Stories from the Center of the Universe

Episode 156: David Chappell

David Chappell knows Paul’s parents Brenda (Ep. #46) and Larry (Ep. #9) and he joins Paul for this episode. David moved around a bit due to his Dad’s job as a Methodist minister, but his family settled in Ashland and that is where he grew up. David told Paul that he was just an okay student and about a series of events that changed his attitude towards school … which in turn changed his life. After graduating Patrick Henry HS, David said he couldn’t get in to any colleges and said it was only because of his dad’s new job as a professor at Randolph-Macon that he got in there. Between doing very well at RMC and a job with one of Hanover’s most famous people, David decided to go to law school and become a lawyer. He is currently an Assistant Commonwealth’s Attorney and they discussed the path that has him prosecuting rather than defending people who are charged with crimes. David spent some time talking about the effect that Covid-19 has had on his life and his continuing battle with the virus. He also told Paul about his early love for professional wrestling and how that has led to a life long passion for the sport. That passion has seen him and business partner develop a website that has led to the two of them getting a very unique accolade for what David refers to as a “labor of love.”

Episode 155: Buzz Anthony

National Champion and National Player of the Year Buzz Anthony joins Paul on the podcast. Paul first told Buzz a story about when he attended the NCAA Elite 8 game this year and Buzz in turn told Paul what his given name is and why he is called Buzz. Buzz is from Annapolis, Md., his parents (Belinda and Don - they have other names as well) were both athletes and his two main sports growing up were soccer and basketball. Paul gave Buzz some choices and asked him which was his favorite thing to do on the basketball court.  Buzz answered and then spoke about the way he always trained for the next level, his respect for the game and what his purpose is every time he steps on the court. The discussed Buzz’s recruitment process and the reasons he chose RMC. One of the main reasons was Coach Josh Merkel (Episode 154.) They talked about Buzz’s RMC career as a player, a leader and how he holds a distinction that has never been accomplished in the Old Dominion Athletic Conference. Buzz reminisced about the 2022 ODAC and National Championships and he told Paul where his future may lead him. They finished by talking about his wife Becca, their journey and an upcoming milestone for the both of them.

Episode 154: Josh Merkel

Josh Merkel is the head coach of the Men’s RMC Basketball team who are the current Division III National Champions. We connected with Josh through Pedro Arruza (Episode 99) and he joins us to talk about his journey and RMC basketball. Josh is from Walkersville, MD, is the oldest of nine kids and he grew up on a farm. He spoke about his mom and dad and learning about having a passion for life from his mom and hard work from his dad. Josh knew at about age 15 that he wanted to coach basketball. He played college basketball at D3 Salisbury and told Paul how many NCAA tournaments he made as a player and as a coach. Josh and Paul discussed where he coached, who he learned from and some of his fondest memories from high school through being a head coach today. Josh talked a lot about this year‘s RMC basketball team. He spoke about national player of the year, Buzz Anthony, and their relationship. He also told Paul how he has the best forward in D3 in Miles Mallory and about some of the other impact players that brought home RMC‘s first ever national championship. Josh talked about the Randolph Macon community, the town of Ashland and his family. He shared how awesome his wife Morgan is and how they have found a rhythm managing careers and their three young sons. He finished by telling a great story about his oldest son Mason and how Mason did a little coaching at the ODAC tournament one year. 

Episode 153: Ellen Zavian

Ellen Zavian joins the podcast because she knows and works with Andrew Ting (Episode 40). Ellen is from Maywood, NJ and spent her summers at the Jersey Shore. Ellen went to the University of Maryland and then to American University where she earned her law degree. She was friends with several UMD football players and interned at the NFL Player’s Association while studying at American. She had intended on a career in International Law, but ended up in Sports Law and was the first female attorney/agent in the NFL. She represented many NFL players including a Super Bowl MVP. She has also represented many other professional athletes and was on a committee to get break dancing in the 2024 Olympics. She currently teaches various classes in the Business and Law schools at George Washington University. They finished by talking about how her family has a business in New York and about her husband and son.

Episode 152: Matt Williams

Paul has Matt Williams on this episode due to a connection Matt has with Boomer Muth (Episode 77). Matt and Boomer are in a band together (Acoustic Underground) and Paul and Matt talked about music and Matt being a bass guitarist. Matt was born in Delaware and grew up in Wilmington and Cincinnati, Ohio. He played baseball growing up, was a baseball fan and he got to attend many Phillies and Reds games in his youth. He made his way to Virginia when he attended the College of William and Mary. After college, Matt got a job in advertising in Philadelphia. After a couple of years, he moved down to Richmond and took a job with The Martin Agency. He discussed his journey at Martin which ended up with him being the CEO for his last five years of his tenure. He told the story of two very famous and successful advertising campaigns for one of the largest insurance companies in the U.S. as well as the ups and downs of being the CEO of a company. Paul and Matt finished by talking about what he is doing now and about his wife Betsy and their two sons, Patrick and Ethan.

Episode 151: Chris Rutherford

Chris Rutherford is a friend of occasional co-host Kevin and joins Paul and Kevin for this episode. Chris was born in Richmond, moved to Philadelphia with his mom when he was one and then came back to Richmond in 5th grade. Chris has fond memories of Philly because of sports, the snow, the community pool and mainly because of family. They discussed Chris’ favorite pro sports teams and there is one outlier that was a surprise. Chris’ time in Philly also was his introduction to music which has since played a huge and integral part in his life. He’s been singing in bands for 25+ years and he talked to Paul and Kevin about the process of writing songs. They discussed how he worked as a welder which included working on parts of nuclear subs and having a piece on display in Richmond. The three of them talked about Chris’ family, wife Ginger, daughters Lexi and Kaley and son Sammy.  They finished by discussing Chris’ fondest memories of Kevin which included an unintentional insult and a couple of different times on the golf course.

Episode 150: Bobby Malone

Paul takes the podcast mobile for Episode 150 and interviewed Bobby Malone at the Rivah. Bobby grew up in Chesterfield and rode motorbikes and played sports growing up. He said he wasn’t big on school, but it allowed him to play sports and he explained why football was his favorite. Bobby also told Paul about a crazy injury he suffered playing baseball. After high school, Bobby had a successful career at Reynolds Metals and then decided to leave and go into real estate. Bobby has been coming to the Rivah for almost thirty years.  He and Paul talked about the Rivah, why Bobby loves it so much and Bobby even told Paul a couple of examples of the interesting wildlife that he has seen over the years. They discussed crabbing, fishing and how Bobby gardens oysters … some of which Paul gets to eat! Bobby told Paul some of the secrets about crabbing and fishing on the Rappahannock and dropped a couple of life lessons during the episode as well.  Finally, they talked about Bobby’s wife, Carolyn, and their blended family which includes seven grandchildren.

Episode 149: Andy Smith

Andy Smith was Paul’s 8th grade English teacher and basketball coach. Andy grew up in the lower east side of Manhattan, but came south for his education at Johns Hopkins, UNC and VCU. He played soccer all four years at JHU and also played a less well known sport his first year. That move south eventually led him to settle in the Richmond area and start a forty-eight year career in education as a teacher, coach and administrator at St. Christopher’s. Paul and Andy talked about his approach to teaching as well as the concept of single sex education. Andy is about to retire and they discussed his future plans to continue and develop his dedication to being of service to his fellow man. He also said he’s got one purchase he is going to make that will help him fulfill a goal his parents got him started on over sixty years ago. They finished by talking about fond memories that Andy had of a student and peers as well as Andy dropping a pearl of wisdom for future teachers.

Episode 148: Jock Jones

Jock Jones joins the podcast through a friendship with Tim Sutton (Episode #130). Jock is from Hanover County and is a well known athlete in Hanover from his days playing at Mechanicsville High School. Jock told Paul about a very rough beginning to his life and how he got his unique first name and why. Jock talked to Paul about growing up playing sports, riding his bike quite a ways to school and playing in the rural areas of Hanover. Jock remembers telling people he would play in the NFL as early as eight or nine years old. Jock was a star running back in high school and went on to play college at Virginia Tech where he played RB his first year and then converted to linebacker his last 3 years. He was drafted by the Cleveland Browns and played for them and the Cardinals until an injury cut his career short. His second year at Cleveland, he told Paul who his head coach and defensive coordinator were. They are considered two of the best coaches of all time, one in the NFL and one in college. Paul and Jock finished up by talking about his family.

Episode 147: Colin Thompson

Colin Thompson is a professional football player and plays Tight End for the NFL’s Carolina Panthers. He comes to the podcast via Mike DiMaggio who is a friend of Colin’s and a relative of Paul’s. Paul and Colin discussed playing football in college where he played for Florida one year and then finished @ Temple. Colin said the best thing that came from his time at Florida was his then girlfriend, now wife, Sydney. They then talked about everything NFL from his training regimen through out the year to why he loves the game. Colin talked about players in the NFL and they discussed his opinion on Tim Tebow in particular. Paul also asked Colin to tell the story of how he scored a touchdown against Paul’s favorite team the Buccaneers. They finished by talking about Sydney and the rest of Colin’s family and the interesting conversations they used to have around the dinner table when he was growing up.