Sports Spectrum Podcast

Preston Spradlin is the men's head basketball coach for Morehead State. In 2021, he led the Eagle program to prominence winning the program's first Ohio Valley Conference Tournament championship in 10 years and leading his club to the NCAA Tournament with a 23-8 record. He was named OVC Coach of the Year.  Spradlin joined Morehead State in 2014 as an assistant coach and became the head coach in 2016. Prior to his time with the Eagles, he spent 5 seasons with the University of Kentucky basketball program and head coach John Calipari. He spent two campaigns (2009-11) as a graduate assistant with the Wildcats before three years as the assistant director of operations (2011-14).  His duties included film breakdown, creating and maintaining playbooks, assisting with opponent scouting and day-to-day operations. Today on the podcast, we talk to Preston about his historical 2021 season, his testimony of faith in Jesus, how Christ guides him as a coach, coming to work with Kentucky and the impact John Calipari has had on his life.  --- Receive our 10-day Sports Spectrum Devotional written by professional athletes for FREE when you sign up for our Sports Spectrum Weekly Email Newsletter. Sign up here.

Christian Ponder is a former quarterback who played six seasons in the NFL. He was selected 12th overall in the first round of the 2011 NFL Draft by the Minnesota Vikings. After spending four seasons in Minnesota, he played two more years with Oakland, Denver and San Francisco before retiring in 2017.  In college, Ponder was recruited by legendary coach Bobby Bowden at Florida State and was a three-year starter for the Seminoles. In 2010, Ponder was the first Seminole quarterback since Chris Weinke in 1999 to lead his team to victories over both its in-state rivals, Miami and Florida. He also the 2010 Bobby Bowden Award presented to the top student athlete among FBS schools. Ponder graduated from Florida State in two and a half years with a degree in finance and a 3.73 GPA.  Today on the podcast, Christian shares about his journey of faith, being baptized by Jon Kitna, the spiritual impact of his wife Samantha, and his memories of Bobby Bowden and the legacy he's left.  --- Listen to our conversation with Christian's wife, Samantha Ponder from 2018 here and here.  Receive our 10-day Sports Spectrum Devotional written by professional athletes for FREE when you sign up for our Sports Spectrum Weekly Email Newsletter. Sign up here.

Andy Pettitte pitched for 18 seasons with the Yankees and Astros. He is a 5-time World Series champion who pitched from 1995-2013. He holds the MLB record for postseason wins with 19 and has 256 career wins (42nd all-time).  Today on the podcast, we look back at the 20th anniversary of 9/11 with Andy, who shares his memories as a pitcher with the Yankees and what that time was like for him as a baseball player and as a man of faith.  --- Receive our 10-day Sports Spectrum Devotional written by professional athletes for FREE when you sign up for our Sports Spectrum Weekly Email Newsletter. Sign up here.

It's a FOOTBALL FRIDAY and today we talk to 2-time Super Bowl champion and Tampa Bay Buccaneers QB coach Clyde Christensen about the upcoming NFL season, coaching Tom Brady and Peyton Manning and how his faith in Jesus continues to fuel why he coaches football. --- Receive our 10-day Sports Spectrum Devotional written by professional athletes for FREE when you sign up for our Sports Spectrum Weekly Email Newsletter. Sign up here - https://sportsspectrum.com/newsletter/

Paul Maholm is a former MLB pitcher who was selected 8th overall in the first round of the 2003 MLB Amateur Draft by the Pittsburgh Pirates. He made his MLB debut in August of 2005 and threw a gem, pitching 8 shutout innings and earning his first career victory. In college, Maholm was a standout pitcher at Mississippi State and was inducted into their Hall of Fame class of 2018. After a career that saw him pitch 10 seasons in the Big Leagues, Paul retired after Spring Training 2015.  Today on the podcast, we talk to Paul Maholm about Mississippi State's 2021 College World Series run, being struck in the face by a line drive in the Minor Leagues, making his MLB debut in 2005, how his faith became real to him in college, how he processed grief in the loss of his mother and a unique moment where he faced a comedy legend while pitching in Spring Training of 2008.  --- Receive our 10-day Sports Spectrum Devotional written by professional athletes for FREE when you sign up for our Sports Spectrum Weekly Email Newsletter. Sign up here.

Antwaan Randle El is currently the wide receivers coach for the Detroit Lions. In 2020, he was an offensive assistant coach with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and helped his team to a Super Bowl championship. As a player, Randle El was selected in the second round of the 2002 NFL Draft by the Pittsburgh Steelers and in 2005, he threw a memorable touchdown pass in Super Bowl XL, helping the Steelers beat Seattle 21-10.  His NFL career spanned four seasons with the Steelers, four seasons with Washington and returned for one final season in 2010 with the AFC Champion Steelers.  In college, Randle El excelled as a three-sport athlete, playing baseball, basketball and football. But it was his play at quarterback that stood out and saw him named Big Ten Most Valuable Player and First-Team All-American in his senior season of 2001. While at Indiana, Randle El became the first player in NCAA Division I history to pass for 40 career touchdowns and score 40 career rushing touchdowns Today on the podcast, we talk to Antwaan about his faith in God, living his life to honor Christ, coaching and winning a Super Bowl last year with Tampa and how he hopes to make an impact as a coach with the Lions.  --- Receive our 10-day Sports Spectrum Devotional written by professional athletes for FREE when you sign up for our Sports Spectrum Weekly Email Newsletter. Sign up here.

Steve Carter loves Michigan football. Like, REALLY loves Michigan football. He's also an author, pastor, speaker and podcast host. His new book "The Thing Beneath the Thing" is a game-changer and available everywhere books are found.  --- Receive our 10-day Sports Spectrum Devotional written by professional athletes for FREE when you sign up for our Sports Spectrum Weekly Email Newsletter. Sign up here.

Mark Richt coached college football for more than thirty years with Florida State, Georgia and Miami. From 1990-2000, he was an assistant coach under his mentor, Bobby Bowden and helped the Seminoles to seven consecutive ACC titles and two national championships in 1993 and 1999. In 2001, he got his opportunity to become a head coach with the Georgia Bulldogs and for the next 15 seasons, he led the Bulldogs to nine seasons of 10 or more wins and was named SEC Coach of the Year in 2002 and 2005. After his departure from Georgia, he became the head coach of the Miami Hurricanes in 2016 and coached Miami for three seasons and in his second year  he won ACC Coach of the Year after leading his team to their first ever ACC Coastal title.  After returning from coaching in 2018, Richt became an analyst for the ACC Network and is now a first-time author, releasing his new book in 2021, "MAKE THE CALL : Game-Day Wisdom for Life’s Defining Moments." In July, Mark also announced he had been recently diagnosed with Parkinson's disease.  Today on the podcast, Mark Richt shares how God has sustained him during his recent announcement of Parkinson's disease, why he wanted to write his first book, and the impact his former coach Bobby Bowden had on his life. --- Receive our 10-day Sports Spectrum Devotional written by professional athletes for FREE when you sign up for our Sports Spectrum Weekly Email Newsletter. Sign up here.

Deland McCullough is the current Associate Head Coach and Running Backs coach with Indiana University. For the past three seasons, he was the Running Backs coach with the Kansas City Chiefs and was a member of two AFC Championship teams and helped KC win Super Bowl LIV over the San Francisco 49ers.  Deland, who is adopted, also has an incredible story of discovering who is birth father is. This story was written in Sports Spectrum's Winter 2020 Magazine and is featured in the new documentary "Show Me the Father" in theaters September 10, 2021.  On today's podcast, Deland shares about his new role in 2021 with the Indiana Hoosiers football team, what it was like to win a Super Bowl, the lessons he learned as a coach in the NFL and how he began to see God nudging him to share his incredible story of fatherhood in the new documentary "Show Me the Father."  --- Receive our 10-day Sports Spectrum Devotional written by professional athletes for FREE when you sign up for our Sports Spectrum Weekly Email Newsletter. Sign up here.

Sports Spectrum's Weekly Slant is a brand new football show coming your way Wednesday September 8 at 8:00 p.m. ET on our Facebook and YouTube channels and at SportsSpectrum.com. Hosts of the weekly show include Brock Huard from FOX Sports, former ESPN SportsCenter anchor Jade McCarthy and Sports Spectrum Podcast host Jason Romano. Join us September 8.