Northland College is proud to recognize Bryan "Pee Wee" Rawlings for his outstanding achievements on the Northland Men's Basketball team. A product of Northwestern High School in Baltimore, Maryland, Bryan arrived at Northland, nickname in tow, for his freshman year in 1974 to play for Coach Bud Fisher. Unable to play his senior year in high school due to an injury, it took Bryan a while to adjust to the rigors of college basketball and academics. To his undying credit, he committed himself to both pursuits, emerging in his junior year as a Lumberjack mainstay and was chosen, by coach George Fisher, "Most Improved Player." With that as a springboard, in 1977-78 he led the way with his Co-Captain and fellow Hall of Famer Rob Reader to what is arguably Northland's most remarkable season. The Lumberjacks, with significant contributions from veteran players like Jack Coy and Joe Fowler plus a crop of newcomers that included Dave Meade, John Guidinger, Roy Joki, and Brian Tarasewicz, posted a 17-13 overall record, advancing to the WICA/NAIA District 14 playoff title game, one victory away from going to what would have been the first for a Northland team in the NAIA National Tournament in Kansas City. (At that time, the NAIA Tournament, begun in 1938, made no distinction between small or large schools.) Along the way to that record, they defeated the likes of St. Norbert's, UW-River Falls, Mt. Senario, Lakeland, and in a game that will long live in Northland College Athletics history - UM-Duluth in triple overtime. As Bryan's team accomplishments mounted, so did the individual honors bestowed upon him, including: NAIA District 14 All-Conference honorable mention (1976-77 and 1977-78); MVP(1977-78); Most Improved Player(1976-77); The George S. Barr Scholarship award for academic and athletic excellence (1976-77); and selection to numerous All-Tournament teams (including the Augsburg Invitational, UW-LaCrosse Tournament, UW-Stevens Point Tournament, and the All-WICA Tournament). He ended his career 8th in all-time scoring and third in all-time assists.
Bryan graduated form Northland with a bachelor's degree in Psychology. He's brought distinction to his alma mater through his outstanding administrative career with AARP at their national headquarters in Washington, D.C. He is one of only two AARP employees to ever serve as a facilitator for the National Leadership Conference and their All-Staff meeting. Certified as a Masters Trainer in Career Development and Succession Planning, Bryan also serves as an adjunct faculty member at the University of the District of Columbia, teaching Career Planning.
