Troy University Athletics
Hall of Fame
- Induction:
- 2016
“Unquestionable character and a leader from day one,” is how former Troy University Athletics Director Dr. Ken Blankenship described Sandy Atkins when she stepped foot on Troy’s campus in the fall of 1993.
By the time she graduated in the spring of 1995 and completed her two-year playing career for the Trojans, Atkins had left her mark not only on the Troy record book, but also on the Athletics Department and University as a whole.
“She has been a great representative of Troy University and committed to whatever she says she is going to do,” Dr. Blankenship said. “I don’t think you could find a better person to represent what Troy University stands for and what intercollegiate athletics stands for. Sandy is a shining example of that.”
Atkins transferred to Troy prior to her junior season after playing two years at Shelton State Community College, where she was an All-American, and stepped into a brave new world of Division I athletics. Atkins’ first season with the Trojans just happened to be Troy’s first at the Division I level.
“She had more reasons to fail than she did to succeed in softball having come from playing slow pitch in junior college to fast pitch here at Troy,” Dr. Blankenship said.
Fail was not a word in Atkins’ vocabulary as she went on to rank 18th in the NCAA with 31 stolen bases and led Troy with 44 runs scored during her first season with the Trojans. But it was Atkins’ senior year where her true talent shone through.
As a senior, Atkins set the Troy single-season records for hits (85) and runs scored (54), while posting the second-most stolen bases (36) and fifth-best batting average (.373). Atkins finished the year ranked ninth in the country with her 36 stolen bases.
Not only did Atkins enjoy individual success, but the Trojans also triumphed as a team. Troy posted a school record 58 wins during her senior season, which included a victory over Georgia Tech.
“She was a great softball player, but more than that the she was determined and a competitive player,” Dr. Blankenship said. “If she needed to get on base, she would get hit by a pitch if she couldn’t get a hit – she would always find a way to get it done.”
Atkins’ career numbers still hold the test of time as she still ranks first in school history with a .359 career batting average, while her .419 on-base percentage and 69 stolen bases are the fifth most in school history.
After graduation at Troy, Atkins began her professional career as a graduate assistant at the University of Kentucky where she earned her master’s degree. From there, Atkins served as the Assistant Director of Compliance at the Southeastern Conference before returning to Troy as the Director of Compliance in 2001.
Atkins quickly ascended the ladder within the Troy Athletics Department as she was named the Senior Woman Administrator in 2003, Associate Director of Athletics for Compliance in 2004, Associate Director of Athletics for Internal Affairs in 2007 and finally Senior Associate Director of Athletics in 2014. Atkins even served as the Interim Director of Athletics in the summer of 2015.
Athletic success and leadership are part of her DNA as her father was a standout football player at Southern Miss and a respected principal at Sweet Water High School, while her uncle, Nolan Atkins, won numerous state championships at Sweet Water High School.
