Athletic Hall of Fame

Mike Denney has a coaching career that spans over 50 years and is respected as one of the greatest coaches of any sport in Nebraska history. Denney started his career teaching and coaching at both Omaha South and Omaha Bryan before heading to the college ranks in 1979. While at Bryan, Denney spent 5 years with the Bears leading them to their highest state finish ever, a runner up in 1975. He coached 3 state champions while at Bryan. Denney was the Division II wrestling coach of the year while at UNO in 1981, 1991, and 2009. He won seven national titles there as well. He was the 2011 InterMat Coach of the year, which recognizes the top wrestling coach across all NCAA divisions. Denney coached 294 NCAA Nationals qualifiers, 207 All-Americans and 35 national champions during his career. Coach Denney's legacy in wrestling not only lives on through his own success but through the vast network of alumni who are wrestling coaches across the country. Coach Denney is known as one of the best wrestling coaches to have ever lived across the country and is also known for his incredible discipline and kindness.

Rita Ransey played for Bryan Girls Basketball and was a multi-year state tournament competitor. Rita was a major player on the 26-0 State Championship team in 1981 and on the State Semi-Final team in 1982. Widely considered the anchor of the team, Rita played center for this incredible run of success. Rita was named to the Omaha World Herald All Metro team in 1980 and was on the All Tournament team in 1981 and was a member of the All State team that year. Rita was a key member of a team that has been called "one of the best teams ever assembled" and their 1981 title was considered at the time the greatest performance in tournament history by the Omaha World Herald. Rita's rebounds in a season and rebounds in a game marks are still on the NSAA's all-time list.

Dante Lewis was a three-time NSAA State Champion in wrestling from 1998-2000. Still to this day, Lewis is considered one of the best wrestlers in Nebraska history at the 119/120 weight class. Lewis was an All-American at Junior Worlds and was a 3-time DII Conference Champion for the Northern Sun Conference. Lewis also qualified for the Division II National Championships twice in his career. Lewis is currently the President and Head Coach at Beaverton Mat Club and has coached many All-Americans. Lewis also helped Nike develop a wrestling shoe for the Olympics.

Dante Lewis was a three-time NSAA State Champion in wrestling from 1998-2000. Still to this day, Lewis is considered one of the best wrestlers in Nebraska history at the 119/120 weight class. Lewis was an All-American at Junior Worlds and was a 3-time DII Conference Champion for the Northern Sun Conference. Lewis also qualified for the Division II National Championships twice in his career. Lewis is currently the President and Head Coach at Beaverton Mat Club and has coached many All-Americans. Lewis also helped Nike develop a wrestling shoe for the Olympics.

Patrice Brown, Marlean Clark, Annette Coleman, Delores Flowers, Donna King, Daria Lue, Annie Neal, Rita Ransey, Renee Rezac, Kelly Smith, Gayle Swanson, Michelle Toney

Head Coach: Willie Marshall, Assistant Coach: Wendy Mellchar

The 1981 Girls State Championship Basketball Team was a perfect 26-0. Led by legendary Bryan coach Willie Marshall, this team was the champion of the Metro Holiday Tourney, the Metro Conference, their District, and State. Bryan scored a record 187 points at the State Tournament, never letting a team within single digits of them. Rita Ransey and Gayle Swanson took home All-State and All-Metro recognition. Annie Neal, Darla Lue, and Marlene Clark were honorable mention recipients as well. The 1981 Girls Basketball Team will go down as one of the most dominant girl\s basketball teams in Nebraska state history.

Kylee Wilson set a standard for women’s athletics at Bryan that few can match. Kylee was a rare 4-time letter winner in all three seasons, including softball, basketball, and track. Kylee was a starter in both softball and basketball and played in the state tournament for basketball as a freshman and a sophomore. Kylee holds a majority of the pitching records for Bryan High softball. She was a Metro-Area Outstanding Scholar-Athlete for softball and Outstanding All-Sports Scholar-Athlete as a senior. In her senior year, she was selected to the 2nd Team for All-State softball. She is Bryan’s only All-State selection for softball in our history. She was the Class President as well for her class. Academically she finished 4th in her class for overall GPA. As a collegiate athlete, Kylee played basketball at Adelphi University and her 2001-2002 squad was nominated to the school’s hall of fame for their regular season championship and 28-3 record with a trip to the NCAA tournament and the Sweet 16. Her college career was also highlighted by appearances on many All-Academic teams and leadership roles. After college Kylee was an assistant coach at both Drew University and Caldwell College in New Jersey. She then became the head Softball and Basketball Coach at Bismarck State College in North Dakota where she coached until 2013.

During his tenure at Bryan High School, Gradoville was a standout multi-sport athlete. He was an all-state football and baseball player, basketball player, and Shrine Football Game participant in 2002. In 2018, Chris was inducted into the Omaha Public Schools Hall of Fame. After his contribution to Bryan, Gradoville earned a baseball scholarship to Creighton University where he started as a catcher. He played in 183 games for the Bluejays, finishing with a career .327 batting average. In 2007, during his time at Creighton, Gradoville was one of 10 finalists for the Johnny Bench Award, which honors the best catcher in college baseball. He was then drafted in the 24th round of the Major Leagues to the Texas Rangers organization. Gradoville was able to make it all the way to Triple-A for the Rangers. After his baseball career, Chris married Nikki and they lived in Spokane, Washington until June 2020. In Spokane, he ran a sports training program and inspired young athletes to reach their full potential. Gradoville was active in Big Brothers/Big Sisters and in 2016 was named the Big Brother of the Year for the Inland Northwest Chapter. When Chris returned to Omaha, he became the Director of Baseball Operations at Creighton and held that title until recently. Gradoville was also the owner of Tactical Training Solution, LLC, an initiative that trains first responders in fitness and health.

Tim Cannon amassed an incredible 539 wins during his Nebraska High School Basketball coaching career. In his 43 seasons of coaching basketball, he spent 28 years at Bryan, winning 2 Metro Conference Titles and a state runner-up in 2011. Prior to his tenure at Bryan, he coached at Cathedral High School which included a runner-up finish in Class C in 1983. He spent his last 9 years coaching at Millard North High School, winning back to back state championships in 2021 and 2022. While coaching at Bryan, Cannon also served as a social studies teacher and dean of students. Cannon also served as the Dean of Metro Coaches for Omaha. Cannon and his wife Shirley are a true fixture of the Omaha basketball community, they have 3 children, and have fostered 15 as well. Known for being a mentor and getting the best out of each and every athlete he coached, Cannon was famous for the impact he had on not only the athletes but their families as well. Coach Cannon set a standard for Bryan coaching that all coaches who enter Bear Country are challenged to aspire to.

Don Monzingo, Doug Bishop, Greg Knudsen, Ray Pentagolio, and Duane Anderson

The 1968 Cross Country State Championship Team was coached by Leonard Kliment and previously by John Rasmussen.  They went undefeated during their championship season, wrapping up their state title in Grand Island where they won the top spot by almost 30 points.  They were led by a 3^rd place finish at state by Don Monzingo.  Duane Anderson ran varsity cross country for the University of Nebraska at Omaha after his time at Bryan.  He coached cross country for over 20 years.  Doug Bishop served in Vietnam and then coached cross country and track for 23 years.  Greg Knudsen was the junior and senior class president at Bryan and after college spent time in the Peace Corps.  Don Monzingo was a teacher and coach for 20 years after his time at Bryan.  Ray Pentaguilio served in the military and also ran cross country for the University of Nebraska at Omaha.  Ray also has stayed active in the running community, competing in many 5ks, 10ks, and half and full marathons. 

Reshea Bristol (1996) was a two-time All-Nebraska and three-time All-Metro basketball player.  She led the Bears to three state tournament appearances including a runner-up finish in 1995.  She was second team All-Metro as a junior and senior in volleyball as well.  Bristol lettered in soccer and track on top of basketball and volleyball.  Bristol attended the University of Arizona and was All-Pac 10.  She was the school’s career leader in steals with 260 and at the time of her graduation was the 5^th leading scorer all-time for Arizona with 1,260 points.  She was the 50^th pick in the 2001 WNBA Draft of the Charlotte Sting.  Bristol has played in Russia, Iceland, Lithuania, Switzerland, Turkey, Czech Republic, and Spain professionally winning multiple championships.

Ken Clark (1985) Clark was All-Metro and All-State during the 1983-1984 and 1984-1985 season.  Clark averaged 150 yards a game during his 1985 campaign.  Clark was the first Division 1 Football Scholarship in Bryan History.  Clark attended the University of Nebraska-Lincoln where he was a two-time All Big-Eight selection.  He holds the junior single-game rushing record with 256 yards against Oklahoma State in 1988.  He is #5 on the career rushing list for Nebraska with 3,037 yards and #5 on the single-season rushing list with 1,497 yards in 1988.  Clark averaged 6.1 yards per carry at Nebraska and found the endzone 29 times for the Huskers. Clark is widely considered one of the most underrated players in Husker history.  Clark was an 8^th round pick of the Indianapolis Colts in 1990 and played 34 games for the Colts. 

Tim Bond was Bryan High’s head football coach and taught English from 1984-2004.  He had previously coached at Omaha Tech High School. During his career he took the Bears to the playoffs 5 times and helped the Bears earn their first playoff victory in school history with a 31-0 win over Central in 2000. Coach Bond was the Metro Football Association Coach of the Year in 1989 and 1993. Coach Bond also coached track at Bryan and has been the Field Event Director for the NSAA State Track Championships for over 40 years. Coach Bond was inducted into the Omaha Public Schools Hall of Fame in 2006.