Catchings Continues Legacy Of Impacting Others

By Kyle Williams
UT Media Relations

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. -- Tennessee Lady Volunteers basketball legend and international ambassador of the game Tamika Catchings returned to Knoxville recently to speak at a dinner benefitting the UT Health Science Center Department of Audiology and Speech Pathology.

The dinner, which was held at The Foundry at the World's Fair Park, welcomed young athletes, members of the local community and some of Catchings' former coaches at Tennessee. While a prominent VFL like Catchings making an appearance at her alma mater always provides fans with fond memories of her career on the court, the event served as an opportunity for her to share her inspiring story of overcoming a hearing impairment while developing a lifelong love for basketball.

In her speech, Catchings revisited the experiences of going through part of elementary school wearing hearing aids. While constant teasing from classmates made each day a challenge and even led to her throwing her hearing aids away in third grade, Catchings feels that it was her discovering of sports that gave her the mentality that if she outworked the other kids, they wouldn't be able to make fun of her. Perhaps it was that thrill of competitive success that allowed Catchings to remodel her academic approach, as she then began to immerse herself fully in her schoolwork, even without the hearing aids.

"Every day, I would sit in the front row," Catchings said. "Then, I would stay after class, because when the teacher was turned to the board during class, I wasn't able to read his lips."

Compensating for not having full hearing became a practice that Catchings took on with the same passion she has for basketball. To stay one step ahead of her class, for example, she would read chapters ahead in the textbooks. As high school approached and as she continued to excel on the court, that same focus and relentless work ethic mixed with a natural talent caught the eye of the late Lady Vols legendary coach Pat Summitt.

When Catchings arrived at UT, it did not take her long to understand that her inspirational story did not exempt her from the intensity of Summitt's practices. However, even after winning the 1998 national championship in undefeated fashion, perhaps the most important moment shared between the two came in Catchings' freshman year, during a meeting in the team training room.

"Pat sat me down and said, 'what do people do when they can't see? They get glasses. What do people do when they can't walk? They can get a cane or a wheelchair. Now, what do people do when they can't hear?'," Catchings said. "I was like, 'Alright, you got me.'"

With Summitt's convincing, she agreed to use hearing aids once again, and spent time over the following three years working with a speech therapist. It was there where Catchings began to learn about the audiology and speech pathology community and sparked a desire to reach out to people who have gone through similar experiences.

It did not take long after her graduation from UT for Catchings to make that goal a reality. In 2004, she founded the Catch The Stars foundation, a charity organization that offers fitness clinics and literacy programs for underprivileged children.

However, even with a professional athlete's schedule and her own foundation, Catchings' contact with Tennessee's programs never ended during her career. Proceeds from Friday's event were shared between the Tamika Catchings Endowed Scholarship Fund, which supports the UTHSC Audiology & Speech Pathology graduate students, and the Tamika Catchings Amplification Assistance Fund, which supports UTHSC Hearing & Speech Center patients in need. Following her speech, a live auction was held for a chance to participate in a youth basketball clinic led by Catchings.

During her playing career, Catchings left a mark on the game that few other players have. A four-time All-American for the Big Orange, she was named Naismith College Player of the Year and AP Player of the Year in 2000. After graduating in 2001, Catchings remains ranked in the top five for points and rebounds in program history.

The next 15 years for Catchings were spent in an Indiana Fever jersey, where she became a 10-time WNBA all-star and 2011 league MVP. She has also earned four gold medals while representing the United States at the Summer Olympics. She retired from basketball in 2016 as the WNBA's career leader in regular season rebounds and steals, as well as postseason points and rebounds.

Catchings was introduced at the Oct. 27 dinner by long-time Voice of the Lady Vols, Mickey Dearstone. Dearstone was one of several people associated with University of Tennessee Athletics in attendance who had the opportunity to get to know Catchings as a person in addition to watching her play. While her talent has inspired millions of young athletes around the world in overcoming a physical impairment, it is what she has done for communities away from the game that Lady Vols coach Holly Warlick believes is her greatest achievement.

"Her impact would be felt even if she never played a game of basketball," Warlick said. "What she said tonight, sharing her experience, it shows us all what kind of person Tamika Catchings is. She's just awesome."

This story is part of the University of Tennessee's 225th anniversary celebration. Volunteers light the way for others across Tennessee and throughout the world.

Learn more about UT's 225th anniversary

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