Tom Brennan
Encyclopedia
Tom Brennan is a radio
and television
sportscaster
and former men's basketball
head coach
, most notably at the University of Vermont
from 1986 to 2005.
, Brennan graduated as the all-time leading scorer at Phillipsburg Catholic High School
. Brennan graduated from the University of Georgia
in 1971, where, as a senior, he received the men's basketball team leadership award.
He began his coaching after graduating in the fall of 1971 as a graduate assistant at Georgia under Ken Rosemond. Sandwiched around a year as head basketball and baseball coach at Division III Fairleigh Dickinson University
in Madison, New Jersey
, Brennan was an assistant under college basketball coaches Rollie Massimino
at Villanova
, Bill Raftery at Seton Hall
and Bruce Parkhill
at William & Mary
. In 1982 he was named head coach at Yale
where he crafted a four-year record of 46-58 including back-to-back seasons of 14-12 and 13-13. At Yale he coached players such as Earl G. Graves, Jr.
"Butch" and NBA veteran Chris Dudley
.
In 19 years at Vermont, Brennan led the Catamounts to three NCAA Tournament appearances, including the school's first NCAA Tournament win over BIG EAST champion Syracuse in 2005—the America East's last NCAA win to date. Brennan's last four Vermont teams brought unprecedented positive national publicity to the men's basketball program and to the school.. During his last season, Vermont became the first and only America East team to sell out every one of its home games at Patrick Gymnasium. During the second half of the 2004-05 season the Catamounts were the subject of five parts of ESPN's critically acclaimed nationally televised series, 'The Season'. UVM's upset also was nominated for an ESPY award in 2005.
Standouts that Brennan coached at Vermont include Eddie Benton, the 1996 winner of the Frances Pomeroy Naismith Award given to the nation's top senior less than 6-feet tall, Matt Johnson, Kevin Roberson, Trevor Gaines, T.J. Sorrentine and three-time All-American Taylor Coppenrath
, a finalist for the 2005 John Wooden National Player of the Year Award.
called "Corm and the Coach," with radio personality Steve Cormier, which began on WIZN-FM 106.7 FM in 1992. In 1998 the pair moved to WCVP-FM 101.3 and WCVR-FM 102.1 until July 2008, when the Coach decided to retire from his position as morning radio personality. In November 2009, Brennan and Cormier teamed up again to bring "Corm and the Coach" briefly back on the air on 107.1 WNMR before moving to its current home on television on WCAXtra TV and on the internet on NSN.net. Brennan delivers Saturday Night Live
-style sports reports and his thoughts on basketball, politics, entertainment, local news and psychology. The Coach’s repertoire also included live, pre-dawn wake-up calls to his players and coaching colleagues. In the 2003 and 2004 off-seasons, he also was a co-host on several ESPN
national radio shows. He retired from his coaching position in March 2005.
During the college basketball season, Brennan serves as co-host on Sirius XM's College Basketball Today.
in Colchester, Vermont
. He has two children: Kelly, who graduated from UVM in 1993 and Brian who was a standout guard at Indiana (Pa.) University
, which reached the NCAA D-II Elite Eight in 2000.
Radio
Radio is the transmission of signals through free space by modulation of electromagnetic waves with frequencies below those of visible light. Electromagnetic radiation travels by means of oscillating electromagnetic fields that pass through the air and the vacuum of space...
and television
Television
Television is a telecommunication medium for transmitting and receiving moving images that can be monochrome or colored, with accompanying sound...
sportscaster
Sportscaster
In sports broadcasting, a commentator gives a running commentary of a game or event in real time, usually during a live broadcast. The comments are normally a voiceover, with the sounds of the action and spectators also heard in the background. In the case of television commentary, the commentator...
and former men's basketball
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...
head coach
Coach (basketball)
Basketball coaching is the act of directing and strategizing the behaviour of a basketball team or individual basketball player. Basketball coaching typically encompasses the improvement of individual and team offensive and defensive skills, as well as overall physical conditioning.Coaching is...
, most notably at the University of Vermont
University of Vermont
The University of Vermont comprises seven undergraduate schools, an honors college, a graduate college, and a college of medicine. The Honors College does not offer its own degrees; students in the Honors College concurrently enroll in one of the university's seven undergraduate colleges or...
from 1986 to 2005.
Coaching career
Raised in Phillipsburg, New JerseyPhillipsburg, New Jersey
Phillipsburg, known locally as P'burg, is a town in Warren County, New Jersey, in the United States. As of 2010 United States Census, the town's population was 14,950....
, Brennan graduated as the all-time leading scorer at Phillipsburg Catholic High School
Phillipsburg Catholic High School
Phillipsburg Catholic High School was a parochial high school in Phillipsburg, New Jersey. It was operated by the Roman Catholic parish of Sts Philip and James Church in Phillipsburg.-History:...
. Brennan graduated from the University of Georgia
University of Georgia
The University of Georgia is a public research university located in Athens, Georgia, United States. Founded in 1785, it is the oldest and largest of the state's institutions of higher learning and is one of multiple schools to claim the title of the oldest public university in the United States...
in 1971, where, as a senior, he received the men's basketball team leadership award.
He began his coaching after graduating in the fall of 1971 as a graduate assistant at Georgia under Ken Rosemond. Sandwiched around a year as head basketball and baseball coach at Division III Fairleigh Dickinson University
Fairleigh Dickinson University
Fairleigh Dickinson University is a private university founded as a junior college in 1942. It now has several campuses located in New Jersey, Canada, and the United Kingdom.-Description:...
in Madison, New Jersey
Madison, New Jersey
Madison is a borough in Morris County, New Jersey, in the United States. As of the 2000 United States Census, the population was 16,530. It also is known as "The Rose City".-Geography:Madison is located at ....
, Brennan was an assistant under college basketball coaches Rollie Massimino
Rollie Massimino
Roland V. "Rollie" Massimino is an American basketball coach and former player. He is currently the head men's basketball coach at the Florida campus of Northwood University in West Palm Beach, a position he has held since 2006...
at Villanova
Villanova University
Villanova University is a private university located in Radnor Township, a suburb northwest of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, in the United States...
, Bill Raftery at Seton Hall
Seton Hall University
Seton Hall University is a private Roman Catholic university in South Orange, New Jersey, United States. Founded in 1856 by Archbishop James Roosevelt Bayley, Seton Hall is the oldest diocesan university in the United States. Seton Hall is also the oldest and largest Catholic university in the...
and Bruce Parkhill
Bruce Parkhill
Bruce Parkhill was the head basketball coach at Penn State from 1983 to 1995. He compiled a 181-169 as the head coach at PSU. He was faced with the daunting task of resurrecting the Penn State program, but eventually retired...
at William & Mary
College of William and Mary
The College of William & Mary in Virginia is a public research university located in Williamsburg, Virginia, United States...
. In 1982 he was named head coach at Yale
Yale University
Yale University is a private, Ivy League university located in New Haven, Connecticut, United States. Founded in 1701 in the Colony of Connecticut, the university is the third-oldest institution of higher education in the United States...
where he crafted a four-year record of 46-58 including back-to-back seasons of 14-12 and 13-13. At Yale he coached players such as Earl G. Graves, Jr.
Earl G. Graves, Jr.
Earl Gilbert "Butch" Graves, Jr. is an American businessman and retired basketball player. He is a Scarsdale High School graduate....
"Butch" and NBA veteran Chris Dudley
Chris Dudley
Christen Guilford "Chris" Dudley is a retired American basketball player who played 16 years and 886 games in the NBA for five different teams. A journeyman center, he was known primarily for his defensive skill as a rebounder and shot blocker...
.
In 19 years at Vermont, Brennan led the Catamounts to three NCAA Tournament appearances, including the school's first NCAA Tournament win over BIG EAST champion Syracuse in 2005—the America East's last NCAA win to date. Brennan's last four Vermont teams brought unprecedented positive national publicity to the men's basketball program and to the school.. During his last season, Vermont became the first and only America East team to sell out every one of its home games at Patrick Gymnasium. During the second half of the 2004-05 season the Catamounts were the subject of five parts of ESPN's critically acclaimed nationally televised series, 'The Season'. UVM's upset also was nominated for an ESPY award in 2005.
Standouts that Brennan coached at Vermont include Eddie Benton, the 1996 winner of the Frances Pomeroy Naismith Award given to the nation's top senior less than 6-feet tall, Matt Johnson, Kevin Roberson, Trevor Gaines, T.J. Sorrentine and three-time All-American Taylor Coppenrath
Taylor Coppenrath
Taylor Burton Coppenrath is a professional basketball player currently playing for Menorca Bàsquet in Spanish Liga LEB.-Early life:...
, a finalist for the 2005 John Wooden National Player of the Year Award.
Corm and the Coach
Brennan also co-hosted a morning radio show in Burlington, VermontBurlington, Vermont
Burlington is the largest city in the U.S. state of Vermont and the shire town of Chittenden County. Burlington lies south of the U.S.-Canadian border and some south of Montreal....
called "Corm and the Coach," with radio personality Steve Cormier, which began on WIZN-FM 106.7 FM in 1992. In 1998 the pair moved to WCVP-FM 101.3 and WCVR-FM 102.1 until July 2008, when the Coach decided to retire from his position as morning radio personality. In November 2009, Brennan and Cormier teamed up again to bring "Corm and the Coach" briefly back on the air on 107.1 WNMR before moving to its current home on television on WCAXtra TV and on the internet on NSN.net. Brennan delivers Saturday Night Live
Saturday Night Live
Saturday Night Live is a live American late-night television sketch comedy and variety show developed by Lorne Michaels and Dick Ebersol. The show premiered on NBC on October 11, 1975, under the original title of NBC's Saturday Night.The show's sketches often parody contemporary American culture...
-style sports reports and his thoughts on basketball, politics, entertainment, local news and psychology. The Coach’s repertoire also included live, pre-dawn wake-up calls to his players and coaching colleagues. In the 2003 and 2004 off-seasons, he also was a co-host on several ESPN
ESPN
Entertainment and Sports Programming Network, commonly known as ESPN, is an American global cable television network focusing on sports-related programming including live and pre-taped event telecasts, sports talk shows, and other original programming....
national radio shows. He retired from his coaching position in March 2005.
During the college basketball season, Brennan serves as co-host on Sirius XM's College Basketball Today.
Accomplishments
- Hired as Analyst by ESPN in 2005
- Led team to a defeat of Syracuse UniversitySyracuse UniversitySyracuse University is a private research university located in Syracuse, New York, United States. Its roots can be traced back to Genesee Wesleyan Seminary, founded by the Methodist Episcopal Church in 1832, which also later founded Genesee College...
in the first round of the 2005 NCAA Tournament2005 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball TournamentThe 2005 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament involved 65 schools playing in single-elimination play to determine the national champion of men's NCAA Division I college basketball. It began on March 15, 2005, and ended with the championship game on April 4 at the Edward Jones Dome in St... - 2005 America EastAmerica East ConferenceThe America East Conference is a NCAA Division I college athletic conference whose members are located mainly in the northeastern United States. The conference was known as the ECAC North from 1979 to 1988 and the North Atlantic Conference from the fall semester of 1988 to the end of the spring...
Champions - 2004 America East Champions
- 2003 America East Champions
- 2002 America East Regular Season Champions
- All-Time Leader in Games Coached At Vermont
- All-Time Leader in Victories At Vermont
Family
Brennan and his wife, Lynn reside on Lake ChamplainLake Champlain
Lake Champlain is a natural, freshwater lake in North America, located mainly within the borders of the United States but partially situated across the Canada—United States border in the Canadian province of Quebec.The New York portion of the Champlain Valley includes the eastern portions of...
in Colchester, Vermont
Colchester, Vermont
Colchester is a town in Chittenden County, Vermont, United States. The population was 17,067 at the 2010 census. It is the fourth-largest municipality and second-largest town in Vermont by population.-Geography:...
. He has two children: Kelly, who graduated from UVM in 1993 and Brian who was a standout guard at Indiana (Pa.) University
Indiana University of Pennsylvania
Indiana University of Pennsylvania is a public university in Indiana County, Pennsylvania, USA. The university is northeast of Pittsburgh. It is the largest university in the Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education and is the commonwealth's fifth largest university...
, which reached the NCAA D-II Elite Eight in 2000.