Bryans Named Women's Rowing Coach
June 25, 2004 | Lightweight Rowing
Bebe (pronounced bee-bee) Bryans, the former women's rowing coach at Michigan State, has been hired to lead the women's openweight and lightweight rowing teams at the University of Wisconsin, UW Director of Athletics Barry Alvarez announced at a media conference on Friday. The media conference was live video-streamed and is archived on the "multimedia" page of the web site. A transcript can be found at the end of this page.
Bryans, the only women's rowing head coach in MSU history, spent seven years in East Lansing, leading the Spartans to five NCAA championship appearances as a team. Michigan State was represented at the NCAA championships by at least one boat in every year of the program's existence. In the 1998 NCAA championship, the Spartans placed ninth in the varsity eight. In 2002, the second varsity eight finished fourth and the varsity four placed fifth at NCAAs.
'I'm excited to introduce Bebe Bryans as our new women's rowing coach,' Alvarez said. 'I was very impressed with her success at Michigan State, especially the way she molded a start-up program into a national contender. Her experience and accomplishments at the Big Ten level were also important factors to consider. I am extremely confident that under Bebe's leadership our women's rowing team can continue its ascent to one of the most competitive programs in the country.'
Bryans, 46, was named Big Ten Rowing Coach of the Year in 2000 and 2003. Her teams earned Big Ten championships in the varsity four (2002), second varsity eight (2003) and the second varsity four (2004). She has also coached two Big Ten Freshmen of the Year (2001, 2003), one Big Ten Athlete of the Year (2002) and one MSU Medal of Honor winner (2002).
'Wisconsin has a long and successful tradition in women 's rowing and I'm looking forward to helping this generation of women create their place in that history,' Bryans said.
Prior to Michigan State, Bryans served as the women's rowing coach at Georgetown from 1992-97. She was a member of the NCAA Women's Rowing Committee while at Georgetown and led the Hoyas' varsity eight boat to a berth in the inaugural NCAA Women's Rowing championships in 1997.
In addition to her head coaching experience, Bryans has been active in the coaching ranks of the USA Women's National Rowing Team since 1985. As the head coach at the Junior World Championships in 1992 and 1993, Bryans led the 1992 women 's eight to a bronze medal, which marked the first medal won for the U.S. in a Junior World contest. Bryans went on to serve as the women's elite sculling coach at the 1995 World Championship. She was a member of the Women's Olympic Rowing Committee from 1992-1994 and she took on the role as the chair of the committee in 1993-1994.
Before joining the coaching staff at Georgetown, Bryans was the head rowing coach at Mills College from 1988-1992. Prior to her stint as crew coach at Mills, Bryans was the assistant swimming coach at San Francisco State University from 1986-1988. She also served as founder, executive director and head coach of the Pacific Rowing Club from 1980-1992.
A 1986 graduate of San Francisco State University, Bryans was a 10-time Division II All-American in swimming. In 1986, she was named the SFSU Woman Athlete of the Year. Bryans was dubbed the Northern California Athletic Conference Female Scholar-Athlete of the Year in 1986 as well. A 1991 FISA Masters world champion in the eight and the quad events, Bryans received her master's degree in physical education from San Francisco State in 1989.
The following is a transcript of Friday's live video-streamed media conference archived on the "multimedia" page of the web site.
Opening Remarks:
Athletic Director Barry Alvarez: First of all, thanks for coming. I'm very proud and pleased to introduce out new women's crew coach, Bebe Bryans today. I 'm very thrilled that Bebe is joining our program. Our women's crew program has tremendous tradition and with the addition of the new crew house we certainly felt we should be an elite program in the country. Bebe shares these visions with us. You know, you might ask what I know about crew and I really don't know much about crew. I'll be honest with you and I told Bebe that when we talked to her. But she talked to a number of people and the thing that impressed me so much, I walked out of my interview with her and I told my staff, 'I think I just interviewed a football coach!' Now you talk about someone who has a plan, someone who knows how to motivate, someone who knows how to get the job done and has the job done, has confidence. It was very evident to me that there was a reason she was successful and that's just what I was looking for in someone in this position. Besides that, she's had success at every stop and the thing that's especially impressive is starting a program at Michigan State, building it to a national power and sustaining that program. That was very important to me and I am absolutely thrilled to welcome Bebe to the Badger coaching family. I'd ask her at this time to share a few thoughts with you.
Bryans: I'm very excited to be here and I'm really anxious to get started. Wisconsin rowing is a huge tradition in women's rowing especially and has a long and fabulous history. I've been so impressed by the current team and the women's effort and their ability to rise back into the realm I believe they belong in. I just look forward to having the opportunity to grow with this program, to take the program the heights I believe it can achieve. I'm very excited to be a part of that.
What were the main factors that drew you to Madison '
Bryans: The timing of it I think was perfect in that rowing is still such a growing sport. Wisconsin has had great success in the past. I've had the opportunity to watch the program closely for the past seven years. I just felt this was the perfect time for me, the perfect challenge for me, the perfect opportunity for me to help this program achieve what I think it can.
What are the challenges in overseeing the lightweight and openweight teams'
Bryans: Team work and I think making people feel like they are a part of something great and making everybody feel like they are a valued member of that team. Whether it's 10 people or 100 people, I think that's the key. I look forward to working with every single person that is interested in being as good as they can possibly be. It's a lot like be a football coach.
How many applicants were there'
Alvarez: Cheryl (Bailey) or John (Jentz) may know exactly how many applicants we had (60), and we interviewed four of them. We had four candidates and, quite frankly, we had a very good pool. I thought it was an outstanding pool of candidates.
What's your coaching style like '
Bryans: I like to be really collaborative in coming up with what the final mission is, what the goals are we want to accomplish. Then, being very clear with what it will take to get that done and very well planned out in the steps that will be necessary to get that done. That's my job. Within that, it's really important to me that every person, again, every person is a part of this effort. Every person deserves to have the best opportunity that they are willing to earn. That's a big part of my program, as well.
You touched on what tradition Wisconsin rowing is. Having started the program at MSU what kind of differences do you anticipate '
Bryans: That's a good question. It's going back one stop to Georgetown University, which was another program with a lot of tradition, so I do have some experience with that. I think that I'm going to be able to use all of my experience now and have the benefit of that tradition, all the women that have come before and these women that are here now and want to make their mark and be part of this. I 'm so proud to have my name associated now with the coaches that came before.
You started you career in swimming, what made you get in the boat'
Bryans: I was looking for a classroom at the first university I attended and I couldn't find it in the physical education department and I stop this man to ask him and he wouldn't tell me until I agreed to come out for the first crew practice because he was the rowing coach. So I've cursed him a few times since then, but he's now a USRowing official so I have to be really nice to him.
Are you going to use the same approach here at Wisconsin '
Bryans: Absolutely! No one is safe. (laughter)
Talk about the new crew house.
Bryans: Well, that's a wonderful addition to the program and I think we'll make extraordinarily good use of it. It is going to make these women 's live much easier and the coaching staff's lives much easier. The program is the team, the program is the coaches, the program is the athletes and the program is the facilities. So, it's going to be a great addition and we 'll make fabulous use of it.
What are your plans staff-wise'
Bryans: There will be four assistant coaches and myself working with the program. I'm in the process now of starting that interview process. We have about'a very deep pool, probably about 50 or so, so far for those jobs. Obviously, part of what has impressed me so much about this program is the work that the staff in place has done, so I'm meeting with them quickly and initially and getting a read on where they would like to their place in the program to be.
What are your first steps in introducing yourself to the team in the off-season'
Bryans: We're having a meeting tonight at 5:30, so I 'm hoping you'll spread the word. It's basically just a `Hi, how are you doing' and questions that you might have for me initially and we 'll be definitely in contact as the time draws near, which it will very quickly and we get to get back in the water.
When did you accept the position'
Bryans: Tuesday' I was in Key West, Fla. at the time, so I didn't have any interview clothes with me.
Alvarez: Have to change the Key West experience with the Wisconsin Dells experience.
Bryans: Yes, but I brought some of the nice weather with me. The tornado was before I got here.
