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Picture from a Facebook post by Odiemae Elliott’s daughter-in-law (Sean’s wife) Claudia Zapata at the time of Odeimae’s passing last July after a long battle with cancer.
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Some of the more memorable mothers of Arizona athletes that come to mind as we celebrate Mother’s Day …
Odiemae Elliott — You can tell where her son Sean Elliott — the best player to wear an Arizona uniform — got his classy ways. When interviewed on TV during Sean’s career at Arizona, the late Odiemae Elliott always appeared firm in her ways, yet also loving and caring — the ideal mother. In a 1999 column, after Sean’s brother Noel donated a kidney to essentially save the Arizona basketball legend’s life, former Tucson Citizen sports columnist Corky Simpson hit it on the head: “Sean has been a champion all along. He came by his fortitude and integrity honestly; Odiemae Elliott, his devoted mother, brought this guy up right.”
Arizona basketball great Joseph Blair with his mother Judith
Judith Blair — The mother of former Arizona hoops player Joseph Blair also made an incredible sacrifice — donating a kidney to save the life of Dr. Michael Burgoon, an Arizona professor, in 2001. Moreover, Judith had only a casual acquaintance with Burgoon, a communications professor who served as an academic counselor to recruits. She learned about his deteriorating health after battling the kidney and lupus disease for 21 years while talking to Burgoon’s wife at halftime of a basketball game. Judith offered a kidney on the spot. “God had once restored something to me, and I thought it was only right to restore something to Michael,” Judith told Simpson in a 2002 column. She was in the midst of stellar performances in the Senior Olympics in the 50-, 100- and 200-meter runs. She continued to compete after the transplant. Her giving ways has made an impact on Joseph’s life. Aside from serving as a graduate assistant at Arizona, he is very active with charity events in the Tucson community as the executive director of the Blair Charity Group.
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Site founder and award-winning sports journalist Javier Morales has published his first e-book, “The Highest Form of Living”, a fiction piece about a young man who overcomes a troubled upbringing without his lost father and wayward mother through basketball and hope. His hope is realized through the sport he loves. Basketball enables him to get past his fears. His experience on the court indirectly brings him closer to his parents in a unique, heartfelt way. Please order it at Amazon (for only $4.99) by clicking on the photo:
Tip of the Day:
"There's a reason some people think they can do anything…
They listened to their Mothers."
Happy Mothers Day
— Ricky Hunley (@rickyhunley) May 10, 2015
Happy Mother's Day to do all the incredible women out there. Hope you have a wonderful day!!
— Natalie Gulbis (@natalie_gulbis) May 10, 2015
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A picture Kevin Parrom posted this morning with his late mom Lisa Williams:
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Virginia Bibby with her son Mike on the evening he was drafted in the NBA in 1998 (Bibby family photo)
Virginia Bibby — While covering the Arizona basketball team during Mike Bibby’s two seasons in the program (1996-98), the presence of his mother Virginia was unmistakable. She drove to Tucson often from the Bibby home in Phoenix. She raised her son and three other children by herself. The impact on Mike’s life was obvious. Her strong will made her son psychologically strong enough to handle any challenge. “It really is amazing all the things she has done for us,” Mike told me during his freshman season in 1996-97, the year the Cats won the national title. “It’s unrealistic, really, to see my mother do so much so right And that’s one of the reasons I love her so much. She has always been there.” One fond memory of that season was the excitement of Bibby’s teammates knowing that when Virginia visited her son, she brought along a homemade meal.
Meekness LeCato raised her children, including Richard Jefferson, through modest means with a lot of faith.
Meekness LeCato — Richard Jefferson’s mother is a non-denominational Christian missionary who has taken her son and family to Africa for missionary work. She was a single mother with three young children living on welfare in Los Angeles. A 2004 New York Times article stated that her fortunes changed when she was taught in church to believe in Proverbs 18:21, the biblical verse that begins, “Death and life are in the power of the tongue.” She got off welfare after moving in 1986 to Phoenix with her kids. “I got a job right away in Phoenix, and every day I went to work confessing what I wanted,” she told the Times. “I was just using what God had said: ‘Death and life are in the power of the tongue.’ I try to be very, very selective with my words because they’re not idle words. Words are full of life and power.” LeCato also had that memorable comment after Jefferson chose Arizona over in-state rival ASU, saying that she did not like the fact “Devils” was part of ASU’s nickname.
The common bond between these mothers: They were all single mothers at one point during their children’s development.
More mothers of note:
— Former Arizona basketball player Kevin Parrom lost his mother Lisa Williams in October 2011. She passed after a two-year bout with cancer. He tweeted this morning: “Never gonna go a day without you. Fills me up just thinking about you. I’ll never go a day without my mama.”
— Abbie Britton, the mother of former Arizona offensive tackle Eben Britton, is a Columbia grad and journalist. She also is an entrepreneur who owns a yoga, indoor cycling and TRX studio in Jacksonville.
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Happy Mothers Day!!! pic.twitter.com/EsJPuFF3Jf
— Earl (@EarlMitchell90) May 10, 2015
Take a moment to relax and enjoy your day! Happy Mother's Day!!! pic.twitter.com/2voIayBmzD
— Niya Butts (@CoachButts) May 10, 2015
Happy Mother's Day to all them east coast moms … Love yours
— R.HollisJefferson (@RondaeHJ23) May 10, 2015
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— Nick Johnson’s mother, Michelle Mayland Johnson, is very supportive of her sons and very much in the public eye with that love on Facebook and Twitter. It’s obvious where Nick gets his kindness and respectful character.
— Amy Miller, Sean’s wife, is the mother of three sons — Austin, Cameron and Braden who are 18, 15 and 12, respectively. Her twitter handle is @abballwidow, a humorous touch on her life as a basketball coach’s wife. With her husband away on trips often for games, recruiting and meetings, Amy has filled the responsibility of taking care of their sons. Many times we only see a coach on the the surface. We don’t realize what really makes the man and the behind-the-scene factors involved that really allow him to thrive.
ALLSPORTSTUCSON.com publisher, writer and editor Javier Morales is a former Arizona Press Club award winner. He has also written articles for Bleacher Report and Lindy’s College Sports.
