Kyw Newsradio's 1-on-1 With Matt Leon

Emily Messina is the play-by-play voice for the Phillies’ Double-A affiliate the Reading Fightin Phils, making her one of the few, but growing number of female play-by-play broadcasters working today. In Episode #90 of “1-on-1 with Matt Leon,” Matt talks with Messina over Zoom to talk about her career in broadcasting, what it is like to broadcast a game by herself and the challenges she faces as a woman in a predominantly male field.  "1-on-1 with Matt Leon" is a KYW Newsradio original podcast. Follow the show on Twitter: @1on1pod (https://twitter.com/1on1pod ), and follow Matt: @MattLeon1060 (https://twitter.com/MattLeon1060)

Before the NBA G League, there was the Eastern Professional Basketball League. It was a northeast league stocked to the brim with great players like John Chaney, Stan Pawlak, Jim Boeheim, and Hal Lear, with many of the teams calling Eastern Pennsylvania home. The league featured larger than life characters on and off the court, and the stories from the Eastern League are absolutely wild. Syl Sobel and Jay Rosenstein interviewed players, coaches, and personalities from the Eastern League to write "Boxed Out of the NBA: Remembering the Eastern Professional Basketball League."  Check out the book here: https://www.easternleaguebook.com/

Marco Dapkey is the owner of CrossFit MFP in Haverford Township, a fitness coach and one of the top CrossFit competitors in the country. He was also a star football player at Neshaminy High School before his career was derailed by cancer.   In Episode #89 of “1-on-1 with Matt Leon,” Matt talks with Marco about the world of CrossFit, his success as a competitor and his battle to beat cancer.   "1-on-1 with Matt Leon" is a KYW Newsradio original podcast. Follow the show on Twitter: @1on1pod (https://twitter.com/1on1pod ), and follow Matt: @MattLeon1060 (https://twitter.com/MattLeon1060)  

Peter Gallagher has been the head football coach at Division III Ursinus College in Collegeville since 2000. He has coached and won more games than any other coach in program history. In 2010, his Bears won the Centennial Conference title. In Episode #88 of “1-on-1 with Matt Leon,” Matt catches up with Gallagher over Zoom to talk about his time in Collegeville, how he got into coaching and what he loves about the job. "1-on-1 with Matt Leon" is a KYW Newsradio original podcast. Follow the show on Twitter: @1on1pod (https://twitter.com/1on1pod ), and follow Matt: @MattLeon1060 (https://twitter.com/MattLeon1060)

Harold Jensen was a star basketball player at Villanova University and a key member of the 1985 team that shocked Georgetown and the world to win the first National Championship in program history. Jensen was a perfect 5 for 5 from the field in that win over the Hoyas, including the go-ahead basket in the final minutes. In Episode #87 of “1-on-1 with Matt Leon,” Matt catches up with Jensen over Zoom to look back at his basketball career and relive that incredible night in Lexington back in 1985. "1-on-1 with Matt Leon" is a KYW Newsradio original podcast. Follow the show on Twitter: @1on1pod (https://twitter.com/1on1pod ), and follow Matt: @MattLeon1060 (https://twitter.com/MattLeon1060)

Demetrius Poles was one of the greatest high school basketball players South Jersey has ever seen. He led Delsea High School to a state title in 1991 before going on to play in college at Saint Joseph’s University and then Rowan University, helping the Profs win a Division III National Title in 1996. He spent years playing overseas and now serves as the head women’s basketball coach at Rowan. In Episode #86 of “1-on-1 with Matt Leon,” Matt catches up with Poles over Zoom to talk about some recent serious health issues he has been and continues to deal with, his basketball playing career and his work as a coach.  "1-on-1 with Matt Leon" is a KYW Newsradio original podcast. Follow the show on Twitter: @1on1pod (https://twitter.com/1on1pod ), and follow Matt: @MattLeon1060 (https://twitter.com/MattLeon1060)      

Joe Fields is a South Jersey native who played his college football at Widener University. After an outstanding college career, he was drafted in the 14th round by the New York Jets in 1975 and went on to enjoy a 14-year NFL career, spending 13 of those seasons with the Jets and becoming an elite offensive lineman. In Episode #85 of “1-on-1 with Matt Leon,” Matt catches up with Fields over Zoom to look back on his football career and talk about some of his fondest memories along the way. "1-on-1 with Matt Leon" is a KYW Newsradio original podcast. Follow the show on Twitter: @1on1pod (https://twitter.com/1on1pod ), and follow Matt: @MattLeon1060 (https://twitter.com/MattLeon1060)  

Dave Thomas is the cross country (15th season) and track and field (9th season) coach at Division II Thomas Jefferson University. He’s led the Rams to 14 Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference titles (11 women’s cross country & 3 men’s cross country). Thomas has also run 76 marathons, taking part in races all over the world. In Episode #84 of “1-on-1 with Matt Leon,” Matt catches up with Thomas over Zoom to talk about how he started running, what it is like running a marathon and his career in coaching. "1-on-1 with Matt Leon" is a KYW Newsradio original podcast. Follow the show on Twitter: @1on1pod (https://twitter.com/1on1pod ), and follow Matt: @MattLeon1060 (https://twitter.com/MattLeon1060)

Mike Rogodzinski spent parts of three seasons with the Phillies from 1973 to 1975. He was an outfielder, but most of his time in the big leagues was spent as a pinch-hitter. In fact, he still holds the Phillies rookie record for pinch-hits with 16 in 1973. In Episode #83 of “1-on-1 with Matt Leon,” Matt catches up with Rogodzinski over Zoom to look back on his career. They talk about his success as a pinch-hitter, his time with the Phillies (he pinch-hit for Mike Schmidt four times!) and some of the other greats he got to play with and against. "1-on-1 with Matt Leon" is a KYW Newsradio original podcast. Follow the show on Twitter: @1on1pod (https://twitter.com/1on1pod ), and follow Matt: @MattLeon1060 (https://twitter.com/MattLeon1060)

Lynn Farquhar has been the head field hockey coach at Saint Joseph’s University since 2014 and on her watch the Hawks have become a power in the Atlantic 10, winning three conference titles and advancing to three straight NCAA Tournaments. In Episode #82 of “1-on-1 with Matt Leon,” Matt speaks with Farquhar over Zoom to talk about her career in field hockey and her success on Hawk Hill. "1-on-1 with Matt Leon" is a KYW Newsradio original podcast. Follow the show on Twitter: @1on1pod (https://twitter.com/1on1pod ), and follow Matt: @MattLeon1060 (https://twitter.com/MattLeon1060)

Justin Watson was one of the greatest football players in the history of the University of Pennsylvania. He rewrote the receiving record book for the program before getting drafted by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in 2018. In Episode #81 of “1-on-1 with Matt Leon” Matt catches up with Watson over Zoom to look back at his incredible college football career. They also talk about how important family is to him and what it was like playing with the Super Bowl Champion Bucs this past season. "1-on-1 with Matt Leon" is a KYW Newsradio original podcast. Follow the show on Twitter: @1on1pod (https://twitter.com/1on1pod ), and follow Matt: @MattLeon1060 (https://twitter.com/MattLeon1060)      

Matt Hockenberry is the pitching coach for the Phillies Single-A squad, the Jersey Shore BlueClaws. He has been a coach in the organization since his days as a pitcher in the organization came to a close. In Episode #80 of “1-on-1 with Matt Leon,” Matt talks with Hockenberry over Zoom about his career in coaching, his memories of pitching in the minor leagues and what it was like being the last Temple baseball player drafted before the school cut the program.  "1-on-1 with Matt Leon" is a KYW Newsradio original podcast. Follow the show on Twitter: @1on1pod (https://twitter.com/1on1pod ), and follow Matt: @MattLeon1060 (https://twitter.com/MattLeon1060)

Drew Kelly has been the head men’s basketball coach at Harcum College in Bryn Mawr since the program’s creation in December of 2004. On his watch, the Bears have won at least 20 games every season and become an elite junior college program. In Episode #79 of “1-on-1 with Matt Leon,” Matt catches up with Kelly over Zoom to talk about his life in basketball, what it was like to start a program from scratch and look back on some of the favorite memories from his career so far. "1-on-1 with Matt Leon" is a KYW Newsradio original podcast. Follow the show on Twitter: @1on1pod (https://twitter.com/1on1pod ), and follow Matt: @MattLeon1060 (https://twitter.com/MattLeon1060)

Ann Li is one of the rising stars in women’s professional tennis. Just 20-years old, the Devon native recently advanced to the Round of 32 at the Australian Open. In Episode #78 of “1-on-1 with Matt Leon,” Matt speaks with Li over Zoom about what it is like to be a pro tennis player, what she loves about the game and how she handles the travel that goes along with being a pro. "1-on-1 with Matt Leon" is a KYW Newsradio original podcast. Follow the show on Twitter: @1on1pod (https://twitter.com/1on1pod ), and follow Matt: @MattLeon1060 (https://twitter.com/MattLeon1060)

Leigh Jaynes is building the women’s wrestling program at Division III Delaware Valley University in Doylestown from the ground up as the first head coach in program history. This follows an outstanding career as a wrestler in her own right. She won a bronze medal for Team USA in women’s freestyle wrestling at the 2015 World Championships. In Episode #77 of “1-on-1 with Matt Leon,” Matt speak with Jaynes over Zoom about how she got her start in wrestling, what it is like to wrestle at an elite level and what got her into coaching. "1-on-1 with Matt Leon" is a KYW Newsradio original podcast. Follow the show on Twitter: @1on1pod (https://twitter.com/1on1pod ), and follow Matt: @MattLeon1060 (https://twitter.com/MattLeon1060)

Joey Wendle is one of the greatest baseball players to come through the program at West Chester University. The Avon Grove High School product was drafted by the Cleveland Indians in the 6th round in 2012 and for the last few years has been a key member of the Tampa Bay Rays. In Episode #76 of “1-on-1 with Matt Leon,” Matt catches up with Wendle over Zoom to look back at his early career, talk about life in the big leagues and what it was like to play in the World Series during a pandemic. "1-on-1 with Matt Leon" is a KYW Newsradio original podcast. Follow the show on Twitter: @1on1pod (https://twitter.com/1on1pod ), and follow Matt: @MattLeon1060 (https://twitter.com/MattLeon1060).    

Ryan Kulik is in his second year as the head baseball coach at Division III Rutgers University-Camden. Kulik pitched at Cherokee High School and Rowan University and spent many years playing pro baseball in the St. Louis Cardinals and Colorado Rockies organizations. He pitched for the now defunct Camden Riversharks of the Atlantic League and coached at Rowan before taking over the program at Rutgers-Camden. In Episode #75 of “1-on-1 with Matt Leon,” Matt speaks with Kulik over Zoom about his life in baseball. They discuss coming on board at Rutgers-Camden, look back at his time as a player, and talk about what life was like in the pros. "1-on-1 with Matt Leon" is a KYW Newsradio original podcast. Follow the show on Twitter: @1on1pod (https://twitter.com/1on1pod ), and follow Matt: @MattLeon1060 (https://twitter.com/MattLeon1060).  

Joe Juliano is one of the top sportswriters in Philadelphia. During his more than three decades at the Philadelphia Inquirer, he has covered everything from Penn State football to the Olympics. In Episode #74 of “1-on-1 with Matt Leon,” Matt catches up with Juliano over Zoom to talk about his career in journalism and reflect on some of the incredible moments and events he has covered. "1-on-1 with Matt Leon" is a KYW Newsradio original podcast. Follow the show on Twitter: @1on1pod (https://twitter.com/1on1pod ), and follow Matt: @MattLeon1060 (https://twitter.com/MattLeon1060).

Ray Priore has been coaching football at the University of Pennsylvania since 1987. He came on as an assistant and moved up to become defensive coordinator and associate head coach before taking over the program as head coach after the 2014 season. As the head coach, he has twice led the Quakers to the Ivy League title. In Episode #73 of “1-on-1 with Matt Leon,” Matt speaks with Priore over Zoom as they talk about his career with the Quakers, why he got into coaching, and more. "1-on-1 with Matt Leon" is a KYW Newsradio original podcast. Follow the show on Twitter: @1on1pod (https://twitter.com/1on1pod ), and follow Matt: @MattLeon1060 (https://twitter.com/MattLeon1060).

Kiera Wooden’s name has been synonymous with West Chester University women’s basketball for years. Since 2014 she has been the head coach of the Golden Rams. Prior to that, she spent a decade as an assistant under former head coach Deirdre Kane. She also played at West Chester, and finished her career as one of the greatest to ever put on a Golden Ram uniform. In Episode #72 of “1-on-1 with Matt Leon,” Matt talks with Wooden over Zoom as they look back at her playing career, talk about why she got into coaching and what it is like to run the program at your alma mater. "1-on-1 with Matt Leon" is a KYW Newsradio original podcast. Follow the show on Twitter: @1on1pod (https://twitter.com/1on1pod ), and follow Matt: @MattLeon1060 (https://twitter.com/MattLeon1060).