Southern Arkansas University Athletics

Our final induction tonight is a rare one. In the previous 21 years of the SAU Sports Hall of Fame, only three teams have ever been inducted into the University’s hallowed athletics hall. When you talk about a group of trailblazers for women’s athletics at Southern Arkansas University, Dr. Margaret Downing’s 1975-76 and 1976-77 Riderette Basketball Teams must start the conversation. 

Not only are these two teams just the fourth and fifth teams inducted into the hall, but the 1975-76/1976-77 Riderette Women's Basketball teams make history in this year's induction class as the first women's team(s) to be inducted into the Southern Arkansas University Sports Hall of Fame. 

The teams had an amazing and still unmatched two-year run led by their already inducted Hall of Fame coach, Dr. Margaret Downing, which saw the Riderettes compile a 40-7 overall record, going 20-4 in 1975-76, then following it up with a 20-3 overall record in 1976-77.  

In 1975-76, the team saw a 20-4 season while finishing 15-1 in AWISA Conference play and winning the AWISA tournament championship. After winning the conference championship, the Riderettes advanced to the regional tournament, where they lost the first game of the tournament. The women then battled their way back to win the consolation bracket of the regional tournament, upsetting Oklahoma State en route to winning.  

Four players from the team have also been previously inducted into the SAU Hall of Fame, including Sandra Haley Taylor, Rosemary Spigner Cloud, Janet Cooper Wood, and Sara Wooley. 

The 1976-77 team then saw a 20-3 overall season while going 17-1 in AWISA play, finishing as the AWISA regular season co-champions and the AWISA tournament runner-up. Their second 20-win record tied the previous record set just a year earlier of 20 wins, which remains today. The team was ranked second in the AWISA for 74.9 points per game and 55 defensive points per game.  

Three women were also All-AWISA honorees after the season, including Janet Cooper, Rosemary Spigner, and Sara Wooley. The team also saw two 300-point scorers in Janet Cooper, 371 points, 16.1 points per game, 23 games, and Rosemary Spigner, 329 points, 14.3 points per game, 23 games.  

1976-77 also saw the continuation of four consecutive AWISA titles spanning from 1973-77. Nine players played on both teams, and neither team finished lower than second place in the AWISA.