University of Southern Indiana Athletics

Ruth Waller was instrumental in the birth of women’s athletics at USI. Waller coached the women’s basketball team for nine of the first 10 years, when women’s college basketball was in its infancy. She began the USI softball program, coaching the squad for 10 years and posting more than 100 victories. During her tenure as softball coach, USI was a major force in the Association for Intercollegiate Athletics for Women (AIAW), the predecessor to women’s athletics in the NCAA. In AIAW, USI was on the same level as many of Indiana’s Division I programs. Waller, who also was the first women’s tennis coach at USI, has been apart of more than 250 victories as a head coach. She has gone on to build one of the strongest intramural programs of all the Indiana state institutions, servicing more than 3,500 students each year.
 

Year-by-Year Basketball Coaching Record Year       Record 1976-77      7-11 1977-78       8-8 1978-79      14-6 1979-80      16-9*      1980-81     14-11** 1981-82      7-17 1982-83      4-24 1983-84     15-13 1984-85     14-14 Total      99-113 (.467) *IAIAW Southern District Champions;  Final Four in IAIAW Southern District **Runner-up in the IAIAW Southern District;   Final Four in IAIAW State Tournament

Year-by-Year Softball Coaching Record Year       Record 1977         7-11 1978         9-11 1979         13-7 1980         17-7 1981      23-12-1 1982        20-18 1983        17-15 1984        15-21 1985         7-36 1986         3-34 Total   139-204-1

Year-by-Year Tennis Coaching Record Year       Record 1976          6-3 1977          8-1 1978         11-1 1979          9-0 Total        34-5