University of Tennessee Athletics
Olympians Made Here: DeeDee Trotter
February 11, 2021 | Track & Field
By Rachel Ward, UTSports.com
With the 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games (to be held in 2021) coming up this summer, Tennessee track & field will honor and recognize past Vols and Lady Vols who have taken their talents to previous Olympic Games. Prior to their success on the world's biggest stage for track and field, several UT athletes shattered records, gained NCAA and SEC titles and rose to the top of collegiate competition during their time on Rocky Top.
DeeDee Trotter (LVFL 2002-04)
During DeeDee Trotter's three seasons at Tennessee under the leadership of head coach J.J. Clark, she was a force to be reckoned with. As a freshman in 2002, Trotter quickly proved that she was a rookie who could make a difference as she traveled with the Lady Vols to both the NCAA Indoor and Outdoor National Championships. She earned her first two All-America honors as a leg on UT's sixth-place (indoor) and fourth-place (outdoor) 4x400-meter relay teams.
It was in Trotter's sophomore season that she started to turn heads, making her way to the top of the podium at the 2003 SEC Outdoor Championships in the 400-meter dash (51.65). Shortly after her gold-medal performance, Trotter traveled to Sacramento where she improved her time by nearly an entire second, placing third at the NCAA Championships in 50.66. Her 2003 performances led to Trotter receiving the Tennessee MVP and Most Improved team awards from the Lady Vols' coaching staff.
2004 is a year Trotter cannot forget – one marked by record-breaking performances and new chapters. During her last season on Rocky Top, this Lady Vol took bronze in the 400-meter at the NCAA Indoor Championships and was a part of the winning DMR team and fourth-place 4x4 squad, helping lead her teammates to a fourth-place overall finish nationally.
It was also during the 2004 outdoor season that Trotter experienced the moment she was working for, when she crossed the finish line ahead of the rest at the 2004 NCAA Outdoor Championships, becoming the Lady Vols' first national champion in the 400-meter dash (50.32). Trotter's performances as a Lady Vol still lay on Tennessee record books, and she continues to hold the indoor and outdoor program records in the 400-meter.
Trotter's 400-meter outdoor record isn't from her last NCAA Championships, but instead, a mark she achieved in her Olympic debut at the 2004 Games in Athens. Turning pro following her junior year, Trotter became the first Lady Vol to become a professional track & field athlete before graduation. Her 400-meter time at the Games, a swift 50.00, gave her a 5th-place finish in Athens. As a leg of Team USA's 4x400-meter relay team, Trotter capped her collegiate years by coming home with an Olympic gold medal. She also ended her collegiate years ranking fourth in the world in the 400-meter dash.
Trotter's professional career is further marked by a myriad of successes. A three-time World Champion in the 4x400-meter relay, three-time 400-meter U.S. Champion and three-time Olympian, it would look to an outsider like Trotter has not experienced any struggles along the way.
After her 2008 appearance in the Beijing Games, Trotter experienced a knee injury that resulted in recovery and set-back. Even though many thought this was the end of her career, Trotter knew she had more to showcase. It was during her 2012 season that Trotter got the stability she was looking for, traveling to the London Games where she captured her first individual Olympic medal with her third place 400-meter performance. After the years marked by uncertainty with her injury, Trotter's perseverance was recognized at the end of the 2012 season by receiving a nomination for "Breakthrough Performance of the Year" at the USA Track & Field Awards.
Currently, Trotter is an international motivational speaker, sharing her stories of triumph and comebacks with athletes and people who might be in the shoes she was once in – working to prove that against all odds and opinions, there is always more left to give.
Previous entries:
With the 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games (to be held in 2021) coming up this summer, Tennessee track & field will honor and recognize past Vols and Lady Vols who have taken their talents to previous Olympic Games. Prior to their success on the world's biggest stage for track and field, several UT athletes shattered records, gained NCAA and SEC titles and rose to the top of collegiate competition during their time on Rocky Top.
DeeDee Trotter (LVFL 2002-04)
During DeeDee Trotter's three seasons at Tennessee under the leadership of head coach J.J. Clark, she was a force to be reckoned with. As a freshman in 2002, Trotter quickly proved that she was a rookie who could make a difference as she traveled with the Lady Vols to both the NCAA Indoor and Outdoor National Championships. She earned her first two All-America honors as a leg on UT's sixth-place (indoor) and fourth-place (outdoor) 4x400-meter relay teams.
It was in Trotter's sophomore season that she started to turn heads, making her way to the top of the podium at the 2003 SEC Outdoor Championships in the 400-meter dash (51.65). Shortly after her gold-medal performance, Trotter traveled to Sacramento where she improved her time by nearly an entire second, placing third at the NCAA Championships in 50.66. Her 2003 performances led to Trotter receiving the Tennessee MVP and Most Improved team awards from the Lady Vols' coaching staff.
2004 is a year Trotter cannot forget – one marked by record-breaking performances and new chapters. During her last season on Rocky Top, this Lady Vol took bronze in the 400-meter at the NCAA Indoor Championships and was a part of the winning DMR team and fourth-place 4x4 squad, helping lead her teammates to a fourth-place overall finish nationally.
It was also during the 2004 outdoor season that Trotter experienced the moment she was working for, when she crossed the finish line ahead of the rest at the 2004 NCAA Outdoor Championships, becoming the Lady Vols' first national champion in the 400-meter dash (50.32). Trotter's performances as a Lady Vol still lay on Tennessee record books, and she continues to hold the indoor and outdoor program records in the 400-meter.
Trotter's 400-meter outdoor record isn't from her last NCAA Championships, but instead, a mark she achieved in her Olympic debut at the 2004 Games in Athens. Turning pro following her junior year, Trotter became the first Lady Vol to become a professional track & field athlete before graduation. Her 400-meter time at the Games, a swift 50.00, gave her a 5th-place finish in Athens. As a leg of Team USA's 4x400-meter relay team, Trotter capped her collegiate years by coming home with an Olympic gold medal. She also ended her collegiate years ranking fourth in the world in the 400-meter dash.
Trotter's professional career is further marked by a myriad of successes. A three-time World Champion in the 4x400-meter relay, three-time 400-meter U.S. Champion and three-time Olympian, it would look to an outsider like Trotter has not experienced any struggles along the way.
After her 2008 appearance in the Beijing Games, Trotter experienced a knee injury that resulted in recovery and set-back. Even though many thought this was the end of her career, Trotter knew she had more to showcase. It was during her 2012 season that Trotter got the stability she was looking for, traveling to the London Games where she captured her first individual Olympic medal with her third place 400-meter performance. After the years marked by uncertainty with her injury, Trotter's perseverance was recognized at the end of the 2012 season by receiving a nomination for "Breakthrough Performance of the Year" at the USA Track & Field Awards.
Currently, Trotter is an international motivational speaker, sharing her stories of triumph and comebacks with athletes and people who might be in the shoes she was once in – working to prove that against all odds and opinions, there is always more left to give.
Previous entries:
T&F | NCAA Indoor Championships Meet Recap (3.14.26)
Wednesday, March 18
Everything Orange S3 l Ismaila Sawaneh (Track & Field)
Friday, March 06
T&F | SEC Indoor Championships Meet Recap (2.28.26)
Saturday, February 28
T&F | Tyson Invitational Meet Recap (2.14.26)
Saturday, February 14
