How a Nashville radio show featuring fiddler Jason Fitz, former NFL player Harry Douglas came about

A couple of ESPN personalities with Nashville ties − Jason Fitz and Harry Douglas − have teamed up to launch a high-energy midday sports talk show, "Fitz & Harry", on ESPN Radio.

Fitz was a Grammy-nominated fiddle player for the chart-topping country music group The Band Perry, who made the transition to sports talk radio locally on The Game 102.5-FM in 2016. He joined ESPN in 2017 as co-host of a show with Sarah Spain and co-host of ESPN's "SportsCenter" on Snapchat.

Douglas is a 10-year NFL veteran who spent his last three seasons (2015-17) with the Tennessee Titans. He joined ESPN in 2019 as a contributor across the network's studio shows for all sports and digital football including co-hosting "Countdown to College GameDay."

When Fitz joined Douglas on "Countdown to College GameDay" not only did they talk about their time in Nashville, they realized a unique chemistry they shared.

"Our personalities are the same; we both are high-energy guys," Douglas said. "We formed a relationship when we started doing 'Countdown to College GameDay' together and it truly feels like I'm working with my brother everyday, working with one of my best friends everyday. It's just an amazing chemistry and there's never a dull moment."

Douglas, who also played at Louisville, had 516 career catches and nearly 4,000 yards in his NFL career, which included six seasons with the Atlanta Falcons, but Fitz didn't truly appreciate Douglas' talents until he showed up in Nashville.

"People talk about Harry Douglas the Louisville Cardinal, they talk about Harry Douglas the Atlanta Falcon," Fitz said. "My first thought has always been Harry Douglas the Tennessee Titan because that's the version I knew."

Fitz has gone from fan to friend working side-by-side with Douglas.

"You think about what it means to be in radio every single day; it's three hours (11 a.m.-2 p.m.) of content every day," Fitz said. "And I laugh about this because we finished our show yesterday in L.A. and we went out and spent the day together walking around, checking out the pier and Venice Beach. That's because we're friends and we want to hang out. I think all of these moments sort of create a chemistry and a bond."

Fitz and Douglas say their time in Nashville went a long way in developing their personalities both on and off the air.

"I wouldn't be where I am without Nashville," Fitz said. "I moved to Nashville in 1996 and thought I was going to be famous and it took a long time for me to get to the point where I was able to make a living in that city. Who I am on air was carved out by country music. From touring, from what it's like to be an entertainer, from understanding the importance of the relationship radio can have with listeners − Nashville made me who I am."

Nashville, and country music in particular, have had an impact on Douglas as well. It even changed his wardrobe.

"Going to Nashville and tapping into country music was one of the best things that ever happened in my life," Douglas said.

"To the point now where I have about 10 cowboy hats, all kinds of belt buckles, Wrangler jeans I can barely even move in because I work out and they're so tight. It just brought out a different side of me. When we go to Texas this year for 'Countdown to College GameDay' I'm wearing my cowboy hat, my belt buckle, my little thing around my neck (bolo tie) and my boots."

MTSU's Rick Insell is ESPN's coach of the week

Middle Tennessee State women’s basketball coach Rick Insell is the ESPN.com coach of the week.

Insell has the Lady Raiders off to their best start in his 18-year tenure. They have won their last 14 games, which is the fourth longest active win streak in the country.

MTSU cracked the AP top 25 Monday at No. 23. Insell’s career record at MTSU is 421-148.

Former Austin Peay coach and Vanderbilt assistant Rick Christophel retires

Rick Christophel, a former Austin Peay quarterback who also coached at Austin Peay and Vanderbilt, announced his retirement. He had been the Tampa Bay Buccaneers tight ends coach and senior offensive assistant since 2019 and spent a total of 47 years in the profession.

Christophel, 70, was a four-year (1971-74) starting quarterback who set 10 passing records at Austin Peay.

He began his coaching career as running backs coach at Austin Peay the following year and stayed until 1982 when he went to Southern Arkansas.

He had several several different roles on Watson Brown’s staff at Vanderbilt (1986-90), including assistant head coach.

Christophel returned to Austin Peay as the head coach from 2007-12 where he posted a 20-46 record.

TSU's Jr. Clay scores 2,000th point

Tennessee State's Jr. Clay scored his 2,000th career point last week in the Tigers' 89-77 loss at Southeast Missouri.

Clay scored a season-high 33 points giving him 360 total points this season. Clay, who was named the OVC co-player of the week, came into the season with 1,661 career points, which he scored playing for Tennessee Tech the previous four seasons.

Clay became the 20th player in the OVC to score 2,000 career points. He is the leading scorer in the conference (19.3 ppg.) and ranked 33rd nationally.

Hall of fame athletic trainer Chris Snoddy dies at 63

Longtime local athletic trainer Chris Snoddy died Jan. 20 from congestive heart failure caused by radiation treatments for Hodgkin’s disease when he was a teenager. He was 63.

Snoddy served as the head athletic trainer at Lipscomb University from 1981-91 and sports medicine consultant to Lipscomb Academy from 1982-91.

Snoddy spent the last 20 years at Goodpasture. He also worked with the Nashville Predators and Tennessee Titans.

In August Snoddy was named the TSSAA’s 2022-23 Most Distinguished Athletic Trainer.

He served as president of the Tennessee Athletic Trainers Society from 2010-14 and was named Athletic Trainer of the Year by the Southeastern Athletic Trainers Association in 2005. He was inducted into the Lipscomb University Sport Hall of Fame in 2004 and the Tennessee Athletic Trainers Association Hall of Fame in 2005.

A celebration the life will take place Sunday at Goodpasture in the William F. Ruhl Fine Arts Center. Visitation will begin at 2 p.m. followed by the funeral service at 3 p.m.

Greg Pogue writing series to celebrate OVC's 75th anniversary

Greg Pogue is returning from a hiatus as a sports writer to help the Ohio Valley Conference celebrate its 75th anniversary.

Pogue, former sports editor of the Daily News Journal and sports writer for the Nashville Banner, will write a series of stories highlighting key moments for each member school in the conference, which began in 1948-49 and is the nation’s eighth-oldest Division I conference.

“I have followed the OVC my entire life, so consider me a fan,” Pogue said. “It is an honor to be asked, in my return to writing, to do this series of articles, shining a spotlight on the amazing history of one of the longest-running leagues in the country.”

Along with the 10 current OVC members the series will include former members MTSU, Belmont, Austin Peay, Western Kentucky and others.

The stories will appear on the OVC website and end up in a publication that will be released in the fall.

“It is exciting to celebrate the rich history of the OVC,” said Kyle Schwartz, OVC assistant commissioner for strategic communications. “We have already done some fun initiatives this school year and this publication will culminate the anniversary year.  Greg has a great knowledge of the OVC, and with the help and input of our schools, we are pleased to partner with him to have him write this series of articles.”

Alex Suber returns to MTSU as cornerbacks coach

Alex Suber, a former MTSU running back and cornerback, has joined the Blue Raiders staff as cornerbacks coach.

Suber spent the previous three years as receivers and returners coach for the CFL’s Ottawa Redbacks.

He played in the CFL for Saskatchewan, Toronto and Winnipeg from 2010-15.

"(Suber) was an outstanding player here and has been exposed to a lot of football as a professional player in the Canadian Football League,” MTSU coach Rick Stockstill said. “He has experience coaching at the collegiate level and in the CFL. Alex will have an immediate impact on his players."

Suber started his college career as a running back. He moved to cornerback where he earned all-conference honors and was voted a permanent team captain.

Belmont returns to Mid Major Top 25

The Belmont men's basketball team moved back into the CollegeInsider Mid Major Top 25 this week.

The Bruins (15-6) are No. 16 after putting together a seven-game win streak. They snapped Bradley's 17-game home court win streak by beating the Braves 78-76.

Belmont is a half-game out of first place in the Missouri Valley Conference with an 8-2 league record. Southern Illinois, which is No. 9 in the Mid Major poll, is first at 9-2.

Belmont's Ben Sheppard was the MVC player of the week this week after averaging 23.0 points, 6.0 rebounds and 3.5 assists in the win over Bradley and Murray State.

Oakland Hall of Fame inducts 2023 class

Six former players and a coach were inducted into the Oakland Baseball Hall of Fame.

The players were Tyler Burnett, Drew Fann and P.J. Polk, who were teammates from 2004-07, along with Jimmy Carver (1977-79) and Randy Ghee (1975-78) and the coach was Jeff Mitchell, who served as an assistant for 13 years including the 1999 and 2000 state championship teams.

Burnett was an all-state pitcher who posted a 9-1 record and went on to play at MTSU. Polk was an All-American who went on to play at Tennessee and Fann was an all-regional player who went on to play at Vanderbilt.

Carver was a pitcher who won nine games and posted a .320 batting average and Ghee was an all-district player.

Longtime Lipscomb director of grounds Lint Smith dies at 66

Lint Smith, who spent more than 40 years as director of grounds for Lipscomb Athletics, died on Jan. 17. He was 66.

Smith, who retired in 2020, was an outstanding football and baseball player at Pearl.

He was a quarterback/defensive back in football and utility player in baseball. He made the 1974 Tennessean All-Nashville Interscholastic League football third team on defense and 1975 All-NIL baseball third team as a shortstop.

Tennessean intern Lauren Moore named communications director at Highland Point

Lauren Moore, a former Tennessean intern from Sparta, is the new senior director of communications and creative services for the Highland Point University athletic department. Moore will also be the primary media relations contact for women’s soccer and lacrosse.

Moore, a Tennessee graduate, spent the previous three years at Flagler College, where she served most recently as director of athletic communications.

Ex-Lipscomb player joins Belmont soccer staff

Former Lipscomb soccer star Daniel Vieira joined the Belmont women's soccer staff as an assistant.

The native of Johannesburg, South Africa, served as a volunteer coach at Lipscomb through the 2021 season. He became an assistant at Trevecca in 2022.

Nashville Zoo Run Run is Feb. 18

The annual Nashville Zoo Run Run is set for Feb. 18. It is a 5K through the zoo’s trails, including areas not normally open to the public.

The zoo will close early (1 p.m.) to the general public on the day of the run. It will reopen at 2 p.m. with the event stating at 3 p.m.

Advance packet pick-up will be available on Feb. 16-17 from noon-7 p.m. at the Zoo’s Croft Center. For more information visit nashvillezoo.org.

If you have an item for Midstate Chatter contact Mike Organ at 615-259-8021 or on Twitter @MikeOrganWriter.

This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Jason Fitz and ex-Tennessee Titan Harry Douglas launch ESPN radio show