Former LSU All-American player and assistant coach Danny Bryan has been named head men’s tennis coach at LSU, the school’s athletic director Scott Woodward announced Tuesday.
“Returning to LSU to serve as the head coach of our men’s tennis program is a dream come true,” Bryan said. “My 14 years at LSU as a student-athlete and coach were some of the most meaningful and memorable times of my life. I grew so much as a person and coach during that time, and I’m thrilled to continue this journey I started in 2003. We are fully committed to building sustainable success and developing leaders on and off the court while competing for championships. My family and I cannot wait to return home to Baton Rouge and begin building an elite tennis program at LSU.”
Bryan spent the past six years at Wichita State where he was named the 2021 ITA Central Region Coach of the Year. He guided the Shockers to their first NCAA at-large berth this season in a quarter-century and their highest final ranking (37th) since 1983.
“Danny Bryan has epitomized excellence at every stop in his tennis career, and we are thrilled he is returning home to Baton Rouge to lead our men’s tennis program,” Woodward said. “As a student-athlete and assistant coach, Danny elevated the standard for performance at LSU – in competition and in the classroom – and his success in six seasons as a Division I head coach is undeniable. He is going to have a transformative impact on our student-athletes and on the sport of tennis in Louisiana. There is no coach in the country with a better vision for the growth of our program, and we are incredibly excited to welcome Danny, Jade, and their children back home to LSU.”
Bryan was a two-time captain and four-year letterman at LSU (2003-2007) and finished with 194 wins in both singles and doubles. He was ranked as high as No. 3 in doubles and No. 32 in singles.
In 2007, Bryan was selected an ITA All-American in doubles and first team All-SEC, winning the SEC’s indoors double title. A two-time All-SEC performer, he was the recipient of the 2007 ITA National Arthur Ashe Jr. Leadership and Sportsmanship Award
Bryan joined LSU’s staff in 2008 and spent eight years as an assistant on the staff of head coach Jeff Brown. Bryan coached 10 All-Americans, 14 All-SEC choices and 14 ITA scholar-athletes during his time.
The Tigers were four times ranked in the nation’s top 30 teams and reached the second round of the NCAA Tournament six times. In 2013, he was named the Southern Region Assistant Coach of the Year.
At Wichita State, the Shockers won 82 matches under Bryan and had a 15-9 record this spring that included five wins over ranked opponents.
A 2008 graduate of LSU, Bryan married former LSU gymnast Jade Jenkins on Jan. 2, 2010, and the couple have two children, Parker and Brooklyn.
Where is Danny Bryan from—where did he grow up.
I thought I’d read somewhere that he was a Georgia native.
He’s from Lafayette, La. and played his college tennis at LSU (2003-07).