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Bryant's Burns is 1st openly gay male D-I coach

9m - Men's College Basketball Bryant Bulldogs

  • ESPN.com news services

Chris Burns, an assistant coach at Bryant University, became the the first male Division 1 coach to come out as gay Wednesday, telling Outsports.com it was time to tell the word because he was ready to "make a difference."

Bryant, who starred for a then-Division II Bryant squad that advanced to four straight NCAA tournaments from 2003-07, felt his turning point came after attending the 2014 Nike LGBT Sports Summit in Portland, Oregon.