By: Jordan Meadows
Staff Writer
In 1978, a team of young women from Garner, North Carolina, accomplished what no one in their school had ever done before.
Under the quiet but powerful leadership of Coach Lawrence L. Dunn, the Garner High School Women’s Varsity Basketball Team went undefeated in the regular season, dominated the conference tournament, and captured the first state championship in the school’s history—in any sport, men’s or women’s.
And yet, for decades, their story was largely forgotten.
Coach Dunn was not just a basketball coach; he was a builder of character, a father figure, and the heart of the 1978 championship team. A Raleigh native, Dunn had carved out a name for himself as a standout athlete at Berry O’KellyHigh School, averaging over 32 points per game and leading his team to a 2-A state title. His excellence carried into college, where he played at North Carolina A&T and helped secure a CIAA Conference Title in 1970.
After college and a stint in the U.S. Army, Dunn transitioned into coaching and took the helm of Garner’s girls’ basketball program. His impact was immediate.
“From our first practice, we could tell he knew the game. He knew basketball,” Gail Pittman, member of the 1978 championship team, said about Dunn.
But it wasn’t just strategy or skill that won over the team—it was his heart.
“Every one of us on the team, we all felt like he was a second father to us because of the way he cared about us. Things he would ask the athletic department to provide for us—shoes, warmups—and they turned it down,” Pittman said. “They always turned down what he asked of them to provide us, so he paid for it out of his pocket.”
Despite administrative disdain, Dunn went the extra mile to provide his players with dignity and pride. He bought new uniforms, organized music for warmups, and even choreographed their pre-game entrances—drawing on his own experiences as a college athlete.
“I got some music. That was Star Wars. They played music when they came out of the locker room. And I choreographed the routine they used,” Dunn said.
The 1977–1978 season quickly turned into something special. Garner went undefeated in the regular season and won the conference tournament. By the time they reached an 8-0 record, the entire communal atmosphere had changed.
Crowds swelled. Excitement grew. People stood in the gym just to catch a glimpse of the team.
Dunn told The Carolinian that the boys' team eventually started playing before the girls, breaking tradition—because once the girls played, the crowd would leave.
“We got more attendance than the guys. So, what they did was, because when my girls would play, we had a big crowd. After we finished playing, everybody would leave. So, they switched and let us play last, and let the boys play first. That created some conflict,” Dunn said.
The girls fed off the energy—but their motivation ran deeper than public attention.
“We wanted it, no doubt,” Pittman said. “As young ladies, we would love to win a state championship. But the words that came out of our mouths as we would talk to each other were, ‘we want this for Coach Dunn.’”
Jealousy and tension followed their continued success. Some of it came from within the school—coaches, staff, and others who resented the girls’ rise and Coach Dunn’s leadership.
“Jealousy from other coaches, some of the staff in the front office of that school. Coach was very quiet about it, but at the end of the season, we learned about it. He told them he didn’t want to burden them with the outside issues during the season because he wanted them to concentrate on the schedule,” Pittman said. “It got so bad, the way some people at the school were treating him, that he finally did have to mention a little of it to us. It was nothing but jealousy. Nobody wanted to coach us that year, but Coach Dunn stepped up.”
Still, they pushed on. With future stars like Teresa Brown (6'4"), playing at UNC-Chapel Hill 1981-1984, and Terra Boyd, one of the most decorated women’s basketball players in the history of Barton College and an NAIA All-American, the team had the height, skill, and drive to win it all.
Before the championship, Dunn convinced the athletic department to allow the team to stay overnight in a hotel—a rare luxury for high school girls' teams at the time.
But like Dunn promised the Athletic Director at the time, the team came home champions. That championship status was elevated by the statistical perfection of a 26-0 season.
Despite receiving letters of congratulations from Governor Jim Hunt, the NC General Assembly, the News and Observer, and the Garner Chamber of Commerce, the celebration faded quickly.
Decades later, Pittman was invited to tour Garner High School’s newly established Hall of Fame. She brought along Coach Dunn and several teammates.
What they found was painful.
Their trophy—the first state championship trophy in Garner history—was stuffed in the back of a display case, hidden behind other items. The championship net they’d draped on it was still there, but the trophy’s figurine had broken off.
“It felt like somebody punched me in the stomach when I saw it,” Pitman recalled. “First of all, it was the first championship Garner Senior High School had. Everything about that season was so special to us; it hurt when we saw that trophy sitting in the back of the case broken.”
Coach Dunn was devastated.
“Seeing that trophy broken like that. That hurts,” Pittman recalls him saying. He couldn’t even eat dinner that night.
Yet what never faded was the bond between coach and team. To this day, the players, coaches, and managers share a group chat. They gather for meals, cheer each other on, and stay close to one another.
“It was just a magical, wonderful experience playing on that team. Seeing the way the town of Garner came together for us just added to it,” Pittman exclaimed. “The memories we always reminisce over when we get together. Coach is such a smart man. He’s the best!”
For Coach Dunn, the lack of recognition still stings. Since his retirement in 2001, he’s rarely attended Garner athletic events.
“They recognized the girls one night at a football game. I went to that, but when I retired in 2001… I just haven't been,” Dunn said quietly.
Still, his legacy endures. In addition to the girls’ basketball title, Dunn coached the Garner baseball team to a state championship later that same year. He amassed accolades throughout his career: NCHSAA Hall of Fame inductee, Athens Drive High School Hall of Fame, Raleigh Metro Coach of the Year, and more.
His career record with the Garner Women’s Varsity Basketball team? An astounding 41–5.
It took more than 40 years for the 1978 Garner Women’s Basketball Team to receive proper consideration for the school'sHall of Fame.
Their trophy, once hidden and broken, is now a symbol of triumph—a testament to their unmatched accomplishment and the long delay in giving them the credit they deserved.
But through it all, they never let it define them. Because for the girls of ’78, what mattered most was the family they formed, the coach who believed in them, and the legacy they refused to let be forgotten.
Members of the championship team includes: Caroline Austin, Fran Boyette, Teresa Brown, Karen Porter, Sharon Wright, Laurie Bailey, Tyra Boyd, Angela Johnson, Mary Murphy, Anita Phillips, Gail Pittman, Karen and Karla Roberson, LeAnne Young, and Gwen Evans.
