Catholic Sports Radio

He was chosen one year ago this month in the third round of the National Football League Draft, 72nd overall by the Seattle Seahawks. He is an offensive tackle who appeared in all but one of Seattle's 17 games this past season and was named to the All-Rookie Team. He also played his college football there in the Pacific Northwest, having been a four-year starter at right tackle for Washington State, starting 42 consecutive games. He was the first Cougars offensive lineman in program history to earn All-Pac-12 Conference honors four times and would go on to play in the Senior Bowl. During his student-athlete days in high school he was named All-USA Washington second-team by USA Today.

He has been a professional mountain runner, winning the Pikes Peak Marathon in back-to-back years (2020 and 2021). He also competed for the United States at the World Mountain Running Championships in Argentina in 2019. And he continues to train for road marathons and ultra marathons, with the hopes of qualifying for the 2024 marathon Olympic Trials. Collegiately he had competed for the University of Colorado and helped contribute to National Championships in cross country. After graduating from there he went on to start a Catholic apostolate after graduation called "One Billion Stories," which he talks about here.

He was drafted in the first round, twelfth overall, by the Cleveland Cavaliers and went on to play ten seasons in the NBA, playing for Washington, Seattle, Philadelphia, New Jersey, Houston, Atlanta, and the New York Knicks. He had been on the NIT Champion University of Michigan basketball team and was named the NIT MVP. Earlier he had been a McDonalds All-American. In addition to being a longtime color analyst on ESPN, he has worked as a consultant with NBA players over the last two decades teaching strategies to improve performance and achieve greatness. He also runs the NBA Players Association’s TOP 100 Basketball Camp for the elite 100 high school players in the nation.

He is an offensive lineman who has played seven seasons in the NFL, most recently with the Cincinnati Bengals. He was a sixth-round pick by the New England Patriots in the 2016 National Football League Draft and spent five of his first six seasons with New England, including being on two Super Bowl-winning teams with the Patriots. In 2020 he appeared in all 16 games as a member of the Miami Dolphins. As a student-athlete he had started 43 games during a career at the University of Illinois, including being team captain in his senior year, 2015, and in high school he helped his team to two state titles. On the faith side, he will be a speaker this coming weekend at the National Men's Conference in Cincinnati.

He has competed in a variety of strength sports including Olympic weightlifting, bodybuilding, powerlifting, Highland Games Heavy Athletics, and team tug-of-war competitions.  He worked as a weightlifting and fitness instructor in college and has written several articles for fitness magazines and four books on strength training. His most recent book from 2022 is "You Are That Temple! A Catholic Guide to Health and Holiness," and in total he has written twenty-seven books for Catholic publishers on a variety of topics.  Although retired, he continues to do heavy strength training almost every day.

He has been a coach in the National Football League for 26 seasons, including serving as Senior Defensive Assistant with the Cincinnati Bengals for the last four seasons.  Previously he was with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers for three seasons, which had been preceded by two years on the coaching staff of the Miami Dolphins, after having spent eight years with the Jacksonville Jaguars.  He also worked with the Green Bay Packers and has come full circle as his NFL coaching career started with Cincinnati in 1997.  Prior to the NFL, he coached 22 years in the college ranks, including 11 as a head coach.  Back in his days as a student-athlete he played college football at William & Mary and would later be inducted into the school's hall of fame.  On the faith side, he will be a speaker later this month at the National Men's Conference.  LISTEN IN THE SECOND HALF OF THE SHOW FOR WHAT AT ONE TIME HE WANTED TO BE AT SOME POINT IN HIS LIFE!

He is one of the greatest middle-distance runners in American history and currently serves as the Head Coach for Track & Field/Cross Country at Ave Maria University.  He is a three-time United States champion in the 1500-meter run and represented the United States in the event in the 2004 Olympic Games in Athens.  Prior to his current role he made coaching stops at the University of Virginia, Portland State University, and the University of Arkansas Little Rock.  Following his retirement from competitive running, he became a successful triathlete, ranking in the top 100 in the world in the International Triathlon Union World Triathlon Series in 2015.  In his early days he was even a successful youth swimmer.

He is three months shy of the ten-year anniversary of his ordination to the priesthood.  He is Parochial Administrator at Annunciation BVM Parish in the Archdiocese of Philadelphia.  Back in his days as a student-athlete he attended Kutztown University on an athletic scholarship and, as a pole vaulter, won the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference championship.  In high school he had been an All-State pole vaulting champion when he graduated in 2003.

He is the founder of the largest Catholic-focused talent agency in the world. The clients he works with are men and women across numerous sports, with him having started the company back in 2006.  He is also the founder of the National Catholic Men's Conference.  Back in his days as a student athlete he played basketball at La Salle High School in the Greater Catholic League South, which ESPN has called the most competitive high school sports league in the country.  Since his playing days he has done both refereeing and coaching in basketball.  Stay to the end to hear about his connection to a game that is a historic moment in Major League Baseball history.

He has raced in 25 marathons since 1990. Over a twenty-ONE-year span, he was the fastest person on every base he was stationed -- nine assignments -- based on the Air Force aerobic fitness test (1.5 miles), and in 2010 he was the Scott Air Force Base Athlete of the Year, chosen out of 3,500 airmen. From 2007-2009 at the U.S. Air Force Academy, he coached the cadet marathon team and competed. Previously at the Academy, as a cadet athlete, he coached the squadron boxing and cross-country teams to the Academy championship. Back in his high school days he was captain of the track and cross-country team AND top distance runner. He is the President and Founder of LIFE Runners, the world's largest Pro-Life team.

Having received countless scholarship offers, he was an offensive lineman for the Notre Dame Fighting Irish in the first part of the 1990s and played in all four major bowl games in four consecutive years; the Orange Bowl, Sugar Bowl, Cotton Bowl, and Fiesta Bowl, and he is a part of the Catholic Athletes for Christ speakers bureau. Today, he gives concerts all over the world and also makes short films that explore much of the thematic content in his music in order to reveal an intimate look at the Merciful Face of Christ and the faithful become confident in God. He is the founder of Sistine Films, a production company that specializes in emotionally impactful story-based content that reveal the true face and heart behind leaders and their organizations.

He was chosen in the second round of the Major League Baseball amateur draft by the Cincinnati Reds and went on to play eleven seasons, appearing in over 900 regular season games with the Reds and the Atlanta Braves combined. He played an additional 19 games in the playoffs, including going to three World Series, winning one. After his playing career in the big leagues, he was part of the broadcast team for Atlanta Braves games on both television and radio. Back in his days as a student-athlete he also starred in football, and even went on to play professional slow pitch softball after his time in MLB. He is a past Chairman of the Board of the Major League Alumni Marketing and his story was told in a book called, "Welcome to the Big Leagues... Every Man's Journey to Significance."

He was selected in the fifth round of the National Football League Draft in 2010 and went on to a pro career with the New England Patriots, Pittsburgh Steelers, and Cincinnati Bengals, including playing in a Super Bowl. He had played his college football at the University of Michigan after having become one of the best high school football kickers in the nation, excelling both as a punter and placekicker. For his first season in the NFL, he set a rookie record for net punting yard average. Off the field, he started a Foundation, which he talks about during this interview.

He has had a long and highly decorated career in professional rodeo, including numerous appearances in the Wrangler National Finals Rodeo and multiple top five finishes in the world standings. A longtime steer wrestler, he first joined the Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association in 2002 and over his career he has competed seemingly all across the country. He attended McNeese State University in Louisiana and back in his days as an amateur had qualified for College National Finals Rodeo in 2002-03 and had qualified for the National High School Finals Rodeo in 1998-99.

He spent 16 years as a coach in the National Football League, working as a special teams coach for the Houston Texans and the Atlanta Falcons, and, in between, as an offensive assistant coach with the Detroit Lions. His years in the NFL included going to Super Bowl LI in February 2017 with Atlanta. He also coached in the college ranks, at the University of Kansas, the University of Pittsburgh, and at his alma mater, Louisiana Tech University, which he had attended on a football scholarship. He had played both football and basketball back in high school and coaches high school football present day.

He completed a solo and unsupported 3,700-mile run across America in 2011. During the journey he ran while praying for intentions people sent him from all over the world. He became one of only a small handful of people to cross the country in this manner, finishing with one of the longest routes in history while averaging more than 30 miles a day over the four-month journey. His book, "Running with God Across America," was published in 2012 and details his prayerful journey. He also has a chapter in the book, "Across America on Foot," which was published in 2020. He has continued to run after his journey, running long distances on his own, in the U.S., and even in the Holy Land. He had begun running at a young age, competing in cross-country throughout high school and recreationally in college, eventually completing his first marathon in 2004. He is currently the vice chairman for LIFE Runners, which he talks about during this interview.

He competes year-round as a professional ironman triathlete. He is the head coach of the 18-time national champion University of Colorado Boulder triathlon team, and he is a USA Triathlon Level II Certified Coach AND a Certified Sports Nutritionist. He had spent his years as a student-athlete competing in soccer, including during college, and was even a swimmer in high school. In addition to his racing endeavors, he is a nationally recognized abstinence speaker and has spoken to thousands of teens & young adults on the benefits of being physically, emotionally & spiritually “buff.”

She played basketball in high school -- and later competed in many alumni basketball games there -- and was a decorated college soccer player. Attending Whittier College in California, she not only played soccer all four years but was team captain for two years, was multiple 1st Team All-Conference, and in her final year was both 2nd Team All-American AND Conference Player of the Year, with her team being the regular season champion. She also coached her daughter's soccer team for one year, and, she has a strong connection to the NFL's Denver Broncos, which is talked about during this episode.

He has been in various roles in sports throughout his life. In his childhood he played CYO basketball and Little League baseball. In high school he played intramural softball and has also played in softball leagues in his adult life. He also coached CYO basketball in the past and nowadays helps coach his daughter's baseball league. He also had a long history as a sportswriter for a newspaper in Queens and had been the Assistant Sports Editor for St. John's University. He is the author not only of a book from two-and-a-half years ago called "Dreams Come True: Discovering God’s Vision for your Life," but, more recently, a second book that just came out this past April, titled, "Batter Up: Answering the Call of Faith and Fatherhood."

He was a pro heavyweight boxer from 1977 to 1990, following an amateur career in which he posted an amazing won-lost record of 55-3. As a pro, he was 28-3, with 24 of those victories coming by knockout. He rose to a number one ranking by the WBC and in Madison Square Garden in 1981 defeated former world heavyweight champion Ken Norton by a knockout just 54 seconds into the first round. According to the legendary George Foreman, he was one of the three hardest punchers Foreman had faced in his career, which is proven by him being ranked on "The Ring's" list of "100 Greatest Punchers of All Time." Unfortunately, there was a curveball thrown into all this, though, as evidenced by the book he co-authored, which is talked about here. He founded F.I.S.T. -- the Fighters' Initiative for Support and Training, an organization which helps retired boxers find jobs. He is an inductee of multiple Halls of Fame and has a show on SiriusXM Radio.