Aggies Mourn The Loss of Former Trainer Thomas Bynum

Bynum served as N.C. A&T's athletics trainer for more than 30 years.

Thomas Bynum has a room named after him in Corbett. The Aggies longtime trainer died on Thursday, June 18.

EAST GREENSBORO – North Carolina A&T Athletics wants to recognize and mourn the death of Thomas Bynum, former longtime trainer at N.C. A&T. He was inducted into the N.C. A&T Sports Hall of Fame in 2000.

Bynum, affectionately known as "Mr. B" to the thousands of students he kept healthy for more than 30 years, passed away on the morning of Thursday, June 18. He was 85.

"It is hard to put into words the impact Thomas Bynum had on the thousands of student-athletes, administrators and staff during his time as the athletics trainer at North Carolina A&T," said N.C. A&T Director of Athletics Earl M. Hilton III.

"To hear and see how many former student-athletes adored him, it is easy to understand why we have such a family atmosphere at North Carolina A&T, today. Mr. B laid the foundation for taking care of the student-athlete. He left a legacy not only on athletics but the university at large. It cannot be said enough, Mr. B is an Aggie legend."

Bynum, a member of the class of 1957, played basketball for N.C. A&T for four years. A native of Chapel Hill, he served as the Aggies athletics trainer from 1968-2000. He was the head trainer of the Amateur Athletic Union in 1976 in Russia, West Germany and Canada.

In 1973, he was selected by the AAU to be a trainer in Germany, Africa, Russia and Senegal. Also in '73, he was a trainer for the USA National Junior track and field team.

Two years later, he served as a Sports Festival trainer, as he made stops in Venezuela, Africa, France, China, Poland, Russia and Germany. He also served as an assistant trainer in the Republic of China for the AAU Meet in 1975.

One of 500 trainers screened by the U.S. Olympic Committee Sports Medicine Division, Bynum was one of 24 selected to work the Summer Olympic Games in 1984 and named to the Olympic Training Advisory Board. In 1996, he was selected as a trainer for the Summer Olympics in Atlanta.

On September 8, 2005, the Thomas "Mr. B" Sports Medicine Room in Corbett Sports Center was dedicated to Bynum in a ceremony. Legendary N.C. A&T men's basketball coach, the late Don Corbett, said during the ceremony that Mr. B never had a door closed in that 25 years he worked with him.

"He endured several eras in North Carolina A&T sports history," Corbett said at the time. "He touched many lives, even those who are here on staff now. He would get here at 5 a.m., and would not leave until 10 p.m. He took care of 14 sports by himself. He was a dedicated man."

N.C. A&T Athletics sends out his heartfelt condolences to Mr. B's family as we remember his words.

"N.C. A&T gave me a chance, and later, a second chance when no one else did," said Bynum in 2005. "There is a "can do" spirit here, and the training I received here was insurmountable. I thank all of those who supported me through the years and the student-athletes, for they inspired me."

RIP.

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