The Wonder Years: 1967-1972

We had heard about him before he walked into the new Butler High School Gymnatorium in 1953. He was a tall, skinny kid out of Talbot County High School. Our basketball coach, Bill Hornsby, told us he was well known throughout the state, and maybe the best basketball player in Georgia. But, you must not let this kid intimidate you! He was just that good and even better, outscoring our entire Butler High School Bears’ team. But, because he was such a good and popular kid, we felt fortunate to have played against such a star. This was Norman Carter, but we never knew back then that his dream was to coach girls’ basketball. Neither did we know that Butler High School would be his first coaching assignment, and that he would be coaching my then 9-year old sister, Kay, in the state championship game in Macon in 1962. But, even more, to be coaching the Taylor County Lady Vikings in 1967-1972, during The Wonder Years of Taylor County basketball.

During 1967-72, The Wonder Years, the Lady Vikings won 132 consecutive games, went undefeated for five years and won five consecutive state championships. In 1969, they held both the Class ‘B’ and Class ‘C’ championships for one hour.

Great basketball fans and supporters of yesterday helped to make basketball the best thing going and the most talked about thing. Some of the best fans and supporters of girls’ basketball in Taylor County have left us now, but their memories of the games have not. Just to name a few of them, Leo Anglin, M.P. Dean, Emory Harris, Joe Eubanks, and John Turk, (one of the Turk brothers). These loyal fans made the game of basketball the most popular of all sports.

John Turk was a favorite of many players and fans. He was the owner and operator of The Rabbit Box (famous for its Turkburger.) The old oak tree, planted in 1892 stood out front, a perfect place for talking basketball. John had an old bell hanging in the tree. He would ring the bell for hours (if he could not make it to the games), when the word came from the old Macon City Auditorium that Taylor County was state champions again. If he could make the game, he would call a friend or neighbor to ring the bell until his arrival home. Within the last few years, the old oak tree, a gathering place for over 100 years, died too. (If only this tree could talk to us about back then!)

This weekend, the Lady Vikings of 1967-1972, The Wonder Years, will return back home to Taylor County for a 35-year reunion. Norman Carter, their coach and mentor, will be present for this memorable event.

Likely, nothing like Norman Carter’s records will ever be compiled again. We should stay proud of his outstanding contributions to our young ladies of yesterday, and to Butler, Taylor County, and Georgia basketball.

Buddy Dunn