Tom Bryant

Tom Bryant was Centre's men's basketball coach from 1968 to 1996, and the school’s athletic director for 21 years. A 1955 graduate of Miami of Ohio, Bryant was a starter on three Miami teams that won conference championships, team MVP, and named to the Mid-America All-Conference team. Before coming to Centre, Bryant had successful coaching stints at Colerain, Hillsboro, and Walnut Township high schools in Ohio. At Centre, Bryant won 389 games and 15 conference champions. He led Centre to the NCAA Division III Final Four twice, in 1979 and 1989, and to nine appearances in the Division III tournament. He was named Kodak Coach of the Year for the south district eight times in his career. In 2004 Centre named the gym floor in Sutcliffe Athletic Center in his honor, and named an honorary member of the Centre Athletic Hall of Fame in 1997. He is also a member of the Miami University Athletic Hall of Fame and the Ohio Coaches Hall of Fame. In addition to basketball coach, Bryant was a highly respected softball umpire, and is a member of the Hall of Honor of the Kentucky Softball Association. He served on the Board of Control for the Kentucky High School Athletic Association, and two terms as a Danville city commissioner. A former player for Bryant noted that “He led the basketball program during a run that may be the most successful sustained period of any athletic program here at Centre." Bryant died November 7, 2005.