Whitworth Athletic Director Takes Job At Portland State
On a wall in the office of Whitworth College athletic director Kevin Bryant hangs a picture of Portland, with Mount Hood standing majestically in the background. In his new office, Bryant may only need to pull up the shades to see the real 11,000-foot peak.
Bryant announced Thursday that he will resign from Whitworth on Aug. 31 to become the associate athletic director for external affairs at Portland State University on Sept. 1.
Bryant, who served as Whitworth’s athletic director since July 1993, will be part of wholesale changes in the PSU athletic department.
PSU athletic director Jim Sterk was named to his position a week ago. The job was occupied by PSU softball coach Teri Mariani for two years on an interim basis.
The position Bryant has accepted had been vacant for the time Mariani was the interim director, according to Portland State’s budget office.
Bryant said his friendship with Sterk helped him get the job.
“Not many people get the opportunity to to go from here (NAIA) to that level (NCAA Division II) in one jump,” Bryant said. “It’s a who-you-know business. I was not looking to leave Whitworth at this time, but I couldn’t pass up this opportunity.”
PSU is a public university with an enrollment of 14,500 and is a member of NCAA Division II. Next fall, PSU will join the Big Sky Conference at the Division I level.
Bryant went to high school at Sunset High in Beaverton, Ore. Most of his family lives in Portland.
Before coming to Whitworth, Bryant was athletic director in charge of athletic marketing and promotions at Western Washington in Bellingham.
In two years at Whitworth, Bryant played a significant role in the completion of the Pine Bowl renovation project. That included a new playing field, an all-weather track and other improvements. He also increased support for Whitworth by initiating fund-raising events.
“The reason I got hired here (at Whitworth) was to raise money,” Bryant said. “That was my area of strength.”
He not only appealed to Whitworth staff and alumni for financial help in developing the athletic department, he sought - and got - outside resources for the college. U.S. Bank has been a significant contributor to Whitworth’s athletic department the past couple of years.
“You can always have a vision, but if no one buys into it, you don’t have much,” he said.
During Bryant’s tenure, four Whitworth athletic teams achieved national rankings.
“We’re very grateful for Kevin’s leadership and we hope that this move to Portland State will be a great one for him in both immediate and long-range terms,” Whitworth president Bill Robinson said.
Robinson said the college will begin an immediate search for a new athletic director. It has not been decided whether the position will be filled on an interim basis.
“We have some great coaches in our athletic program and I know they will be successful while we search for new leadership for our department,” Robinson said.
, DataTimes