Sports Spectrum Podcast

Episode 344 Mark Richt is the former head football coach with the University of Georgia and the University of Miami (Fl). He played his college football with the Hurricanes from 1979-1982, serving as the backup quarterback to now hall of fame QB Jim Kelly. After stints in the NFL playing behind John Elway with the Broncos and Dan Marino with the Dolphins, Richt entered the coaching world in 1990, where he would serve as an assistant coach under Bobby Bowden at Florida State. He was a part of two national championship teams with Florida State in 1993 and 1999. In 2001, he became the head coach of the Georgia Bulldogs and was named SEC Coach of the Year twice (2002, 2005). In 2016,  he moved to Miami to coach the Hurricanes. He was named ACC Coach of the Year in 2017, winning the Walter Camp Coach of the Year that same season. After the 2018 season, Richt announced his retirement from coaching and is now beginning his first year as a broadcaster with the brand new ACC Network.  On this episode of the podcast, we talk to Mark Richt about his decision to retire from coaching, watching football for the first time in 35 years instead of coaching, the powerful story of him coming to Christ during his time at Florida State, the impact coach Bobby Bowden had on him spiritually, and why adoption is so important to him.  For more, log on to http://SportsSpectrum.com 

Today we look back to April of 2018, Episode 100 of the Sports Spectrum podcast with softball legend Jennie Finch. Jennie is a two-time U.S. Olympic softball player. She won a gold medal in 2004 and a silver in 2008. The seven-time USA Softball world champion went to the University of Arizona, where she was a picture of pure dominance. She went 32-0 her junior year with an ERA of 0.54, 279 strikeouts and a national championship. For her four-year college career, she went 119-16, with an ERA of 1.08 and 1,028 strikeouts. She was named by the NCAA as the No. 2 greatest college softball player. In 2017, Finch was named the youth softball ambassador by Major League Baseball and despite retiring in 2011, she continues to teach young girls about the game. She holds Jennie Finch Softball Camps across the U.S. and has a softball academy at Diamond Nation in Flemington, N.J., and she also hosts the Jennie Finch World Series in Louisiana. Jennie's faith in the Lord is strong and she shares on this portion of the podcast, about where that faith was birthed in her. You can listen to the entire interview with Jennie from Episode 100 here or by searching her name on iTunes/Apple, Spotify or anywhere podcasts are listened to. 

Episode 343 Levi Wallace plays cornerback for the Bills. He was signed as an undrafted free agent by Buffalo in 2018 following a successful college career that saw him win a National Championship in 2017 with Alabama.  He started 14 games his senior year with the Crimson Tide with 3 interceptions, 46 tackles and a championship ring.  In 2018, he not only made the Bills roster, but had 7 starts, 37 combined tackles and 3 pass deflections, earning him the highest grade among all rookie cornerbacks by Pro Football Focus.  On this episode of the podcast, we talk to Levi about overcoming obstacles, making the Alabama team as a walk-on, the whirlwind year of 2018, his powerful testimony of coming to Christ after his Dad's passing and his welcome to the NFL moment. 

Episode 342 Chris Young is entering his 11th year as the Director of Tennis at Oklahoma State. He's also the head women's tennis coach, having led his team for eight straight years into the NCAA Tournament. He's led OSU to the National Championship game in 2016, the Elite Eight in 2017 and the Sweet Sixteen in four of the past 5 seasons. In 2019, Oklahoma State went all the way to the Super Regionals of the NCAA Tournament before losing to No. 1 North Carolina. On this episode of the podcast, we talk to Chris about walking the walk of faith as a tennis coach, the tough challenges that come in being a college coach, how his faith has been tested in helping his wife through a health scare, and how he stays fed in his walk with God as a coach. For more, log on to http://SportsSpectrum.com.

Episode 341 Akbar Gbajabiamila is the host of NBC's Emmy-nominated obstacle course competition series American Ninja Warrior. He also hosts Universal Kids' spin-off American Ninja Warrior Junior, as well as NFL Network's NFL Fantasy Live.  A former NFL player, Akbar was signed by the Oakland Raiders in 2003 after going undrafted out of San Diego State. He played 5 seasons with the Raiders, Chargers and Dolphins before retiring in 2008. Akbar's book "Everyone Can Be a Ninja" was released in May of 2019.  On this episode of the podcast, we talk to Akbar about readers responding to his new book, how a dream he had challenged him in his Christian faith, having a platform to share about God with empathy and love, the greatest NFL lesson he learned, and his surprising 2019 NFL Super Bowl prediction.  For more, log on to http://SportsSpectrum.com 

Episode 340 Donnell Jones is the character coach for the University of Maryland Men's Basketball and Football teams. He's also the chaplain for the National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC) and the lead pastor of Grace Covenant Church in Washington D.C.  On this episode of the podcast, we talk to Donnell about his involvement with the Nations of Coaches, wearing the different hats of husband, dad, character coach, chaplain and lead pastor, his powerful story of crying out to God in his lowest point and how he was able to reconcile with the son he had never met. For more, log on to http://SportsSpectrum.com 

Episode 339 Jordan and Mary Richards are our guests on this edition of the podcast. Jordan is a safety with the Oakland Raiders. He was selected in the second round of the 2015 NFL Draft by the New England Patriots. He's been a part of two Super Bowl teams and won a ring with the Patriots Super Bowl LI win over the Falcons in 2017.  On August 31, 2018, Richards was traded to the Atlanta Falcons for a conditional 2020 seventh-round draft pick and then signed a 1-year deal in March of 2019 with the Raiders.  Jordan and Mary married in 2018 and on this episode of the podcast, share their journey of marriage, faith and football, preparing for a new season in Oakland, appearing on HBO's Hard Knocks, and at the end of the interview, make a big announcement.  For more, log on to http://SportsSpectrum.com 

On this throwback edition of the podcast, we bring you a conversation with 6-time MLB All-Star Lance Berkman.  Lance played 15 seasons with the Astros, Cardinals, Yankees and Rangers. He played in two World Series with the Astros in 2005, and the Cardinals in 2011 and was a key contributor to the St. Louis Cardinals winning the World Series where he hit .417 with 11 hits, 9 runs scored, and a clutch RBI single in the bottom of the 10th inning to stave off elimination and eventually help the Cards beat the Rangers in Game 6 and eventually win it all. A husband to Cara, and a Dad to four daughters, Berkman is currently working with former teammate and friend, Andy Pettitte, the longtime Yankees pitcher, where they both coach high school baseball for Second Baptist School in Houston. You can listen to the entire interview with Lance from Episode 31 here or by searching his name on iTunes/Apple podcasts or Spotify. 

Episode 338 William Byron is in his second season as driver of the No. 24 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet. Byron earned Sunoco Rookie of the Year honors in the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series in 2018, tallying four top-10 finishes and ranking 23rd in the standings. He is paired with seven-time championship crew chief Chad Knaus in 2019. Byron scored four wins in the Xfinity Series as a rookie in 2017 en route to the series championship, and his seven wins in the Gander Outdoors Trucks Series in 2016 set a NASCAR record by a first-year driver. In 2019, he won the Dayton 500 pole position and has had 6 top-ten finishes as of this podcast release.  On this episode of the podcast, we talked to William in the middle of his 2019 Monster Energy racing season and learned about his journey of faith, staying connected to the Lord during a long season, what the lifestyle of a NASCAR driver is like during a long season and how he balances it all with college studies at Liberty.  For more, log on to http://SportsSpectrum.com. 

Brad Hurtig was a student-athlete in a small town in Northwest Ohio. Only days after finishing his sophomore year of high school, a devastating accident resulted in the amputation of both of Brad’s hands. Through hard work and determination Brad soon rejoined his high school football team. In his senior year, Brad led his team defense, recording 111 tackles and received all-state honors all while playing with no hands. Brad’s inspirational story of triumph quickly captured national headlines. Now Brad is taking his life-changing message to students across the nation. On this episode of the podcast, Brad shares his incredible story of having both of his hands amputated, how Christ has helped guide him, what "if you're thirsty, you'll find a way" means to him in his life, and why he's so passionate about sharing his story to help others.  For more, log on to http://SportsSpectrum.com