Tag Archives: Dr. Catana Starks

TSU remembers trailblazing golf coach Dr. Catana Starks

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (TSU News Service) – Dr. Catana Starks, a Tennessee State University alumna who became the first African-American woman to coach an all-men’s team at the collegiate level, is being remembered as a humble trailblazer whose legacy will live on in those she inspired.

Dr. Catana Starks

The history-making golf coach, whose story was made into a movie in which she was portrayed by Oscar nominee Taraji P. Henson, passed away Sunday at the age of 75.

“Our hearts are saddened by the passing of Dr. Catana Starks,” said TSU President Glenda Glover. “She was a trailblazer, a true champion, whose legacy will continue in all those she inspired, on and off the golf course. Dr. Starks epitomized the excellence that TSU strives to instill in all its students. The thoughts and prayers of the entire TSU family are with her family and loved ones.”

Starks coached the TSU men’s golf team from 1986 until 2005 when she led the Tigers to a National Minority Golf Championship. The team shot a record-setting 840 as a unit.

Starks returned to Nashville in 1980 to become the swimming coach for the Tigers. When TSU entered the Ohio Valley Conference, the athletic department dropped the swimming program to add golf and named Starks as the head coach.

During her time as a coach, Starks earned her doctorate degree, began teaching, and eventually became the department head of Human Performance and Sports Sciences at TSU.

Under her guidance, the team also produced Sean Foley, who went on to be Tiger Woods’ swing coach; Sam Puryear, who became the first African American men’s head golf coach in any major conference (Michigan State); and Robert Dinwiddie, an All-American who went on to play on the European professional tour.

Puryear called Starks a “true coach.”

“She was a true advocate and believer in the term student-athlete,” said Puryear. “She helped make me a better student, athlete and now coach. I am paying a lot of her messages and lessons forward.”

Former TSU golfer Eric Wilhite (1988-92) said Starks was “like a second mom for our entire golf team.”

“I have so many memories and learned a ton of life lessons that I continue to practice today,” said Wilhite. “Her dedication to the TSU golf program was amazing. But her commitment to develop us as men is what I appreciated the most. I am very grateful I had a chance to play for a special person and TSU Legend.”

In 2011, Starks’ story inspired the movie “From the Rough” starring the late Michael Clarke Duncan and Henson, who portrays a fictionalized version of Starks named Cassandra Turner. The character parlays a successful stint as coach of a women’s swim team at a historically black university into a shot at building a men’s golf team. With the availability of black players scarce, Turner scours Europe, Australia and Asia for hidden talent and constructs a uniquely multi-racial team.

Michael Critelli, a producer who helped develop the film’s story, said what stood out most about Starks when he talked to her was her humbleness.

“She was a very humble woman, who was very reluctant to talk about her many accomplishments,” said Critelli. “One of the of the biggest challenges I had constructing her life story for the film was that she would not brag about what she had done. I would have to find out about her achievements from other people.”

And it is through others, that Starks will live on, added Critelli.

“Her legacy is most pronounced in the many people she inspired, and who are inspiring others through her example,” he said.

 To learn more about golf at TSU and other sports, visit https://www.tsutigers.com/mgolf/.

Department of Media Relations

Tennessee State University
3500 John Merritt Boulevard
Nashville, Tennessee 37209
615.963.5331

About Tennessee State University

Founded in 1912, Tennessee State University is Nashville’s only public university, and is a  premier, historically black university and land-grant institution offering 39 bachelor’s degree programs, 24 master’s degree programs, and seven doctoral degrees.  TSU is a comprehensive research intensive institution with a R-2 Carnegie designation, and has a graduate school on its downtown Avon Williams Campus, along with the Otis Floyd Nursery Research Center in McMinnville, Tennessee.  With a commitment to excellence, Tennessee State University provides students  with a quality education in a nurturing and innovative environment that prepares them as alumni to be global leaders in every facet of society. Visit the University online at tnstate.edu.

Inspiring story of former TSU golf coach Dr. Catana Starks to air on BET cable channel

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (TSU News Service) – The inspiring story of former Tennessee State University golf coach Dr. Catana Starks will air on BET Her this weekend.

Poster from 2014 theatrical release

“From the Rough,” which highlights how Starks became the first woman to coach a men’s Division I golf team while at TSU, is scheduled for 8 p.m. Eastern on Saturday, Feb. 17, and 4 p.m. Eastern on Sunday, Feb. 18. BET Her, a spin-off of Black Entertainment Television, targets African American women.

“This is excellent,” says Starks. “I believe this will inspire young girls especially, and other people who may watch it, to really strive to do your very best at all times. Never give up. That was my motto.”

“From the Rough” was released in select theaters in 2014. Michael Critelli, a producer who helped develop the film’s story, says he’s excited about the new national exposure the movie is getting.

“This is almost like a re-launch of the film,” says Critelli. “It’s a movie that gets across a timeless theme … about people believing in themselves.”

In the film, Academy Award-nominated actress Taraji P. Henson portrays a fictionalized version of Starks named Cassandra Turner. The character parlays a successful stint as coach of a women’s swim team at a historically black university into a shot at building a men’s golf team. With the availability of black players scarce, Turner scours Europe, Australia and Asia for hidden talent and constructs a uniquely multi-racial team.

When Tennessee State University joined the Ohio Valley Conference in 1986, then-Athletic Director Bill Thomas traded the University’s swimming program for a men’s golf team and called on the leadership of Starks to guide the program. Starks then made history becoming the only African American woman in the nation to coach a men’s golf team.

Starks, who retired in 2011 as head of TSU’s Department of Human Performance and Sport Sciences, guided the team to a Division I record win for the National Minority Championship. Under her guidance, the team also produced the first African-American men’s head coach for Michigan State University (Sam Puryear) and an All-American, who is a member of the European Tour (Robert Dinwiddie).

“She gave me that guidance and that leadership that I needed, “ says Puryear, who currently has his own business, and teaches golf. “I give her a lot of credit for my success.”

 

Department of Media Relations

Tennessee State University
3500 John Merritt Boulevard
Nashville, Tennessee 37209
615.963.5331

About Tennessee State University

With more than 8,000 students, Tennessee State University is Nashville’s only public university, and is a comprehensive, urban, co-educational, land-grant university offering 38 bachelor’s degree programs, 25 master’s degree programs and seven doctoral degrees. TSU has earned a top 20 ranking for Historically Black Colleges and Universities according to U.S. News and World Report, and rated as one of the top universities in the country by Washington Monthly for social mobility, research and community service. Founded in 1912, Tennessee State University celebrated 100 years in Nashville during 2012. Visit the University online at tnstate.edu.