From eagerly wading into a mud pit for a competitive game of Oozeball to watching the New England Patriots hold their training camp on Bryant's grounds, here's a look at some of the university's little-known athletic facts:
Several members of the Bryant community have competed in the Olympic Games. Benjamin Schulte ’18 swam for Guam in 2012 and 2016, Natalia Kuipers ’24 swam for the U.S. Virgin Islands in 2020 and 2024, and former men’s and women’s cross country and track and field head coach Stephanie Reilly ran for Ireland in 2012.
The New England Patriots held their training camp at Bryant from 1976 to 2002, including the year they won their first Super Bowl! During the team’s down time, team owner Robert Kraft ’97H and his wife fed the fish in Bryant Pond, and players caught bullfrogs.
In 2005, New England Patriots Head Coach Bill Belichick spoke to 1,300 Bryant community members about the importance of following their passions.
The Boston Red Sox’s Mo Vaughn held a three-day instructional hitting clinic on campus in 1995; nearly 500 kids attended.
Oozeball – a volleyball tournament played in 12 inches of mud – became a popular annual campus activity starting in 1983. Played on a 30-by-60-foot mud court, the pit was constructed with the aid of a local swimming pool company and 7,000 gallons of water.
In 2024, WNBA Championship-winning Los Angeles Sparks and Olympic medalist Lisa Leslie headlined Bryant's annual Women’s Summit®. Interviewed by Trustee Ann-Marie Harrington '86, Leslie shared her origin story with attendees as well life lessons she's learned along her personal and professional journey.