On Friday, January 26, Wayne County High School celebrated the 50th anniversary of their first team to reach the TSSAA State Tournament, the 1974 Wildkittens basketball team. Seventeen team members and four representatives from Coach Guy H. Buchanan’s family were in attendance and were honored by WCHS. Lady Cat alumni, along with the current Lady Cats and Cheerleaders, welcomed the 1974 team to the court by providing a “walk-out” tunnel while their old runout song “Sweet Georgia Brown” roared in the background. After recognizing all other former Lady Cats in attendance, a 12-minute video was enjoyed by everyone which featured the story of the 1974 Wildkittens. Following the video, each 1974 team member and the Buchanan family were presented with gifts which were given by the current Lady Cat team members. A reception was then held on the stage for the 1974 team and all current and former Lady Cats. All the ladies enjoyed reminiscing and reliving their glory days. Please see the photo caption for the 1974 team members in attendance. Team members who were not able to attend are: Jenny Beavers Milam, Betty Rains Anderson, Linda Keeton McWilliams, Robin Fruend Pulley, Amy Byram Swanson, Anita Suiter Campbell, Pam Prince Bartlett, Nan Rains Ashburn, Jyl Barnett Davis, and Cindy Jamar Stults.
Team members who have passed away were recognized with a moment of silence: Leah Pigg Huntley, Jamie Nutt West, Cathy Buchanan Crews, Sherry Overton Beason, Linda Morris Dedrick, Mary Raley Hinson, Deborah Sue Brewer, Darlene Skelton, Patricia Johnson, and Coach Guy H. Buchanan.
The following is a synopsis of the video content and the story of the 1974 Wildkittens:
Fifty years ago. The year was 1974. The WCHS Wildkittens became the first WCHS team to reach the TSSAA state tournament.
They had the perfect leader. Hailing from Fayetteville, TN, Coach Guy H. Buchanan began his coaching career at WCHS in 1951 after graduating from and playing football for Middle Tennessee State University. He coached both football and girls’ basketball, and to recognize the impact he had at WCHS, the football stadium was eventually named in his honor, Guy H. Buchanan Stadium. Affectionately known as Coach Buck, his 1967 Wildkittens team boasted the WCHS 6-on-6 all-time scoring leader Jane Jenkins and finished just one game shy of the Region title game and state tournament. While the 1967 Wildkittens were lighting up the scoreboard, another group of girls at the local junior high were just getting their first taste of basketball. The girls who would eventually become the 1974 seniors found a game they loved, and they lived the game of basketball. When these girls arrived at WCHS, they meshed well with Coach Buck’s style and became a force to be reckoned with, winning 55 games and losing only 5 over their last two years of high school. Coach Buck’s yearning to reach the state tourney, coupled with the tenacity and sheer will of his 1974 Wildkittens, would prove to be a deadly combination for opponents.
The game was different for ladies then. 6-on-6 halfcourt basketball was played with 3 offensive players known as forwards on one end and 3 defensive players known as guards on the other. Players specialized in either offense or defense and stayed on one end of the court, but it was very much a team game. There were also only two classifications across Tennessee, Class S for the small schools and Class L for the larger schools.
Each summer, Coach Buck and his wife Betty, along with bus driver Hardin Cole, would load up on the bus and drive all the way to Walland, TN, in the Smoky Mountains for basketball camp. There were no cell phones, no internet, no unlimited tv channels, but the girls always had a blast and looked forward to this trip every year.
After making it as far as the Region 5 semifinals their junior year, the 1974 seniors were determined to reach their goal of making it to the state tournament. Coach Buck stated that these girls thanked him for “letting” them come back in the afternoons and practice again after the boys finished. He also said that most of them had blown out two pairs of shoes and were on their 3rd pair. These girls were warriors who were not afraid of a little hard work. They made it popular for girls to not only play, but excel in sports, at a time when society might not have agreed.
The Wildkittens stormed through the regular season, notching the first-ever undefeated regular season at WCHS with a 22-0 record. They won the Waynesboro Christmas Classic with a 2-point victory over county rival Collinwood. The Collinwood team would later tally a 2-point triple overtime win of their own over the Wildkittens during the District 10 tournament semifinals. The Wildkittens would emerge as the #3 seed out of District 10 and defeated #2 Flintville 40-33 in the Region quarterfinals, a win which pitted them in a Region 5 semifinal rematch over Collinwood. This time the Wildkittens triumphed with a 2-point overtime win of their own which propelled them to the Region 5 championship vs. Culleoka, a game which they won 54-47.
With his first Region 5 championship under his belt, Buck’s Bunch was again on the road to Columbia Central to face a heavily favored Brentwood team in substate action. There was no homecourt advantage after the district tournament in 1974. Both the guards and the forwards did their jobs and the Wildkittens secured a substate victory and punched their ticket to the state tournament.
Once the Class S state tournament bracket was released, WCHS was slated to play West Greene in the quarterfinals at the Oman Arena in Jackson. Hardly anyone was left in Waynesboro that day as the community raced to support Coach Buck’s girls. The game did not end in the Wildkittens’ favor as the West Greene ladies squeaked out a 58-57 victory, but the impact and lasting legacy this team created for all the teams that would follow them is immeasurable.
Even after their WCHS days were long gone, many of these ladies continued to influence the younger generation and set a positive example without even knowing it. Some of the 1974 team members later became basketball coaches and teachers themselves, while others mentored and supported the many Lady Cats that followed in their footsteps. It’s safe to say that the 1974 Wildkittens were years ahead of their time. They were not afraid of extra work and practice; in fact, they craved it. They set the bar. They set the standard and expectations for what Lady Cat basketball is and has always been. They are the true pioneers of the Lady Cat Legacy…a tradition-rich legacy that has witnessed 18 state tourney teams including 2 state championships in 2001 and 2011 and 6 state runner-up finishes, with the most recent being the past two years with the 2022 and 2023 Lady Cat teams. The WCHS gym is full of banners recognizing the many great teams over the past 50 years, but only one team owns the very first banner, and that honor belongs to the 1974 Wildkittens.
