THIGPEN TO BE INDUCTED INTO ARKANSAS SPORTS HALL OF FAME
Oct. 26, 2009
by Troy Mitchell

 Henderson State University volleyball coach Rhonda Thigpen has been selected for induction into the Arkansas Sports Hall of Fame.
     Thigpen and nine other new inductees will be part of the Hall of Fame’s 2010 class. Induction ceremonies will take place Feb. 19 at Verizon Arena in North Little Rock.
Thigpen has been a prominent figure at Henderson State University for more than 20 years.
    Known affectionately by her players as “Mama Thig,” Thigpen has become one of the winningest coaches in Gulf South Conference volleyball history.
  She is a legend at Henderson State and has built a strong volleyball tradition compiling a record of 435-285 ranking her 14th among Division II active coaches in wins, and 47th in winning percentage. Thigpen’s effort is unmatched, working countless hours both with the Lady Reddie volleyball program and as Senior Woman’s Administrator.
An intense, motivated and dedicated coach, Thigpen came to Henderson State prior to the 1990 season. Thigpen has guided the Lady Reddies to two Gulf South Conference Championships; three NAIA tournament appearances, two NAIA Final Four appearances, and the team’s only NCAA tournament appearance.
In the 16 years as part of the GSC, Thigpen has totaled 435 wins, first among active GSC coaches, and first all-time in GSC history.
Since joining the Gulf South Conference in 1993, the Lady Reddies qualified for the GSC tournament 11 straight years before missing out in 2005.
When Thigpen arrived at Henderson State, she focused on recruiting and building a solid foundation her first two seasons. By the third season, Henderson State was primed for national prominence. The 1992 Lady Reddies compiled an astonishing 48-12 record, winning the Arkansas Intercollegiate Conference title, the District 17 Championship and advancing to the NAIA National semifinals for the first time in school history.
Not to be outdone, the 1993 Lady Reddies compiled a school record 48-4 win-loss mark (which was also the school’s first year in the Gulf South Conference) finishing a perfect 12-0 in league play.  Henderson State rattled off a GSC record 40 consecutive wins which currently ranks fourth all-time in Division II history. However, Henderson State was in the probation phase of advancing to NCAA Division II and was not eligible for play in the NCAA Championship.
Not eligible for the NCAA post-season play, her team decided against the opportunity to play in the GSC tournament in order to pursue a national championship at the NAIA level-the school’s final year before becoming a member of the NCAA Division II level.
That team went on to post its second consecutive Final Four appearance.
Henderson State followed the 1993 season with back-to-back GSC Championships, finishing 11-1 in 1994 and 10-0 in 1995.
Thigpen led her 1996 team to a western division title with a perfect 10-0 mark.  The Lady Reddies dropped a heartbreaker to North Alabama in the league’s tournament finals.
After finishing 2nd in the west in 1997, the Lady Reddies reclaimed the west championship in 1998 going 9-1 in league play and advancing to the conference championship once again.
The Lady Reddies captured GSC West Division title in both the 2000 (10-2) and 2001 (11-1) seasons.  In 2001, the Lady Reddies participated in the school’s first NCAA volleyball post-season tournament.
A 1978 graduate of Ouachita Baptist University, Thigpen began her coaching career at New Boston, Texas High School where she started the girl’s basketball program and led the volleyball team to its first district championship.
After two years at New Boston, Thigpen became head coach at Arkadelphia High School.
While at AHS, Thigpen compiled a record of 271-30, winning seven district titles, and five state championships.
Thigpen led AHS to 68 consecutive wins currently an Arkansas state record. Her 1989 team earned a Top 40 national ranking by the USA Today newspaper.
In 1985 Thigpen earned the Arkansas Coach of the Year award and finished second in 1982 and 1983. 
Thigpen again was the Coach of the Year in 1986 and 1989. She was also awarded the Democrat-Gazette Girls Coach of the Year award in 1989.
While at HSU, Thigpen was honored as the AIC Coach of the Year in both the 1991 and 1992 seasons.  She was named GSC Coach of the Year for the 1994, 1995, and 2001 seasons.
In 2002, Thigpen was inducted into the Reddie Hall of Honor.
Thigpen is very active in the Arkadelphia community. During the school year, she takes time to go to the local elementary schools to read to children, serves as a coach of several youth teams, and serves as a Fellowship of Christian Athletes sponsor.
Thigpen is also very active in the Trinity Temple Assembly of God Church where she teaches Sunday School, teaches the Youth  Missionettes on Wedadren in sports.
She is married to Associate Athletic Director Dr. David Thigpen and the two have a son, Zane, and a daughter, Sealy.

Other 2010 inductees include:
• Scotty Thurman, who made the go-ahead 3-point shot in the Arkansas Razorbacks’ victory over Duke for the 1994 NCAA basketball championship;
• Caldwell Jones, a McGehee native who spent 17 seasons in the NBA;
• Leslie O’Neal, a Little Rock native who was a 6-time All-Pro during a 12-year NFL career;
• Charlie Flowers, a Marianna native who was an All-America running back at Ole Miss in the 1950s;
• Leotis Harris, a Little Rock native who was an All-America offensive lineman at Arkansas in 1977;
• Alene Crabtree, girls’ basketball coach at Alma from 1947-84;
• Jimmy Culp, a 3-sport star at Southern Arkansas who was a successful basketball coach at North Little Rock, Searcy and Bald Knob;
• Bill Ferrell, athletic trainer and baseball coach at Arkansas in the 1950s and 1960s.
• and Rhonda Thigpen, a highly successful volleyball coach at Arkadelphia and Henderson State.
Ferrell and Crabtree are posthumous inductees.