Info

Sports Spectrum Podcast

Launched in 2017 and now with over 5 million downloads, Sports Spectrum's podcast features stories on the intersection of sports and faith. Hosted by former ESPN Senior Producer Jason Romano, new conversations drop multiple times each week.
RSS Feed
Sports Spectrum Podcast
2023
December
November
October
September
August
July
June
May
April
March
February
January


2022
December
November
October
September
August
July
June
May
April
March
February
January


2021
December
November
October
September
August
July
June
May
April
March
February
January


2020
December
November
October
September
August
July
June
May
April
March
February
January


2019
December
November
October
September
August
July
June
May
April
March
February
January


2018
December
November
October
September
August
July
June
May
April
March
February
January


2017
December
November
October
September
August
July
June
May
April
March


Categories

All Episodes
Archives
Categories
Now displaying: August, 2018
Aug 31, 2018

Episode 146

Hugh Freeze is the former head coach of the Ole Miss football team. In 2017, Freeze resigned from his position amid an NCAA investigation and evidence of personal misconduct.

Freeze coached the Bulldogs from 2012-2016 where he led his club to a 2016 Sugar Bowl victory over Oklahoma. Last year, he appeared on the Sports Spectrum podcast and shared his journey of coaching. 

On this episode of the podcast, we talk with Hugh Freeze in the aftermath of resigning from Ole Miss in 2017 about redemption, empathy, forgiveness, repentance and walking through a difficult season of life with his wife and family as a person of faith.

For more, log on to http://SportsSpectrum.com 

 

Aug 29, 2018

Episode 145

John Carney kicked in the NFL for 23 years from 1988 to 2010. 

A graduate of Notre Dame, he began his kicking journey in 1987 with the Cincinnati Bengals before being released prior to the start of the season. 1988 is when he saw his first official NFL game action with Tampa.

In 1990, he signed a contract with the San Diego Chargers, where he would remain for 11 seasons. After his time was up with the Chargers, he would go on to play 6 seasons with the Saints (01-06) and then finish his career with Jacksonville, the New York Giants and then back with the Saints before retiring in 2010. 

He's currently fifth all-time on the NFL career scoring list (2,044 points) and was the last remaining player from the 1980's still active in professional football.

On this episode of the podcast, John shares when his kicking journey began, whether he could still kick for an NFL team today at the age of 54, how his faith in Christ took shape, kicking at Notre Dame, and embracing his role today as a mentor to the next generation.

For more, log on to http://SportsSpectrum.com

 

Aug 27, 2018

Episode 144

Ben Malcolmson's official title is "Director of External Relations" for the Seattle Seahawks but if you see how around the team complex, his real title is "Assistant to the Head Coach."

Ben is the right hand man to Seahawks coach Pete Carroll, who he met during his time as a student at the University of Southern California in the mid-2000's. 

His first book was just released, "WALK ON: From Pee Wee Dropout to the NFL Sidelines - My Unlikely Story of Football, Purpose and Following an Amazing God." and is available on Amazon and everywhere books are found. 

On this episode of the podcast, you'll hear the crazy story of how Ben went from hating football to covering football to then playing football at USC. A modern version of RUDY, Ben's journey included opportunities for him to live out his faith in the locker room and seeing how God can take terrible situations and turn them around for his glory. 

For more, log on to http://SportsSpectrum.com 

Aug 23, 2018

Episode 143

Pat Doney has covered sports in the Dallas/Ft Worth area since 2013. 

He is an Edward R. Murrow award winner and has been nominated for an Emmy Award six times. 

A graduate of Liberty University, Pat has made broadcasting stops in Lynchburg, VA, Rock Hill, SC, Fayetteville, AK and Louisville, KY. 

Pat's work is featured on NBC 5 covering Dallas sports, most notably, the Cowboys. 

On this episode of the podcast, we talk with Pat about his broadcasting journey and covering the Cowboys but the majority of this interview focuses on adoption and the Doney's experience adopting their son Hudson. This is a powerful episode that will encourage and challenge you. 

For more, log on to http://SportsSpectrum.com 

Aug 20, 2018

Episode 142

Patrick Nix is the head football coach at Pinson Valley High School in Pinson, Alabama. His son Bo is the starting quarterback for Pinson Valley. 

Patrick played college football at Auburn University from 1992-95 where he passed for 4,957 yards and 31 touchdowns and was a part of the Tigers team that finished undefeated in 1993. After his playing career ended, he turned to coaching in college at places like Samford, Georgia Tech and Miami before becoming a high school coach in Alabama with Scottsboro from 2013-2016. In 2017, his first season as the head coach at Pinson Valley, he led the Indians to their first state football championship in the school's history.

Bo is entering his senior season with Pinson Valley as a 4-star QB and will follow in his father's footsteps to play his college ball at Auburn. He was the MVP of the 2017 High School Championship Game where he ran for two scores and threw for another as he completed 13-of-25 passes for 223 yards. Bo also participated in Elite 11 and in June won the Quarterback Skills Challenge at the Rivals 5-Star Challenge in Atlanta. 

On this episode of the podcast, we talk with Patrick and Bo about their 2017 state championship run, what it's like to coach a son and play for a father, Bo's decision to play at Auburn, how their faith plays a role in their football journeys and which Bible verse they are clinging to right now. 

For more, log on to http://SportsSpectrum.com 

Aug 16, 2018

Episode 141

Jesse Bradley is the pastor of Grace Community Church in Auburn, Washington (near Seattle). 

A graduate of Dartmouth College, Jesse is also a former professional soccer goalkeeper (played in Zimbabwe, Africa and Aberdeen, Scotland). 

In his spare time, he's also a radio host, podcaster, author, and speaker. He has released two books "Rooted in Grace" and "A New Season" available everywhere books are sold.

Bradley is married to Laurie and together, they have four kids.

On this episode of the podcast, we talk with Jesse about his love for soccer, growing up without God in his life, becoming a professional goalkeeper, almost dying in Africa, and making that transition to becoming a pastor. 

For more on Jesse, check out Exploring-Faith.com.

Aug 14, 2018

Episode 140

Greg Davis coached football for 43 years, most notably with the Texas Longhorns, as their offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach from 1998-2010. 

In 2005, Davis was named the Frank Broyles Assistant Coach of the Year after helping lead the Longhorns to the National Championship. 

After departing from Texas in 2010, Davis began a 5-year stint with the University of Iowa as their offensive coordinator. 

On January 6, 2017, he retired from coaching. 

In part 2 of our conversation with Coach Davis, he shares his favorite Mack Brown story, how he came to work with Coach Brown, whether the 2006 Rose Bowl is the best college football game he's ever been a part of, and what he learned from winning a title game and losing a title game.  

For more, log on to http://SportsSpectrum.com.

Aug 13, 2018

Episode 139

Greg Davis coached football for 43 years, most notably with the Texas Longhorns, as their offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach from 1998-2010. 

In 2005, Davis was named the Frank Broyles Assistant Coach of the Year after helping lead the Longhorns to the National Championship. 

After departing from Texas in 2010, Davis began a 5-year stint with the University of Iowa as their offensive coordinator. 

On January 6, 2017, he retired from coaching. 

In part 1 of a two-part conversation with Davis, we talk to Greg about retirement, stepping away from the game he coached for more than 40 years, why "culture" is so important for a team, and he lived out his faith in Christ as a football coach.

For more, log on to http://SportsSpectrum.com.

Aug 10, 2018

Episode 138

Kristen Ledlow is a host and sideline reporter covering the NBA for TNT and NBA TV. She also co-hosts NBA TV's show "Inside Stuff" with Grant Hill.

A graduate of Southeastern University, Kristen was an All-American volleyball player and set records as a basketball player. After college, she began her broadcasting journey covering college football and basketball on the local level.

Ledlow also was voted Miss Capital City USA in 2012 and placed Top 5 at Miss Florida USA. In 2014, she moved to NBA TV and began covering the NBA full-time.

On this episode of the podcast, we talk to Kristen about covering the NBA, getting to call play by play during the summer league broadcasts, where her faith in Christ was formed, the importance of being involved in her local church and the spiritual challenges she faces being a public figure. 

For more, log on to http://SportsSpectrum.com 

Aug 8, 2018

Episode 137

Rashad Jennings played 8 seasons in the NFL from 2009-2016. He was selected in the 7th round of the 2009 NFL Draft by the Jacksonville Jaguars (250th overall). Despite scoring 25 touchdowns and rushing for over 3,700 yards in his career, Jennings may be more known for winning Season 24 of ABC's Dancing with the Starsin 2017. 

In 2018, Jennings released his first book, "THE IF IN LIFE: How to Get off Life's Sidelines and Become Your Best Self."

Growing up a chubby kid, who suffered from asthma and with a father who drank and smoked, Jennings wasn't sure if he would ever make it, but a moment in high school when he came off the bench after being a 4th string running back, changed his trajectory and started a path toward football excellence. 

On this episode of the podcast, Jennings shares deeply personal stories about growing up with a father who drank and smoked, overcoming the odds to make it in football, what playing football at Liberty did for his faith, having his Dad come watch him for the first time at an NFL game, and why he felt called to start his own foundation to invest and give back. 

For more, log on to http://SportsSpectrum.com 

Aug 6, 2018

Episode 136

R.A. Dickey pitched for 15 seasons in the Major Leagues with the Rangers, Mariners, Twins, Mets, Blue Jays and Braves. 

A member of TEAM USA at the 1996 Olympics, Dickey pitched and helped the Americans win the Bronze Medal.

In 2001, Dickey made his MLB debut with Texas. 9 years later, Dickey found himself in New York, starting for the Mets and establishing himself as a very good pitcher. In 2012, he was the best pitcher in the National League, becoming the first knuckleball pitcher to win the Cy Young award. He went 20-6 with 230 strikeouts and an ERA of 2.73 and made his first and only All-Star team. 

In December 2012, Dickey was traded to the Toronto Blue Jays, where he would win 49 games in 4 seasons that included a Gold Glove award in 2013. 

Dickey would finish his career in 2017 at the age of 42 with the Atlanta Braves, winning 10 games.

Writing is also a passion for R.A. and in 2012, he released his autobiography "Wherever I Wind Up." In the book, he shares candidly about growing up in a broken home, being sexually abused, his struggles with infidelity, and wanting to not live anymore. 

On this episode of the podcast, we talk with R.A. about his first season away from baseball, acclimating himself to "Dad Life," growing up in a broken home, seeking treatment, how faith in Christ saved him, and the platform God gave him after winning the 2012 Cy Young Award. 

For more, log on to http://SportsSpectrum.com 

Aug 2, 2018

Episode 135

Kelvin Beachum Jr was selected in the 7th round of the 2012 NFL Draft by the Pittsburgh Steelers. After 4 seasons with the Steelers, he played one year with Jacksonville and in 2017, he signed a 3-year contract with the New York Jets. 

Growing up in the church, Kelvin was a basketball and football player in high school before deciding to attend SMU in Dallas on a football scholarship. 

Kelvin is also passionate about giving back and and has devoted a ton of time and money into ending hunger as well as education for young people. 

On this episode of the podcast, Kelvin shares about the "necessary evil" that is NFL training camp, growing up attending church multiple times a week, the culture shock that was presented to him when he arrived for college at SMU, and how unity in the body of Christ is possible when topics such as race and injustice are brought to the forefront. 

For more, log on to http://SportsSpectrum.com 

1