Basketball great Eireann Rigby to be inducted into the UPEI Sports Hall of Fame
UPEI has announced that basketball great Eireann Rigby will be inducted into the UPEI Sports Hall of Fame on Friday, February 3, during a pre-game ceremony. The UPEI Women’s Basketball Panthers will play the Saint Mary’s University Huskies at home starting at 6:00 pm.
“Eireann is absolutely deserving of this honour,” said Jane Vessey, UPEI’s Director of Athletics and Recreation. “She was an exceptional student-athlete who epitomized what it meant to be a Panther. We’re glad her legacy will live on among other UPEI greats before her.”
The UPEI Sports Hall of Fame was founded in 2001 to recognize individuals who have made significant contributions to the athletic programs at the University of Prince Edward Island, Saint Dunstan’s University, or Prince of Wales College. Each year, individual athletes, teams, and builders are inducted to honour their contributions towards the University's athletic success or community leadership.
Rigby will be the 51st former athlete to be inducted into the UPEI Sports Hall of Fame. The last induction took place in 2019 when Tessa Roche (soccer and hockey), Vernon Pahl (football), and the 1984–85 UPEI Men’s Hockey team were honoured.
Although Rigby was a foundational piece in the Panthers’ arsenal the moment she stepped on the court in 1993, she truly began to shine in the 1995–96 season when she tallied 17.5 points per game. Her exceptional play earned her a First Team All-Star selection, the first of three consecutive First Team All-Star awards she would garner during her UPEI career. In a pantheon of all-time greats, she is just one of two UPEI players to be named a First Team All-Star three or more times, the other being Paula Edwards.
In her final year with the club (1997–98), Rigby averaged 18.3 points, 4.2 rebounds per game, and totaled 54 steals before claiming the ultimate prize—an AUAA championship. She was a feared competitor who defended against anyone and everyone, regardless of their size or speed. She backed down to no one and was the engine that drove UPEI to success.
A star student-athlete for five years at UPEI, Rigby is a very deserving recipient of this induction into the UPEI Sports Hall of Fame, Panther Sports’ highest form of recognition.
