Brock Huard's Above & Beyond: The Intersection Of Faith And Sports

Steve Zakuani was the first-ever draft pick selected by the Seattle Sounders FC, but his path to MLS stardom was one that can't be described as traditional. Through traumatic injury, hopelessness and despair came a Faith that inspired Steve to accomplish things in soccer that he had given up on. It was that faith that presented him with the opportunity to take part in one of sports' greatest shows of forgiveness.See our website for privacy information.

NFL MVP. Alabama's all-time single game rushing record. 3 time Pro Bowler, 2 time All-Pro. With a list of accomplishments this long, former Seahawks running back Shaun Alexander has every right to boast in his abilities--instead, Alexander points to his Faith as the only reason he has experienced success. Listen here to how he valued his deep, personal Faith while maintaining a level of excellence at the highest level of the game.See our website for privacy information.

From pro-player to NFL head coach to ESPN and back to college coaching, Herm Edwards is one of the most recognizable coaches in the sports landscape today. While many may know him from his impassioned speeches, it’s his Faith that drives Edwards to stand boldly for what he believes.See our website for privacy information.

Clemson head football coach Dabo Swinney is one of the game's most successful coaches today, but it wasn't because he was handed everything on a silver platter. Swinney learned to persevere through adversities in his home growing up and his walk-on career at Alabama before embarking on an unlikely journey to becoming the "Dabo Swinney" the world knows today. Be encouraged by his story of Faith and conviction.See our website for privacy information.

As the head coach of Auburn University Football, Gus Malzahn understands the pressure of winning as much as anyone. Through a revival in his Faith, Malzahn has learned to live out his life's calling authentically--even when that means doing things differently than everyone else.See our website for privacy information.

After quitting football in 5th grade, Ben Malcolmson believed his life journey would lead to a career in journalism. After discovering a deep and personal Faith, Ben's journey took a left turn that put him onto the #1 nationally ranked USC football team as a 5th year senior walk on and culminated in a unique, unexpected career in sports under Pete Carroll that has spanned 13 years.See our website for privacy information.

As a seventh-generation pastor, Judah Smith has developed a wide variety of relationships built on a shared faith. As the chaplain of the Seattle Seahawks, Pastor Judah joins Brock Huard to talk about some of the unique challenges professional athlete experience due to the pressures of their job, the expectations of fans & coaches, and the barriers that arise as they seek to understand their faith. Pastor Judah also explores how the role of being a chaplain has sharpened him as a pastor and provided more perspective on the difficulty many athletes have with being vulnerable.See our website for privacy information.

Former Seahawks quarterback Jeff Kemp looks back on his 11 year NFL career and the constant tension he lived in as a professional between the need to achieve in the eyes of his coaches while finding his self-worth through his faith. Kemp shares what it was like to grow up with his father as an NFL star, how he persevered through his lengthy career despite basically never entering a season as the favorite to be the starter, and how his marriage gave him the courage he needed to embrace his faith through professional adversity.See our website for privacy information.

Brock Huard and his family have sponsored Yessica through Compassion International for 7 years, and in May, the Huard family finally got the chance to meet her in El Salvador. Brock shares what it was like to see Compassion's impact on Yessica and her community while spending time with her family and touring their projects in El Salvador. In the second part of this episode, Brock sits down with Mariners' slugger Nelson Cruz to discuss his upbringing in the Dominican Republic. From having to create his own toys out of branches and plastic bottles to working in his uncle's auto shop at the age of 8 to living on his own at 17 to pursue his dreams in baseball, Cruz details how his faith gave him the peace and confidence to dream big and accomplish things he couldn't have imagined were possible.See our website for privacy information.

As a kid growing up in Blaine, WA, Luke Ridnour was all about basketball since he can remember. Whether it was waking up at 5:00 AM as a 10-year-old to practice in his driveway or traveling the country with his AAU team, Luke's drive to be the best player he could be took him to the height of the basketball world as a teenager. As he began to see the damaging impact of idolizing his own athletic success, Luke realized that he needed more than just the game to find meaning in his life. With a renewed commitment to his faith, Luke regained his purpose on and off the court. Adversity would continue to come for Luke and his family, but the faith journey he was on led him to one constant conclusion throughout his career: trusting your faith conviction gives you the strength to persevere. See our website for privacy information.

Mariners Hall of Fame catcher Dan "The Man" Wilson has caught more games than anyone in team history and has the highest fielding percentage of any AL catcher ever - the sixth highest in baseball history! On this episode of Above & Beyond, Brock talks with Dan about the tension between living out his faith convictions while investing into becoming an elite athlete, between reveling in success and wallowing in failure, and playing for Lou Piniella, a coach who was notoriously hard on players because he was desperate to win.See our website for privacy information.

Jake Locker was the definition of hometown hero: the quarterback of the 2005 Washington State high school champions at Ferndale High, who then chose to stay local and play at the University of Washington. His reputation as a good-natured, humble leader followed him everywhere. But, as the pressure of meeting the high standards he set for himself and keeping up his persona amidst a losing season at UW, Jake began to seek unhealthy avenues to escape. Through the personal investment of his teammate, Matt Hasselbeck, the example of unconditional love set by his father throughout his childhood, and the patience of his wife, Jake discovered that through his faith in God, he could finally live authentically. And ultimately, his faith convictions pulled him to make a difficult decision with total peace: leave the game of football to invest in his family.See our website for privacy information.

For the final episode of Season 1, Brock (and his wife Molly!) welcome Sam and Christian Ponder to Above & Beyond. Sam has been in the news this week for standing up against some horrible comments made about her online. She shares why she felt compelled to respond to the harassment, why it's so important that men stand beside their sisters, and what gives her the courage to live out her faith in public. We also get to hear the love story of Sam and Christian - full of fun, flirting, and a contractually-protected burro. Get to know this dynamic, dedicated couple on this episode of Above & Beyond.See our website for privacy information.

Super Bowl champ Clint Gresham spent 6 years in the NFL where he dealt with inadequacy, insecurity, and brokenness. On the second-to-last episode of Season 1, the first long snapper ever to be drafted in the 1st round talks to Brock - who cheered Clint on his whole career - about overcoming those feelings and the importance of laying a foundation of bedrock. Check out Clint's new book "Becoming: Loving the Process of Wholeness" OUT NOW!See our website for privacy information.

At 24, Pro Bowl wide receiver for the Seattle Seahawks Tyler Lockett seems to have access to everything success has to offer - the money, fame, women, hype - but has decided to publically walk out his faith in front of us all.See our website for privacy information.

Faith in sports is not limited to just players and coaches; Episode 12 takes a look into the spiritual support system behind athletes in professional sports. Seattle Storm chaplain Nancy Cahill and Tim Gaydos, chaplain of both the Seattle Mariners and Sounders FC join Above and Beyond to share the challenges and encouragements of working with professional athletes at the highest level.See our website for privacy information.

On what might be the most raw and vulnerable Above & Beyond yet, Brock's former adversary and one of football's greatest cautionary tales Ryan Leaf shares his story. And what a story it is... Arguably the best QB to come out of WSU, and one of the highest-drafted players in WA State history, Ryan's career crashed and burned. Drug addiction, prison, multiple suicide attempts, and self-described egomania ruined what should have been a stellar NFL career.  So where is he now? And how did he get his life back on track? Hear the real story on this episode of Above & Beyond.See our website for privacy information.

Whether you know him as the Seattle Seahawks first QB or the head coach of the Washington Redskins, you're about to get to know Jim Zorn like you never have before. Brock says Jim was one of the first coaches to show him what it meant to be a well-rounded husband, dad, man of faith, and a coach, and this episode of Above & Beyond will hopefully inspire you as Jim inspired Brock so many years ago.See our website for privacy information.

Brock welcomes his first active player on the podcast: Seattle Mariners Pitcher Steve Cishek! In their first meeting together, Steve tells Brock about not hearing the Gospel until college, being called out by other major league players to live out the faith he proclaimed, and why failure is an important part of playing ball.See our website for privacy information.

Brock's own faith and sports journey concludes on this episode of Above & Beyond. Part 2 picks up as Brock is drafted in the 3rd round by the Seattle Seahawks, follows him through his NFL career, and into the very public world of professional sports media. This podcast wouldn't be possible without the support of Compassion International. They're changing lives around the world and continue to do so every single day. You can change a life, and have your life changed, today! Visit compassion.com/above.See our website for privacy information.