Life of Fitz | A Cancer Warrior's Conversations about Life cover art

Life of Fitz | A Cancer Warrior's Conversations about Life

Life of Fitz | A Cancer Warrior's Conversations about Life

By: 247Sports Tim Fitzgerald
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About this listen

 When Covid-19 shut down America, veteran Kansas State sportswriter Tim Fitzgerald, who is battling Stage 4 prostate cancer, laid low. Fitz took it as an opportunity to catch up with the friends he made during his many decades in sports, and now he's reaching out to create new bonds. The result of those conversations is the Life of Fitz podcast.Spirit Street Publishing, Inc. / 247Sports Hygiene & Healthy Living Physical Illness & Disease
Episodes
  • Matt Wells in Manhattan, Kansas

    Matt Wells in Manhattan, Kansas
    Jun 23 2025
    Known as a great offensive mind and developer of quarterback talent, Matt Wells boasts over 25 years of coaching experience. He is in his second season at K-State, serving as the offensive coordinator, quarterbacks coach, and associate head coach since 2025. Last season, he served as co-offensive coordinator. Wells hit the ground running in his first season on staff, tutoring Avery Johnson to a school-record 25 touchdown passes, while his sophomore signal caller ranked fifth in school history in passing yards (2,712) and completions (217). Additionally, Johnson was one of only five players in the nation and one of three from Power 4 schools to record at least 2,700 passing yards and 600 rushing yards. He was also one of nine signal callers nationally with at least 25 passing touchdowns and seven rushing touchdowns. Under the direction of Wells, Johnson guided an offense that finished in the top 15 nationally in four offensive categories, including rushing yards per carry (second, 6.08) and rushing yards per game (11th, 215.5). K-State also ranked in the top 10 in school history in 15-game or season categories. Among those were school record for offensive yards per play (6.57) and rushing yards per carry (6.08), while the Wildcats tied for third in passing touchdowns (25), ranked fourth in offensive yards per game (426.8), fifth in total offense yards (5,549), sixth in rushing yards (2,801), seventh in completions (222) and 10th in both passing yards (2,749) and pass attempts (383). Wells, who boasts nine years of head coaching experience, came to Manhattan after spending the previous two seasons at Oklahoma as an advisor to the head coach and offensive analyst. Prior to that, he served as the head coach at his alma mater, Utah State, from 2013 through 2018 and at Texas Tech from 2019 to 2021. In addition to coaching quarterbacks during his 27-year coaching career, he has also spent time tutoring wide receivers and tight ends. In total, Wells has been a part of 13 bowl teams and two conference championships. Wells earned his bachelor's degree in business marketing from Utah State in 1996, graduating cum laude. He and his wife, Jen, have two daughters, Jadyn and Ella, and one son, Wyatt. *** Blueville Nursery in Manhattan, Kansas, sponsors the Life of Fitz podcast. *** Tim Fitzgerald is a sports journalist who writes, does TV, radio, daily YouTube videos, and is a long-time podcaster. He has served as publisher of GoPowercat.com, a website that focuses on Kansas State sports, for more than 25 years. Fitz also has metastatic Stage Four prostate cancer, so during the initial stages of the pandemic, his doctors advised him to stay home and lay low. Now, after a brief period of remission, Fitz is back in the fight for his life, but this podcast lives on. Welcome to his life and the Life of Fitz podcast. Sign up for GoPowercat VIP access and get your first month for just $1!Want the latest Kansas State headlines sent to your inbox? Click to sign up for GoPowercat's daily newsletter! Make sure you subscribe to Life of Fitz at your favorite podcast provider, including Apple, Spotify or Amazon.Follow @LifeofFitz To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices
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    1 hr and 1 min
  • Shanele Stires in San Luis Obispo, California

    Shanele Stires in San Luis Obispo, California
    Jun 16 2025
    Shanele Stires graduated from Salina Central (Kan.) High School in 1990. That is not only Fitz's alma mater, but he also covered high school sports for his hometown newspaper that year, watching Stires excel in multiple sports for the Salina Central Mustangs. After high school, Stires attended Kansas State on a track scholarship but then headed to Cloud County Community College after a year so she could try her hand at college basketball. It worked out perfectly, with Stires returning to Manhattan the next three years (1992-95) to play hoops for the Wildcats, averaging 16.6 points, 8.7 rebounds, and 2.2 assists per game. Stires scored 1,344 career points, grabbed 701 career rebounds, and earned Kodak All-America honorable mention, First-Team All-Big Eight honors, and runner-up in Conference Player of the Year voting as a senior in 1995. After that was a 10-year run as a professional player, including a stretch in the recently formed WNBA with the Minnesota Lynx before entering coaching. Stires' career has led her to San Luis Obispo, California, where she is preparing to start her fourth season as the head women's coach for the Cal Poly Mustangs. Stires, 53, received her bachelor's degree in social science from Kansas State in 1995 and a master's degree in collegiate athletics from San Francisco in 2016. *** Blueville Nursery in Manhattan, Kansas, sponsors the Life of Fitz podcast. *** Tim Fitzgerald is a sports journalist who writes, does TV, radio, daily YouTube videos, and is a long-time podcaster. He has served as publisher of GoPowercat.com, a website that focuses on Kansas State sports, for more than 25 years. Fitz also has metastatic Stage Four prostate cancer, so during the initial stages of the pandemic, his doctors advised him to stay home and lay low. Now, after a brief period of remission, Fitz is back in the fight for his life, but this podcast lives on. Welcome to his life and the Life of Fitz podcast. Sign up for GoPowercat VIP access and get your first month for just $1!Want the latest Kansas State headlines sent to your inbox? Click to sign up for GoPowercat's daily newsletter! Make sure you subscribe to Life of Fitz at your favorite podcast provider, including Apple, Spotify or Amazon.Follow @LifeofFitz To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices
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    1 hr and 13 mins
  • Hunter Woodhall in Wamego, Kansas

    Hunter Woodhall in Wamego, Kansas
    Jun 9 2025
    Hunter Woodhall is an American track and field Paralympian and the first double amputee to earn a Division I NCAA track scholarship, and is married to fellow Olympian and Kansas State assistant track and field coach Tara Davis-Woodhall. In 2024, Woodhall won his first Paralympic gold medal in the men's 400m T62 event in Paris. He also won a bronze medal in the same event at the 2020 Tokyo Paralympics. Born in Georgia while his father was serving in the military. Woodhall's parents decided to amputate both of his legs at 11 months old due to fibular hemimelia. He was raised in Syracuse, Utah, Woodhall was initially given prosthetic lower legs as a child but switched to carbon fiber "blades" while still in grade school, which unlocked his live for running. Hunter and Tara were wed on October 16, 2022. *** Blueville Nursery in Manhattan, Kansas, sponsors the Life of Fitz podcast. *** Tim Fitzgerald is a sports journalist who writes, does TV, radio, daily YouTube videos, and is a long-time podcaster. He has served as publisher of GoPowercat.com, a website that focuses on Kansas State sports, for more than 25 years. Fitz also has metastatic Stage Four prostate cancer, so during the initial stages of the pandemic, his doctors advised him to stay home and lay low. Now, after a brief period of remission, Fitz is back in the fight for his life, but this podcast lives on. Welcome to his life and the Life of Fitz podcast. Sign up for GoPowercat VIP access and get your first month for just $1!Want the latest Kansas State headlines sent to your inbox? Click to sign up for GoPowercat's daily newsletter! Make sure you subscribe to Life of Fitz at your favorite podcast provider, including Apple, Spotify or Amazon.Follow @LifeofFitz To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices
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    43 mins
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