Cathy Rush Story 'The Mighty Macs' Unfolds in Theaters
Cathy Rush, raised in a Protestant home, never imagined that she would coach the first women’s college basketball championship winning team at a Catholic school or that that the story would be broadcast in over 1,000 big screens nationwide.
However, over a 40-year time period these dreams have turned into a reality and she is sharing them with the world.
“I was a 60s woman who came from a very conservative Protestant family. We didn't have big dreams,” Rush explained before the Philadelphia world premiere of “The Mighty Macs,” a film based on her historical tale. “Part of this movie is that dreams are for everybody. Everybody’s dreams don't come true but even in dreaming and aspiring you become a better version of yourself.”
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The historic former Immaculata College basketball coach said she owed watching her dreams unfold onto the big screen to Tim Chambers, the film’s writer, director and producer.
“[Tim Chambers] really invested seven full years of his life and i couldn't be prouder of the movie," Rush said.
Chambers, an entertainment executive who watched his brother direct a Disney film fell in love with the idea of creating a motion picture of Cathy’s life after being approached by Immaculata University’s director of marketing and communications.
Growing up in Philadelphia, Chambers was familiar with the groundbreaking Mighty Macs championship team. Much like other known sports films, Chambers said his film is about much more than championship trophies.
“The Mighty Macs isn’t about basketball, it’s about the equality of dreams and how a young coach would not only unite a team but also change a generation of young women,” Chambers said.
Rush said she cried after watching some scenes being reenacted and the entire cast said the film touched them.
Margaret Anne Florence, the actress who played Mighty Mac’s team member Rosemary Keenan, was sure Rush’s story would inspire all audiences.
“It’s a universal story. It’s an underdog story about the equality of dreams. Anyone can enjoy it whether or not you play basketball in college, whether or not you play sports at all,” Florence told The Christian Post. “It’s a woman's team but men can enjoy it. It's truly a universal story for the whole family."
