Plays On Word Radio
An in-depth look at the Word of God, the Plays On Word community, and the Plays - with original music - we perform, that are based on the Word of God. New episodes drop Fridays at 7AM EST! To find out how Plays On Word Theater can perform 'LIVE on YOUR STAGE' and to support this missionary & podcast visit: https://playsonword.org/
Plays On Word Radio
Ep 119: Sacked and Saved - How a Pro Quarterback Found Christ (Part 2)
"Did you know that you can find God’s purpose in the challenges of life? Today we continue with former NFL quarterback Dr. Gary Cuozzo’s story—how God transformed his personal tragedy into a powerful ministry of faith, hope, and purpose, as he shared Christ and anti-drug messages in schools."
Former NFL quarterback Dr. Gary Cuozzo shares his transformative journey from tragedy to ministry, revealing how God used his son's death in 1990 to launch years of speaking in high schools about both substance abuse dangers and the gospel message. His powerful testimony illustrates how tribulation produces perseverance, character, and ultimately joy—not fleeting happiness but the deep assurance of eternal life in Christ.
• Finding ministry purpose through personal tragedy
• Speaking in New Jersey high schools for 7-8 years despite resistance to gospel message
• Experiencing Romans 5 transformation: tribulation → perseverance → character → joy
• Leading multiple Bible studies in his Florida retirement community
• Growing in scripture knowledge through "Shepherd School" and Chuck Smith's teachings
• Understanding that earthly life is "a speck in time" compared to eternity
• Celebrating 60 years of marriage with his wife Peggy
• Continuing faithful service in his 80s
While you're still breathing, please come to the Lord. Just ask Him if what we're saying is true, ask Him to come into your life, forgive you of your sin, and live through you. How hard is that? Stop being so stubborn. Give Him a chance.
Fellowship Of Christian Athletes - FCA:
https://www.fca.org/
Gary Cuozzo Truth In Sports:
https://truthinsports.org/gary_cuozzo/
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Speaker 2:It's the best.
Speaker 1:The ultimate joy of knowing that you have eternal life in Christ. Plus, you have a partner Jesus' Holy Spirit is part of our lives and if we can see that and feel that and act on it, it gives you comfort and you have joy in spite of the circumstances. And I think it takes a matter of turning to the Lord, because he created us. He wants us to honor Him, I mean in our lives. He created us to love Him and we love stuff in the world that's our natural flesh is to go in. The only name You're the only name. You're the only name.
Speaker 3:Hello and welcome to Plays on Word Radio, where we discuss, analyze, work and play on the Word of God. Thank you for joining us on this excursion. Today let's join Pastor Teddy, also known as Fred David Kenny Jr, the founder of Plays on Word Theater, as he does a deep dive into the Word of God.
Speaker 2:And good afternoon everybody. How are you today? And it's not even afternoon, it's morning, good morning. Yes, I had to do it again, sorry. This is another edition of a sports edition of Plays on Word Radio. Thank you very much, katie Kenney for that intro and Josh Taylor yeah, we are continuing our conversation with the great Gary Quazo, my man, check it out.
Speaker 2:If I was to ask you and this is probably a tough question to get around can you think of what might be your top couple or top ministry experience? If I said, tell me something that really impacted you, it's top of your list. I'll give you an example Me, I went into the prison and we did one of our plays in the prison and you know, at the end of the play, the Genesis Joe play, which you still need to see we've got to find a way to do that for you the Genesis Joe play and a bunch of the inmates where they gave their life to the Lord right at the end of it, and that was a highlight of ministry for me. Do you have anything that you can think of that was just special and really.
Speaker 1:Well, the hardest and I imagine you might remember, after my son was killed in 1990, and I was involved in a drug kind of thing and the whole thing, and I wound up getting a bunch of letters that he had written to me in his room at the college, where he never mailed them to me and after the funeral I had prayed the night. I had to go down to identify his body in Florida. God would use his life in some way and I didn't understand how I even prayed that. I just believe the spirit led me to think that I just wanted to be reassured that he was a christian and reassured that god would use his life because I was devastated. Um, and I from that point on I spoke, probably for the next seven or eight years in the high schools in new jersey, all over everywhere, sharing, sharing gospel everywhere, because I had no other answers, uh, for them about drugs. But they wanted me to come to talk about the drugs thing. So they would invite me for that but they didn't want to hear about the gospel. But I didn't want to, I wouldn't go, they would give a disclaimer.
Speaker 1:But then that came to an end around 2000 when I went back-to-back schools and they were a junior high and a senior high and they canceled me out. If I remember exactly, they canceled me out to senior high. They just didn't want. You know, mentioning Jesus in a public school was rather, really difficult in 1993, 4, 5, and all that. Not that it's any easier now, but so that was, I would say would be, the highlights of my ministry life. And then pretty much, you know, I'd talk with the kids afterwards, just stay and talk to them without any of the teachers there, and I really opened my eyes to what was going on in this world with kids. And nowadays it's probably worse because of the internet, but God used that in my life for the crisis, so everything about it was so bad, but it made me so sad sometimes when I was speaking about it In fact.
Speaker 1:I'm speaking in about a week and a half at a church down here about, you know, similar. You know basically my testimony, but really what God has used that in my life to truly change. And then, bruce, when Bruce came back to start a church, we started a church in, you know, four Winds. Four Winds, right, that was Ted. I was on the phone with Bruce. He was in ministry school in California with Chuck Smith Because Bruce was there as an SCA guy and we were really close friends. And I was talking to him because I'd been down to Charlottesville, virginia, to a PCA church. That was really just a really great place for me to be to see how a church was really reaching kids. And I asked Bruce about would he ever come back and start a church in Jersey?
Speaker 1:I was a little frustrated with the way the churches had been that I'd been to, even though I'm sure many people came to the Lord through them. But I just thought it wasn't, I don't know I liked when the Calvary Chapel movement I didn't know anything about. Matter of fact, Greg Lurie's father, oscar, was a friend of mine. He was a lawyer and he helped us with SCA and he told me I met him outside my office one day and he said you know, my son led me to the Lord and I didn't know who Greg Lurie was. Wow, that was before I even ever heard of Calvary Chapel. And so then, when Bruce came back, he put us through a thing called Shepherd School. You know, we started the church and we had two years of Shepherd School, which enabled us to, you know, get a pastor. You know, we became pastors and had ministry, and it was a great time of studying the Bible. I had never studied the Bible.
Speaker 3:I really hadn't.
Speaker 1:I didn't know it very well, I knew some, I knew this and that. But we, I didn't know it very well, I knew some, I knew this and that, but Chuck Smith has tapes on the entire Bible, yeah, and we had to listen to them verse by verse, and so I was really impressed with the Calvary Chapel movement. It's really affected a lot of America's non-denominational churches and my son, jeff, as you know, is a Calvary pastor. Yeah, he works with Joel Rosenberg over in israel and he's in england too. So, yeah, but if you talk about the highlight moments, I would think that was the highlights and pretty much this fca stuff and being with those kids and still, uh, I lead a bible study down here on um mondays which I'm prepared for for tomorrow. Okay, and we got what are you teaching?
Speaker 2:What part of the description?
Speaker 1:Actually we're doing videos. We're doing it on Easter. It's a series on Easter.
Speaker 1:We'll have a little bit of a sharing. I've got to give a testimony and then we're going to watch a video and then break up into groups and share. We've been averaging close to 40 guys a week. We're in season down here. I don't know if you understand, laura, you know the snowbirds and all that, yeah, but in season we'll get, you know, 40 guys. We've had some more than that, some, and the club allows us to use the facility, which is great, wow, and some of the guys will play golf afterwards Okay, which I used, but no, that's another highlight for me, and I think it's really been helpful to me to stay involved in a teaching position type thing, because it keeps me motivated to study the Word.
Speaker 2:Amen, Amen. You know that when you started getting into the Word you said when Bruce had you guys doing the Shepherd.
Speaker 2:School I bet your faith was just like expanded. It's nothing like the Word of God. It's nutrients, man. It's nutrition for the soul and people. They don't understand that and that's one of the. I mean, that's the hallmark of what we do at Calvary, southport, and you know many Bible-believing churches. It's about feeding people the word of God, man, because that's where the power is, in the word of God. Right, you saw firsthand. It's amazing though, the from that dark top, from that difficult dark time, you even in like at ground zero in the Mitch, you said you had to go identify as chips, body and was awful, but yet you, you prayed. You know, lord, I don't know how you can, but if you can make some, if Lord is there, any way you can make some good. Come out of this Something something.
Speaker 2:Lord and now you know, looking back, you can see that the Lord did. He did use that and you impacted many people. What would you, what would I? Have two questions here. What would you say to someone who might be in a difficult position, a dark place right now, maybe feeling like God is not paying attention to them, maybe God forgot about them or that they're not even on God's radar? What would you say to them?
Speaker 1:Well, the fifth chapter of Romans, I think, really affected me during this whole thing when I talked about tribulation producing perseverance, perseverance producing character and character producing joy. And I think the happiness part of life is not what this is talking about, because there's a lot of unhappy things that happen like that, but the the ultimate joy of knowing that you have eternal life in christ, plus you have a partner, you know, I mean, jesus is holy spirit, is part of our lives and, yeah, if we can see that and feel that and act on it, it does. It gives you comfort and you have joy in spite of the circumstances. And I think it takes a matter of turning to the Lord, because he created us. He wants us to honor Him in our lives. He created us to love Him and we love stuff and the world and that's our natural flesh is to go in the opposite direction and you know that's our natural flesh is to go in the opposite direction.
Speaker 2:you know, yeah, that's I actually. I just preached on what you just talked about. If we could just we could focus on Him. I mean, we're in Ephesians, so we're in chapter one there. We just finished it and talking about if we knew who he is, if we know who he is and who we are in Him, who he has called us that's a perspective changer and that we're seated in the heavenlies with Him and we have His Spirit as the guarantee of the glory that's still coming. What would you, what would Gary Quazo 2025 say to Gary Quazo 1990? What would you say if you had a time machine?
Speaker 1:you could just encourage yourself somehow. Well, I'd say, when I see people running down the street, I'd say I used to be able to do that. This aging thing has taken its toll on me.
Speaker 1:I just didn't know I'd I didn't realize how much it would in terms of physical, because I've really always done stuff and I, I work out of, you know, about five times a week if I can, and that that helps me. Uh, yeah, just, you know to stay somewhat, but I, I, I the gary now, I just I did it. I don't know what I would tell myself exactly, but just saying, you know, just to be, stay close to the lord and amen, bring it on to him. I have a, you know, the monday study. We have a tuesday night bible group. I have a thursday virtual, uh, bible study with guys, four or five guys, and so we stay close to the word, close to other christians, and I really think the fellowship, uh, I don't have too many non-christian friends.
Speaker 1:I mean I don't mind being with, you know, guys, or I mean I like to, but I there's so values, the value system is so different. Uh, and I don't mind being with guys. I mean I liked it, but there's so values, the value system is so different and I don't want their value system, even though sometimes the flesh, some of that, is appealing. But I gave up, basically gave up alcohol somewhere in the mid-90s because I was speaking to kids and I didn't want to.
Speaker 1:I felt like I was hypocritical, if you know, if I ever drank and so that's like that stuff. You know we're just and not that there's something bad, because the Bible talks about drinking wine, I mean it's not like I, just I, just personally. It was a one thing and I I'm thankful to get through to this point in my life to know the Lord, in fact, I just recently you year started.
Speaker 2:You try to google anybody in their 80s.
Speaker 1:Most of them are dead. Yeah, yeah, you're right, yeah, yeah so I'm.
Speaker 2:I'm in the 80s pretty good, right?
Speaker 1:yeah, so I my friends, a lot of them have died, uh but yeah yeah, with the lord. Uh, we'll see him soon you know, amen.
Speaker 2:What would you say? I got one last thing I'm trying to get get wisdom from gary quazo. This could be. I wish I had some here. What would you say to? I got one last thing. I'm trying to get wisdom from Gary Quazo. This could be a wish I had somewhere. What would you say to someone who might be in their 80s, in the sunset period of their of their life? What would you say to somebody that still not sure about this Jesus stuff? You know what would? What would you say to them, gary Quazo, in his 80s now? What would you say to that, the person that has, for whatever reason, the Lord has kept them alive, to hear?
Speaker 2:what you have to say yeah.
Speaker 1:I would really encourage them to get in the Word and spend a lot of time with the Lord during the day, during the morning, and pray that the Holy Spirit would enlighten them to the fact that what Jesus did at the cross is real. Yeah, and especially at Easter. When you think about it now, the reason we have Easter is because Jesus went to the cross, took that beating for us, for our sin, and that we all are sinners saved by grace. It's just a matter of applying that to your life, before you know it gets over on this earth and where you spend eternity, like with Lazarus and the rich man. You know, across that chasm there you can't talk.
Speaker 1:I mean, hell's real, Satan's real and this whole thing is. You need Christ, you want to be in the book of life, and the Bible speaks of that and the joy and the peace that you get is real and you can die with comfort, knowing that there is eternal life. This is just a speck in time. This little 80 years or so we spent on this earth and we're going to spend eternity is critical, and it's because God loves us and because God died for us. We need to see it that way and not just see it as a story that happened 2,000 years ago.
Speaker 2:Yeah, and I like what you said. This lifetime right now it's so small. And to think that this lifetime is all there is, that would be like me telling Gary Quazo back in 1963, the NFL is all there is. You know what I mean. And there was way more to life. That period of time is short in comparison to the life you've lived. Eternity, in comparison to the life we've lived on this side of glory, is gigantic. Compared to you know, this life is so small.
Speaker 2:And the thing is he paid such a price. He's not playing games with eternity and salvation. So if someone comes to him truly and says, lord, if you're real, please come into my life, he's going to answer that he will honor that. He spent way too much. One drop of the blood of Christ is worth more than all the real estate in Naples and everywhere else in the entire universe put together. And he shed his blood for us so that we would know him and not have to spend eternity without him. And I know not many folks in their 80s. Like you said, many people have checked out, but I know some that I'm praying, listen to our conversation here and I'm going to send this to them Because it's while we'll still have breath. It's not too late to get right with the Lord While we still have breath. We need to make this side of eternity, this side of glory, count so that when we get to the other side, you know and I've used this example and I used it, I've used you in it I probably should pay you royalties.
Speaker 2:But the story about when I watched the football game, when I watched the Superbowl with you, right, I said, I said, listen, I had the opportunity to watch the Superbowl with an NFL quarterback who knows the game and played the game at the highest level. And I said you know, there are going to be some people that get to heaven, get to glory on their deathbed. They say, okay, lord, jesus, if you're real, please come into my life and save me before they die. They get in, but they didn't spend any time getting to know him on this side of glory. They didn't spend any time learning about the amazing things about God.
Speaker 2:And I give the example. I said, listen, I was watching the game with Gary Quazo. We're watching the same game, we're watching the same exact game, but Gary enjoyed it at a much richer, deeper level because of the time he spent involved in it. I didn't spend nearly the time he did, and there are many people that, since we are spending time getting to know the Lord on this side of glory and we're investing in our relationship with him we're going to appreciate and have a richer experience.
Speaker 2:We're both going to be at the same game, we're both going to be in glory, but the person that just on their deathbed, received Christ and then the person that has walked with him for a lifetime and learned the ways of God and the things of God, it's going to be a deeper, richer, a greater experience of eternity. We're both there. We're both there, hooray, hallelujah. But I tell you, I've used that game example because I said, gary, man, he appreciated the game at a much higher level than I couldn't comprehend some of the things that you were even saying. So, yeah, I definitely put the appeal out Please come to the Lord while you're still breathing, because when you're not breathing it's too late. Two last things, and they're short.
Speaker 2:I'm kicking myself because Plays on Word made our Florida debut a few weeks back and we went to Naples and something was nagging me about Naples while we were there the whole time. I'm saying I feel like there's something about Naples, but I couldn't put my finger on. Then, as we were leaving, I remembered, I said, oh, I think Gary and Peggy are here. Oh, my goodness. And I sent a text to Gary. I said, gary, are you in Naples and you're like, yes, and I was like I could have stopped by and said hello, man, I was. I'm still kicking myself. Tell us about Peggy, your beloved bride.
Speaker 1:Well, we'll be married 60 years in June. Yes, 60 years, and both of us. You know we've had a little bit of the healthy stuff going on. Peggy just had a heart valve repaired, which worked out really well. Oh good, good the catheters and all that stuff, but she's doing well, good and strong with the Lord, which is the most important.
Speaker 2:Yes, yes, yeah, I mean, I tell you, you guys, both of you, you guys are such I'm not even laying it on thick here, I'm telling you the truth. You guys like when I grow up I want to be like you. You guys set a great example of just a godly couple.
Speaker 1:Whenever my TV goes out, Ted, I think about you, Amen. Well, hey down, Ted, I think about you.
Speaker 2:Amen. Well, hey, down in Florida that's a little bit of a commute, but if you call me I'll tell Katie. I'll say, katie, I'll be back in four days. I've got to go fix Gary's TV. Well, yeah, we love you, we love Peggy. I had a movie I wanted to get your opinion on and I'm sure you probably didn't watch it. If you did, maybe you slept through it. But it's one of those Hallmark kind of movies. I'm sure Peggy knows all the details on that.
Speaker 1:There's too many of those.
Speaker 2:Yeah, we'll get that on another podcast, but just thank you so much, you're welcome. Ted You're welcome Is there. How can we get those? Can we email you to get one of those baseball football cards of yours with the sack on it. Do you have anything like that?
Speaker 1:I have a new one I could send you as well, but I could just take photos of it and email them.
Speaker 2:Okay, so if everybody wants one, just reach out to me and I'll reach out to Gary. It's okay, it's no problem.
Speaker 1:Check it out, just send it again. I'll take pictures in a little while and send them to you. It's okay, it's no problem, check it out, just send it again. I'll take pictures in a little while and send them to you.
Speaker 2:I need you to put in a good word for Harry, because we want to interview Harry as well. Make sure you tell him it's okay, ted's not going to bite.
Speaker 1:He's the best.
Speaker 2:You and Harry, both are superheroes. Man.
Speaker 1:He's got about 11 grandkids, I think. Now I mean, it's unbelievable, they're reproducing like crazy.
Speaker 3:Wow.
Speaker 1:I think the oldest is probably about six. That's amazing A bunch of grandkids.
Speaker 2:Wow, that is amazing. Yeah, I have not had a chance to hang out with Harry in six years, seven years.
Speaker 1:Jason's going to do the introduction for Tony Jason Garrett. Yeah, you know, Harry's wife is a brother.
Speaker 3:Yeah.
Speaker 1:They do TV together. Jason and Tony do a show together. They used to, at least.
Speaker 2:You know what? Oh man, I got to see if I can get up there for that. Mr Gary Quazzo, thank you so much. Oh, you're welcome.
Speaker 1:Ted, God bless you oh you're welcome, ted.
Speaker 2:God bless you. We love you and we hope to have you back on, okay.
Speaker 1:Thanks, ted, god bless you. God bless you, man, amen, bye.
Speaker 2:Amen, amen. That was Mr Gary Quazo, and shout out to his lovely wife, peggy Quazo. Both of them are superheroes of the faith. They are, believe it or not. Yes, they have influenced many, many Christians and been a blessing to many ministries and Christians and the body of Christ. So special thank you to you, gary, and, god willing, we will be in your vicinity sometime soon and we'll come do our Genesisesis joe play for you and peggy and uh and whoever else you want to invite, and uh yeah. But anyway, you guys, thank you so much. I I pray that you guys were blessed by uh hearing our dear brother gary quazo, and if you want to know more, please check out the show notes on this episode and the prior episode and you can get more information about him and the ministries he's involved in. And uh yeah. So if you want to learn more about fca fellowship of Athletes, we have a link up there as well, so by all means check it out. Fellowship of Christian Athletes is worldwide and yeah, doing God's work.
Speaker 2:Man, that, or how do I say this? Like a stat came out that said that you know people that come to faith in Christ as teenagers, young kids and teenagers live out their faith throughout the rest of their lives, and it's a little more difficult for much older folks to come to Christ, although they do, and I'm encouraging you if you have not yet, while you're still breathing, please come to the Lord, just ask Him if what we're saying is true, man, and come into your life and forgive you of your sin and live through you. I'm telling you how hard is that. Stop being so stubborn. Give Him a chance. Alright, and uh. That's the end of this episode. We'll get back to it next week if the Lord tarries, but until then, may the Lord bless you and keep you. The Lord make his face to shine upon you and be gracious to you. The Lord lift up his countenance upon you.
Speaker 3:This program was made possible by the Plays on Word family of supporters. To find out more, check out our website at playsonwordorg.
