Honorary Alumnus and Faculty Emeritus Thomas Bryan is the longest serving athletic director in Hawken history. Over the course of almost four decades, Bryan made invaluable contributions to the Hawken community, including the establishment of our modern athletic programs and creating the Old Board Award recognition. In 1963, Bryan began his career as Hawken’s Middle School Athletic Director. At that time, he was also the school’s head football, basketball, and baseball coach. He worked tirelessly with student athletes, providing mentorship, guidance, and support. Bryan was instrumental in strengthening Hawken’s Day Camp as a counselor and, in 1970, he became director of Hawken Day Camp. In that year he was also hired as the athletic director of the Upper School. Bryan raised Hawken’s athletic profile, attracted talented athletes, and recruited qualified, dedicated, and accomplished coaches, including two of Hawken’s most notable coaches, Jerry Holtrey and Cliff Walton.
While at the Upper School, Bryan coached the varsity boys basketball team. During his coaching career, he amassed 300 victories and led trips to two regional finals games. Bryan was named Plain Dealer Coach of the Year and Greater Cleveland Coach of the Year on several occasions throughout his career.
When he wasn’t running Upper School athletics, varsity basketball, or the summer camp, Bryan pursued his passion of football officiating. For over 20 years, Bryan worked for a variety of conferences and ultimately officiated for 15 years in the Big Ten, which included a Sugar Bowl National Championship game. He even made the cover of a 1994 edition of Sports Illustrated magazine. After retiring from officiating, Bryan became a supervisor of officials for indoor football leagues, which gave him the opportunity to mentor many present day NFL officials. He was also the official game clock operator for the Cleveland Browns for 15 years.
Bryan’s fruitful career earned him much recognition and accolades, including membership of the Cleveland Football Officials Hall of Fame, the Bobby Brown Officials Award, and, after retiring, the Northeast Ohio Interscholastic Athletic Administrators Association (NEOIAAA) and the Ohio Interscholastic Athletics Administrators Association (OIAAA) Hall of Fame Awards. Thomas Bryan made countless contributions to athletics at Hawken and across the United States. He made valuable connections with students, fellow coaches, and other administrators that have made him one of the most influential people in Hawken history.