Inscriptions were made to each side of the court diagonal of one another.
The new basketball gym floor at “The Doghouse” (Plainview HS’s gym) now includes a homage to legendary Lady Bulldog head coach Danny Wrenn.
When Plainview High School basketball fans visit the gym, they’ll notice Wrenn’s name monogrammed on the floor. Plainview ISD Superintendent H.T Sanchez told the school board and those in attendance at a school board meeting on June 23.
Wrenn made a tremendous impact for Plainview Athletics during his tenure. He first arrived in Plainview in 1987 as the girl’s head basketball coach. According to a Herald archived article, throughout his time at Plainview, he wore many different hats. He received the opportunity to coach football with legendary Plainview Coach Greg Sherwood. He coached tennis, track and cross–country. Along with those, Wrenn served time as the girl’s athletic director and was involved in the development of the volleyball and softball programs building them up to what they are today.
Despite the many roles he took on, basketball stood out like no other. Under his leadership, he amassed 774 victories throughout his 33-year run.
“First of all, he’s an incredible coach. You don’t win that many state championships and you don’t have that long of sustained success without being an incredible coach” former Athletic Director Ryan Rhoades said.
Wrenn created a dynasty at Plainview in the early 2000’s. Banners hung in the Dog House show the Lady Bulldogs went a combined 105-4 record between 2001-2003 losing only one game in 2001 and 2002. They won the 5-A State Championship all three years in a row. His squad made four straight state appearances total falling in the state final in 2004.
His squads advanced to five total state championships. Wrenn only missed the playoffs one time during this span, according to a Herald archive story.
Wrenn coached numerous athletes that continued to play at the collegiate level following graduation including the likes Alesha Robertson (Texas Tech), Chelsi Welch (University of Oklahoma) and Karli Wheeler (Oklahoma State) all signed to play at the Division I level, according to Herald archives.
Welch and Robertson played in the Nike All-America game in back-to-back years in the early 2000’s with Robertson winning MVP in both years. Wrenn also coached Wheeler who was nominated for the McDonald’s All-American game in 2015, according to Herald archives.
Wrenn announced his retirement from Plainview in the spring of 2020, Herald archives show. He resumed his coaching career, taking a position in July of the same year to coach at Kingdom Prep Academy in Lubbock. Despite going in a different direction, “I’m incredibly proud of my time at Plainview,” Wrenn said in an interview with Hub City Preps. “Those teams and all the girls mean an awful lot to me and always will.”
The Plainview community loves and respects Wrenn for the success and notoriety brought to the Plainview area throughout his tenure. His name on the floor represents that gratitude.
Former Plainview athletic director Ryan Rhoades shared his thoughts working beside Wrenn and the legacy he left.
“As incredible as he is as a coach, he’s a better human being and a better man. I’m sure the number of lives impacted are well into the thousands over his stay in Plainview” Rhoades said. “He absolutely cared about the community, cared about our kids and maximized his team’s talents on a yearly basis.”
With Wrenn’s name varnished onto the hardwood, he joins the likes of Greg Sherwood and Neil Billingsley as a permanent Plainview Bulldog legend.