Catholic Sports Radio

She coached for the New Jersey Pride softball organization and served as a private catching coach. In addition, she has coached bowling and volleyball. She had been the assistant varsity softball coach at Mount Saint Dominic Academy and played softball at Seton Hall University. As a student-athlete at Mount Saint Dominic Academy she had played volleyball, basketball, and softball. Presently she is the Director of Strategic Initiatives and Leadership at Stuart Country Day School of the Sacred Heart, a preschool to Grade 12 private school in Princeton, New Jersey designed just for girls.

He specializes in covering Notre Dame athletics using emerging media technologies. He has been recognized as the Indiana Sportscaster of the Year by the National Sports Media Association, from which he also received the association's national Powerade Award for his audio feature on the Notre Dame-USC football rivalry. Last year he authored the book, "Teddy and The Gipper: A Notre Dame Friendship," and now his newest book is releasing, called, "Vision, Values, and Victories: Notre Dame-Style Leadership: Forging Champions in Faith, Character, and Commitment." He was the guest on this show six-and-a-half years ago way back on Episode 11.

He has been playing soccer since the age of five, although in high school he also played travel baseball. Following four years of high school soccer he played the sport at Belmont Abbey College. He played rugby after college and made a semi-pro soccer team, plus he spent six years as a soccer referee and has spent time coaching in the sport as well. He also is presently in a competitive volleyball league. He is the Director of Advancement at The St. Austin School, which is a pre-K - 8 Catholic school in St. Louis.

He appeared on Season 15 and Season 17 of American Ninja Warrior on NBC, having reached the finals and participated in the bracket of 32 athletes remaining. This year he competed in the Barbados Ninja Throwdown, after last year having competed in the USA National Championships. For two years now he has competed on the Ninja Sport Network in both Season 3 and Season 4. Since 2021 he has competed in the World Ninja League, seasons 7-11, all after having competed in four seasons of the Ultimate Ninja Athlete Association. In elementary school he had played soccer and CYO basketball, and then in high school started participating in ninja warrior competitions. He is currently a student at the University of Notre Dame, where he is regularly running, lifting, bouldering, and top roping on campus. Through it all, he is using his platform to advocate for an end to world hunger.

He played football, basketball and ran track, and then in high school played football, going on then to be on the football roster for Catholic University in Washington DC. He went on to become the offensive line coach at Georgetown Prep from 1984 through 2023, retired from coaching after the 2023 season, but came back this season to help the new offensive line coach transition from having been their tight ends coach. On top of all that, he also coached his own children in youth basketball and lacrosse. Along the way, in 2014 he received the John W. Voight award from the Maryland Football Coaches Association Hall of Fame, was inducted into the Georgetown Prep Sports Hall of Fame in 2019, and last year was a Georgetown Prep Insignis Medal Recipient, which is the school's highest honor.

He started into taekwondo as a youth and by age 15 won his first Canadian National Championship as a junior and later earned the senior title at 21 years old. That same year he had the honor of representing Canada at the World Championships in the Philippines. Over the years he has competed in numerous countries under the Canadian flag. In addition to competing in the sport, he spent several years teaching taekwondo. He has also led seminars in Mexico and Greece, sharing martial arts and mentorship across cultures and communities. On the faith side, he has a personal story of coming face to face – literally – with a Pope.

He played four years of varsity hockey at St. Ignatius High School in Cleveland and then played four years of club hockey (two at Division II and two at division I) at Saint Louis University. After his playing days he served as varsity hockey assistant coach and j.v. baseball assistant coach at St. John's Jesuit in Toledo, Ohio for one year. He returned to his alma mater and served in a variety of roles: J.V. head coach for eight years at St. Ignatius High School, varsity hockey assistant coach for one year, two years coaching j.v. soccer and j.v. baseball, and three years of freshman baseball. At St. Ignatius he has created and directed the Sports and Arts Chaplaincy Program.

In light of Pope Leo XIV's canonization of the Catholic Church's two newest saints last week Sunday and due to other timely and relevant reasons you'll hear cited at the very start, this is a reissue of what was Episode 188, exactly three years ago this month. The now departed George Rose was the Executive Advisor of Pacific Rim Operations with the New York Yankees, which included having served as a Japanese translator for the likes of Hideki Irabu, Masahiro Tanaka, and Hideki Matsui, among others. He also served as an advisor for Japan's Yomiuri Giants baseball team. He was a board member of "Catholic Men for Jesus Christ," a more than 25-year old organization. He also had a radio show called, "Brothers in Arms," which he talked about here. And, he was a cancer survivor who by far was not only the first person to come on this show with a story about a miracle that would help confirm a saint, but probably the ONLY person who will be a guest and have that kind of witness to share -- the closest that any of us will come to hearing something like this firsthand.

A super special edition to celebrate the one thousandth episode hosted of Bruce Wawrzyniak's podcasting career. In this special release, there are excerpts from all of the shows he has hosted over the years: Now Hear This Entertainment, Catholic Sports Radio, TASCAM Talkback, Capture Your Art, and the PBLA Podcast. Below are links for easy access to go hear any one or more of either the specific interviews featured here or just the podcast(s) in general. It took over eleven-and-a-half years to get to this point, but this is indeed a truly special milestone worth commemorating in this way. NHTE 283 Eva Gardner (bass player for P!NK) https://www.now-hear-this.net/content/nhte-283-eva-gardner NHTE 308 Death Angel (GRAMMY nominees) https://www.now-hear-this.net/content/nhte-308-death-angel NHTE 360 Dom Morley (GRAMMY-winning producer) https://www.now-hear-this.net/content/nhte-360-dom-morley NHTE 540 Mark Parfitt (recording & mix engineer) https://www.now-hear-this.net/content/nhte-540-mark-parfitt Capture Your Art 4 Doyle Wolfgang von Frankenstein (Misfits guitarist) https://captureyourart.libsyn.com/doyle-wolfgang-von-frankenstein TASCAM Talkback https://tascamtalkback.libsyn.com/ CSR 2 Kyle Schmidt (hockey player) https://catholicsportsradio.net/episode/csr-2-kyle-schmidt/ CSR 80 Fr. Michael Lightner https://catholicsportsradio.net/episode/csr-80-fr-michael-lightner/ PBLA 1 John Livsey https://open.spotify.com/episode/0eDWGymkEDWweiB9vn8Szl?si=940c0851585047a9

In light of his passing just under two weeks ago, a reissue of his December 2019 "Catholic Sports Radio" interview. (Later this year he is going to posthumously receive the Sam Bailey Lifetime Achievement Award from the University of Tampa, which will enshrine him in their Athletics Hall of Fame.) Every year since 1981 a tournament has taken place to promote high school baseball in Hillsborough County, which has Tampa, Florida, as its seat. It was first established as a memorial for Tony Saladino, Sr. and, as of December 2019, had grown from eleven public schools to a 32-team event, with 38 players that have participated in the tournament having gone on to play in the Major Leagues, 12 of which were first round draft picks. He had been at the heart of all of this for all those years.

He has played competitive basketball his entire life, saying that his team always won first place in league, and during his senior year at Mark Keppel High School his team made it to the California Interscholastic Federation semi-finals with only one player over six feet. He was featured in his local newspaper twice as part of their basketball coverage. Plus, he ran track in high school as well, having gotten his mile down to four minutes eleven seconds. On the faith side, he works at Virgin Most Powerful Radio where he hosts two shows: "Through His Wounds" and "Thunderous Theological Thursdays."

He played football during all four of his high school years but also spent some time in swimming and tennis. Later he would go on to coach gymnastics, and present day he is active in pickleball and weightlifting. He says that, "Sports taught me discipline and perseverance, which carry into the way I lead and serve today." Approximately five years ago he even started getting into ultra marathons, including running a 50-miler as well as a marathon and half-marathon. On the faith side, he leads Livin U, a nonprofit helping teens grow mentally, physically, and spiritually through retreats, leadership formation, and mission trips. He is also a Knight of Columbus.

She has served as the Program Director for Play Like a Champion Today since its inception. Since 2006 the program has served over 160 thousand coaches and parents through a network of 280-plus partners across the United States and Canada. As a student-athlete she was a gymnast from youth through high school, and then, attending the University of Notre Dame as a Theology major, she was a varsity athlete on the cheerleading team, and now is a certified yoga instructor. On the faith side, she has worked with the Archdiocese of Detroit and has attended both the 2015 and 2022 Vatican Conference, including leading a panel at the latter.

In 2010 he was enshrined in the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame -- one of only three high school coaches ever to receive that honor. He began coaching at St. Anthony's High School in Jersey City in 1972 and his teams won 28 state high school championships, had 18 undefeated seasons, won nine consecutive championships, were four-time USA Today national champions, and he was a three-time USA Today National Coach of the Year. He finished with an amazing won-lost record of 1,185 victories and just 125 defeats and produced over 150 players to Division I basketball programs and coached six first-round NBA draft picks. He is the President of the People's Park Foundation, focused on regulation-sized athletic fields and a true community park for Jersey City, plus, in 2017 he founded the Hurley Family Foundation to continue his mission of developing children's potential in life through the game of basketball.

She played basketball and softball in high school and also participated in archery. Present day, she serves in a role at Alvernia University - a private Franciscan university in Reading, Pennsylvania - where she works with the 38 varsity teams, including activities ranging from attending coaches meetings to praying with teams before practices and games, and joining the bus with teams to offer support and prayer. On behalf of Alvernia athletics she also serves on the Thoughtful Assessment Group, and her goal is to continue to expand her work with student-athletes and across campus in order to support and minister to as many students as possible.

She is going to be playing for the U.S. Women's National lacrosse team. She is fresh off the second of back-to-back national championships with the University of Tampa women's lacrosse team, finishing 2025 with 40 goals and ten assists for 50 points in 14 games, including two goals in the national championship game. In 2024 she was named the Most Outstanding Player of both the NCAA Championship and the Sunshine State Conference Tournament. Before her three years with the Spartans, she started her collegiate career playing at the University of Maryland, where the team won the 2022 Big 10 Tournament. That followed a high school career where she was All-County in lacrosse, volleyball, and basketball. She has also served as the Head Coach of Calvary Christian girls lacrosse.

He played all four major sports as a youngster, in addition to being active in tennis, racquetball, weightlifting, and boxing. His Little League baseball team won the league title and the city title, before he then moved on to play basketball in high school, and football in college. He would go on to be a youth sports coach and the founder of a youth sports program. He authored a piece called “10 Steps to Bench Bullying by Coaches” and, with his daughter, is co-authoring a Christian book series called, "The Light."

An author, coach, and commentator with deep roots in college football, having spent over two decades coaching, including 17 years at Penn State. As a student-athlete he played football in high school, was on the 1986 national champion Penn State Nittany Lions in college and then went on to a coaching career that included Virginia, Connecticut, James Madison, and Penn State. His latest book, “BLITZED! The All-Out Pressure of College Football's New Era,” offers a gripping exploration of the challenges facing today’s college football coaches, from NIL deals to mental health. A sought-after speaker, he regularly shares insights on leadership, resilience, and the changing landscape of athletics. His writing and commentary have made him a respected voice in sports regularly called upon by both fans and analysts for his perspective on what’s next for the game he loves.

He has had his hands in a number of sports over the years. He captained the bowling team in high school, then played on the first-ever JV basketball team at Fairfield University, and later coached basketball and soccer at the club and high school levels. He even ran the New York Marathon, back in 1988. Plus, he was a sportswriter for eight years, and present day runs a sports management business that represents athletes across five different sports. On the faith side, he serves on the Board and has a scholarship at St. Peter’s Prep and also is the Vice Chair of the FDNY Foundation Board of Directors. When he was Executive Vice President of the New York Stock Exchange, he established the NYSE Fallen Heroes Fund. He has even visited a basilica in Italy where he saw the remains of Saint Zita in the church's altar.

As a student-athlete, she lettered in basketball and track, including having been All-District in basketball in her junior year. Present day she enjoys swimming, walking, jogging, dancing, and basketball. On the faith side, she is an author, Catholic Coach, and speaker, and has a story about having met Mother Teresa, which we shares during this interview. Her current writing projects include "Pray With Us: A Saint for Every Day," "The 3 Works of Reparation: God’s Divine Mercy for Our Times," as well as making a Catholic edition of her book, "My Therapeutic Lifestyle Changes Workbook: Creating a Comprehensive Plan for a Calm, Ordered Life, 2nd Edition," which contains information and planning for exercise in all forms including setting goals for sports and sports teams.