Podcast
Catholic Sports Radio
Hosted by Bruce Wawrzyniak · EN
Helping listeners find the right balance and priority when it comes to their faith life versus their sports life, interviews are done with guests who are Catholics in sports - current or former athletes, coaches, officials, clergy, administrators, and more, from the pro, amateur, and scholastic ranks. Whether you're an athlete or a fan, youth or adult, Catholic or not, this show will deliver content that speaks to you and provides opportunities for ongoing reflection for your daily life.
44episodes
Episodes
Newest firstAll episodes
CSR 393 Eric Schon
Yesterday00:33:52Tap to summarizeHe was the top-ranked offensive lineman and the fourth-ranked player among all positions heading into last year's CFL Draft. Following last year's Gator Bowl, in which he played for Duke University, he stepped away from the game due to a neck injury. He had started playing football at a young age and went on to award-filled years in high school, and then at both The College of the Holy Cross and then at Duke. Along the way he also competed in wrestling and track & field. On the faith side, he had only attended Catholic schools until he got to Duke, and is about to head off on a very special trip that will resonate with brothers and sisters in Christ.
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CSR 392 Dick Vitale
1w ago00:31:02Tap to summarizeHe had a successful coaching career that included leading the NBA's Detroit Pistons as Head Coach, before joining ESPN in 1979. During his broadcasting career he has called more than a thousand games and even covered events such as the NBA Finals and the 1992 Summer Olympics for ABC Radio. In 2008 he was inducted into the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame. He has authored more than a dozen books and is a champion for fighting pediatric cancer. He has been fighting his own personal cancer battle since a diagnosis five years ago.
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CSR 391 Glen MacKay
2w ago00:43:04Tap to summarizeHe played cricket and rugby league in his youth and was very active sports-wise. At around 16 years of age he was introduced to tennis, got hooked by its international status, and around the same time watched films about the Olympics, becoming attracted to the storytelling. He fell into sports broadcasting and never looked back. As a TV producer with more than 25 years' experience, he covered some of the world's biggest sporting events, including seven FIFA World Cups, four Olympic Games, 19 Roland Garros tournaments, 17 Australian Opens, World Figure Skating Championships, and countless international sports broadcasts, working alongside many of the world's greatest athletes. On the faith side, not only has he been to the Vatican three times, but four years ago he went to the Holy Land and made a film about it that even includes tennis star Serena Williams.
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CSR 390 Peter Iacavazzi
3w ago00:34:08Tap to summarizeHe earned two Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu World Championships, seven Pan American and National Championships, a European Championship, and achieved the distinction of being ranked the No. 1 competitor in the world in his division. He founded A Fighting Chance, a women's self-defense program, and he is the founder of 40Fitness, a coaching program designed specifically for adults over age 40 who want to regain strength, improve health, and perform at a higher level without sacrificing longevity.
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CSR 389 Robert Prasch
4w ago00:33:20Tap to summarizeHe began playing football at a young age and continued with the sport into high school, drawing attention from colleges who expressed interest. He went on to play semi-pro football for the South Jersey Generals. He has a powerful story of redemption and on the other side of that coached offensive and defensive linemen on an undefeated Pop Warner team. He hosts a show called the "Creating Greatness Podcast."
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CSR 388 Brian Bonin
Jul 1300:37:17Tap to summarizeHe was selected by the Pittsburgh Penguins in the 1992 National Hockey League Draft and went on to play with both them and the Minnesota Wild. Along the way in his professional hockey career, he also played for Cleveland and Kansas City of the International Hockey League and Syracuse, Adirondack, and Worcester of the American Hockey League. He also played two seasons in Switzerland. In 1996 he won a bronze medal playing for Team USA at the world championships in Austria. He had played his college hockey at the University of Minnesota and in his senior season there won the Hobey Baker Award, given to the most outstanding collegiate hockey player in the NCAA. Prior to his time as a Golden Gopher, he had been named Minnesota Mr. Hockey as the most outstanding senior high school hockey player in that state.
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CSR 387 Chris Massaro
Jul 600:33:12Tap to summarizeHe has competed in a wide array of sports over the years. In high school he played football, basketball, track, and tennis. He tried to walk on to the college football team as a freshman and ended up playing club rugby and volleyball in college, when he also played pickup basketball. He also participated in a number of intramural sports in college. In 2015 he entered the seminary, where he competed in basketball and soccer tournaments. He had biked sections of the coast of California in 2013 visiting the Franciscan Missions. He has competed in six triathlons and in 2023 he biked from Albany, New York, to Arlington, Virginia, with Biking for Babies, which he serves as president of and unites cycling with the formation of young adults into missionary disciples of Jesus Christ.
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CSR 386 Jon Aliaga
Jun 2900:31:44Tap to summarizeHe created Bengals Soccer Camp -- for boys -- nine years ago, after having been hired at Bloomfield High School in New Jersey as head soccer coach for their girls program one year earlier. Three years ago, he created his own organization called Soccer Friends, which is a soccer team that focuses on quality development but also focuses on creating and maintaining good friendships. Back in his days as a student-athlete he had played soccer first at St. Benedict's Prep and then at the Division 3 level for Drew University, later returning to serve as an assistant coach.
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CSR 385 Rex Kesselring
Jun 2200:35:27Tap to summarizeHe just won a national championship last month as a member of the University of Tampa men's lacrosse team, leading the team in the overtime win against Adelphi with four goals, plus adding one assist. He appeared in all 23 of his team's games in 2026, finishing second on the team with 59 points, with his 40 goals being tied for the second most on the Spartans. This season he earned USILA All-American Honorable Mention and USILA All-South Region Honorable Mention honors in addition to being named to the Sunshine State Conference All-Championships Team and 2026 Second Team All-SSC. He has one more year left at UTampa and played lacrosse in high school as well.
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CSR 384 Wes Walz
Jun 1500:45:55Tap to summarizeHe enjoyed a long playing career in the National Hockey League after being chosen by Boston in the third round, 57th overall, of the entry draft. In addition to the Bruins, he played for the Philadelphia Flyers, Calgary Flames, Detroit Red Wings, and the Minnesota Wild, being the latter's team captain and, at the time of his retirement, that franchise's leader in games played. Along the way he also played four seasons in Switzerland. Shortly after his retirement he became an assistant coach with the Tampa Bay Lightning. He would go on to serve as head coach for three years at the high school that both a son and daughter of his played for. Present day he is a game analyst on Fan Duel Sports Network for Minnesota Wild games.
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