Chris and Sarah Young. (Photo courtesy of the Youngs).
THIS IS THE TABLE FORTY PODCAST
WITH MATT AND LESLEE HOLLIDAY
Chris Young is the director of tennis and the head women’s tennis coach at Oklahoma State University. In 11 years leading the women’s program, he’s turned it into a national power, highlighted by a national runner-up finish in 2016. He was unanimously chosen as the Big 12 Coach of the Year that same season.
He and his wife, Sarah, join Matt and Leslee Holliday on today’s podcast to talk about building a culture that lasts in an athletic program, prioritizing character over winning at all costs, navigating marriage through tough seasons, and how they coach their children and the players in the program to fight against comparison.
Tony Dungy in December 2024. (AP Photo/Jerome Miron)
THIS IS THE SPORTS SPECTRUM PODCAST WITH MATT FORTE AND JASON ROMANO, FEATURING TONY DUNGY
Tony Dungy is a Super Bowl-winning, Pro Football Hall of Fame coach. He’s currently doing analyst work with NBC Sports’ “Sunday Night Football.”
Today on the podcast, we welcome back Tony Dungy to talk about his adoption story (12 kids!), staying connected to God, being bold in his faith, and encouraging others to share their faith as well.
Friday night had been terrible for Jesus’ followers. Their leader had been arrested and killed. They hastily buried him, leaving everyone frightened and confused. No one had expected this. After observing the Passover Mary Magdalene went with some women Sunday morning to finish… pic.twitter.com/xAXsFqK3M6
Stories of life transformation from the pro sports world
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Growing up, Shelby Rogers went to church every week with her mom and older sister. As her passion for tennis morphed into a life calling, Shelby moved away from home to turn pro at age 18. Being on tour, however, challenged her faith; she was one person at home and another on the road. It was then that God revealed to her that a life lived with a performance-based identity was unsustainable. Her foundation needed to be on the Rock, and Jesus desired a relationship with her, regardless of how she did on the court. She felt a newfound freedom and joy, knowing her value didn’t depend on her world ranking but on the unshakable love of Christ.
Watch the video above to hear Shelby Rogers tell her “I Once Was” story.
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We’re all in the middle of a story, and whether we admit it or not, we want our stories to matter. It’s those stories of deep and lasting impact that come to life when a person encounters Jesus, and responds to Him by faith. “I Once Was” invites those in the pro sports world to share their own transformational stories, describing the very moment that changed their lives forever.
(L-R) Former ESPN analyst Sage Steele, Monty Williams and Athletes in Action President Mark Householder at the 2025 Keys To Life Breakfast, April 5, 2025. (Photo courtesy Guardian PR)
Amid all of the festivities at the 2025 Final Four in San Antonio last weekend, faith and basketball came together on Saturday morning with the presentation of the 28th annual Coach Wooden Keys to Life Award. It is “presented annually to a player or coach who best exemplifies character, leadership, and integrity in the home, on the court, and throughout the community,” according to the award’s website.
✨ A Morning to Remember in San Antonio! ✨ The Keys to Life Breakfast
On Saturday morning in San Antonio, leaders from the world of sports and beyond gathered for the Keys to Life Breakfast, a special Final Four weekend tradition focused on character, leadership, and integrity. pic.twitter.com/49LY6OZQ7j
The award is presented each year at a Keys to Life breakfast hosted by the sports ministry Athletes in Action, and honors legendary UCLA coach John Wooden.
Jared Miller, the director of basketball at AIA, said in a press release that “Athletes in Action is honored to name Monty Williams as the recipient of the 2025 Coach John Wooden ‘Keys to Life’ Award. Monty exemplifies the character and leadership that was so important to Coach Wooden, and he continues to lead by example, making a difference in the lives of athletes off the court, as well as on.”
Williams is one of the most respected voices in basketball circles. A star at Notre Dame from 1989-1994, Williams was drafted No. 24 overall by the New York Knicks in 1994. His NBA playing career came to a close with the Philadelphia 76ers in 2003, and he jumped into the coaching world. His first opportunity as a head coach came with the then-New Orleans Hornets in 2010. Yet he is perhaps best known for his four-year stint with the Phoenix Suns from 2019-2023, which included an appearance in the 2021 NBA Finals and being named the 2022 NBA Coach of the Year.
Since last October, Williams has served as head coach at college preparatory school TMI Episcopal in San Antonio, where he is able to coach his son, Elijah. Next year, his other son, Micah, plans to join the team.
Williams has been vocal about his faith in Christ during his time in the public eye. He was featured in the Winter 2021 edition of Sports Spectrum Magazine, and he’s been a guest on the Sports Spectrum Podcast multiple times. His most recent appearance came last November, shortly after he accepted his new position at TMI Episcopal. He discussed his new job, finding contentment in Christ, and trusting in God’s timing in the midst of grief.
“My coaching model is servant leadership,” Williams said on the podcast. “I tell the players all the time, ‘I’m here to serve you and love you. … It’s my job to call you up to your potential, and I hope to do that with a level of service, love, humanity and dignity that allows for you to see Christ in me.'”
“If not for the Holy Spirit, man, we’re just a bunch of skin and bones,” Williams added. “… I can do nothing without the Holy Spirit. Like absolutely nothing.”
He said that, at the age of 10, Christ brought him to Himself through an invitation to church from a football coach. Despite a rough upbringing in Prince George’s County, Maryland, the temptations of NBA fame and money, and the tragic loss of his wife in a car accident in 2016, nothing could separate him from God’s love.
As Williams has been renewed by God’s sustaining grace throughout the years, he’s become a spiritual mentor to numerous NBA players. He often prays with his teams and shares the Gospel with others, offering to them the only true hope in this world, the hope found in Christ.
“The Bible says [God] chooses the foolish things of the world to confound the wise; I am that foolish thing,” he said on the podcast. “I shouldn’t be here. On my own merit, I should be in jail or doing something else that’s really unproductive. And by His grace and mercy — it hasn’t been easy, there has been some really, really hard stuff in my life — but He’s been so gracious to bring me and my family through it all. Only God could do that.”
Clint Hurdle in July 2023. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski)
THIS IS THE SPORTS SPECTRUM PODCAST WITH MATT FORTE & JASON ROMANO, FEATURING CLINT HURDLE
Clint Hurdle is a former MLB player and manager. He was selected in the first round of the 1975 MLB Draft out of high school by Kansas City. He made his MLB debut in 1977 and played with the Royals, Cincinnati Reds, New York Mets and St. Louis Cardinals until his retirement after the 1987 season. He was a member of the 1980 AL-champion Royals team that lost to the Philadelphia Phillies in the World Series.
Clint is one of the few in baseball who have both played and managed in the World Series. He was the Colorado Rockies manager from 2002-09 and the Pittsburgh Pirates manager from 2011-19. He led Colorado to the 2007 World Series and led Pittsburgh to three straight playoff berths in 2013, 2014 and 2015. Sporting News named him the NL Manager of the Year in 2013. He is currently a special assistant in the Rockies front office.
Clint’s new book, “Hurdle-isms: Wit and Wisdom from a Lifetime in Baseball,” came out in February.
Today on the podcast, Clint Hurdle shares his transformative journey from a troubled past to a life of faith and leadership. He discusses the importance of surrender, the challenges of leadership in baseball, and how adversity has shaped his character. Hurdle emphasizes the value of lifelong learning and ultimately highlighting the grace of God in his life.
