Photos courtesy of University of Nebraska Athletics and NU website
Former CoSIDA President and distinguished Hall of Famer Don "The Fox" Bryant served more than 34 ye
ars at the University of Nebraska, retiring as associate director of athletics on July 31, 1997 although he continued to work on special projects.
A graduate of Nebraska, He served as president of CoSIDA and was inducted into the CoSIDA Hall of Fame in 1975. In 1981, he received the Arch Ward Memorial Award for outstanding service to the sports information profession.
Bryant was a member of the 1980, 1984 and 1988 U.S. Winter Olympic Teams, serving as media liaison at Lake Placid, Sarajevo and Calgary. He also spent 20 years as a member of the NCAA Media Services Staff at the Final Four basketball tournaments. Inducted into the Nebraska Journalism Hall of Fame, Bryant also was the recipient of the 1997 Clarence Swanson Memorial Award from the Nebraska Chapter of the National Football Foundation and Hall of Fame. Other 1997 honors included the NU Journalism Alumni Award of Excellence for Outstanding News-Editorial Service, the Lifetime Award from the Nebraska Sports Writers and Sportscasters Association and the Charles J. Mancuso Sports Service Award from the Omaha Sportscasters Association.
See also:
Journal-Star: Longtime SID Don "The Fox" Bryant Dies
Babcock: Fox is a Proper Name, No Italics Necessary
World-Herald: Fox a Friend to Many and a Pro to All
SID Honor Reflects Huskers’ Tradition of Excellence
Video: Don Bryant Nebraska Retrospective & Tribute (courtesy of Jeff Schmahl):
Note: Funeral services for Bryant are set for 1:30 p.m. Friday, Dec. 12 at Christ United Methodist Church, 4530 A Street. Private family interment will be at Lincoln Memorial Park. Visitation will be Thursday, Dec. 10 from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. at Butherus, Maser & Love Funeral Home, 4040 A Street, and will continue at the Christ United Methodist Church gymnasium with the family present from 5-8 p.m.
In lieu of flowers, memorials are suggested to the University of Nebraska College of Journalism to establish a scholarship in Bryant’s name, Christ United Methodist Church or the Lincoln Municipal Band. The family welcomes condolences, stories and recollections of Bryant be left at www.bmlfh.com.
Reflections on "The Fox"
Don Bryant was someone who had a big influence on me and, of course, many others. I remember many funny stories he told and I also remember the kindness he bestowed on me. He nominated me for the CoSIDA Board of Directors many years ago and paved the way for a very special experience….which continues today. I looked up to him throughout my years at KU. He was certainly one of the giants of our profession and a hero to many. He’s is in a better place and that place is better because he’s there."
- Doug Vance, CoSIDA Executive Director
"Don Bryant was truly one of the giants of our industry. There are stars in sports who are recognized by just one name. Babe. Magic. And in our business, Fox. Although Mr. Bryant has left us, his impact remains today with the numerous sports communications professionals whom he taught and guided and developed in their careers. As these people teach and guide and develop the CoSIDA members of tomorrow, Mr. Bryant's legacy will live on forever in our profession. Our thoughts and prayers are with his beloved wife Pedie and their sons, Bill and Jeff and their family."
- Eric McDowell, Union College (N.Y.)/CoSIDA President
“For those of us who got our start in the Midwest, Don Bryant was the standard bearer. We looked to Mr. Bryant as the leader on how to do things the right way in our profession and he was always available when we needed advice on a situation. He will be missed.”
- Judy Willson, The Mountain West Conference/CoSIDA Second Vice President
"I have so many fond memories of Don Bryant. I came from the "small time", and yet Fox treated me like just one of the guys. I spent many hours at his side and listened to how it should be done right. As CoSIDA's treasurer, I had the privilege of working with him when he was president of the group, and he was such a wonderful professional. Although my wife and I haven't seen Fox and Pedie in years, we always thought of them around convention time. They were a wonderful couple. I can say that this is a sad day for all of us connected to the profession, but it also makes us happy to think of the many memories of good times with The Fox."
- Dave Wohlhueter, CoSIDA retired treasurer and CoSIDA Hall of Famer
College Football Leaders Pay Tribute to Fox, by Randy York
On a historic Saturday for college football, two prominent members of the first-ever College Football Playoff (CFP) Committee paused, reflected and shared their warm thoughts about Don Bryant. Nebraska's legendary Sports Information Director and Assistant Athletic Director died Friday night at Bryan LGH-East of congestive heart failure. College Football Playoff Executive Director Bill Hancock and College Football Hall-of-Fame Coach Tom Osborne, a charter member of the CFP committee, expressed their condolences for Bryant, a.k.a. Fox, on Saturday. He was 85.
Funeral services will be Friday at 1:30 p.m. at Lincoln's Christ United Methodist Church, located at 46th and A Streets, with Pastor Jim Miller officiating.
“For three weeks in 1987, I was Fox’s roommate when we were on the staff at the Pan American Games in Indianapolis,” Hancock recalled. “We discussed great books, music and science. Fox was a renaissance man. He helped countless young people through the years – reporters, budding SIDs
(Sports Information Directors), television people and players. I loved the man.”
Osborne visited Bryant before flying to Texas, where the 12-member committee is meeting in Grapevine to finalize voting for Sunday’s inaugural
announcement of the four FBS playoff qualifiers.
“Don was pretty much comatose when I was there, but I talked to Pedie
(Don’s wife of 63 years) and Bill
(Fox’s son, who owns the Hickman (Neb.) Voice newspaper),” Osborne said. “I’m really sorry to lose Don. He’s a good friend and was a great Sports Information Director. He was probably as well connected with athletic communications people as anybody in the country. He was very well known and very well liked by everyone. I want to send my sympathy to his family and congratulate him on a life well lived. Don made a great contribution to University of Nebraska Athletics.”
Johnny Rodgers Calls Fox Devaney’s Right-Hand Man
Johnny Rodgers, Nebraska’s first Heisman Trophy winner, was in Houston attending a special event and wanted to share his fond memories. “Fox has to be one of the best media people in the business,” Rodgers said. “He was Bob Devaney’s right-hand man, along with Coach Osborne. Everybody liked Fox. He was just a nice guy and very professional. He had friends all over the country. He played an important role in the reputation we had. He was a primary force who knew how to get the right information into the right hands of the right people.
I would not have won a Heisman without his influence and leadership. Coach Devaney had a lot of legends around him – Coach (Jim) Ross, Coach Osborne, Coach (Monte) Kiffin and Coach (Cletus) Fischer, and Fox was one of the leaders. He was top-of-the-line in his profession. He was a great representative for the University. He was an important part of the Game of the Century. He outlined the facts that made that game against Oklahoma what it was and still is. Our 1971 team is still considered the
best in the history of college football, and here we are, 43 years later. Fox was a huge part of the impact we had.”
Just ask Oklahoma coaching legend Barry Switzer. "When I think of Nebraska, the first people I think of are Bob Devaney and Don "Fox" Bryant," Switzer said. "Bob and Fox are some of the best people I've ever met, and because of their leadership, Nebraska fans are what they are today. Win or lose, Fox always came to see me after the game in our locker room. Fox was a good friend and a class man. Bob and Fox were my kind of people."
Fox had worldwide communications appeal. His media responsibities at three Olympic events are testament to that, and his reputation begs for a nationally prominent perspective, so we reached out to Malcolm Moran, who covered Nebraska’s glory years writing for
The New York Times.
“I always called Don ‘Mr. Fox,’ except for one time, after he lost weight, and I think I called him Skinny Fox,” said Moran, who is now the director of the National Sports Journalism Center and a faculty member in the Department of Journalism and Public Relations, IUPUI, in Indianapolis. “The best thing about Mr. Fox was the collection of memorable moments, whether they happened to be happy for Nebraska or unflattering. I parachuted into Lincoln often enough to observe both, and report on them all, and Don always seemed to understand that was just part of the job.
“When I was with
The New York Times, there were probably occasions when he read things in the paper that he would rather not see. But that never seemed to get in the way of his willingness to provide the type of insight that would help a reporter from hundreds of miles away understand what was happening on his campus,” Moran said. “For me, he came to represent an era I was very lucky to become a part of, a time when Sports Information Directors provided counsel for reporters and columnists. Not for the sake of making excuses for the athletes and coaches he represented, but for the chance to explain their lives to our audience. Some of my most memorable moments in the business had to do with writing about the Huskers, and Mr. Fox had a hand in all of it. And he always made it fun. One night, he made sure to place me at a dinner table next to Bob Devaney, and I will never forget him for that.”
Fox Championed Wonderful, Unique Opportunities
Chris Anderson, Nebraska’s Associate Athletic Director for Community Relations, worked for Fox and appreciated the example he set and the mentoring he provided. “Fox influenced hundreds of student assistants and provided wonderful and unique opportunities for both men and women,” she said. “He was so well liked and so highly respected by everyone. He taught us all to operate with integrity and to be truthful and respectful to all student-athletes, coaches, opponents, media and fans. He expected us to work hard but also recommended mixing in a little bit of fun with the work. He’s a legend in athletic media relations, a wonderful mentor and asked all of us to give our full attention to those we served. We will all miss Fox.”
Tim Allen, senior associate commissioner of the Big 12 Conference, captured the essence of one of Bryant’s greatest strengths when he said: “From a business standpoint it was once said that Fox could get more done with one phone call than most SIDs could accomplish with a week’s worth of work.”
Tom Simons, a.k.a. “Mini Fox”, remembers watching Fox do precisely what Allen said. “Listening to him on the phone was the best education I ever had,” Simons said. “If you establish a reputation for honesty and integrity, you don’t have to do a lot of extra work to get people to listen to you.” A January 1970 interview for a job as a student assistant in Fox’s office seems like yesterday to Mini Fox. “Fox put me at ease immediately and took me under his wing,” he recalled. “My work with wrestling became a full-time job that summer. It was an unbelievable experience, especially for a kid from Sparks, Neb. I got to work with the 1971 national champion football team and Johnny Rodgers' run to the Heisman Trophy the next year.”
Fox and Mini Fox became a productive tag team, perhaps because of their differences, even though they were of similar size and shape. Fox was not a nuts-and-bolts SID, although he thoroughly understood the need for careful attention to detail. Mini Fox was and still is a nuts-and-bolts guy, and despite his youth, he picked up quickly on big picture thinking.
Cheryl Cook, secretary for sports information at the time, was the one who coined the "Mini Fox" name. To this day, some still delete half the name and simply refer to Simons as "Mini" and that’s just fine with him. “Don was like a second father to me,” he said. “He was the rock that I leaned on for 45 years – my entire adult life. I can't describe how much I will miss him.”
Hancock: There Will Never Be another Fox
Hancock, who will help unveil one of college football’s biggest moments on Sunday afternoon, knows how his close friend “Mini” feels.
“Fox had a heart of gold,” he said. “He influenced many people, including me, and thousands of friends all over the country. There will never be another Fox.” Those who knew Fox well would agree. He was a good man, a true patriot, a proud Marine, a loving husband, a caring father/grandfather and a faithful member of the Methodist church choir for five-plus decades with his wife, Pedie.
“I’ve gone from singing to lip-syncing, but I still wear the robe and walk down the aisle,” Fox told me with his characteristic wink after a Sunday service a few years ago. I laughed, and he laughed, too, ending the conversation with his famous, extended, ultra-dramatic thumb-up gesture…a thumb, I might add, that was half the size it once was.
Bill Hancock is right. There will never be another Fox. In respect of Fox's popularity in Nebraska and across the country,
The N-Sider welcomes everyone, wherever you are, to use the link below to share your thoughts on a renaissance man who served the City of Lincoln, the University of Nebraska and a country that he loved dearly with energy, spirit and passion. May Don "The Fox" Bryant rest in eternal peace.