Episodes

Dan Venezia

He played three seasons in the Minnesota Twins organization and is a survivor of two near-death experiences. Back in his days as a student-athlete he led his high school to a city championship and received a college scholarship, going on to lead the nation in stolen bases in 1992 in NCAA Division II play. Later, during a seven-year span, his recreational coaching record was 85-5 with six championships along with three undefeated seasons. He is also a professional trainer and has not only published a children’s book based around his being a coach, but also wrote a faith-based book on surviving Covid-19.

Notable guest quotes:

“Luckily I had a strong, resilient, faith-filled mother who instilled the love of Christ in my siblings and me.”

“It was at my aunt and uncle’s that I stayed with my two cousins, a Christian Catholic family… and it was there that I learned how to pray.”

“Baseball along with the love of Christ saved me.”

“God was looking out for me.  There’s no doubt that He had a plan… He certainly had other things in store for me.”

“People say they lose their faith.  Faith is not a set of car keys.  It’s not a wallet that you misplace or that you leave in the seat cushion of the couch.  Faith is a gift.  It’s given to us by our Creator, and we leave the faith, and when we decide to come back – and I hope and pray that everyone who’s lost comes back – … Jesus is right there with his arms wide open, just waiting for you.  So, he never leaves us.  We’re the ones that leave him.”

“I was definitely Bible-based.  I’d go to baseball chapel, which is what they had there at the time, and it was Christian-based.”

“Of course you question God when things go wrong.  I wasn’t thanking Him enough for the things that were going right in my life… Too many times we come to God during these challenging times and we either come closer or we move farther away.”

“God closed that window, but He opened up the door of opportunity.”

“The only thing I remember, my priest, my good friend, Monsignor Geno Sylva at the Cathedral of Saint John the Baptist, the only thing I remember him saying from that homily – and thank God I held onto the words ‘cause I would need them to sustain me through the coming days – the only thing I remember, he said, ‘During challenging times, we should never feel sorry for ourselves.  Jesus never felt sorry for himself’.”

“When I knew I was getting out of that hospital, there were so many guardian angel moments.”

“Jesus was my best doctor.  Prayer was my best medicine.  And Mother Angelica was my best nurse.”

“I don’t worship Mary.  I only worship the one God.  But I will not deny His mother.  She was present then, she’s more present now.  She’s brought me closer to her son.  And I can’t talk about Jesus without talking about her.”

Related link:

Dan’s official website (for his book, more photos, and additional content)

Mario Lopez

He is a film actor, New York Times Best-Selling author, producer, host, and two-time Emmy winner. He currently hosts NBC’s “Access Hollywood” and “Access Daily” as well as a national radio show. Plus, he even has his own sports-related podcast that is talked about on this episode. He was recently inducted into the National Wrestling Hall of Fame, recognized as the 2022 Outstanding American, having wrestled for Chula Vista High School, finishing second in the San Diego section and seventh in the California Interscholastic Federation state tournament as a senior in one-class California in 1991. He also just held a golf classic for the Providence Saint Joseph Foundation.  (Listen too as he also mentions boxing and jiu-jitsu.)

Notable guest quotes:

“We were devout Catholics and, like many Latinos in our culture, it played an important role in our life. And, as I grew older, I tried to grow and build spiritual muscle.  And I think I’ve gotten to a much better place too and I feel comfortable about it.  It’s important for me to raise my kids and have them have a faith-based education, and they’re in Catholic school.  So, it’s an incredibly important role in my life.”

“I’m always an advocate of speaking out on my faith. They say don’t talk about politics and religion, and I don’t talk about politics… but I don’t shy away from my faith.  And I’m proud because I think the Lord calls on us and so I’m proud to talk about my faith and I’m happy to do so.”

“I love wrestling, it teaches you aspects of life.  You build on characteristics that are important as an adult in life; toughness, obviously physically, but both and more importantly, psychologically and emotionally.  It builds a strong work ethic.  You learn discipline.  And also, self-reliance.”

“Most of the time I had a regular high school experience.  And I got to wrestle for my school, go to prom, dances, and what have you.  But all the while it was always very important for me to go to Mass and say my prayers every night and it’s always been an important part of my life.  And now I’m happy to continue to lean on it, to turn to my faith, and raise my children in it.”

“I try to give back to my community as much as I can.”

(of his pilgrimage to the Holy Land) “Everywhere Jesus went, that’s where I was at.  I even went over to Bethlehem and Palestine… and I got to get baptized in the Jordan River.”

“I’m always proud to talk about my faith.  And some people might try to discourage to you, but I don’t try to listen to them.”

“I think the Lord would be proud (of Mario’s trying) to contribute that and then being selfless and trying to help.  So, just trying to do my part.”

“You turn to faith and just feel you prepared yourself, you go out there, you do your best, and you just let go and let God work through you and see what happens.”

“(Mark Wahlberg is) a buddy of mine.  We just flew back together from New York and so he’s a very proud Catholic.  And I love that about him.  We have many similar traits.”

Related link:

Mario’s page on IMDB

(This episode contains a prayer by Fort Worth Christian Football League parent Linda Fleshman, as seen in Play Like A Champion Today’s prayerbook for sports, God, Be In My Sport)

Rudy Ruettiger

His story was told in a 1993 motion picture that USA Today ranked as the number one “Best Football Movie of All Time,” centering on his time trying to get into Notre Dame and on their football team, and eventually into a game against Georgia Tech when he sacked the quarterback with less than 30 seconds to play in the game. He is a U.S. Navy Vietnam Veteran and has gone on to be a motivational keynote speaker, including having spoken at the White House under two presidents. He has co-authored several books and offered his message in his original production live on Broadway. He also is the co-founder of the Rudy Foundation.

Notable guest quotes:

“Things change… along the way with your faith… So, it’s not the religion, it’s your faith, being a good Catholic.”

“When you step on the campus at Notre Dame, it is spiritual.  So that in itself created a mindset of cleansing.”

“If it wasn’t for the good brothers and the good priests, I would’ve never been at Notre Dame.”

“When I showed up at Holy Cross, the brother – who sat behind that desk – when my friend died, I said, ‘No more shortcuts for me,’ I gave myself up to the Lord, at that moment my whole life changed.”

“You don’t have to see to believe.  It’s your faith.”

“We all are children of God, no matter what religion you are.”

“‘There is a god and you’re not Him.’  That’s one of the greatest lines in the movie.”

“Faith is always in my speech(es).  God is always in my speech(es).  But I do it in a way like the movie does – let ‘em discover it.  Let ‘em discover why faith is important instead of preaching in their face.”

“We’re warriors of Jesus Christ.  Once we understand that we become different people.”

“When Rocky blessed himself I knew he was a man of faith because faith plays an important part.  You’re not asking God to win the fight, you’re asking God to give you the courage and character to fight the fight.”

Related link:

Rudy’s official website

(This episode contains a prayer originally from prayers-and-poetry.blogspot.com, as seen in Play Like A Champion Today’s prayerbook for sports, God, Be In My Sport)

Victoria Everleigh

She is a highly accomplished figure skater, including being a U.S. Figure Skating Quadruple Gold Medalist. She has been both a national and international competitor in her sport, finishing Top 10 at the 2014 US National Solo Dance Championships, one year after having been US National Champion, Senior Theatre on Ice. She was also the 2013 Nation’s Cup (World Championships) Silver Medalist, Senior Theatre on Ice and the 2012 US National Bronze Medalist, Senior Theatre on Ice.  She has even performed at Central Park as well as in the US Synchronized Championship Opening Ceremonies. On the faith side she is a Catholic novelist with two books out and another coming in September. Plus, she has written for multiple Catholic publications, including America magazine, among others.

Notable guest quotes:

“I grew up in a Catholic family… So, it was pretty much the only thing that I knew, and I feel very blessed that I grew up in a family that took us to church every week, and, by the grace of God, I grew up with the belief that this was super important. This was going to be a lifelong thing and I’m so grateful for that.”

“I did go to a Catholic high school called Immaculate High School in Danbury, Connecticut.”

“At that time in my life I was really wrapped up in this idea that I had to be perfect to be loved and so that permeated my athletics and my academics.”

“Those moments before you’re competing or performing and your name is called and you have that time to get to your opening position absolutely are, they’re quiet… and that can be an amazing moment for prayer.  (During) practice I absolutely believe that conversation with God can be part of that.”

“…33 days of different passages that you’re reading and at the end you consecrate yourself to Mary and there’s a prayer, and, I have done that twice.”

“I remember January 1^st, I think it was 2017… it’s (a) holy day of obligation related to Mary [Solemnity of Mary]… The homily, the priest was saying to really get to know Mary that year… Up until that homily I had never made it a priority or really thought about getting to know Mary and I feel like that homily just really kickstarted things for me and got me interested and was ultimately an invitation and I’m so glad that I was there to receive that.”

“I will usually try to find some sort of retreat to go on, whether it’s either directed or silent.”

“It sort of felt like my faith life and my skating life converged in that moment.”

“I feel like that actually helped me so much to realize that my identity wasn’t in sport… Our love for sports is a good thing.  It can be a way to glorify God.  But, I realized through the time that I was off the ice, that there is more to this life and that my value as a person really didn’t come from my results.”

Related link:

Victoria’s official website

(This episode contains a prayer by Fr. Brian Cavanaugh, T.O.R., as seen in Play Like A Champion Today’s prayerbook for sports, God, Be In My Sport)

Kent Lowe

The Senior Associate Sports Communications Director at Louisiana State University, serving as the primary media contact for the men’s basketball team and assisting in the overall Sports Communications office in other sports as needed. He is about to celebrate 34 years as a member of the LSU Sports Communications staff and has also written an award-winning bowling column for The (Baton Rouge) Advocate for more than 25 years. In 2018 he was inducted into the Louisiana State Bowling Association Hall of Fame for his service to the sport. Prior to working at LSU, he had served as the publicity director for Louisiana Downs racetrack. He is also a past president of the Louisiana Sports Writers Association.

Notable guest quotes:

“My parents, all Catholic… married in the Catholic church and, of course, certainly I was very involved with the Catholic church at what is now the cathedral… But, certainly involved with the Catholic church for… all my life, really.”

“I went to St. John Berchmans, which was the parish and the grade school there and then right next door was Jesuit High School. It’s now… Loyola High School, but it was a Jesuit high school when I attended.”

“I think of the most passionate LSU fans who go to my church… You’ll see ‘em every Sunday there with their purple and gold and that’s perfectly fine but I think you do have to realize that… these are just… young people playing a sport they love.  And you need to root for ‘em all you can but you don’t need to criticize ‘em.  You need to support them in every way you can.”

“It’s always great when you see, after football games, you always see… a group of players, usually from both teams, kneeling at midfield after the game and just saying a quick prayer.”

“There are little things here and there you see along the way that shows you that there is a spiritual presence here at times.”

“There are those moments you see that kinda make you realize that there’s more to it than just winning the game.”

“She’s very focused on not only athletics but her spiritual life.  She always would point to the heavens at the end of a game, and that type of thing.  And that team was very spiritual in many ways.  They’d had Bible study and things like that.”

“The other thing that was also fascinating… was the racetrack chaplaincy program at Louisiana Downs at that time was outstanding.”

“The (race) track also made sure that on Saturdays there was a Catholic Mass before the races started, for those who wanted to attend.”

“I’m a lector… have been for years, love doing it.  I feel it’s something I’m good at.”

Related link:

Kent’s bio on LSU website

Tyler Rowley

He serves as the president of Servants of Christ, which defends life, family, and the Holy Faith through media and activism. He is a past leader in young adult ministry in the Diocese of Providence. His first book, “Because of Our Fathers,” was published last year. His second book, which he is co-authoring with Abby Johnson, is titled “Life to the Full” and will be published early next year. On the sports side, he played college football at Brown University.

Notable guest quotes:

“My father… is a man of integrity and virtue and instilled those natural virtues in his children routinely and he would get down on his knees every Sunday and go to Mass.”

“My younger brother is a priest in the Diocese of Providence.  We’re all committed to the faith… we’re serious about it.  We believe it.”

“I started to read… started to get into the church fathers… and I started to say, ‘Wow… it’s not just something I believe but it’s something that is so rich and provable, in a way, to people.”

“I think I sort of transferred all of my energy and all my passion that went into sports into what I finally realized was much more important, which is the Catholic faith and using all the skills that God gave me to evangelize.”

“You give your feelings and your thoughts to God, and you ask Him for peace with it, and He’ll give you peace.”

“What I took away from sports more than anything is the ability to withstand the physical pains of this world and to keep going and to relate that to the Cross.”

“There’s so many saints that mortification was a cornerstone of their spiritual life… it’s a deep intimacy and connection to the physical world and our physical body that God gave us and Christ took on, and, it’s powerful.”

“I’m fortunate and blessed to be the president of (Servants of Christ)… We’ll get involved in anything that defends the orthodox Catholic faith.”

“We struggled with infertility for two years.  And I had to dig deep into the Catholic teaching on this issue and we found what’s commonly referred to as natural family planning through the Creighton model and we found a Catholic hospital that teaches the Creighton model.”

Related link:

Tyler’s website

(This episode contains a prayer by Gregg Easterbrook from the NFL.com and ESPN.com column “Monday Morning Quarterback,” as seen in Play Like A Champion Today’s prayerbook for sports, God, Be In My Sport)

Zach Blaszak

He is the Director of Athletics and Activities at Central Catholic High School in Lawrence, Massachusetts. He has been supporting student-athletes as a member of the CCHS staff for ten years, and one year ago was promoted to his current role after having been Assistant Athletic Director and Athletic Trainer. In total he has had an 18-year career in secondary school athletics, working with hundreds of coaches and thousands of athletes. He did his undergrad in Athletic Training at Merrimack College and earned his Master’s in Health, Physical Education, and Recreation — with a concentration in Athletic Training and Athletic Administration — from Western Michigan University.  As a student-athlete himself, he had played football in high school.

Notable guest quotes:

“I come from a family of strong Catholic faith… Some of my fondest and most memorable events in my life have been always surrounded by the church and by my family’s faith.”

“I’m a product of Catholic education.  My parents made extreme sacrifices for my siblings and I to go to Catholic schools from… kindergarten through college.”

“My dad was an usher at Mass.  My mom was a Eucharistic Minister.  My brother and I were altar servers and I’m pretty sure I could still say that I’m the reigning Altar Server of the Year at St. Bede Parish from 1996.”

“Service has always been a part of my life, whether it’s a mission trip or a service trip that I’ve gone on or just being a servant leader and doing those behind-the-scenes things for our athletic program, that’s always been an important part of who I am.”

“Like I said, I’m a product of Catholic education all the way through college.  That’s always been a strong part of my life and I always made time for that… Making sure that my faith life didn’t suffer for my studies or for my job.”

“I realized what was missing at my previous school (job) and it was a faith-based education and a Catholic school environment, whether it be the pre- or post-game prayer, or the athletes doing service together, or having a pre-game Mass, that’s what was missing for me in those two years.”

“…to start a family, we came out here (to Massachusetts) and by the grace of God there were two jobs open at Central Catholic, one for a Campus Minister, which (my wife) was able to get and then for the Athletic Training position within the athletic department.”

“I’m able to take part in the athletic piece and attend some retreats or be an active participant in our school liturgies and prayer services and our service program.”

“Our school mission… is to make Jesus known and loved and whether that’s in the classroom or through our faith life or through athletics, we could easily accomplish that.”

“There’s a spiritual aspect about athletics that I always love… make Jesus known and loved, care for the least favored and those in need, while succeeding on the field or the court or playing surface.  We’re not just here to win games.  We’re here to build successful and intelligent young men and women.”