John Bryant is no stranger to SBU athletics as he enters his 39th season as men's tennis coach while also being an associate professor of mathematics. The past two seasons, he has coached SBU to back-to-back MIAA titles and to the Elite Eight.

This past fall, he coached Dante Cipulli to the ITA NCAA Division II Singles National Championship and the ITA Small Colleges Super Bowl Singles Championship. Cipulli is currently ranked the #1 NCAA Division II singles player in the nation.

He is coming off one of his finest years at SBU as the Bearcats won their 12th MIAA title and advanced to the NCAA Elite Eight. Also, Mark Eori, Andras Bori, and Dante Cipulli were named to the All-American Team. Both Bori and Eori were named Academic All-Americans as well.

His first year as a member of SBU's faculty is the year the school became a four-year college. The team has progressed from a small six-man squad to an internationally-acclaimed team that recruits quality players globally.

He holds an associate of arts degree from Southwest Baptist, a bachelor of science and masters of education from Mississippi College, and a masters of arts degree from the University of Illinois. He is a member of two hall of fames being inducted into SBU’s in 1982 and the NAIA in 1987. In 1973, he earned SBU's Distinguished Teacher award and then in 1997 he was given the Governor's Award for Teaching.

Bryant has coached 25 All-Americans and 14 All-American honorable mention selections; 98 NAIA All-District 16 selections; 77 All-MIAA selections; and 19 academic All-Americans. SBU has participated in 33 national championships in Bryant’s career and he has an active record of 563-285, which is the most in the NCAA for lifetime victories by an active coach.

From 1967-86, SBU tennis won 18 NAIA District 16 titles, played in 19 consecutive NAIA national tournaments and won the 1984 national championship. He was named NAIA District 16 “Coach of the Year" 18 times and also has served as President of the NAIA Tennis Coaches Association twice during that span. In 1983, he picked up the NAIA National “Coach of the Year" and then did it again in 1990 after SBU became a member of the NCAA Division II.

Since SBU became a member of the NCAA Division II and joined the MIAA in 1988, the Bearcats have played in the NCAA Division II national championships tournaments 14 times and won the conference championship 12 times, including 2004.

Bryant chaired the NCAA tennis committee for seven years, served as national ranking chair for seven years, and was a member of the ITA board of directors from 1988-96.

His wife, Judy, is the chair of SBU's education department. Their daughter Jana, an SBU graduate, is a 2000 graduate of Kansas University Medical School and is a radiology resident at the Cleveland Clinic.