Catholic Sports Radio

He excelled in three different sports. As a boxer he competed in the Catholic intramural boxing league's lightweight division and won 80% of his fights by knockout, the rest by points. He was nearly undefeated, losing only one fight. In basketball, he was the only white player, starting guard, on an all-black basketball team in Pittsburgh intramural League. His team won the championship and had an undefeated season. And, in the men's softball championship in Pittsburgh, he hit the winning walk-off home run in the bottom of the ninth, resulting in his team taking the championship and carrying him on their shoulders in celebration. He is an Academy Award-considered filmmaker, best-selling novelist, and a guitarist who has composed over one thousand songs. His latest family faith-based film has won 15 awards at film festivals and can be seen for free on Amazon.

He is an amateur marathoner and active member of the Chicago Catholic Run Club, saying that running has become a key part of his spiritual and personal life. He has completed five of the six World Marathon Majors and is just one race away from earning the coveted Six Star Medal. On the faith side, he is the president of CatechismClass.com, an online-based organization whose mission is to make the best in Catholic religious education and Sacramental preparation available for those who need it. In addition, he has authored several Catholic books and has written for different Catholic publications.

He last month concluded 100 ultra marathons in 100 days, running 3,500 miles across America, having started in California and ultimately ended at the National Shrine of the North American Martyrs in New York. He is an endurance athlete who has competed in running events worldwide. His ultra-running career has included ten races, from 50K to one hundred-plus miles, of which he has won six and placed second in four, securing leads of multiple hours as well as a course record. He is the co-founder of Sebaste, a non-profit named for 40 Roman soldiers in the third century who chose to meet death on a frozen lake rather than renounce Christ. His organization runs formative programs and adventures for men across the country.

She participated as a young student-athlete in cheerleading, volleyball, softball, and basketball. She was captain of the volleyball team, two years after the team went undefeated in the conference, won sectionals, and advanced to state for the first time in program history. In her adult years she continued her athletic involvement in leagues for both sand volleyball and softball. She is a #1 best-selling author of five books and is a speaker and certified grief coach, as inspired by having lost two of her four sons in the last few years, with one of the boys having been very active in ice hockey and powerlifting.

He was captain of his varsity football, basketball, and baseball teams and received multiple scholar-athlete awards, being mildly recruited by small private colleges and Ivy League schools in various sports. More specifically, he was a standout defensive catcher on a championship team and an all-conference defensive end. In basketball, he was one of the best defensive players in the state. In addition, he was a high school track and field coach and coached baseball in town leagues for many years. He is a best-selling novelist and the founder of The Mary Foundation, which he created more than 33 years ago. Their apostolate has influenced tens of millions of people through their website, novels, and other Catholic resources. In 2020 he and a priest "pinned" the Mantle of Mary on the extreme four corners of the U.S., and later, over an eight-month period, he led a spiritual warfare initiative requiring extraordinary physical challenges, which he talks about during this interview.

He played no fewer than five sports in his youth and then went on to not only compete in pole vault in high school but played for two different soccer teams. In addition to being captain of the VHSCAA State All-Star Team, he at one point held the school record for most shutouts in a season and his team had the school record for the longest undefeated streak. He is a graduate of the University of Notre Dame, where he tried out for the soccer team.  Present day, he is president of The Catholic Initiative, a key "Legacy of Hope" project, which is a first of its kind in the world. It is a Vatican-approved effort to invest in the restoration and sustainability of vibrant Catholic churches, schools, and parishes where a lack of financial resources is currently holding back their potential.

He has an amazing story of surviving a life-threatening accident a few years ago. He was on the track team in high school and surfed regularly too. For decades he has been an avid motorcyclist, both dirt and touring. He has also been active in martial arts and was a regular participant in sailboat racing. Although he also swims and plays tennis and pickle ball, he perhaps excelled the most as an equestrian competitor as a rider for decades, having won numerous local, regional, state, national, and international championships. He authored a book that came out last year, called, "The Horseman's Tale.” His service to our country is seen in him being a combat-wounded Vietnam veteran and the recipient of two Distinguished Flying Crosses for heroism in aerial combat, along with the Purple Heart. On the faith side, he was knighted by Pope Benedict XVI in 2012 for his humanitarian service.

She not only competed in both college and high school in volleyball and dance, but coached volleyball for multiple schools over a ten-plus year period and still hosts volleyball clinics, in addition to playing the sport both recreationally and for an annual fundraiser. In her younger years she played four other sports as well. On the faith side, she has a Master's in Ministry and is a certified Catholic mindset coach. In June she will graduate with a spiritual direction certification. She also hosts a podcast, runs workshops, and does Catholic speaking events.

He was a competitive swimmer as a youth and played water polo in high school. He received a Presidential Appointment to the U.S. Air Force Academy, where he continued with both swimming and water polo. Believing in the value of non-profit service as an important duty, he has focused on his passion for serving, church, the underprivileged, and supporting education and youth. With two other couples, he and his wife conceived, co-founded and led the effort to create Saint Junipero Serra Catholic which has grown to become the largest Catholic grade school in America. He is a Knight of Malta and served on the National Board of Governors of Legatus, a Catholic organization for business executives who strive to study, live and spread the Catholic faith in their business, professional, and personal lives. His focus these days is on the Fruitful Futures Project, a 501c3 devoted to inspiring fruitfulness with the intention of helping others to help to build the Kingdom.

She was just inducted into the Athletics Hall of Fame at Indiana State University where she twice was first team all-conference, led the country in free-throw percentage in her senior year, and ranks in the top eight in four categories in the history of the women's basketball program at the school. In high school she had been a three-time all-state, all-metro, and first team all-conference selection. In addition, she was an assistant coach for three years for a different high school, with that team winning two Class 5 Missouri state championships during her time there. She has a Master's degree in sports psychology from the University of Missouri.  On the faith side, she is the author of a book called, "In the Trenches: Finding God Through Raising Littles" and another, released last year, called, "Real Life with Mary: Growing in Virtue to Magnify the Lord."

She ran for the University of Colorado | Colorado Springs, competing in cross country, indoor track, and outdoor track. Prior to that she was a school record holder in the 4x400m relay and earned several honors, including - among many others - being named Poway High School Athlete of the Year, and was a five-time state meet qualifier. Today, she still stays involved through a running club, continues to race on the roads, and, most recently, ran a full marathon for the charity organization St. Jude.  Her story, however, includes medical challenges, and, in part, led to her today being a foot and ankle doctor and surgeon at a Catholic hospital in Indianapolis, including treating athletes.

He was selected by the Denver Broncos in the third round of the NFL Draft and went on to play four seasons in the pros, first with the San Diego Chargers and then three with the Philadelphia Eagles. He was a linebacker who had played collegiately for four years at the University of Notre Dame, with the Fighting Irish being AP Poll national champions his third season with the team. After his senior year he played in the Coaches All-America Game. He even appeared on the cover of Sports Illustrated magazine. During his days as an athlete, he even played two football games in Mexico City. He later received his degree from Harvard Law School.

She is the Head Archery Coach for Holy Rosary Academy in Anchorage Alaska, having launched the program herself, and last year one of her student-athletes qualified to compete nationally. She also competed in the Taekwondo National Tournament and has participated in the mud run. Away from sports, she is a certified Catholic neurocoach and expert in helping daughters heal from the trauma of being raised by covert narcissistic mothers. Plus, she is the founder of Blue Veil Wellness, providing comprehensive online coaching programs AND she is the host of a podcast called Maternal Narcissists: Unmasked.

She started fencing in junior high, stopped during high school to pursue both track and field as well as competition squad cheerleading, then went back to fencing after graduating from college and competed for several years. After a 20-year hiatus she came back to the sport and is now working her way to getting on a national team. Along the way, on the faith side, she had been in full-time music ministry. Plus, she is a certified Health Coach and corporate wellness and women's ministry speaker.

He competed for four years in track and field in high school and present day is a coach of an evangelical nature. He is the founder of Holy Family Evangelization, a Catholic coaching organization, AND he is the author of a brand-new book just being released, called, "How to Evangelize Anyone," which is a complete reversal for someone who was an atheist. He has evangelized at universities, Fortune 500 companies, and various non-profits in the U.S., Latin America, and Asia. He has also advised numerous organizations and parishes on evangelization and catechesis.

He is the Head Men's Basketball Coach at Ave Maria University. He is in his 15th season as a head coach, having previously held the position at Aledo High School, The University of Texas at Tyler, a previous stint at Ave Maria, Texas State University, Trinity Valley Community College, and Keller Central High School. He led Ave Maria to the conference tournament championship game in 2021 and his 2023-24 team earned an at-large bid to the NAIA Tournament and won the program's first-ever national tournament game. He is also a Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist and a CrossFit Level I Trainer.

He was Varsity Basketball Coach for seven years at The Boys' Latin School of Maryland. On the business side, he joined forces with NBA legend Walt “The Wizard” Williams to assist former NFL player Wale Ogunleye with the UBS Sports and Entertainment Division. Together, they revolutionized wealth management for elite clients, including the National Basketball Players Association, and brokered historic deals such as connecting Players TV Media Group — a collective powered by icons like Dwyane Wade, Chris Paul, and Kyrie Irving — with UBS. He is also a U.S. Army combat veteran, and he demonstrated a true Christian heart by quitting his seven-figure job to create a social impact company that focuses on financial education for the underprivileged.

He is a Professor of Athletic Training & Sports Medicine at Quinnipiac University. Over the last 30+ years he has worked in higher education teaching the next generation of athletic training and physical therapy students. He has also practiced clinically in a variety of athletic settings providing medical and rehabilitative services, including having worked as an athletic trainer in professional baseball here in the U.S. and professional soccer in Costa Rica. He was also the Rehabilitation Coordinator, Head Basketball and Assistant Football Athletic Trainer at the University of Southern Mississippi. He worked as a private consultant in the industrial athletic training setting and has provided medical coverage for numerous high school and private athletic events. Over his three-plus decades of professional service he has provided medical coverage for an estimated 7500 athletic events.

He played tennis and beach volleyball in high school and the latter when he was a student-athlete at Texas State University. Present day he participates in mixed martial arts, lifting weights, hiking, and doing Spartan races. He is co-founder of and fitness director for Hypuro Fit, whose mission is to bring a technically excellent and authentically Catholic approach to personal training. He also has a story about his own reversion to the Catholic faith, which he shares during this interview.

He is in his second season as an assistant coach for women's swimming and diving at the University of Kansas.  Prior to joining the Jayhawks staff, he was the head coach at the University of Mary, and before that he had been an assistant coach at the University of New Mexico.  Prior to moving into the college coaching ranks, he was the head coach of Reno Aquatic Club from 2018-21.  As a student-athlete he graduated from and swam at the University of Iowa, where he was named the team captain for the 2008-09 season.  He also received the Big Ten Sportsmanship Award and the Iowa Swimming Leadership Award in 2009.  He has a compelling story about his reversion back to the Catholic faith.

He played football in high school but also competed in track, which became his long-term sport. Having broken a school record in indoor 4x800m relay in high school, he went on to compete for four years at Bradley University where he also broke a school record. Post-college he has continued to run, including five marathons and one 50-mile ultra marathon. He even qualified for and ran in the Boston Marathon.  Plus, since 2018 he has backpacked approximately five thousand miles across a handful of trails, including the Appalachian Trail.

He played football his freshman year of high school, moved on to discus and two conference championships in that sport, and then went on to a long career in lacrosse, a sport that he remains involved with to this day. He played for the Illinois Wesleyan University Club Lacrosse team, Oxford University, and Second City/Windy City Men's Club, and he still plays in an over-30 league. On top of all that, he not only has officiated lacrosse, but has coached five high school teams since 2001, plus, Park Ridge Youth Lacrosse, which he has now been coaching for three years.  (Be forewarned of two emotional stories in the second half of this episode.)

She is the Head Varsity Volleyball Coach at St. Francis Catholic High School in Sacramento, California, where she was previously the head junior varsity and assistant varsity volleyball coach. As a student-athlete there she had led the team to the state championship as a junior in 2005 before later going on to earn three All-Big Sky Conference awards at the University of Montana. Her coaching career began as a student assistant at Montana and included a stop at Nevada as a volunteer assistant and director of volleyball operations.  She also coached club ball for Northern Nevada Juniors.

He has been the headmaster at Saint Benedict's Prep in Newark, New Jersey, for more than 50 years.  He is a graduate of that school and has been featured on "60 Minutes" and on FOX News. On the sports side, he wrestled, played football, and captained the tennis team, and went on to coach wrestling for Saint Benedict's Prep. Over six years ago a video went viral of him on the basketball court, hitting a hook shot from three-point range, wearing his clerics. Meanwhile, he received the first Robert F. Kennedy Award for Urban School Leadership from the national Schools That Can organization in 2014 and was named a New Jersey Icon by NJBIZ in 2020.

She competed in a long list of sports from elementary school to high school to university and adult life. Notably, she competed regionally in running and at the world level in dance. Regarding the latter, she is a World Championship-winning professional Irish dancer, and she now dances for coaching. Meanwhile, she ran her first 10K in 2017 and has remained very involved in running. She is the Graduate Lab Coordinator at the University of Nevada Las Vegas for The Optimum Performance Program in Sport (TOPPS), which blends traditional mental health services with sport culture and customized performance coaching.

He went from playing Little League baseball to 25-plus years of men's league softball to playing into his 50s with two years of vintage baseball. Meanwhile, he had also played Pop Warner football and then continued in the sport in high school and college, including being the placekicker on the undefeated 1977 team that is enshrined in the Iona College Sports Hall of Fame.  He also spent a combined total of 15 seasons coaching high school and college football.  He has been a columnist for Sports Collectors Digest magazine since 1993, specializing in Baseball Ballpark History.  He is currently co-authoring his first nonfiction book, about the 1970s Oakland A's baseball team, to be published in 2025.  And, having written other books, he says that his adult baseball novel “The Rovers: A Tale of Fenway” has the most overtly religious themes.

He has been the head baseball coach at Jesuit High School in Tampa since 2014.  He had spent many years coaching at Key West High School who, as a player, he had led to a state title back in 1995.  As a student-athlete at the collegiate level, he played for the University of Tampa, won an NCAA Division II national title in 1998, and was twice named All-Conference.  At Jesuit he has led the baseball team to such highlights as state champions, District titles, and even being ranked No. 1 nationally by several national baseball media outlets.  His faith story includes having grown apart from the church as a young adult and later finding his way back, which he talks about during this interview.

He started playing tennis when he was eight years old and started teaching the sport at age 19.  Two years into his college years he started a tennis academy that became one of the biggest such schools in his hometown.  In 1990 he started at an exclusive resort in California, teaching the sport there for what would be 32 years.  Along the way, one of the kids he taught there not only became a No. 1 player in college but went on to become a pro athlete in the sport.  On the faith side, he pursued a master's degree in theology from Franciscan University in Steubenville, Ohio, even though he wasn't baptized Catholic until age 27.  He emotionally shares his story of tragic loss in his family.

She competed in hockey, figure skating, gymnastics, soccer, and dance team as a young girl and teenager, and in her adult years moved into sports pursuits such as tennis/pickleball, receiving Pilates and TRX certifications, and creating a physical certification program under the banner of SoulCore, a Catholic fitness apostolate that she is co-founder of, with a mission to amplify the experience of prayer through physical movement. On the faith side, she has a conversion story to the Catholic faith, which she talks about during this interview.

He ran track in high school, competed in intramural sports, later taught himself golf, and coached youth league basketball and baseball, winning a regular season and a post-season title. In 2011 he was ordained to the Diaconate in the first class in the Archdiocese of Kansas City in Kansas.  He has been a 4th degree member of the Knights of Columbus, and this year was awarded a Licentiate in Canon Law from St. Paul University in Ottawa, Ontario.  He is a Board member of Deacons Of Hope, a pro-life, non-profit ministry.

He spent years playing basketball, including grade school, high school, and college, and then went on to coach basketball for close to 15 years.  Along the way he also coached football, including jobs at two Catholic high schools.  Two years ago, he walked with a group of guys in the form of a cross across the United States, covering approximately 4,500 miles. He spent five years in the seminary, has written a novel called, "Catholic Joe: Superhero," and is working on another book to be called, "The Team," which he talks about during this interview.

He is a College Scout with the Pittsburgh Steelers. He was a first round draft pick in the 1995 NFL Draft and went on to play nine years with Pittsburgh and then five years with the Houston Texans.  In total he played in 188 regular season games and five in the playoffs.  He also served on the NFL Players Association Executive Committee.  Back in his days as a student-athlete he played college football for the Washington Huskies, earning All-American honors in 1993.  Five years ago, he was enshrined in the Pacific Northwest Hall of Fame.

He has spent many years working in sports, from being the Head Football Coach at two different high schools in Washington state to having been an assistant football coach at a third. In addition, he developed a program with the Washington Officials Association and the Pacific Ten Conference in tribute to a high school football coach who passed away from cancer. His work in sports also extends to having been a part of two Major League Baseball front offices, the Atlanta Braves and then the Seattle Mariners. On the faith side, he was Director of Development at the largest Catholic elementary school in the Pacific Northwest.

He independently produces faith-based films. His most current film, "Average Joe," releases exclusively in theaters nationwide this Friday, October 11th, and is based on the true story of a high school football coach, Joe Kennedy, whose fight for religious freedom — the right to pray on the field following games — went all the way to the Supreme Court, where he won his case. This guest was also executive producer of the film "God's Not Dead." He played on his high school golf team and went on to be an avid racquetball player for most of his life. He also has a story of conversion to the Catholic faith, which he shares during this interview.

She is an author and motivational speaker who has been featured on TV shows like "Ellen" and "FOX and Friends," and on networks such as CNN, BBC News, and National Geographic. Despite being born without arms, she is a fourth-degree black belt in taekwondo. She has participated in numerous other sports – either competitively or recreationally – including cycling, scuba diving, surfing, golf, horseback riding, and Philippines martial arts arnis / escrima. In 2011 she received the Guinness World Record for being the first person certified to fly an airplane with only their feet. She not only met Pope Benedict XVI but gave him her Guinness World Record Medal.

He has a long résumé in sports as an athlete, coach, and educator. After being a varsity soccer captain and varsity basketball captain in high school, he went on to compete in rowing at Boston College. Next, he became a boys basketball coach at St. Jude High School in Montgomery, Alabama, and then a girls basketball coach at Mercy High School in Omaha, Nebraska, and now for the last ten years he has been youth soccer and basketball coach at St. Pius X / St. Leo School. He is a life-long bicyclist and from 2007-2013 was a recreational triathlete. Two years ago, he co-authored a book called, "On the Eighth Day: A Catholic Theology of Sport," and teaches in the Theology department at Creighton University.

She played volleyball, tennis, and basketball in high school and then went on to be a decorated athlete in college, playing Division I basketball, including being co-captain, getting named to the Holiday Classic All-Tournament Team, and her team having four NCAA appearances. She is the producer of many films, including last year's "Native Ball: Legacy of a Trailblazer," about a Native American female basketball player, and the documentary, "Playing Like a Girl: The House That Rob Built," which will be available to PBS stations nationwide and the PBS Amazon Prime documentary channel starting November 1st.

He was drafted by the NFL's Miami Dolphins and went on to play for both the Philadelphia Eagles and the New England Patriots after having played college football at Villanova University on a full athletic scholarship. He is a member of three halls of fame, went on to become a radio announcer for the Philadelphia Eagles, and has even run five half-marathons. Also an inspirational speaker, he has an amazing story of being a cancer survivor and amputee. He is currently writing a book about his Catholic journey, which follows a book he previously wrote, called, "Tackling Life: How Faith, Family, Friends, and Fortitude Kept an NFL Linebacker in the Game."

He has won both a Super Bowl and college football national championship. He is entering his second season as Tulane University's special teams coordinator after having spent the 2022 season coordinating special teams for the USFL's Houston Gamblers and XFL's Houston Roughnecks. Prior to 2022, he spent five seasons with LSU, where he joined the staff as an analyst in 2017 and later took over as special teams coordinator. That followed his having spent eleven years with the NFL's New Orleans Saints, the first two as assistant special teams coordinator followed by nine seasons as special teams coordinator.  During his time there the team won the Super Bowl in February 2010 over the Indianapolis Colts. He has spent decades around the game, first as a safety at Eastern Illinois and then as a coach at eight different schools over a 25-year period.

Hear what the show is about and sample excerpts from interviews with an NFLer, an Olympian, and a surfer priest.

He is the Head Football Coach, Director of Athletics, and Vice President of Enrollment at Ave Maria University.  Entering his ninth season at the helm of the football program, he led a turnaround from a winless first season to Sun Division Champions just two years later, earning him Sun Division Coach of the Year honors. He earned his master's degree in Catholic Leadership from the Catholic University of America and taught literature at St. John's College High School in Washington, D.C., for 19 years, the last twelve of which he served as the head varsity football coach, with his teams earning playoff berths in all but two of those seasons. Presently he is at the forefront of a new, free "The Pursuit of Online Wisdom" online course called, "Athletics and the Virtues."

He started into sports later in life, with basketball being his primary sport, including having attended a basketball training academy where he learned from NBA Skills Trainer Drew Hanlen.  He also worked out with former NBA player and three-time dunk champion Nate Robinson.  In addition, he played ball hockey, including winning four championships, and he competed in touch football leagues.  Over the last few years, he, "made the conscious decision to serve the church while incorporating lessons learned from sports to help my clients."  He is based in western Canada and is a state officer for the Knights of Columbus BC/Yukon State Council, and six months ago was invested as a Knight of the Holy Sepulcher in the Vancouver Lieutenancy.  On the professional side, he serves as a Catholic Life Coach for Freedom Coaching.  (LISTEN FOR THE POWERFUL TESTIMONY HE SHARES ABOUT HIS EYESIGHT AND A GOSPEL PASSAGE HE HEARD AT MASS!)

She is a current student-athlete, competing in the sport of volleyball. Away from the court, she brings her love of sports into her faith through a new non-profit that she is the founder and president of, called Field of Dreams Foundation: Catholic Sportsmanship in Action, Corp., which she talks about during this interview.  She also shares strong faith testimony as it relates to medical challenges that she has already been having to face throughout her young life.

He is a pitcher for the Mississippi Braves, the Double A affiliate of the Atlanta Braves, with whom he signed as a free agent in 2021 after having pitched in the MLB Draft League. He then proceeded to post a 2.76 earned run average over 16 ⅓ innings in rookie ball.  He had played collegiately in Lakeland, Florida, and in high school as well.  Fans of Major League Baseball absolutely will recognize his last name, with his having had three different family members who all played in the big leagues.

He is the head coach for women's soccer at Belmont Abbey College, a Catholic college in North Carolina. Having started there in 2011, he has a .633 winning percentage and has earned two conference regular season championships, two conference tournament championships, and competed in three NCAA postseason tournaments. Prior to Belmont Abbey, he also held head coaching jobs at Nebraska Wesleyan University and Truman State University, and as an assistant coach at the United States Air Force Academy.  He had played college soccer at the United States Air Force Academy. After graduation, he competed for the active-duty USAF Soccer Team in 1984 and 1985, and was selected to the United States Armed Forces National Team in 1984. He served as Faith-Based Coaches Community Chair for United Soccer Coaches from 2017-2022 and is now on the Board of Directors. He has even completed several marathons, including the Boston Marathon.

He played college baseball and then following his senior year took an offer to play professionally in Italy. He was educated in the field of fitness and exercise physiology and is a Catholic speaker, professor, and author, having written three books, the latest of which just came out in February and is called, "Improving Your Sportsmanship Through Catholic Teaching...and Common Sense: A Practical Guide for Athletes, Parents, Fans and Coaches." His faith walk includes having entered the seminary to study for the priesthood, and present day he teaches at Wingate University in North Carolina and is the host of "Faith and Sport" on Radio Maria.

He served one year ago as Assistant Hitting Coach for Major League Baseball's New York Yankees.  He played for eight seasons in MLB, having been drafted in the first round of the 1998 MLB Draft by the Montreal Expos and then going on to play for them and the Washington Nationals, Boston Red Sox, Texas Rangers, Seattle Mariners, and Toronto Blue Jays. Along the way he earned the distinction of hitting the last home run in Montreal Expos franchise history, AND, following their move to Washington the next season, hitting the first grand slam by a Nationals player. He won a gold medal with Team USA at the 2000 Olympic Games in Australia. He was inducted into the National College Baseball Hall of Fame in 2012, two years after having been inducted into the University of Florida Athletic Hall of Fame as a "Gator Great." Prior to his college career he played for the U.S. national junior baseball team and was the MVP of the World Junior Baseball Championship in 1995. Along the way he has also coached for USA Baseball and Jacksonville University.

He is the punter for the New York Jets, entering his 17th season in the NFL.  He was chosen in the fifth round of the 2009 NFL Draft by the New Orleans Saints and went on to play his first twelve seasons with them before playing for both the Jets and the Atlanta Falcons in 2021, then the Miami Dolphins in 2022, and back to the Jets last season. He is coming off a 2023 season during which he set four New York Jets franchise punting records.  He had played collegiately at Southern Methodist University, and on the faith side has a conversion story that involves a familiar name from this show's guest list.

A former judo champion who has walked the path from seminarian to the diaconate to – 48 HOURS BEFORE THIS INTERVIEW – ordination, while being in charge of the largest contingent of Olympic chaplains, about 40 Catholic priests, nuns, and lay faithful. This role of service to the world's elite athletes is under the banner of the Holy Games, a project led by the Conference of Bishops of France. Holy Games is the programme of the Catholic Church to spiritually accompany the world of sport and major sporting events.

He was a pitcher on his high school baseball team, including being All-State AND having thrown a no-hitter at a tournament where he made the All-Tournament squad. He went on to college baseball at both Bradley University and the University of Minnesota-Duluth.  He also played in the Northwoods League for the Alexandria Blue Anchors.  Almost immediately after his baseball career he delved into the world of skiing, with notable runs such as Jackson Hole and Big Sky, among others. He even combined skiing with faith, as he talks about here, plus he also served as an adaptive ski instructor.

He is a veteran of 12 years in the NFL as an offensive tackle, including having come out of retirement three times - as recently as this past December!  He was selected by the Oakland Raiders in the third round of the 2010 NFL Draft and, in addition to that team, went on to also play for the Arizona Cardinals, Denver Broncos, Green Bay Packers, and Indianapolis Colts, appearing in a combined total of close to 130 games, counting regular season and playoffs. He even spent time in the New England Patriots organization. He had been a First Team All-American in college and is a fitness and health enthusiast who just launched the "Big Serious Show," which he is releasing weekly on his YouTube channel.