Andy Brandi Obituary Gainesville, Fla Remembering The Passing Of Andy Brandi

Andy Brandi Obituary, Death Cause – Old-school University of Florida folks will recall the old multipurpose O’Connell Center and the 200-meter indoor track that encircled the second level. One day, a good three decades ago, Jeremy Foley walked into the facility and happened upon the women’s tennis team doing sprint work. The UF athletic director stopped and watched as Andy Brandi, the hard-driving and famously fit coach of those Lady Gators, was running with but trailing (barely) the pack, and doing so with a warning.

A Legacy of Greatness

They never did, nor would have dared. Brandi pushed his players to greatness and the results spilled out across the UF tennis complex in the form of dozens of championships and All Americans during a spectacular and generational Hall-of-Fame career. Chasing greatness was what Brandi’s life was about, and it was a chase that ended Thursday when Brandi, 72, died in Boca Raton following an illness. He left behind his wife, Nancy, son Chris, and an international tennis community that adored him.

A Winning Spirit

“Simply put, Andy Brandi was a winner in every sense of the word,” said Foley, who was named UF athletic director in March 1992 and was rewarded with his first NCAA title on the job by Brandi’s women about two months later. “He was one of my all-time favorite coaches here.” And the winningest coach, by percentage, ever to lead a Florida team.

Unmatched Achievements

Over the course of Brandi’s 17 seasons, Florida won 14 regular-season SEC titles (and lost just six league matches), 10 conference tournament crowns, and captured national team championships in the 1992, ’96, and ’98 seasons. His won-loss record at UF was an astounding 460-43 (a winning percentage of .914), including 196-6 in SEC dual matches (.970). Brandi, a 2006 “Gator Great” and inductee into the UF Athletics Hall of Fame, was the first Florida coach to lead one program to three NCAA titles.

Beyond the Court

“He was a fabulous coach, first and foremost,” said Andrea Farley, a four-year standout for Brandi in the early ’90s. “But Andy also was a great teacher in life, as well. A great mentor and person.”Brandi retired in 2001 to return to coaching the professional ranks. In 2017, he came out of retirement to join his son as co-head coach for the LSU men’s team, a post he held for five seasons. The last two years he had been coaching part-time in South Florida, but Brandi’s brand long ago had gone global.

A Global Icon

“Andy Brandi was a giant among tennis coaches and a wonderful human being,” International Tennis Association Chief Executive Officer Dr. Timothy Russell said. “His developmental prowess as a teacher was celebrated throughout his distinguished career, and his genuine fondness for people as a mentor and friend will be remembered by all who knew him.”

A Lasting Legacy

When he left UF 22 years ago, he did not leave the cupboard bare. Quite the contrary. “Everything he put in place here — with the way the players worked, their attitude, professionalism, and the way the community viewed women’s tennis — was here when I arrived, all thanks to Coach Brandi,” said current UF women’s coach Roland Thornqvist, who in succeeding Brandi has guided the team to four more NCAA crowns in his 23 seasons. “They were enormous shoes to fill, and I underestimated that. I was young and full of vigor, but it was a huge legacy he left behind.”