Floyd, Anthony

In 1979, Athletic Director, Joann Galati, hired Tony Floyd to replace her as the girls' basketball coach at Bristol Eastern High School.   Eastern’s girls’ basketball program was founded and brought to prominence by Galati.  It's very clear, all these years later, that she couldn't have found anyone more dedicated to the team than Floyd.
       
“Joann was a teacher and the girls' basketball coach while I attended high school,” said Tony, a 1974 Bristol Eastern graduate, who is still the head coach of the Lancers. “She hired me to succeed her as the coach, and as a teacher … jobs I still currently perform after more than 35 years. She has had a great influence on my teaching and coaching careers.”

Tony has a career record of 536-290 at Bristol Eastern, including four state championships. His 500th win, a 58-36 victory over Berlin on Feb. 13, 2015, made him the ninth girls' basketball coach in state history to reach that milestone. Under his leadership, the Lancers have won the Central Connecticut Conference Southern Division 10 times, and captured the CCC tournament title in 1998. Bristol Eastern won the Class LL championship in 1983, the Class L crown in 1987 and were Class LL champs, yet again, in 1990 and 1991. In both 1987 and 1991, the Lancers were ranked  the No. 1 team in the state by the Hartford Courant, in addition to being ranked 13th in the nation, by USA Today, following the 1987 season. From 1980-89, Bristol Eastern posted a record of 150-51 (.746 winning percentage) with two state titles.

Floyd has accomplished so much at his alma mater.  As a student at Bristol Eastern, Tony competed in football, basketball and was a record-setting hurdler for the track team. He later played football and basketball at Mattatuck Community College before continuing his football career at Central Connecticut State University.

“Rex Hamilton, at the Bristol Boys’ Club, first introduced me to an organized Biddy Basketball league. Johnie Floyd gave me my first exposure to higher levels of basketball, bringing me to see college, pro and high school games,” Tony said, mentioning two Bristol fixtures. “… My mission is to positively impact the student-athletes' interscholastic experience, and to prepare them by developing their full potential for success, both on and off the court.”

The Connecticut High School Coaches' Association honored Tony as Coach of the Year for girls' basketball in 1991. Director and coach of the Connecticut Bandits AAU program since 1996, he has also coached track and football during his tenure at Bristol Eastern. Tony has been active in the Boys’ and Girls’ Clubs of America, the Nutmeg State Games, the Connecticut Interscholastic Athletic Conference and he served on the Nike/WBCA committee which selects high school All-Americans in girls' basketball. In 2001, he was honored by the NAACP for outstanding leadership in the field of education.

Winning the 1983 state championship, in just his fourth season as head coach, is Tony’s fondest basketball memory. A resident of Avon, he enjoys basketball, football, softball, playing the drums and listening to rhythm and blues and jazz music.