Sports Spectrum Podcast

Episode 201 Chris Burke was selected in the first round of the 2001 MLB Draft (10th overall) by the Houston Astros. The University of Tennessee product was named Round Rock AA MVP in 2003 and then won the Pacific Coast League Rookie of the Year in AAA with the New Orleans Zephyrs in 2004. Burke would make his MLB debut on July 4, 2004 against the Texas Rangers and would get his first MLB hit on September 14, 2004 against the Cardinals.  In 2005, Chris Burke became a hero to the Houston Astros faithful as he would hit a walk-off, series ending home run in the 18 inning marathon that was Game 4 of the National League Division Series against Atlanta. On this episode of the podcast, we get Chris' thoughts on the 2018 Boston Red Sox, throwing out the first pitch of Game 4 of the 2018 ALCS, meeting Christian singer Tauren Wells, where his faith in Christ was rooted for him and what it was like to hit a NLDS series ending, walk-off home run in 2005 for Houston.  For more, log on to http://SportsSpectrum.com 

Mo Isom’s story is one that you will not soon forget. She is wife, a mother, a speaker and 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. Mo's latest book "Sex, Jesus, and the Conversations the Church Forgot" released in March of 2018.  In this Throwback Thursday edition of the podcast, Mo shares the very emotional story of her father's death in 2009.  To listen to the entire interview, please click on Episode 4 of the podcast here.     

Episode 200 George Taylor is the CEO of the Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association based in Colorado Springs, Colorado. He was named to his current role in January 2018 where he oversees  650 top-of-the-line multiple-event rodeos across the country and in Canada.  On this episode of the podcast, we learn about the rodeo, how faith plays a role in each rodeo event, how the cowboys are ministered to and who the LeBron James of the pro rodeo tour is.  For more, log on to http://SportsSpectrum.com 

Episode 199 For 28 years, Gene Chizik coached college football. He began his career at Clemson and after stints with Middle Tennessee, Stephen F. Austin,  Central Florida, Auburn, and Texas, he got his first shot as a head coach with Iowa State in 2007. Two years later, he became the head coach of the Auburn Tigers, and in 2010, reached the pinnacle of college football, winning the BCS National Championship, defeating Oregon 22-19. Chizik spent 4 seasons with the Tigers before his time ended in 2012. In 2015, he returned to coaching as the defensive coordinator of the North Carolina Tar Heels for two seasons. In 2016, he was named an analyst for ESPN and the SEC Network, where he remains today. In part 2 of our podcast, Gene Chizik shares what it was like to win a National Championship, what it was like to coach Cam Newton, the rivalry with Alabama that is the Iron Bowl, what that coaching grind is like, and whether he wants to coach again. For more, log on to http://SportsSpectrum.com 

Episode 198 For 28 years, Gene Chizik coached college football. He began his career at Clemson and after stints with Middle Tennessee, Stephen F. Austin,  Central Florida, Auburn, and Texas, he got his first shot as a head coach with Iowa State in 2007. Two years later, he became the head coach of the Auburn Tigers, and in 2010, reached the pinnacle of college football, winning the BCS National Championship, defeating Oregon 22-19. Chizik spent 4 seasons with the Tigers before his time ended in 2012. In 2015, he returned to coaching as the defensive coordinator of the North Carolina Tar Heels for two seasons. In 2016, he was named an analyst for ESPN and the SEC Network, where he remains.  In part 1 of our podcast, Coach Chizik shares about broadcasting, parenting, his coaching journey, and where his faith in Christ was rooted.  For more, log on to http://SportsSpectrum.com 

Episode 197 For four seasons, Jessie Warren played third base for the Florida State Seminoles softball club. The 4-time All ACC player was consistently one of the most productive hitters in the lineup. In 2018, she led her club to their first ever Women's College World Series title beating Washington. Jessie was named the Most Outstanding Player after leading the team in eight different categories, including a .404 batting average, 21 home runs, 70 RBI and a .836 slugging percentage. In Game 1 of the WCWS, she made the play of the year in college softball, snagging a seventh-inning sacrifice bunt attempt on a diving catch to preserve their 1-0 victory. That catch was the No. 1 play on ESPN’s SportsCenter Top Plays and even got the attention of people like Kobe Bryant on Twitter. Her final game with Florida State, Jessie went 3-4 with a home run and 2 RBI to help the Seminoles to an 8-3 victory and their first ever NCAA National Championship. After her college career ended, Warren was selected seventh overall

Jared Dudley is a forward for the NBA's Brooklyn Nets.  A second-team All-American for Boston College, Dudley was the 2007 ACC player of the year and the 22nd overall selection by the Charlotte Bobcats (now Hornets) in the 2007 NBA Draft. His 12-year NBA career has spanned 6 teams, the Bobcats, Suns, Bucks, Wizards, Clippers and now Nets.  On this Throwback Thursday edition of the podcast, we hear Jared's testimony of coming to faith in Christ and where that walk with the Lord began for him.  You can listen to the entire interview of Episode 12 of the podcast here. 

Episode 196 Jesse Holley played wide receiver for the Dallas Cowboys from 2009-2011. He was a two-sport athlete at North Carolina where he played wide receiver for the football team and was a member of the 2005 basketball team that won college basketball's national championship. In 2007, after going undrafted, he signed with the Cincinnati Bengals and after being waived, he moved to Canada, signing a contract with the BC Lions of the CFL. In 2009, after his football career looked to be over, Holley became part of the SPIKE TV reality show 4th and Long, hosted by Cowboys Hall of Fame receiver Michael Irvin where he won the competition and received an invitation to Cowboys training camp. After being released in September of 2009 as part of the final cuts, Holley was placed on the team's practice squad, where he would remain for 2009 and part of 2010. He made his NFL debut on October 17, 2010 against the Vikings. He would finish the 2010 season with 16 special teams tackles. In 2011, he made the 53-man roster an

Episode 195 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

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 stat

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

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

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 2

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