NSA Hall of Fame: Bill and Janie Bryant (2009)
CATEGORY: Meritorious
YEAR INDUCTED: 2009
Bill and Janie Bryant have been involved with Softball for 32 years and started playing and coaching in NSA tournaments in 1984 and as of this writing have yet to miss a year of participation since. The B & R Mustangs played in the very first NSA Women’s Kentucky State Tournament and countless Kentucky State tournaments since.
George William and Janie Francis Bryant started their team the B & R Mustangs when Bill’s daughter died. Their team’s name reflects Bills name and his daughter Renee’s name. From that point on, B & R has always been on the ball field wherever they could find a women’s tournament being played. B & R did this on a budget without the aid of a major sponsor that was mostly funded by Bill himself.
Janie played ball for Bill from 1983 – 1988 until an injury forced her to end her softball career. She continued with the team by helping Bill coach. Janie and Bill married in 1999 and the team B & R Mustangs has continued to stay together with the same nucleus of players for some 25 years. One of their players, Kathy Burton, has been on the team since 1984 and at the time of this writing is still going strong.
Bill and Janie Bryant have been inducted into the NSA Sports Hall of Fame, not for the games won or lost, but for the lives that they have touched, and the support in the beginning to the fledgling little Association from Kentucky called The National Softball Association. At the Women’s World Series Bill and Janie were presented the Softball Dedication Award at the coaches meeting. At that awards ceremony a quote from Dot Richardson was read as a fitting reminder to all of softball what people like Bill and Janie Bryant represent to our game. “In our play we reveal what kind of people we are. Success in playing or coaching should not be based on the number of games won or lost. True success is how much you give, this is how you keep score.” In December of 2009 Bill and Janie Bryant became the 13th Meritorious Category Inductee’s into the NSA Sports Hall of Fame.
