Leland E. Byrd (April 8, 1927 – January 19, 2022) was an American college athletic administrator,

basketball Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular Basketball court, court, compete with the primary objective of #Shooting, shooting a basketball (ball), basketball (appr ...

player and coach. He was an All-American player at

West Virginia University West Virginia University (WVU) is a public land-grant research university with its main campus in Morgantown, West Virginia. Its other campuses are those of the West Virginia University Institute of Technology in Beckley, Potomac State College ...

(WVU) and went on to serve as

athletic director An athletic director (commonly "athletics director" or "AD") is an administrator at many American clubs or institutions, such as colleges and universities, as well as in larger high schools and middle schools, who oversees the work of coaches and ...

at several universities. Byrd was born in

Lynch, Kentucky Lynch is a home rule-class city in Harlan County, Kentucky, United States. In the 2010 census, the city population was 747, down from 900 in 2000. History Lynch was plotted in 1917 by the U.S. Coal and Coke Company (a subsidiary of U.S. Steel ...

, on April 8, 1927, and grew up in

Matoaka, West Virginia Matoaka is a census-designated place in Mercer County, West Virginia, United States. The population was 227 at the 2010 census. It is part of the Bluefield, WV- VA micropolitan area which has a population of 107,578. This town is named for Chie ...

. He played high school basketball for his father at Matoaka High School. Byrd enrolled at WVU in 1944, and because of a shortage of players due to World War II he was able to play as a freshman. Byrd enjoyed a four-year college career for the Mountaineers, earning All-America honors from the

Helms Athletic Foundation The Helms Athletic Foundation, founded in 1936, was a Los Angeles-based organization dedicated to the promotion of athletics and sportsmanship. Paul H. Helms was the organization's founder and benefactor, funding the foundation via his ownership ...

as a junior in

1947 It was the first year of the Cold War, which would last until 1991, ending with the dissolution of the Soviet Union. Events January * January–February – Winter of 1946–47 in the United Kingdom: The worst snowfall in the country in ...

. Following his graduation in 1948, he was drafted by the

New York Knicks The New York Knickerbockers, shortened and more commonly referred to as the New York Knicks, are an American professional basketball team based in the New York City borough of Manhattan. The Knicks compete in the National Basketball Associat ...

in the

1948 BAA draft The 1948 BAA draft was the second annual draft of the Basketball Association of America (BAA), which later became the National Basketball Association (NBA). The draft was held on May 10, 1948, before the 1948–49 season. In this draft, eight BAA ...

, though he did not play for the team. Byrd was drafted into the

United States Army The United States Army (USA) is the land service branch of the United States Armed Forces. It is one of the eight U.S. uniformed services, and is designated as the Army of the United States in the U.S. Constitution.Article II, section 2, cla ...

and was eventually was commissioned a first lieutenant. His first coaching job came at Hinton High School in his native West Virginia. From there he was hired as head basketball coach at

Glenville State College Glenville State University (GSU) is a public college in Glenville, West Virginia. History Glenville State University was founded in 1872 as a branch of West Virginia Normal School. It became known as Glenville State Normal School. It served the ...

and was named the school's athletic director in 1962. He then moved to a teaching position at

Miami Dade College Miami Dade College (Miami Dade, MDC or Dade) is a public college in Miami, Florida. Founded in 1959, it has a total of eight campuses and twenty-one outreach centers throughout Miami-Dade County. It is the largest college in the Florida College ...

's north campus, which was quickly expanded to include assistant athletic director duties. Three years later, he was named athletic director of the school's south campus. In 1972 he was named athletic director at his alma mater WVU, replacing Red Brown. In 1979, Byrd was named as Executive Director of the Eastern Eight Conference (which became the

Atlantic 10 Conference The Atlantic 10 Conference (A-10) is a collegiate athletic conference whose schools compete in the National Collegiate Athletic Association's (NCAA) Division I. The A-10's member schools are located in states mostly on the United States Eastern ...

during his tenure). Byrd then became athletic director at Western Michigan where he served from 1984 to 1992. Byrd is a member of the WVU and Glenville State athletic halls of fame. He died on January 19, 2022, at the age of 94.

References

External links

WVU Athletic HOF profileGlenville State Athletic HOF profile
{{DEFAULTSORT:Byrd, Leland 1927 births 2022 deaths All-American college men's basketball players American men's basketball coaches American men's basketball players Baseball coaches from Kentucky Baseball players from Kentucky Basketball coaches from West Virginia Basketball players from West Virginia College men's basketball head coaches in the United States Glenville State Pioneers basketball coaches High school basketball coaches in West Virginia Junior college athletic directors in the United States People from Lynch, Kentucky People from Mercer County, West Virginia Military personnel from Kentucky Military personnel from West Virginia Western Michigan Broncos athletic directors West Virginia Mountaineers athletic directors West Virginia Mountaineers men's basketball players