Sports Spectrum Podcast

Episode 234 Dave and Ann Wilson are the author of the new book "Vertical Marriage." They are also the co-founders and teaching pastors at Kensington Community Church, a national, multi-campus church that hosts more than 14,000 attendees every weekend. For the past twenty-five years, they have been featured speakers at FamilyLife’s Weekend to Remember, and have also hosted their own marriage conferences across the country. They live in the Detroit area, where Dave served as the Detroit Lions Chaplain for thirty-three years. On this episode of the podcast, we talk with Dave and Ann about becoming the chaplain of an NFL team in their late 20's, ministering to professional football players and their wives, and then we dive into marriage and their new book "Vertical Marriage" why complacency in marriage is a dangerous place for a couple, conflict resolution and ultimately why it is vital to pursue Christ before you pursue each other. Great stuff here on marriage. For more, log on to http://SportsSpectrum.com 

Episode 233 Tony Dungy is a #1 New York Times bestselling author whose books include Quiet Strength, Uncommon, The Mentor Leader, and Uncommon Marriage. He led the Indianapolis Colts to Super Bowl victory on February 4, 2007, the first such win for an African American head coach. Dungy established another NFL first by becoming the first head coach to lead his teams to the playoffs for ten consecutive years. Dungy joined the Colts in 2002 after serving as the most successful head coach in Tampa Bay Buccaneers history. He has also held assistant coaching positions with the University of Minnesota, Pittsburgh Steelers, Kansas City Chiefs, and Minnesota Vikings. Before becoming a coach, he played three seasons in the NFL. Dungy was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2016. Dungy has been involved in a wide variety of charitable organizations, including All Pro Dad, Abe Brown Ministries, Fellowship of Christian Athletes, Athletes in Action, Mentors for Life, Big Brothers Big Sisters, and Boys & Girls Clubs. He retired from coaching in 2009 and now serves as a studio analyst for NBC’s Football Night in America. He and his wife, Lauren, are the parents of ten children. His latest book, "The Soul of a Team" is out now and tells the story of a fictional football team that goes on to win the Super Bowl after some very difficult trials. The book lays out four essential principles practiced by truly effective teams and shares how it can us all in our places of influence. On this episode of the podcast, we talk with Coach Dungy about his new book "Soul of a Team," why he decided to go into the world of fiction, what his walk with the Lord looks like today, the state of faith in the NFL, his thoughts on Super Bowl LIII, and why it is important to stand up for his faith. For more, log on to http://SportsSpectrum.com 

Episode 232 Daniel Murphy is a member of the Colorado Rockies after signing a 2-year deal in December 2018. Selected in the 13th round of the 2006 MLB Draft by the New York Mets, Murphy would make his big league debut in August of 2008. He would be selected to his first All-Star Game in 2014 and then a year later, led the Mets to the World Series after setting a postseason record, hitting a home run in 6 straight games. He would be named 2015 NLCS MVP. In December 2015, he would sign a 3-year deal with the Nationals where he would have his two best seasons as a pro. In 2016, he finished second in the NL MVP balloting and hit a career high .347 with 25 home runs, 104 RBI, and led the National League in doubles with 47. In 2017, he would again lead the NL in doubles with 43, finish second with a.322 batting average and contribute 23 home runs and 93 RBI.  Last season, Murphy recovered from knee surgery to return in June, playing in 56 games with Washington before being traded for the first time in his career to the Cubs in August 2018. After finishing out the 2018 at Wrigley Field, Murphy became a free agent where he signed with the Rockies in December.  On this episode of the podcast, we talk with Daniel Murphy about his 2018 year, recovering from knee surgery, being traded and then signing with Colorado, how he began his walk with Christ in October 2011, being tested in his faith during his baseball career, what he learned about platform after winning the National League in 2015, and why he is not on social media.  For more, log on to http://SportsSpectrum.com 

Isaac Bruce played wide receiver in the NFL from 1994-2009. Selected in the second round of the 1994 NFL Draft (33rd overall) by the Rams and played 14 seasons with them, playing in two Super Bowls, winning one in 1999 and earning four trips to the Pro Bowl. He is currently 5th all-time on the NFL's receiving yardage list with 15,208 and had 7 seasons of 1,000 or more receiving yards. With the Rams back in the Super Bowl in Atlanta, we bring back our conversation with Isaac from Episode 77. You can hear the entire conversation here.  For more, log on to http://SportSpectrum.com 

Episode 231 Trent Dilfer was named the head football coach at Lipscomb Academy in Nashville, TN on Friday January 18, 2019. Selected in the first round (6th overall) of the 1994 NFL Draft by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Dilfer played 14 seasons in the NFL from 1994-2007 with Tampa, Baltimore, Seattle, Cleveland and San Francisco. He was a Pro Bowl selection in 1997 and helped lead the Ravens to the Super Bowl in 2000, beating the Giants 34-7 in Super Bowl XXXV. After retirement in 2008, Dilfer joined ESPN as an analyst, where he remained until 2017. He's also been involved in the development of high school quarterbacks with the Elite 11 competition each Spring. On this episode of the podcast, Trent Dilfer shared with us his decision to become a high school football coach, the powerful conversation he had with his wife and daughter, how his faith played a role in that decision, how he moved on from being let go at ESPN in 2017, and his favorite Super Bowl story.  For more, log on to http://SportsSpectrum.com 

Episode 230 Michael McDowell has been on a race track almost his entire life. At the early age of three, when most kids were learning to ride a tricycle, McDowell began competing in bicycle motocross (BMX) events. At eight years old, he moved up to four wheels and started kart racing, traveling the country for the next 10 years – along the way winning 18 consecutive feature races, a World Karting Association championship and back-to-back International Kart Federation championships. Still in his teens, McDowell graduated to larger open-wheel race cars, earning a championship in Formula Renault USA in 2002. Moving to the Star Mazda Series, he took Rookie of the Year honors in 2003 and yet another championship title in 2004, a season in which he had seven wins and six poles. In 2007, the young driver took his talents to the world of stock car racing. Competing in his first full season in the ARCA Series, McDowell scored four wins and nine poles, claiming Rookie of the Year honors and finishing second in the championship. Later that same year, he got a taste of stock car racing’s highest levels of competition, tapped to run a handful of races in two of NASCAR’s national series, the Camping World Truck Series and the XFINITY Series. Despite only running a few races, McDowell’s talent got noticed. And the following year, the 23-year-old was hand-picked by Michael Waltrip Racing to run full-time on NASCAR’s biggest stage, the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series, where he has now competed for 10 seasons. He also continued to race in the XFINITY Series, amassing one win, six top-five and 20 top-10 finishes, and two poles over nine seasons. He earned his best Cup series career finish in 2017, finishing fourth at Daytona International Speedway. In 2018, he finished 11th at the Daytona 500.  On this episode of the podcast, we talk to Michael about his 2018 racing season, why he got into racing, where his faith in Christ took shape, why he is passionate about evangelism, and how God's hand was with him in one of the worst crashes he suffered. For more, log on to http://SportsSpectrum.com 

Episode 229 As the third most accurate placekicker in NFL history at the time of his retirement, Rolf Benirschke had an illustrious 10-year career with the San Diego Chargers. The Pro Bowl kicker was named the 1983 Walter Payton Man of the Year and 11 years after retiring, he was inducted into the Chargers Hall of Fame. In his second NFL season, Benirschke was diagnosed with ulcerative colitis. He would be forced to embark on a journey that would lead to deep despair and self-discovery. It would require four major abdominal surgeries and challenge his very life before returning him to the highest of heights. Rolf played in 3 of the greatest games in NFL history, "The Holy Roller" of 1978, "The Epic in Miami" in January 1982, and "The Freezer Bowl" one week later, also in January 1982. On this inspiring episode of the podcast, we talk to Rolf about being a kicker, the mentality of rebounding after a big missed field goal, coming to faith in Christ during his NFL career, playing in 2 of the greatest playoff games in back-to-back weeks in January 1982, and overcoming life-threatening illnesses to return to the NFL and ultimately use his story to encourage others. For more, log on to http://SportsSpectrum.com 

Episode 228 Demario Davis is a linebacker with the New Orleans Saints. He was selected in the third round of the 2012 draft by the New York Jets, for whom he played four seasons before signing a deal with the Browns. In 2017, he was dealt back to the Jets, where he had a career year with 135 combined tackles and five sacks while starting all 16 games. In March 2018, Davis became an unrestricted free agent and signed a four-year deal to play with the Saints. In Week 4 this season against the Giants, Davis’ 11 tackles and two sacks helped the Saints to a 33-18 win over New York. For his efforts, he was named NFC Defensive Player of the Week. In the NFC Divisional Playoff matchup against the Eagles, Davis led the Saints with 8 tackles as New Orleans advanced to the NFC Championship Game at home on Sunday January 20 against the Rams.  On this episode of the podcast, we talk with Demario about his first NFL playoff experience, beating the Eagles, the pain a linebacker feels on Monday after a game, preparing for the NFC Championship game, and what the Lord has taught him this 2018 season.  For more, log on to http://SportsSpectrum.com 

Chad Hennings won 3 Super Bowls playing for the Dallas Cowboys from 1992-2000.  Prior to his NFL career, Chad served at the U.S. Air Force Academy, where he had a fantastic college career, winning the 1987 Outland Trophy and being named an All-American. He was elected to the College Football Hall of Fame in 2006. Hennings served four years in the Air Force before his NFL career. He flew dozens of combat and humanitarian missions over Iraq and Turkey in A-10 jets. His ministry Wingmen gathers men with the purpose of forming transparent, Christ-centered, masculine relationships. At Wingmen, they offer men acceptance, affirmation and accountability. In this THROWBACK THURSDAY episode of the podcast, Chad shares his testimony and where his faith journey began and why his passion now is to encourage men to form transparent, Christ-centered, masculine relationships.  You can listen to the entire interview from Episode 29 here. 

Episode 227 Neal Young was named the head basketball coach at Covenant College (Division III) in August of 2017.  Young came to Covenant after spending four years as head coach at Goshen (Ind.) College. In his first year at Covenant, Young set a program record for wins by a first-year head coach as he guided the Scots to an 18-10 overall record, tying a program record for winning percentage, and a trip to the USA South Tournament championship game. During the year, the Scots went on an eight-game winning streak, the longest in the NCAA era, and won double-digit conference games for the second time in three seasons.  Young had success leading Goshen, an NAIA Division II member. His 2015-16 team recorded its second double-digit victory season in 46 years of Crossroads League basketball. Goshen went 19-13 overall and 10-8 in league play, hosting a CL tournament game for the first time since 2005, and produced an NAIA All-American in the process. This past year, the Maple Leafs toppled No. 1-ranked University of St. Francis for the program's first-ever win over a top-ranked opponent. On this episode of the podcast, we learn about Neal's basketball journey, but even more, his journey to faith in Christ and battling cancer and depression all while continuing to achieve his dream as a college basketball coach. This episode is sure to inspire everyone who listens.  For more, log on to http://SportsSpectrum.com