Kevin Bryant
July 15, 1986-June 8, 2008

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News Coverage of Kevin Bryant
June 11 - Daily Herald commentary
June 10 - Aurora Beacon News
June 9 - WBBM-TV, Chicago (video)
June 10 - Daily Herald

June 9, 2008

Kevin Bryant, 21, who graduated from Illinois Wesleyan last month and was a three-year varsity basketball player for the Titans, passed away on Sunday, June 8, as a result of injuries suffered in a whitewater rafting accident in Colorado last week. He was taken off life support Sunday at the Medical Center of the Rockies in Loveland, Colo.

Bryant, a Batavia High School product, finished his IWU playing career in March and averaged 1.9 points in 28 career games and started two games in the 2006-07 season when he averaged 2.9 points and 1.2 rebounds.

Bryant's visitation will be Thursday, June 12 from 2 to 8 p.m. at the Healy Chapel, 370 Division St., Sugar Grove. The funeral will be at 11 a.m. on Friday, June 13 at Holy Cross Catholic Church, 2300 Main St., Batavia.
In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations be made to the Kevin Bryant Memorial Scholarship Fund at Illinois Wesleyan, P.O. Box 2900, Bloomington, IL 61702..

Illinois Wesleyan President Richard Wilson said, "The entire Illinois Wesleyan family is saddened by the sudden loss of Kevin Bryant, a May graduate in business administration and a four-year member of the Titan basketball team. His untimely death so early in his life reminds us about the fragile and precious gift of life we all share and surely pleasant memories of Kevin will sustain all of those who mourn him today. We extend our deepest sympathy to his family, friends, classmates and teammates."

IWU head coach Ron Rose said, �This is a very sad day for our basketball program and the entire Illinois Wesleyan community. Kevin really epitomized all that�s good about a college student-athlete.
�Kevin was just so highly respected by all those who came in contact with him because he was such a hard worker and fierce competitor on the court but such a gentleman and the most loyal of teammates off it."

Jason Bloom '08 was a roommate, classmate and teammate of Bryant's. �Kevin is one of the strongest people I know. If anyone could get through a tragic accident like that, it would have been him.
�Kevin was a winner. He would do anything to make people happy. He was an extremely loyal friend. It was a privilege to call him one of my best friends.�

In his blog, radio analyst Bob Quillman '93 wrote: "I had the pleasure of getting to know Kevin over the course of his four years at IWU, via his involvement in the Sigma Chi fraternity and the Titan basketball team. Kevin embodied everything Illinois Wesleyan, CCIW, and Division III athletics stands for. As a senior who played limited minutes on the varsity this past season, he did not develop a negative attitude. Instead, he became IWU's hardest worker at practice every day, doing his part to make his teammates better...a contribution that had a lot to do with how well IWU's young players performed in game action in '07-08. His work ethic and attitude is something all of us should learn from."

CONTACT: Stew Salowitz,
IWU Sports Information
(309) 556-3206