With over 25 years of service to the Department of Athletics, John Brackett is the 12th head coach to garner Hall of Fame induction and becomes the first to also call North Carolina Wesleyan his alma mater. The all-time winningest coach in NCWC women’s basketball and softball history, Brackett is a five-time Coach of the Year with nine league championships to his credit.

Brackett is a 1988 Wesleyan graduate who, shortly thereafter, accepted the position of head women’s basketball coach in 1989, a post he held for 20 seasons. He was named league Coach of the Year on three occasions (’94, ’99, ’02), leading the Bishops to the program’s only regular season conference title in 1993-94. Brackett also led Wesleyan to a pair of conference tournament championships in 1994 and 1999, which resulted in two NCAA Tournament berths. Overall, he coached eight 1,000-point scorers, 24 All-Conference performers, a trio of Conference Players of the Year and two All-Americans.

In softball, Brackett recently completed his 23rd season as head coach and boasts 434 career wins, which ranks him in the Division III top-40 all-time. He has led Wesleyan to three regular season titles (’94, ’95, ’96), three conference tournament crowns (’96, ’98, ’99) and two NCAA Tournament berths (’98, ’99). For his efforts, he was named the league’s Coach of the Year in 1996 and East Region Coach of the Year in 1998 after helping Wesleyan to a program-best 31 wins. Overall, Brackett has coached 26 First Team All-Conference performers, three Conference Rookies of the Year and one All-American.

Prior to joining Wesleyan on the sidelines, Brackett, who hails from Mechanicsville, Va., enjoyed a solid playing career with the men’s basketball team from 1984 to 1988. The four-year starter helped lead Wesleyan to an impressive 82-31 record during his tenure, and at the time of his graduation, ranked in the top-10 all-time in games played (113), points (884), rebounds (511), assists (174), and free throw percentage (74.4). An Academic All-Conference performer, he played an integral role on a 1986-87 team that remains the most successful in history with a program-best 24 wins and an NCAA Elite 8 appearance.