About the Campaign
Over the past five years, the Big 12 Champions for Life campaign has featured the life-changing stories of over 300 student-athletes and university alumni. The young women and men given the opportunity to earn a scholarship and compete in their chosen sport embody the defining characteristics of a champion: leadership, perseverance, community service, and discipline. These leaders have used their platforms and voices to stand up for what they believe in, inspiring their teammates and communities – and creating change. The stories and updates from current and former student-athletes representing each of the conference’s ten universities will be shared throughout the 2020-21 academic year. Serving as a role model in their time while on campus and beyond graduation, each of the student-athletes selected in the campaign truly encapsulates what being a champion for life is all about.
STUDENT-ATHLETES

@Big12CFL
. @WVUWBB’s @maddyball4life has worked hard and set goals for herself, including playing professional basketball and eventually become a Division I head basketball coach.
In the short term, she wants to graduate with a 3.5 or higher and be selected to the All-Big 12 First Team. https://t.co/6CFT0evl8x

One of the top 3-point shooters in @CycloneMBB history, @Theiceman_21 has gone on to a successful career with the @Raptors and has continued to use his platform to amplify mental health. #ChampionsForLife
📹: https://t.co/YmnGFUOYsd https://t.co/6ZxBYg6pvI
A pro basketball player, @TCUBasketball's @bpthatruth has also interned at @DallasZoo & the Cheetah Conservation Fund in Namibia, furthering his passion for conservation.
Parrish left TCU with an NIT Championship, playing 136 games with the team.
📹: https://t.co/FlHd1DIYvd https://t.co/kGKjd5rBYU

“Never think it cannot happen to you.”
2019-20 Big 12 Newcomer of the Year @TashaMack04 is already @OSUWBB's all-time career shot block leader, hitting the mark in just 46 games with the program.
#ChampionsForLife https://t.co/7VKaLFgF4g

A 2-time First Team All-Big 12 recipient, @TexasWBB alum Ariel Atkins scored in double figures in 81 of 121 career games.
Atkins, a first-round pick by the @WashMystics who helped the team win the 2019 @WNBA Championship, has been a voice for change.
📹: https://t.co/UCax3YwA3W https://t.co/jaHDKtv0jy

“I allow myself to live in the present. Comparison can be the thief of joy and cause us to lose focus over things we can control.”
Diagnosed with leukemia in 2018, @TexasMBB's @DrewdotCash completed his final cancer treatment in September 2019 and has a new approach to life. https://t.co/K2D9vrlU0V

. @buddyhield ended his @OU_MBBall career as the @Big12Conference's all-time leading scorer with 2,291 points.
Hield now plays for the @SacramentoKings, recently becoming the fastest player in @NBA history to reach 800 3-pointers.
#ChampionsForLife
📹: https://t.co/IqbaEvrv1U https://t.co/K8qHDYfvT9

“I want to become a counselor for young inner-city kids who are on their way to play college sports. Helping kids from those areas prepare mentally for college is so important to me."
@TCUWbasketball's @MichyLovesyuh wants to use her experiences to give back.
#ChampionsForLife https://t.co/laqMJNNbma

A published poet, @WNBA player, law student, mental health advocate, and founder of Hoops and Hope Foundation, @TexasWBB alum @imanitrishawn_ is passionate about using her platform to educate and inspire positive change.
#HookEm | #ChampionsForLife
📹: https://t.co/mjAiNws1F6 https://t.co/RdDUnxA4Ze

𝙏𝙧𝙖𝙞𝙡𝙗𝙡𝙖𝙯𝙚𝙧: 𝙂𝙚𝙤𝙧𝙜𝙚𝙖𝙣𝙣 𝙒𝙚𝙡𝙡𝙨
Known as "The Mother of Dunk" and standing at 6-foot-7-inches tall, the former @WVUWBB Mountaineer became the first woman to dunk in a college basketball game.
#BlackHistoryMonth https://t.co/RANRruUE0b

"My sport taught me work ethic, how to deal with tough situations, and how to come out on top."
@OU_Wrestling alum and former national champion @CodyBrewer_133 is now passing along what he learned as an assistant coach for @HokiesWrestling.
📹: https://t.co/4h2DJYuDXW https://t.co/CyyFDix31H

. @bridgecarleton had a storied career with @CycloneWBB, named Big 12 Player of the Year in 2019.
She's continued her success on the court with @CanBball and @MinnesotaLynx. She is also co-author of the book “Women for the Win.” #ChampionsForLife
📹: https://t.co/ZLaVEhfYgt https://t.co/vxClNc0Uxn

𝙏𝙧𝙖𝙞𝙡𝙗𝙡𝙖𝙯𝙚𝙧: 𝙎𝙖𝙡𝙡𝙮 𝙆𝙞𝙥𝙮𝙚𝙜𝙤
A native of Kenya, @TechAthletics' Kipyego was a 9-time Big 12 Champion and the first Black woman to win the NCAA Cross Country Championship in 2006.
More on her inspiring journey ➡️ https://t.co/12AVmBNZJF
#BlackHistoryMonth https://t.co/4xDF14gK0X

𝙏𝙧𝙖𝙞𝙡𝙗𝙡𝙖𝙯𝙚𝙧: 𝙅𝙖𝙘𝙠 𝙏𝙧𝙞𝙘𝙚
Joining the football and track teams in 1922, Trice was the first Black player to play any sport for @CycloneATH.
Read the letter he wrote the night before his second football game ➡️ https://t.co/12AVmBwol5
#BlackHistoryMonth https://t.co/nbA4bh9gXE

𝙏𝙧𝙖𝙞𝙡𝙗𝙡𝙖𝙯𝙚𝙧: 𝙋𝙧𝙚𝙣𝙩𝙞𝙘𝙚 𝙂𝙖𝙪𝙩𝙩
The first Black football player on scholarship at @OU_Football played in the @NFL for 7 years before coaching while earning his Ph.D. in psychology. He then started a career in athletics administration.
#BlackHistoryMonth https://t.co/rUQeJ5We5F

A two-time All-Big 12 recipient, @KStateMBB alum @deanwade3232 is now a member of the @cavs organization.
📹: https://t.co/G9azbfNEWb https://t.co/mDqgFPZS1Z

Named @Big12Conference Player of the Year, @KUHoops alum @Devonte4Graham averaged 17.6 points and 7.2 assists per game as a senior.
Graham was selected in the second round of the 2018 @NBA Draft and now plays for the @hornets. https://t.co/uC0zgfShLz
We asked various @TCU_Athletics alumni to share their biggest accomplishments with us!
Hear from former @TCUWbasketball players @jadaabu @aichendao
and @heyitsjmo_, as well as @TCUTrackField's @leboganglebente and @TCUWomensGolf's Kelly McGovern.
#ChampionsForLife | #GoFrogs https://t.co/MN8AehgRop