Women’s Coach Riggins Says SDSU Has Asked for Resignation

Earnest Riggins, San Diego State’s women’s basketball coach, said Thursday that Athletic Director Fred Miller asked him to resign Tuesday.

Riggins, 52, said he refused and is now uncertain of his status at the university.

“I said, ‘Why would I resign? For what? I haven’t done anything wrong,’ ” Riggins said. “And that was it. Fred added that they thought there was evidence of NCAA violations. I said, ‘Good, let’s bring them forth so I can challenge them.’ ”

When asked about the situation, Miller said, “We’re in an area of personnel. The institution’s position is no comment.” Miller said a comment would be forthcoming when a final decision was reached.

Jayne Hancock, the associate athletic director who oversees the women’s sports programs, also declined comment.

Said Riggins: “Obviously, they’re not saying anything. They want me to say something. But I don’t know what to say because I’m under contract. Someone has to be in charge here. If they won’t say anything, why should I? I’m the accused, not the accuser.

“If the facts are there, why won’t they comment? The public’s got a right to know. If the facts are there, present them.”

Riggins said his contract, signed last year, runs one more season. His salary was unavailable.

“My contract runs through 1990,” Riggins said. “I’m not as concerned about coaching the team as I am about being paid the rest of my contract.”

Riggins denied that there had been any NCAA violations by his program. “If I did (violate any rules), they must be new rules,” he said. “Ones I haven’t heard about.”

Riggins said he met with his attorney Thursday and that they scheduled a meeting with Sally Roush, SDSU director of personnel, next week.

Riggins said he has noticed a change in the atmosphere of the SDSU athletic department since Marilyn Johnson left as associate athletic director. She was replaced by Hancock.

“I felt some things going astray, some things I couldn’t put my finger on,” Riggins said. “When you’ve been around long enough, you know people are either pulling for you or in the opposite direction. I’ve been around long enough to know people are not in my corner.”

The Aztecs are 118-67 since Riggins took over as head coach in 1983. They finished the 1988-89 season 25-9 and lost to Oregon in the championship game of the Women’s National Invitation Tournament.

But the program has been troubled in recent years. Star players Jessica Haynes and Tina Hutchinson, for example, both left school because of academic problems.

Riggins is not the only women’s coach under fire at SDSU. The softball team has started a campaign to have Linda Spradley dismissed.

Spradley has a 142-212-2 record in six years, but that is just one of the reasons a majority of team members say they would like a new coach. Eleven of the 13 players signed a 2 1/4-page typed letter asking for a new coach, and seven delivered it during a meeting with Hancock two weeks ago.

The letter criticizes Spradley’s insensitivity toward injured players, unwillingness to tolerate players having to periodically miss practice because of classwork, budget improprieties and pushing religious beliefs.

“I don’t agree with everything in the letter,” Spradley said. “There are some things that are not factual. I will not categorically discuss any of the points in the letter.”

Said Miller: “We’ve received a report from the players, and we consider that as input to us. But it is our intent to retain Coach Spradley as the softball coach next season.

Spradley, like other SDSU spring coaches, will be evaluated at the end of May or beginning of June. She is at the end of a one-year contract.

Junior Robin Long, the team’s leading hitter this season (.274), a co-captain and the author of the letter, has been asked by Spradley not to return next season.

“I did not feel it would work out in the best interests of Robin or the team if she returned next season,” Spradley said.

Said Long: “There were a lot of problems, and I think she feels threatened by me. As a team captain, I spoke up when a lot of the girls had problems.”