This edition of the Life of Fitz podcast features host Tim Fitzgerald calling his new friend and former Kansas State University quarterback from the 1980s, Donnie Campbell. Some listeners may remember Campbell playing at K-State from 1980-84, but what has now made him well known is the fact that in the 1990s he coached a player named Jason Sudeikis, who went on to become a comedian, a cast member of Saturday Night Live, a star in movies and now the star of the Apple TV+ series, Ted Lasso. It's a brilliant show, but Sudeikis has now credited Campbell for being part of the inspiration for the Ted Lasso character, an American football coach who is hired to coach an English Premier League team despite knowing nothing about soccer. The character, and the show, is charming and funny. Since Sudeikis credited Campbell, he's now done many interviews and even appeared recently on NBC's The Today Show. A coach and teacher, Campbell started his career in the Shawnee Mission school district, moved to the Blue Valley School District, and now has moved across the state line in Kansas City to the Lee's Summit, Missouri, school district.
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Tim Fitzgerald is a sports journalist who writes, does TV, radio 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 20 years. Fitz also has stage 4 prostate cancer, so during the initial stages of the pandemic, his doctors have advised him to stay home and lay low. Now, Fitz is fully vaccinated and rejoining society, but his podcast lives on. Welcome to his life and the Life of Fitz podcast.
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