Sports Spectrum Podcast

Episode 361 Tim Burke pitched for 8 seasons in the Major Leagues from 1985 to 1992. He was selected in the second round of the 1980 MLB Draft by the Pittsburgh Pirates and was traded four times in his MLB career. He made his MLB debut in April of 1985 with the Montreal Expos and pitched for 7 seasons in Montreal before being traded to the Mets in 1991 and then to the Yankees in 1992. He he would retire from pro baseball after Spring Training in 1993.  Burke's best MLB season came in 1989 when he 9-3 with 28 saves and a 2.55 ERA, leading to his one and only trip to the All-Star Game.  After retirement, Burke would spend time raising his four adopted kids, as well as enter into the world of pro hockey ministry to share and equip NHL players in their walk with God.  On this episode of the podcast, we talk to Tim about his pro baseball journey, the story of pitching in the 1989 All-Star game and then adopting his child in Guatemala, coming to faith in Christ as a minor leaguer and how God has redeemed his life after bouts with heavy drinking, depression, a broken marriage, and a difficult season of parenting.  For more, log on to http://SportsSpectrum.com 

Episode 360 Jay Harris is a SportsCenter anchor at ESPN who has been featured on the signature show since arriving in Bristol, CT in February of 2003.  Prior to his arrival at ESPN, Harris worked as a news anchor and reporter in Pittsburgh with WPGH-TV. He also worked at WAMO-FM in Pittsburgh and WOWI-FM in Norfolk, VA. Harris is a graduate of Old Dominion University and in 2004, was the keynote speaker for Old Dominion's 100th commencement ceremony.  Jay has been a part of SportsCenter's Sports Emmy-winning efforts in 2004 and 2005 and is a recipient of the Silver World Medal from the New York Festival Awards.  On this episode of the podcast, we talk to Jay about his journey to ESPN, living the SportsCenter life, when he began his walk with the Lord, using his platform to share his faith and his most memorable interview.  For more, log on to http://SportsSpectrum.com 

Episode 359 Todd Blackledge is a college football analyst at ESPN and ABC. He is also a former NFL QB who was selected in the 1st round (seventh overall) of the 1983 NFL Draft by Kansas City.  Playing his college football at Penn State, Todd had a decorated career with the Nittany Lions winning the 1982 Davey O'Brien Award as the nation's most outstanding quarterback and helped his club win the national championship that same season when Penn State beat Georgia 27-23 in the Sugar Bowl.  He would go on to play six NFL seasons with the Chiefs and Steelers before beginning his broadcasting journey in 1989 and eventually coming to ABC Sports in 1994.  In 2009, he was awarded Penn State’s Distinguished Alumni Award and is a member of Penn State’s Board of Visitors for Penn State’s Center for Sports Journalism. Blackledge lives in Canton, Ohio, the birthplace for football and coaches high school basketball in the offseason. On this episode of the podcast, we talk to Todd about the upcoming football season, the state of parenting in youth sports, his testimony of faith in Christ, his calling as a believer in the broadcasting industry and the state of faith in college football.  For more, log on to http://SportsSpectrum.com 

Today we look back to May 31, 2018, Episode 113 of the podcast with former NFL player and now Atlanta pastor, Léonce Crump Jr.. Léonce is the author of “Renovate: Changing Who You Are by Loving Where You Are.” A champion for the church’s participation in focused and intentional cultural renewal, Crump is the leading voice of a generation committed to operating as God’s redemptive agents in the earth. His unique background includes contacts from the world of professional sports and the music industry. At the University of Oklahoma, Crump was an All-American wrestler and defensive end for the Sooner football team; he went on to play professional football for the New Orleans Saints. He has been in ordained ministry for nine years and holds graduate degrees from the University of Tennessee and Resurgence Theological Training Center. He is currently a Master of Divinity student at Reformed Theological Seminary and a member of the Acts 29 church planting network. He and his wife, Breanna, reside in the heart of downtown Atlanta with their two daughters and son. Léonce shares on this THROWBACK edition of the podcast, about the temptations that come from being an NFL player.  You can listen to the entire interview with Léonce Crump from Episode 113 here or by searching his name on iTunes/Apple, Spotify, iHeart Radio App or anywhere podcasts are listened to. 

Episode 358 Danny Woodhead played 10 seasons in the NFL with the New York Jets, New England Patriots, Los Angeles Chargers, and the Baltimore Ravens.  He went undrafted in 2008 after a college career at Division 2 Chadron State that saw him win the Harlon Hill trophy in back-to-back seasons in 2006 and 2007.  He was able to make his mark in the NFL with the Patriots, playing in Super Bowl XLVI and catching a touchdown pass from Tom Brady in New England's loss to the New York Giants.  In 2015 he had his best season of his career with the Chargers, finishing with 80 receptions, 1,091 combined rushing and receiving yards and nine total touchdowns. He retired from the NFL after the 2017 season On this episode of the podcast, we talk to Danny about taking his faith into the NFL, identity as a pro football player, his favorite Tom Brady story, his testimony of faith in Christ and adjusting to life after football. For more, log on to http://SportsSpectrum.com 

Episode 358 Dan Orlovsky is current a football analyst with ESPN working on studio shows like GET UP and SportsCenter, while also calling games for ESPN and ABC Saturday college football with Bob Wischusen and Allison Williams.  Prior to his broadcasting career, Dan was a 12-year veteran of the NFL. He was selected in the 5th round of the 2005 Draft by the Detroit Lions. His football journey saw him play with Detroit, Houston, Indianapolis, Tampa Bay and a preseason stint with the Rams before announcing his retirement with Sports Spectrum in 2017.  Dan was a stud college QB at the University of Connecticut where he set many passing records including most pass completions (916), pass attempts (1,567), yards passing (10,706), touchdown passes (84), interceptions (51), total plays (1,710) and total yards (10,421). On this episode of the podcast, we welcome back Dan to the show to talk about his thriving broadcasting career, working with Mike Greenberg on GET UP, choosing to be different on social media, staying disciplined in his faith journey, his favorite play call during his career and the time he practiced in one city and played a preseason game in another city the same day.  For more, log on to http://SportsSpectrum.com 

Episode 357 Chad Lunsford is the head football coach at Georgia Southern. The 2019 campaign marks the 11th season overall, and seventh in his current stint at Georgia Southern. Lunsford was promoted from assistant head coach to interim head coach on Oct. 22, 2017. He was named the 10th full-time head coach in the modern era on Nov. 27, 2017.  In 2018, he led the Eagles to the biggest turnaround in the FBS, from two wins in 2017 to a 10-3 finish in 2018 including a Racom Media Camellia Bowl win over Eastern Michigan 23-21.  In 2019, his club opens the season on August 31 at LSU and has a road game at Minnesota on September 14 before embarking on a tough Sun Belt Conference schedule.  On this episode of the podcast, we talk to Coach Lunsford about the turnaround his club had last year and preparing for this upcoming 2019 season. We also hear his powerful testimony of faith, the daily disciplines he instills to his team and how his priorities got out of order during his early coaching days.  For more, log on to http://SportsSpectrum.com 

Episode 356 Darren Carr coaches high school football at Bakersfield Christian High School in California. He's also the middle brother of former NFL QB David Carr and Oakland Raiders QB Derek Carr.  Darren played his college football at Bakersfield College and the University of Houston. He became the head coach of Bakersfield Christian in 2015 and has his brother David and Dad Rodger on his coaching staff.  On this episode of the podcast, we talk to Darren about growing up in a football family, where his faith in Christ became real, watching his brother play QB with the Raiders and dealing with the backlash from the outside critics.  For more, log on to http://SportsSpectrum.com 

Today we look back to August of 2018, Episode 136 of the podcast with former MLB Cy Young winning pitcher R.A. Dickey. R.A. pitched for 15 seasons in the major leagues with the Rangers, Mariners, Twins, Mets, Blue Jays and Braves and was a member of the 1996 Bronze Medal winning Olympic baseball team.  In 2001, Dickey made his MLB debut with Texas. eleven years later, he was the best pitcher in the National League, becoming the first knuckleball pitcher to win the Cy Young Award. He went 20-6 with 230 strikeouts and an ERA of 2.73, and he made his first and only All-Star team. R.A. shares on this THROWBACK edition of the podcast about the platform God gave him after winning the 2012 Cy Young Award.  You can listen to the entire interview with R.A. Dickey here or by searching his name on iTunes/Apple Podcasts, Spotify, iHeart Radio App or anywhere podcasts are listened to. 

Episode 355 Eric Mac Lain played football at Clemson 2011-15, where the Tigers captured two conference championships and made a national championship appearance. He obtained the most wins (46) by a single player in Clemson history, while earning Strength and Conditioning All America honors. As a student, Mac Lain was an All-ACC Academic Football Team selection and was graduated with a bachelor’s in health science (2015) and a master’s in athletic leadership and administration (2017). In 2019, he joined the new ACC Network as a studio analyst. Prior to that, he was with JMI Sports where he has worked on multimedia sponsorship rights for Clemson athletics. On this episode of the podcast, we talk to Eric about playing for Dabo Swinney, being part of the birth of a dynasty, faith at Clemson, learning from losing, and the crazy journey to now being a broadcaster with the ACC Network.  For more, log on to http://SportsSpectrum.com