October 22, 2026 • 7 mins
UC A.D. John Cunningham on homecoming, the HOF, and more.
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Speaker 1 (00:00):
From five, this is ESPN 1530 Moe Egger. Thank you
for listening today. The University of Cincinnati is going to
be a busy weekend on campus. You have the 50th
anniversary of the James P. Kelly UC Athletics Hall of
Fame at Fifth Third Arena tomorrow night and the 100th
homecoming Saturday with the game against A3 to Texas Tech.
(00:20):
That game is at noon. The parade on Saturday morning
at 8 a.m. and an historic Hall of Fame class
going in tomorrow night. Here to talk about this weekend
at UC Athletics. is the director of athletics at the
university of cincinnati john cunningham john you are going to
be a very busy man in the next couple of days.
Speaker 2 (00:37):
Yeah we are mo for sure it's been a weekend
we've been gearing up for for a long time a
lot of people putting in a lot of hours to
put our best foot forward it's a chance to.
Speaker 3 (00:46):
Showcase uc and and you know obviously.
Speaker 2 (00:50):
The the 50th anniversary but the hall of fame class
is is locked and loaded and and stacked And it's
going to be a lot of fun to be able.
Speaker 3 (00:59):
To bring everybody back to campus and celebrate homecoming.
Speaker 1 (01:02):
Every Hall of Fame class is special. Every Hall of
Fame inductee is unique. But the class that goes in
tomorrow night, moving forward beyond this year, you're going to
have a hard time packing the class with a group
as loaded as this one.
Speaker 3 (01:18):
There won't be a better class. I mean, it just
won't be.
Speaker 2 (01:20):
Obviously, I mean, if you just look at Bob Huggins
coming back, and having a chance to recognize everything that
he did for our basketball program, making us one of
the toughest teams in the country. And, you know, that
team in the 90s that everybody was pointing to, so
excited to celebrate him and all the former players that
(01:41):
he coached coming back into town as well. And then
Jason Kelsey, you can't get any bigger than that.
Speaker 3 (01:49):
And Connor Barwin was an absolute star for us.
Speaker 2 (01:53):
And several others that that you know jump off the
page so it's going to be a huge night and
just a big celebration and a.
Speaker 1 (02:00):
Lot of fun uh and then saturday parade starting at
8 a.m what is your saturday like.
Speaker 2 (02:07):
Yeah i mean it's going to be early uh you
know be get down here uh be a part of
the parade and then get over to my tailgate that
starts at 10 a.m and then i i run over
to shakily because we have what we call our c
club which is all of our former athletes we're doing
a tailgate for them so i'll be over there and
hanging with them and then i got to be on
(02:29):
the field for some ceremonies at the beginning of the
game and in halftime ceremony welcoming our homecoming parade and
our homecoming winners so just it's one of those days
you you get locked and loaded It'll be energizing and
fun for everybody involved, and then I'll sleep well at night.
Speaker 1 (02:49):
Yeah, no question about that. To have an opponent like this,
Texas Tech, ranked in the top 10 on Saturday. You
and I talk about kickoff times all the time. I
think on homecoming, it almost doesn't matter. The atmosphere for
the game on Saturday should be very unique.
Speaker 2 (03:05):
It'll be great, and I agree.
Speaker 3 (03:08):
For homecoming, a lot of times you'd like a 3.30.
Speaker 2 (03:10):
It gives you a little bit more time for the
parade and some of the festivities. But, you know, as
we always talk about, TV dictates a lot of this
and they do a selection process and they selected our
game for that noon window with Texas Tech.
Speaker 3 (03:24):
Great opponent. Our student-athletes will be fired up.
Speaker 2 (03:27):
We always have a great home crowd and home field advantage.
Speaker 3 (03:31):
Let's get after it.
Speaker 2 (03:31):
Let's try to pick off a top 10 team in
Nippert and celebrate homecoming.
Speaker 1 (03:36):
Homecoming football on Saturday. Then the men's and women's basketball
season set to begin at the University of Cincinnati. There's
one more exhibition game against Oakland on Tuesday, the season opener.
at seven o'clock on Monday, November the 2nd against American University.
A year one under Jared Calhoun. It's been so much fun.
(03:56):
And I know you and I have talked about this
a little bit. It's been so much fun to watch
former players and see how energized they are about Jared Calhoun.
It's been fun to watch people who have watched practice
or even had a chance to catch a glimpse of
one of the two exhibition games. And they talk about
the way that Jared Calhoun's teams are playing. Give me
some thoughts on what it's been like to have Coach
(04:18):
Calhoun on your staff over the last six months and
your thoughts on the season that's about to begin.
Speaker 3 (04:25):
Yeah, he's energized the entire building. And just with his presence,
his staff is really.
Speaker 2 (04:31):
Involved in everything that we do and has a great
presence in our building as well.
Speaker 3 (04:36):
Um, and you know, I, I, I.
Speaker 2 (04:38):
Do think he's been able to quickly connect with our
former players, obviously being a graduate of Cincinnati, um, has
some ties to the Huggins era and, um, some ties
to Nick Cronin and others. So a lot of those
guys coming back this weekend, we've got Kenyon coming back. We've,
we've got, um, you know, Corey coming back and, and, um,
(04:58):
we've got Nick Van Exel coming back. Uh, we've got,
you know, it's just kind of going to be a
who's who a former players. back in town, and I'm
sure they'll make it over to practice and check out
our team.
Speaker 3 (05:10):
And so that's what it's about.
Speaker 2 (05:11):
I mean, that's what we're trying to do with this
program is just connect all those different eras and make
this era really special under Coach Calhoun.
Speaker 1 (05:20):
Yeah, no, it has been so much fun. And starting
on day one, the day that Jared Calhoun was introduced
as the head coach, so much fun to watch so
many of those former players go not just come back
and not just show their support, but express their excitement
for what they believe the Jared Calhoun era is going
to be like?
Speaker 3 (05:40):
There's no question. That's what they all say.
Speaker 2 (05:42):
And I think he's going to bring in a really exciting,
you've seen in the first couple of exhibition games, we're
going to get up and down the floor. He plays
really tough, unique kind of matchup zone defense. And so
it's going to be a new look Bearcat team. And,
you know, I just encourage people to, to get out
early in the season and check them out and, And
I think if you come out early in the season,
(06:03):
you'll be coming all year.
Speaker 3 (06:04):
So, you know, check out the Bearcats this year.
Speaker 1 (06:06):
Yeah, most definitely. Cannot wait. Looking forward to a Saturday
as well. Tomorrow night is going to be extraordinarily special
for the university, for the athletic department, and certainly for
the long list of inductees. A tremendous class. Going to
be a fun weekend. Get some sleep tonight because I
know you're going to be busy, John. Thanks so much.
Speaker 4 (06:25):
I will.
Speaker 3 (06:25):
Hey, I want to say one thing. I think of
Jim Kelly Jr. during this time, too. Yes. You know,
the Hall of Fame is named after his dad.
Speaker 2 (06:32):
Jim Kelly is no longer with us, but it's just
somebody that would have absolutely loved this. I know it's
a colleague of yours. So on my mind as I
think about this weekend.
Speaker 1 (06:43):
Jim Kelly and I had a conversation about Connor Barwin
about two years ago where we both agreed he is,
for each of us, a top three all-time Bearcat.
Speaker 4 (06:53):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (06:53):
We had that in common. I miss him every single
time I go into that broadcast booth, and thank you
for mentioning him because he's synonymous with UC football and
UC athletics.
Speaker 3 (07:04):
Take care, Mo.
Speaker 1 (07:04):
All right, John Cunningham, the director of athletics at UC,
the Hall of Fame ceremony tomorrow at Fifth Third, and
homecoming on Saturday, noon kickoff against Texas Tech. The basketball
season here tomorrow. Men's exhibition game on Tuesday night. Looking
forward to that. Dan Klaskens will help us with our
fantasy football teams next.
Speaker 2 (07:26):
Cincinnati's ESPN 1530.
Speaker 4 (07:29):
Traffic. From the UC Health Traffic Center at the UC
Health Back, Neck, and Spine Center, spine care is never one-size-fits-all.
From non-surgical treatments to the most complex cases, they've mastered
what's best for you. Learn more at uchealth.com.
From five, this is ESPN 1530 Moe Egger. Thank you
for listening today. The University of Cincinnati is going to
be a busy weekend on campus. You have the 50th
anniversary of the James P. Kelly UC Athletics Hall of
Fame at Fifth Third Arena tomorrow night and the 100th
homecoming Saturday with the game against A3 to Texas Tech.
(00:20):
That game is at noon. The parade on Saturday morning
at 8 a.m. and an historic Hall of Fame class
going in tomorrow night. Here to talk about this weekend
at UC Athletics. is the director of athletics at the
university of cincinnati john cunningham john you are going to
be a very busy man in the next couple of days.
Speaker 2 (00:37):
Yeah we are mo for sure it's been a weekend
we've been gearing up for for a long time a
lot of people putting in a lot of hours to
put our best foot forward it's a chance to.
Speaker 3 (00:46):
Showcase uc and and you know obviously.
Speaker 2 (00:50):
The the 50th anniversary but the hall of fame class
is is locked and loaded and and stacked And it's
going to be a lot of fun to be able.
Speaker 3 (00:59):
To bring everybody back to campus and celebrate homecoming.
Speaker 1 (01:02):
Every Hall of Fame class is special. Every Hall of
Fame inductee is unique. But the class that goes in
tomorrow night, moving forward beyond this year, you're going to
have a hard time packing the class with a group
as loaded as this one.
Speaker 3 (01:18):
There won't be a better class. I mean, it just
won't be.
Speaker 2 (01:20):
Obviously, I mean, if you just look at Bob Huggins
coming back, and having a chance to recognize everything that
he did for our basketball program, making us one of
the toughest teams in the country. And, you know, that
team in the 90s that everybody was pointing to, so
excited to celebrate him and all the former players that
(01:41):
he coached coming back into town as well. And then
Jason Kelsey, you can't get any bigger than that.
Speaker 3 (01:49):
And Connor Barwin was an absolute star for us.
Speaker 2 (01:53):
And several others that that you know jump off the
page so it's going to be a huge night and
just a big celebration and a.
Speaker 1 (02:00):
Lot of fun uh and then saturday parade starting at
8 a.m what is your saturday like.
Speaker 2 (02:07):
Yeah i mean it's going to be early uh you
know be get down here uh be a part of
the parade and then get over to my tailgate that
starts at 10 a.m and then i i run over
to shakily because we have what we call our c
club which is all of our former athletes we're doing
a tailgate for them so i'll be over there and
hanging with them and then i got to be on
(02:29):
the field for some ceremonies at the beginning of the
game and in halftime ceremony welcoming our homecoming parade and
our homecoming winners so just it's one of those days
you you get locked and loaded It'll be energizing and
fun for everybody involved, and then I'll sleep well at night.
Speaker 1 (02:49):
Yeah, no question about that. To have an opponent like this,
Texas Tech, ranked in the top 10 on Saturday. You
and I talk about kickoff times all the time. I
think on homecoming, it almost doesn't matter. The atmosphere for
the game on Saturday should be very unique.
Speaker 2 (03:05):
It'll be great, and I agree.
Speaker 3 (03:08):
For homecoming, a lot of times you'd like a 3.30.
Speaker 2 (03:10):
It gives you a little bit more time for the
parade and some of the festivities. But, you know, as
we always talk about, TV dictates a lot of this
and they do a selection process and they selected our
game for that noon window with Texas Tech.
Speaker 3 (03:24):
Great opponent. Our student-athletes will be fired up.
Speaker 2 (03:27):
We always have a great home crowd and home field advantage.
Speaker 3 (03:31):
Let's get after it.
Speaker 2 (03:31):
Let's try to pick off a top 10 team in
Nippert and celebrate homecoming.
Speaker 1 (03:36):
Homecoming football on Saturday. Then the men's and women's basketball
season set to begin at the University of Cincinnati. There's
one more exhibition game against Oakland on Tuesday, the season opener.
at seven o'clock on Monday, November the 2nd against American University.
A year one under Jared Calhoun. It's been so much fun.
(03:56):
And I know you and I have talked about this
a little bit. It's been so much fun to watch
former players and see how energized they are about Jared Calhoun.
It's been fun to watch people who have watched practice
or even had a chance to catch a glimpse of
one of the two exhibition games. And they talk about
the way that Jared Calhoun's teams are playing. Give me
some thoughts on what it's been like to have Coach
(04:18):
Calhoun on your staff over the last six months and
your thoughts on the season that's about to begin.
Speaker 3 (04:25):
Yeah, he's energized the entire building. And just with his presence,
his staff is really.
Speaker 2 (04:31):
Involved in everything that we do and has a great
presence in our building as well.
Speaker 3 (04:36):
Um, and you know, I, I, I.
Speaker 2 (04:38):
Do think he's been able to quickly connect with our
former players, obviously being a graduate of Cincinnati, um, has
some ties to the Huggins era and, um, some ties
to Nick Cronin and others. So a lot of those
guys coming back this weekend, we've got Kenyon coming back. We've,
we've got, um, you know, Corey coming back and, and, um,
(04:58):
we've got Nick Van Exel coming back. Uh, we've got,
you know, it's just kind of going to be a
who's who a former players. back in town, and I'm
sure they'll make it over to practice and check out
our team.
Speaker 3 (05:10):
And so that's what it's about.
Speaker 2 (05:11):
I mean, that's what we're trying to do with this
program is just connect all those different eras and make
this era really special under Coach Calhoun.
Speaker 1 (05:20):
Yeah, no, it has been so much fun. And starting
on day one, the day that Jared Calhoun was introduced
as the head coach, so much fun to watch so
many of those former players go not just come back
and not just show their support, but express their excitement
for what they believe the Jared Calhoun era is going
to be like?
Speaker 3 (05:40):
There's no question. That's what they all say.
Speaker 2 (05:42):
And I think he's going to bring in a really exciting,
you've seen in the first couple of exhibition games, we're
going to get up and down the floor. He plays
really tough, unique kind of matchup zone defense. And so
it's going to be a new look Bearcat team. And,
you know, I just encourage people to, to get out
early in the season and check them out and, And
I think if you come out early in the season,
(06:03):
you'll be coming all year.
Speaker 3 (06:04):
So, you know, check out the Bearcats this year.
Speaker 1 (06:06):
Yeah, most definitely. Cannot wait. Looking forward to a Saturday
as well. Tomorrow night is going to be extraordinarily special
for the university, for the athletic department, and certainly for
the long list of inductees. A tremendous class. Going to
be a fun weekend. Get some sleep tonight because I
know you're going to be busy, John. Thanks so much.
Speaker 4 (06:25):
I will.
Speaker 3 (06:25):
Hey, I want to say one thing. I think of
Jim Kelly Jr. during this time, too. Yes. You know,
the Hall of Fame is named after his dad.
Speaker 2 (06:32):
Jim Kelly is no longer with us, but it's just
somebody that would have absolutely loved this. I know it's
a colleague of yours. So on my mind as I
think about this weekend.
Speaker 1 (06:43):
Jim Kelly and I had a conversation about Connor Barwin
about two years ago where we both agreed he is,
for each of us, a top three all-time Bearcat.
Speaker 4 (06:53):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (06:53):
We had that in common. I miss him every single
time I go into that broadcast booth, and thank you
for mentioning him because he's synonymous with UC football and
UC athletics.
Speaker 3 (07:04):
Take care, Mo.
Speaker 1 (07:04):
All right, John Cunningham, the director of athletics at UC,
the Hall of Fame ceremony tomorrow at Fifth Third, and
homecoming on Saturday, noon kickoff against Texas Tech. The basketball
season here tomorrow. Men's exhibition game on Tuesday night. Looking
forward to that. Dan Klaskens will help us with our
fantasy football teams next.
Speaker 2 (07:26):
Cincinnati's ESPN 1530.
Speaker 4 (07:29):
Traffic. From the UC Health Traffic Center at the UC
Health Back, Neck, and Spine Center, spine care is never one-size-fits-all.
From non-surgical treatments to the most complex cases, they've mastered
what's best for you. Learn more at uchealth.com.
Mo Egger News
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