Inductees

The phone call came in to her house in 1976, with the folks at Drury University hoping she would join the athletic department.

Sue Rollins sensed it could be something special, and a chance to help grow women’s sports certainly piqued her interest.

After all, as a teen, she played fastpitch softball in the summers, intramurals for her high school since varsity sports weren’t afforded girls and had spent a decade after college teaching physical education.

“It was just perfect timing. Title IX had come in in 1972,” Rollins said, referring to the federal legislation requiring public schools and colleges to offer sports for women. “That was probably the biggest thing, from a legal standpoint. And so Drury started offering sports.”

Rollins eventually became one of the most important hires for Drury Athletics, and it’s why the Missouri Sports Hall of Fame proudly inducted her with the Class of 2025.

Put it this way, she played a major role for Drury for more than 30 years.

In 1978, she became the Coordinator of Women’s Athletics. At the time, Drury offered only two women’s sports, tennis and volleyball. However, she secured funding for full-time coaches, increased operating budgets and some limited scholarships.

In essence, she helped stabilize a program that was little more than an intramural program and transformed it into a legitimate college women’s athletic program.

Rollins steered its growth from the AIAW (Association of Intercollegiate Athletics for Women) to the NAIA, and she became a member of the original NAIA District 16 committee.

And, even after becoming Drury’s Dean of Continuing Studies in 1985, Rollins served on the athletics committee for years. In the early 2000s, she served as interim athletic director as athletic director Bruce Harger fell ill, and then led the program for a couple of years after his passing.

Along the way, Rollins helped move Drury into the NCAA Division II’s Great Lakes Valley Conference. She also earned master’s and doctorate degrees from the University of Missouri.

“I have been really blessed with good timing,” said Rollins, whose arrival followed Fran Salsman leaving ahead of the 1976 spring semester. Rollins was then hired full-time following the retirement of Louise Covington.

Rollins had graduated from Poplar Bluff High School in 1961, and then Missouri State University in 1965. She then taught physical education in the Moberly and Mountain Grove school districts, as she followed her husband, Don, a veterinarian.

So when Harding called, and then-basketball coach Edsel Matthews (MSHOF 2005) encouraged her to take the job, Rollins jumped at the chance.

She certainly had a love for sports and wanted to grow opportunities for women, considering Poplar Bluff didn’t offer varsity sports for girls. And, while Missouri State fielded women’s intramural teams during her college years, Rollins was too busy with school and part-time jobs.

At Drury, she became a trailblazer.

“We had volleyball teams that had never finished the season,” Rollins said. “We didn’t have any scholarships, so there was no leverage. They would go off to help with sororities.”

Rollins convinced Drury to offer athletic scholarship dollars for volleyball and tennis. She then made way for Barbara Cowherd (MSHOF 2016) to coach both, with Rollins serving on the NAIA District 16 committee.

“That was an exciting time. (Moving to NAIA) added a big distinction for our programs,” Rollins said. “I was impressed with how attentive the men were to our opinions and ideas. We had a lot of input.”

These days, Drury counts 12 varsity women’s sports, with Cowherd serving as Senior Woman’s Administrator in the late 1990s and 2000s while Rollins worked behind the scenes on the athletics committee.

“That gave me time back on the athletic side and communicate with our board of trustees,” Rollins said. “I had good rapport with our trustees, and they became more supportive of women’s sports.”

Drury added women’s swimming in 1988, and it has won 13 national titles. Women’s basketball joined in the fall of 2001, and the 2004 team earned a national runner-up.

Rollins credits as mentors Dr. Mary Jo Wynn (MSHOF Legend 2014), the pioneer of women’s athletics at Missouri State, as well as Harding and Matthews.

She also long had the support of Don and their children, Scott and Angie, and plays golf with friends from Millwood Golf & Racquet Club.

“One of the most rewarding things was seeing Drury grow from two women’s sports to 12,” Rollins said. “I am so happy to have helped so many young women live out their dreams.”