Georgia HS Sports Dynasties - We're number 6!

In the Atlanta Journal on April 1, 2008, Jeff Haws and other AJC sports columnists compiled a list in his Take 10 column of the greatest dynasties in Georgia High School sports. We made the top ten - coming in at number 6. That's pretty amazing considering the number of Georgia High School teams in all sports and the great records that some have achieved. There were 180+ comments afterward as people argued and pleaded the case for their high school teams. One made reference to the Taylor County teams playing in the 60's. That's true that it was a long time ago (1967-1972), but also you must consider there was a complete turnover of players during the five years the streak was accomplished, that the rules changed from 3-on-3 to rover rule, and that integration occurred in 1970 with two teams combining. If you want to see the article and the comments, click the link:
http://www.ajc.com/blogs/content/shared-blogs/ajc/prepsports/entries/2008/04/01/take_10_georgia.html

Here's the list:
Top 10 List of Georgia High School Sports Dynasties
10. Woodward Academy volleyball, 2001-05 The Eagles won five consecutive state titles, producing such stars as MacKenzie Crain and Taylor Noland.

9. Columbus baseball, 1991-96 The second-greatest dynasty in Georgia baseball history, the Eagles are still one of only two teams to win five titles in a six-year stretch.

8. Norcross boys basketball, 2006-08 This one’s not on here for its length but for how difficult it is to do. If you’ve watched basketball in this state, you know how tough it is to dominate any classification — much less the highest one — for three years in a row.

7. Parkview football, 2000-02 The Panthers are the only team since the old days of Valdosta dominance to win three consecutive titles in the state’s highest classification. One could make a case that Lowndes’ current run of three out of four is at least as impressive.

6. Taylor County girls basketball 1968-72 While they were winning five consecutive state titles and a state-record 134 consecutive games (tied for third-best all-time nationally), they also found time to play a key role in integrating sports in the state. (There's a mistake in number in the HS record book - should be 132 and 4th nationally. Bunny)

5. Jefferson wrestling, 2001-present Since the state went to five classifications, Jefferson has owned Class A. During that time, the Dragons have won every traditional and dual state wrestling title, 15 in all.

4. Richmond Academy baseball, 1951-57 This seven-year dynasty still stands as the longest in state history and the second-longest anywhere in the country. Coach Al Williams is a Georgia Hall of Fame coach, as well as the school’s former principal and a World War II prisoner of war.

3. Marist girls tennis, 1994-2006 This amazing run was ended last year when Starr’s Mill finally pried the state title out of the Eagles’ hands after 12 consecutive team titles that followed a singles title in 1994.

2. Westminster cross country, 1984-present The boys have won state every year since 1996, except for 2006. Not to be outdone, the girls took home the state championship from 1984-1990, 1992-2004 and again last year. This is certainly the longest dominant stretch in any sport.

1. Valdosta football, 1951-71 This is the stretch when Valdosta became Valdosta. The Wildcats won 13 titles in 21 years, including 10 undefeated seasons and a 13-1 record in the state championship game.
********

I'm proud that we're considered a high school sports dynasty. We had a long stretch of winning and wasn't it fun? Bunny

Privileged

I asked Bob Wade if I could reprint his article paralleling women's sports news with the Lady Vikings winning streak years. He agreed, and sent me the document. I really enjoyed this article, and was afraid some might have missed seeing it in the Taylor County News. I loved being reminded of the Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony Emcee Ron Jaworski's triple take after hearing of the 132 consecutive wins during the introduction of Coach Carter. Jaworski questionned, "132 wins in a row?" once, twice, three times, each time looking questioningly at Coach Carter. Coach just nodded and grinned. It was great! Bob ends the article with a list of all 47 girls who played on the winning streak teams. Thanks, Bob, for a great article. Bunny
************************
Privileged

“Because I am a woman, I must make unusual efforts to succeed. If I fail, no one will say, ‘She doesn't have what it takes.’ They will say, ‘Women don't have what it takes.’”, Clare Boothe Luce.

An American King, Billie Jean, ruled England’s tennis empire in 1967. She repeated as Wimbledon’s singles champion, won at women’s doubles, and mixed doubles. That was unprecedented. The Associated Press named her the Female Athlete of the year.

There was another Norman invasion that year but not in England. Norman Carters’ girls’ basketball team won the consolation game of the March 1967 region basketball tournament defeating Pike County.

In the midst of the bitter Cold War between the United States and the Soviet Union enmity was deep; yet, the official news organ of the USSR, TASS named American swimmer Debbie Meyer the Woman Athlete of the Year! Women athletes moved from footnotes to mainstream nightly news that year.

In the fall, Coach Jerry Partain delivered a well prepared fundamentally sound class of freshman basketball players to Butler High School Coach Norman Carter Jr. The Butler Bears were eager to pickup where the program left off at Pike County. His girls opened on October 31, 1967 with a win over Crawford County. Carter’s team dominated the hardwood floors of basketball gymnasiums throughout Middle Georgia. At the end of ‘67, his team had 15 consecutive wins.

Debbie Meyer won the American Athletic Union’s James E. Sullivan Memorial Award for 1968. Peggy Fleming skating on ice dazzled television audiences around the world. The Associated Press named her the Female Athlete of the Year. Wyomia Tyus, 8 time national AAU sprinter, won the second of her two consecutive Olympic gold medals in the 100-meter dash at Mexico City. Individual women were routine in sporting news.

Norman’s girls ended 1968 with 44 consecutive wins.

The Associated Press in 1969 named swimmer Debbie Meyer the Female Athlete of the year. Sharon Sites Adams sailed solo across the Pacific Ocean in the 31-foot Sea Harp. Coach Carter’s girls’ basketball team won their second consecutive state championship on March 16th at the Macon Coliseum. The winning streak was 63 games.

In that year, Ruth White a 17-year old black woman won a major US fencing title and was the national fencing champion. Audrey McElmury was the U.S. World Road Racing Champion. On December 31, 1969, at mid-season the Taylor County girls’ had an unbroken string of 75 games.

The ’69-‘70 season ended on March 21, 1970 with a third straight state championship and extended the unbroken winning streak to 94.

That year 294,000 American high school girls competed in interscholastic athletics.

The 1970-’71 basketball season opened with a 71-44 win at Marion County. Cathy Rigsby won a silver medal in balance beam at the world championship. She was the first American (man or woman) to win a medal in international gymnastics competition.

The Taylor County Girls won every game in 1970 ended the calendar year at Manchester with 103 straight wins. That season ended March 4, 1971 at the State Championship, Macon Coliseum. The girls won the 4th of 5 straight state championships and extended the undefeated count to 124.

The Associated Press in 1971 named Evone Goolagong the Female Athlete of the year for tennis. The International Tennis Hall of Fame enshrined Althea Gibson that same year. On December 31, 1971, the Taylor County Vikings Girls Basketball team had 132 consecutive victories.

American girls numbering 817,073 participated in interscholastic athletics in 1972. The 15 girls playing for Coach Carter that year sealed the longest winning streak of Georgia high school girls’ basketball history in Perry on January 4.

The crowd cheered for three-quarters an hour. In an act of sublime grace, the Taylor County team visited their opponents’ locker room and congratulated the game winners.

The definition of privilege includes this phrase “benefit that is not available to everyone”. In five years, the number of American high school girls competing in interscholastic sports rose from about 200,000 per year to over 800,000. Coach Carter’s teams consisted of just 47 players over five years. During that phenomenal growth of female participation on high school sports, those 47 made history! Coach Carter and his teams are truly privileged.

The Georgia Hall of Fame immortalized the Lady Vikings Friday and Saturday February 15-16, 2008 not as individuals but by inducting their coach into that institution. Their meritorious contribution to Georgia sports history is enshrined now as it should be.

Emcee Ron Jaworski of Philadelphia Eagles professional football fame and ESPN commentator did a triple take during the ceremony on the incredible 132 consecutive games won. His amazement was fitting tribute to the Taylor County Lady Vikings of 1967-1972 and Coach Carter.

The combined rosters of girls who put “Coach” into the Georgia Sports Hall of Fame were: Sandra Arnold, Jean Burke, Grace Bussey, Cynthia Carter, Shirley Durham, Carol Dyer, Earline Flowers, Bunny Fuller, Glenda Gassett, Mary Grover, Sandra Guined, Vicky Harris, Faye Hayes, Linda Hill, Marianne Hinton, Jan Hobbs, Linda Joiner, Harriet Jones, Jean Jones, Cecelia Kendrick, Dianne Kendrick, Maxine Lawhorn, Sue Lawhorn, Denease McAbee, Joye McCrary, Donna Minor, Carlynn Neisler, Joann Parks, Regina Parks, Lynne Partain, Karon Peed, Kathy Peed, Donna Pittman, Patsy Ranow, Judy Riley, Mary Riley, Sissy Riley, Mary Jane Robinson, Patty Singleton, Edie Smith, Kathy Underwood, Carol Wall, Diane Wall, Susan Whidden, Betty Williams, Gail Woodall, and Vicki Works.

You had what it takes!

by Bob Wade - first printed in Taylor County News, March 2008
(pictured are Brynda and Bob at the Hall of Fame Induction in Atlanta)

Ring the bell for one more

Ed Grisamore, columnist for the Macon Telegraph, was the guest speaker at our Lady Vikings Winning Streak Reunion. During his remarks he promised us that he would do everything in his power to get Coach Norman Carter in the Georgia Sports Hall of Fame. He wrote the column below on May 16, 2007, a few days before the latest group of 7 were inducted into the HOF. Two letters to the editor have since been published and I've included them below the article. Maybe this wonderful article and the great letters that followed will help us in our quest to get our coach and our winning streak (longest in the state and 4th in the nation) included in the Georgia Sports Hall of Fame in Macon, Georgia. Thanks to everyone for any help they can give us! Bunny Harris

Ring the bell for one more
By Ed Grisamore - egrisamore@macontel.com

BUTLER --
The late John Turk was the kind of philosopher every small town seems to have among its riches. He would supervise the ringing of a bell from an old oak tree after every victory for the Taylor County High girls basketball team.
For five years, it was a familiar sound, like church bells on a Sunday morning. Everyone walked around with ringing in their ears.

From 1967-72, a stretch folks around here affectionately call "The Wonder Years," the Lady Vikings won 132 straight games and five state championships.

Coach Norman Carter could have been elected king. Or mayor. Or, at the very least, county school superintendent.

Actually, he was named superintendent in January 1969, when his girls teams had a 39-game winning streak. He asked if he could coach until the "streak" was over, never dreaming he wouldn't step down for another three years.

It is the longest consecutive winning mark in state history and the fourth-longest nationally among high school girls teams.

I say all this because I believe Norman Carter deserves to be in the Georgia Sports Hall of Fame. Unfortunately, he's not.

The trouble with halls of fame - music, sports or tiddly winks - is they are the most selective and subjective institutions in the world. You can't apply for membership or buy your way in. You're supposed to earn your spot in the hallowed halls. Even then, there's no guarantee.

Our state sports hall of fame will induct its 2007 class of nine members Saturday night at the Macon City Auditorium. But, for every Steve Bartkowski or Don Richardson, there are dozens of others outside the door without an invitation.

I am familiar with the process. I served as a member of the selection committee in 2001. I now feel compelled to join the campaign for Carter, who doesn't deserve to keep being passed over.

By now, the Georgia Sports Hall of Fame is very familiar with Carter. Ever since the Lady Vikings teams held their 35-year reunion in late March, folks from Butler, Reynolds, Potterville and points between have been waging a full-court press to have their coach immortalized.

In 12 seasons, Carter's teams won six state championships and compiled a remarkable record of 350-32. During the streak, the Taylor girls won five titles in three different classifications. They began the streak when the rules allowed only three players per side and adjusted to the switch to "rover" (six-player) basketball in the 1970s. Taylor won 63 consecutive games prior to integration, then helped smooth the transition of merging with the all-black R.L. McDougald High by winning 69 more.

If Carter is getting the cold shoulder because he coached for only 12 years, then the qualifications are flawed. Do we want length or depth?

With that line of thinking, Jackie Robinson, who broke baseball's color barrier, might never have been inducted.

He was born in Cairo but moved with his family to California when he was only 16 months old. He never lived in Georgia after that. Jackie, we hardly knew ye.

Carter grew up in Talbotton, was a star athlete at Mercer University and has been a pillar in Taylor County since 1960. He served as school superintendent for 21 years. And he continues to change the lives of hundreds of women at "The Golden Rule," a home he founded in 1998 for victims of alcohol and substance abuse.

He's one of the finest men I've ever known.

I cannot believe there's not a place in our state's hall of fame for someone like him.

by Ed Grisamore

******************
Ed Grisamore's recent column in which he expressed dismay that Norman Carter, former legendary Taylor County girls' basketball coach, continues to be denied entry into the Georgia Sports Hall of Fame was eloquent and persuasive. Years ago I was privileged to formally nominate Norman, my lifelong close friend, to the selection committee as an obviously worthy inductee. To me, it was as clear cut a case for induction as one would ever see. When I submitted all the necessary documents, I couldn't imagine this was anything but - pardon the pun - a "slam dunk."

In support of Norman's candidacy, I emphasized certain overwhelming facts - a career record of 350 wins against only 32 losses as a girls basketball coach; the incredible 132 game winning streak; the five straight girls state championships.

I admit that because of my close friendship with and unmitigated personal admiration for Norman I'm not purely objective, but please let's be reasonable. Mere opinions are not at issue here. No reasonable person could even attempt to deny these numbers, these facts, and this stunning, virtually unbelievable record.

In conclusion, allow me to reiterate: A won-loss record of 350-32; a winning streak of 132 games; five straight girls state championships. What else is there to say?

Charles H. Weston Sr. Macon

******************

Compelling reasons
I would like to compliment Charles H. Weston Sr. on his nice letter about Norman Carter as it was published in The Telegraph on May 23. He set forth compelling reasons why Carter should be included in the Georgia Sports Hall of Fame based on his stats as a girls' high school basketball coach, to-wit: Three hundred and fifty wins against only 32 losses as well as the incredible stretch of winning one 132 straight games without a loss. Also, he coached five straight girls championships. Mr. Weston ended his letter with a question "What else is there to say?"
I would like to add that Carter was my fraternity brother at Mercer and he is indeed an outstanding person. If I remember correctly, and I think I do, Norman was Allstate in three different sports in high school and had a stadium named for him at Talbotton, where he was raised. At Mercer, he played basketball, baseball and tennis where he excelled while accumulating an outstanding academic record. He made the Dean's List while playing two varsity sports in one quarter, baseball and tennis.
I would like to add to Mr. Weston's letter by simply suggesting that these stats from high school and college also be included in his consideration for the Georgia Sports Hall of Fame.

Doye E. Green Sr. Macon

******************

We'll keep you posted as we continue our efforts to get Coach Carter inducted into the Hall of Fame and/or get the amazing winning streak included in the Hall of Fame exhibit area.

Stars in the Sky

I asked Bob Wade if I could post this article that appeared in the Taylor County News to the blog. Thanks for such an excellent article, Bob, and for letting me share it with all the Lady Vikings. Bunny
*********

There are mortals walking among us who don’t know six o’clock occurs twice each day, morning and afternoon. Those of us who walk in the pre-dawn hours are privileged to observe stars twice each day. Recently the morning skies have been spectacularly stunning and brilliant celestial displays.

On March 17th I was fortunate to see three sets of stars; two celestial and a group of girl basketball stars. Starting with the last game of the 1967 season the Butler High School (later merged to form Taylor County High School) girl’s team began an amazing string of 132 consecutive victories spanning 5 years. It is the longest winning streak in Georgia high school history and the fourth longest in the nation. The reunion of the teammates was the 35th anniversary of beginning that remarkable and historic feat.

Strangely the Georgia Sports Hall of Fame (GSHF) has not enshrined the streak or Coach Norman Carter. The director of that institution reportedly said Norman coached too few years to qualify for induction into that august body; but what about the winning streak? Winning 132 consecutive games doesn’t merit so much as a footnote in the hall of fame? Is there a flaw in the charter of the GSHF or is there some other reason for the snub?

The answer to those questions may have been ferreted out recently. You be the judge.

My wife and I are avid fans of women’s basketball, particularly at the college level. We attended several of Taylor County’s winning streak games and tournaments while dating; we’ve attended numerous Southeastern Conference (SEC) women’s tournaments, and watched many televised women’s basketball games. As this is being written we are watching the Lady Bulldogs play the Lady Boilermakers of Perdue in the Sweet Sixteen NCAA tournament of TV.

A few weeks ago the Southeastern Conference Women’s Tournament was played. News coverage was hard to find on broadcast television news while men’s teams were given good coverage. ESPN and the Internet were the only readily available sources of news about the event; not everyone has either or those services. You may be saying this is anecdotal evidence of a different standard applied to girl and women’s sports but consider one more piece of evidence.

This afternoon after church I attended a board of directors meeting of the Golden Rule. That’s a facility for women seeking help breaking their chemical dependencies. Norman Carter started and heads up that organization. Today there are over 40 women in residence and sadly the waiting list is long.

Years ago when I joined the board the Golden Rule was the only facility of its kind for women in our state. Today it is one of few in the southeastern United States and the only one for destitute women charging nothing for the service. It has a high success rate for women completing the program.

Combining these it seems evident society treats women differently than we do men. And, we do. Women with chemical dependencies are anathema to us. We can’t cope with the nurturers of our children being addicts of alcohol or drugs. We likewise struggle to accept the fact women can be and are excellent athletes, doctors, lawyers, bankers, pilots, carpenters, truckers or business leaders.

Winning 132 consecutive basketball games is a significant feat. The fact it spanned five different teams compounds the difficulty; yet it happened and no one outside Taylor County seems to make note.

When the streak began the school was in Class C, among the smallest schools in the state. My home county, Miller, was in the same category and lost to Taylor during one state tournament. Being a diminutive school, the talent pool was much smaller increasing the degree of difficulty of establishing the state record; and still no mention by the Hall of Fame?

Interesting thing success, everybody loves it and hates it at the same time. Think about that then consider this fact. In Norman’s speech at the reunion he spoke of some interesting details. One dealt with officiating. He said as the streak continued the referees often stacked the deck against the Taylor girls calling quick, numerous and nebulous fouls. Bringing down a winner is everybody’s goal; sometimes no matter how it is done.

Once in a sub-region game in Thomaston the officiating was so bad that after a game Norman called the head of the Georgia High School Association (a regulatory agency). He didn’t rant and rave about bad officiating instead after stating his opinion he asked the man to be at and make his presence known during the next night’s game.

That happened and the officiating was stellar; the streak continued. That spoke volumes about Norman, the coach, his character, and his understanding of human nature.

And of human nature, Norman said those players, managers, statisticians, and cheerleaders were of the highest and best order. It wasn’t hard to see that was true. The room was filled with successful family people who have excelled in life. Basketball (all sports) after all is said and done is just one of many fields of human endeavor. Looking at the participants after setting Georgia’s longest girl’s high school basketball winning record it was easy to see winners are competitive, tenacious and successful in life.

Norman said he prided himself in his ability to recognize character and mold it into greatness. No truer words can be spoken of the participants. Good people made great by quality leadership; winners all!

And, the Golden Rule? What a testament to “Coach Carter”! He continues to recognize and extract goodness, mold it into greatness, and revels in success of women!

Bob Wade (Husband of Brynda Peed Wade)

A Special Event

This event was very special to me and to see all of my teammates was priceless.  There were moments when my eyes became a little teary, especially when Coach Carter was talking about us and how well we worked together as a team. I would like to thank all of you for the long hours that were put into this event to yield a perfect night. Also, thank you for including me and for letting me witness such an impeccable event from start to finish.  May God continue to pour his rich blessings upon each of you and let us continue to love one another as was shown at this thirty fifth Lady Vikings Gala.
 
Thanks for the memories.
 
Mary Riley