Gardner-Webb Officials Announce Terri Williams as the New Women’s Basketball Head Coach

A 30-Year Veteran, Williams Helped Lead Six Different Teams into the NCAA Tournament with One Sweet 16 Appearance

BOILING SPRINGS, N.C.—Gardner-Webb University Vice President and Director of Athletics Andrew T. Goodrich has announced Terri Williams as the new head coach of the Runnin’ Bulldogs women’s basketball program. Williams is a 30-year veteran with 17 years of experience as a Division I head coach.

She joins Gardner-Webb from Penn State in University Park, Pa., where she most recently served as the Nittany Lions’ associate head coach during the 2024-25 campaign. Williams was promoted to the role following two seasons as an assistant.

“We had an incredible candidate pool, but among all of those candidates, one person rose above the rest,” Goodrich affirmed. “Terri Williams has not only proven that she is an incredibly intelligent and successful coach on the court by guiding six different teams into the NCAA Tournament and into the Sweet 16, but also she truly believes in the mission at Gardner-Webb University and we are supremely confident that our women’s basketball student-athletes will grow mentally, physically, emotionally, spiritually and relationally throughout their playing careers—and the rest of their lives—under Williams’ guidance, mentorship, and tutelage.”

Before her time at Penn State, Williams spent eight seasons as the head coach at Georgetown University in Washington, D.C., and nine seasons at Auburn University in Alabama. She also served as an assistant at Georgetown, Georgia, and Southwest Missouri State. In total, Williams has amassed 283 career wins, helped lead six different teams to a berth in the NCAA Tournament, and guided a program to the Sweet 16.

Noting Williams’ winning record and skills, Gardner-Webb Interim President Nate Evans asserted, “We are excited to welcome Coach Williams to the Gardner-Webb family. With more than two decades of Division I coaching experience, she brings a depth of knowledge, leadership, and a competitive edge that aligns with our values. Her proven ability to develop student-athletes makes her an ideal fit. We are confident that she will build on our tradition of excellence and take Runnin’ Bulldogs basketball to new heights.”

Williams led successful turnarounds at both Georgetown and Auburn, tallying 143 wins at Georgetown and 140 wins at Auburn. She became the head coach at Georgetown in 2004-05 and by the end of her tenure in 2011-12, had guided the Hoyas to three NCAA Tournament appearances in a row, the top-15 of the national polls in each of her final three seasons, and the program’s first ever Sweet 16 during the 2010-11 season. In addition, Williams also guided Georgetown to the Women’s NIT quarterfinals in 2009.

After the most successful era in Georgetown women’s basketball history, Williams made the move to Auburn for the 2012-13 season, where she’d spend the next nine years leading the Tigers program. Under Williams, Auburn completed two 20-win seasons and made three NCAA Tournament appearances. In the 2018-19 season, the Tigers posted 22 wins, the most by an Auburn team in a decade.

Before two stops as a head coach, Williams built a decade-long resume as an assistant. The former Penn State player started her coaching career at Georgetown in 1992 where she’d spend the next four seasons, before joining the staff at Georgia in 1996. While at Georgia, Williams helped guide the Bulldogs to the Final Four in 1998-99, and the Elite Eight with a school record 32 wins in 1999-00. Upon leaving Georgia, Williams joined Southwest Missouri State, once again leading a program to new heights. In 2003-04 and 2004-05, the Bears posted the then-most wins in school history over a two-year stretch, going 28-4 and 25-8 back-to-back and reaching the NCAA Tournament both times.

Williams’ teams have been known for defense over the course of her coaching career, with Auburn setting new school records for total steals and forced turnovers in her first season, while also posting the third-best mark in the country in both steals per game and turnovers forced per game. During her three years on the Penn State bench, Williams helped turn the Nittany Lions into one of the best defensive teams in the Big Ten Conference, helping to create one of the highest-pressure defenses in the country. In 2023-24, Penn State forced the third most turnovers and posted the third most blocked shots in the league. Defense translated for the Nittany Lions as well, with Penn State winning 22 games during the 2023-24 season, the most for the program since 2016-17.

A native of Hampton, Va., Williams played four seasons at Penn State. She was a four-year letterwinner for the Nittany Lions, playing in 111 games between 1987-88 and 1991-92. Williams’ basketball background goes beyond her playing career as well, with her brother Boo Williams known nationally as one of the most influential and successful youth sports coaches and as the National Chair for AAU Boys and Girls Basketball. Along with Williams, the Gardner-Webb family also welcomes her daughter Maya and son Eric. Maya, a graduate of Georgetown University, currently works as a pediatrician, while Eric is a student at Old Dominion University.

Gardner-Webb University is North Carolina’s recognized leader in private, Christian higher education. A Carnegie-Classified Doctoral/Professional University, GWU is home to nine colleges and schools, more than 80 undergraduate and graduate majors, and a world-class faculty. Located on a beautiful 225-acre campus in Boiling Springs, N.C., Gardner-Webb prepares graduates to impact their chosen professions, equips them with the skills to advance the frontiers of knowledge, and inspires them to make a positive and lasting difference in the lives of others. Ignite your future at Gardner-Webb.edu.