Inside The Play Call with Orange Arrow

Sit down with Shawn and this week’s guest, labor relations specialist and OA Board Chair, Jody Spolar! In this episode, Spolar delves into her deep Pittsburgh roots and her decision to go to Penn State, where she left without a clear professional direction, but had the opportunity to travel around the country to ultimately find her passion for labor relations. It was this newfound passion that led...

Join Shawn as he sits down with Robb-Davon Butler, a former Pitt, Robert Morris, & NFL athlete and Regional Vice President at Mohawk Industries. Listen as Butler discusses his early start in football and how working two jobs in high school instilled in him the importance of being hard-working and disciplined. It is these qualities that led him to thrive as a student-athlete and later in sales, his...

Coming to you from Pittsburgh, PA, former teammates, Lousaka Polite and Shawn Robinson, reminisce about their days at the University of Pittsburgh, the Lou chant, and their lasting connection through LL Cool J and the brotherhood of sports. More than just former athletes, they also delve into the crucial importance of managing goals and expectations, the need to develop character off of the field,...

Tune in as Shawn sits down with Adam Walker, a former Pitt & NFL athlete, CEO of Summit Packaging Solutions, and Pitt Board of Trustees member. Listen as Walker discusses his pride for his hometown of Homestead, PA and explains his early start in both sports and music. They continue by outlining his decision to go to Pitt, followed by a seven-year career in the NFL, which eventually led him back t...

We're going back into the OA Vault to revisit our episode with Mike Pichette, Ohio native, standout swimmer, and Pitt grad. Listen as he talks about growing up a swimmer, his injury, finding structure through Orange Arrow, and how he prepared for life after graduation.

Listen in as Shawn recaps his recent speaking engagement at Tuskegee University, part of their career readiness program, College Transition: Student-Athlete Edition. Shawn and other OA team members speak with current student-athletes about the importance of utilizing your time because the time to plan for your future is today.

Tune in as Shawn sits down with Mr. Pittsburgh himself, Bill Hillgrove! A lover of jazz and arguably the most notable broadcaster in Pittsburgh sports, Hillgrove discusses how he got his start in broadcasting and the importance of being good to your voice. He also explains the importance of being passionate and community-minded, and always remembering that “In the big game of life, you only get on...

In this episode, Coach Shawn offers a unique look inside a recent OA12 session about goal-setting. Tune in to learn more about the coaches and our competition-based learning style, and meet some of the current OA participants.

Go Inside the Play Call with Shawn and Paul Zeise, a Pittsburgh Post-Gazette columnist, evening host at 93.7 The Fan, and commentator on Nightly Sports Call at CW-15! The two discuss how Zeise’s early interest in sports and writing led to a degree in journalism from Temple and his first writing job with the NBA in Manhattan. He also discusses his move to Pittsburgh to write for the Post-Gazette an...

Check it out! Today, we’re back with special guest, retired NFL athlete Hannibal “Bull” Navies. Shawn and Hannibal talk about his football career, from high school to college to playing professionally. They also discuss the hard truths of being an athlete, such as dealing with a career-long injury, balancing school and football, and managing to stay well-rounded. On and off the field, life has thr...

Sit down with Shawn for this week’s episode with special guest Ashley Gillis, Manager of Community Relations for the Miami Dolphins! They kick off the episode by highlighting Gillis’ early time in sports, reminiscing about their favorite cheers and their shared experiences with substitute teaching. They also discuss how taking an internship with the Dolphins while she finished her Master’s in Spor...

Join Shawn and John Morgan III, a native of Upper Marlboro, MD, Pitt football player, and passionate supporter of Orange Arrow. Listen as he talks about his time in high school, from his football career to the long commute he made every day to his high school to make sure he was ready for future success. They also discuss the importance of family, the honor of winning the ACC Championship, and how...

Sit down with Shawn and Haley Traub, a lifelong student-athlete, cheerleader at the University of Miami, and dedicated Orange Arrow volunteer! Listen as Haley discusses her early years in Andover, Massachusetts, playing every sport she could (with a focus on gymnastics), working hard every day academically, and never missing an opportunity to volunteer and give back to her community. She also disc...

Revisit the first episode of Inside the Play Call! This episode will take you on a journey of the development of the nonprofit Orange Arrow through the eyes of its founder, Shawn Robinson, starting with a city that draws 10,000 people for each high school football game to understanding why an NFL dream was not realized.

Go Inside the Play Call with Shawn and Crockett Schooler, a native of Columbus, OH, Pitt student-athlete, and OA team member! Listen as he explains how he got his start in sports, working his way up to the track and field team at Pitt, where he runs hurdles and is pursuing a major in communication. He also discusses the time he saved a life while working as a lifeguard in high school, and the impa...

Tune in as Shawn sits down with golf enthusiast and current NBA referee, Courtney Kirkland. The two discuss Kirkland's fast track to refereeing in the pros, from deciding to pursue refereeing on a dare to quickly working his way up to the NBA. They also talk about what it takes to be a referee and how those same skills translate to success off of the field. They finish with Kirkland advising young...

Sit down with Shawn and Pittsburgh native, former WNBA player, and sports scout for the Boston Celtics, Ashley Battle! Battle discusses her early start in basketball as the only girl on her elementary school team and her mom’s commitment to ensuring she was always driven to succeed both on the court and in the classroom. She also discusses her whirlwind college recruiting process, eventually landi...

"Dr. Alvarez" was first introduced to Orange Arrow while at the University of Pittsburgh's Center for Urban Education. His research is about understanding how best to support educators in building instructional practices that center race and justice. We take a journey from his early years in Texas to his new position at Rowan University in NJ as an Assistant Professor of Urban Education.

Join us as Shawn sits down with Chad Van Horn, a Pittsburgh native, longtime Orange Arrow supporter, and founding partner attorney of his Florida-based law firm, Van Horn Law Group. Van Horn began helping his older brother on his paper route when he was only five and continued to work all the way through law school, which he attended at night so that he could work for a financial advising firm dur...

Tune in as Shawn sits down with fellow Warren, OH native, former football player, and current sports marketing manager, Ralph Stringer! Listen as Stringer speaks to his early start in both music and sports, and explains his time in the radio industry at NC State. He also details how a freak accident during a pickup basketball game cost him his eye and left him struggling to prove his worth to futu...

We’re kicking off Season 4 of Inside the Play Call with former Pitt basketball star and current Assistant Women’s Basketball Coach, Brianna Kiesel! A native of Utica, NY, Kiesel got an early start in sports, originally playing soccer before transitioning to basketball, the sport which launched her career at Pitt. During her time there, she obtained two degrees, all while pursuing basketball and ev...

Jump Inside the Play Call for a sneak peek into the 2021 Performance Invitational!

Go Inside the Play Call with Shawn and Dr. Kenny Donaldson, the Associate Athletic Director, Sports & Administration and Director of Equity, Diversity, & Inclusion at UCLA! Join them as they discuss Donaldson’s Los Angeles roots and how he found his niche in supporting student-athletes. He also discusses his transition from UCLA to Pitt, where he worked in alumni affairs while pursuing his doctora...

Coming to you from the Sunshine State, our first group of South Florida interns discusses throw pillows, 5:00 AM alarms, and what it’s like to live the life of a student-athlete at the University of Miami. Plus Drake, hometown pride, and planning for life after sports and graduation help fill in the gaps.

Sit down with Shawn and Donna Sanft, the retired Executive Associate Athletics Director and Associate Dean of Students at the University of Pittsburgh! Sanft discusses her early start in gymnastics, including the tight-knit, community nature of sports in her hometown. She also explains her decision to go to Pitt and how she quickly became the head gymnastics coach, the position that kicked off her...