Long before Pat Summitt arrived as coach of the University of Tennessee Lady Vols, this part of the state already had developed a reputation for playing good women’s basketball. That was primarily because of Galen W. Johnson Jr., who led tiny Porter High School in Blount County to three state championships and two runner-up finishes from the 1950s to the 1970s.
He demonstrated his demanding style not only in his actions, but also in a list of written rules he gave to his players. Galen’s daughter, Stephanie Thompson said these rules included not drinking soft drinks, not eating peanuts or popcorn, being in bed by 9 p.m., and not dating during the week. “He had high expectations of the girls,” she said with a laugh.
A 1946 graduate of Everett High and later Maryville College and the University of Tennessee, Mr. Johnson began his career in Richards, Mo., coaching both the boys’ and girls’ basketball teams from 1952-55. He then arrived at Porter in 1955 as a guidance counselor, boys’ and girls’ basketball coach, and football assistant. At the time, Porter was a small school with an equally limited reputation for girls’ basketball, but Johnson quickly built the school into a state power.
He won girls’ state championships in 1959, 1963 and 1967, usually playing larger schools in the pre-classification days. His teams were also state tournament runners-up in 1969 and 1978 and finished third in 1964 and 1971. Mr. Johnson won a total of 1,012 games at all levels of basketball coaching at Porter, and his record as coach of the Porter girls’ teams was 735-167.
His teams were so dominant that they set a national high school record for winning 20 or more games for 24 consecutive seasons, averaging 28.5 wins a year during that stretch. In 1996, the basketball gym at what is now Porter Elementary was named in his honor.