Andy Katz is one of college basketball's finest reporters. On this episode of Sports Connections, Andy and David discuss college basketball on a national level. The two talk about their favorite locations in the sport. Andy also goes in-depth on his friendship with former President Barack Obama.
Mark Neely has been a broadcaster for many years, including some of the biggest games in College Football, Major League Baseball and other sports. In this episode of Sports Connections with David Smale, Mark and David look back on their careers and discuss their favorite moments in sports.
Rich Gannon played 18 seasons in the NFL and now he works as an ambassador for Fellowship of Christian Athletes (FCA). Rich and David discuss how being a leader is important in today's society and how the skills he learned during his time on the gridiron apply to his life today.
Rece Davis is one of the premier broadcasters in the sports industry. In this interview, David talks with Rece about his background, the sports world, and his faith.
If you’re a sports fan—and you wouldn’t be listening to this podcast if you weren’t—and you have a bucket list, you need to add the College World Series to your list. While you’re at it, you might put it at or near the top of that list. Kathryn Morrissey heads up the College World Series of Omaha, Inc., the host committee of college baseball’s biggest event. She’s been part of the event for more than 30 years, and she’s retiring while it’s continuing to gain popularity. Later this week, the 2022...
Whit Merrifield might be the best-kept secret in Major League baseball today. He’s led the American League in at least one offensive category—many times multiple categories—every full season he’s played. Yet few outside of Kansas City can tell you much about him. He’s one of the leaders of the youthful Kansas City Royals, and he’s very candid about his desire to bring a winner back to the Heartland.
It sounds strange to say that Collin Klien is the face of the Kansas State football program since he’s neither a current player nor the head coach. But there are few who will disagree. Klien played quarterback for the Wildcats from 2009-12. He was the Big 12 Offensive Player of the Year and a Heisman Trophy finalist in 2012. He has risen through the coaching ranks to offensive coordinator, and no doubt will be the head coach at some point. He’s even married to former K-State women’s hoops player...
Roger Espinoza has been with the Sporting Kansas City franchise for so long, he was drafted by the Kansas City Wizards. His time as a player began before Peter Vermes became the manager of the club. Yes, he’s been around for a long time. He’s one of the most popular players on the roster because he always gives every ounce of effort. What you may not know is that Espinoza also has a great sense of humor, which he displays in today’s interview.
John Mangini is like many men his age. He grew up collecting baseball cards. But unlike many of his contemporaries, he still has much of that collection—and a lot more. He now has more than 100,000 cards, plus a museum-worthy assortment of other baseball memorabilia in his collection. The native of the Pittsburgh area has spent a lifetime enjoying the game of baseball through collectibles.
Adam Wainwright recently became the first pitcher older than 40 to pitch seven scoreless innings and allow one hit since 2009. Yeah, he’s still got it. But “Uncle Charlie,” the nickname he earned for his outstanding curveball, is more than just a great competitor; he’s also a great guy. He was the 2020 Roberto Clemente Award winner, given to the MLB player who best exemplifies the game of baseball, sportsmanship, community involvement and the individual’s contribution to his team. He’s active wi...
How does it feel to have your name announced at the NFL Draft? Tim Grunhard, who was a second-round pick of the Kansas City Chiefs in 1990, joins us to talk about how he felt. He also shares what it felt like the first time he walked into Arrowhead Stadium. Grunny helps us analyze the Chiefs draft and how those pieces might fit into the six-time defending AFC West champs!
The Draft is behind us and now NFL teams are filling their rosters with undrafted free agents and cuts from other teams. It wasn’t that long ago that the short-lived Plan B free agency was a part of roster-building, and no one did it better than the Kansas City Chiefs. One of the best examples was Dan Saleaumua, who came to the Chiefs after two years with the Detroit Lions. He had great success with the Chiefs, helping them to a run of playoff appearances. He joins us today to talk about what wa...
The new Name, Image and Likeness (NIL) rule has created a seismic shift in college athletics. Now, student-athletes can make money by using their name or face to promote products and services. It might be the biggest off-field change since colleges started offering athletic scholarships. Curry Sexton, a former K-State receiver, has helped create a collective that helps K-State student-athletes connect with revenue sources, and he joins us to talk about how it might help his alma mater.
When Carl Peterson took the role of Chiefs President/CEO/General Manager, the franchise was in disarray. They had not won a playoff game—they had lost the only two they played in—since winning the Super Bowl almost 20 years before. Worse yet, they were an afterthought in the league and even in their own community. No one wanted to go to Arrowhead Stadium for a Chiefs game. More than 30 years later, the Chiefs are a model NFL franchise and one of the standard-bearers for how to engage a fan base....
Chris Klieman had the unenviable task of following College Football Hall of Fame coach Bill Snyder as the head coach at Kansas State following the 2018 season. Klieman has taken the Wildcats to bowl games in two of his first three seasons, with the crazy season of 2020 as the outlier. He’s established his program as one of the best in the Big 12, one that won’t back down to anybody (the Wildcats are 2-1 against Oklahoma). And he’s done it with his own style and personality.
“USA! USA!” The loud chant reverberates in our minds as American sports fans. Did you know that chant began at the “Miracle on Ice” during the 1980 Olympics? Our guest, Ken Morrow, was part of the USA team that won the game against the Russians, the heavily favored four-time defending Gold Medal winners who defeated the American team 10-3 in an exhibition game days before the Olympics began. But on that perfect night in Lake Placid, N.Y., the Americans won 4-3 in front of a small, but frenzied c...
We all have barriers to get through to accomplish things in our lives. But what if you passion carried a built-in obstacle that was impossible to ignore? Bryce Weiler is a sports broadcaster who can’t see the action he’s describing. Blind since birth, Weiler doesn’t let that slow him down, as he “listens” to the game and describes why and how what just happened came about. He’s also taking the attention he’s been receiving to help other people defeat the challenges in their lives. We guarantee y...
Have you ever played “Can you top this?” with your friends? That’s where you’re comparing who you know, and each person tries to one-up the previous person. Our guest today, Charlie Mechem would win that every time, and he joins us to talk about his upcoming book “Arnie and Jack: Stories of My Long Friendship With Two Remarkable Men, the story of his relationships with Jack Nicklaus and Arnold Palmer. Can you top that?
A year ago tonight, Homer Drew was in the stands watching his son Scott coach the Baylor Bears to the national championship in Division I men’s basketball. Another son, Bryce, helped get Homer on the national stage 24 years ago during the tournament when he hit a buzzer-beating 3-pointer to help Valparaiso—coached by Homer—defeat Mississippi in a first-round game. Homer joins us today to talk about basketball…and life.
A generation of basketball fans may only know Charles Barkley only as a wisecracking studio analyst for the NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament and NBA television broadcasts. But the self-deprecating Barkley was one of the greatest players in the history of the sport. Shorter than the average power forward at just 6-4, he used strength, quickness and hustle to be selected as one of the 75 Greatest Players in NBA History.
College basketball fans fell in love with “Sister Jean” at the tender age of 98, when her Loyola Ramblers shocked the world by reaching the Final Four in 2018. She’s the face of Loyola basketball when she’s not still working for the university by building relationships with students. She played high school basketball back in the 1930s, and she still knows plenty about the game.
Dan Shulman, like many of us, grew up playing a lot of sports, though he admits that he didn’t play them well. But his skill at capturing the essence of the game makes the games he calls “must watch” television. He’s the primary voice of ESPN’s massive college basketball coverage, and he considers himself fortunate to be able to cover games all across the country inside the best arenas in America. He’s also the voice of the Toronto Blue Jays of Major League Baseball, so he never has a chance to ...
Brian Hanni grew up loving sports, but he knew he probably wouldn't compete beyond high school. He set a goal to be a professional broadcaster, and then went to work to make it happen. His boundless energy, whether it's broadcasting Kansas' perennial basketball powerhouse or the Jayhawks' under-performing football team, comes from his love of the game and his gratitude for the opportunity.
Jon Sciambi is known throughout the ESPN-inspired sports world as "Boog" because of his strong resemblance to former MLB All Star and MVP John "Boog" Powell. But Sciambi is carving his own path. One of the best college basketball broadcasters in the business, Sciambi is in Kansas City this week to broadcast the Big 12 Championship, and there's no place he'd rather be.
Jimmy Dykes is at home every time he’s near a basketball court. Whether it was in his days as a player at the University of Arkansas, or his days as a coach throughout the southeast, or for most of the last 30 years as a college basketball analyst for ESPN, he loves his time around the game. But even more, he loves his time around home, and he’s willing to share that message with individuals or groups. His book, The Film Doesn’t Lie, examines how our lives reflect our mindset from the perspectiv...
Bill Self’s teams have won or shared an astonishing 76 percent of their conference titles in his first 25 years as a head coach, which landed him in the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame. As the head coach at Kansas, he’s won nearly 82 percent of his games, including 80.6 percent of his games in the Big 12, arguably the best conference in college basketball. He’s in his 19th season at Kansas, and his teams have lost just 16 games at home during that time. He’ll likely win or share his 16...
When Alec Lemmon was in grad school at Mid-America Nazarene University, he had a class in which his professor asked the class to ponder what they’d do with their lives if they didn’t have to worry about money. A former national-caliber youth soccer player, Lemmon thought about how he could use his love for “the beautiful game.” He wanted to create a youth soccer experience for kids that focused on more than just soccer skills development and winning at all costs. He founded TOCA FC, a competitiv...
The sport of NASCAR caught fire in the 1970s and spread beyond its southeastern roots. Tracks popped up around the country in every time zone. Kansas Speedway opened in 2001 and quickly became one of the drivers’ favorite tracks. The development around the speedway includes Children’s Mercy Park and Legends Field, plus acres of retail spots. Pat Warren has led the efforts of the Speedway for nearly a decade, and he joins us to talk about the impact racing has on our community.
With the Super Bowl now behind us, we take a look back at one of the all-time great kickers in NFL history. When Nick Lowery retired, he had the most made field goals in NFL history and had the highest percentage of made field goals. He led the league in longest field goal multiple times, and he was probably the best-dressed kicker in the league as well. He joins us today to talk about his kicking career, and his second career as a motivational speaker.
Do you love the game of football, just not the violence associated with it? Then flag football is for you. The American Flag Football League was founded in 2016 and has taken off quickly. So far, all the competitions have been in tournament formats, but there is movement toward adopting a regular season approach. Jeff Lewis, the founder of the league, joins us to talk about the league, which he expects to be world-wide in a few years.
