Overcome It: Fort Wayne Native & Two-Time Plane Crash Survivor Austin Hatch Gives Inspirational Talk to Local Students
Parkview Sports Medicine is honored to welcome home Austin Hatch to give his powerful Overcome It talk to high school and college athletes across the region, as well as PSM staff. Austin, a former Canterbury High School and University of Michigan basketball player who survived two separate plane crashes in childhood, will share his uncommon journey of overcoming adversity through the G.R.I.T. framework: Growth Mindset, Resilience, Integrity, & Team-First Mentality.
Student-athletes from Northrop, Snider, South Side, Wayne, Concordia, New Haven, Woodlan, Huntington North, Churubusco, Columbia City, Wabash, Antwerp, Bryan and Edon high schools plus University of Saint Francis and Indiana Tech listened to Austin's message and meet him during a special morning at PSM Fieldhouse. Later in the day, Austin spoke to leaders from Parkview Health at the Parkview Mirro Center.
Austin grew up in Fort Wayne, becoming a basketball star at Canterbury High School. At age 8 in 2003, Austin survived a plane crash in Wells County, Indiana, that took the lives of his mother, his sister and brother.
As a sophomore (2010-11), Austin led Canterbury to its first-ever sectional championship and was named The News-Sentinel Prep Sports Player of the Year and All-State Honorable Mention by the Indiana Basketball Coaches Association. Austin was being recruited by powerhouse NCAA Division I programs, and committed to Michigan in the summer before his junior year. Nine days later, in June of 2011, Austin was critically injured in another plane crash in Charlevoix, Michigan, that took the lives of his father, his stepmother, and the family dog.
Years of a grueling recovery followed, but Austin would return to the court his senior year at Loyola High School in Los Angeles, where he moved to live with other family. All along, Michigan honored his scholarship offer, which he signed in 2013. Austin played a total of five minutes over five games for the Wolverines, scoring his lone collegiate point on a memorable free throw at Crisler Center on December 23, 2014. He ended his playing career after two seasons with the Wolverines, but became a undergraduate assistant coach through a medical scholarship for two more seasons. At Michigan, Austin was part of two Big Ten Tournament championships and the 2016 NCAA National Runner-Up.
Austin lives in Michigan with his wife, Abby (a former All-America volleyball player at Michigan), and their two kids. Austin travels the country giving his Overcome It talk to schools, corporations and community groups. Find more at www.austin-hatch.com.