The Tony Castricone Podcast

Chris Hein, who works in the University of Washington athletic department, spent the first 23 years of his life without knowing who his biological father was. But once he set out on a quest to find him, it began a thrilling and emotional journey that eventually led him to one of the most unforeseeable places possible: the World Series. Audio clip credit: NBC Universal

Rod Bramblett, the legendary and beloved voice of the Auburn Tigers, was tragically killed in a car accident on May 25, 2019. His best friend, Andy Burcham, is now trying to figure out how he can possibly help fill the enormous void left by Rod's passing; not only in the broadcast booth, but in the lives of the people who were most important to Rod: his children.

Clemson men's basketball coach Brad Brownell, who led the Tigers to the Sweet 16 in the 2018 NCAA Tournament, talks with Tony about the joy of watching players achieve personal growth, his journey, the wild adventures of collecting game tape in Division II in the 1990s, the importance of finding your niche and becoming truly elite at it, and the extremely hard decisions and moments that come along with dream jobs.

Ryan Leaf was a phenomenal college football quarterback at Washington State, and in 1997, he was a Heisman Trophy finalist and led the Cougars to their first Rose Bowl trip in 67 years. He decided to leave school early to pursue the NFL, where he was the #2 overall player drafted, received a huge contract... and played really poorly for most of his short time in the league. He had bad relationships with teammates and reporters, and eventually developed an addiction to painkillers. He was arrested for burglary multiple times trying to find painkillers while he was dealing with withdrawals, and even attempted taking his own life.Fortunately, after multiple years in jail, he got out and got the help he needed. And now, he finds himself with a dream job as a college football analyst for ESPN, a new wife, and a new lease on life.His story has been told many times, so I wanted to avoid rehashing the details as much as possible, but I wanted to see if I could tap into and learn from any of the painful, hard-earned wisdom he's gained through his hard past which has turned into a bright and hopeful future.

[WARNING: EXPLICIT CONTENT]Show notes:how Tony & Softy became acquainted (2:15)how Softy broke into sports talk radio (12:10)how Softy deals with formulating strong opinions while knowing he can't know everything (30:32)on amateurism in college sports (40:00)how he lost over 80 pounds (53:25)Tony discusses the importance of telling the truth (1:01:45)

In this bonus episode, Damon Huard and Greg Lewis join Tony to talk about Husky football fall camp and Damon's news.

In Episode 3 of the Tony Castricone Podcast, Tony talks with former Washington Huskies teammates Jim Mora and Mark Pattison about...their memories of Husky Stadiumplaying for legendary head coach Don JamesJames' Thursday Speechesthe culture of excellence James built at the UW Mark's game-winning touchdown catches twice against Michigan and once against OklahomaMark's quest to climb the world's seven summitsMark & Jim's charity involvementJim's desire to coach football again

Show notes:talking about "The Double" (2:20)the best ballparks in the majors (7:30)the trials of life in the minors (12:40)his new challenges (22:10)the role his mom and his high school principal played in his life (32:40)stepping into the booth after Dave Niehaus' passing (39:00)how he works on improving at his craft (46:00)

University of Washington men's basketball coach Mike Hopkins has won the Pac-12 Conference Coach of the Year Award each of his first two seasons on the job. But he's never hosted a podcast in his backyard... until now.In this episode, Tony and Coach Hop discuss...the importance of making the NCAA Tournament (3:12 mark)Mike's upbringing in Southern California (10:44)what got Coach Hop into coaching (14:54)being more than just a coach to his players (23:26)being a part of a national championship team at Syracuse (32:20)the recruitment of incoming freshman Isaiah Stewart (39:15)Jaden McDaniels (47:57)his scheduling philosophy (57:14)their cross-country moves to Seattle (58:32)Jaylen Nowell heading to the NBA (1:08:00)Coach Hop begins interviewing Tony about broadcasting (1:13:58)

Tony Castricone announces the start of his new podcast with an emphasis on covering college sports through storytelling, long-form conversation, personal development and maximizing potential.