Hall of Fame
Byrd served as a collegiate head coach for 38 years, including the last 33 at Belmont (1986-2019). In that time he won 805 career games, the 12th-most in NCAA Division I history, while leading Belmont to 17 conference championships and coaching 17 Academic All-Americans. Byrd guided the Bruins from the NAIA level to Division I, where the program ultimately spent his final seven years as a member of the OVC.
In seven years in the OVC he compiled a 168-62 (.730) overall record and 97-19 (.836) conference mark. His teams won five OVC regular season crowns (2013, 2014, 2016, 2017, 2019) and two OVC Tournament championships (2013, 2015). In his final year as head coach Belmont lost in the OVC Tournament final but earned an at-large berth to the NCAA Tournament, the first for an OVC team since 1987. Belmont would go on to top Temple 81-70 in the First Four in Dayton, marking the program’s first Division I NCAA Tournament victory in eight total appearances.
In just seven years in the league, Byrd was named OVC Coach of the Year four times (the second-most selections in league history), coached four OVC Players of the Year and 16 All-OVC selections.
Among all-time coaches with five or more years of experience in the OVC, his 73 percent winning percentage is second in OVC history. His squads also won four OVC Team Sportsmanship Awards.
Byrd is also a member of the Tennessee Sports Hall of Fame, the NAIA Hall of Fame, the Greater Knoxville Sports Hall of Fame and the Belmont Athletic Hall of Fame and is a nominee for the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame.