Sports Spectrum Podcast

Episode 267 Seth Morrison is the lead guitarist for the band Skillet. He joined the group in 2011 and has shared the stage with many well-known artists such as Disciple, Kutless, Sanctus Real, Tait, Audio Adrenaline, Relient K, TobyMac, Kirk Franklin and many more.  A die-hard sports fan, Seth pledges his allegiances to the Cincinnati Bengals, Cincinnati Reds and the Ohio State Buckeyes.  On this episode of the podcast, we talk to Seth about his devotion to the Cincinnati Bengals, staying the course as a sports fan, following his call to be a musician, how he came to be a part of the band Skillet, what life on the road is like and reaching music fans in both the Christian and mainstream genres. For more, log on to http://SportsSpectrum.com 

Episode 266 Hugh Freeze was introduced as the ninth head coach in the history of the Liberty Flames' football program on Dec. 7, 2018. Prior to coming to Liberty, Freeze's collegiate head coaching stops have included Lambuth University (2008-09), Arkansas State (2011) and Ole Miss (2012-16) where he posted a combined 69-32 mark in eight seasons. In 2017, he resigned from his position at Ole Miss amid an NCAA investigation and evidence of personal misconduct. Prior to taking over as head coach at Lambuth, Freeze served on the Ole Miss staff from 2005-07, including the final two seasons as an assistant coach. Before going to Ole Miss, Freeze served 13 years at Briarcrest Christian School (Memphis, Tenn.) as a classroom teacher, coach and administrator. He was the Saints' head football coach from 1995 to 2004, running the no-huddle "spread system" for six years that led to six straight state championship games. Freeze compiled a 99-23 record while at Briarcrest, which included an undefeated season in 1996 and led the school to state championship titles in 2002 and 2004. Briarcrest won regional titles in 1995, 1996, 1997, 1998, 2001 and 2002, and Freeze was named the Region 8-AA Coach of the Year five times and Associated Press Coach of the Year four times. In 2014, the Fellowship of Christian Athletes (FCA) awarded Freeze the Grant Teaff Coach of the Year award. Freeze has been heavily involved with FCA during his entire coaching career and has been featured in the FCA Magazine and spoke at FCA functions. On March 30, Coach Freeze will be a part of GameDay 2019, a groundbreaking event coming to churches to meet men at the intersection of faith and sports. Creating an atmosphere much like a locker room with coaches laying out the big game plan, GameDay engages men in a discussion about how to become the spiritual leader of their families. Its real guys discussing real issues and how to become a better follower of Christ, husband, father, friend and worker. You can sign up for GameDay 2019 by clicking here. On this episode of the podcast, we talk to Coach Freeze about his new role with Liberty and how God has worked in and through his life since the new opportunity came forth.

Episode 265 Blair Schaefer is a college basketball analyst for the SEC Network. She played her college basketball at Mississippi State where she was a part of a team that made back to back appearances in the Women's National Championship game.  She was named to the SEC All-Defensive Team and was the SEC Scholar-Athlete of the Year in 2017-18. A standout guard for Starkville High School, Blair was rated as one of the state’s top players after coming to the Magnolia State from Texas following her sophomore season. She earned all-state honors her junior and senior seasons  after moving to Starkville High School from A&M Consolidated High School in College Station. On this episode of the podcast, we talk to Blair about playing in back to back national title games, the differences in preparation for each game, beating Connecticut and ending their 111 game winning streak, how her faith in Christ was enhanced after her brother suffered a head injury, and what it was like to have her Dad as her coach in college.  For more, log on to http://SportsSpectrum.com

On this THROWBACK THURSDAY edition of the podcast, we revisit our conversation from Episode 20 with Pastor Louie Giglio of Passion City Church in Atlanta.  Louie Giglio is the founder of the Passion movement, which exists to call a generation to leverage their lives for the fame of Jesus. Since 1997, Passion has gathered collegiate-aged young people in events across the U.S. and around the world. At the Passion gathering in January of 2017, more than 55,000 students gathered in Atlanta’s Georgia Dome in one of the largest collegiate gatherings in its history. Louie is a passionate sports fan, who lives and dies with his Auburn Tigers football team. He’s also a huge fan of Atlanta sports, including the NFC Champion Atlanta Falcons. Giglio pastors tons of athletes in their walk with Jesus Christ and even started Passion City Church with a former NFL kicker, Todd Peterson. You can listen to the entire interview with Louie from Episode 20 in July of 2017 here.  For more, log on to http://SportsSpectrum.com 

Episode 264 Andrew Putnam is a professional golfer on the PGA Tour. He played his college golf at Pepperdine University where he was a 3-time All-American. He made his professional debut in 2011, and he played on the eGolf Professional Tour in 2012. Putnam won for the first time as a professional in April 2014 at the WNB Golf Classic on the Web.com Tour.  He made his PGA Tour debut at the Shell Houston Open in 2014.  In August 2018, he gained his first PGA Tour win at the Barracuda Championship near Reno, Nevada. He finished the 2017-18 PGA Tour Season with 5 Top 10s and earned $2,387,382. He finished 35th in the season-long FedEx Cup. He began the 2019 season in January at the SONY Open in Hawaii where he finished second overall to Matt Kuchar.  On this episode of the podcast, we talk with Andrew about turning 30 years old, coming to faith in high school, his welcome to the PGA Tour moment with Tom Watson and Tiger Woods, being a part of the PGA Tour Bible study and why he became a part owner in a golf towel company called PlayKleen.  For more, log on to http://SportsSpectrum.com 

Darryl Strawberry returns for his second appearance on the podcast. Darryl was selected number one overall in the 1980 MLB Amateur Draft by the New York Mets He made his MLB debut in May of 1983 and was a 7-time All Star for the Mets from 1984-1990. A member of the 1986 World Championship team, Darryl's 252 career home runs remains at the top of the Mets all-time list. In 1991, Strawberry signed with the Los Angeles Dodgers. After a short stint with the Giants, Strawberry returned to New York and helped the Yankees win 3 World Series titles in 1996, 1998 and 1999.  After many years of struggling with substance abuse and addiction, Darryl has been sober for over a decade now and spreads the good news of Jesus across the country as a traveling evangelist.  On this episode of the podcast, we talk with Darryl about why he is traveling the country sharing the Gospel, the biggest struggle for men, why being all in for Christ is the only way, his memories of Gary Carter and Mariano Rivera and his thoughts on guys like Barry Bonds and Roger Clemens being kept out of the Baseball Hall of Fame.  For more, log on to http://SportsSpectrum.com 

Episode 262 Carson Tinker is a veteran NFL long snapper who played 6 seasons in the NFL with the Jaguars before being released on March 8, 2019. He played his college ball at Alabama, where he won three BCS national championships as a member of Nick Saban's club.  After going undrafted in 2013, Tinker signed with the Jaguars and has remained with the club for his entire 6 year NFL career.  In April of 2011, Tinker's story became national news when he was injured in a devastating Alabama tornado that ended up taking the life of his girlfriend Ashley. Carson suffered a broken wrist, a concussion, and other injuries but was able to return to play and contribute to the 2011 and 2012 title teams.  In 2015, he married Annie and together, the couple has a son named, Carson Jr, a.k.a. ‘Hootie’ On this episode of the podcast, we talk to Carson about recovering from injury, his decision to go to Alabama and play for Nick Saban, how his faith has sustained him through the trials and especially in the aftermath of the 2011 tornado.  For more, log on to http://SportsSpectrum.com 

Episode 261 Selected in the 29th round of the 2002 MLB Amateur Draft by the Toronto Blue Jays, Erik Kratz has lived the pro baseball life for the past 17 years. He would wait eight years until finally making his MLB debut in July 2010 at the age of 30 with the Pittsburgh Pirates. His MLB journey has taken him from Pittsburgh to Philadelphia, Toronto, Kansas City, Philadelphia, Houston, Pittsburgh and the Yankees in 2017. In 2018, he was traded to the Milwaukee Brewers and was part of a team that came within one game of the World Series. In the 2018 NLDS against Colorado, Kratz went 5-for-7 with 2 RBI, including a 3-hit game in the clinching game 3, and was the oldest player to make his postseason debut since Lave Cross of the Philadelphia Athletics in 1905. On this episode of the podcast, we hear about Erik's first experience in the postseason, how his faith has helped him stay grounded in his career, how much longer he wants to play and the story of him making his Major League debut in 2010 at age 30. For more, log on to http://SportsSpectrum.com 

On this THROWBACK THURSDAY edition of the podcast, we revisit our conversation from Episode 70 with former NFL player, coach and 2-time Super Bowl champion Bill Curry.  Bill played in the NFL under legendary coaches Vince Lombradi and Don Shula and snapped the ball to Hall of Famers Bart Starr and Johnny Unitas.  He coached at Georgia Tech, Alabama and Georgia State and then became an analyst for ESPN where he broadcasted games and appeared on shows such as Mike and Mike in the Morning.  You can listen to the entire interview with Bill from Episode 70 in January of 2018 here.  For more, log on to http://SportsSpectrum.com 

Episode 260 Mark Berokoff is in his sixth year as the Head Men's Basketball Coach at Randall University in Moore, Oklahoma. He has led Randall to three straight NCCAA Division 2 National Championships (16, 17, and 18) and in 2015-2016 was named NCCAA D2 National Coach of the Year award. On this episode of the podcast, we learn about Randall University, the NCCAA, Coach Randall's faith journey, how he stays grounded after winning 3 straight national championships, and leading through the successes and failures of a long season. For more log on to http://SportsSpectrum.com