Behind Sports - Interviews With Athletes And Sports Professionals

    Jeff Sluman is an American Professional Golfer with 35 years of experience on the PGA Tour who has won numerous professional golf tournaments including six PGA Tour victories.

Chase Jones is a former college baseball player at the University of North Carolina – Chapel Hill and the founder of  Vs. Cancer Foundation. Born and raised in the state of North Carolina, Chase Jones received the opportunity to play college baseball at the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill. Within weeks of stepping on campus in 2006, as an eighteen-year-old college freshman, Chase was diagnosed with Stage IV brain cancer.   As a byproduct of community help and national research, Chase attests his status of eight years cancer-free to a combination of the two.   Since beating cancer, Chase has had the chance to collaborate with multiple childhood cancer organizations, from local children’s hospitals to international efforts in the constant battle to help more kids. After being treated at the NC Children’s Hospital, Chase went on to work with Ronald McDonald House Charities, the LIVESTRONG Foundation, and the St. Baldrick’s Foundation.   In college, Chase foun

Keith Bruce serves as the President & CEO of the San Francisco Super Bowl L Host Committee. A graduate from the University of Illinois School of Business, Keith Bruce made his marketing career debut in account management at Leo Burnett Advertising in 1987. In 1996, Keith Bruce founded Foote Cone & Belding Sports Marketing (renamed 361° Marketing) in San Francisco, where he was responsible for strategic sports consulting, event management and entertainment programs for corporate clients.  Keith also served as the President of SportsMark for eight years and established himself as an industry elite.   With 25 years of established sports marketing experience and success in the San Francisco, Keith emerged as a prime candidate to the lead the Host Committee for Super Bowl L. He has managed corporate sponsorship programs and operations on the largest sporting scales, such as the Olympic Games, FIFA World Cup, the NCAA Final Four, America’s Cup, and now the NFL Super Bowl.

Brian Fitzsimmons is an award winning author and the Head of AOL Sports. He is responsible for the production of sports editorial content, video programming, social media, and corporate partnerships.   In just under one year in that position, Brian has helped execute a successful digital strategy overhaul which led to dramatic traffic growth, the launch of two original sports shows and exciting premium partnerships. The award-winning author of “Celtic Pride: How Coach Kevin Boyle Took St. Patrick to the Top of High School Basketball,” Fitzsimmons previously served as a senior writer and managing web editor at MSG Varsity for nearly five years.  His first book, which coincides with the acclaimed HBO documentary “Prayer For a Perfect Season,” was given the prestigious Editor’s Choice award and a Rising Star designation. One year after earning his first nomination by the New York Press Club Journalism Awards for his coverage on basketball, football and recr

In just under one year in that position, Brian has helped execute a successful digital strategy overhaul which led to dramatic traffic growth, the launch of two original sports shows and exciting premium partnerships.   The award-winning author of “Celtic Pride: How Coach Kevin Boyle Took St. Patrick to the Top of High School Basketball,” Fitzsimmons previously served as a senior writer and managing web editor at MSG Varsity for nearly five years. His first book, which coincides with the acclaimed HBO documentary “Prayer For a Perfect Season,” was given the prestigious Editor’s Choice award and a Rising Star designation. One year after earning his first nomination by the New York Press Club Journalism Awards for his coverage on basketball, football and recruiting, Fitzsimmons won the 2014 award in sports feature writing. In addition to serving as a content strategist and manager at Cablevision, he also was a frequent on-air correspondent for News 12 in New Jersey.

Friday Advice with Charlie Batch, former NFL quarterback is a familiar name to NFL fans. A graduate of Eastern Michigan, he was drafted by the Detroit Lions in the second round of 1998 NFL Draft. Full Charlie Batch Interview available on iTunes and on BehindSports.com:  http://behindsports.com/charlie-batch/ After being the starter for the Lions between 1998-2001, he was signed by the Pittsburgh Steelers in 2002. It was kind of a homecoming for Batch, who grew up in nearby Homestead, PA. In 2005 Batch became the second Pittsburgh-area native to start for the team at quarterback since Terry Hanratty did it in 1969. Batch was always a fan favorite in Pittsburgh, making several starts over his career for the Steelers, he earned two Super Bowl rings with the Steelers in Super Bowl XL and Super Bowl XLIII. He started started a few games late in 2012 season, but in 2013 the Steelers announced they would not be bringing Batch back for 2013. Although Batch had not officially announced his retirement from the NFL

Kristen Kuliga is the Principal and Founder of K Sports & Entertainment, LLC. in Boston, Massachusetts. Kristen Kuliga grew up in a small town in Massachusetts and was involved in sports from the beginning. She went on to attend the University of Massachusetts Amherst to earn her degree in Economics and Political Science. After receiving her bachelor’s degree, Kristen attended Suffolk University Law School in 1994 where she found an interest in antitrust law, specifically working in the field of sports. As a member of the sports marketing industry, Kristen established herself as one of the most influential women in the field. While serving as the Vice President of Athlete Marketing at Woolf Associates, Kuliga was part of the team that developed the “Flutie Flakes” marketing campaign with Buffalo Bills QB, Doug Flutie. Kristen started handling the majority of Flutie’s marketing and became certified by the NFLPA as a contract advisor, one of only 30 women. Kuliga represented Flu

Lashawn Merritt entered the national stage as a junior by winning gold at the 2004 World Junior Championships and established himself in 2007 by winning a silver medal in the 400m at the World Championships. In the 2008 Olympic games in Bejjing, Merritt took home the gold medal in the 400 meters and set a personal best time.  LaShawn’s success in sprinting has given him great opportunities on and off the track and was signed by Nike as one of their premier track athletes. Most recently having a very successful 2014,  Merritt was the IAAF Diamond Cup winner and Continental Cup winner 400m. Off the track, Lashawn enjoys volunteering time in his hometown of Portsmouth, VA by visiting kids at school to encourage them to be their best, and giving back to the local community at various events.   Currently, Lashawn is focusing his efforts on training for the 2015 World Championships and then further down the road, the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio.

LaShawn Merritt is a USA Olympic Track and Field athlete who specializes in the 400M. Born in 1986, LaShawn was raised in Portsmouth, Virginia, and from the very beginning, he was fast. As a child, LaShawn excelled in his first loves, football and music – but as his father, Owen, recalled, speed was the quality that stood out.   Lashawn entered the national stage as a junior by winning gold at the 2004 World Junior Championships and established himself in 2007 by winning a silver medal in the 400m at the World Championships. In the 2008 Olympic games in Bejjing, Merritt took home the gold medal in the 400 meters and set a personal best time.  LaShawn’s success in sprinting has given him great opportunities on and off the track and was signed by Nike as one of their premier track athletes.   Most recently having a very successful 2014,  Merritt was the IAAF Diamond Cup winner and Continental Cup winner 400m.   Off the track, Lashawn enjoys volunteering time in his hometown

Scott Shirley is a former Penn State football player who founded Uplifting Athletes, a full service national nonprofit foundation serving a rare disease community.  Most recently, Scott started a performance based fundraising website called PLDGIT.com   Scott attended Penn State University where he studied engineering and played football for the Nittany Lions. During his senior year, Scott’s father was diagnosed with kidney cancer, a very rare form of cancer. Scott and his Nittany Lions football teammates turned an annual weightlifting competition into a fundraiser to raise money to fight this more rare form of cancer. Scott and his teammates saw an opportunity for student-athletes to use their popularity to promote awareness and raise funds for rare diseases. The core mission of Uplifting Athletes is to ally college football with rare diseases and raise them as a national priority through outreach, research, education and advocacy by the college football teams. PLDGIT.com gives the ability fo

Bobby Gill is Co-founder and Chief Operations Officer of Cupid Charities, a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization that produces the worldwide Cupid's Undie Run charity run series. The Run Series raises millions of dollars each year to fund neuro fibro matosis research, a rare genetic disorder causing tumors to grow rampantly on the nervous system.  In a previous life, Bobby was a biomedical engineer for the Food & Drug Administration reviewing cardiovascular devices for safety and effectiveness. As the success and demands of Cupid's Undie Run grew, he shifted his career path from federal to philanthropic and hasn't looked back since. He now spends his days optimizing fundraising efforts and ensuring that the largely volunteer organization grows sustainably. What is Cupid’s Undie Run? Cupid’s Undie Run is a mile(ish) run in your bedroom-best on Valentine’s weekend. No, they’re not crazy, they’re just crazy serious about raising money for The Children’s Tumor Founda

Blake Lawrence knows a little about about sports marketing. A former starting linebacker for the University of Nebraska, his career was cut short due to multiple concussions. At that point in his life he realized there he had to make a decision. Blake receivers his marketing degree in 2009, and received his MBA from Nebraska in 2011. He had a passion for marketing, and quickly turned that passion into a opportunity of a lifetime. In 2010, Lawrence founded Hurrdat, a social media agency, with his friend and former teammate Adi Kunalic. Hurrdat saw immediate success, helping big brands, small businesses, individuals, and organizations with their social and digital media campaigns. That was just the beginning for Blake, he saw a window of opportunity and decided to take the plunge through it. With an idea of a lifetime brewing in his head, Blake and his team created a unique platform for athletes and companies to connect. Opendorse was started in 2012 and it was certainly a game changer. It allows companies and

Jerry Bonkowski is an award winning sports media journalist. A graduate of Ohio University and Columbia College in Chicago, Bonkowski has covered pro and college sports for nearly 40 years, a majority of it as a motorsports beat writer. Over his career he has worked for USA Today, ESPN, and Yahoo Sports covering everything from NASCAR to the NFL, and also covered the Chicago Bulls championship runs in the 90s. Jerry has won awards for his writings from The Associated Press and the National Motorsports Press Association and is an accomplished author with his book entitled, Trading Paint: 101 Great NASCAR Debates. Currently Bonkowski is a featured columnist for Bleacher Report, a writer for NBCSports MotorSportsTalk, has is a host for SiriusXM NASCAR Radio. This is Behind Sports with acclaimed NASCAR Journalist, Jerry Bonkowski

Molly Helmuth began racing karts when she was 11, in the northwest IKF Gold Cup series. She had a very successful racing career in the karting world and quickly progressed into racing full sized cars by the age of 14. She started off in the mini stock series at Evergreen Speedway. In 2010 she earned Rookie of the Year in mini stocks and she was invited to attend the Lyn St. James Academy. In 2012 Molly finally made the jump to the NASCAR Super Late Models. She made it to winners circle once and had seven top-ten finishes, which earned her 2012 Rookie of the Year. She showed no signs of slowing down in 2013. She had continued success in Super Late Model series, finishing 6th in points out of 41 drivers. But Molly has not limited herself to just stock car racing over years. She still races karts, mini stocks, Pro4 Trucks, Midget cars along with the Late Models. Her main goal is to finally make it into the one of the three major NASCAR series. Molly says it doesn't matter if it's in the NASCAR Camping World Truc

Charlie Batch is more than a professional athlete, he is an accomplished leader both on and off the field. He was the back-up quarterback for the Pittsburgh Steelers and completed 15 seasons with the National Football League. Charlie knows what it takes to perform at the highest level and has transformed his lessons in football into lessons in business and life.   His leadership goes beyond the field as he currently serves as Vice President of National Football League Players Association (NFLPA) Executive Committee. He is also a celebrated media personality who contributes on air in radio and television.    From humble beginnings in Homestead, PA to winning two Super Bowls to becoming a philanthropist and businessman, Charlie's own brand of leadership is the foundation for winning in life.   Expect Your Best, is a motivational and practical message he shares with audiences all around the world. Beyond his accomplishments, Charlie’s true passion is elevating the ne

Tony Villani is a world class trainer with a long client list of professional athletes.  His education started at Clemson University and he went on to earn a Masters Degree in Exercise Physiology from George Washington University.  After interning with the Washington Capitals, Tony was hired as the Head Strength Coach for the Orlando Magic, and then went on as the Director of Human Performance at Cris Carter's FAST Program.   While at FAST he focused on sport specific speed, agility, and strength training. Tony has helped prepare numerous NFL Combine athletes and professional athletes from all sports. In 2002, Tony created XPE, Inc. in  Atlanta and relocated XPE Sports to South Florida in 2009. Tony’s extensive client list includes: Jamal Lewis, Hines Ward, Takeo Spikes, Anquan Boldin, Maurkice and Mike Pouncey, Pierre Garcon, and Cris Carter. Along with XPE Sports, Tony started a nationally recognized certification program for trainers wishing to learn the most effective spee

Alisha is a recognized industry leader in the field of sports philanthropy, who has been called upon to share her expertise at industry conferences and has been featured in global media outlets such as SportsBusiness Journal, BusinessWeek and ESPN.She has worked for over a decade with professional sports teams, athletes, leagues and national organizations developing and executing impactful strategies, partnerships and programs. Alisha established Rounding Third LLC in 2009 to apply her extensive knowledge of sports philanthropy to prominent clients including the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation; Justin Verlander's Wins for Warriors; the President's Council on Fitness, Sports and Nutrition; the Steve Nash Foundation; 3x Olympian Tracy Evans & Kids Play International; The George Washington University; and Athletes for Hope.Alisha is the director of the prestigious Patterson Award on behalf of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, the nation's largest philanthropy devoted to health. She works to achieve the visi

Len Berman is an Emmy-Award winning sportscaster and New York Times Best Selling Author who has covered major sports events during his 40-year career in broadcasting, including many Super Bowls, World Series, and Olympics.   A graduate of Syracuse University, Len created “Spanning the World” a monthly collection of sports bloopers, which has been a staple on NBC’s Today Show for over 20 years. He also created “Sports Fantasy” which aired on NCA and pitted regular viewers against famous sports stars. Len’s Top 5 Sports Stories Daily email newsletter is received by thousands around the country. Len has received 8 Emmy Awards and won New York Sportscaster of the Year 6 times. He is also an inductee in the New York State Broadcasters Association Hall of Fame and the National Jewish Sports Hall of Fame. Len has written 6 books: The Greatest Moments in Sports: Upsets and Underdogs; The Greatest Moments in Sports, which debuted on the New York Times Best Seller List; The 25

Amanda Pflugrad is a sideline reporter for CBS Sports Network on the AVP Beach Volleyball tour. Amanda’s interest in sports started at a young age when she spent her early years growing up on the sidelines watching her father coach and her brother play football.     Amanda attended the University of Oregon, where she majored in broadcast journalism with a minor in communication studies.  Amanda was also a cheerleader on the Oregon squad for four years and served as captain of the Ducks Cheerleading Team her senior year. Sports Illustrated featured Amanda as SI’s Cheerleader of the Week during her junior year. Amanda was a sports reporter and host at FOX Sports Arizona, where she covered ASU football and different charity events. While reporting for FOX Sports Arizona, Amanda continued to show her versatility by hosting various shows and events including working for the Arizona Cardinals.  This is Behind Sports with Amanda Pflugrad.

Scott Shirley is a former Penn State football player who founded Uplifting Athletes, a full service national nonprofit foundation serving a rare disease community.   Scott attended Penn State University where he studied engineering and played football for the Nittany Lions. During his senior year, Scott’s father was diagnosed with kidney cancer, a very rare form of cancer. Scott and his Nittany Lions football teammates turned an annual weightlifting competition into a fundraiser to raise money to fight this more rare form of cancer. Scott and his teammates saw an opportunity for student-athletes to use their popularity to promote awareness and raise funds for rare diseases. The core mission of Uplifting Athletes is to ally college football with rare diseases and raise them as a national priority through outreach, research, education and advocacy by the college football teams. Scott is currently the Chairman of the Board for Uplifting Athletes and became the full time Executive Director during in