It is unlikely that one could be as aptly named as Rita Jett. Speed and quickness was her forte and she parlayed that into an outstanding career in both basketball and track & field during the mid 1980’s. She was a tremendous athlete at Rock Island High School and she continued that success at Augustana.
In basketball she was a lightning quick guard who was a three year letterwinner. During her time on the varsity, from 1984-85 through 1986-87, she helped lead the Vikings to a combined record of 53-22, including a 20-7 mark in her senior year. During that senior year she was instrumental in helping Augustana win the first ever CCIW title with a 13-3 mark, made even more remarkable when you throw in the fact that the Vikings dropped their first two conference games and then won 13 of their last 14. She led the team in assists in both 1984-85 (89) and 1985-86 (80) and finished her career with 252.
She was a three year starter and she finished her career with a total of 733 points for an average of 8.5 per game. She averaged 3.6 rebounds per game and had 181 steals.
Her track career was marked by her versatility. She competed in the long jump and was comfortable in any of the sprint events. Jett won the 100 meters in the CCIW championship in 1987 and at one time held the school record in the 100 (:12.59 in 1987), 400 (:57.61 in 1987) and the long jump (18’ 2” in 1984).
Even though she no longer holds any school records, her name is all over the top 10 list. In the 100 she is fourth with her time of :12.59 in 1987 and in the 200 her clocking of :26.14 in 1987 is the ninth best ever recorded. Her :57.61 in the 400 in 1987 is still in second place and her long jump mark of 18’ 2½” in 1986 puts her in third. With her speed she was obviously a force in the relays and at one time was a member of the school record 1600 meter relay team with a time of 3:57.48 in 1984. Her 400 meter split of :56.9 in 1986 is the fourth best in Augustana history.
Jett graduated in 1987 with degrees in elementary education and social work and she taught fifth grade at Hawthorne-Irving Elementary School in Rock Island for nine years and also coached basketball and track & field at Rock Island High School. In 1996 she moved to Los Angeles to pursue voice-overs and stumbled into the acting profession where she remains to this day. She lists her current employment as actress/wardrobe stylist/educator and she has done various television commercials and is a wardrobe stylist for G4-TV.
An active member of the Screen Actors Guild, she is a member of the Big Sister Program and has also taken up the sport of golf.
She has this to say about her Augustana years. “The education department was exceptional as well as all the instructors I had. I always thought of Augie athletics as a second family and Carver PE Center was like a home. I had great teammates in both basketball and track & field and tremendous coaches. The effect of my education at Augie prepared and allowed me to teach successfully for nine years in the Rock Island School District.”
