Morehouse men’s basketball coach Grady Brewer, a 1980 graduate of the Atlanta HBCU, died Saturday following an illness, the school announced Sunday. He was 63.
Brewer served as the Maroon Tigers head coach for 21 years, compiling a career record of 315-241 — second only to former head coach Arthur McAfee. Brewer guided Morehouse to seven 20-win seasons, seven SIAC regular season championships, an SIAC tournament championship and three NCAA tournament appearances.
An Atlanta native, Brewer played at Frederick Douglass High School before becoming a standout player under McAfee at Morehouse, starting his final two seasons. He went on to serve as an assistant coach at Atlanta’s Booker T. Washington High School, helping lead the Bulldogs to the 1987 Class 4A state championship.
He then served for 13 years as an assistant coach at Morehouse before taking over the head coaching role.
“The only thing that surpassed his presence on the basketball court was his transformative influence on Morehouse Men as a fellow student, player, alumnus, coach, teacher, mentor, colleague, and friend,” Morehouse College president David A. Thomas said in a statement. “Not only will his spirit continue to live on in the hearts of the Morehouse family, but his legacy will impact the sport for years to come.”
Brewer is survived by his wife, Loletta, and three sons: Ryan, a 2010 Morehouse graduate; Xavier, a junior on the Morehouse basketball team; and Jordan.
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