Former UNCG Hoopster Makes Another Exciting Assist

If you attended a UNCG Women’s Basketball game in the early-mid 1970s, you likely would have seen Rita Wiggs ‘75, jersey number 33, helping push the team to victory with record-setting scores. Since graduating (and having her number retired), she has continued her passion for basketball, coaching at several institutions before becoming the first full-time commissioner of the USA South Athletic Conference, where she would serve for 16 years.

Now she is celebrating this formative time at UNCG with a $214,000 gift across three funds supporting UNCG School of Health and Human Sciences (HHS) students and student-athletes.

The gift establishes the Rita Wiggs Athletics Scholarship Endowed Fund, with $100,000, and commits $14,000 and $100,000 to the Bobby and Hazel Wiggs Scholarship in HHS and the Physical Education Class of 1975 Scholarship Fund, respectively. The additional contribution to the Bobby and Hazel Wigs scholarship joins the existing $86,000 that established the fund, for a total endowment of $100,000 for each of the three funds.

As Wiggs explains, the gift is three-pronged to honor her parents’ impact on her life, her graduating class at UNCG, and the importance of Spartan athletics to her time as a student.

“Throughout my playing and professional career,” she said, “I realized the importance of supporting women in athletics and first generation students overall. As the costs of college has increased year after year, providing financial assistance has become essential in assisting these students in attaining their education goals.”

Her career average of 18.45 ppg is still the all-time top of any UNCG player, regardless of gender.

In her four years at UNCG, Wiggs led the Spartans to success at a time when there was much less recognition of women’s collegiate athletics in America. Highlights of her time playing for the Spartans include the team’s advancing to the AIAW Regional Tournament in 1972, participation in the 1973 University Games training camp, and membership on the USA Regional All-Star team that in 1974 played against the USSR national squad.

Earning all-state honors as a junior and senior, she held UNCG’s career scoring record for a decade after graduation, and she is one of only three women’s basketball players in school history to lead her team in scoring in all four seasons. Her career average of 18.45 ppg is still the all-time top of any UNCG player, regardless of gender. In 2008, her achievements were honored by her jersey being placed in the Fleming Gym rafters alongside the numbers of the University’s other celebrated players.

“I loved basketball,” she says, “I just had a passion for the sport. I was probably at my happiest playing.”

The Rita Wiggs Athletics Scholarship Endowed Fund will provide scholarships for women student-athletes, while the Bobby and Hazel Wiggs scholarship supports an undergraduate HHS student and the Class of 1975 fund is part of a group effort for the class’s coming 50th reunion to help fund kinesiology students from historically underprivileged or first-generation households.

“Rita’s gift,” said Vice Chancellor of Advancement Beth Fischer, “will help ensure HHS students and student-athletes have the support they need to excel at UNCG.”

This gift is an important contribution to the Light the Way campaign. Learn more at lighththeway.uncg.edu. To learn about planned endowments, visit the Office of Planned Giving at uncggiftplanning.org.

By Vivian Campbell
Courtesy photography

Top photo: mid-1970s UNCG women‘s basketball team. Wiggs is number 33.