Tom Brennan
University of Vermont
The dean of America East coaches who retired in March of 2005, the last four seasons at Vermont for Tom Brennan were seasons for the record books. In 2005, UVM won its third straight America East Championship and made another trip to the nation’s premier collegiate sporting event, the NCAA Men’s Basketball Championship.
On March 22, 2005, 13th-seeded Vermont stunned fourth-seeded Syracuse, the Big East champion, 60-57, in Worcester, Mass. for its first-ever post season victory and the school’s first-ever win over a ranked team. Although UVM lost in the second round to Michigan State, an eventual Final Four participant, in Brennan’s final game at Vermont the Catamounts effort captured the attention of the region as well as the nation as the Cinderella team of the entire NCAA tournament.
In 2004-05, UVM won a school-record 25 games (25-7), led the America East from wire-to-wire for its second-ever regular season crown, and became the third school in league history to win three straight conference titles. The win in the NCAAs was the first by an America East school since 1996. Vermont sold out all 13 home games at Patrick Gym (3,266 capacity) and won every home game for its first time in history. The Cats also set a program record with a 15-game winning streak including a 13-0 start in conference play.
Brennan wrapped up his career as the winningest coach in Vermont history with 263 victories. Hired in April of 1986, he announced in November 2004 that the 2004-05 campaign, his 19th at Vermont and 24th overall as a head coach, would be his last.
In 2003-04, Vermont went 22-9 and hosted the America East title game for the first time. In the first-ever nationally televised basketball game in the state of Vermont, the Catamounts topped Maine, 72-53, in front of a sellout crowd at Patrick Gym.
This came after the winter of 2002-03 when Vermont, in its 103rd year of basketball, won its first-ever America East Championship to earn its first trip to 'The Big Dance'. Brennan's Catamounts began this extraordinary run in 2001-02 when they went 21-8 and won the school's first-ever America East Regular Season title.
The four historic ‘banner’ years capped a complete turnaround of men's hoop at Vermont under Brennan. UVM won just 14 times in his first three years while in his last four, they won 89 times. Also after never posting a 20-win season, the Catamounts have won 21 or more games in four straight seasons.
Brennan was also honored as America East Coach of the Year three times, in 1992, 1998 and 2002, and the NABC District I (New England) Coach of the Year on two occasions, 1992 and 2002.
A very popular public speaker, he has formerly co-hosted the successful and popular morning drive-time radio show, 'Corm and the Coach', which aired statewide in Vermont. And he was also a College Basketball Sports Analyst for ESPN from 2005 through 2009.
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