by Troy Whigham, with Tina Caccavale and Susan Caccavale
It was a balmy day in south Florida; a great day to be outdoors. The sun was shining. The palms were swaying with a light tropical breeze. In local parlance, it was “a good beach day”.
But Tina Caccavale wasn’t going to the beach. She was looking for a place to park her truck at Dolphins Stadium. After all, she was a season-ticket holder and she was trying to get to the Miami Dolphins game before kick-off.
“I was having trouble finding parking and some guys moved their truck over for mine to fit right in next to theirs. I thanked them and this guy yelled out ‘Hey! You look like that girl Tina that plays football on that Lingerie League!’ I smiled and he said, ‘Yeah! I saw you killing them on the field! You’re like a Randy Moss out there, girl!’ It was great. Then all the kids and some of the guys were asking for my autograph. I had LFL flyers and a sharpie on me so I signed flyers for them. They loved it!”
It’s no wonder she was recognized. At the time, she led the LFL in tackles, receptions, and interceptions. It’s kind of hard to be incognito when your name is at the top of three charts, offensively and defensively, and the only LFL player to do so.
Getting to the top of three charts isn’t easy. Not even for a girl that plays like Randy Moss.
But Tina did it.
“Growing up with two older brothers, I played literally just about every sport. I played organized basketball, softball, hockey, soccer, volleyball, swimming, and flag football. There was a time when I played on three different teams at once and my parents would take me from one practice to the next on the same day.”
By the time she got to high school, she was playing basketball, softball, and volleyball on the varsity teams, starting all four years in all three sports at Plantation High. Her athleticism didn’t go unnoticed, and she was offered (and accepted) athletic scholarships in basketball and softball to Broward Community College and Nova Southeastern University, where she graduated with a degree from the university’s College of Dental Medicine.
A year later, she settled into her career as a dental assistant.
But when you’ve played college-level athletics in two sports, you tend to miss the feeling of competition and camaraderie that comes with playing a team sport.
And that’s when the LFL entered her life.
“I truly have a strong passion for football. I always have and always will. I have been playing organized flag and tackle football for nine years now. I also model in my spare time, so when I heard of models playing tackle football, I wanted to be on the team so bad. It’s right up my alley. I LOVE playing football!”
She went to try-outs. She stood in line. She filled out forms. She did the drills. It was worth it.
It was worth it because every good receiver needs a good quarterback to throw her the ball, and she was about to get the best one in the Eastern conference.
She was about to get Anonka Dixon.
“Having Anonka ‘Ms. Make It Happen’ Dixon as my QB has made me a better receiver because she has a ridiculously strong arm. Her throws are consistent and she’s a very smart player. She knows me well, and my speed, so she knows exactly where to place the ball to lead me to six more on the score board.”
So has Tina always been a talented athlete?
I asked her mom.
“She has two older brothers, Tony and Paul, and all our kids are 18 months apart, so when they played there already was competition between them. The boys were active in sports – baseball and football mostly – and Tina was always at the park with us for practices and games as Bob and I did a lot of coaching for the kids leagues. Tina was always practicing playing whatever sport we were into during the year, and she was always good. She had a natural perseverance to be as good as her older brothers!”
Any good stories?
“Tina was signed up for coach-pitch baseball, and she was the only girl in the whole league. She was ready to go to bat and my husband spoke up and said to the head coach, ‘You better back the outfield out further.’ The head coach thought that was funny and said, ‘Sure, Dad’ with a chuckle. Then the ball was pitched. Tina wailed it over the outfielders’ heads and ran the bases for a HOMERUN! The first of the team to do it. After the season, when they composed an All-Star team, they approached the head coach and said ‘We want that girl Tina and any other 2 boys you got!’”
In a word, how would you describe your daughter?
”Describing Tina in one word was a tough one, but her father an I agreed: AMBITIOUS. We have always taught her to ‘Never give up’ and ‘Try, try your hardest at everything you do’. And Tina truly has always loved sports and whether it is in her endeavors of life or on a field, she has always been ambitious and never gives up.”
Ambition. Perseverance. Never give up. The very same qualities that lead a person to success in any task put before them; the same qualities that would put a player on the All-Whigham team.
Ms. Caccavale, welcome.
Long live sport.
I READ THE STORY ABOUT TINA AND WAS QUITE IMPRESSED. WAY TO GO TINA.