Lenny Fant
Encyclopedia
Leonard O'Neil Fant, known as Lenny Fant (October 25, 1923 – October 12, 1998), was from 1957–1979 the men's basketball
coach of the University of Louisiana at Monroe
Indians (renamed the Warhawks in 2005). During his tenure, Fant compiled a ULM record of 326–221. His 326-game record was topped in 1999 by one of his understudies, ULM Coach Mickael E. "Mike" Vining
.
in Marion County
in northwestern Alabama
. He graduated from Lee High School in Columbus
in Lowndes County
in northeastern Mississippi
. From 1946-1949, he played basketball at the Methodist-affiliated Centenary College
in Shreveport
. He led the team, known as the Gents, to a 21–16 record and a second place finish in the newly-formed Gulf States Conference. He obtained his master’s degree from the University of Alabama
at Tuscaloosa
. From 1950-1953, Fant coached at Delhi High School in Delhi
in Richland Parish
in northeast Louisiana
. For the 1953-1954 season, Fant was the athletic director and head coach at Baptist
-affiliated Louisiana College
in Pineville
in Rapides Parish
. From 1954-1957, he coached at East Texas Baptist University
in Marshall
in Harrison County
in east Texas
.
His players included future school superintendent and State Representative
Lanny Johnson of Franklin
and Tensas
parishes; Lawson Swearingen
(born 1944), later the ULM president and a former member of the Louisiana State Senate
from Monroe
; Jamie Mayo
, current mayor
and former city council member in Monroe, and Calvin Natt
, a former National Basketball Association
player who passed up the chance to attend Louisiana State University
in order to play under Fant. Mayo recalled that Fant "cared about us after our eligibility ended. When I was first elected to the City Council, Coach Fant was one of the first people to call and congratulate me." Swearingen said that Fant had a "desire to see us do well after our playing days. He had a way of inspiring and motivating you to give your best." Former Representative Lanny Johnson, whose service as a superintendent includes the three parishes of Franklin, Tensas, and Ouachita
and who was the first All-American at ULM, said that he often called Fant to get jokes for use in Johnson’s public speeches.
Others who played for Fant were Stuart David Toms (born October 5, 1941), later pastor of Sweetwater Baptist Church in Quitman
in Jackson Parish
; Mike Vining, later the ULM men’s basketball coach; David Pickett, then of Whitehouse
in Smith County
, Texas, who played for the Los Angeles Lakers
, and Roger Stockton, former ULM women's basketball coach. Pastor Stuart Toms, who played at ULM from 1960–1963 and was inducted in 1995 in the Louisiana High School Athletic Association, said that Fant "epitomizes everything positive and good about college athletics [even though] much has been written and said about the negative side of college sports."
Benny Jesse Hollis (born 1938) first met Fant in 1956 and played on his first team and ultimately became his assistant coach. Hollis recalled that Fant "made everyone he met feel like they were his best friend." Hollis was succeeded as head coach in 1981 by Mike Vining but continued as athletic director until 1993. Vining played for Fant in the middle 1960s: "We weren't just playing for pride. We were playing so Coach Fant wouldn't lose. He had that kind of impact on us. He was our friend and our coach. It's something that not many people in this profession can do."
, the Bayou Desiard Optimist Club, the National and Louisiana Basketball Coaches associations, the Masonic lodge
, and the Shriners.
He died two weeks before what would have been his seventy-fifth birthday after an eighteen-month battle with colon cancer. He was preceded in death by his wife, Jo Fant. Survivors included his son, Lynn Fant (born 1950); daughter: Wanda Fant Smith and husband, Vance; grandchildren, Brandon Cruse; Janna Smith; Bo Smith; and Shawna Smith Grant, all then of West Monroe
, and a brother: J. D. Fant of Memphis
, Tennessee
. Fant's funeral service was held at the Ewing Coliseum, the basketball arena built during his coaching era. Pastors Stuart Toms and William Smith officiated. Ewing Colisuem was subsequently renamed the Fant-Ewing Coliseum. To the right of his casket was the basketball from his 300th win, a 95-73 victory in 1974 over Catholic
-affiliated Tulane University
of New Orleans
. The Reverend Smith, Fant's pastor at Lakeshore Baptist Church in Monroe, called him an "extraordinary ordinary man."
Fant is interred at Memorial Park Cemetery in Monroe. In 1988, he was inducted into the Louisiana Sports Hall of Fame
. In 1997, he was named to the Centenary College Hall of Fame. He is also a member of the Louisiana Basketball Hall of Fame, and the ULU (then NLU) Hall of Fame. In 1999, ULM introduced the "Lenny Fant Scholarship".
Basketball
Basketball is a team sport in which two teams of five players try to score points by throwing or "shooting" a ball through the top of a basketball hoop while following a set of rules...
coach of the University of Louisiana at Monroe
University of Louisiana at Monroe
The University of Louisiana at Monroe is a coeducational public university in Monroe, Louisiana and part of the University of Louisiana System.-History:...
Indians (renamed the Warhawks in 2005). During his tenure, Fant compiled a ULM record of 326–221. His 326-game record was topped in 1999 by one of his understudies, ULM Coach Mickael E. "Mike" Vining
Mike Vining
Mike Vining is a retired college basketball coach. He was head coach of the Louisiana-Monroe Warharks team from 1981 to 2005. During his time at ULM, he led the team to seven NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Championship appearances....
.
Early years and education
Fant was born in HamiltonHamilton, Alabama
Hamilton is a city in Marion County, Alabama, United States. At the 2000 census the population was 6,786. The city is the county seat of Marion County.-Geography:Hamilton is located at , along the Buttahatchee River....
in Marion County
Marion County, Alabama
Marion County is a county of the U.S. state of Alabama. Marion County was created by an act of the Alabama Territorial General Assembly on February 13, 1818. The county is located in the northwestern part of the state, bounded on the west by the state of Mississippi. It encompasses . Marion County...
in northwestern Alabama
Alabama
Alabama is a state located in the southeastern region of the United States. It is bordered by Tennessee to the north, Georgia to the east, Florida and the Gulf of Mexico to the south, and Mississippi to the west. Alabama ranks 30th in total land area and ranks second in the size of its inland...
. He graduated from Lee High School in Columbus
Columbus, Mississippi
Columbus is a city in Lowndes County, Mississippi, United States that lies above the Tombigbee River. It is approximately northeast of Jackson, north of Meridian, south of Tupelo, northwest of Tuscaloosa, Alabama, and west of Birmingham, Alabama. The population was 25,944 at the 2000 census...
in Lowndes County
Lowndes County, Mississippi
As of the census of 2000, there were 61,586 people, 22,849 households, and 16,405 families residing in the county. The population density was 123 people per square mile . There were 25,104 housing units at an average density of 50 per square mile...
in northeastern Mississippi
Mississippi
Mississippi is a U.S. state located in the Southern United States. Jackson is the state capital and largest city. The name of the state derives from the Mississippi River, which flows along its western boundary, whose name comes from the Ojibwe word misi-ziibi...
. From 1946-1949, he played basketball at the Methodist-affiliated Centenary College
Centenary College of Louisiana
Centenary College of Louisiana is a primarily undergraduate, liberal arts and sciences college in Shreveport, Louisiana. The college is one of the founding members of the Associated Colleges of the South, a pedagogical organization consisting of sixteen Southern liberal arts colleges...
in Shreveport
Shreveport, Louisiana
Shreveport is the third largest city in Louisiana. It is the principal city of the fourth largest metropolitan area in the state of Louisiana and is the 109th-largest city in the United States....
. He led the team, known as the Gents, to a 21–16 record and a second place finish in the newly-formed Gulf States Conference. He obtained his master’s degree from the University of Alabama
University of Alabama
The University of Alabama is a public coeducational university located in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, United States....
at Tuscaloosa
Tuscaloosa, Alabama
Tuscaloosa is a city in and the seat of Tuscaloosa County in west central Alabama . Located on the Black Warrior River, it is the fifth-largest city in Alabama, with a population of 90,468 in 2010...
. From 1950-1953, Fant coached at Delhi High School in Delhi
Delhi, Louisiana
Delhi, originally called Deerfield, is a town in Richland Parish, Louisiana, in the United States. As of the 2000 census, the town population was 3,066.-History:...
in Richland Parish
Richland Parish, Louisiana
Richland Parish is a parish located in the U.S. state of Louisiana. The parish seat is Rayville. As of 2010, the population was 20,725.-History:...
in northeast Louisiana
Louisiana
Louisiana is a state located in the southern region of the United States of America. Its capital is Baton Rouge and largest city is New Orleans. Louisiana is the only state in the U.S. with political subdivisions termed parishes, which are local governments equivalent to counties...
. For the 1953-1954 season, Fant was the athletic director and head coach at Baptist
Baptist
Baptists comprise a group of Christian denominations and churches that subscribe to a doctrine that baptism should be performed only for professing believers , and that it must be done by immersion...
-affiliated Louisiana College
Louisiana College
Louisiana College is a private institution of higher education located in Pineville, Louisiana, affiliated with the Louisiana Baptist Convention, serving a student body of approximately 1,300 students. The college operates on a semester system, with two shorter summer terms...
in Pineville
Pineville, Louisiana
Pineville is a city in Rapides Parish, Louisiana, United States. It is adjacent to the city of Alexandria, and is part of that city's Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 13,829 at the 2000 census....
in Rapides Parish
Rapides Parish, Louisiana
-Military Installations:*Camp Beauregard *Esler Airfield *England Air Force Base *Camp Claiborne *Camp Livingston -Demographics:...
. From 1954-1957, he coached at East Texas Baptist University
East Texas Baptist University
East Texas Baptist University is a private, coeducational Christian university in Marshall, Texas, United States associated with the Baptist General Convention of Texas.- History :...
in Marshall
Marshall, Texas
Marshall is a city in Harrison County in the northeastern corner of Texas. Marshall is a major cultural and educational center in East Texas and the tri-state area. As of the 2010 U.S. Census, the population of Marshall was about 23,523...
in Harrison County
Harrison County, Texas
Harrison County is a county of the U.S. state of Texas. In 2000, its population was 62,110. It is named for Jonas Harrison, a lawyer and Texas revolutionary. It is located in the Ark-La-Tex region...
in east Texas
Texas
Texas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...
.
At ULM
Thereafter, at ULM, then known as Northeast Louisiana State College and Northeast Louisiana State University, Fant's teams won seven conference and/or district championships. After overall losses in the 1957-1961 seasons, Fant compiled eighteen consecutive winning seasons at ULM. Upon his retirement in 1979, he completed his single-most successful record, 23-6.His players included future school superintendent and State Representative
Louisiana State Legislature
The Louisiana State Legislature is the state legislature of the U.S. state of Louisiana. It is bicameral body, comprising the lower house, the Louisiana House of Representatives with 105 representatives, and the upper house, the Louisiana Senate with 39 senators...
Lanny Johnson of Franklin
Franklin Parish, Louisiana
-Demographics:As of the census of 2000, there were 21,263 people, 7,754 households, and 5,706 families residing in the parish. The population density was 34 people per square mile . There were 8,623 housing units at an average density of 14 per square mile...
and Tensas
Tensas Parish, Louisiana
Tensas Parish is a parish located in the U.S. state of Louisiana. The seat of the parish is St. Joseph. In 2010, the population of Tensas Parish was 5,252; it is the least-populous of all sixty-four parishes....
parishes; Lawson Swearingen
Lawson Swearingen
Lawson Lewis Swearingen, Jr. , is a former Democratic member of the Louisiana State Senate, having represented District 34 from 1980 to 1991, and a former president of the University of Louisiana at Monroe, whose tenure extended from 1991 to 2001.-Early life:Swearingen was born in San Antonio,...
(born 1944), later the ULM president and a former member of the Louisiana State Senate
Louisiana State Legislature
The Louisiana State Legislature is the state legislature of the U.S. state of Louisiana. It is bicameral body, comprising the lower house, the Louisiana House of Representatives with 105 representatives, and the upper house, the Louisiana Senate with 39 senators...
from Monroe
Monroe, Louisiana
Monroe is a city in and the parish seat of Ouachita Parish, Louisiana, United States. As of the 2000 census, the city had a total population of 53,107, making it the eighth largest city in Louisiana. A July 1, 2007, United States Census Bureau estimate placed the population at 51,208, but 51,636...
; Jamie Mayo
Jamie Mayo
James Earl Mayo, known as Jamie Mayo , is the current mayor of Monroe, the seat of Ouachita Parish in north Louisiana, United States. He is an African-American Democrat who endorsed Barack Obama of Illinois in the 2008 U.S. presidential election.Mayo was elected to the Monroe City Council from...
, current mayor
Mayor
In many countries, a Mayor is the highest ranking officer in the municipal government of a town or a large urban city....
and former city council member in Monroe, and Calvin Natt
Calvin Natt
Calvin Leon Natt is a retired American professional basketball player. A 6'6" forward, Natt played at Northeast Louisiana University under coach Lenny Fant. After college, he played 11 NBA seasons , spending time with the New Jersey Nets, Portland Trail Blazers, Denver Nuggets, San Antonio...
, a former National Basketball Association
National Basketball Association
The National Basketball Association is the pre-eminent men's professional basketball league in North America. It consists of thirty franchised member clubs, of which twenty-nine are located in the United States and one in Canada...
player who passed up the chance to attend Louisiana State University
Louisiana State University
Louisiana State University and Agricultural and Mechanical College, most often referred to as Louisiana State University, or LSU, is a public coeducational university located in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. The University was founded in 1853 in what is now known as Pineville, Louisiana, under the name...
in order to play under Fant. Mayo recalled that Fant "cared about us after our eligibility ended. When I was first elected to the City Council, Coach Fant was one of the first people to call and congratulate me." Swearingen said that Fant had a "desire to see us do well after our playing days. He had a way of inspiring and motivating you to give your best." Former Representative Lanny Johnson, whose service as a superintendent includes the three parishes of Franklin, Tensas, and Ouachita
Ouachita Parish, Louisiana
-National protected areas:* Black Bayou Lake National Wildlife Refuge* D'Arbonne National Wildlife Refuge -Demographics:As of the census of 2000, there were 147,250 people, 55,216 households, and 38,319 families residing in the parish. The population density was 241 people per square mile...
and who was the first All-American at ULM, said that he often called Fant to get jokes for use in Johnson’s public speeches.
Others who played for Fant were Stuart David Toms (born October 5, 1941), later pastor of Sweetwater Baptist Church in Quitman
Quitman, Louisiana
Quitman is a village in Jackson Parish, Louisiana, in the United States. As of the 2000 census, the village population was 168. Quitman is south of Ruston on U.S. Highway 167, and north of Jonesboro, the parish seat of Jackson Parish...
in Jackson Parish
Jackson Parish, Louisiana
Jackson Parish is a parish located in the U.S. state of Louisiana. The parish was formed in 1845 from parts of Claiborne, Ouachita, and Union Parishes. In 2010, its population was 16,274. The parish seat is Jonesboro...
; Mike Vining, later the ULM men’s basketball coach; David Pickett, then of Whitehouse
Whitehouse, Texas
Whitehouse is a city in Smith County, Texas, United States. The city had an estimated population of 7,327 in 2006. It is part of the Tyler, Texas Metropolitan Statistical Area.-Geography:...
in Smith County
Smith County, Texas
As of the census of 2000, there were 174,706 people, 65,692 households, and 46,904 families residing in the county. The population density was 188 people per square mile . There were 71,701 housing units at an average density of 77 per square mile...
, Texas, who played for the Los Angeles Lakers
Los Angeles Lakers
The Los Angeles Lakers are an American professional basketball team based in Los Angeles, California. They play in the Pacific Division of the Western Conference in the National Basketball Association...
, and Roger Stockton, former ULM women's basketball coach. Pastor Stuart Toms, who played at ULM from 1960–1963 and was inducted in 1995 in the Louisiana High School Athletic Association, said that Fant "epitomizes everything positive and good about college athletics [even though] much has been written and said about the negative side of college sports."
Benny Jesse Hollis (born 1938) first met Fant in 1956 and played on his first team and ultimately became his assistant coach. Hollis recalled that Fant "made everyone he met feel like they were his best friend." Hollis was succeeded as head coach in 1981 by Mike Vining but continued as athletic director until 1993. Vining played for Fant in the middle 1960s: "We weren't just playing for pride. We were playing so Coach Fant wouldn't lose. He had that kind of impact on us. He was our friend and our coach. It's something that not many people in this profession can do."
Death and legacy
Fant was affiliated with the ULM Booster Club and Alumni Center, the Monroe Chamber of CommerceChamber of commerce
A chamber of commerce is a form of business network, e.g., a local organization of businesses whose goal is to further the interests of businesses. Business owners in towns and cities form these local societies to advocate on behalf of the business community...
, the Bayou Desiard Optimist Club, the National and Louisiana Basketball Coaches associations, the Masonic lodge
Masonic Lodge
This article is about the Masonic term for a membership group. For buildings named Masonic Lodge, see Masonic Lodge A Masonic Lodge, often termed a Private Lodge or Constituent Lodge, is the basic organisation of Freemasonry...
, and the Shriners.
He died two weeks before what would have been his seventy-fifth birthday after an eighteen-month battle with colon cancer. He was preceded in death by his wife, Jo Fant. Survivors included his son, Lynn Fant (born 1950); daughter: Wanda Fant Smith and husband, Vance; grandchildren, Brandon Cruse; Janna Smith; Bo Smith; and Shawna Smith Grant, all then of West Monroe
West Monroe, Louisiana
West Monroe is a city in Ouachita Parish, Louisiana, United States. The population was 13,250 at the 2000 census. It is part of the Monroe Metropolitan Statistical Area....
, and a brother: J. D. Fant of Memphis
Memphis, Tennessee
Memphis is a city in the southwestern corner of the U.S. state of Tennessee, and the county seat of Shelby County. The city is located on the 4th Chickasaw Bluff, south of the confluence of the Wolf and Mississippi rivers....
, Tennessee
Tennessee
Tennessee is a U.S. state located in the Southeastern United States. It has a population of 6,346,105, making it the nation's 17th-largest state by population, and covers , making it the 36th-largest by total land area...
. Fant's funeral service was held at the Ewing Coliseum, the basketball arena built during his coaching era. Pastors Stuart Toms and William Smith officiated. Ewing Colisuem was subsequently renamed the Fant-Ewing Coliseum. To the right of his casket was the basketball from his 300th win, a 95-73 victory in 1974 over Catholic
Catholic
The word catholic comes from the Greek phrase , meaning "on the whole," "according to the whole" or "in general", and is a combination of the Greek words meaning "about" and meaning "whole"...
-affiliated Tulane University
Tulane University
Tulane University is a private, nonsectarian research university located in New Orleans, Louisiana, United States...
of New Orleans
New Orleans, Louisiana
New Orleans is a major United States port and the largest city and metropolitan area in the state of Louisiana. The New Orleans metropolitan area has a population of 1,235,650 as of 2009, the 46th largest in the USA. The New Orleans – Metairie – Bogalusa combined statistical area has a population...
. The Reverend Smith, Fant's pastor at Lakeshore Baptist Church in Monroe, called him an "extraordinary ordinary man."
Fant is interred at Memorial Park Cemetery in Monroe. In 1988, he was inducted into the Louisiana Sports Hall of Fame
Louisiana Sports Hall of Fame
-Inductees:Official Hall of Fame Portraits created by Chris Brown 2009–present-External links:* website...
. In 1997, he was named to the Centenary College Hall of Fame. He is also a member of the Louisiana Basketball Hall of Fame, and the ULU (then NLU) Hall of Fame. In 1999, ULM introduced the "Lenny Fant Scholarship".