Building with Brick

Rich Niemann was a 7'0 post player who won a state championship in high school, was a star at St. Louis University, was drafted by both the NBA and the ABA, and eventually played in both leagues. After completing his pro career, he eventually got his Master's degree and became a teacher and an assistant coach in high school.

A Chemistry major in college, Rich used his knowledge and life experiences to teach young people not only the academics they needed to succeed, but also the life lessons to do the same. Even in retirement, the "gentle giant" dedicates much of his time helping others, most recently in helping seniors with tax return preparation.

This four-part series will lead you down Rich's path to success, helping you decipher what brings such success to a person who lost a parent rather early in life.

In Part 1 of 4, Rich talks about:

• Always being taller than his age group
• winning a high school state championship
• playing college basketball
• playing pro ball in both the NBA and the ABA

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Tony Garofalo became the youngest trainer in the major leagues when the Chicago Cubs hired him away from the St. Louis Cardinals' organization. In Part 4 of 4, Tony discusses:

• the top 3 highlights of his career
• how his faith influenced his career
• career regrets
• advice for people who want to become athletic trainers

Tony wraps up his 4-part series in grand style. His honest and forthright comments concerning his career are words of wisdom for younger athletic trainers seeking to advance to the highest level of their profession.

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Tony Garofalo went from a volunteer high school trainer to becoming the youngest head trainer in the major leagues with the Chicago Cubs. He shares his story, and in Part 3 of 4 Tony discusses:

* how the Professional Baseball Athletic Trainers Society (PBATS) was formed
* his role in founding PBATS and his continued contributions to it
* heart-warming stories of be-friended Cubs players, including Bobby Mercer and Bruce Sutter

When many of today's athletes are concerned about their next contract or promotional gig, Tony's stories of some great Cubs' players restore your confidence in athletes who are generous and compassionate.

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Tony Garofalo, who went from a volunteer high school trainer to the head athletic trainer for the Chicago Cubs, continues his "Building with Brick" interview with Dr. Joe Brickner (www.drjoebrickner.com) with Part 2 of 4. In Part 2, Tony talks about:

• how he moved from a college student trainer at Benedictine College (KS) to the athletic trainer (AT) for the Cardinals' Sarasota Rookie League team
• what and who he experienced at the Cardinals' AA farm club in Arkansas
• how he became a candidate for the head trainer job for the Chicago Cubs and how he eventually became the youngest AT in the major leagues
• how athletic training has drastically changed over the past few years

If you are a baseball fan, especially if you are a Cardinals or Cubs fan, you will not want to miss this podcast.  Tony shares behind the scenes things that only he would know, and how, as a native St. Louisan, he was received back at Busch Stadium when he returned with a Cubs uniform on.

Part 2 of this podcast builds the foundation for the stories Tony will tell in Parts 3 and 4 of his relationships with many players whom the average fan will recognize. A number of these stories are truly inspiring and will restore confidence in the character of some of our athletic heroes.

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Tony Garofalo went from a volunteer high school manager/trainer to becoming the head athletic trainer for the Chicago Cubs for more than a decade. In this interview Tony tells his story and shares the lessons he learned along the way. He also shares experiences he had with major league baseball players who not only benefited from his athletic training expertise, but also became good friends of his.

In Part 1 of 4 of Tony's "Building with Brick" podcast Tony talks about:

• his early sports experience and where he got his competitive spirit
• progressing from high school to college to professional baseball as an athletic trainer
• why and how he chose Athletic Training as a career path
• his mentors along the way

Tony is now semi-retired, but still works with physicians to help people who are in need of the training expertise he developed over 40+ years.

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International Journalist Mike Tharp culminates his in-depth "Building with Brick" interview with Dr. Joe Brickner  in Part 4 of 4, discussing the following:

• how 16.5 years of Catholic Education formed his work ethic
• where his faith life is today after all of his war zone experience
• his latest fight with bone marrow cancer
• advice for a journalism career & recommended schools of journalism
• advice for pursuing a coaching career

Mike is very candid in addressing the above five topics, and the viewer/listener will benefit significantly from Mike's take on journalism today after over 50 years in a writing career with some of the top newspapers and magazines in the world. Mike Tharp has truly lived an exciting and challenging life, but is now facing his biggest confrontation yet with his latest cancer diagnosis.

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In Part 3 of 4 of this interview international journalist Mike Tharp discusses:

• his experience in North Korea
• how basketball was intertwined in his writing/reporting career
• the effect agent orange has had on him personally
• the lessons he learned from being in six war zones during his career

Mike continues to share interesting as well as humorous stories of experiences he had while reporting for major newspapers and magazines in foreign countries. He shares the lessons he learned by being exposed to the military and our foreign enemies as well as allies. He talks about the personal relationships that were forged by his various assignments, and how those relationships have survived over these many years.

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International Journalist Mike Tharp returns for Part 2 (of 4) of Coach Joe Brickner’s  “Building with Brick – Foundational Wisdom on Coaching, Careers, and Christ” audio podcast. In Part 2 Mike discusses:

·       Coaches who influenced his journalism career the most

·       Lessons from sports that most influenced his writing

·       His take on today’s journalists

·       How playing basketball in foreign countries enhanced his understanding of foreign cultures

Tharp was a writer for The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal and other prestigious papers and magazines during his 50 year journalism career. His experience and experiences are unique, and he shares some of those with the audience in each of his four weekly podcasts. The wisdom he has gained and shares is so worth the time it takes to listen to his interview. It will make you long for news reporters from days gone by!

Mike's testimony will make you appreciate just how influential a coach or mentor can be to the success of those they coach/mentor. His story is just one example of how sports coaches can stimulate success in non-athletic careers.

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* View Dr. B's Amazon Author page Here

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Episode 9 of "Building with Brick" takes a little different twist. Instead of highly successful athletes who have pursued an athletic career, this Episode highlights the journalism career of a former star athlete. Part 1 develops the background information showing how athletics, and basketball in particular, shaped international journalist Mike Tharp's drive to be the best he could be. Parts 2 through 4 go into the depth of his journalism career, including his time in six different war zones and how that affected his health mentally, physically and spiritually. If you hare pursuing or are entrenched in a career outside of athletics, this one is for you. Even those following an athletic career will benefit from the wisdom Mike shares as he describes how his coaches and later his international teammates expanded his view of the world and his place in it.

In Part 1 of 4 Mike talks about:

• Who influenced him to excel
• Where he got his competitive spirit from
• How he became part of a college national championship team as a walk-on
• How his high school and college teammates became life-long friends

From Topeka, Kansas to Tokyo, Japan and around the world, Mike Tharp has lived a treasured life in the field of journalism. Tune in and grab a piece of his wisdom.

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* View Dr. B's Amazon Author page Here

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In Part 4 (of 4) Richard Konzem, former Sr. Associate Athletic Director at Kansas University, discusses three main topics:

• how his faith influenced how he managed his job
• how his job effected his family life
• how he hires people based on a set of principles he has developed

This final Part completes the interview series with an extraordinary leader. Going from a farm boy to twice being the interim AD at one of the most prestigious athletic universities in the country, Richard has shared his experiences with us and gives us key principles by which we can approach our careers. He also shares his  "Hiring Principles" college class's PowerPoint slides with the audience so that listeners can implement these principles in their own jobs. The class slides can be found on Dr. Brickner's website on the "Free Resources" page, Free Resources - Dr. Joe Brickner (drjoebrickner.com).

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* Leave a Comment/Review at [email protected]

* Order Dr. Brickner's books on Amazon or go to his website

* View Dr. B's Amazon Author page Here

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