Kyle “Gump” Cathcart did not enter Pat McAfee’s world through a traditional media. There was no journalism degree or long climb through a sports network. Cathcart was working a blue-collar job at a shipyard when his obsession with McAfee’s show eventually turned into something much bigger. Years later, he is one of the recognizable faces behind the program. Now, after seven years around McAfee, Cathcart has looked back on the decision that changed his life.

“Seven years ago today, I hung up my coveralls and work boots to chase a dream,” Cathcart wrote on his August 20 IG post as he shared several pictures showcasing his transition to become a recognizable figure. “Shoutout Pat McAfee for believing in me. Thankful for it all.”

Cathcart was working as a shipyard painter when he began calling into McAfee’s show with gambling picks. He became a familiar voice to the audience, and McAfee eventually invited him to Indianapolis to be around the show. That connection turned into a job, and Cathcart took a real chance on it. He left the shipyard for a show that, at the time, was nowhere near the size it is today. There was no ESPN deal waiting for him, and no guarantee that the move would work out.

It did. McAfee launched the show in 2019, built it into a major sports program, and took it to ESPN in 2023. ESPN and ESPN+ now carry the show, but McAfee still owns the production. Cathcart has been along for the ride since those early days.

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He became known on the show as Gump, or “Bubba Gumpino,” and eventually worked as a producer while also becoming part of the wider group surrounding McAfee. He has appeared on the program, helped with other Pat McAfee Inc. projects, and became involved with That’s Hockey Talk and the CONCAFA Soccer Show. There was even a point when his career with McAfee was put in serious jeopardy.

Cathcart, who is Canadian, ran into immigration problems that prevented him from returning to the United States. The situation became such a headache that fans started a petition calling for his permanent citizenship, arguing that his role on McAfee’s show was unique. McAfee did not simply forget about him while he was stuck away from the studio.

Cathcart eventually returned, and the Gump character became an even bigger part of the show’s universe. That makes the emotional message after seven years hit differently. McAfee himself had already walked away from the NFL in 2017 after an eight-year career with the Indianapolis Colts. He built his media career from scratch, first working with Barstool, then leaving to eventually turn his own show into a major sports media business.

His path followed a similar pattern. The difference is that he started from a shipyard. Today, he is working inside a production that has become a major part of ESPN’s sports lineup.