Hall of Fame
Bobby Byrd enjoyed an outstanding football career at Austin Peay from 1963-65, holding the distinction as one of the school’s best linebackers in history. Beginning as a two-way player at fullback-linebacker, he almost exclusively became a defender because of his outstanding aggressiveness. In three straight seasons, Byrd led the Govs in tackles, piling up an incredible 489 stops. His 207 tackles (103 initial hits, 104 assists) in 1963 still is considered the school record. The Lebanon native helped lead the Governors to consecutive 8-1 records and OVC second-place finishes just in their second and third seasons as conference members. He was a second-team All-OVC choice in 1964 and selected first team in 1965. Byrd, however, hasn’t lost touch with the OVC since his playing days ended. This marks his 20th season as a league football official, mostly as a back judge. He spent two years as a high school official before moving to the college ranks. In his long career, graduating in 1966 with a double major in geographical science and health and physical education, he worked briefly for ESSO (now Exxon) before gaining employment at the Tennessee Department of Transportation. He has been there for the last 23 years, now serving as division manager.
