The University of Texas at Austin Athletics
Hall of Honor
- Induction:
- 2013
- Class:
- 1981
Sigmon recently completed her 31st year of association with The University of Texas and is credited with building the UT Athletics photography department from the ground up into the model program for Intercollegiate Athletics across the nation. The UT Women’s Athletics Department hired Sigmon in 1982 to provide photographic documentation of its athletic events and studio work for media guides, posters and programs. In doing so, the department was the first in the country to hire a staff photographer. Five years later, the men’s and women’s athletics departments at Texas developed a joint photo operation and Sigmon was named head of the division. In that role, she oversaw a staff of three full-time employees and a number of student assistants. Her work has been honored over 90 times by the College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA), including multiple awards for “Best in the Nation.” Sigmon’s photos have been published nationally and internationally, appearing in Sports Illustrated, Newsweek, Sporting News, Glamour and Vogue. She also filled campus requests from the Graduate School of Business, the Admissions office, the President’s office and the Ex-Students Association, and she provided photographic services for The University of Texas Chancellor’s office. Sigmon was the recipient of a University of Texas “Excellence Award” in 1992, recognizing consistent, high-level performance by an employee of UT. She retired from full-time employment at UT in August of 2010, but she returned to the athletics department in October of 2010 and currently works as a Special Assistant to the Communications department. Sigmon continues to direct the digital archiving process for UT Athletics photographic history, and those archives house over 100,000 images – both historic and current. She earned a bachelor’s degree in journalism in 1981 from The University of Texas. During her time as an undergraduate, she served as a staff photographer and photo editor for The Daily Texan. Sigmon was awarded that publication’s “Outstanding Staffer” honor and was a recipient of a UT Photojournalism scholarship recommended by Professor Larry Schaff. Sigmon and her husband, Jim, reside in Austin with their son, Christopher, and daughter, Wes. Jim serves as the Assistant Athletic Director for New Media in the UT Athletics Department. The couple was selected by the Texas Exes in 2008 to produce a photography book, “Our Texas,” for the 125th anniversary of The University, and the Sigmons picked 180 photos of school buildings, campus monuments and athletic events that best represented The University.