Robert Jeffery Carter was a four-year letter winner for the Gardner-Webb football team as an offensive guard.  Three times he was selected as the Bulldog’s Most Valuable Offensive Lineman.  He earned second team All-South Atlantic Conference honors in 1976 and first team honors in 1977 and 1978.  He was a first team All-NAIA District 26 honoree in 1976, 1977, and 1978.  In 1977 he earned Honorable Mention All-American honors and in 1978 he was named to the NAIA’s first team All-American team.  Following his graduation he coached high school football at Bandys High School for four years and also served as an assistant coach with the Charlotte Chargers of the American Football Association in 1983 and 1984.  He was admired by teammates and coaches for his work ethic and dedication, traits that have served him well in the business world.  He is currently Director of Distributor Sales for Carolina Glove Company in Newton, NC.

Dennis Childress was the first of many highly recruited basketball stars signed by Coach Eddie Holbrook at Gardner-Webb Junior College.  Prior to his arrival at Gardner-Webb, Childress was a two-time All-State and a high school All-American performer at Mt. Airy (NC) High School.  During his career at Gardner-Webb from 1964-66, he earned All-Conference and All-Region honors twice and was also selected as a Junior College All-American.  Childress’ single game scoring record of 46 points was the highest individual single game scoring mark ever at Gardner-Webb Junior College.  Childress finished his two-year career with 1,265 points and a 24.3 ppg scoring average.  Upon completing his two seasons as a Bulldog he went on to an outstanding career at Shorter College in Georgia.  Among his coaches during his career was Sam Moir in high school, Eddie Holbrook in junior college and Bill Foster in senior college.

Wayne Church pitched for Gardner-Webb Junior College during the 1966 and 1967 baseball seasons.  During his two years at Gardner-Webb, church excelled for Coach Jerry Bryson and the Bulldogs.  Church was a two-time selection to the WCJCAC All-Conference Team and led the Bulldogs to an appearance in the 1967 Junior College World Series.  Church posted a 14-1 record in 1967 and earned second team Junior College All-America recognition.  Additionally, Church was selected the team’s MVP in 1967.  Upon the completion of his Gardner-Webb career, Church attended East Tennessee State University where he earned All-Conference recognition.  Church signed with the Kansas City Royals in 1970.  Presently, Church works with Pfizer in pharmaceutical sales.  He has been chosen Pfizer’s Man of the Year on three occasions and selected to the Vice Presidents’ Club five times.

Former Bulldog quarterback John Craven became the most prolific passer in Gardner-Webb history during his career at the school (1991-1994) and directed one of the program’s most storied teams in 1992.  Craven finished his four-year career by completing 896-of-1,679 passes for 10,793 yards and 86 touchdowns, all school records which till stand 10 years later.  Craven also finished as one of the top passers in South Atlantic Conference history, and remains in that league’s top-5 in passing yardage and touchdowns.  Craven’s best season came in 1992, when he led Gardner-Webb to a school best 12-2 record, a South Atlantic Conference Championship and a spot in the 1992 NAIA National Championship Bowl.  Craven set school sing-season records that season by completing 307-of-556 passes for an amazing 4,089 yards and 37 touchdowns.  Against Wingate in 1992, the Goose Creek, SC native passed for a school record 487 and six touchdowns in a single game.  Following the 1992 campaign, he was named NAIA National Offensive Player of the Year by the Football Gazette and first-team NAIA all-America.  As a junior in 1993, Craven passed for 2,950 yards and 23 touchdowns, and finished as one of only two quarterbacks in school history to top 2,000 yards passing in two different seasons.

Ben Davis enjoyed a tremendous career on the court at Gardner-Webb, developing into one of the program’s most explosive scorers on the perimeter.  In a day without the benefit of a three-point line, Davis was a dead-eye shooter from outside.  The Clio, SC native finished his career with 2,039 points, which makes Davis the fourth-leading scorer in Gardner-Webb history.  The 6-foot-4 Davis career shooting percentage of 54.7 percent (908-of-1661) is one of the highest in school history for a perimeter player and his 552 career rebounds put Davis on an elite list of men to score over 2,000 points and grab 500 rebounds at Gardner-Webb.  Davis earned NAIA All-America honors in 1984-85, averaging 19.5 points and 5.5 rebounds per game for a team that finished with an 18-10 record.  Davis helped the Bulldogs to a 25-7 record as a freshman in 1982-83, averaging 14 points and 4.7 rebounds per game.  Davis’ best scoring year came as a senior, when he helped Gardner-Webb to 15 more wins by averaging 21.6 points, 4.7 points and 3.3 assists per game, and shooting a sizzling 56.6 percent from the floor (301-of-532).  Also a strong free throw shooter, Davis hit 79.8 percent from the charity stripe for his career (221-of-277).  A testament to his consistent shooting touch from the floor, Davis never hit less that 52 percent of his field goals in a single season.  Following his career at Gardner-Webb, Davis was drafted in the fifth round by the NBA’s Cleveland Cavaliers.

Carolyn Dewberry-Greene of Forest City, NC was a four-year starter for the Gardner-Webb women’s basketball team and averaged over 20 points per game each season.  As a freshman in 1978-79 she was named team Most Valuable Player after averaging 20.2 points per game and 9.3 rebounds.  She won the MVP award again the following year after averaging 21.4 ppg and grabbing 9.7 rebounds.  Dewberry-Greene earned the honor for the third straight season after averaging 25.3 ppg and 10.9 rebounds during the 1980-81 season.  She closed out a brilliant career by averaging 21.5 ppg and 12.2 rebounds as a senior.  She scored 30 points or more 12 times, including 43 versus Western Carolina and 40 versus Mars Hill in 1981.  When her playing days concluded she was the leading scorer with 1809 points and rebounder with 873 in school history, and she still ranks among the schools leaders in both categories.

Standout point guard Bill Ellis held the keys to the engine that powered one of the most successful eras in Gardner-Webb men’s basketball history, effectively stamping the Runnin’ in Runnin’ Bulldogs from 1971-1975.  A four-year starter under Coach Eddie Holbrook, Ellis led Gardner-Webb to 97 wins during his career – an average of more than 24 per season.  In 1971-72, the Bulldogs’ floor general led the team to a school record 31 wins and was the teams’ top assist man in each of his seasons running the point.  The most telling statistic of Ellis’ impact on the squad during his four years might be the fact that Gardner-Webb topped the 100-point mark in 52 different games during that time – a record that still stands.  Ellis’ passing helped standouts Jim Blanks (1974) and John Drew (1975) earn All-America honors during their careers at Gardner-Webb. 

Woody Fish excelled on the gridiron at Gardner-Webb University as both a player and a coach-spending a school-best 13 seasons on the sidelines as head coach of the Runnin’ Bulldogs from 1984 until 1996.  During his tenure, Fish directed the Bulldogs to a school-record 72 wins and a pair of South Atlantic Conference titles, and remains the school’s career leader in victories.  His 41 career victories in the South Atlantic Conference rank third in that league’s history.  The Bulldogs’ top two single-season win totals came under Fish’s guidance, with his 1987 team posting an 11-2 record, a SAC championship and a run into the NAIA National Playoffs.  Fish was named SAC-8 Coach of the Year following the 1987 season.  In 1992, Fish’s bunch rolled through the South Atlantic Conference slate undefeated, and advanced to the NAIA National Championship Bowl for the first time in school history.  That team fell, 19-16, in the final minute to Central (Ohio) State, but posted a school-record 12 wins en route to a 12-2 season.  The 1992 Bulldogs still hold 20 team marks in the GWU record book, including a record average of 461.0 yards of total offense per game and an amazing 62 turnovers forced on defense.  Fish was named Kodak Region II College Division Coach of the Year in 1992, with eight of his players earning All-South Atlantic Conference honors, and a total of 21 players earned All-America status under Fish’s guidance – including 1992 NAIA National Offensive Player of the Year John Craven and 1992 NAIA Defensive Player of the Year James Harbinson.  Five current members of the Gardner-Webb Athletics Hall of Fame were coached by Fish, including 2003 inductees Gabe Wilkins and Dunsey Harper.  Fish was a three-year letter winner for the Bulldogs from 1971-1973, playing on Gardner-Webb’s first senior college team at linebacker.  The Canton, NC native currently serves and the Director of Football Operations at Duke University, a post he has held for the past three seasons.

Terry Florence of Charleston, SC earned first-team NAIA All-American honors as a senior in 1971, leading Gardner-Webb to their first NAIA National Championship Tournament appearance.  He also was instrumental in the Bulldogs District 26 Golf Championship and was a member of the first graduating class at Gardner-Webb.  After graduating, Florence went on to earn a Class “A” PGA Membership in 1978 before electing to pursue a career as a club golf professional.  His career as a golf professional is nothing short of legendary.  A Carolinas PGA Sectional Golf Professional of the Year recipient, Florence won the South Carolina Open in 1978, the South Carolina PGA five times during the 1980s, and represented the United States in the 1980 and 1984 PGA Cup Matches, the club professionals’ version of the Ryder Cup.  In 1980 at Oak Tree, Florence led the US to a perfect 4-0 match record.  In addition to his success in the club pro ranks, Florence qualified four times for the PGA Championship between 1980-91.  He has served as Vice President and Director of Sports at Wild Dunes Resort since 1992.

Jimmy Franklin played a major part of the Gardner-Webb College golf team’s success during the 1970’s.  Franklin, who starred for Dr. Garland Allen and the Bulldogs from 1974 until 1978, was the team’s most valuable player during the 1977 and 1978 seasons.  Gardner-Webb won the NAIA National Championship in 1976 and 1977.  During his four year career, Franklin, a two time NAIA All-American selection, finished thirteenth, fifth, second, and twelfth individually in the four national championships he competed in.  He was also a four year NAIA All District 26 selection.  In addition to his outstanding play in the NAIA National Championships, Franklin also won four collegiate tournaments and was selected to participate in the 1977 Sun Bowl Classic.  Franklin turned professional in 1979 and became a PGA member in August, 1982.  He has served as the head pro at several country clubs, including Rock Hill and Cramer Mountain Country Clubs.  Presently, Franklin is the head pro at Gastonia Municipal Golf Course.

Two-sport standout Gerald Freeman made the most of his time in Boiling Springs in the 1950s, starring on the gridiron and the baseball diamond for the Bulldogs.  Freeman was a versatile member of Gardner-Webb’s undefeated 1951 football team, playing receiver, halfback and defensive back with much success to lead GW to a perfect 8-0 regular season mark and a berth in the Golden Isles Bowl.  A catcher, shortstop and pitcher for the Diamond ‘Dogs, Freeman posted an impressive .406 batting average and earned All-Junior College honors in 1952.  After a four-year stint in the US Navy, Freeman returned to Gardner-Webb in 1957 and picked up where he left off, earning All-Conference honors as a football end and All-Conference in baseball as a standout shortstop.  During his time in the military, Freeman continued his athletic prowess, playing on a Navy football squad that competed against UCLA, among others, and earning an invitation to the Cleveland Browns’ training camp as an end.  Freeman also started a successful softball career during his time with the Navy, including an undefeated, 30-0, season in the South China Seas.  Following his time at Gardner-Webb, Freeman went on to a successful career in the ministry, pasturing 15 churches from 1960 through 1995.  In 1980, Freeman began leading mission teams to Costa Rica and, in 1996, began full timemissions work in that country.