Jim Garrison of Murfreesboro, NC was a two-way starter at running back and defensive back for the undefeated Gardner-Webb football teams of 1951 and 1952.  He was instrumental in the team’s perfect records and appearances in the Golden Isle Bowl both seasons.  As a sophomore, Garrison not only served as team captain, but was named to the All-State team and was selected as the Golden Isle Bowl Most Valuable Player.  Also a letter-winner in basketball at Gardner-Webb, he graduated with honors in 1953 with an A.A. degree in pre-Engineering.  He continued his outstanding career at Western Carolina where he graduated with High Honors with a B.A. degree in Mathematics in 1955.  While at Western Carolina, he earned All-Conference and All-State honors and served as team captain.  Garrison later served as an assistant football coach at Gardner-Webb from 1955 through 1958.

Artis Gilmore, a two-time All-American, led the Gardner-Webb Junior College basketball team to national tournament appearances in 1967-68 and 1968-69.  The 7-2 enter dominated the middle like no other post player in school history.  He would certainly have school, and probably national, records in blocked shots if that statistic had been recorded.  Gilmore finished with 1,530 points, averaging 22.5 points per game, and 1,150 rebounds, averaging 16.9 rebounds during his two-year career.  He went on to earn NCAA Division One All-American honors at Jacksonville University, guiding the Dolphins to the NCAA Championship game his senior year.  Gilmore then embarked on a professional career of 17 years in the American Basketball Association (ABA) and the National Basketball Association (NBA), playing with Kentucky, Chicago, San Antonio, and Boston.  During his ABA/NBA career he scored 24,941 points for an 18.8 ppg average, and grabbed 16,330 rebounds, averaging 12.3 per contest.  He was named an ABA first team All-Star five times and holds ABA and NBA records for career field goal percentage with .557 and .599, respectively.  He was named ABA Rookie of the Year and League Most Valuable Player in 1971-72.  He led the 1974-75 Kentucky Colonels to the ABA Championship.  Upon ending his NBA career with the Boston Celtics, following the 1987-88 season, he continued to play professionally in Europe.

Richard C. Grissom of State Road, NC was a two-year starter on the Gardner-Webb football team, earning first-team Kodak All-America honors at linebacker as a senior in 1973.  He became the Bulldogs’ first football Kodak Small College All-American, which is selected from all schools in the NAIA and NCAA Divisions Two and Three.  Grissom anchored the defense from his middle linebacker position and helped lead the Runnin’ Bulldogs to an appearance in the NAIA Poultry Bowl in 1973.  Upon graduation from Gardner-Webb, he went on to an outstanding career as a teacher and coach.  At Wilkes Central (NC) High School, Grissom has built a reputation as an exceptional educator and coach winning “Coach of the Year” honors several times and being selected as a coach in the North Carolina East-West All Star Game in 1994.  He is also a former “Teacher of the Year” at Wilkes Central High School. 

Dunsey Harper spent his career as one of the most exciting athletes to play on the defensive side of the football for the Runnin’ Bulldogs, using an excellent combination of size and speed to harass opposing offenses during his four-year career.  Harper was an NAIA All-America selection and All-South Atlantic Conference selection following his senior season in 1992, when he helped the Bulldogs to a 12-2 mark, a SAC-8 championship and a spot in the NAIA National Championship Bowl.  Harper set a school record with 94 solo tackles in 1992, finishing second on the team with 151 total stops.  The Shelby, NC native also registered 11.0 tackles for loss (minus-50 yards), 3.0 sacks and a career-best 10 pass break ups.  For his career, Harper registered 319 total tackles (193 solo), 31.0 tackles for loss (minus-125 yards), 5.0 quarterback sacks and 21 pass break ups.  Prior to joining the program at Gardner-Webb, Harper starred at Shelby (NC) High under legendary skipper Jim Taylor, leading the Golden Lions to a pair of Class 3A State Championships during his high school career.  Harper’s prowess at Gardner-Webb was noticed, and the Bulldogs’ star outside linebacker signed a contract to play with the Hamilton Tiger Cats of the CFL upon the completion of his career in Boiling Springs. 

Norman Harris laid the foundation for much of Gardner-Webb’s athletic success.  He first came to Gardner-Webb in 1949 as an assistant football coach and head baseball coach, a position he held for 18 years.  In 1952, he assumed the role of head football coach, where he remained for 19 years.  Harris also served as head basketball coach for eight years during his tenure.  In 1956 he founded the original version of the Bulldog Club.  While at Gardner-Webb, his teams won seven football conference championships, seven baseball conference championships and one basketball tournament championship.  He also served as athletic director from 1952-69 and was president of the Western North Carolina Athletic Conference in 1967 and 1968.  In 1968, he celebrated his 100^th football win at Gardner-Webb.  An active member of the community while at the College, Harris started the summer recreation program for Boiling Springs in 1956 and coached the Shelby and Cherryville American Legion Teams for nine years.  In 1953, his American Legion team finished fourth in the nation.  After leaving Gardner-Webb in 1970, Harris remained active in coaching and physical education until his retirement in 1989.  He coached football and baseball at Titusville (Fla.) High School from 1970 until 1987, serving as assistant football coach for 16 years and head baseball coach for eight years.  There, he also won two district championships in baseball and participated in six district and two state football championships.  Harris also coached Stan Musial Semi-Pro baseball in Titusville for two years finishing third in the state one year and second the next.  He taught Physical Education, Health, and Math at Titusville from 1970-89.

Baseball great Gregg Hefner finished his four-year career as one of the most prolific hitters in Gardner-Webb senior college history, battering opposing pitchers from 1974 until 1977.  Hefner remains the only player in the school’s senior college history to post two seasons with a batting average above .400 and finished with a robust career batting average of .385 for the Diamond ‘Dogs.  He is one of only 12 players in school history to bat above .400 in a season, with his .414 average as a sophomore ranking seventh in the Gardner-Webb record books.  Hefner batted .409 as a freshman in 1974, earning All-State honors and honorable mention NAIA All-America honors.  Following his career at Gardner-Webb, Hefner joined the coaching ranks, spending time as an assistant coach at Lenoir-Rhyne College from 1978 until 1980, and coaching the Burke County American Legion squad in 1978.

From 1964 until 1978 Gardner-Webb Athletics and the name Eddie Holbrook were synonymous. Even today, to some Gardner-Webb faithful, this is still the case.  During his tenure at Gardner-Webb, Coach Holbrook served the College in many capacities as Head Basketball Coach, Athletic Director, Coordinator of Development and Athletics, Direct of Summer Camps and Executive Director of the Bulldog Club. Holbrook was best known as the man who built Gardner-Webb into a basketball power of national stature on both the junior and senior college levels.  His record at Gardner-Webb was an amazing 328 wins and 67 losses with a 83.0 winning percentage. His senior college record was 205-39 for a 84.0 winning percentage; his junior college record 123-28 for a 81.5 winning percentage. Holbrook's teams were known for an exciting brand of power basketball and for producing All-American players. Among the many outstanding players that played for Coach Holbrook were Artis Gilmore, George Adams, John Drew, Dave Bormann, and Jim Blanks. As Athletic Director, Holbrook led Gardner-Webb into the world of senior college competition.He was also the founder and director of the highly successful Bulldog Basketball Camp and many other sports camps.  Holbrook was a founding member of the present-day Bulldog Club and served as its first Executive Director.

Tim Huff of Winston-Salem, NC was a standout baseball pitcher for Gardner-Webb from 1972 through 1976 under Bulldog “Hall of Fame” coach Jerry Bryson.  Huff received the Smoky Burgess Award in 1973 and the Outstanding Pitcher Award for 1973 and 1974.  Huff led the entire NAIA in Earned Run Average in 1973 with a school record of 0.34 that still stands after twenty-four years.  He finished the season with 80 strickouts in 53 innings with 16 walks, 21 hits and only two earned runs.  He hurled no hitters in 1973 versus Otterbein College and in 1974 versus Lynchburg Baptist.  Huff’s career numbers include 16 wins and a 1.89 earned run average.  He was drafted by three Major League organizations, the New York Mets, Pittsburgh Pirates, and the Chicago Cubs. 

Robert L. “Bob” Humphrey was a standout on the Gardner-Webb Junior College football team in the 1940s.  Humphrey, who attended Gardner-Webb from 1947 through 1949, played offensive and defensive end.  Regarded by many of his teammates as the best player on the team, Humphrey excelled for head coach C. Wayne Bradburn.  As a freshman, Humphrey was selected to the North Carolina Junior College coaches all-conference football team.  He was a team leader, who constantly displayed exemplary character and outstanding leadership qualities.  Upon graduation, Humphrey attended Western Carolina University where he continued his football career, helping Western win the North State Conference championship. In October 2007 Humphrey was inducted into the Western Carolina University football hall of fame. Humphrey has retired after working forty-two years for General Motors.

Former Bulldog Coleman Hunt made an early mark on Gardner-Webb’s football program in its early stages as a senior college program, anchoring the team’s defensive front during its transition from a junior college program to four-year status.  The Shelby, NC native was considered the team’s top defensive lineman during a career that spanned from 1969-1973 under Coach George Litton.  Hunt’s hard work and leadership paid off in 1973 when the Bulldogs finished with their first winning season at the senior college level.  That 7-5 mark included wins over Samford, Wofford, Mars Hill, Newberry, and Lenoir-Rhyne.