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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.
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Now displaying: 2019
Dec 31, 2019

Episode 431

Emily Westerberg Love is a former basketball player with the Arizona State Sun Devils. In high school at Central Valley in Oregon, Emily was the 2003 Gatorade Player of the Year. During her time in college, she led ASU to three NCAA Tournament appearances including the Elite Eight in 2007.

She is the first Arizona State player to ever earn All-Pac 10 honors three times. In 2007, she was selected in the third round of the WNBA Draft but passed on a pro career to focus on starting a family. In 2017, she was named to the Arizona State Sports Hall of Fame. 

On this episode of the podcast, we talk to Emily about her successful college career and why she bypassed pursuing a pro career. We also talk about apologetics, defending her faith, dealing with fear and anxiety, the crisis of faith she had in college and her awesome story of adoption. 

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

Dec 31, 2019

Episode 430

Kevin O'Brien is the head coach of the Lipscomb University women's soccer team. He was named to the position in 2012 and has led the Lady Bisons to their first NCAA tournament appearances in 2018 and again in 2019. 

The 2016 ASUN Coach of the Year began his soccer journey as a player leading the College of Charleston to two NCAA post season appearances, multiple top-20 rankings, the Elite 8 and was a two-time All-Conference selection and All-South Region player.  Following his collegiate career, he played professionally (USL) for 8 years with the Charleston Battery and Charlotte Eagles.

On this episode of the podcast, we talk to Kevin about the success he's had with Lipscomb, leading from the perspective of Christ, breaking old habits and the importance of developing relationship depth. 

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

Dec 30, 2019

Episode 429

Chris Reis is a former NFL safety with the New Orleans Saints and Atlanta Falcons. He was a member of the Saints’ 2009 Super Bowl-winning team and is most notable for his recovery of an onside kick to start the second half of Super Bowl XLIV, which helped propel the Saints to their first-ever Super Bowl victory.

Reis played his college football at Georgia Tech and went undrafted coming into the NFL. He signed with the Falcons in 2006 but was released. After a stint in NFL Europe, Reis signed with the Saints and went on to play four seasons in New Orleans from 2007-2010.

After his retirement from the NFL, Reis follow a call on his life to pursue ministry. Today, he is a lead pastor at Our Savior’s Church in Youngsville, La.

On this episode of the podcast, we talk to Reis about his NFL journey, winning Super Bowl XLIV, the Super Bowl parade, becoming a pastor and going into full-time ministry, and how a broken relationship with his father ended up leading him to Christ years later.

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

Dec 28, 2019

Burshaud "Shaud" Williams is a basketball coach overseas in China for the Loong Lions in the China Basketball Association. 

On this BONUS episode of the podcast we talk to Shaud from China on what life is like as a coach in China, why he decided to take the leap and coach overseas, how the death of a friend on the basketball court in 2002 helped challenge him in his relationship with God and what living out his faith looks like in China currently.

You can follow Shaud on Instagram here

Dec 27, 2019

Episode 428

Cecil Shorts III is a former NFL wide receiver. He was selected by the Jacksonville Jaguars in the fourth round of the 2011 NFL Draft (114th overall). His NFL career saw him play four seasons with the Jags from 2011-2014, then to Houston in 2015 for a season and his last year with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in 2016. 

He was one of the few NFL players to have played their college football with a Division III school. Shorts was a standout receiver at Mount Union, where he was a 2-time First-team AP Little All-American in 2009 and 2010. In his sophomore season of 2008, Shorts helped his club to a Division III national championship. In 2009, he was named the D3Football.com National Offensive Player of the Year after recording 100 receptions for 1,736 yards with 19 touchdowns.

On this episode of the podcast, we talk to Cecil shares what life is like being a father to seven children under the age of 8. He also shares candidly about his struggles and temptations he faced in college and the NFL. Cecil talks about the adjustment from being a current player to a former player and the moment he knew that his pro football playing days were done. 

For more information, please log on to our website - http://SportsSpectrum.com 

Dec 26, 2019

As the south’s sweetheart of sports, Rachel Baribeau has been dubbed an “SEC-ologist” as she has covered the SEC, and college football, for over ten years. In fall of 2015, she was bestowed a Heisman vote by the Heisman Trust. These days can be heard on SiriusXM’s ESPNU Radio. She was the first female host on that platform.

Rachel is also an avid speaker at many colleges and churches, sharing her story on “Changing the Narrative.”

Today, we throw it back to Episode 41 of the podcast and hear how Rachel is impacting the lives of so many athletes and why she's changing the narrative.

You can hear the entire episode of our conversation with Rachel from Episode 41 HERE or by searching her name in the Sports Spectrum podcast archives. 

Dec 25, 2019

Episode 427

Cooper Rothe is the kicker for the University of Wyoming football team. In 2018, Rothe was one of three national finalists for the Lou Groza Award. He was number one in the nation in field-goal percentage (94. 1 percent, making 16 of 17 field goals).

In 2019, he's made 14 field goals and his 334 career points are number one on the Wyoming football team's all-time list.

On this episode of the podcast, we talk to Cooper about his Wyoming football career, preparing for his final game, watching former teammate Josh Allen in the NFL with the Bills, his goal to kick at the next level and his testimony of faith in Christ.

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

Dec 24, 2019

Episode 426

Bernhard Langer is a golfing legend. He's the winner of two Masters championships in 1985 and 1993. He has 114 professional in his career and reached the number one overall ranking in April of 1986. 

Growing up in Germany, Langer turned pro in 1972 and is one of five golfers to have professional golf event victories on all six continents where golf is played. He has victories on all the premiere tours, with 42 wins on the European Tour (2nd most all-time), three on the PGA Tour, and numerous international victories; including wins on the Japan Golf Tour, Asian Tour, Australasian Tour, and the Tour de las Américas.

In 2001, Langer was elected to the World Golf Hall of Fame. Since joining the senior golf touring ranks, he has dominated the field winning the 2010, 2014, 2017 and 2019 Senior British Open Championship and being named Champions Tour player of the year in 2008, 2009, 2010, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017 and 2018. 

On this episode of the podcast, we talk to Bernhard Langer about his desire to continue playing golf as long as he can, his coming to faith in Christ after winning the Masters in 1985, winning a second Masters on Easter Sunday in 1993, and the crazy story of his father escaping as a prisoner during World War II. 

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

Dec 23, 2019

Episode 425

Don Cousins is a pastor at Discovery Church in Orlando, Florida and the author of multiple books including "Experiencing Leadershift" and "Unexplainable." 

He also happens to the father of Minnesota Vikings quarterback Kirk Cousins.

On this episode of the podcast, we talk to Don Cousins about raising Kirk and his two siblings Kyle and Karalyne, what a Sunday is like for Don watching his son play for the Vikings, the powerful story Don shared with Kirk the night before the 2012 NFL Draft and Don's inspiring testimony of faith and overcoming cancer. 

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

Dec 21, 2019

Bryan Gee almost died. In 2016, after going in for a routine appendectomy surgery, Bryan suffered complications in the aftermath and almost suffocated. 

His Dad, Jayson Gee, is basketball coach at the University of Cincinnati and was featured on Episode 268 of the podcast. 

The former Longwood University basketball player joins us on the show today to share his story of basketball, faith, and staying connected to the Lord when life doesn't go the way you planned. 

Listen to Bryan Gee's story here on Sports Spectrum.

 

---From the creators of Sports Spectrum comes a brand new podcast called FOOTBALL SUNDAY. Released on December 16, this show will feature 12 unique, first-person stories from current and NFL players on how Jesus has worked in their lives. Told by the players themselves, this podcast will feature a new story each Monday, culminating with our final 3 episodes, releasing on Monday February 3, 2020. Download and subscribe HERE to Football Sunday TODAY---

Dec 20, 2019

Episode 424

Joel Dreessen played eight seasons in the NFL as a tight end with the Jets, Texans and Broncos. He was selected in the sixth round of the NFL Draft by the New York Jets in 2005 after a successful college career at Colorado State. After playing his rookie season with the Jets, Joel was out of football in 2006 but signed with the Texans in 2007 and would remain in Houston until 2011. 

In 2012, he would sign a contract to play with the Denver Broncos and Peyton Manning. Dreessen was a member of the 2013 AFC Championship team in Denver and played in Super Bowl XLVIII against Seattle.

Injuries would cause Dreessen to retire in 2014 after eight seasons. 

On this episode of the podcast, we talked to Joel about his NFL career, catching passes from Peyton Manning, the tough adjustment to life after football, how his faith in Christ helped him on his journey and why his walk with God remains a work in progress. 

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

Dec 19, 2019

BONUS EPISODE

Storm Murphy is a junior guard on the Wofford Men's Basketball team. In his first two seasons, Murphy saw extensive playing time in helping his team to their first ever NCAA Tournament victory in 2019, defeating Seton Hall 84-68.

The Madison, Wisconsin native scored 15 points helping Wofford to an upset win over No. 17 North Carolina on December 15, 2019. This was Wofford's second win in three seasons over a ranked North Carolina team in Chapel Hill.

On this episode of the podcast, we talk to Storm about Wofford's upset win at North Carolina, how a Wisconsin kid ended up in South Carolina, his role on the team this season, the importance of his faith journey and what it was like to be a part of March Madness in 2019.

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

Dec 18, 2019

Episode 423

Mark Immelman is the Director of Golf at Columbus State University where he's oversees both the men and women golf programs.

In addition to coaching, Immelman is featured on countless PGA Tour events, including the Masters and PGA Championship, serving as a commentator for CBS Sports. You can also hear Mark hosting his own "On the Mark" podcast on PGATour.com.

Mark is the older brother of Trevor Immelman, and helped coach his brother to a Masters victory in 2008.

On this episode of the podcast, we hear Mark's life as a podcaster, growing up in South Africa, coming to faith in Christ and living his faith in the golf world. 

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

Dec 17, 2019

Episode 422

Jefferson Bethke is a New York Times-bestselling author and speaker who has written four books. In 2012, Bethke’s YouTube video, “Why I Hate Religion, But Love Jesus,” went viral and has since received more than 34 million views. After the video, he decided to write the book “Jesus > Religion,” which would go on to become a New York Times bestseller.

His latest book is titled: "To Hell with the Hustle" and released in October 2019. 

On this episode of the podcast, we talk to Jefferson about his latest book, the hustle mentality, why it needs to go away, how it correlates with athletes and coaches and his love for Ken Griffey Jr. 

Dec 16, 2019

Episode 421

Mike DeVito played nine seasons in the NFL with the Jets and the Chiefs. He was undrafted coming into the league in 2007 from the University of Maine, where he was a First-Team Atlantic 10 selection his senior year. 

During Mike's career, he played in two AFC Championship games with the New York Jets in 2009 and 2010 and retired from the NFL in April of 2016 at the age of 32. 

Mike is currently back in college studying theology and philosophy and also is the co-host of his 3-Point Stance podcast. 

On this episode of the Sports Spectrum, we talk to Mike about the difficult adjustment to NFL retirement, enrolling back full-time into college, coming to Christ in 2007 and managing pain as an NFL defensive lineman.

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

Dec 13, 2019

Episode 420

Bill Curry is a football treasure. He is a former NFL player with the Packers, Colts, Oilers and Rams. During his playing career, he was a member of three NFL championship teams and two Super Bowl winning teams.

After his playing career, he moved on to coaching and after a few seasons in the NFL as an assistant, he moved to the college ranks, where he was a head coach with Georgia Tech, Alabama, Kentucky and Georgia State before retiring after the 2012 season. He is a 2-time SEC Coach of the Year (1987,89) and the Bobby Dodd Coach of the Year in 1989.

Bill is now a highly sought out speaker who travels across the country encouraging audiences with his motivational stories of football and life.

On this episode of the podcast, Bill Curry returns to the podcast to talk about the six characteristics of being a great leader, the importance of learning and growing at the age of 77, adversity as a teacher, his favorite Bart Starr story and the disciplines that he's instilled to stay connected to God.

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

Dec 11, 2019

BONUS EPISODE

James Hurst is an offensive lineman with the Baltimore Ravens. Hurst was undrafted in 2014 out of North Carolina but made the Ravens squad out of training camp and has been with the team ever since.

As he worked his way up through the ranks, Hurst found himself a valuable member of the Ravens team because of his versatility in being able to play multiple positions on the offensive line. In 2018, Baltimore rewarded Hurst with a four-year contract extension.

On this episode of the podcast, we talk to James about the 2019 Ravens, blocking for Lamar Jackson, leading team Bible studies, baptizing his teammate at the Ravens facility and how the influence Benjamin Watson had on James' faith journey.

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

Dec 11, 2019

Episode 419

Clay Scroggins is a pastor of Buckhead Church in Atlanta and the author of two books, How to Lead When You're Not in Charge and his latest, How to Lead in a World of Distraction.

On this episode of the podcast, we talk to Clay about leadership within the world of sports, moving forward after failure, how to lead like Jesus, choosing positivity and rejecting passivity. 

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

Dec 10, 2019

Episode 418

George Barber is the head basketball coach at Greenville University, a Division III school in Greenville, Ilinois. Prior to his time with Greenville, George was an assistant coach at Bradley University as well as with the University of Kentucky under Rick Pitino, where he was part of a national championship team in 1996. 

Competing in the St. Louis Intercollegiate Athletic Conference, George's Greenville club in 2018-19 set the NCAA Division III record in scoring offense (135.1 ppg) and led the country in assists per game, steals per game, turnover margin, total assists, three-point field goal attempts, and three-point field goals made.

On February 2, 2019, Greenville scored 200 points in a regulation game.

Besides his job as a head coach, Barber is also a professor Kinesiology and Sport for Greenville University. 

On this episode of the podcast, we talk to Dr. George Barber about his high scoring offense, his time at Kentucky, winning a national championship, scoring 200 points in a game, keeping Christ at the center of his life and why humility is so important to him. 

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

Dec 9, 2019

Episode 417

Jason Hanson played 21 seasons in the NFL, all with the Detroit Lions from 1992-2012. He was selected in the second round of the 1992 NFL Draft by Detroit (56th overall) out of Washington State and would go on to be one of the greatest kickers in NFL history.

He was a 2-time Pro Bowl selection and currently ranks fourth on the NFL's All-Time points scored career list with 2,150. He holds multiple NFL records including most field goals of 40 or more years, most consecutive field goals of 40 or more yards and most career games with one NFL team (327).

Hanson was inducted into the Detroit Lions Ring of Honor in the Fall of 2013 at Ford Field following his retirement from the NFL in April of 2013. 

On this episode of the podcast, we talk to Jason about the memory of his first NFL kick, how his faith in Christ was shaped, the hope and encouragement he has for Lions fans, bringing his faith to the NFL and the spiritual mentors that helped shape him as a player and a man.

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

Dec 6, 2019

Episode 416

Charlie Ernst is the men’s basketball head coach at Findlay University in Ohio. He is a two-time GMAC Coach of the Year in 2018 and 2019.

Since becoming head coach on March 30, 2011, Ernst has led his program to a pair of Sweet 16 appearances, six NCAA Division II National Tournament appearances, two Great Midwest Athletic Conference (G-MAC) titles.

On this episode of the podcast, we talk to Charlie about the different hats he wears as coach at the NCAA Division II level, why he chose the coaching profession, how his faith has taken shape more recently and the awesome story of Charlie and his wife adopting a young boy in Africa just a few months ago.

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

Dec 5, 2019

Today we listen to a portion of our inspiring interview with former Tennessee Volunteers football player Inky Johnson.

With a dream of playing in the NFL, Johnson rose from a life of poverty and drugs in the ghetto of Atlanta to play college football with the Volunteers. In 2006, his dream was shattered when he suffered a life-altering injury on the football field that would take him from starting defensive back to sitting in a hospital wondering if his life would ever be the same.

Today, Johnson travels the country sharing his story and encouraging others as a motivational speaker. He’s a mentor to many athletes and teams both in college and professional sports.

On this Throwback edition of the podcast, we turn it back to May of 2018, Episode 112 with Inky sharing his story of faith and how an accident on the football field changed his life forever.

You can listen to the entire interview with Inky from May of 2018 here

Dec 4, 2019

Episode 415

Harvey Pendleton is one of three chaplains for the San Antonio Spurs in the NBA. He came to the Spurs in 1996 and has served as a chaplain, ministering to players and coaches before select NBA games. 

He was a former platoon leader in the 173rd Army Brigade in Vietnam and was awarded the Bronze Star Medal along with other awards for his service in the United States military.

On this episode of the podcast, we talk to Harvey about his amazing journey from serving in the military and Vietnam to serving Jesus in the world of the NBA

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

Dec 3, 2019

Episode 414

Chris Marlow is the founder of "Help One Now." Last year, Help One Now partnered with Big League Impact and MLB players to build a secondary school in Haiti. MLB players Kyle Gibson, Zach Duke, Brian Dozier and Logan Morrison partnered with BLI to invite fans and supporters to work together to make the school become a reality.

Marlow started "Help One Now" after meeting a starving young orphan at an abandoned gas station in Zimbabwe. At that moment, he was compelled to dedicate his life to seeking justice by empowering high-capacity local leaders to care for orphans and vulnerable children, and to help them see their communities transform. His passion is organizing tribes of everyday people—people like you!—to partner with global movements that do good. 

In 2016, Chris wrote the book "Doing Good is Simple."

On this episode of the podcast, Chris shares the incredible story of starting "Help One Now," his love for sports at a young age, his broken relationship with his father and how God has helped him overcome fears to move past regret. 

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

Nov 30, 2019

Episode 413

Ryan Clark played 13 seasons in the NFL with the Giants, Redskins and Steelers from 2002-2014. After going undrafted out of LSU, Ryan was signed by the New York Giants and played there from 2002-2003. In 2004, he signed with the Redskins and played two seasons there before settling in with the Pittsburgh Steelers, where he would play 8 seasons from 2006-2013. 

Ryan's success saw him play in two Super Bowls with the Steelers, winning Super Bowl XLIII against the Arizona Cardinals. In 2011 at the age of 32, Ryan made his first Pro Bowl and four years later, would announce his retirement from the NFL in February of 2015. 

He signed on to be an NFL analyst with ESPN in 2015 and continues in that role today on shows such as Get Up, NFL LIVE, First Take and SportsCenter. 

On this episode of the podcast, we talk to Ryan Clark about turning 40 years old, his journey to broadcasting, the evolution of social media, being told he couldn't play in the NFL, and how his faith grew during a health scare in Denver. 

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

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