Runnin' With The Racers Podcast

Shane Burns of Murray State Baseball joins the podcast #126. A sophomore from Princeton, Ky., Burns is an All-OVC level talent and one of the top lefties in NCAA D-I pitching. Burns and his teammates are following the lead of Coach Dan Skirka and are building a baseball program that can become a force in the OVC by great talent and a great team culture. The spring of 2021 is unlike any other. We also preview the Murray State football opener to their 96th season and news of the week from the Racers.

Shane Burns of Murray State Baseball joins the podcast #126. A sophomore from Princeton, Ky., Burns is an All-OVC level talent and one of the top lefties in NCAA D-I pitching. Burns and his teammates are following the lead of Coach Dan Skirka and are building a baseball program that can become a force in the OVC by great talent and a great team culture. The spring of 2021 is unlike any other. We also preview the Murray State football opener to their 96th season and news of the week from the Racers.

On episode 125, Hannah James of Murray State Softball is our guest, as the All-OVC pitcher and her teammates are ready to play nearly a year after the pandemic halted the season last spring in March of 2020. James, the 2019 OVC Freshman of the Year, has proved to be a durable and consistency ace from the moment she stepped foot on the field out of Nicholasville, Kentucky. She is also the owner of only the third perfect game in the history of MSU Softball. Having a heart to work in special education, James talks about the love she has of her sport and the outstanding education she is getting at Murray State University. 

On episode 125, Hannah James of Murray State Softball is our guest, as the All-OVC pitcher and her teammates are ready to play nearly a year after the pandemic halted the season last spring in March of 2020. James, the 2019 OVC Freshman of the Year, has proved to be a durable and consistency ace from the moment she stepped foot on the field out of Nicholasville, Kentucky. She is also the owner of only the third perfect game in the history of MSU Softball. Having a heart to work in special education, James talks about the love she has of her sport and the outstanding education she is getting at Murray State University. 

On episode 124 of the program, we get to know Murray State Football student-athlete Alec Long better as the Racers get ready to play a strange 2020 season, in early 2021. Out of Jackson, Tenn., and Liberty Tech High School, Long has found his place at Murray State and is performing at a high level as a sophomore linebacker. Lots of discussion today on how the Racers have dealt with the pandemic and how Coach Dean Hood has created an outstanding culture in the program that transcends what happens on the field.

On episode 124 of the program, we get to know Murray State Football student-athlete Alec Long better as the Racers get ready to play a strange 2020 season, in early 2021. Out of Jackson, Tenn., and Liberty Tech High School, Long has found his place at Murray State and is performing at a high level as a sophomore linebacker. Lots of discussion today on how the Racers have dealt with the pandemic and how Coach Dean Hood has created an outstanding culture in the program that transcends what happens on the field.

Episode 123 gets a student-athlete back on the show for the first time since the pandemic began. Callie Anderton and her Murray State Volleyball teammates are excited to get their season going in early 2021. Today she talks about how her team stayed close in these uncertain times and how Coach Dave Schwepker's culture of Racer Volleyball is a family, from the way they practice to the way they play. Anderton is studying architectural engineering and enjoys finding old home and fixing them up.

Episode 123 gets a student-athlete back on the show for the first time since the pandemic began. Callie Anderton and her Murray State Volleyball teammates are excited to get their season going in early 2021. Today she talks about how her team stayed close in these uncertain times and how Coach Dave Schwepker's culture of Racer Volleyball is a family, from the way they practice to the way they play. Anderton is studying architectural engineering and enjoys finding old home and fixing them up.

1991 Murray State Hall of Fame inductee, Steve Coulson of Thoroughbreds Baseball, is our guest this week on episode 122 of the podcast. Coulson was an immediate contributor to Coach Johnny Reagan's teams for two seasons in 1972-73. A multi-talented player, Coulson's skill set drew attention from the big Leagues. He was drafted by the New York Yankees in the seventh round of the 1973 MLB Draft. Getting one step from joining the big club in 1975, Coulson eventually retired from professional baseball after five successful minor league seasons. Using the training of his education degree from Murray State, he served 27 years in the Fulton County school system in Hickman, Ky., as an educator and coach.

1991 Murray State Hall of Fame inductee, Steve Coulson of Thoroughbreds Baseball, is our guest this week on episode 122 of the podcast. Coulson was an immediate contributor to Coach Johnny Reagan's teams for two seasons in 1972-73. A multi-talented player, Coulson's skill set drew attention from the big Leagues. He was drafted by the New York Yankees in the seventh round of the 1973 MLB Draft. Getting one step from joining the big club in 1975, Coulson eventually retired from professional baseball after five successful minor league seasons. Using the training of his education degree from Murray State, he served 27 years in the Fulton County school system in Hickman, Ky., as an educator and coach.

Episode 121 shines the spotlight on Racer football great, James "Squeeky" Yarbrough who was an outstanding All-OVC cornerback for Coach Frank Beamer from 1982-85. Yarbrough later spent time in the National Football League with the Denver Broncos and the New York Giants. Out of Knoxville, Yarbrough was courted by a lot of schools, but made one visit to campus and it had to be Murray State. Squeeky was a big part of some of the greatest defenses in MSU history. He was also an OVC champion in track & field as a sprinter and hurdler. A man of great faith, Yarbrough is involved with J&B Outreach, a nonprofit that helps at risk children in the Dallas area. He is retired from the Dallas County Sheriffs' department after 20 years of service.  

Episode 121 shines the spotlight on Racer football great, James "Squeeky" Yarbrough who was an outstanding All-OVC cornerback for Coach Frank Beamer from 1982-85. Yarbrough later spent time in the National Football League with the Denver Broncos and the New York Giants. Out of Knoxville, Yarbrough was courted by a lot of schools, but made one visit to campus and it had to be Murray State. Squeeky was a big part of some of the greatest defenses in MSU history. He was also an OVC champion in track & field as a sprinter and hurdler. A man of great faith, Yarbrough is involved with J&B Outreach, a nonprofit that helps at risk children in the Dallas area. He is retired from the Dallas County Sheriffs' department after 20 years of service.  

It's episode 120 with MSU hall of famer, Don Mann, of men's basketball as we remember the days from 1985-89 when the Racers won the program's first NCAA Tournament game. Mann teamed with Jeff Martin tas the M&M Boys, they became the MSU all-time assister, all-time scorer. In 1988, the Racers were given little chance in beating North Carolina State in the NCAA Tournament, but they did and two days later, nearly did the same to eventual national champion Kansas. Mann's assist records stood 30 years until Ja Morant topped them in 2019. Mann comments on what it was like to see Morant become a star and the pride he feels of being a member of the Murray State Hall of Fame.

It's episode 120 with MSU hall of famer, Don Mann, of men's basketball as we remember the days from 1985-89 when the Racers won the program's first NCAA Tournament game. Mann teamed with Jeff Martin tas the M&M Boys, they became the MSU all-time assister, all-time scorer. In 1988, the Racers were given little chance in beating North Carolina State in the NCAA Tournament, but they did and two days later, nearly did the same to eventual national champion Kansas. Mann's assist records stood 30 years until Ja Morant topped them in 2019. Mann comments on what it was like to see Morant become a star and the pride he feels of being a member of the Murray State Hall of Fame.

Doug Vance is our guest on the podcast episode 119, as the former sports information director talks about his memories of covering the Racers from 1978-83. This was a golden age of revival for Racer men’s basketball and football. Coach Ron Greene guided the men's basketball program back to a championship level as did Coach Mike Gottfried with MSU Football. Vance was there when Johnny Reagan’s 1979 baseball team was one win from going to the College World Series and he covered Racer hall of famers including: Lamont Sleets, Danny Lee Johnson, George Greenfield, Ronald Hopkins, Terry Love, Andy Rice and coaches Johnny Reagan, Bennie Purcell and Frank Beamer. Vance also has a great story to tell about the time the San Diego Chicken made a visit to Racer Arena.

Doug Vance is our guest on the podcast episode 119, as the former sports information director talks about his memories of covering the Racers from 1978-83. This was a golden age of revival for Racer men's basketball and football. Coach Ron Greene guided the men's basketball program back to a championship level as did Coach Mike Gottfried with MSU Football. Vance was there when Johnny Reagan's 1979 baseball team was one win from going to the College World Series and he covered Racer hall of famers including: Lamont Sleets, Danny Lee Johnson, George Greenfield, Ronald Hopkins, Terry Love, Andy Rice and coaches Johnny Reagan, Bennie Purcell and Frank Beamer. Vance also has a great story to tell about the time the San Diego Chicken made a visit to Racer Arena.

Episode 118 of the podcast takes us back a wonderful time for Racers' women's basketball with point guard Alaina Lee. Out of Texas, Lee was part of the resurgence of women’s basketball at MSU from 2004-08. Lee and the Racers set the program record with 24 wins and a share of second place in the OVC in 2007-08. A year after suffering a heartbreaking loss in the title game, the Racers won the OVC Tournament and advanced to the NCAA Tournament for the first time in school history. With a coaching career that has taken her from Houston to Kansas, Lee is now impacting her student-athletes in a great way at the high school level as a teacher and coach.

Episode 118 of the podcast takes us back a wonderful time for Racers' women's basketball with point guard Alaina Lee. Out of Texas, Lee was part of the resurgence of women's basketball at MSU from 2004-08. Lee and the Racers set the program record with 24 wins and a share of second place in the OVC in 2007-08. A year after suffering a heartbreaking loss in the title game, the Racers won the OVC Tournament and advanced to the NCAA Tournament for the first time in school history. With a coaching career that has taken her from Houston to Kansas, Lee is now impacting her student-athletes in a great way at the high school level as a teacher and coach.

Episode 117 of the program features Pokey Harris of Racer football and baseball fame from 2012-15. In his junior season on the gridiron, Harris became just the 11th player in OVC history to record a 100-yard kick off return and then he did it back-to-back weeks in games at Eastern Illinois and Eastern Kentucky. He was named to eight different All-America awards and was the top returner in FCS with an average of 28.8 yards per return. On the baseball field, Harris was a second baseman and center fielder and saw action in 64 career games. Pokey is one of the most memorable nicknames in Racer history and how he got it, is quite the story as well.

Episode 117 of the program features Pokey Harris of Racer football and baseball fame from 2012-15. In his junior season on the gridiron, Harris became just the 11th player in OVC history to record a 100-yard kick off return and then he did it back-to-back weeks in games at Eastern Illinois and Eastern Kentucky. He was named to eight different All-America awards and was the top returner in FCS with an average of 28.8 yards per return. On the baseball field, Harris was a second baseman and center fielder and saw action in 64 career games. Pokey is one of the most memorable nicknames in Racer history and how he got it, is quite the story as well.

In Episode 116, we spotlight former Murray State football kicker, Paul Hickert who is remembered for the making the longest field goal in Racer history when he booted a 62-yarder to beat EKU in 1986. His kick helped the Racers to the OVC championship under head coach Frank Beamer. After playing for the Racers from 1984-87, Hickert was drafted into the NFL by the Cincinnati Bengals. He later embarked on a long acting career that has seen him have a part in more than 60 movies and television series since 2008. For this former Racer, thoughts of playing football for Murray State are never far away.  

Wes Cunningham of  Breds' Baseball is guest on episode 115 of the Runnin' with the Racers Podcast. After playing little as a freshman in 2007, Wes became a MSU Hall of Fame selection in 2016 on the strength three of the most amazing seasons of any hitter in program history from 2008-10. Cunningham's 2010 senior season is the stuff of legend as he was OVC Player of the Year after hitting .408, while setting the MSU single season record of 22 home runs and driving in 86 runs. Cunningham stakes a claim as one of MSU's greatest hitters with career totals in runs, hits, triple, home runs, RBI and average all either first or second, except for home runs, where his total is fifth. The San Diego Padres selected him in the 2010 Major League Baseball amateur draft. An outstanding student-athlete, Cunningham was twice named Academic all-district by ESPN The Magazine.

On episode 114 of the Runnin' with the Racers Podcast, former MSU All-OVC golfer, Jared Wolfe is on the cusp of qualifying for the highest level of professional golf, the PGA Tour. Out of Louisville’s Butler High School,  Wolfe arrived to play for Coach Eddie Hunt in the fall of 2006 and as a senior, helped the Racers win the OVC championship in 2010. In 10 years since, Wolfe has been on a steady rise in professional golf with five victories in three seasons (2017-20) on the PGA Tour’s Latinoamerica circuit and the Korn Ferry Tour.   

Murray State hall of fame men's basketball coach, Steve Newton is featured in episode 113 of the Runnin' with the Racers Podcast. Leading the Racers from 1985-91, Newton was a protege to Coach Ron Greene from 1978-85. In six seasons as head coach, Newton's teams won 19.3 games per season. He took the Racers to a program record four-straight post-season appearances, which included trips to the NCAA Tournament in 1988, 1990 and 1991, plus an NIT appearance in 1989.  Newton’s teams produced 14 All-OVC players including four straight OVC Player of the Year winners, two each by Jeff Martin and Popeye Jones. He also recruited MSU hall of fame point guard Don Mann. It was a one of the greatest runs in the history of Racer basketball.   

Murray State Hall of Famer, Sheila Smith, is featured this week on the Runnin' with the Racers Podcast, episode 112. One of two players to be selected four times as All-OVC in MSU history, Smith was inducted into the Murray State Hall of Fame in 1998 as the first player from women’s basketball. The program’s all-time scorer from 1985-89, her 2,287 points is still eighth all-time in the OVC. Smith’s No. 24 was retired when she was inducted into the MSU hall.

Episode 111 highlights the great basketball career for Murray State hall of famer, Herb McPherson, who played for Coach Cal Luther from 1964-67. Out of Gas City, Indiana, McPherson was a two-time All-OVC performer and left the Racers as the No. 3 all-time scorer with 1,513 points, which is still in the top-15 today. In 1966, he set the MSU single game scoring mark with 44 points in against Middle Tennessee at Racer arena. His record stood for nearly 30 years until Marcus Brown scored 45 points in 1995. A 30-year veteran of teaching and coaching at the high school level, McPherson was inducted into the Indiana Basketball Hall of Fame in 2017.

Episode 110 of the podcast features 2020 Murray State Hall of Fame selection, Coach Billy Kennedy, who guided the Racers' men's basketball program from 2006-11. Undertaking a rebuilding of the roster, Kennedy led the Racers to back-to-back OVC titles and to MSU's first win in the NCAA Tournament in 22 years in 2010. "The Shot" Danero Thomas was a buzzer-beater over Vanderbilt in San Jose. Kennedy talks about the thrill of winning in the NCAA Tournament, the importance of faith and family, and the mentoring of Steve Prohm, who succeeded Kennedy and had his own amazing run of success at MSU. We also catch up with Carol Robertson, the student jockey who rode Violet Cactus around the track after a MSU touchdown in 1976. We take a look at the MSU Football schedule to be played in the spring of 2021.

Episode 109 of the Runnin' with the Racers Podcast shines the spotlight on Joi Scott, part of the 2020 Murray State Hall of Fame class from Racer women's basketball. Playing for the Racers from 2003-07 for head coach Joi Felton, Scott left MSU as the OVC Player of the Year (the first for the Racers in 20 years) and the top two year scorer in program history. She was at the front of the rise of women's basketball at MSU that eventually produced 68 wins over a three-season period. Scott also set the MSU single game scoring mark of 43 points in 2006.

On episode 108, Murray State Softball great Jenna Bradley is the first from the program to be inducted into the MSU Hall of Fame in 2020. Out of Matoon, Illinois, Bradley was one of the first recruits to the startup Murray State Softball program in 2010. Now 10 years after her final game, her two-year career still ranks among the best in MSU Softball history and no hitter has been able to match Bradley’s power numbers of her senior season in the spring of 2011 in which she was named the Ohio Valley Conference Player of the Year. Bradley became the most feared hitter in the OVC with 18 home runs, 121 total bases, .807 slugging percentage and 56 RBI. She was the first 30 homer/30 stolen bases player in Racer history. Today she talks about what it was like being with Racer softball from the start and to her MVP season of 2011.  

Episode 107 of the Runnin’ with the Racers Podcast features former Murray State football student-athlete, Jack Wolf, who in current times has been one of the movers and shapers of the horse racing industry. A 1973 graduate and recipient of the 2014 Murray State Distinguished Alumnus Award, Wolf was part of the ownership group that won the 146th Kentucky Derby with “Authentic” in 2020. It was Wolf’s second association with a Kentucky Derby winner after “Justify” won the Triple Crown in 2018. Wolf was a tight end for Coach Bob Fergerson and the MSU football team from 1967-71. The lessons Jack learned playing football at MSU have stayed with him in his professional career including the last 20 years at the top level of horse racing.  (Photos by Alton Strupp/The Courier Journal)  

Episode 106 continues our look at the members of the 2020 class to the Murray State Hall of Fame with Nick and Patrick Newcomb of Racer men’s golf. Nick arrived to MSU in 2007 and for one season in 2010, Patrick was a freshman and together they propelled MSU to the OVC championship. By the time Patrick finished in 2013, the Newcomb brothers had been a part of 19 team victories and 11 individual titles. Nick was OVC Player of the Year once and Patrick won it twice and together they won three OVC medalist titles. Since then, the Newcomb boys have enjoyed successful professional careers. Also today, we recall Danero Thomas’ famous shot in the 2010 NCAA Tournament and wrap up Ja Morant’s NBA Rookie of the Year honor.  

2020 Murray State Hall of Famer, Tara Isbell, is this week's guest on the Runnin' with the Racers Podcast, episode 105. An outstanding goalkeeper, she was part of Racer Soccer from 2007-10 when MSU won the first OVC regular season championship in program history in 2008 and made its first NCAA Tournament appearance in 2009. The list of honors and accomplishments for the native of Mayfield, Kentucky, are many, as she set the standard of championship goalkeeping for the Racers. Isbell was the 2008 OVC Defensive Player of the Year, the only one in Racer Soccer history. Isbell now is on the front lines of Covid-19 at Saint Thomas West Hospital In Nashville, where she uses the lessons of teamwork in her professional career.  

Murray State two-time All-America Walter Powell is our guest on episode 104 of the Runnin' with the Racers Podcast. Powell, from St. Louis, Mo., was one of the first recruits for head coach Chris Hatcher. Powell was a star for the MSU football team from 2010-13 and turned it into a four-year run as a player in the National Football League.  Now a member of the Murray State Hall of Fame in the class of 2020, Powell closed out his standout career as the Racers all-time leader in receiving yards, touchdowns and 100-yard games, while ranking second in catches. His career after football led Powell into entrepreneurship and the development of the app called Politiscope.

On episode 103, we continue to feature the 2020 class to the Murray State Hall of Fame with women's basketball great Jackie Mounts. She arrived at MSU in 1975 as the first woman to receive a full scholarship when she was recruited by hall of fame coach Dew Drop Rowlett. The native of Springfield, Ohio, Mounts was part of the inaugural season (1978-79) of women's basketball in the OVC. Now 41 years after she played her final game for the Racers, Mounts is still MSU's all-time rebounder. Since her graduation from MSU, Mounts has spent a successful career as an educator and the leader of a non-profit organization (HOPE) in her hometown that gives young people the confidence to succeed in life.  

2007 Murray State hall of famer and the first from women's golf, Jessica Grace, is our guest on episode 102 of the Runnin' with the Racers Podcast. A native of Wisconsin, Jessica Grace was part of setting Coach Velvet Milkman on a path of producing 12 Ohio Valley Conference championships with three in a row from 1997-99. Grace (her maiden name is Widman) was a three-time first team OVC All-Conference selection and the first player in the MSU program to be selected for the NCAA Regional Tournament. Grace teaches in the Henderson County school system in Henderson, Ky., and has quite the story about how she found Murray State and how she desires a return to competitive golf after she beats breast cancer that was discovered in the spring of 2020.

2020 Murray State Hall of Famer, John Beaton is our guest on episode 101 of the program. Playing for MSU legend, Coach Johnny Reagan from 1965-66, Beaton was part of a pitching dominant decade of the 1960's for the Thoroughbreds. He was part of a pair of OVC regular season west division titles and one OVC championship series title. His top season was 1966 when he was honored as Co-OVC Player of the Year. A hard-throwing right-hander from Paducah’s Lone Oak High School, Beaton was a workhorse in compiling 64 innings on the mound with a league-high 12 appearances and five wins. He was selected in the Major League Baseball Draft in the seventh round (137th overall) by the San Francisco Giants in 1966 and played three minor league seasons, including a 1967 campaign that saw him win 11 games with an ERA of 1.69 in 177 innings with 176 strikeouts and only 71 walks.  

It's the 100th episode of the Runnin' with the Racers Podcast and it's time to celebrate all of the great guests that have been featured on the program since late August 2018. We have selected some of the best stories that have been told by current student-athletes and Racer legends including some from the Murray State Athletics Hall of Fame. You'll enjoy these recollections about some of the formative decisions that have been made about the growth of collegiate athletics at Murray State as well as stories from some of the Racers' biggest wins. Some of these stories will make you shed a tear and others will make you laugh. So enjoy the program, the 100th of the Runnin' with the Racers Podcast.

Amber Guffey has been a student-athlete and a coach at her alma mater, Murray State University in women's basketball and is a member of the MSU Athletics Hall of Fame after her induction in 2018. Arriving from Clinton County High School in the fall of 2005 with her twin sister, Amber Guffey proceeded to have a collegiate career that exceeded her amazing prep career. From 2005-08, she helped the Racers achieve the program’s only OVC regular season championship (2008-09) and the Racers' only NCAA appearance in 2008. When she finished, Guffey was in the top-4 of every record category in the MSU program, including the distinction of becoming the first MSU player to have 300 career made free throws and 300 assists. Today she is an assistant coach with the Racers under head coach Rechelle Turner. Guffey's work ethic still shines through as she continues to shape the lives of Racer student-athletes into successful adults.  

Terry Love was a one of a kind talent who was a two-time All-America (1979-80) for the Murray State football team where he was also the 1979 OVC Defensive Player of the Year. Love was a part of one of the greatest teams in Racer history as they made head coach Mike Gottfried a conference champion. After playing briefly in the NFL with the Buffalo Bills, Love found his way to the Boston Breakers and Memphis Showboats of the USFL where he was once roommate to the great Reggie White. After his playing career, Love was true to his hometown of Bellwood, Illinois where he returned to his alma mater, Proviso East High School, where he coached football and taught young people for 25 years. Love is a member of the Murray State Hall of Fame, inducted with the class of 2016.

Coach Joe Pannunzio is our guest on episode 97 of the Runnin’ with the Racers Podcast. Out of Pueblo, Colorado, Pannunzio was a quarterback at Southern Colorado in 1981 and after his playing days were finished, started his career at Mesa College as offensive coordinator. This was the beginning of a long career that would take him to the highest level of college and pro football. When Pannunzio was a graduate assistant at Kansas, former Murray State coach Mike Gottfried got him interested in the Racer Football job. After arriving in 2000, Pannunzio's Racers delivered the OVC championship to Racer Nation in 2002 on that famous 52-yard field goal by Shane Andrus against Eastern Illinois. After leaving MSU in 2005, Pannunzio was part of the rise of Alabama Crimson Tide program led by Nick Saban. Three national championships later, Pannunzio is now a part of the front office with the Philadelphia Eagles as Director of Team Development.  

Shawn Witherspoon, Murray State men's basketball great if our guest on the Runnin’ with the Racers Podcast, No. 96. Spoon competed for three coaches with the Racers, Tevester Anderson, Mick Cronin and Billy Kennedy. Witherspoon's legacy is winning an OVC regular season championship and he and teammates made two trips to the NCAA Tournament.  He became a member of the MSU 1,000 point club and was named All-OVC in 2007. Also on the show today, a look at how close the Racers have gotten to making the NCAA Sweet 16 and the beginning of the unveiling of the Murray State Hall of Fame class of 2020.  

In 1973, Mike Thieke was early into his baseball career with the Murray State Thoroughbreds when he struck gold and tossed a no-hitter against Purdue. He later became a graduate assistant coach to legendary coach Johnny Reagan. After leaving MSU to coach at the University of Memphis, Mike returned Murray State as head coach when Reagan retired in 1993. Part of Thieke's 10 seasons with the Breds' included the 2003 team that became a true Cinderella story by winning the OVC Tournament at Brooks Stadium in Paducah, Ky. Today, we talk baseball roots and how playing and coaching at Murray State are two of the major accomplishments in Thieke's life, just behind being Grand Dad to Madison, Spencer, Colton and Clayton. 

Episode 94 of the podcast takes us back to 1993 when Houston Nutt became head coach of the Murray State football program. Never lacking enthusiasm, Coach Nutt preached a plan to rebuild the Racers into winners. If the fans didn't believe it at the start, they certainly did in year three when the Racers were undefeated in winning the OVC championship as they climbed into the top-10 nationally. The Racers followed it up in 1996 with another undefeated OVC title and MSU's first playoff victory. Nutt's legacy led him to being inducted into the MSU Hall of Fame in 2018 as the author of one of the greatest periods in Racer Football history.

A solid two-sport star in football and baseball at Murray High School, Shane Andrus had thoughts of competing in both sports when he arrived at Murray State in 2000. However, football kicking and punting eventually won out and Andrus was able to concentrate on one sport where he became the top kicker in the OVC and an All-America in 2001 and again received All-OVC honors in 2002. Andrus is a MSU legend from the big kick he made in 2002. It was a 52-yard field goal on the final play of the game at Roy Stewart Stadium that gave the Murray State Racers a share of the OVC championship in a win over Eastern Illinois. After his collegiate career, Andrus kicked in the National Football League from 2006 to 2010 with the Colts, Giants, Buccaneers and 49ers. But it’s the Kick that we all remember and today on the podcast, we’re going to get it first hand on what last play was like when the underdog Racers took down mighty EIU and star quarterback Tony Romo.  

Episode 92 of the Runnin' with the Racers Podcast explores the championship career of Murray State Soccer student-athlete Harriet Withers. Arriving in Murray from Australia in the fall of 2014, Withers had a natural ability to play the game with great speed and great skills. By the time she was finished in 2017, Withers was the program's all-time goal scorer and three-time OVC Player of the Year. She led the Racers to three-straight OVC regular season titles and two NCAA appearances. On today's visit, Withers speaks of her love for Murray State, her teammates and coaches Jeremy Groves and Matt Lodge who taught her that "the standard is the standard."

Arriving at Murray State in 2013, Scottie Ingram became the kills leader in Racer Volleyball history. The three-year run (2014-16) she and her teammates won three-straight OVC regular season titles and a pair of OVC Tournament Championships, while Ingram was becoming one of only seven Racers across all sports, to become a three-time OVC Player of the Year. On episode 91 of the Runnin' with the Racers Podcast, Ingram talks of how her competitiveness drove her to greatness, but not for herself, for her team.

The 2009-10 Racers have a special place in Murray State history as one of four teams to win a game at the men's basketball NCAA Tournament and Tony Easley, a big part of that team, is our guest on episode 90 of the Runnin’ with the Racers Podcast. Recruited by Coach Mick Cronin in 2005, Easley became a sensation as a senior for Coach Billy Kennedy in 2009 as the Racers blitzed the OVC to the regular season title and tournament championship. At the NCAA Tournament, Easley and the Racers snatched the Racers’ first NCAA win in 22 years on Danero Thomas’ buzzer beater. Easley is one of the best shot blockers and percentage shooters in MSU history and has enjoyed a 10-year professional basketball career, with most of it in Italy.

From small town Cherry Valley, Arkansas to Murray State's all-time scorer, Jeff Martin's career with Racer men's basketball burned bright from 1985-89. A two-time OVC Player of the Year, Martin received his only NCAA D-I full scholarship offer from MSU Coach Steve Newton. Martin had a big hand in the Racers' first NCAA Tournament win, an upset of North Carolina State in 1988. Martin shares his interesting memories of the glory days and growing up playing sports with his brother, Wayne, who became a NFL all-star with the New Orleans Saints.

Murray State hall of famer, Pat Spurgin, was already an international rifle competitor long before she arrived at Murray State to be a teammate with her Brother, Kerry, in the fall of 1985. She became an eight-time First Team All-America for the Racers from 1984-87 and helped MSU to a pair of national championships while winning two of her own individually. Spurgin was the 1984 OVC Female Athlete of the Year and made the USA Olympic team where she won a gold medal at the 1985 Los Angeles games. Since that time, she has lived and worked in Alaska for 32 years. On episode 88 of the Runnin' with the Racers Podcast, Spurgin tells how those days at MSU set her on a path of success.

MSU Baseball greats Jerry Anderson and George Dugan are forever linked after the amazing day they had in 1965 when they pitched back-to-back no-hitters against Austin Peay. Dugan's game was the first no-hitter in Thoroughbreds history and Anderson's no-hitter is still the only perfect game in an OVC game. Not only do they share their memories of the day, but also of MSU Baseball legend, Coach Johnny Reagan.

When he left Murray State in 1989, Michael Proctor had rewritten the Racers’ passing records and that of the OVC. Playing for Coach Frank Beamer and then Mike Mahoney, Proctor set the gold standard for the quarterbacks that have come through the Racer Football program since. Although a chance to play in the National Football League (NFL) never materialized, Proctor had unique experience of playing six seasons in the colorful and quirky World League of American Football (WLAF), Canadian Football League (CFL) and the Arena Football League. One of only two players to have their jersey numbers retired in MSU history, Proctor was inducted into the Murray State Hall of Fame in 2000. Today he also talks about how baseball was part of the original plan with MSU and how his Murray State degree has led him to a successful career in Occupational Safety and Health.