Lenny Fant

Lenny Fant (1923-1998)

Teams coached: Louisiana College Wildcats, East Texas Baptist Tigers, Northeast Louisiana Indians
Louisiana College record: 6-15 (.286)
East Texas Baptist record: 56-22 (.718)
Northeast Louisiana record: 326-211 (.596)
Overall record: 388-258 (.601)

Career Accomplishments:

  • NCAA National Championships:  0
  • NCAA Tournament Appearances:  0
  • NIT Championships:  0
  • NIT Appearances:  1  (1979)
  • TAAC Regular Season Champion:  1  (1979)
  • Gulf States (NAIA) Regular Season Champion:  2  (1962, 1965)
  • TAAC Tournament Champion:  1  (1979)
  • NAIA Tournament Appearances:  1  (1970)

Awards:

Coaching Career (head coach, unless noted):

1957-1978 Northeast Louisiana
1954-1957 East Texas Baptist
1953-1954 Louisiana College

Lenny Fant Facts

  • Leonard O’Neil Fant
  • Born October 25, 1923
  • Died October 12, 1998
  • Hometown: Hamilton, Alabama
  • Alma Mater: Centenary College (BA, 1949) / University of Alabama (MA)
  • Originally from Alabama, Fant graduated from Lee HS (MS), then played at Centenary for head coaches Jack Clayton and A.B. Young
  • Spent three seasons (1950-53) as the head basketball coach at Delhi HS (LA)
  • Moved to the college level in 1953 as head coach and athletic director at Louisiana College in Pineville, LA
  • Was the head coach at East Texas Baptist for three seasons, going 56-22 overall with the program
  • Hired at then-NAIA Northeast Louisiana, now the D-I program known as Louisiana-Monroe, in 1957
    • Went 326-211 overall, going over .500 in 18 (1961-79) of 21 seasons at the helm
    • Reached the NAIA Tournament in 1970 and the D-I NIT in 1979; won two Gulf States regular season titles
    • During Fant’s final season (1978-79), his team went 23-6, won the TAAC (now ASUN) title and Tournament
  • Inducted into the Louisiana Sports HOF (1988), Centenary College HOF (1997), Louisiana Basketball HOF and the Louisiana-Monroe HOF
  • Continued his affiliation with ULM after his retirement; passed away in 1998 following an eighteen-month battle with colon cancer

Lenny Fant Coaching Tree

  • Benny Hollis (Louisiana-Monroe)
  • Kenny Natt (Sacramento Kings)
  • Keith Richard (Louisiana-Monroe, Louisiana Tech)
  • Mike Vining (Louisiana-Monroe)

 

^ overall record includes head coaching positions at the NCAA Division I and NAIA levels; ULM (then Northeast Louisiana) was not a Division I program until 1973