Morehouse Mourns Loss of Longtime Head Basketball Coach Grady Brewer '80

ATLANTA—The Morehouse College community is mourning the loss of head basketball coach Grady Brewer '80, who passed away on Saturday, May 29, following an illness at the age of 63.

"The past several decades can only justly be described as the Grady Brewer era at Morehouse," said David A. Thomas, Ph.D., Morehouse College president. "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. 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."

"This is a very sad day for Morehouse athletics," said Curtis Campbell, director of athletics. "I have known Grady for many years. He was a great coach and an even better human being. He cared deeply about the young men that played for him and made a lasting impact on their lives— both on and off the court. He will truly be missed and remembered by many."

A 1980 graduate of Morehouse College, Coach Brewer served as head coach of the Maroon Tigers for the past 21 years. During that time span, he compiled a career record of 315-241. In Morehouse history, his career win total sits only behind former head coach Arthur McAfee.

An Atlanta native, Coach Brewer played under the guidance of legendary high school coach Donald Dollar in the celebrated basketball program at Frederick Douglass High School. He was a standout basketball player while a student at Morehouse, where he was coached by McAfee. He lettered in each of his four years and started in his final two years.

After graduating from Morehouse, he served as an assistant coach at Atlanta's Booker T. Washington High School and helped lead the Bulldogs to the 1987 Georgia 4-AAAA state championship. He then served for 13 years as an assistant coach at Morehouse.

Coach 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.