Bart Bellairs

Wesley "Bart" Bellairs (born August 24, 1956) is an American former college basketball coach and athletic director. He worked with the Virginia Military Institute for fourteen years, including eleven as VMI's head basketball coach from 1994 to 2005. After three years of serving as the school's senior associate athletic director, Bellairs worked brief stints as the athletic director of Savannah State and Southeastern Louisiana University.

Bellairs is a 1979 graduate of Warren Wilson College, and received his master's degree from Western Illinois University in 1981. He is a native of Richmond, Kentucky.

Coaching career

Bellairs initially worked as the head basketball, cross country, and assistant baseball coach at Wilkes University in Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania from 1983 to 1985.^[1] He then served brief stints as an assistant coach, first for the Maryland Terrapins from 1984 to 1986, and later as an assistant to the Massachusetts and James Madison basketball programs, leading JMU to an NCAA tournament appearance as well as five NIT appearances.^[2] He was hired as VMI's head basketball coach in 1994, replacing Joe Cantafio, who had been serving the past eight seasons. Bellairs made an impression in his first season by winning Southern Conference Coach of the Year honors in 1995. The following year, Bellairs led the Keydets to an 18–10 overall record, including 10–4 in conference play. It was the program's first winning season since 1984–85, and the most wins in a single season since 1978.^[3]

Despite the initial success, the team failed to achieve a winning season in eight of the next nine years under Bellairs' tenure. Bellairs was fired in 2005 after a 9–18 campaign, though continued to work with VMI as the Senior Associate Athletic Director for Operations and Marketing until 2008.^[2] Despite his .378 winning percentage, by the end of his coaching career, Bellairs was the all-time winningest coach in the school's history with 116 wins, and held that record until it was surpassed by current Keydet head coach Duggar Baucom.^[3]

Administrative career

Following his departure from VMI, Bellairs was introduced as Savannah State University's athletic director in May 2008, and took over the position on June 1 of that year. He was the first white athletic director at the historically black college.^[4] His tenure at Savannah State was short-lived, as Bellairs took the job as A.D. of Southeastern Louisiana University in November 2009, just 18 months after being hired by Savannah State.^[5]

Bellairs resigned from the school in June 2013.^[6] He was replaced in the interim by the Lions' head baseball coach Jay Artigues, who ultimately became the full-time athletic director.

Personal life

Bellairs was born in Richmond, Kentucky in 1956.^[4] He was a letterman in basketball and baseball at Warren Wilson College where he earned his undergraduate degree in sociology.^[5] Two years later, Bellairs earned his master's degree from Western Illinois.

He and his wife, Jacki Berkshire Bellairs, have five children: their three sons, Andrew, Jacob, and Will; as well as two daughters, Katie and Alli.^[2]

Head coaching record

^[3][7]

References