Garland Folsom Pinholster was a legendary basketball coach not only for Oglethorpe, but for the sport itself.
Coach Garland Pinholster arrived at Oglethorpe in 1956 and organized the first ever booster club.
Pinholster compiled a career record of 181-67 over his 10 years in charge of the Oglethorpe men’s basketball program, putting him third on the all-time program wins list. Pinholster Court at Dorough Field House is named in his honor.
Pinholster’s legacy at Oglethorpe also included the innovative “Wheel Offense,” a game changer in basketball, and a 1961 win over Rhode Island—the first integrated college basketball game played in Georgia. He may also have some credit for the foul line huddle.
Pinholster led the Petrels to a third-place finish at the 1963 NCAA College Division Tournament. The Petrels won the South Central regional title and a national quarterfinal en route to the national semifinals. That same year, he also coached the United States to a gold medal at the Pan American Games in Sao Paulo. His five books on basketball have been translated into four languages, and four of them became best-sellers.
Several of Pinholster’s players and teams have been nationally recognized and/or inducted into the Oglethorpe hall of fame, as well as others. His players Bill Carter and Tom Norwood even eventually became Oglethorpe coaches.
Pinholster is also a member of the Atlanta Sports Hall of Fame, the Georgia Sports Hall of Fame and the University of North Georgia Athletics Hall of Fame, and was a Rotarian of Year.
In the 1970s and 80s Pinholster owned Matthews Supermarkets in Atlanta, which were very successful. He also served six terms (1990-2002) as a Georgia State legislator for Cherokee and Pickens Counties and was a member of the Georgia Department of Transportation. He was president of the Atlanta Rotary and served as a board member for the Boy Scouts, Goodwill Industries and Associated Groceries.
Pinholster was born February 19th, 1928 in Clyattville, GA as the youngest of 12 kids. Allegedly, he hitchhiked to the University of North Georgia to pursue his college education. He played basketball there from 1948 to 1950, winning a state title in the latter. After graduating, he served as a lieutenant in the US Army. His first coaching job was at the high school level, right before coming to Oglethorpe. Pinholster and his wife Caroline had five children.
Pinholster passed away at his home in Ball Ground, GA on September 20th, 2020.
