By Joey Johnston

Jane Castor, the City of Tampa’s 59th mayor, knows how to back into a crowded lane, establish her position and achieve a goal.

She knows how to soar high and drive home her point with authority.

She gets people motivated. She plays well with others. More often than not, she wins.

Castor, best known for her burgeoning political career and her acclaimed stint as Tampa’s chief of police, is a former athlete. In fact, she’s a member of the University of Tampa’s Athletic Hall of Fame, official notice that she was one of the best ever to play for the Spartans.

In basketball, she was a 6-foot center, a nearly unstoppable terror down low who packed some lethal elbows while also running the floor effectively and occasionally depositing a soft 10-foot jumper from the baseline.

In volleyball, she was an intimidating middle blocker, a force at the net who could thwart a rally or decisively end a point.

“The impact the University of Tampa had on me was really incalculable,” Castor said. “The life skills, the way you learn dedication and work ethic, are unmatched. How to win and lose gracefully — although I always said I never got the losing part quite right — and how to get along with others, which is a woefully under-appreciated skill.

 “And, of course, I met so many wonderful people, got an education and earned a college degree. Whatever I became in my life was set up through my UT experience.”

Castor, who played at UT from 1977-81, had 1,055 points and 508 rebounds, ranking as one of four UT women’s basketball players to record 1,000 career points and 500 rebounds. She was also all-state in volleyball.

“Jane was a great one and I think that’s pretty obvious,” said Betty Lambert, the coach who recruited Castor to UT. “But the person she has become, you could see it then. Very special. A leader. A hard worker. Just programmed for success in every way. It wasn’t hard to identify that.”

Castor emerged during the infancy of girls prep sports in Hillsborough County, when a federal law known as “Title IX” opened the door of opportunity for female athletics. She became a two-sport star at Chamberlain High School — all-conference, all-county, all-state, all-everything.

And in an era before the NCAA staged a Women’s Basketball Tournament — before a spectacle such as the Women’s Final Four could even be imagined — Castor chose the UT Spartans.

“It’s probably more accurate to say they chose me,” Castor said. “I love Tampa. It’s my home. This was a local university. It was the best offer, a full ride. So that was it.”

Castor and East Bay guard Lelani Gordon were part of the historic occasion, becoming the first female players in the county to sign basketball scholarships. Gordon arrived at the office of UT athletic director Bob Birrenkott, her entire family in tow. Castor showed up solo in her orange Volkswagen.

“I had played against Jane in high school, of course, but didn’t know her personally,” said Gordon, who has retired from the Hillsborough County School District after a 35-year career as a teacher and coach. “That was my introduction to her. From that moment on, we pretty much hung out nonstop.

“The Jane of then and the Jane of today, well, they are pretty similar. Jane was one of the most fair-minded people ever. Such an incredible sense of right or wrong. Such integrity. She would never mistreat anyone. Most people say or do dumb things at some point. Jane never got on that side. She was always a standup person. Everyone knew that.”

Everyone also knew that Castor was a born leader.

“I thought it was perfect when Jane went into law enforcement because she was tough, yet she could always compartmentalize and find humor in tough situations,” said former UT player Linda Hadfield Catanach, who was a Spartan freshman when Castor was a senior. “I remember being on the line, running suicides, and everybody was grumpy. Jane would say something and everyone would burst out laughing. After that, it wasn’t a big deal.”

Back then, UT women’s basketball played at the antiquated Howell Gym, where rodents frequented the rafters, the roof sometimes leaked and the outdoor temperature was felt on the indoor court.

“We were the only team to get rained out of an indoor basketball game,” Castor said with a laugh. “The place was freezing cold in the winter. They’d put up these giant heaters on the side of the court, then that heat would come across and we’d be burning up.

“Those are fond memories. I loved every minute of it. It was our gym, our home, our team. The coaches and players were in it together. I think we thrived in a small, very cohesive environment like that.”

For Castor, there was never a thought of continuing her athletic career at the professional level. Those opportunities were limited.

“It’s easy to wonder what would happen if I were to come out, say, nowadays,” Castor said. “But with the way the game has advanced, with the level of athleticism that exists now, I’m not sure there would be a place for me.”

Castor soon joined Tampa’s police force, using her people skills to walk the inner-city beat, then move up through the organization, all the way to police chief.

After retiring from the force, then serving as a consultant, she successfully ran for mayor in 2018.

“It couldn’t have happened to a better person,” Gordon said. “She loves Tampa. And Tampa loves her. This is her town. It’s a tough job to have, but Jane is always going to do what’s right for the city. That’s just who she is.”

Castor said she thinks of herself as a “basketball player who also played volleyball.” Basketball is really where she made her name and she still enjoys playing against her sons or working at a camp.

“You can play basketball by yourself or go all the way up to five-on-five full court,” Castor said. “That’s the great thing about it.”

But volleyball also has a large piece of her heart.

She recently spoke at a Harvard University symposium. Using an athletic analogy, she talked about the satisfaction of the perfect volleyball kill shot.

“I was talking to these guys, saying when you time it perfectly and slam that ball, nobody has a chance to react and you’re all jacked up, there’s nothing like that,” Castor said.

“They were looking at me, eyes bugged out. They were like, ‘Get away from her. She’s crazy.’ ”

Still crazy for sports?

Definitely.

“I grew up playing sports and by the time I came of age in high school and college, it was the opportunity of a lifetime for me,” Castor said. “It opened all the doors that have gotten me to where I am today.

“I always said the only thing boys wanted from me in high school was my letter sweater. I had more (awards) on my sweater than anybody else. I was pretty well accepted and didn’t encounter a great deal of discrimination. I could just be me.”

And on the court, that was more than enough.

A few years back, Castor took her son to a UT camp. The son ran to her with a gasp.

“Mama, come quick, your picture is up there,” the son said at the Martinez Sports Center.

It was Castor’s display for the UT Athletic Hall of Fame. Her son wanted to know why a statistical number was printed below the photo.

“I proudly said, ‘Well, I scored 1,000 career points,’ ” Castor said. “Then he said without hesitation, ‘Oooh, Mama, you didn’t pass the ball?’

“I’m like, ‘That’s it for you, boy. No more camps.’ ”

The son — and everyone who has encountered Castor — obviously knows better than that.

As the police chief, as the mayor and certainly as an athlete, she has been nothing but a team player. Naturally, though, her skill is that of a shooting star.

“As teammates, we knew Jane wouldn’t steer us wrong,” Gordon said. “And the same now goes for the citizens of Tampa. It’s good to have someone like that in charge.”

Joey Johnston has worked in the Tampa Bay sports media for more than three decades, winning multiple national awards while covering events such as the Super Bowl, World Series, Final Four, Wimbledon, the U. S. Open, the Stanley Cup Finals and all the major bowl games. But his favorite stories have always been about Tampa Bay Area teams and athletes. A third-generation Tampa native, he was a regular in the Tampa Stadium stands at University of Tampa football games.