story of how he came to the faith and eventually became a pastor in Dallas. Pastor Matt also shares how he pastors superstar NFL players like Tony Romo at his church. Lastly, on Thanksgiving morning in 2009, Chandler had a seizure at his home and was later diagnosed with anapestic oligodendroglioma, a malignant brain tumor. Pastor Matt talks in great detail about how he dealt with the news and how his faith was tested.
Hasselbeck played 17 seasons in the NFL with the Packers, Seahawks, Titans and Colts. Matt grew up as a Christian, but shares how he had to make his faith his own and not just what he was taught as a kid. We also take you inside the locker room and how Hasselbeck, the quarterback, the face of a team, lived out his life as a believer.
For more, you can check us out on the web at http://SportsSpectrum.com.
Episode 1
Miami Marlins pitcher Adam Conley and team chaplain Chris Lane join us on the debut episode of the Sports Spectrum Podcast.
Conley was selected by the Marlins in the second round of the 2011 MLB Draft. Jose Fernandez was taken in the first round of that same draft and he and Conley became close as they began their trek to the Big Leagues.
Fernandez made his MLB debut with Miami in 2013. Two years later, in 2015, Adam got the call and the two rekindled a friendship on the Big League level that had began in low-A minor league ball a few years prior.
On September 25, 2016, as Adam was waking up to get ready to pitch against the Atlanta Braves, he was given the news that his friend Jose Fernandez had died in a boating accident. Jose was 24 years old.
In this podcast, Adam, along with Chris Lane, talk about the moments after learning of Jose's death and what that time was like in the clubhouse as they were experiencing the worst tragedy a team could go through.
As the team chaplain, Chris Lane is called on to love and care for his team and minister to them in their time of grief. But instead of him having to stand up and speak to the team, it was a second-year pitcher named Adam Conley that stood up and addressed the club. What Conley said that morning may have changed the lives of every person that heard it.
http://SportsSpectrum.com
Welcome to the Sports Spectrum Podcast, where the stories of sports and faith collide. You will hear the stories from across the sports landscape. From the big name NFL player to the high school coach, our hope and prayer is to see the name of Jesus glorified through the power of story. We all have our own story and this podcast’s goal is to bring YOU, the listener, the story of sports and faith.