Saturdays In Jonesboro

The 1986 Arkansas State football team set a school record with 12 wins, forging a legacy that continues to resonate 40 years later. Offensive guard Randy Barnhill shares the unvarnished reality of playing for the legendary Coach Larry Lacewell and what it took to reach the 1AAA National Championship.Barnhill dives into the grueling practices, the lack of modern amenities, and the sheer grit that defined their historic season. He compares the intense commitment of the 1986 squad to the challenges facing today's college football programs, specifically highlighting the impact of NIL and the transfer portal on team cohesion. The discussion details the tactical execution against formidable opponents like Memphis, Ole Miss, and Eastern Kentucky.For football purists and A-State fans wanting an inside look at the foundational years of the program, this episode provides a unique perspective on the evolution of college athletics. Please subscribe and share this episode with a fellow A-State football fan. What is your favorite memory from the 1986 season?0:00 Celebrating 40 Years of 19863:21 Upsetting Grambling and Eddie Robinson6:25 A Loaded Offensive Line10:39 Earning the 1AAA Championship Run25:12 A Lasting Brotherhood

A dead stadium is a death sentence for momentum. With the college football season knocking at the door, mastering the mechanics of live event production is what separates average game days from absolute chaos. Dr. Allegra Fischer, Brad Bobo, and Brandon Baxter join the podcast to break down the exact playbook Arkansas State University uses to engineer the fan experience at Centennial Bank Stadium.We get into the intense logistics of game ops, tracking everything from down-to-the-second halftime scripting to managing the Sound of the Natural State. The conversation highlights the execution of Tailgate City concerts, organic crowd engagement, and the specific wrestling-style promos used to spark the student section. A major shift in perspective happens when they explain that the game-day script must operate as a living document, requiring the in-game host to abandon the plan the second an organic Red Wolves chant takes over the crowd.Pulling off six flawless home games comes with a heavy toll on the staff and students. Behind the giveaways and stadium fountains are twelve-day band camps surviving 115-degree heat indexes, grueling production meetings, and the constant stress of stretching limited promotional budgets to match partner expectations. You will walk away from this conversation with a clear system for reading a live crowd, adapting on the fly, and understanding the massive operational weight on the student section to set the tone for the football team.If you care about live event logistics, sports marketing, and building an active community environment, you’ll get a lot from this. Please subscribe to the channel and share this episode with anyone working behind the scenes in athletics. What is the most chaotic live event audible you have ever had to call on the fly?0:00 The Anatomy of Game Day8:13 Wrestling Promos and Crowd Control15:08 Surviving 115-Degree Band Camps25:24 Orchestrating the Tailgate City Concert33:04 Why the Student Section Dictates the Vibe44:42 Exclusive Promo Item [email protected].

A program is only as resilient as the people who show up when the scoreboard gets ugly. With Arkansas State athletics currently trending upward across the board, it is the right time to examine the loyal foundation that carried the university through its leanest years. A-State superfans Mary Nell Masterson, Ken Stuart, and Van Wilhoite join the show to share their decades of unwavering support and firsthand game-day experiences.We sit down to explore the actual mechanics of long-term fandom. The discussion covers the stamina required to maintain a 645-game men's basketball attendance streak, the logistical trial and error behind the iconic three-point balloon, and how a grassroots stadium chant became a permanent game-day fixture. The real takeaway from these fans is their shared philosophy that loyalty isn't situational; showing up for the athletes as human beings builds a community culture that outlasts any single season.Maintaining this level of dedication means sitting through the rough patches, enduring blowout losses, and watching programs slowly rebuild from the ground up. Viewers will walk away with a grounded perspective on what it takes to cultivate a lasting core fan base and why investing time into local sports programs creates meaningful, long-standing relationships.If you care about grassroots sports culture, the mechanics of fan loyalty, and the history of A-State athletics, you’ll get a lot from this. Be sure to subscribe and share the episode with anyone who appreciates genuine dedication. What is the longest-running sports tradition you have personally maintained or helped [email protected]:00 - Introduction to the Super Fans1:47 - How the Fandom Started10:05 - Enduring the Losing Seasons20:26 - The Three-Point Balloon and Game Day Traditions31:55 - Building Bonds with Players and Coaches46:31 - The Future of Arkansas State Athletics

Rebuilding a college football program from decades of tough sledding to sustained respectability does not happen overnight. It requires a foundational culture shift, gritty leadership under pressure, and players willing to lay the groundwork long before the championship trophies arrive. With the 20th anniversary of one of the most iconic plays in Sun Belt Conference history approaching and A-State preparing to open the season at Memphis, there has never been a better time to examine how the Red Wolves built their winning identity. Former starting quarterback and 2022 Hall of Honor inductee Corey Leonard joins the show to break down his transition from being the last quarterback for the Indians to the first for the Red Wolves, while sharing what it took to put Arkansas State on the map.We get into the raw X's and O's and the emotional highs behind some of the most unforgettable games in Arkansas State history. Corey walks us through the 2006 Army home opener, the chaotic physics of throwing a 70-yard Hail Mary to beat Memphis, silencing Kyle Field against Texas A&M in 2008, and pulling off a massive 31-6 halftime comeback against Memphis in 2007. Along the way, he highlights the impact of teammates like Tyrell Johnson, Patrick Higgins, and Levi Dejohnette. Corey also points to the unique coaching philosophy of Steve Roberts as the secret sauce behind their success, explaining how strict accountability and genuine care for players as men built the unity required to compete with college football's giants.We also tackle the harder, grittier realities of a college football career, from intense quarterback battles in fall camp to the sting of mid-season adversity. Corey opens up about the emotional toll of his senior season injuries and the maturity it took to step aside and mentor a young Ryan Aplin in South Florida while the stadium was chanting for a change. You will walk away from this conversation with a powerful lesson on selflessness, locker room leadership, and why a program must work every single week to earn the respect and loyalty of a passionate fan base.If you care about Arkansas State football history, authentic leadership, and the anatomy of massive gridiron upsets, you’ll get a lot from this. Make sure to subscribe to the channel, like this video, and share it with a fellow college football fan. What is your all-time favorite game or memory from the Corey Leonard era at A-State? Drop your story in the comments [email protected]:00 - The Steve Roberts Era and Changing A-State Culture06:50 - The 2006 Memphis Hail Mary 20 Years Later18:11 - The 2007 Memphis Comeback and Battling Texas24:08 - Silencing Kyle Field Against Texas A&M29:35 - Mentoring Ryan Aplin Through Adversity34:15 - Raising Athletes and Why Jonesboro Still Feels Like Home

College athletics is undergoing a massive financial shift, and programs that fail to adapt will be left on the sidelines. With the transfer portal and revenue sharing completely reshaping how rosters are built, establishing a sustainable financial blueprint is the only way to compete on a national stage. Vice Chancellor of Intercollegiate Athletics Chris Pezman joins the show to break down his first year leading Arkansas State and the financial realities of modern college sports.We sit down to explore the mechanics behind strategic department investments and how the Red Wolves are navigating current "portal combat" ahead of the July deadlines. The conversation covers the push to maximize Revshare models, the facility upgrades required to compete in a loaded Sun Belt baseball conference, and the exact logistical reasons behind flipping the student section to the north end zone. The core philosophy rests on viewing athletic success as a continuous cycle—grassroots tailgating and community "sweat equity" directly fuel the environment needed to retain top-tier head coaches.Funding a competitive Group of Five athletic department is a relentless logistical challenge. Retaining high-level coaching talent like Ryan Pannone and Destiny Roys when bigger programs come calling requires a constant balancing act of budget allocation, NIL backing, and donor engagement. Listeners will walk away with a clear understanding of how everyday fan attendance and community backing fundamentally dictate a university's ability to fund its programs and keep its staff intact.If you care about the economics of college sports, Sun Belt Conference dynamics, and the tactical side of athletic administration, you’ll get a lot from this. Make sure to subscribe to the Arkansas State Media Network and share this episode with a fellow college sports fan. What game day tradition do you think has the biggest impact on building a true home-field [email protected]:00 - A Year in Jonesboro4:08 - Football Momentum & The Portal8:19 - Revshare & Strategic Investments15:57 - Elevating the Game Day Experience19:11 - Bubas Cup & Department Success33:36 - Facility Upgrades & Baseball's ROI

Maintaining an elite level of athletic durability requires more than just raw physical talent. In an era where roster turnover and immediate transfer portals dominate college athletics, staying committed to one program while building a legacy of longevity is a rare achievement. We speak with Jacob Still, a former all-conference center at Arkansas State who holds the absolute program record with 53 career starts, about what it takes to survive and thrive at the highest level of gridiron competition.We sit down to examine the technical execution, mental preparation, and internal shifts required to anchor a Division I offensive line through multiple coaching regimes. Our conversation dives into the mechanics of the chaotic 2020 season, featuring a unique alternating quarterback rotation, the transition from the Blake Anderson era to Butch Jones' cultural reset, and the operations of the local Impact Club board to secure NIL funding. Jacob shares his unique secret sauce for gaining a competitive edge on the line of scrimmage: performing exhaustive social media background checks on his defensive opponents to systematically dismantle their psychological game during live play.The physical and structural reality of sustaining a five-year collegiate career involves enduring severe physical tolls, managing an exploded L3-L4 disc, and relying heavily on routine PRP injections just to take the field. Navigating unexpected leadership transitions as a sixth-year senior forces an athlete to completely reset their reputation from ground zero. Viewers will walk away with a profound understanding of how radical accountability, extreme work ethic, and an early commitment to institutional history can set the trajectory for long-term professional success after sports.If you care about sports psychology, football culture, and professional networking strategies, you’ll get a lot from this. Please remember to subscribe to Saturdays in Jonesboro and share this episode across your network. What is the most unconventional tactic you have ever used to gain a psychological advantage over a competitor? Let us know in the comments [email protected]:00 - Introduction & The 53 Career Starts Record3:26 - The Recruiting Mistake That Secured a Commitment11:07 - Old-School Traditions & Growing Up in a Football Family18:41 - The Chaotic 2020 Season & Alternating Quarterbacks24:06 - Coaching Changes, Culture Shifts, & Laying the Foundation32:21 - Social Media Scouting, Trash Talk, & Life After Football

Pressure makes some athletes tighten up, and it makes others tell the truth about themselves. We’re joined by former Arkansas State football star and current NFL kicker Blake Grupe, the Red Wolves’ all-time leading scorer, and he takes us straight into the moments that forged his mindset, from being a walk-on fighting for reps to becoming a trusted leg on Sundays.We talk about why Jonesboro still feels like home after five years at A-State, two degrees, and a college football world transformed by the transfer portal and NIL. Blake relives the surreal day he learned he was the starting kicker at halftime of the Alabama game, plus the small details that stick with you forever when you’re trying to earn your place.Then we get honest about the Arizona Bowl, missed kicks, and the mental roller coaster that every specialist knows. Blake explains how that low point became his turning point, why confidence is something you build through preparation, and how a repeatable pre-kick routine helps him manage nerves in hostile stadiums. He also shares what he learned from Saints leader Demario Davis, what it was like meeting Adam Vinatieri in Indianapolis, and how he stayed level amid the chaos of the NFL before going 11-for-11 with the Colts and hitting a 60-yard field goal.If you care about Arkansas State, special teams, NFL kicking, or building mental toughness under pressure, this conversation delivers. Subscribe, share this with a friend who loves football, and leave a review telling us the most clutch moment you’ve ever watched or [email protected].

A stage four cancer diagnosis is hard enough. Now stack it with respiratory failure, a flooded house, and saying goodbye to a beloved dog, all inside a few days. That’s the real-life backdrop JC Cox brings to Saturdays in Jonesboro, and he tells it with the same blunt honesty Red Wolves fans have heard from him on the sideline for years.We talk about how Arkansas State athletics became JC’s safe space as a kid in Jonesboro, riding his bike to practices and games because it was the one place life felt steady. That personal connection turns into a career in Arkansas State sports media, from early print and sports radio to betting on himself when coverage could have faded. If you care about the story behind the games, you’ll hear how local media, broadcasters, and loyal supporters helped grow A-State coverage into what it is today.Then we get into Saturdays: what it’s like to work the sideline, why road trips build real friendships, and how memories of Coach Bill Keaty still shape the broadcast family. We also dig into college football right now, including NIL, the transfer portal, and the pressure for instant results, plus why Butch Jones’ detail and long-term approach feel different up close.JC also shares the medical details he usually keeps private: the diagnosis, the fight to start treatment, the insurance delays, the targeted medication for a genetic mutation, the MD Anderson second opinion, and the moment his doctor called with scan results that changed everything. If this story hits you, subscribe, share it with a Red Wolves fan, and leave a review so more people can find [email protected]:00 - The Hardest Week: Cancer, Floods, and Heartbreak01:45 - A-State as a Childhood Safe Space03:50 - The Rise of Red Wolves Sports Media06:15 - Betting on Yourself in Local Broadcasting08:30 - Life on the Sideline and Road Trip Bonds10:45 - Remembering Coach Bill Keaty12:55 - The Modern Game: NIL and the Transfer Portal15:20 - Up Close with Coach Butch Jones17:40 - The Diagnosis and Insurance Battles20:15 - Targeted Treatments and MD Anderson22:30 - The Scan Results That Changed Everything

An undefeated 11-0 team with no bowl invite sounds impossible now, but Arkansas State lived it, and the echoes still shape how we talk about fairness, money, and recognition in college football. We’re joined by Jonesboro native and A-State Hall of Honor defensive end Robert Speer, a walking historian with stories that stretch from the 1960s to today’s Red Wolves era. We go back to the roots: growing up around A-State coaches, falling in love with the program before ever wearing a uniform, and navigating a recruiting world that relied on landlines, persistence, and personal pressure. Robert also relives a legendary Arkansas high school football moment, a seven-quarter state championship played in freezing rain and mud, and then brings us onto campus for the final season at Kays Field, where students walked in, the stands shook, and game day traditions included the Indian family ceremonies and a horse sprinting the track after touchdowns. From there, the conversation opens up into the Louisiana Tech rivalry, the grassroots effort that built what fans now know as Centennial Bank Stadium, and the blueprint behind the dominant 1975 Arkansas State football season. We also talk about the history that can disappear if nobody records it, including the experiences of early Black athletes at A-State, and why those voices deserve time, respect, and urgency. If you care about Arkansas State Red Wolves football, Sun Belt Conference history, stadium traditions, or the human side of college athletics, hit subscribe, share this with an A-State fan, and leave a review. What’s one Arkansas State story you think needs to be recorded before it’s gone? @Arkansasstatemedianetwork.com.0:00 Welcome and Why Robert Matters2:21 Kays Field Life and Old Traditions4:43 Recruiting Stories and a Muddy Classic13:21 Centennial Stadium is Born15:21 Louisiana Tech Rivalry and Hard-Nosed Era25:46 The 1975 Team That Went 11-033:50 No Bowl Invite and Saving History46:07 Helping Today’s Athletes Thrive

An 80-yard touchdown should never land in front of an empty end zone, and that moment becomes our jumping-off point for a bigger conversation about Arkansas State, Jonesboro, and what it really takes to build momentum. We sit down with Ted Herget, founder of Gearhead Outfitters and proud A-State alum, and Davy Carter, former Arkansas Speaker of the House and regional president at Centennial Bank, to talk about how fandom grows up with you and why “our school” hits harder the older you get.We dig into what’s changed around Arkansas State University, from the look and feel of Centennial Bank Stadium to the broader growth of Jonesboro, Arkansas. Then we get honest about what drives winning: expectations, leadership, and a community that buys in even when it’s easier to stay home and stream. Ted and Davy share what they’ve learned from supporting the Red Wolves through their businesses, why the scarlet and black brand travels, and how a loud crowd can change the way a team plays.Tailgating and the Alpha Pack concept take center stage as we break down how to turn a game into an event, lower the barrier for first-timers, and create the kind of FOMO that fills seats. We also touch on the NIL and revenue-sharing era, why culture still matters, and how stability under Coach Butch Jones is reshaping Arkansas State football.If you care about Red Wolves football, Sun Belt Conference pride, or the future of college sports in a true college town, this one’s for you.Subscribe, share with a friend who needs a nudge to show up, and leave a review so more people find Saturdays in Jonesboro. @Arkansasstatemedianetwork0:00 - Welcome To Saturdays In Jonesboro3:04 - Where Their Red Wolves Passion Started4:14 - Campus Growth Fuels City Growth12:55 - Business Support And Brand Pride16:21 - Coaching Leadership And Program Standards17:03 - Why Being There Beats Streaming22:48 - Alpha Pack And Tailgate FOMO28:06 - Turning Games Into Must-Go Events35:11 - NIL Changes And Sun Belt Identity37:23 - A North End Zone Game Day44:17 - Meet The Team Events To Attend49:13 - Culture Turnaround Under Butch Jones52:03 - Subscribe And Closing Thanks

The most interesting part of college football is rarely the box score. It’s the people, the prep, the traditions, and the small details that turn a kickoff in Jonesboro into an all-day experience. We recorded a first pilot conversation in the Arkansas State Media Network Studio to explain why we’re launching Saturdays In Jonesboro and what kind of access we want to create for Red Wolves fans. We get into the real shape of an Arkansas State game day: tailgating culture, community leaders who help build the vibe, new fan areas like the Den Zone, and why the “behind the scenes” work matters as much as the action on the field. We also pull back the curtain on what it takes to run a broadcast and coordinate game day operations, because most fans never see the hours of effort that happen long before the team runs out of the tunnel. Then we zoom out to the bigger story of Arkansas State football and athletics. We reflect on the 2011 to 2019 era and the kind of winning seasons that created lifelong memories, and we talk about what it takes to rebuild and sustain that energy today. With NIL and the transfer portal changing how rosters evolve, we want deeper conversations with current players, former players, coaches, and the alumni who still bleed scarlet and black. And we’re not stopping at football: the same storytelling can spotlight basketball, baseball, golf, track and field, and everything rising across Arkansas State athletics. Subscribe, share this with a fellow Red Wolves fan, and leave a review so more people can find the show. What part of a Saturday in Jonesboro do you want us to explore first?

You can tell a lot about a football program by what happens before kickoff and after the final whistle. We’re launching Saturdays In Jonesboro to pull back the curtain on Arkansas State athletics and show the full game day picture: the preparation, the people, the relationships, and the moments fans remember for years.For our first guest, we brought in the person Matt sits next to every Saturday in the fall: Darion “Grizz” Griswold. Grizz walks us through his Arkansas State football journey from arriving on campus in 2011 to becoming an all-conference tight end, then leaping into the NFL with the Colts and Falcons. He shares what it felt like joining a winning culture, adapting through coaching changes, and living through defining Sun Belt Conference moments like the electric 2012 finale at Centennial Bank Stadium.We also get into what fans rarely hear about the broadcast side: how a former player prepares to call a game, why blowouts are the toughest to talk through, and how note-taking and film study still matter when you’re in the booth instead of the huddle. Then we zoom forward to the modern era of college football, talking NIL, roster turnover, and why Butch Jones’ attention to detail and culture-building approach gives Arkansas State a foundation to keep growing into 2026 and beyond.If you love the Red Wolves, college football stories, and the real behind-the-scenes of Saturdays in Jonesboro, subscribe, share this with a fellow fan, and leave us a review. What part of game day do you want us to spotlight next? Follow us on @arkansasstatemedianetwork