If there was a Mount Rushmore of Butler basketball, Thad Matta would be on it.
Thad was a star guard for the Bulldogs in the late ‘80s, then stuck around to learn the coaching ropes. After serving as an assistant under Barry Collier, he became head coach in 2000. His success propelled him to Xavier and then Ohio State, where he led the Buckeyes to two Final Fours.
Now Matta is back as Butler’s head coach, and ready to return Butler’s storied basketball program to the national spotlight. Meanwhile, behind the scenes, Matta and his wife, Barbara, are making an investment in Butler that will reverberate well beyond the basketball court.
Last year, the Mattas established a planned gift that will provide financial support to Butler for generations to come. While a portion of the gift will go toward athletics, a significant part will also benefit the College of Education.
“By putting Butler in our estate, we know we’re making a long-lasting impact,” Barbara said. “Even when we're gone, there'll be kids that will be able to become teachers or basketball players or doctors.”
Spreading the Sparkle
When you hear the name “Matta,” you may think “basketball,” but the discipline that defines the family is education. Thad and Barbara both had teachers for fathers, and they themselves both earned education degrees at Butler. Barbara taught for years before stepping away to raise their children. As a coach, Thad’s teaching skills are instrumental to his success.
As undergrads, Thad and Barbara spent a lot of time in the basement of Jordan Hall taking classes in the College of Education. There were no windows, but according to Barbara, the instructors were plenty illuminating. She forged lasting relationships with several of them, including Dr. Ena Shelley. “She taught me a lot about teaching,” Barbara said. “But she also taught me a lot about life.” Dr. Shelley went on to become Dean of the College of Education before retiring in 2019. But her friendship with Barbara continues to this day. “We meet for coffee over Zoom all the time,” Barbara said.
Dr. Shelley wasn’t the only professor who made an impact on Barbara’s life. She credits literacy teacher Sandra Pirkle with instilling in her the philanthropic spirit that motivates her charitable work. It happened when Pirkle introduced her to a children’s book called The Rainbow Fish. In the book, a fish with sparkly scales lives in a sea where all of the other fish lack sparkles. The Rainbow Fish begins giving their sparkles away, realizing that the key to a good life lies in sharing with others.
“That really stayed with me,” Barbara said. “It even helps explain our decision to include Butler in our estate. When you give, it does something special, you know?”
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‘When you give, it does something special.’
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Giving Back, The Butler Way
With Thad’s return to Butler, Thad and Barbara are excited to once again put down roots in a place that means so much to their family. Yet, in some ways, the Matta family never fully left. Their youngest daughter, Emily, is a senior at Butler; their oldest, Ali, graduated in 2020 with a degree in international studies.
With their return to campus, Thad and Barbara are both excited to get back to Hinkle Fieldhouse. But Barbara said she’s equally excited to visit other parts of Butler that have transformed in “unbelievable” ways. She’s especially impressed by the College of Education’s new home on South Campus, where future teachers get to study in large, light-filled classrooms decked out with state-of-the-art technology.
The Mattas are deeply interested in furthering Butler’s tradition of academic excellence. With their planned gift, they’ve ensured that future generations of Bulldogs will have the resources to become world-class educators. “When I was a student, Butler was producing some of the best teachers in the country,” Barbara said. “And that’s still true today.”
You could say Thad and Barbara’s generosity is a classic example of doing things The Butler Way. Thad certainly would. As far as he’s concerned, paying it forward comes with the territory of being a Bulldog. “Had I not gone to Butler, there's no way I could have gone on and done the things that I have done,” he said. “And if we can enhance students’ lives and Butler in terms of making it better and creating more opportunities for kids to get an education, we're all for that. After all, we know what it did for us.”
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Mike Eikenberry ‘95 | Executive Director, Major Gifts & Planned Giving | Butler University | (p)317-940-8940 | meikenbe@butler.edu
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