Golic grew up just outside Cleveland with his brothers Bob and Greg. Like most kids at the time, Golic and his brothers were playing all sports, but eventually focused on football and wrestling. A standout in both sports in high school, Golic would follow older brother Bob and compete in both at Notre Dame.  On the Fighting Irish football team, Mike played for Gerry Faust and helped lead the Irish to a pair of bowl games including the Aloha Bowl when he captained the team his senior year in 1984 despite an injury.  That injury would drop his draft status and in 1985 he was picked in the 10th Round (255 overall) by the Houston Oilers.  After playing a few seasons for the Oilers, Mike would come into his own after signing with the Philadelphia Eagles in 1987. Playing for head coach Buddy Ryan, Golic was part of an incredible defense that included Reggie White and Jerome Brown (he shares his memories of both teammates). It was also in Philadelphia that Golic started his broadcasting career with weekly segments on the “Randall Cunningham Show”. Golic would play for the Eagles until 1992 ending his career with the Miami Dolphins in 1993.  After what he calls a “forced retirement” in 1994, Golic’s broadcasting career took off in 1995 with his first radio show and analyst stints with ESPN.  In 1998 he moved his family to Connecticut for a short-lived morning radio show, and would eventually be paired with Mike Greenberg in 2000 starting a long run as co-host of “Mike & Mike”.  When that pairing ended in 2017, “Golic and Wingo” was formed with Trey Wingo and Mike Golic Jr.  While the show only lasted until 2020, Golic Sr. says working with his son has been the highlight of his career.  Following 25 years at ESPN (including plenty of memories and friendships), Golic has made another transition hosting several podcasts, organizing a charity golf event and sleeping in each morning.  Golic shares all this with us including the end of “Mike & Mike”, his respect for fellow football analyst Bill Curry, his desire to be the next analyst on the NBC Sports broadcasts of Notre Dame Football and his love for his pug Hank.

Born in San Diego and on the move often with his Navy dad, Morris found sports as the way to fit in.  It was also his outlet to avoid an abusive father who he eventually moved away from and settled in Texas where he lived with his grandparents.  With no baseball at Brownwood High School, Morris starred on the football team as a wingback, punter and kicker playing for legendary Gordon Wood.  Playing baseball in the summers got Morris drafted 466th overall by the New York Yankees in 1982.  Instead of signing, Morris went to Ranger College where he would be drafted once again in the 1983 Secondary draft by the Milwaukee Brewers.  Ineffectiveness, ego and injuries would derail Jim’s baseball career and set him on a path to become a high school science teacher.  At Reagan County High School, Morris coached the baseball team and led them to the 1999 District Championship.  That championship also led Jim to fulfilling a promise of trying out for the Tampa Bay Devil Rays.  Attending that tryout with his kids in tow, Morris and his 98 mph fastball impressed the scouts and got him a minor league contract at age 35.  Morris moved quickly through the minors and would make his MLB debut in his home state of Texas on September 18, 1999 with the Devil Rays against the Texas Rangers.  After two years with Tampa Bay and a spring training stint with the Los Angeles Dodgers, Morris would retire and write his autobiography in 2001, “The Oldest Rookie”.  That book would be the basis of the 2002 movie “The Rookie” starring Dennis Quad.  Morris shares his incredible story which includes a Parkinson’s diagnosis, a rehab stint, his current career as a motivational speaker and his new book, “Dream Makers: Surround Yourself with the Best to Be Your Best”.  Morris also shares with us the other A-List actors who wanted to play him in “The Rookie” and how a missed phone call caused him to be a high draft pick in the NFL.

Veteran sportswriter, and ESPN reporter, Bob Ryan grew up in New Jersey before he went to Boston College where he majored in history.  Sports reporting became his calling after covering a football game between the Eagles and Syracuse Orangemen featuring running back Floyd Little.  Ryan would go on to be the Boston Celtics beat reporter for The Boston Globe. Fellow writer Bill Chuck was born and raised in Manhattan before graduating from American University with a degree in psychology. After a stint as an English teacher, Chuck would become a baseball writer and researcher.  These two came together recently to collaborate on a new book based on Ryan's baseball scorecards from over 1400 games since 1977.  Ryan calls "In Scoring Position", published by Triumph Books, his love letter to the game of baseball.  The two share their journeys, some of their favorite moments from creating the book and what rare events and odd occurrences stick out to them the most including a scorecard from a college game that included 9 future MLB stars and three future MLB managers. (Order your copy if "In Scoring Position" at https://www.triumphbooks.com/in-scoring-position-products-9781629379456.php)

Minter was born in Cleveland, Ohio but moved to Oklahoma soon after his dad’s passing before Mike turned one. It was in Lawton, Oklahoma where Minter grew up playing with his siblings and developed into a two-sport athlete.  On the football field, Minter was a running back and free safety who led the state in rushing in 1991 with almost 1600 yards and 21 touchdowns.  On the basketball court, Minter averaged 21.0 points for the Lawton High School.  Growing up watching Nebraska football on TV, Minter’s goal was to play for the Cornhuskers.  When Hall of Fame coach Tom Osborne came calling, the choice was simple.  With Nebraska, Minter would play for a defense known as the “The Blackshirts” and would be a part of two National Championship teams (1994 & 1995) while earning All-Big 8 and All-Big 12 honors.  In 1997, the Carolina Panthers drafted him in the second round where he became a starter in his rookie season and remained there until he retired.  During his 10 years with the Panthers, Minter had many highs and lows topped by winning the NFC Championship in 2003 and playing in the Super Bowl XXXVII.  Minter officially retired in 2007 and was named to the Carolina Panthers Silver Season team in 2019.  Private business and coaching became Minter’s passion after his playing career.  Currently the head coach at Campbell University, he is set to begin his 10th year with the Fighting Camels in the fall of 2022.  Minter shares his journey with us, including his thoughts on playing alongside the late Sam Mills who would eventually become an assistant coach with the Panthers and give his “Keep Pounding” speech during their run to the Super Bowl in 2003.

Growing up in the housing projects of Baltimore, Bogues was toughened by his environment. As a 5-year-old, he was hit by a stray bullet and was hospitalized. Sports became his outlet excelling in basketball and wrestling. Basketball would soon take priority and be his way out of the projects. At Dunbar High School, Bogues teamed with David Wingate, Reggie Williams, Reggie Lewis and others who helped lead the Poets to undefeated seasons in 1981-82 (29-0) and 1982-83 (31-0). From Dunbar, Bogues went to Wake Forest and thrived in the talent-rich Atlantic Coast Conference. With Wake Forest, he was team MVP, a member of Team USA and won the 1987 Francis Pomeroy Naismith Award given to the top senior 6'0" or shorter.  The 5'3" Bogues was drafted by the Washington Bullets in 1987 where he was teammates with 7'7" Manute Bol.  Together they are the shortest and tallest players ever to play in the NBA . In 1988, Bogues was drafted by the expansion Charlotte Hornets where he had his greatest success in the NBA and played until 1997. After stops with the Golden State Warriors (1997-99), the Toronto Raptors (1999-2001) and stints with the New York Knicks and Dallas Mavericks, Bogues would retire. Real Estate, coaching and work back with the Hornets have all been part of his post-playing career. Bogues also takes pride in the work he's done with the Muggsy Bogues Family Foundation. He shares these stories, plus a few from the set of Space Jam which he starred in along with Michael Jordan and several other NBA players. Bogues joined us to promote his new book Muggsy: My life from a Kid in the Projects to the Godfather of Small Ball 

(Order a Copy at https://www.triumphbooks.com/muggsy-products-9781629379470.php)

Jim Kaat grew up in Zeeland, MI, a small Dutch community in Western Michigan. It was there that Jim’s dad instilled a hard work ethic and a love for baseball in him.  Known as “Little Jimmy” for his small stature, Kaat played high school baseball but received no athletic scholarships.  Instead he enrolled in nearby Hope College where he paid his own way doing odd jobs.  In 1957, Kaat would sign a free-agent contract with the Washington Senators and work his way through the minor leagues before making his MLB debut in 1959. He would become a permanent member of the pitching staff with the organization once it moved to Minnesota in 1961 and became the Twins.  Kaat would help lead the Twins to the 1965 American League pennant before falling to the Los Angeles Dodgers and ace Sandy Koufax in the World Series.  Kaat led the AL in wins in 1966 and had a number of solid seasons before being waived by the Twins in 1973. Kaat would sign on with the Chicago White Sox in 1973 and have two 20-win seasons including 1975 when he finished 4th in the Cy Young Award voting. After stints with the Philadelphia Phillies and New York Yankees, Kaat would finish his playing career with the St. Louis Cardinals where he finally won a World Series ring in 1982. In all, Kaat’s playing career spanned 4 decades and seven US presidents. It also included 283 wins, 16 consecutive Gold Glove Awards and 3 All-Star appearances.  After a brief time as pitching coach for the Cincinnati Reds under former teammate Pete Rose, Kaat started an award-winning broadcast career that continues today with the MLB Network working alongside longtime friend and colleague Bob Costas. Kaat was inducted into the Twins Hall of Fame in 2001, will have his #36 Twins jersey retired this season and will be inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in July. He shares these stories and more which are part of his new book, “Good As Gold: My 8 Decades in Baseball”. He also tells us about the call from the Hall of Fame, the toughest batter he faced and the current player who would fit in his era.

The Kernersville, NC native grew up playing against, and with, his older brother in all sports.  In high school, LaRue became an All-State performer in baseball, basketball and football.  When being recruited, he made it known he wanted to be a multi-sport athlete in college and eventually chose Wake Forest where he would play football for coaches Bill Dooley and Jim Caldwell, basketball for Dave Odom and also baseball for George Greer.  In fact, LaRue is just the second ACC student-athlete to play all three sports in the same year when he did so in his junior year (1994-95). While he set a number of records on the football field, his greatest team success came on the basketball court where he teamed with Deacon greats such as Rodney Rogers, Randolph Childress and Tim Duncan. Those teams won two ACC titles (1995 and 1996), made four NCAA Tournament appearances and won at Duke’s Cameron Indoor Stadium where LaRue went 4-0 (1 of just 4 players to claim the feat). LaRue was also a standout in the classroom winning Wake’s Male Scholar-Athlete of the Year in 1996. He would eventually be inducted into the Wake Forest Sports Hall of Fame in 2008.  From Wake, LaRue became a journeyman pro basketball player with several stops in the NBA including the 1997-98 season when he was a member of the NBA Championship Chicago Bulls team alongside Michael Jordan, Scottie Pippen, Dennis Rodman and Steve Kerr while being coached by Phil Jackson (That season was featured in the documentary “The Last Dance”).  When his playing career ended in 2004, LaRue moved onto coaching which took him back to Wake Forest as an assistant coach. Now working with Dairi-O Restaurants and living in a renovated farm house, LaRue reflects on his career and his life. He also tells how he turned down the opportunity to attend Florida to play quarterback for Steve Spurrier opening the door for Danny Wuerffel to take that spot (the former Heisman Trophy winner was our guest in Episode 22 found here: bit.ly/3IwCiF3).

Williams grew up in Zachary, LA with a house full of family and sports.  Baseball was the sport of choice until he tried football in the 9th grade.  He would be a multi-sport athlete in high school, but football would eventually win out and become the sport that got Williams to the next level.  That next level took Williams to Grambling State where he played for legendary coach Eddie Robinson.  Williams and the Tigers would win  36 games and three Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC) titles in his four seasons.  He would also win the Black College Player of the Year twice and finish 4th in the Heisman Trophy voting in 1977 (Earl Campbell from Texas won the award). Prior to the 1978 NFL Draft, Tampa Bay Buccaneers assistant coach Joe Gibbs would see Williams work out.  On Gibbs’ recommendation, Tampa Bay drafted Williams 17th overall making him the first black quarterback taken in the first round of the NFL Draft. Williams played for Tampa Bay from 1978-82 before moving onto the USFL in 1984 after a year away from the game do to personal loss.  In 1986, would reunite with Gibbs as a quarterback for the Washington Redskins.  After battling for the top spot, Williams was tabbed the starter before the 1987 NFL playoffs and led the Redskins to the a victory in Super Bowl XXII becoming the first black quarterback to start a Super Bowl and win the MVP. After two more years in Washington, Williams would spend time as a coach which included two stints at his alma mater where he replaced Eddie Robinson.  From coaching, Williams transitioned to executive roles with various organizations including the Buccaneers and the Washington Commanders where he is currently a special advisor to the team president. Williams shares all these stories, plus his role in the Black College Football Hall of Fame, what he thinks makes an elite NFL quarterback and his thoughts on the Tampa Bay orange jerseys he wore from 1978-82.

Born in Pittsburgh, PA before moving to Scottsdale, AZ when he was two, Zuckerman grew up playing and watching sports. Baseball was his love and he followed the sport by reading the newspaper. Writing soon became a passion and led Zuckerman to Northwestern where he covered the football team’s run to the Rose Bowl in 1996 while also interning at a number of newspaper outlets.  Interning for the now defunct Chicago Daily Southtown, Zuckerman had a chance to cover the Chicago Cubs and spend plenty of hours at historic Wrigley Field. After graduation, Zuckerman moved to Texas where he covered the Texas A&M Corpus Christi Islanders college basketball team, along with high school football. The Washington Times brought Zuckerman to DC in 2001 as the beat reporter for the Baltimore Orioles during Cal Ripken’s final year. He would take over the Washington Redskins beat in 2003 and would start his time covering the Washington Nationals when they moved to the area in 2005. From the Washington Times to Comcast Sportsnet and now with MASNsports.com, Zuckerman has followed the rise of the Nationals that included their 2019 World Series championship. Zuckerman shares his journey which also includes his role as a Baseball Hall of Fame voter and the recipient of two DC Sportswriter of the Year awards from the National Sports Media Association. He also tells us who he’s enjoyed interviewing the most, what the future might be for Nats star Juan Soto and what he does when getting confused for Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg.

Playing multiple sports growing up in Maryland, Whittenburg eventually turned to basketball. He played for legendary coach Morgan Wootten at DeMatha Catholic High School where he paired with future college teammate Sidney Lowe to win the 1978 High School National Championship. When it was time to go to college, Whittenburg knew NC State was the place for him after watching his cousin, David Thompson, win an NCAA National Championship for the Wolfpack in 1974.  After playing for Norm Sloan as a freshman, Whittenburg would be introduced to a new coach in 1980 when Jim Valvano took over. With the goal of winning another NCAA title for the Pack, Valvano led Whittenburg and a talented group to the 1983 ACC title and the automatic berth into the NCAA Tournament. In all, Whittenburg and NC State would win 9 straight games and cut down the nets after an improbable victory over Houston. Following his playing days, Whittenburg would coach alongside some of the game's greats and eventually become a head coach himself.  Now working with students at his alma mater, Whittenburg is also an executive producer on several notable documentaries including "Survive And Advance" about the 1983 team and "The Tournament" which documents the ACC Tournament. Whittenburg shares his journey with us and his memories of Jimmy V. which include hugging his coach after big wins and practicing cutting down the nets, a tradition that former coach Everett Case brought to NC State and the ACC.