Marshall University Athletics
Marshall Athletics Hall of Fame
- Induction:
- 1985
- Class:
- 1959
Leo Byrd, a man who overcame childhood polio, would become not only one of the greatest basketball scorers in Marshall history, but of the top collegiate scorers of his era. Beating out Wilt Chamberlain for the honor, Byrd was named “Mr. Basketball USA” following a national high school all-star game in Murray, Ky. After his senior season at Huntington High School – where he was named captain of the West Virginia All-State team after averaging state-record 34.2 points per game – Byrd passed on nearly 50 other college offers to play for his hometown Thundering Herd and Coach Jule Rivlin. In the era where freshmen were ineligible for varsity competition on the college level, Byrd averaged an amazing 37.3 points per game for the Marshall freshman team during the 1955-56 campaign.
When moved up to the varsity the following season, Byrd – a 6-foot-1 forward known for his one-handed push shot and unconventional, creative drives to the basket –  kept right on scoring as he averaged 16.4 points per game and started every contest even though the team included future Marshall Hall of Famers Sonny Allen, Jack Freeman, Hal Greer, Cebe Price and Paul Underwood. As a junior Byrd upped his scoring average a Mid-American Conference leading 24.9 points per game and led Marshall to a national-best 88.2 points per game as a team. Byrd was a first-team All-MAC selection and a third-team All-American pick. Byrd saved his best for last as he won consensus All-American honors when he again led Marshall and the MAC in scoring at 29.3 points per game.
Following his senior season, Byrd was a member of gold medal winning Team USA in the Pan American Games along with teammates like Oscar Robertson and Jerry West, and was later selected by the Cincinnati Royals as the No. 25 overall pick in the NBA Draft. For his career, Byrd’s three-year total of 1,695 points scored ranked second in school history at the time he graduated, and his career average of 23.5 points per game is second in school history to the 23.9 points per game mark of Russell Lee. The 29.3 points per game he scored as a senior remains the top mark in the Marshall record book. He was given a four-minute standing ovation when introduced to the crowd prior to his final game at the Veterans Memorial Field House, and his jersey number 44 was retired. Byrd was inducted into the West Virginia Sports Hall of Fame in 1971 and the Marshall Athletic Hall of Fame in 1985.
