Seton community mourns passing of coach Tate, 35
She played on Chandler title teams in ’99, 2000
Tiffany Tate, who left a lasting impression on Chandler Seton Catholic’s state championship girls basketball teams with her courage and toughness, died Saturday. She was 35.
Tate, who played a key role on Chandler High’s back-to-back state championship teams in 1999 and 2000, battled cystic fibrosis since birth. She underwent two double-lung transplant surgeries in 2011 and 2014, and in the past couple of years, battled cancer.
“I am devastated by the loss of my dear friend and colleague,” Seton head girls basketball coach Karen Self said in an email. “Tiff was the heart and soul of our program.
“Her ability to overcome incredible odds, time and again, proved to be an inspiration for a decade of players. Tiff lived her life to the fullest with amazing toughness and grit. I will forever miss her sense of humor . ... Tiff’s impact on our community is immeasurable.”
Tate was a lead assistant to Self for seven state-championship teams, dating to the 2009-10 season.
Tate’s story was chronicled by
in 2010 when she needed a double lung transplant surgery to stay alive but, in a cost-cutting move, lung transplants were among those that the Arizona Health Care Cost Containment System would no longer pay for.
She wasn’t able to raise funds for the surgery, but the state funding for the transplant was restored and Tate received new lungs in April 2011 in Tucson.
Cancer returned after Seton beat Tucson Pueblo in the spring for the state championship. With her lungs once again showing signs of rejection, chemotherapy and radiation took a toll.
In the last few weeks of Tate’s life, Self started a GoFundMe page to help Tate’s family with hospital and funeral expenses.