Episodes

Erin Honbarrier

She played basketball in high school — and later competed in many alumni basketball games there — and was a decorated college soccer player.  Attending Whittier College in California, she not only played soccer all four years but was team captain for two years, was multiple 1^st Team All-Conference, and in her final year was both 2^nd Team All-American AND Conference Player of the Year, with her team being the regular season champion.  She also coached her daughter’s soccer team for one year, and, she has a strong connection to the NFL’s Denver Broncos, which is talked about during this episode.

Notable guest quotes:

“I attended Catholic school my whole life up until college.  I attended Most Precious Blood Catholic School, which was also in Denver, Colorado, and then went on to St. Mary’s Academy, which is considered Englewood, Colorado.”

(World Youth Day) “was one of the most amazing experiences in my faith up until then… It was within walking distance of our home, right across the street, basically, from us… It was one of the places that John Paul II decided to have Mass.”

(John Paul II) “has always been somebody that has had a significant impact on me in my life.”

“In high school, part of my French class opportunity was to take a trip to Europe and one of the first trips was to the Vatican.”

“Through (RCIA) sponsorship, I almost re-learned my entire faith through an adult lens, a mature lens, able to really take it in and know the importance of the catechism.”

“I felt completely out of control and knew that the only thing that was going to get me through it was the Lord and I just at one moment decided, in the midst of tears, that I was going to completely surrender to His Will.”

“I wish, in retrospect, that I had had that knowledge in order to give Him the glory every single one of my competitions… so, it’s really important to me to instill that in my kids.”

“Christ was our center and we leaned on Christ and talked with one another.  It really got us through that hard time, especially the first two years of Covid.”

[This episode contains a prayer (poem) by Central Catholic High School (Pittsburgh, PA) Principal Ed Bernot, as seen in Play Like A Champion Today’s prayerbook for sports, God, Be In My Sport]

Dr Jimmy Walters

He has been in various roles in sports throughout his life. In his childhood he played CYO basketball and Little League baseball. In high school he played intramural softball and has also played in softball leagues in his adult life. He also coached CYO basketball in the past and nowadays helps coach his daughter’s baseball league. He also had a long history as a sportswriter for a newspaper in Queens and had been the Assistant Sports Editor for St. John’s University. He is the author not only of a book from two-and-a-half years ago called “Dreams Come True: Discovering God’s Vision for your Life,” but, more recently, a second book that just came out this past April, titled, “Batter Up: Answering the Call of Faith and Fatherhood.”

Notable guest quotes:

“Sports has always been part of my life and so is my faith.  It’s a part of who I am.”

“I don’t know if God gave me the most talent to play sports, but He did give me the talent to be able to write about it.”

“I felt that inner calling.  I didn’t want to go away to school.  And going to Catholic school was important.  It was always a part of my life.”

“Going (to St. John’s University) I got involved in my faith life pretty quickly.”

“It was that campus, that faith life, that really helped me at that point.  I remember on that Friday night I went to the chapel on campus, and they had a candlelight vigil.”

“It’s not just the relationship with Christ through prayer, but it’s through service.”

“Things that come easier to us, things that we do well, things that we do well that we love to do – that’s a key piece to it – those are gifts from God.  And then how do we spend that time to focus on that and to develop that further.”

“Saint Francis of Assisi is one of my favorite saints.”

“I was writing about the three things I love the most: God, baseball (and sports), and my family.”

“Sports was really the avenue of discovering God’s love… It’s a miracle in our society that we can gather tens of thousands of people in a stadium and they can get along… Strangers are hugging each other and there’s a sense of our unity and I like to believe there’s hope that if we can do that there, we can do that in other parts of our lives where maybe we’re not being so kind and caring to one another.”

“We pray together.  We talk about God.  We talk about the saints.”

Related links:

Jimmy’s official website

Jimmy’s two books on Amazon

(This episode contains a prayer from the National Catholic Coaches Association‘s “The Leadership Papers,” although originally credited in there to The Coach’s Bible.)

Gerry Cooney

He was a pro heavyweight boxer from 1977 to 1990, following an amateur career in which he posted an amazing won-lost record of 55-3. As a pro, he was 28-3, with 24 of those victories coming by knockout. He rose to a number one ranking by the WBC and in Madison Square Garden in 1981 defeated former world heavyweight champion Ken Norton by a knockout just 54 seconds into the first round.  According to the legendary George Foreman, he was one of the three hardest punchers Foreman had faced in his career, which is proven by him being ranked on “The Ring’s” list of “100 Greatest Punchers of All Time.” Unfortunately, there was a curveball thrown into all this, though, as evidenced by the book he co-authored, which is talked about here.  He founded F.I.S.T. — the Fighters’ Initiative for Support and Training, an organization which helps retired boxers find jobs.  He is an inductee of multiple Halls of Fame and has a show on SiriusXM Radio.

Notable guest quotes:

“I find in myself, if I listen to what God tells me I go down the right path, but so often we choose to do it our way, and we pay for it.”

“I grew up in a large Irish Catholic family… I was confirmed and all that.  I went to Mass every Sunday.”

“Some people are gifted to be in the priesthood.  Some people are lawyers.  Some people are great at whatever they do.  For me, at an early age, boxing was simple… and so it was a gift that was given to me by God, I believe.”

“I learned that in life, that God loves me, God wants me to have everything, God wants me to be peace and love and have a great family and a great life, but I have to do the work.”

“Thankfully, I always had God in my life, and I always believed in God.”

“I never forgot about God because God is my God… I believe in the Bible.  I read the Bible all the time.  I have good friends that read the Bible with me, and I go to Mass three or four days a week and I ask for help all the time and I try to be helpful all the time.”

“We have to stay connected to God and we have to love God’s Word and we have to listen.  We have to pray and meditate.  Those are the gifts that we have.  And when I do that and I quiet down and I pay attention, I know which way to go.”

“We gotta pass that love around and we gotta help people to feel safe and at peace.”

“I’m livin’ the dream, and that dream has been given to me from God, the Almighty.”

Related link:

Book: “Gentleman Gerry: A Contender in the Ring, a Champion in Recovery”

(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)

Amy Seago

She is in her 19th season at the helm of the track and field and cross-country programs at the College of Charleston, up in South Carolina.  During her time there, athletes have captured 22 conference titles and have earned nine NCAA regional appearances.  Prior to her current employer she served as the head women’s cross-country coach and assistant men’s and women’s track and field coach at Washington & Lee for two years.  She began her career as a graduate assistant at Pittsburg State in Kansas. In her days as a student-athlete she was a track and field All-American at Allegheny College and served two years as a team captain.  She was honored in 2004 as a member of the NCAC All-Decade team for both cross country and track and field and was subsequently elected to the Allegheny Athletic Hall of Fame.

Notable guest quotes:

“My mom actually raised us Catholic.  My dad is a Christian, but not Catholic, so a lot of the going to CCD class and Mass every week was on her.  And I appreciate the faith basis that she gave me because it has made a tremendous difference in my life.”

“Most recently, when I went to visit my parents, I did go to the Mother Angelica Museum.  And previous to that a couple years, I had went to the house where Rhoda Wise grew up.”

“I went to a wonderful church, Little Flower parish… and from there I definitely have grown my appreciation for St. Thérèse and just, actually St. Thérèse has made a large impact in my life in just some of my just asking for her intercession.”

“My faith has always been important to me… in college… I would do my best to always make it to Mass.”

“When I went to grad school… I helped to teach CCD classes at the local Catholic church there.”

“I try to treat everybody as individuals in the beautiful people that they are in God’s image and likeness.  And so, when the opportunity comes up where I’m able to share my faith, I love to be able to do that.”

“I knew that this (student-athlete) was pretty nervous about her event, and I said, ‘Ya’ know, just trust that God has this and your story, you don’t have to take all control of this’.”

“I feel like this year for me has been transformational just in me having the courage to share more.”

“Sports are a metaphor for life, but, how much greater when you can connect it to Christ.”

“Listening to the Holy Spirit, he’s not going to lead you in the wrong direction.”

“I’m a member of this great Catholic moms group.  And what a beautiful, beautiful group… they send messages just for prayers for one another.  And to see the impact that prayer has!”

Related link:

Amy’s bio on CofC website

(This episode contains a prayer from the National Catholic Coaches Association‘s “The Leadership Papers,” although originally credited in there to The Coach’s Bible.)

Javier Aguirre

He is co-organizer of Copa Católica, a soccer tournament for parishes that launched eight years ago and has seen more than 35 teams and over 500 participants.  As a result of his involvement with that initiative he has organized and participated in other sports events, including as a referee.  This year he started as a trainer for the under-15 team in his town in the Netherlands and he is also organizing amateur world cups. He and his co-organizer of Copa Católica have roots in participating in multiple instances of the worldwide encounter with the Pope known as World Youth Day.

Notable guest quotes:

“I was born and raised in Spain, in Madrid, in a Catholic family… I think that most Spanish people are still Catholic, even if not all of them attend Mass daily.”

“When I was young it was mainly Catholic schools.  I was attending a Catholic school.”

“I think it’s very common for Spanish people to go to Catholic school and then be involved with Catholic community until they do their Confirmation sacrament, when they decide to be part of the church after their godfather and godmother had decided in your baptism.”

“It was in World Youth Day in 2011 when I discovered the church as it is, as universal and as that beautiful church that Christ left us.”

“Everything is, if I (look) back now, I think it was really an explosion of faith and happiness.”

“I think this is like in the story you have in the Bible with the girl that goes to pick up water.  I think I was thirsty for God.  I had really the need (for) God.”

“I was even praying the rosary every day.  Some weeks I also attended the Daily Mass.  I was joining a group of young Catholics.”

“We were inspired by the Clericus Cup.  It is a soccer tournament that is played in the Vatican between people that are studying to be priests, from different countries.”

“I was at least meeting some people and priests during the weekends, and also making pilgrimages – I had two, I think, in the space of one year – which helped me to stay committed.”

“I think… Ireland was a great discovery for me in terms of prayer.  So, I joined a meditation group after, I think, two or three months after arriving in Ireland.  And I think this was what I was really missing.”

“For me I think that the periods that I had more prayer in my life, it’s not that I didn’t have difficulties, but I had the strength to fight or to address the difficulties… I really had the hope.”

Related link:

Copa Católica website

Sister Jean Schmidt

She is a nun with the Sisters of Charity of the Blessed Virgin Mary (BVM), having been received into the order in 1938 and taking her final vows in 1945. She went on to teach at St. Charles Elementary School in North Hollywood, California, where she started a sports program, coaching women’s basketball, softball, volleyball, track, ping-pong, and yo-yo. In 1994 she took on a role with the Loyola University Chicago men’s and women’s basketball teams and since 1996 has been the team chaplain for the men’s basketball team. In January 2017 she was inducted into the Ramblers’ Athletics Hall of Fame.  On August 21st of this year, she celebrated her 103rd birthday.

Notable guest quotes:

“I’ve been a Sister for over 80 years.”

“God has been very good to me, and so I owe Him a lot.”

“She used to tell us all the time that we weren’t too young to be thinking about what God wanted us to do.”

“Every day I used to pray to God and say, ‘God, please, tell me what You would like me to do, but say that you want me to be a BVM Sister’.”

“We didn’t forget to pray, because, we prayed before every game… That’s what we do before every game we play.”

“We pray to God, ask Him for help in winning the game… We pray and then I bless their hands before they go out to the court for the last warmup.”

“I pray with the fans.  The fans’ prayer is different… My prayer welcomes the team that’s visiting us… I ask that nobody gets injured, and of course, we pray for the referees that they can see okay and call the plays with equity.  And at the end I always say, ‘Please God, help at the end at the final buzzer that Loyola has the big W on the scoreboard’.”

“I think sports and faith, and sports and human development all go together.”

“Those of us who are Catholics and Christians, we’re all for a little competition too.  We’re competing against the devil to go to heaven.  So, that’s pretty tough competition.”

“I believe in prayer no matter what we want to do.  Prayer is always necessary.”

“God is a God of surprises.  And He surprises us lots of times.  And we have to keep believing in Him, and, knowing that whatever happens to us is going to be good for us.”

“When I wake up, first of all, in the morning, I say, ‘Thank you, God, for bringing me to this day.  And help me to do all for Your honor and glory’.”

Patrick Pulis

He was a longtime soccer player as a student-athlete, ranging from club teams to high school to rec leagues while attending college.  As an adult he coached soccer as well.  As he was discerning the priesthood, he became interested in running, eventually training to run a half-marathon.  He wrote a book called, “Touched By A Flame: A True Story of One Man’s Journey in the World of God,” which includes his experience running and training.  He also mentions another book during this interview, and he has a side business inspired by his interest in the saints.

Notable guest quotes:

“My parents were actually born in Slovakia and Czech Republic, so I also grew up with that culture around me, speaking that language as well.  And we grew up as Catholics.”

“Actually, my faith life really grew tremendously during my college years.  I, for the first time, started attending Mass daily… and a lot of times go to Adoration, a lot of times it would be – a few times a week – I would go for holy hour.  And I was also involved with FOCUS… and I was leading a Bible study at that time.”

“During college I met a group, the Sodalitium, which is a society of apostolic lay men and women that, it’s kind of a new order in the church, and their charisms were really working with the poor and doing apostolic work, which is evangelizing and working on bringing people to the faith.”

“I really felt the calling to go down to Peru and join them.  I did a vigil, an all-night vigil, where I really discerned and prayed, and I felt as if God lifted a lot of weight upon me.”

“I started opening myself up to what God’s Will and His plan is.”

“We as humans are physical human beings but we’re also spiritual, and so that physical and spiritual is very important to form both areas of your life.”

“Anyone who gives their life to God – you don’t have to be a priest or religious – but, they are under a focus for the devil to attack.”

“There is a lot of spiritual warfare that goes on, especially when you dedicate so much time to prayer and to living a virtuous life.”

“I think some of the qualities that I learned from being in sports really matched up with the spiritual qualities that was able to help me fight this.  And Jesus talks about having a firm foundation, otherwise a storm will come, and it will topple your house over.”

“Although the devil was near and fighting, I think God was even nearer to my heart and He kept me going in places where I wouldn’t be able to do it myself.”

“When we direct that power, those passions, everything that we have, towards the good and towards the ultimate good, which is holiness and sainthood, that is when we are fully free.”

“We form our muscles, but in the spiritual world we are forming our virtues and our heart.”

Related links:

Patrick’s book, “Touched By A Flame: A True Story of One Man’s Journey in the World of God”

Patrick’s Saint Of The Month website (with his other book)

(This episode contains a prayer originally excerpted and adapted from Day By Day: The Notre Dame Prayerbook for Students by Thomas McNally, as seen in Play Like A Champion Today’s prayerbook for sports, God, Be In My Sport)