Big Stories will have more great tales from the Big 12 coming up on January 6th. We will chronicle the Arizona State women's volleyball coach who left the high world of finance to coach his favorite game, the University of Arizona basketball coach who became the first African-American coach at a major university, the former Kansas basketball player who quit professional basketball to bring people to God, and so many more great tales.

Noah Guzman, a defensive back for the University of Houston, has taken the meaning of “early riser” to a whole new level. Noah’s morning starts at 4:30 a.m. with cold water splashes, a book on self-improvement, and a quiet moment of reflection. But don’t let the calm fool you—he’s an intense competitor who’s overcome serious challenges to play the game he loves. In this podcast episode, Noah shows that hard work, resilience, and a little faith led to one last chance to play college football for the Houston Cougars

Guests:

Noah Guzman - Houston Football Defensive Back

Yvette Guzman - Noah’s mom

George Guzman - Noah’s dad

Kevin McAdam - Houston Assistant Strength Coach

Joseph Manjack - Houston Wide Receiver

Donovan Smith - Houston Quarterback

Jamal Morris - Houston Linebacker

Maddie McLaughlin dreamed of playing at the highest level as a young girl. A debilitating battle with Lyme disease in high school almost crushed that dream. In this podcast episode, Maddie recounts how she returned to full health and defied all odds by playing at Arizona State University and then professionally.

Guests:

Maddie McLaughlin - former ASU volleyball player, professional volleyball athlete

Peter McLaughlin - Maddie's Father

Mary McLaughlin - Maddie's Mother

JJ Van Niel - ASU Volleyball Head Coach

Amy Pauly - Orlando Valkyries Head Coach

Geli Cyr - ASU Volleyball player

Carly Graham - Former Orlando Valkyries Teammate

Jill Gillen - Former Orlando Valkyries Teammate

Jeff Grimes balances his high-pressure football coaching career with his devotion to being a husband and father. In this episode he shares the emotional story of adopting his youngest daughter, Jada, and how that experience has shaped his perspective on life. Despite moving 14 times, the Grimes family is a tight knit group that is all about God, family, and football.

Guests:

Jeff Grimes - Kansas Offensive Coordinator

Sheri Grimes - Jeff's wife

Jada Grimes - Jeff's daughter

Brandon Doman - Former BYU Offensive Coordinator, Coached with Jeff at BYU

AJ Steward - Kansas Offensive assistant, Coached with Jeff at BYU and Baylor

Connor Pay - BYU offensive lineman, Coached by Grimes

Brayden Keim - BYU offensive lineman, Coached by Grimes

The lives of former Utah Football safety Steve Tate and wife Savanna were changed forever once their son Hayes arrived. He was diagnosed with brain cancer and died when he was only 20-months old. The grief of losing their son still affects them till this day. Amid that grief, the Tate’s work to help the families of pediatric cancer patients through their Hayes Tough foundation. In this podcast episode, you’ll hear how the Tate’s feel God and Hayes has led them in their efforts.

Guests:

Steve Tate – Hayes Tough Foundation Vice-President, Former Utah Ute Safety

Savanna Tate – Hayes Tough Foundation President

Reno Mahe – Former BYU Football and NFL Player

Emily Page

Matt and Alison Quenneville

Tiffany and Tim Sahaydak both have impressive soccer backgrounds—from Tiff’s experience as a U.S. Women’s National Team player, Olympic gold medalist, and World Cup champion, to Tim’s career as a professional player in Major League Soccer. While it's rare to see married couples coaching together, their complementary strengths have helped them build a strong, competitive, family-oriented culture at the University of Central Florida. In this podcast episode, you’ll find out how they started this soccer journey and how they made it work as a married couple.

Guests:

Tiffany Sahaydak - Head Coach of UCF Women's Soccer Team

Tim Sahaydak - Associate Head Coach

Mia Asenjo - UCF Soccer Player, Team Captain

In this episode, we highlight the incredible career of Rob Glass, Oklahoma State’s Assistant Athletic Director for Speed, Strength, and Conditioning. While he’s known for building elite athletes, Glass’s character shines when directing the power-lifting competition for Special Olympics Oklahoma's Summer Games.

Guests:

Rob Glass - OSU Assistant Athletic Director

Laurie Glass - Rob's wife

Madi Madory- Special Olympics Athlete

Angela Madory - Madi's Mom

Ethan McGuire - Special Olympics Athlete

Trumain Carroll - Kansas State Director of Strength and Conditioning

Jamie Blatnick - Middle Tennessee State Strength Coach, former OSU football player

The University of Arizona's Adaptive Sports athletic department is a rarity. They are among the few nationwide, and each team is only made up of Wildcat student-athletes. But they don't want to be treated as a feel-good story. These men and women are seriously talented athletes. In this episode, you'll hear the personal journeys of several athletes and how the University of Arizona and playing sports have taken them to new heights on and off the court.

Guests:

Peter Hughes - Director of Adaptive Athletics

Michael Beardsley - Wheelchair Men's Basketball Head Coach

Josie Aslakson - Wheelchair Women's Basketball Head Coach, Paralympic Athlete

Josh Wheeler - Former Arizona Wheelchair Rugby Player

Garnett Silver-Hall - Arizona Wheelchair Basketball Player

Ben Thornton - Arizona Wheelchair Basketball Player

Baylor graduates Jimmy and Janet Dorrell transformed an unlikely location—beneath the rumbling I-35 bridge in Waco, Texas—into a thriving church community. Every Sunday, amidst the sounds of big rigs and traffic, something unexpected happens: worshippers gather to sing, clap, and share meals. In this episode, we explore how the Dorrells took their faith beyond the walls of a traditional church to serve those often overlooked by society.

Guests:

Jimmy Dorrell – Pastor of Church Under the Bridge, Mission Waco Founder

Janet Dorrell – Jimmy's Wife, Mission World Director

Cindy Finley – Church Under the Bridge Hotel Motel Residence Program

Elaine Clark – Church Under the Bridge Office Manager and Youth Pastor

Ryan Dirker – Church Under the Bridge Volunteer and Children’s Director of the Circle Up program

Terrance Shelton – Church Under the Bridge Volunteer

Landry Weber’s college football career ended with an injury just a few plays into Kansas State's Texas Bowl victory over LSU. What came next was a total surprise. Members of the media sought out his story after it was announced during the game’s broadcast of his plans to become a Catholic Priest. In this episode, Landry talks about following God’s promptings and the tough decision to forgo his final year of eligibility as a Wildcat football player.

Guests:

Landry Weber - Seminarian, Former WR for Kansas State

Stab Weber - Father, Radio Analyst for Wildcat Football, Former K-State QB

Nancy Weber - Mother

Seth Porter - Former K-State teammate

Mason Barta - Former K-State teammate