Jacksonville, Florida – The winds of change officially swept through the Edward Waters College Athletic Department on Tuesday as Paul Bryant was introduced as the ninth director of intercollegiate athletics in program history.
Bryant comes to EWC with over a decade of experience as an Athletic Director, with five of those years serving as AD at NCAA Division I institutions. Bryant has also served as athletic director at one Division II institutions, one NAIA institution, and has a wealth of experience as an Athletics Administrator as well.
“When we started this journey, we made a concerted effort to find a leader, a leader of young people, a leader of staff that can take Edward Waters College to heretofore unprecedented heights,” stated EWC President and Chief Executive Officer, Dr. A. Zachary Faison, Jr. “Today is a great day of excitement as we look forward to the future of athletics here at Edward Waters College,” Dr. Faison further added.
Most recently, Bryant served as the Director of Athletics at Grambling State University from 2017-2018. Under his purview at GSU, the Tigers won Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC) Championships in football, women’s basketball, and men’s basketball. In addition, four Grambling State programs made it to the SWAC Championship of their respective sports. Bryant engineered facilities upgrades at venerable Eddie G. Robinson Stadium in Grambling, which included installation of Field Turf and new digital scoreboards in just eight months.
Prior to his time at GSU, Bryant spent three years as the Director of Athletics at South Carolina State University. While at SCSU during the 2014-15 year, the SC State football team claimed a share of the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) Championship and the men’s tennis program won and represented the MEAC in the first round of the NCAA Division I Tennis Championship. Bryant also created the “Kennel Booster Club” and oversaw the renovations of the Hardeep Judge Tennis Center.
Bryant also served as the Director of Athletics at Stillman College from 2013-2014, where he oversaw three athletic programs that won Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SIAC) division and tournament championships in men’s & women’s tennis and baseball.
He also has served as Director of Athletics at Eureka College, Associate Director and Interim Director of Athletics at Urbana University. Bryant also has coaching experience, serving as the Head Men’s Basketball Coach at Urbana as well as Sinclair Community College
Bryant holds a bachelor’s degree from Alaska Pacific University as well as a master’s degree in Education from Urbana University. Bryant will also receive his doctoral degree in Higher Education Leadership/Athletics from Northcentral University in July.
“I am excited and I am enthused to be here as the ninth Director of Intercollegiate Athletics at Edward Waters College,” remarked Bryant. He also said, “Our athletic department will be disciplined in everything that we do, in the classroom, on the playing field, and in the community.” “In everything that we do, we will walk and talk like champions.”
