Sports Spectrum Podcast

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 

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. 

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 

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 

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 

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---

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 

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 

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 

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.