Mike Behind the Mic

April 27, 2023 marked 12 years since the devastating tornado outbreak in Alabama. Mike Dubberly got a chance to talk with former Alabama All-American Defensive Lineman and Co-Captain Shannon Brown, who's now the principal at Liberty Middle School in Madison, Alabama. On April 27, 2011, Shannon lost his daughter Loryn in the EF-4 tornado that hit Tuscaloosa. The college student was pursuing her dream of attending the University of Alabama and now, endowment scholarships have been created in her honor. Here's Shannon's conversation with Mike Dubberly.

Several recent violent incidents have prompted legal questions. Just recently, there was the incident in North Carolina where a neighbor shot a young girl and her father after she retrieved a basketball that went into the neighbor's yard. Before that, a homeowner shot a 16 year old who mistakenly went to the wrong address and rang the doorbell. In New York, a 20 year old woman was killed after a homeowner shot at a car turning around in his driveway. And two Baylor cheerleaders were shot when they accidentally tried to get into the wrong car. Also in Dadeville, Alabama, six people are now arrested in a mass shooting at a 16 birthday party. Prominent attorney Eric Guster joined Mike Dubberly for the latest Mike Behind the Mic podcast with legal analysis.

Pro Football Hall of Famer and NFL Fox Sunday analyst Howie Long joined Mike Dubberly on the Mike Behind the Mic podcast recently to talk about the USFL season two (Howie is also an analyst for the USFL on FOX broadcasts). The former LA/Oakland Raiders defensive lineman also shared what it was like to be a former teammate of Auburn legend Bo Jackson out of McCalla.

The Major League Baseball season is underway and if you watch, you'll notice some big changes. The league has implemented a pitch clock (much like a shot clock in basketball), and other changes in an effort to speed up the game, generate more offense and attract more viewers and fans. In this week's Mike Behind the Mic podcast, Mike Dubberly talks with former Major League Baseball player Josh Rutledge, a former All-SEC shortstop at Alabama out of Cullman. Josh not only gives his opinion on the rule changes, but also offers an interesting take on "travel ball" for youth league players and discusses his "better half" Laura Rutledge of ESPN and the SEC Network.

February 24, 2023 marked one year since Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine. To get perspective on the war, Mike Dubberly talks with retired U.S. Sgt. Alex Drueke of Tuscaloosa, Alabama. Drueke, along with another U.S. veteran Andy Huyhn of north Alabama were both captured in Ukraine by Russian forces while helping train Ukranian soldiers. They were in Russian captivity for 104 days before being released as part of a prisoner swap brokered by Saudi Arabia. Retired Sgt. Drueke shares what he witnessed and endured and why he believes U.S. aid to Ukraine is not only necessary, but paramount to averting something far worse.

Former Green Bay Packers, Dallas Cowboys safety and Alabama football legend George Teague joins Mike Behind the Mic with his thoughts on Tom Brady retiring and how he rates Brady compared to quarterbacks he played with and against, including Brett Favre and Troy Aikman. Teague also gives his pick for the Super Bowl which airs Sunday February 12 on WBRC FOX6 News.

In this latest episode of Mike Behind the Mic, Mike Dubberly talks with longtime diet and nutrition expert, Dr. Beth Kitchin to get more insight into the Best Ranked Diets of 2023. This is a list put out every year by the U.S. News and World Report and Dr. Kitchin breaks down some the top-ranked diets, diving into research to see which ones could be the best for you.

A lot of people have been expressing concern for the long-term health of Dolphins QB Tua Tagovailoa after it was announced he was entering the NFL's concussion protocol for the second time this season. Mike Dubberly talks with former 'Bama and NFL player George Teague to get his thoughts, but also speaks with the Executive Director of the Alabama Head Injury Foundation, David Powell, who shared some insight on concussions and candid remarks on Tua's determination to continue his playing career.

In this week’s episode of Mike Behind the Mic, we’re getting educated on chocolate. Renowned pastry chef and expert chocolatier Susan Notter joins Mike Dubberly to give some insight into the intricacies of the culinary art of making award winning chocolate and pastry goodies. The native of England, Susan has traveled the world learning her craft and has won numerous honors, awards and medals in international competitions, the Culinary Olympics and was even on the winning team in the Halloween Wars on the Food Network. Susan now calls Alabama home and has her own shop in Pelham.

In this week's episode of Mike Behind the Mic, Mike Dubberly talks with actor Marcelle LeBlanc of the Birmingham area, now a student at Auburn University. You might've seen her in the early seasons of the popular Netflix series Cobra Kai, but most recently she has starred as Mary Ellen in the surprisingly successful, The Waltons Homecoming. Now, Marcelle is back as Mary Ellen in The Waltons Thanksgiving. She talks about what it's like working with actor Richard Thomas, who of course played John Boy in the original show from the 1970's, The Waltons, which follows the family trying navigating the Depression Era living in Virginia. Marcelle discusses how this newer version relates to common values that family members of all ages can relate to, even in the 21 Century.

In this week's episode of Mike Behind the Mic, Mike Dubberly talks with Bronze Star recipient Dr. Steve West, who now makes his home in Pelham, Alabama. Dr. West is a retired Colonel in the U.S. Air Force, who served as chaplain in the early years of the War in Iraq. Dr. West also served as chaplain to the Joint Chiefs of Staff. It was during that time serving in the Pentagon that he, himself, got tested for PTSD and found out he indeed had post-traumatic stress disorder. He realized his years of serving as an EMT and as a counselor for our troops and hearing their horrors, that he carried their traumas inside emotionally. He's now written a book called The Bronze Scar to help others understand the signs of PTSD and to help loved ones of those suffering from it.

In this episode of Mike Behind the Mic, Mike Dubberly talks with Auburn beat reporter Justin Hokanson of @on3sports and @auliveon3. Justin provides his insight on the Auburn coaching search, what makes the job unique and why things went bad from the start for Bryan Harsin.

In this episode of Mike Behind the Mic, we get a chance to talk with comedian and actor Marlon Wayans about some of his newest projects, but also about his previous acting experiences working with Bill Murray and Jennifer Hudson. For some reason, the turtleneck worn by our traffic anchor Toi Thornton caught the eye of Marlon and he would not let it go.

Mac Powell joins Mike Dubberly to talk about his new album and unique concert tour, Mac Powell and Friends, that will be making a stop in Hoover October 28, 2022, at Metropolitan Church of God. He'll be joined by a handful of renowned singers/songwriters. Mac is formerly with the contemporary Christian rock band Third Day. The band sold over ten million albums and won four Grammy Awards and 24 Dove Awards. Mac's most recent venture into country music produced the album Back Again, but now he's focused on his newest album New Creation. He joins Mike to explain what he's up to and why he's sporting that Alabama hat during the interview.

Alabama football legend George Teague joins Mike Dubberly for the latest Mike Behind the Mic podcast. George previewed the Alabama at Texas football game, gave his thoughts on how players feel if their marching band doesn't make the trip to away games, his perspective on the rise in violent crime among young people and what his family has founded to create more opportunities for young people.

In 2013, Shelby County Sheriff’s deputy David Morrow, working as a School Resource Officer, was at Chelsea Middle School when the call came in that a gunman was holding some students hostage in a locker room. Initially, it was five girls being held at gunpoint in the girls’ locker room. Deputy Morrow responded directly to the threat and after some time, was able to convince the gunman to release a few of the girls and eventually all of them unharmed. One of those students held hostage was Madeline O'Neal. Fast forward to 2022, where Madeline just graduated from the University of Alabama. In June, her mother Deanna sent Deputy Morrow a letter thanking him for his quick response, and she cited the delayed response in Uvalde as part of her inspiration to let him know, his actions allowed his daughter to grow up to continue to chase her dreams. Both Deputy Morrow and Madeline joined Mike Dubberly to reflect on that day.

Longtime "Voice of the Crimson Tide" Eli Gold will miss at least the start of the Alabama football season because of unspecified health reasons, so you won't hear him doing play-by-play broadcasts for the Tide when 'Bama kicks off against Utah State. Instead, Alabama fans will hear the voice of Chris Stewart, who has been the longtime voice of the Alabama men's basketball broadcasts and has hosted the pregame and postgame shows for Alabama football broadcasts as well as the Coach Nick Saban show. Chris recently joined Mike Dubberly for a Mike Behind the Mic to talk about the enormous responsibility of filling in for a legend in the broadcast booth.

In this latest episode of Mike Behind the Mic, Mike Dubberly talks with longtime play-by-play broadcaster with the Birmingham Barons, Curt Bloom. "CB" as he's known, got to fulfill a lifelong dream of calling a Major League Game. He was "called up" to do a Chicago White Sox game recently and talked about the experience. Curt is hoping this opportunity opens the door to finally move up to the Big Leagues for good, but also hopes his drive to never give up on that dream inspires others.

In this week's episode of Mike Behind the Mic, gas industry expert Patrick De Haan of the GasBuddy app talks with Mike Dubberly about the reason for the recent decline in gas prices, how low will they go, and whether the trend will continue through the end the year or whether there are variables, he believes, that will actually lead to gas prices rising again before the New Year.

Are you having a bad day? Need a pick me up? Then you'll want to listen to Anthony Smith, who works for Birmingham Parks and Rec, but has the gift of singing. I promise you will come away with your spirit lifted and maybe come away with a more positive perspective on life. Anthony grew up, one of 12 children in Pratt City. He played football for Alabama A&M and got his master's degree at Alcorn St. But what he enjoys most is bringing joy to people, especially through his gift of singing. But never did he anticipate the positive impact he would have until the pandemic hit and people were home missing out on normal celebrations like birthdays. Here's an ordinary man doing extraordinary things by simply being himself.