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Carter Gym
Home of the Camels from 1953-2008, venerable Carter Gymnasium on the Campbell University campus in Buies Creek, N.C., was truly one of the most unique places to watch a Division I basketball game. For over half a century, the Camels (men’s and women’s basketball, volleyball and wrestling) called the brick and concrete structure with wooden rafters home. And what a home court advantage it was.
Since the Fighting Camel men’s basketball team joined NCAA Division I in 1977-78 until the last game played in the facility on Feb. 25, 2008, Campbell posted a 173-106 record (.620) in games played at Carter. From 1973-2008, the Lady Camels amassed a 286-115 mark (.713) at the site.
“The cozy atmosphere and the community and student support can be felt in a special way in Carter Gym,” said former Camel head coach Wanda Watkins, who played in the facility for Campbell from 1975-79. “I know that all our players would agree that they are confident every time they step on that floor, regardless of the opposition, because of that atmosphere.”
The 2007-08 season marked the final year that Carter Gym hosted intercollegiate basketball competition. Since the Campbell men’s and women’s basketball, volleyball and wrestling teams moved into the John W. Pope Jr. Convocation Center in the fall of 2008, Carter Gym is now used primarily by the University’s physical education, campus recreation and intramural departments, with the occasional Fighting Camel wrestling match.
Ground-breaking ceremonies were held on May 3, 1952. Named for the family of textile executive Howard Carter, the facility was dedicated on Feb. 20, 1953.
Prior to the 1994-95 season, the facility was refurbished with a new wood floor and armchair seats that circle the floor on three sides. Capacity for basketball games stood at 947, but more than 1,000 fans have crammed into the arena on several occasions since the capacity was limited. For the record, Carter Gym stood as the second-smallest men’s basketball home court in the NCAA Division I ranks, only larger than the Charleston Southern University Field House (capacity 790).
Carter Gym hosted the 1988 Big South Conference Women’s Basketball Tournament and the Lady Camels registered some of the club’s most memorable wins at the site. The 1987-88 team won a school-record 15 games at the facility, while the 1990-91 club was undefeated at 12-0 in Carter. During the 1997-98 season, Campbell scored its first victory over an Atlantic Coast Conference school (Wake Forest) as a Division I member, and recorded its first win over a nationally-ranked Division I opponent (#21 Florida International) in Carter Gym.
Some of the most famous names in basketball history, including Bob Cousy, John Wooden, Pete Maravich and Michael Jordan, have passed through the Carter Gym doors as instructors at the Campbell Basketball School. Maravich attended the camp every year from age nine through 18.
The most famous game played at the building was the February 29, 1964 contest between Angier and Boone Trail for the Harnett County high school championship. That game lasted 13 overtimes, a record for the National Federation of High Schools Association, that is unmatched by the NCAA or NBA. The fact that Boone Trail eventually won 56-54 is not as remarkable as the fact that neither team substituted during the contest.
This Date in Carter Gym Basketball History
November 11
2006 – Ledell Eackles sets a school record by making 10 steals during a 106-66 win over UNC Pembroke in the earliest regular season game ever played by the Camel men at Carter Gym. CU topped the 100-point barrier for the first time since a 114-62 win over Ferrum on Jan. 3, 1994 at Carter.
November 19
1981 – Wanda Watkins records her first coaching victory with an 88-56 win over Liberty.
November 20
2006 – Campbell defeats UNC Wilmington 100-94, the first time the Camels scored 100 points at home vs. a Division I opponent since joining the NCAA’s top flight in 1977-78.
November 29
1961 – Campbell opens its first senior college men’s basketball season with a 64-59 win over Atlantic Christian at Carter Gym.
December 1
1980 – Coach Danny Roberts’ Camels score just 36 points in a 48-36 loss to visiting High Point, the lowest scoring game by the Camels at Carter Gym in the Division I era.
1994 – Campbell defeats the Methodist men 76-68 in the first game played in the newly refurbished Carter Gym. Chair back seats replaced the old bleachers, cutting capacity from 1,200 to 947. The old tartan playing surface was replaced with a wood floor.
2005 – The Campbell men break a school-record, 25-game losing streak with an 84-70 win over Stetson in their Atlantic Sun Conference opener.
December 2
1987 – Campbell scores a school Division I era record 133 points in a 133-84 win over Methodist. Coach Billy Lee’s Camels made 54 field goals (only four 3-pointers) and 21 free throws in the 49-point margin. The teams set a school record for most combined points (217) scored in a Campbell men’s game.
December 11
1968 – Fred McCall coaches what would be his last game in Carter Gym – a 69-57 victory over Erskine – before stepping aside in January 1969 to accept a position in the Campbell Advancement office.
December 20
1997 – The Campbell women record their first victory over an Atlantic Coast Conference opponent as a Division I member with a 67-62 triumph over Wake Forest at Carter Gym. In a pre-game “highlight,” Humphrey – the pet Camel of then Athletics Director Tom Collins – gets too “excited” by the pep band’s music and relieves himself on the Carter Gym floor. Assistant A.D. Davis Whitfield, learning that no job is too small, handles mop-up chores.
January 3
1994 – The Campbell men record the program’s largest victory margin as a Division I member with a 52-point win over Ferrum (114-62).
January 4
1969 – Danny Roberts serves as head coach for the first of 411 games with the Fighting Camels in a 75-62 loss to High Point
January 5
1998 – Campbell records its first-ever win over a nationally-ranked women’s basketball team when the Camels upset No. 21 Florida International 69-67.
January 16
1993 – With Campbell leading 87-84, Doug Day of Radford attempts a 22-foot, 3-point shot in the waning seconds of the game, but his high-arching attempt deflects off a light fixture hanging from the rafters above the lane and the Camels gain possession, then hold on for the win.
January 17
2004 – The Camels defeat Jacksonville 85-73 for Robbie Laing’s first coaching victory, ending a 0-13 start to the regular season. The Dolphins were coached by Hugh Durham, who led both Florida State and Georgia to the NCAA Final Four and amassed more than 600 career wins.
January 20
1986 – Campbell sets a school Division I era record by shooting 70 percent (28-of-40) from the field in a win over Brooklyn College.
February 12
1998 – The Campbell women set a school record for points scored vs. an Atlantic Sun Conference opponent in a 101-79 victory over the College of Charleston.
February 13
1984 – In a 107-30 win over Davidson, the Campbell women set school records for largest home win margin (77) and most rebounds (71) in a game.
February 18
1999 – Campbell rallies from a 22-point first-half deficit to defeat Coach Lefty Driesell’s Georgia State Panthers.
February 20
1953 – In the first games ever played at Carter Gym, the Campbell women defeated Worth Business College 55-50 behind Dot Howard’s 21 points. The Campbell men dropped a 56-53 decision to the Wake Forest JV despite a 24-point performance by Ronald Percise.
February 23
1991 – Campbell defeated Augusta 80-66 to finish the year 12-0 at Carter Gym, the program’s first unbeaten home record in the women’s Division I era (since 1986-87).
February 25
2008 – Campbell played its final home games at Carter Gym, more than 55 years after the facility opened. The Campbell women defeated USC Upstate 62-47, while the men fell to East Tennessee State 96-87.
February 29
1964 – In the longest basketball game ever played, Boone Trail defeated Angier 56-54 in 13 overtimes for the Harnett County 1-A championship. The 13 OT game still stands as the longest in National Federation of High Schools Association history and has not been matched on the college or NBA levels. Neither team substituted during the contest with all five players from each team playing the full 71 minutes. Future Campbell guard Frank Stewart of Boone Trail led all scorers with 29 points.
March 4
1994 – The Campbell women set a program single-game scoring record in a 112-75 win over Charleston Southern.
May 3
1952 – Groundbreaking ceremonies are held for Carter Gym, named for the family of textile executive Howard Carter.
June
1956 – Founded by Coach Fred McCall and Coach Horace “Bones” McKinney, Carter Gym hosts the Campbell Basketball School for the first time. The annual event grew into the nation’s largest summer basketball camp and expanded to use school gymnasiums across Harnett and Johnston counties.
