Often at many institutions, softball is considered a secondary sport with a level of respect a step below the major programs. That is not true and Florida A&M and it was proven on Mar. 2 as hundreds gathered to celebrate a FAMU coaching legend’s ultimate honor. The field formerly referred to as the FAMU Softball Complex was renamed Veronica Wiggins Field.
The FAMU and MEAC Sports Hall of Famer was honored just three years after last coaching the Lady Rattlers. Her career is legendary. She was the first coach to reach 700 wins as an HBCU coach and is about 200 wins ahead of the next closest coach. She ended her career with over 725 wins.
She also won 13 MEAC softball championships and competed in eight NCAA College Softball World Series Regional playoffs. She mentored numerous All-MEAC, All-American and Hal of Fame athletes.
However, if you ask her, she does not know the exact number of wins she achieved, conference championships or coach of the Year honors. That was never what was important to her.
“Them children. That’s what it was about. It was about teaching them life through softball. People always ask me what achievement I am most proud about. It’s the doctors, lawyers, teachers, leaders and mothers that came from our program. When I see one of my former players come back and is a mom and they bring me their children…that tops it all. No trophy or award can top that feeling,” Wiggins said.
FAMU Vice President and Director of Athletics Tiffani-Dawn Sykes pushed through the naming as she had heard so much about Wiggins early in her tenure at FAMU. “With 29 seasons under her belt, Coach Wiggins has left an indelible mark on FAMU Athletics, boasting an impressive 726 wins–the most in our history. Her leadership propelled the Rattlers to unprecedented success, clinching 13 MEAC Championships and numerous NCAA Regional appearances. This dedication to excellence and her enduring mentorship cements Coach Wiggins’ legacy as a true icon of FAMU Softball,” Sykes said.
On a cloudy day with a hint of rain, the ceremony took place on the FAMU Tennis courts which are adjacent to the softball complex. After the ceremony in which FAMU President Larry Robinson, Ph.D. and Sykes spoke, several players had the opportunity to speak on Wiggins. The memories were identical. Most reflected on Wiggins’ influence in their lives beyond the softball field.
Following the ceremony was a ribbon-cutting on the actual field. Freshly sewn into the pro turf field in orange and white letters were large letters spelling out Veronica Wiggins Field. Wiggins was shocked and began to tear up. She and President Robinson cut the ceremonial ribbon and then cleared the field for the game. The Lady Rattlers would then get the first victory of Veronica Wiggins Field. Paced by an inside-the-park home run by Nyomi Jones, FAMU downed the Jacksonville University Dolphins 5-2.
Among those present at the event was FAMU Sports Hall of Fame chairman Marvin Green, Jr. Working with Wiggins while serving as an associate athletics director at FAMU for some time, Green is stern about the respect that should be put on Wiggins’ name. “When you mention Jake Gaither as a FAMU great coach, the next words out of your mouth should be Veronica Wiggins. She is the female equivalent of him”
