First & Told

0:35 - Intro

2:05 - A tribute to longtime Gonzaga College High School coach and athletic director Joe Reyda, who suddenly passed away in June. Chad and Derrell reflect on his life, the legacy he built on Eye Street and personal experiences with a man who impacted high school athletics around the country. 

6:10 - Commanders. NFL season is here. Discussion of players to watch out for, new ownership, impact of Eric Bieniemy and why the PG County's own Chase Young is primed to have a breakout season. 

17:30 - Guest: New Digital Pioneers Academy head football coach and athletic director Rob Harris discusses entering a new role, why he took a job at DPA after years of success at Carroll, building the program from scratch, support from the Washington Commanders and how he plans to build a program of young men in an effort to combat DC's youth crisis. 

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Chad and Derrell are joined by Jaret and James Patterson, twins from PG County, MD who both represent an NFL franchise. 
Jaret (Washington Commanders) was a star running back at St. Vincent Pallotti in Laurel, MD, where he rushed for 2,045 yards and 23 touchdowns in his senior season before going on to the University of Buffalo. 
James (most recently with the Buffalo Bills), a linebacker, also attended Pallotti, where he was named first-team All-MIAA and a three-time All-Conference selection before a five-year college career at Buffalo alongside his brother. 

The two go in-depth on their journey, one filled with challenges both on and off the field, and also talk about the honor of representing their state on the sport's biggest stage. 

Tune in for more. 

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If you enjoyed this episode, be sure to rate, review and subscribe to the podcast. Ratings and reviews help the show grow and your support helps us produce episodes like this one!
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Chad and Derrell are joined by Howard University Basketball coach Kenny Blakeney, the DC-native who led the Howard Bison to its first NCAA Tournament appearance since 1992. Blakeney's roundball roots run deep, having played at DeMatha under legendary coach Morgan Wootten en route to being named MD Gatorade Player of the Year in 1990. He went on to win two championships during an incredible five-year run at Duke under Mike Krzyzewski in the early 90s before a coaching career that eventually led him back to his hometown. 
Blakeney also talks about growing up in DC in the 80s, playing under two of the sport's most notable coaches, leading Howard to its first NCAA Tournament appearance in 31 years and how he uses his platform beyond basketball to invest in the community. 

Support the show

If you enjoyed this episode, be sure to rate, review and subscribe to the podcast. Ratings and reviews help the show grow and your support helps us produce episodes like this one!
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Chad and Derrell are joined by Montgomery County's own Chick Hernandez, a media star whose voice and face have graced television screens across the DMV and beyond for decades. One of the area's most renowned sports media personalities, Hernandez opens up about his professional career, triumphs he overcame throughout his childhood, his love for golf and breaking into the business.
Plus, we talk DC-area sports, Hernandez's love of golf, music tastes and play the Two Minute Drill to near PERFECTION. 
All this and more on this new episode. 

Please consider rating and reviewing the show. 

Support the show

If you enjoyed this episode, be sure to rate, review and subscribe to the podcast. Ratings and reviews help the show grow and your support helps us produce episodes like this one!
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We're back with a new episode...and it's a new year! Chad and Derrell chop it up for one last time in 2021, going in depth about how COVID continues to impact student-athletes, why Sidwell Friends is the best HS basketball program in the country, the world of professional sports and what we're looking forward to in 2022.
Plus, stay tuned for a BIG announcement for soon-to-be high school and college student-athletes looking to BUILD THEIR BRANDS. Chad and Derrell, two of the DMV's most notable media professionals, are here to help YOU with an opportunity you don't want to miss. 

Also in this episode:

-Plans for 2022.
-Someone's getting married!!!
-Chad has a new job...and so does Derrell.
-From journalists to teachers?
-Professional sports. 

Support the show

If you enjoyed this episode, be sure to rate, review and subscribe to the podcast. Ratings and reviews help the show grow and your support helps us produce episodes like this one!
If you are interested in advertising or sponsoring the show, please email [email protected] to learn more about showcase your business or practice to listeners nationwide.

Walter Rouse is not only one of the best offensive linemen in the country, but he's the true definition of a student-athlete. Rouse graduated from Sidwell Friends School in Washington, D.C. and is a junior offensive lineman at Stanford University, where he majors in bio-mechanical engineering. In this episode, Chad and Derrell speak to the Silver Spring, MD-native about football, academics, the importance of taking care of your mental health and life after the gridiron. 

-Also in this episode:

-Walter's top five artists
-Two Minute Drill
-Lessons learned off the field
-Chad's vacation on...the farm???

Support the show

If you enjoyed this episode, be sure to rate, review and subscribe to the podcast. Ratings and reviews help the show grow and your support helps us produce episodes like this one!
If you are interested in advertising or sponsoring the show, please email [email protected] to learn more about showcase your business or practice to listeners nationwide.

Rick "Doc" Walker played in the NFL for nearly a decade, starting his career in Cincinnati before going to Washington and winning and Super Bowl with the Redskins in 1982. Today, the former tight end is the host of the Doc Walker Podcast, a pregame host for FOX 5 and the Washington Football Team's "Legacy" host. Walker also donates time and money to many local and national foundations, including Providence Health Foundation, Muscular Dystrophy Association, Cystic Fibrosis Foundation, Alzheimer’s Association, and the Arthritis Foundation.

Also in this episode:

-The NFL Draft
-New name possibilities for the Washington Football Team
-Walker's transition from Cincinnati to Washington
-Winning a Super Bowl
-Philanthropy 
-Walker's philosophy on coaching and winning. 

Support the show

If you enjoyed this episode, be sure to rate, review and subscribe to the podcast. Ratings and reviews help the show grow and your support helps us produce episodes like this one!
If you are interested in advertising or sponsoring the show, please email [email protected] to learn more about showcase your business or practice to listeners nationwide.

Brock Spalding is one of the most dynamic players in the DMV. The South County High School wide receiver joins First & Told to talk about his prowess on the gridiron, his expectations when he steps onto the field and what to expect as his team enters the Virginia playoff portion of its schedule. 

Also in this episode:

-Who should the Washington Football Team take in the draft.
-Introducing the Washington Wild Hogs...Red Wolves...Monuments...Aviators?!?!
-Gonzaga CHS finished the Spring season undefeated. Should they be considered champions?
-Can anybody get past Oscar Smith for a title?

-Real Talk: Are today's athletes getting soft? What do we gain or lose when stars don't seem fully committed or sit out big games when fans pay good money to see them play?

Support the show

If you enjoyed this episode, be sure to rate, review and subscribe to the podcast. Ratings and reviews help the show grow and your support helps us produce episodes like this one!
If you are interested in advertising or sponsoring the show, please email [email protected] to learn more about showcase your business or practice to listeners nationwide.

You can always count on Travis Thomas to bring fun and high energy whenever he's behind a mic. The media mogul joins Chad and Derrell this week to talk all things DMV sports. A weekday host for The Team 980, Thomas who formerly hosted “DC Sports Live” and “Wizards Extra” on NBC Sports Washington, can be heard discussing the Washington Football Team, Wizards, Nationals and Capitals on his interactive show "The Travis Thomas Experience." 
You can catch the show weekdays from 9:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. ET.

Also in this episode:
-The ups and downs of media.
-Overcoming unexpected life moments. 
-Covering his hometown teams. 
-Who's in Travis' playlist.
-Two Minute Drill.

Support the show

If you enjoyed this episode, be sure to rate, review and subscribe to the podcast. Ratings and reviews help the show grow and your support helps us produce episodes like this one!
If you are interested in advertising or sponsoring the show, please email [email protected] to learn more about showcase your business or practice to listeners nationwide.

Effortless swag and unapologetic brilliance are just a couple of ways to describe Jesse Washington. He joins Chad and Derrell to talk his role at ESPN's The Undefeated, his love of basketball (he's very good) and the cherished time he spent with late Georgetown coach and basketball legend John Thompson as co-author of Thompson's autobiography I Came As a Shadow.

Washington is an award-winning journalist, Yale graduate and author who has covered everything from sports to politics at the AP, Blaze, Vibe Magazine and now as a senior writer at ESPN's The Undefeated, where he has been since 2015. 

Support the show

If you enjoyed this episode, be sure to rate, review and subscribe to the podcast. Ratings and reviews help the show grow and your support helps us produce episodes like this one!
If you are interested in advertising or sponsoring the show, please email [email protected] to learn more about showcase your business or practice to listeners nationwide.