Fayetteville State University Homecoming ‘96 Special Edition Page 5
GAINES
continued from front page
posted a 13-1 record. They were named women’s champion among Eastern colleges,
with their only loss coming at the hands of Shaw University. Members of the team
were: A. Beatty, M. Blaylock, E. Blanks, A. Brown, L. Brown, E. Clark, B. Ellison, L. Graham,
R. Hassell, M. Jarmon, E. Nelson, B. Parker, A. Sanford, and M. Sellas. I. Martin was
the manager and trainer, and S. McKoy was the scorer.
Gaines established himself in coaching circles, defeating several of the powerful
CIAA and SIAC teams. The men posted a 22-8 record, including wins over Delaware
State, Johnson C. Smith and Bethune-Cookman, all in one week. Gaines’ first men’s team
consisted of: C. Boone, A. Galbreath, C. Galbreath, E. Harley, W. Harrison, H. McAllister,
J. McAllister, N. Manning, C. Mumford, C. Murray, P. Parker, R. Simmons, H. Tatum, and
R. Worsley. James Burch was the scorer and trainer, J. Butler handled publicity, and J.
Overby was manager and timekeeper.
With the reorganization of the EIAC in 1947, he immediately sent a message to the
remainder of the conference. He guided the Broncos to the EIAC Tournament
championship five straight years. The 1948 Broncos were 29-7 for the year. They
followed this with a 34-9 record in 1949 and won the EIAC a second time. After the 1949
season, Gaines turned the coaching duties for the Broncettes over to Coach Lauretta
Taylor. She went on to become the greatest women’s coach in Fayetteville State history.
The 1950 Broncos were 36-11, and won their third EIAC title. An added feature for the
Broncos was winning second place in the annual Colleges of North Carolina Tournament.
The 1950-51 season was extra special for the Broncos. They won both the football
and basketball championships. They also set a college basketball record by winning 44
games. (This record has stood for 45 years, and is unlikely ever to be broken.) There
was another historical event that occurred that season. Under the auspices of the
National Athletic Steering Committee, Black colleges had been granted a bid to the
NAIA National Championship Tournament for the first time. The terms for
participation required Black colleges to choose a champion from among the Historically
Black Colleges and Universities. The Black college tournament was held in Nashville,
Tennessee. As EIAC Champion, Fayetteville State was invited to be one of the first
Black schools to participate in the challenge for the NAIA Championship.
The 1951-52 year was a repeat performance for the Broncos, as they won both men’s
titles for a second straight year. The Broncos were undefeated in league play.
The accomplishments of the Broncos under Coach Gaines was phenomenal. To this
point, Gaines had guided them to victory 88.4 percent of the time. Using the same fast-
breaking offense that his mentor had used, Gaines turned the Broncos into a scoring
machine that was nearly impossible to stop.
1953 was a transitional year for the Broncos, as they made the move into the CIAA.
They proved to be competitive in basketball, but struggled severely in football. The fall
of 1954 saw Gaines suffer his first losing season, going 3-5-1 against stiff CIAA
competition. Still, the Broncos played most teams close. They defeated the powerful
Pirates of Hampton 12-8 and gained the respect of the members of the conference. The
basketball team faired much better, posting a 29-7 record. While they did not challenge
for the CIAA Tournament crown for several years, their arrival was far from quiet.
After several competitive years, the Broncos finished fourth in the conference in
1957 and placed third in the CIAA Tournament.
In addition to his coaching and teaching duties at Fayetteville State, Gaines also got
involved in community activities. He led the fight in the early fifties for a gymnasium for
E.E. Smith High School. In his eloquent way, he explained the value of physical
education and recreation in the development of the bodies and character of young
people. He told city officials how he used the gym at Fayetteville State to help keep
youngsters off the streets. He also gave them constructive things to do, such as cleaning
the lockers or helping to set up for games. He spoke of the sense of pride that developed
from the jobs. Gaines organized a basketball team from the youngsters who hung
around the gym and called them the “Junior Broncos”. He supplied them with used
uniforms that were cut down to fit the smaller players. Using the fact that only one of
the players on the EIAC Championship team was from North Carolina as an example,
Gaines informed public officials that this was due to the lack of facilities.*
Year
“GUS” GAINES’ CAREER RECORD
Football Men’s Women’s
Basketball Basketball
1945-46
7-2
22-8
13- 1
1946-47
7-2
17-5
14-0
1947 - 48
29-7*
1948-49
34-9
8-4
1949 - 50
*
36-11*
13-3
1950-51
7-2*
44-8*
1951-52
7-2
23-5*
9-1
1952-53
8-2
1953 - 54
3-5-1
29-7
1954-55
3-6
1955-56
0-9
1956 - 57
4-3
1968 - 69
7-14
Career
Records
56-47-6
310-109
Career Winning
Percentage —
*EIAC
Championships
Coach Gaines reached 300 victories in just 12 years. That is faster than any coach in the
history of college basketball.
The 1950-51 season record of 44 victories is the most games won in a single season in
college basketball history.
51.78
73.985%
1950
1948
1951
1949
1950
1951
1952
eau
The 1950 Fayetteville State University
Broncos' Basketball Team
W
mm
t
J
I
W '
1968 Bronco Basketball Team
r vir
1968 Basketball Team Captains
When he returned to Fayetteville State University in 1968, Gaines built
his team around freshman William Monroe and Ron Pettiway. Monroe
won All-CIAA honors.
A Gathering Of Old Friends
Former Broncos get together during the ‘70s.