John Bryant | Southwest Baptist
Men’s and Women’s Tennis Coach, 1966-2017
John Bryant was the head men’s and women’s tennis coach at Southwest Baptist for 51 years. His career coaching record sits at 937-523 (.642 winning percentage) which includes a 715-400 record on the men’s side and a 222-118 record on the women’s side. Bryant’s teams have won 21 NAIA District Championships (18 men, 3 women), 16 MIAA Championships (15 men’s, 6 women’s) – which includes seven straight from 1988 to 1994 – and made 48 national tournament appearances (38 men’s, 10 women’s). John has also coached 43 All-American athletes (36 men and 7 women). Bryant was also honored as the NCAA Division II National Coach of the Year in 1990 after previously being named the NAIA National Coach of the Year in 1983 before SBU became a Division II member.
Bryant was inducted into the Missouri Sports Hall of Fame in 2010, inducted into the SBU Hall of Fame in 1982 and the NAIA Hall of Fame in 1987. He served as SBU Director of Athletics from 1989 to 1995 and was honored with the State of Missouri Governor’s Award for Excellence in 1996. Additionally, Southwest Baptist University named its tennis courts in Bryant’s honor in 2001. (
Southwest Baptist was an MIAA member institution from 1986-2019.)
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