Happy Springtime! Sports and Life Lessons abound with two sensational guests.
** Team Sports Teach Us to Work Together
Team sports teach us how to work and play well together. Charles "CJ" Johnson became an unlikely national sports hero in 1990 when he led the CU Buffs to victory over Notre Dame in the Orange Bowl and its only national football championship.
** CJ Johnson's Rise to Stardom
CJ grew up in Detroit, son of a famous Motown musician, before gaining his football scholarship to Boulder at an amazing time in the long history of Colorado's flagship university. Now, Johnson is running for CU Regent at Large in a competitive statewide contest.
** CU beats Notre Dame (1991) – WINS CHAMPIONSHIP!
Learn what happened when the Buffs punted to the Rocket Ismael who returned it 92 yards for a likely game-winning touchdown with 43 seconds left, only to have it nullified on a clipping call. Next thing you know, victorious CU QB CJ Johnson was on the Tonight Show celebrating with Johnny Carson, Ed McMahon, and Jay Leno in Burbank!
** The Fifth Down Controversy
The fifth down controversy in Missouri gets dissected most entertainingly. Coach Bill McCartney's lessons and stories are present throughout this engrossing interview. Coach Mac and CJ are both Christians but their politics are often different. Listen to how CJ narrows that gap.
** CJ Johnson Running for CU Regent
CJ Johnson is a natural leader who now seeks the big job of CU Regent at Large, elected by all the voters in Colorado, to help lead the Centennial State's flagship university and its many campuses. This will be the top-of-the-ticket statewide election in the historic November 2024 cycle.
** Bridging the Political Divide
Johnson decries the meanness of MAGA but has great ideas on how to bridge that gap. Johnson is the proud Director of Diversity & Inclusion at Ball Corporation. Learn how far back CJ goes with CU and statewide politics in Colorado where he's raised outstanding high-achieving children of his own.
** Coach Jeff Conarroe's Basketball Journey
Colorado College men's head basketball coach, Jeff Conarroe, is a Colorado kid through and through with roots in Aspen where his parents were educators, including his father Dave who was athletic director and coach at Aspen High for decades. Since playing at CC where he was team captain in 1999, Conarroe has had many college coaching jobs around the country.
** Conarroe's Passion for Coaching
Find out about the passion and desire that drives this leader of young men. Now raising his own two boys in Colorado Springs, Jeff Conarroe is a basketball coach on the rise as demonstrated by the terrific winning season the Tigers just experienced in 2023-24.
** March Madness and the Modern Coaching Challenges
March Madness is here and Coach Conarroe experienced it as a coach at Cal State Bakersfield, and he wants that feeling again. Learn about the love of basketball that transcends the generations, and the coaching challenges of the modern era. We talk about social media, gambling, and getting the attention of kids these days.
** Life Lessons from Sports
Life lessons abound during Episode 204 with these two accomplished leaders of men. Team sports instill discipline and rules that define America at its best. CJ Johnson and Coach Jeff Conarroe are entertaining ambassadors for Colorado, two of its greatest educational institutions, and the value of athletics.