Morehouse College long-time head basketball coach Grady L. Brewer passed away Saturday, May 29. Brewer, 63, was a member of the Morehouse Class of 1980, a former Maroon Tigers basketball standout, and the head coach for the past 21 years. Including his 13 years as an assistant coach, Brewer’s career will go down as one of the most successful in Historically Black College and University history.
Brewer is survived by his wife Loletta and sons, oldest Ryan, also a Morehouse graduate (Class of 2010), Xavier, a Maroon Tigers forward, and youngest son Jordan.
Under Brewer, the Maroon Tigers amassed an overall record of 315-214, the second-most victories in program history. His former head coach and Morehouse College legend Arthur McAfee is the program’s all-time leader.
An Atlanta native, Brewer coached within the Atlanta Public School system, spending a couple of years following his graduation from Morehouse at Booker T. Washington High School. Brewer helped lead the 1987 team, which included former University of Nevada-Las Vegas standout and NBA center Elmore Spencer to the Georgia High School Association AAAA state championship.
In a statement on the Morehouse athletics website President David A. Thomas, Ph. D. said, “The past several decades can only justly be described as the Grady Brewer era at Morehouse. 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.”
In an interview with 11Alive, Morehouse Director of Athletics Curtis Campbell said Brewer was a better human being.
“I have known Grady for many years. He was a great coach and an even better human being,” said Curtis Campbell, director of athletics. “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.”
We lost a great man this weekend. Morehouse basketball Coach Grady Brewer passed away. Coach Brewer made a tremendous impact on hundreds of young men in more than two decades at Morehouse. My thoughts are with his loving wife, Loletta, and his three sons, Ryan, Xavier and Jordan.
— John Calipari (@UKCoachCalipari) May 30, 2021
Brewer was recognized as the 2018 Clarence Gaines Award winner for his team’s performance that season. Following the 2018-2019 campaign, Brewer earned the SIAC Coach of the Year award after leading the Maroon Tigers to a 20-5 regular-season record.
