SPRINGFIELD, Mo.— The architect of the Drury Lady Panthers basketball program that established itself as a national power in NCAA-II, will return to Drury University to lead its Athletics Department. Nyla Milleson, Drury’s first women’s basketball head coach, has been named as the next Vice President and Director of Athletics by university president, Dr. Tim Cloyd.
Milleson will replace Corey Bray, who accepted the Director of Athletics position at Oklahoma City University and will begin his tenure there on March 20. Bray has served Drury in his current role since March 18, 2019.
In accepting the role, Milleson becomes the first woman to lead an athletics department at any of Springfield’s collegiate programs, including Drury, Missouri State, and Evangel.
“We are excited about the future for Drury Athletics with Nyla’s leadership,” said Dr. Cloyd.
Nyla Milleson was the first head coach for the Drury women’s basketball program when the team launched in the 2000-01 season. She built the team into a national power immediately as Drury won 20 games in its first year and reached the NCAA-II championship game in just their fourth season. In seven years as Drury’s head coach, Milleson posted a record of 185-36, her teams appeared in five NCAA-II tournaments, won three conference championships, two NCAA-II Regional championships, and the 2004 team was the national runner-up. She was named Coach of the Year in the Heartland Conference four times and won the same award in the Great Lakes Valley Conference twice.
In addition to their performance on the court, Milleson’s teams and players earned numerous academic honors, and the Lady Panthers were ranked in the top 15 in attendance at the Divison II level. Now in their 22nd year, the Drury women’s basketball program boasts the best all-time winning percentage in the nation with a record of 569-115 (.833); they’ve earned trips to 18 NCAA-II tournaments, won 10 conference championships, and have reached the D-II title game twice in their history. Since the opening of the O’Reilly Family Event Center in 2010, the Lady Panthers have ranked in the top 10 in NCAA-II women’s basketball attendance each year.
“What a blessing it is to return to Drury University as the next athletic director,” said Milleson. “It is amazing how life can come full circle. I am humbled and grateful for this unbelievable opportunity to come home and lead this storied athletic program. Thank you to university president, Dr. Tim Cloyd, the Drury Board of Trustees, and the athletic committee for believing and trusting in me. I am thrilled to be a Panther once again.”
Following her stay at Drury, Milleson spent 14 years as a head coach at the Division I level. She led Missouri State to three straight 20-wins seasons and guided the Lady Bears to a Missouri Valley Conference regular season championship in 2012. Milleson became the head coach at George Mason in 2013-14 and, in five years, took a program that won just eight games in her first year to a team-record 24 wins and the club’s first national postseason appearance in 14 years.
Milleson stepped down at the end of the 2020-21 season to return to the Ozarks and, for the last year, has served as the Director of Athletics for the Hollister R-V School District in Hollister, Missouri.
“We are thrilled and excited that Nyla is back with her Drury family to lead our Athletics department,” said Rita Baron, Chair, Drury Board of Trustees. “Her leadership, energy, and charisma will take us to many championships!”
“I am so excited that Nyla is going to be our next Athletic Director!” added Beth Pile, Chair, Athletics Committee of the Board of Trustees. “The Athletic Committee of Drury University’s Board of Trustees spent time speaking with her and all fully endorsed hiring her for this important position. Nyla impressed Drury University when she first arrived as the Lady Panthers inaugural coach over twenty years ago, winning the conference six out of seven years and taking the team to the NCAA Division II finals. She continues to impress with the breadth of experience she brings with her from other positions she has since held, along with her strong relationship-building skills, passion, and belief in academic excellence first.”
Milleson originally arrived in southwest Missouri in 1992 when she was named as the head coach of the girls basketball program at Glendale High School in Springfield. In seven years, she posted a record of 157-39 while guiding the Lady Falcons to two state semifinals appearances and the 1996 Class 4A state championships.
In 2016, Milleson was inducted into the Drury Athletics Hall of Fame, and she was inducted into the Springfield Area Sports Hall of Fame in 2018.
Milleson and her husband Brent have two sons, Barrett and Caylor. A native of Goodland, Kansas, she has degrees in Psychology and Education from Kansas State University and a Master’s in Education Administration from Kansas State.
The Nyla Milleson File
• Springfield Area Sports Hall of Fame (2018)
• Drury Athletics Hall of Fame (2016)
• Led George Mason to a program-record 24 wins and first national postseason appearance in 14 years (2017-18)
• Coached George Mason’s first-ever All-American and first-ever WNBA draft pick (Natalie Butler in 2017-18)
• Guided Missouri State to the Missouri Valley Conference regular season title (2011-12)
• Coach of the Year, Great Lakes Valley Conference (2006, 2007)
• Coach of the Year, Heartland Conference (2002, 2003, 2004, 2005)
• Missouri Girls 4A Coach of the Year – Associated Press, Missouri Basketball Coaches Association (1996)
