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A resolution honoring the life and trailblazing accomplishments of Dr. and Coach Catana Starks.
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WHEREAS, the Metropolitan Sports Authority and the Metropolitan Council of Nashville and Davidson County is participating in a year-long celebration of the 50th anniversary of Title IX on June 23, 2022, and desires to recognize Nashvillians who have made not only a significant and long-lasting impact as an athlete, but have also opened doors, removed barriers, and encouraged participation in sports for girls and women; and
WHEREAS, the LGBTQ Caucus of the Metropolitan Council recognizes Coach Starks' important part of LGBT history in the state of Tennessee and Nashville; and
WHEREAS, in 1986, Tennessee State University (TSU) needed to meet NCAA Title IX requirements, which required the university to end the Baseball and Men's Swimming and Diving programs. TSU was required to add other women sport programs and also desired to include Men's Golf; and
WHEREAS, Dr. Catana Starks was asked to become the Head Coach of the new Men's Golf team, and was not only the first woman to coach a Division I men's college athletic team, but also the first Black woman to coach a Division I men's college team; and
WHEREAS, Starks coached the TSU golf team from 1986 until 2005, and had such a meager budget upon the founding of the golf program that she went one full year without pay; and
WHEREAS, Coach Starks went above and beyond normal coaching duties and personally drove her team to tournaments, often arranged for her players to stay overnight at the homes of people they knew to save money, or slept three to four players per room to save on hotel fees for travel games. She also personally washed the team's clothes, and balanced a full-time teaching load with her coaching duties; and
WHEREAS, Coach Starks recruited players internationally in order to boost the team's profile and coached people of all socio-economic backgrounds, opening new doors to the game, and creating an ...
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