Hall of Fame
Sue Rama ‘78 (Women’s Basketball, 1974-78) was the first in modern women’s basketball history at Longwood to top 1,000 career points, finishing with 1,471 career points, a record that stood for nine years and still ranks sixth-best at the school. She was the 1976 Virginia Federation of Intercollegiate Sports for Women (VFISW) State Player of the Year, and her number 40 jersey was the first-ever retired jersey, taking place on March 31, 1978. She ranks second all-time in both career field goals (634) and career scoring average (17.9), and scored a career-high 36 points in her final college game against Radford in the 1978 VFISW Tournament; it was a VFISW tournament-record at the time. Rama was a four-time VFISW All-State choice (1974-78), and earned VFISW All-Tournament Team honors for the two years (1977-78) that Longwood participated. She led the program to a four-year record of 52-30, including third-place finishes as the VFISW State Tournament each season. Additionally, Rama was one of 12 finalists for the 1976 United States Olympic Team, and averaged 9.4 rebounds over her final two seasons. She was drafted by the proposed Washington, D.C. franchise in the Women’s Professional Basketball League in 1978, though the league never materialized.
"My experiences at Longwood were tremendous and one I would never trade for anything," said Rama. "I had support of family and friends that encouraged me to continue with the opportunity to pursue sports at Longwood. If I did not have the support of those around me the accomplishments would not have been possible."
A native of Chesapeake, Rama is a 1978 graduate as a business administration major. She now lives in Richmond and is retired following employment in the finance department with the state department of education and several school systems.
