Episodes

Jessica Cox

She is an author and motivational speaker who has been featured on TV shows like “Ellen” and “FOX and Friends,” and on networks such as CNN, BBC News, and National Geographic. Despite being born without arms, she is a fourth-degree black belt in taekwondo. She has participated in numerous other sports – either competitively or recreationally – including cycling, scuba diving, surfing, golf, horseback riding, and Philippines martial arts arnis / escrima. In 2011 she received the Guinness World Record for being the first person certified to fly an airplane with only their feet. She not only met Pope Benedict XVI but gave him her Guinness World Record Medal.

Notable guest quotes:

“There was no other way for us children.  We were in a very profoundly Catholic household.  Every Sunday, no question about it, we were in church.  We said rosaries every night… It became my rock in the midst of any adversity in life.”

“It was definitely a choice at the beginning, whether I was going to be a victim of being born without both arms or whether it was just going to be something that made me different.  And I think my parents really helped create that understanding that I am not a victim of anything.”

“There was always that doubt of people telling me you can’t do it, you don’t have arms, there’s no way.  And sure enough, I developed this, ‘Yes I can, and I’ll prove it,’ that I can do this.  With God all things are possible.”

“I had gone to the priest and asked that the priest pray to God that I be given arms.  So, I did know that I was seeking out support from my own Catholic community for the understanding of why am I in this situation.”

“This is something that can be used for the greater glory of God and has continued to do that every single day of my life.  And that acceptance and that really cherishing it and understanding that it may not be the way we all think of things, but it’s amazing how God will see through the challenges that we’re facing and turn them into our greatest dreams.”

“I’m a fourth-degree black belt.  At one point in time, I was a state champion.”

“The circumstances again, a lot of intervention from above to make it possible for this meeting of Pope Benedict.  First off, I was invited to go to Milan, Italy, to get a Guinness World Record medal for becoming a sport pilot and the first sport pilot to do so without the use of arms.”

“Afterward, the Pope meets with everyone individually and the last two people to meet him after that papal blessing is myself and my sister.”

“You have something so special and a faith so profound that you can’t help but change people around you.”

“Most recently in Kazakhstan, we found the only Roman Catholic parish in the capital… And we went in there and it was so beautiful to be able to do Mass… it was so beautiful to be a part of that.  And that was just two months ago.”

Related link:

Jessica’s official website

Dr Max Engel

He has a long résumé in sports as an athlete, coach, and educator. After being a varsity soccer captain and varsity basketball captain in high school, he went on to compete in rowing at Boston College. Next, he became a boys basketball coach at St. Jude High School in Montgomery, Alabama, and then a girls basketball coach at Mercy High School in Omaha, Nebraska, and now for the last ten years he has been youth soccer and basketball coach at St. Pius X / St. Leo School. He is a life-long bicyclist and from 2007-2013 was a recreational triathlete. Two years ago, he co-authored a book called, “On the Eighth Day: A Catholic Theology of Sport,” and teaches in the Theology department at Creighton University.

Notable guest quotes:

“My parents were both Catholic-educated, and my father had studied for the priesthood, and so he had discerned out as a young man, but it was a key part of his life from then to this day.  So the Catholic faith was a big part of our household.”

“When we would travel, we would always make sure that we would find a place to go to Mass, because that was part of our family tradition.  That was part of what made our family who we were.”

“We pray as a family, before meals, we pray liturgy together, we attend Mass.  Unfortunately, with our schedules a little bit today as my kids have gotten older, sports being a big part of that, sometimes Father will tease us, like he saw one of my daughters the other night before, saw two of my sons at the 7:30, and my wife and I, and my other daughter will be at the 9:30, that kind of thing.  But it’s part of our life.”

“My interest in cycling started when I was cycling with my dad … we would do some … triathlons … It was a really important way to connect with my dad as I became a man, was just becoming a father.”

“Sports bring families together in meaningful ways, and that certainly is true for my family.”

“Boston College and the Jesuits and the education that I received there really opened those doors with a sacramental worldview, seeing that sports very much can be part of a life of faith, that I can encounter God through the community of sports, or I can encounter God through those moments of transcendence that made me say, wow.”

“As a 18, 19, 20, 22 year old undergrad who encountered the gospels, I encountered the Old Testament as a story of God encountering God’s people, God encountering me and how I could find myself within those narratives.”

“I could really explore my own faith as I was helping young men and women – the high school students that I had the privilege of teaching – helping them sort of have that same encounter with the scriptures, encounter with the stories, encounter with the God who loves them through all things, including sports.”

“It’s the camaraderie or those moments that just defy explanation, you know the transcendent, and then boom, okay, let’s talk camaraderie, let’s talk about love of others, let’s talk about God as love and the Trinity as community.  And suddenly we’re talking theology; that any experience of authentic love, which often, you know, teams at their best always have, is an experience of God’s love for us.”

“The soccer club or the basketball program, it’s an apostolate of the Catholic church.  It’s, the uniform says St. Pius St. Leo, like, what are we doing?  You know, we have to be different because we’re rooted in the gospel.”

Related links:

(Use code 8day30 for 30% off) “On the Eighth Day: A Catholic Theology of Sport”

Max’s bio on Creighton University website

Megan Harrington

She played volleyball, tennis, and basketball in high school and then went on to be a decorated athlete in college, playing Division I basketball, including being co-captain, getting named to the Holiday Classic All-Tournament Team, and her team having four NCAA appearances. She is the producer of many films, including last year’s “Native Ball: Legacy of a Trailblazer,” about a Native American female basketball player, and the documentary, “Playing Like a Girl: The House That Rob Built,” which will be available to PBS stations nationwide and the PBS Amazon Prime documentary channel starting November 1st.

Notable guest quotes:

“We had daily rosary before school, and it was non-negotiable.”

“To be able to just stay home and play for family, for friends, for my university, that’s all I ever wanted since I was a very, very little girl.”

“(The University of Montana is) not a Catholic university.  My faith still, though, was very important to me and to try to keep that faith dialed in, I’m sure I did it imperfectly, but it was a very important aspect along with the studies, along with school, basketball, you know, faith, (I) tried to keep that at the forefront.”

“I remember seeing the Pope, Pope John Paul II, Saint Pope John Paul II, and it was like he was glowing.  I mean, there was just something… when I think about that, I think about just the holiness; just the way that seeing him made me feel was like, wow, there is something divine here… seeing him was profound.”

“You’re looking for a story that’s out there… and I was like, ‘This story’s right in my backyard and it needs to be told,’ and by the grace of God and Family Theater Productions we were able to finish the film.”

“She talked about her grandma saying if God gives you something He’ll help you through it.  If He gives you this, it’s a privilege and an honor.”

“We have a Catholic series for Catechism, Catechesis, and we have that also in Spanish.  So, there’s a lot of different things.  We’re not a sports company, but these are two sports stories.”

“I’ve done the total consecration to Mary a number of times, Saint Louis de Montfort’s… and then the total consecration to Saint Joseph.  And that consecration to Saint Joseph was such a game changer in my life on fatherhood and has inspired some thoughts even on productions or ideas that we’re going to do, for within our company.”

Related link:

Website for “Playing Like a Girl: The House That Rob Built” documentary

(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)

Kevin Reilly

He was drafted by the NFL’s Miami Dolphins and went on to play for both the Philadelphia Eagles and the New England Patriots after having played college football at Villanova University on a full athletic scholarship. He is a member of three halls of fame, went on to become a radio announcer for the Philadelphia Eagles, and has even run five half-marathons. Also an inspirational speaker, he has an amazing story of being a cancer survivor and amputee. He is currently writing a book about his Catholic journey, which follows a book he previously wrote, called, “Tackling Life: How Faith, Family, Friends, and Fortitude Kept an NFL Linebacker in the Game.”

Notable guest quotes:

“I went to Catholic preschool. I went to Catholic kindergarten at St. Anthony’s. And then I did 16 years of Catholic education starting in first grade.”

“I went to an all-boys high school… which was really instrumental in me finding a deeper faith. And then on to Villanova University where I played football for four years, which was also Catholic. So, I got to see the oblates of St. Francis de Sales in action, and I got to see the Augustinians up at Villanova in action; two different clerical organizations, but very, very good people and very, very deeply religious in God.”

“I guess the mojo and the energy that both basketball and football played, because it was so fast, really built a camaraderie that I think is only next to being in civil service or being in the Army or Navy or Air Force.”

“I don’t know who played third string, second string, but as long as they were playing on my football team, they were my brother.”

“So, you think about things and what God has in plan for you. I did a lot of praying and a lot of my prayers were answered. That’s all I can tell you.”

“I came back to the team that I was thinking about, in my dreams, of possibly playing for… the first game I played, I remember checking my jersey to make sure I wasn’t dreaming. There I was Kevin Reilly, number 52, in an Eagles uniform. It doesn’t get any better than that.”

“He said, ‘You have a very dangerous life-threatening tumor in your shoulder, and I can already see that it’s going to be a problem getting (it) out and you’ll be lucky if I can save your arm, but I’m going to try’.”

“He said, ‘I’m going to have to do a four-quarter amputation if I’m going to save your life. I’m going to have to take your arm, your shoulder and at least four or five ribs’.”

“Every time I played against the Steelers, or he played against the Eagles, we would visit each other in a locker room, and you know, we just shared our Catholic faith.”

“He said to me… ‘I’m going to pray for you and I’m going to have other guys pray for you and you’re going to get through this’.”

“I can’t say that a day goes by that I don’t pray. I’m a lector, I do daily Mass twice a week, sometimes three times a week. And I’m big into the Eucharist. I believe that when I get the Eucharist, I have a better day.”

“After ten years of roaming around and wondering if I actually should make a chance of maybe getting into the priesthood, I met somebody that was really, really terrific, and we’ve been married for 13 years now.”

Related link:

Kevin’s official website

(This episode contains a prayer seen in Play Like A Champion Today’s prayerbook for sports, God, Be In My Sport)

Greg McMahon

He has won both a Super Bowl and college football national championship. He is entering his second season as Tulane University’s special teams coordinator after having spent the 2022 season coordinating special teams for the USFL’s Houston Gamblers and XFL’s Houston Roughnecks. Prior to 2022, he spent five seasons with LSU, where he joined the staff as an analyst in 2017 and later took over as special teams coordinator. That followed his having spent eleven years with the NFL’s New Orleans Saints, the first two as assistant special teams coordinator followed by nine seasons as special teams coordinator.  During his time there the team won the Super Bowl in February 2010 over the Indianapolis Colts. He has spent decades around the game, first as a safety at Eastern Illinois and then as a coach at eight different schools over a 25-year period.

Notable guest quotes:

“My father was Catholic.  When they were married in the late 50s my mother converted to Catholicism and we were raised in a very, very traditional Catholic family.  We went to Mass every Sunday… all four of us kids went to Catholic school.”

“I loved and I feel very comfortable with my Catholic faith and so it really drove me to, like, when I was at University of Illinois, I never missed daily Mass.”

“When I went to LSU, I had to really find a church that has a 6 a.m. Mass because if it’s not 6 a.m. I can’t attend because I have to work.  I have to do a good job, like all of us in our profession.”

“At Tulane we practice in the mornings, so our meetings start at seven, but I am very, the tougher things get the more I go to my faith.”

“I fell in love with the church on campus at the University of Illinois, the priests and going to daily Mass and so no it never ever affected me to not go to a Catholic university or work at one.”

“We have a staff meeting at four and I told coach I won’t be able to attend because I’m going to Mass.”

“To go to Mass weekly?  My gosh, I mean that’s the way I was raised, I mean, when you went on vacation you always knew you were gonna go to Mass in Pennsylvania because we’re traveling or we’re gonna go to Mass, like, going to Colorado to see the Grand Canyon; well, we’re gonna go to, like, it’s just, you know, and our adult children, our grandkids, they know that Mass is a priority so it’s, I want to say it’s non-negotiable – we don’t even have to negotiate.  It’s just the most important thing we’re gonna do.”

“I’ve got a very peaceful heart because I’ve always enjoyed people, I’ve always enjoyed relationships, I’m sure I get it from my mother and my father.”

“I got to constantly go back to my faith and stay connected and stay grounded because to me each day is driven by my faith.”

Related link:

Greg’s bio on Tulane 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.)

Joe Patterson

He is the Head Football Coach, Director of Athletics, and Vice President of Enrollment at Ave Maria University.  Entering his ninth season at the helm of the football program, he led a turnaround from a winless first season to Sun Division Champions just two years later, earning him Sun Division Coach of the Year honors. He earned his master’s degree in Catholic Leadership from the Catholic University of America and taught literature at St. John’s College High School in Washington, D.C., for 19 years, the last twelve of which he served as the head varsity football coach, with his teams earning playoff berths in all but two of those seasons. Presently he is at the forefront of a new, free “The Pursuit of Online Wisdom” online course called, “Athletics and the Virtues.”

Notable guest quotes:

“My parents were a great witness to the Catholic faith… So much so that it seemed very natural.  So that what we were practicing and what we were doing just seemed the right way.”

“Certainly the Marion devotion, the devotion to the sacred heart, we were all altar boys, things of that nature.  And [my parents] were committed to Catholic education.  So, I’ve been in Catholic education since I was five years old.”

“I knew I wanted to get into ministry. I knew that.”

“To weave in these other virtues, not only does it allow you to be a better team, and more competitive team, but more virtuous.”

“Yes, certainly being within the context of the Catholic realm was the, well, I don’t want to say it was a game changer, it was a deal breaker.  I would not have pursued coaching if I could not have been in that realm.”

“We avoid the sun when we’re doing outdoor sports as much as we can.  So, if we’re practicing at six in the morning, it’s that much easier to get up at maybe 4:30 to get in front of the Eucharist for an hour before practice.”

“You can’t compromise your academics.  You can’t compromise your athletics.  But most importantly, you can’t compromise your spirituality.”

“We played a game in Texas last year on a Saturday night.  So, obviously you’re going to miss the vigil.  And then – we’re budget conscious, so – we took some connecting flights to get back from San Antonio.  So, we didn’t get back to campus ‘til 11 p.m. Sunday, but to have a priest come meet us at the chapel and have Mass, it has to be very intentional.”

“I use the seven deadly sins as a descriptive rubric to talk about the vices that we see so common, not just in pro sports but in college and high school and even in youth sports.  So, we detail the vices but with each vice we have the corresponding virtue attached to it to show how, when properly done, athletics really is, in a lot of ways, the best training ground for these virtues for this audience that is engaged in the sport.”

“We do team retreats.  Of course we start and end every practice with prayer.  We have a chaplain for each team.”

Related links:

Joe’s bio on Ave Maria website
The Pursuit of Online Wisdom courses

(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.)

Christopher Chen

He started into sports later in life, with basketball being his primary sport, including having attended a basketball training academy where he learned from NBA Skills Trainer Drew Hanlen.  He also worked out with former NBA player and three-time dunk champion Nate Robinson.  In addition, he played ball hockey, including winning four championships, and he competed in touch football leagues.  Over the last few years, he, “made the conscious decision to serve the church while incorporating lessons learned from sports to help my clients.”  He is based in western Canada and is a state officer for the Knights of Columbus BC/Yukon State Council, and six months ago was invested as a Knight of the Holy Sepulcher in the Vancouver Lieutenancy.  On the professional side, he serves as a Catholic Life Coach for Freedom Coaching.  (LISTEN FOR THE POWERFUL TESTIMONY HE SHARES ABOUT HIS EYESIGHT AND A GOSPEL PASSAGE HE HEARD AT MASS!)

Notable guest quotes:

“My brother and I eventually started serving (as an) altar server… we were altar servers at a Saturday afternoon Mass at 5 p.m., it’s a Mandarin Mass … I was about 10 years old and that was my first exposure to the Catholic church, to altar server, something closer to just attending Mass from afar as a young child, not right up in the altar.”

“I learned later on that I had this missing part of my life where I wanted to be part of a team, wanted to play the game that I love.”

“I don’t pay to play; I pay to win.  I learned that from a CFL legend coach, Wally Buono, and I took that to heart.  I don’t want to just keep paying league fees just to play, just to lose.”

“We were able to win four championships in the ball hockey leagues in a short period of time, so that actually taught me how to work with others, lead by example, while also knowing what it was to fit on a team.”

“My eyesight got so bad, to the point where it was interfering with my ability to work, my ability to drive, my quality of life was really diminishing to the point where I think I was actually going blind.”

“God’s grace is working, I know that … I’m here to serve Him, whatever way that He wants me to serve.”

“He sent me a message through Instagram asking me if I’m able and willing to promote his ministry to the local bishops in my area.  I said, ‘Sure, I’d love to do that’.”

“It was divine providence … and it’s probably the most rewarding thing I’ve ever done, might, most likely, be the most rewarding thing I’ll ever do in my professional life because it touches on my Catholic faith.  I can use all my past brokenness and use that as part of testimony to relate to the clients.”

“I still use that as part of my testimony when people ask, ‘How did you join the Knights of Columbus?’  I always put up my hand and say, ‘I joined because of the free throw championship.’  That leads to all sorts of laughter and all sorts of different conversations as well.”

“There was a shift in my heart, that this secular part of my life needed to change.  And at this point in my life, I went all in for the church in 2017… and I started taking on all sorts of different ministries and leading to me where I am today.”

Related link:

Freedom Coaching