Belmont's Byrd finally returns to UT

Better late than never, Byrd is back in his hometown to coach a game against his alma mater.

Byrd, 51, who was born and raised in Knoxville, has become synonymous with the Belmont University basketball program. He's in his 19th year at the Nashville school, which he has guided through a successful transition from NAIA to NCAA Division I.

Tonight, he brings his Bruins (2-5) to Thompson-Boling Arena for a 7:30 tip-off against the Vols (4-4), who might be a tad jet-lagged from their jaunt to New Mexico.

"We've played almost everyone in the SEC,'' Byrd said, "and, personally, I've wanted to coach a game in Knoxville for some time.

"I grew up living and dying with the University of Tennessee.''

Byrd's link to Vol hoops goes back before his undergrad days - even before he played at Doyle High School.

"I remember even back in the old Armory-Fieldhouse days,'' he said. "I'd sell programs up until game time, then I would go down and just crawl under the press table where my dad was sitting, right at the edge of the court.''

Byrd's dad is former Knoxville Journal sports editor Ben Byrd, retired but still a fixture at most UT home games.

After a year of junior college, Rick ended up as a student at UT. His senior year, coach Ray Mears started a junior-varsity team and its coach, A.W. Davis, asked Byrd to be the point guard.

"Coaching was all I ever wanted to do,'' Byrd said, "so I needed to get back involved with the team.

"I played and practiced with the jayvee team and then stayed and practiced with the varsity. The next year I was a student-assistant coach and practiced with the varsity.''

Those were the days of Bernard King and Ernie Grunfeld. Spanning his era from watching under the press table to scrimmaging with Ernie and Bernie, Byrd witnessed UT basketball in its heyday.

"Danny Schultz was my all-time favorite player ever,'' he said.

At 24, Byrd was a head coach at Maryville College. He held the same title at Lincoln Memorial University before settling in at Belmont in 1986, where he has achieved 369 of his 461 career victories.

After a decade of building an NAIA power, Byrd faced another challenge, the move to NCAA Division I in 1996-97. In their second year, the Bruins had a winning record.

The past two seasons, Belmont has gone 27-9 in Atlantic Sun Conference play. Last year's club won at Missouri, finished with an RPI of 92 and was invited to the NIT.

"It was tough to get competitive in Division One,'' Byrd said. "We got our hat handed to us plenty of times.

"But for me personally, it was good. I'd been coaching small colleges for 15 or 16 years. Everybody likes to coach in Division One, and I got to do it and stay at a school I love to work for and stay in a city I really enjoy.''

Byrd hasn't completely turned a deaf ear to future offers, but he admits he's fortunate to have found an almost perfect niche.

The Bruins last year moved into a top-notch new arena. Byrd mingles in the country music world that rubs up against the campus. Vince Gill and Amy Grant are among Belmont's most avid supporters.

For a few years, Byrd described the move to Division I as almost fun. Losing didn't hurt as bad. Not as much was expected.

"Now,'' he said, "all that's changed. We've been in it long enough that we're expected to be competitive.

"It's back to the old grind of dying over losses and trying to figure out a way to get wins.''

Player Swap?: Boomer Herndon, who transferred to Belmont after two years at UT, is sitting out this year and will have two years to play for the Bruins. The Vols, meanwhile, made a surprise signing of Matthew Dotson of Hickman County in November. Belmont had doggedly recruited Dotson and hoped to sign him.

Byrd just shakes his head at UT swooping in to take Dotson after the Vols had lost two other commitments.

"I saw every game he played last summer," Byrd said. "Level will win out every time."

Mike Strange may be reached at 865-342-6276.