Rick Byrd - The Music City Maestro

For 33 years, Rick Byrd roamed the sidelines of Belmont University, where he led Bruins prorgam before retiring on April 1, 2019, finishing his career with the 12th most wins in NCAA Division I men's basketball history. Mike Krzyzewski, Jim Boeheim, Bob Knight, Dean Smith, Adolph Rupp, Jim Calhoun, Roy Williams, Bob Huggins, Jim Phelan, Rollie Massimino, and Eddie Sutton are the only coaches that rank above Coach Byrd. Yet, despite all of the victories, the legacy left by Coach Byrd is more about the manner he went about running his program, his coaching style, and his impact on on the countless people over his career.  In addition to going to the NCAA Tournament 8 of his last 14 season, Belmont posted a team GPA of 3.0 or higher 18 consecutive years.  A remarkable role model on and off the court.

A fascinating listen with one of the legendary coaches of our generation and someone our next generation of coaches should aspire to be like in how he coached and, even more so, how he taught others to live.  From offensive philosophy, roster construction, Vince Gill to his sweater vests, a jam packed hour for people to learn from.