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Curley Byrd

Harry Clifton "Curley" Byrd (February 12, 1889 – October 2, 1970) was an American university administrator, educator, athlete, coach, and politician. Byrd began a long association with the University of Maryland as an undergraduate in 1905, and eventually rose to the position of university president from 1936 to 1954.[1]

Curley Byrd
Byrd as President of the University of Maryland
Biographical details
Born(1889-02-12)February 12, 1889
Crisfield, Maryland, U.S.
DiedOctober 2, 1970(1970-10-02) (aged 81)
Baltimore, Maryland, U.S.
Playing career
Football
1905–1907Maryland
1908George Washington
1909Georgetown
Baseball
1912San Francisco Seals
Position(s)
Coaching career (HC unless noted)
Football
1911–1934Maryland
Baseball
1913–1923Maryland
Administrative career (AD unless noted)
1915–1935Maryland (AD)
1918–1932Maryland (asst. president)
1932–1936Maryland (vice president)
1936–1954Maryland (president)
Head coaching record
Overall119–82–15 (football)
88–73–4 (baseball)
Accomplishments and honors
Championships
Football
2 Maryland state (1913–1914)

In the interim, he had also served as the university's athletic director and head coach for the football and baseball teams. Byrd amassed a 119–82–15 record in football from 1911 to 1934 and 88–73–4 record in baseball from 1913 to 1923. In graduate school at Georgetown University, he became one of football's early users of the newly legalized forward pass, and he had a brief baseball career including one season as pitcher for the San Francisco Seals.

Byrd resigned as university president in order to enter politics in 1954. He ran an unsuccessful campaign as the Democratic candidate for Maryland governor against Theodore McKeldin. Byrd later received appointments to state offices with responsibilities in the Potomac River and Chesapeake Bay. In the 1960s, he made unsuccessful bids for seats in each chamber of the United States Congress. Byrd was a proponent of a "separate but equal" status of racial segregation in his roles as both university administrator and political candidate.[2]

In 2015, the Student Government Association agreed to a resolution in support of changing the name of Byrd Stadium because they noted that Byrd was "a racist and a segregationist" who "barred blacks from participating in sports and enrolling into the University until 1951".[3][4] On September 28, 2015, University of Maryland President Wallace Loh appointed a task force to develop viewpoints and options. The University President then made a recommendation to the University System of Maryland Board of Regents — the governing body of Maryland state universities — to change the name to "Maryland Stadium". The ultimate decision on any name change rests with the Board of Regents.[5] On December 11, 2015, the Board of Regents voted 12–5 to remove the "Byrd" from the stadium's name, renaming it Maryland Stadium for the time being.[6]

Early life Edit

Harry Clifton Byrd was born on February 12, 1889, in Crisfield, Maryland. He was one of six children of oysterman and county commissioner William Franklin Byrd and his wife Sallie May Byrd.[7] In his youth, Byrd worked in the Chesapeake Bay fishing industry, where he saved most of his money to finance his college education.[8] He attended Crisfield High School, where he excelled on the baseball diamond, and was also known as his hometown's first recreational jogger.[8]

A later source described how he appeared in 1905

He was tall, and as the saying goes, built like a whip. He had a startlingly handsome face, with big, flashing eyes, a splotch of florid red on each cheek, and a mane of black curly hair ... He looked like Rupert of Hentzau, and had all of that worthy's cold, sinister resolution about everything that he did.[9]

College career Edit

 
Byrd as a senior at Maryland in 1908

In 1905, Byrd graduated from Crisfield High School and enrolled at the Maryland Agricultural College, which is now known as the University of Maryland.[8] Byrd was a star college athlete and participated in varsity football, baseball, and track. He served as the football team captain in 1907, as the pitcher on the baseball team, and set a school record 10.0-second 100-yard dash in track.[10] Before leaving Crisfield, Byrd's father warned him not to "try to play that thing called football."[11] He ignored the advice and reported for football practice where head coach Fred K. Nielsen told the undersized Byrd to "play with the kids" and that "football's a man's game."[12] He was allowed, however, to fill in as an end on the scout team due to a shortage of players.[11] After sitting out the first three games, Nielsen sent Byrd in as a substitute against Navy, and his play was impressive enough to earn a position on the first team. After the elder Byrd read of his son's newfound stardom in the newspaper, he wrote, "Since you're going to play football, I'm glad to see you're doing it well."[13] During the summers and on weekends, Byrd supplemented his income by continuing work as a fisherman.[8] He graduated second in his class with a Bachelor of Science degree in civil engineering in 1908.[7]

After graduation from Maryland, Byrd spent the next three years doing graduate work in law and journalism at George Washington University, Georgetown University, and Western Maryland College (now known as McDaniel College). In a time before eligibility limitations, he played football at George Washington and Georgetown and ran track at Western Maryland.[10] At Georgetown in 1909, he was called the first quarterback in the East to master the forward pass, several years before Gus Dorais of Notre Dame did so in 1913.[14][15] According to The Georgetown Hoyas: A Story of A Rambunctious Football Team, Dorais's "end-over-end 'discus' throw was an exact copy" of Byrd's passing technique, and the Irish "got the headlines because they had a press agent and Georgetown didn't."[16]

Byrd also played for Maryland-based semi-professional baseball teams while pursuing his graduate studies.[8] In 1910, the Chicago White Sox signed Byrd, but he was soon traded to the San Francisco Seals,[8] a semi-professional Pacific Coast League baseball team for whom he pitched in 1912.[7] He returned to Maryland later that year, and in 1913, married Katherine Dunlop Turnbull.[7] Before they divorced twenty years later, the couple had three sons and a daughter: Harry, Sterling, William, and Evelyn.[7]

Coaching career Edit

 
Coach Byrd on the gridiron in 1918

In 1911, injuries claimed enough Maryland Agricultural football players that the team could no longer field a practice squad to scrimmage against.[17] The college turned to Byrd, who was serving as coach at Western High School in Georgetown, and he was willing to help his alma mater with scrimmages.[17] Byrd later replaced head coach Charley Donnelly, who resigned mid-season after accumulating a 2–4–2 record.[18] Byrd led the Aggies to wins in both of their final games of the season, against Western Maryland, 6–0, and Gallaudet, 6–2.[17]

In 1913, the Maryland Agricultural College hired Byrd as an instructor in English and history,[7] and he was named the head coach of the track and baseball teams, the latter of which he coached through 1923.[19] According to author David Ungrady in Tales from the Maryland Terrapins, the university initially offered Byrd $300 to coach football, but he demanded $1,200.[17] The two parties came to agree upon that salary for all of his coaching and teaching duties which spanned nine months of the year.[17] Byrd also worked as a sportswriter for The Washington Star,[7] a job he held until 1932.[17]

As football coach, he developed a unique offensive scheme called the "Byrd system", which combined elements of the single-wing and double-wing formations.[20] One of Byrd's track and football players, Geary Eppley, said, "He never yelled in practice or at a game ... He pointed out mistakes and explained what you did wrong. He took a calm approach. The strongest thing he'd say was 'for cripes sake.'"[17]

In 1915, his duties were expanded to include those of athletic director.[7] That same year, he requested funds for the construction of the campus's first dedicated football stadium, which was named in his honor.[21] During his tenure as head football coach from 1911 to 1934, he compiled a 119–82–15 record.[22]

Administrative career Edit

 
The University of Maryland campus as it appeared in 1938 before the dramatic expansion engineered by President Byrd

Byrd was appointed to the post of assistant university president in 1918.[7] He became a proponent of unification of the Maryland Agricultural College and the Baltimore professional schools into a single public University of Maryland,[7] and he was instrumental in what became the Consolidation Act of 1920.[7] Byrd named the student newspaper The Diamondback in 1921, and in 1933, he was the lead advocate for the adoption of the diamondback terrapin as the university's official nickname and mascot.[7]

In 1932, Byrd was promoted to vice president of the university.[7] In July 1935, he was named the acting president of the university,[7] and was officially appointed to the presidency in February 1936.[7] During his tenure, the budget, facilities, faculty, and enrollment increased significantly.[7] The school budget was increased and the campus expanded largely due to Byrd's deft political maneuvering in Annapolis and Washington. The school also saw a large growth in enrollment, due in part to returning veterans making use of the G.I. Bill after World War II.[23][24] From 1945 to 1948, the university budget increased from $4.8 million to $9.8 million.[25] Between 1935 and 1954, student enrollment grew from 3,400 to 16,000.[23] Over that same time period, the value of the campus rose from $5 million to $65 million.[23] Byrd, however stood fast on faculty salaries. He reportedly said, "Ph.D.s are a dime a dozen."[25] For years, Byrd refused to release the university's financial records to state legislators,[26] and how exactly he secured funding for many of his projects was largely a mystery.[27] According to booster Jack Heise, Byrd financed a new basketball arena through the out-of-state tuition, paid by the federal government, for Maryland high school graduates who attended the university on the G.I. Bill. The General Accounting Office calculated that the extra fees totaled more than $2 million, but determined that they were within the bounds of legality.[28]

The thing to do with a man of such talents is not to cuss him for doing his job so well; it is much wiser, so long as hanging him is unlawful, to give him a bigger and better one.[29]

H.L. Mencken on Byrd, The Baltimore Sun

Byrd was a staunch supporter of a "separate but equal" state university system. The Princess Anne campus provided agricultural education and Morgan State College provided liberal arts education for the state's black students, while the University of Maryland remained open only to white students.[30] In 1951, Governor Theodore McKeldin criticized the University of Maryland as an example of wasteful state spending,[30] and was especially critical of expansions to the Princess Anne campus, which was geographically disconnected from the state's black population and not attracting many students to study agriculture.[30] Contractors had begun projects at the college before approval from the public works board, which was described as a usual practice under Byrd.[30] Byrd acceded to McKeldin and secured approval from the board for both the Princess Anne expansions as well as a sizable increase to the university budget.[30]

In 1945, Byrd hired 32-year-old Paul "Bear" Bryant to his first head coaching post. Bryant led the Terrapins to a 6–2–1 record, but the two personalities clashed.[31] The tensions came to a head when Byrd reinstated a player Bryant had suspended for violating team rules.[32] Bryant resigned as head coach an hour later, which caused an uproar among students until he interceded to restore order.[33]

Two years later, Byrd hired Jim Tatum as football coach. The year prior at Oklahoma, Tatum fielded a winning team, but the athletic department ran up a huge deficit and some players were paid in violation of conference rules,[34] which resulted in university president George Cross firing athletic director Jap Haskell.[35] The media blamed Tatum for his termination.[35] Tatum told Cross to refute Tatum's role in the matter, and threatened to reveal the Oklahoma team had been paid $6,000 after the 1947 Gator Bowl.[35] Cross asked Byrd to persuade Tatum not to go public, and according to author Gary King in An Autumn Remembered, Byrd replied, "Persuade, hell! I'll tell him to keep his damn mouth shut!"[35] Tatum remained as coach at Maryland from 1947 to 1955, and amassed a 73–15–4 record.[36]

In 1948, the National Collegiate Athletic Association passed a set of regulations called the Purity Code, later renamed the Sanity Code, which permitted student-athletes free tuition and meals, but required that part-time jobs be legitimate and their pay commensurate with the work.[37] Schools found to be in violation could be expelled from the NCAA.[37] In 1950, seven schools, called the "Sinful Seven"—Virginia, Maryland, VMI, Virginia Tech, The Citadel, Boston College, and Villanova—admitted they were in violation of the code.[37] Time magazine asserted violators were far more widespread than those seven that had confessed.[37] Maryland was the only Sinful Seven school that was also a major football power with eighty scholarship players, and Byrd led them in their stand against the Sanity Code.[38] University of Virginia president Colgate Darden called the code hypocritical, and The Citadel's leadership refused to "lie to stay in the association" and requested termination of its NCAA membership.[37] At the convention to decide Virginia's fate, Byrd said, "Does Ohio State want to vote for expulsion of Virginia, when Ohio State has facilities to take care of four or five as many athletes as Virginia?"[39] The ensuing vote fell 25 short of the needed two-thirds majority to expel the Sinful Seven.[37]

In 1951, the football team's 10–0 season culminated in a 28–13 victory over first-ranked Tennessee in the 1952 Sugar Bowl. Maryland's participation, however, was in violation of a Southern Conference resolution passed mid-season that banned participation in postseason bowl games. Byrd had Maryland accept the bowl invitation, despite Tatum's objections. The coach thought the threatened sanctions, which prevented Maryland from playing any Southern Conference games the following season, would severely disadvantage his team.[40] In 1952, Maryland and Clemson, which had also violated the bowl game ban, were sanctioned, and the incident hastened the break-up of the Southern Conference and formation of the Atlantic Coast Conference, of which both schools were founding members.[41]

Dictator, president, athletic director, football coach, comptroller, chief lobbyist and glamour boy supreme ... Curley is the most-hated and most-beloved man in Maryland.[42]

Bob Considine, Curley Byrd Catches the Worm, 1941

Opponents in The Baltimore Sun alleged that Byrd emphasized athletics over academics and belittled him as the only college football coach to rise to the position of university president.[10] Among the campus expansions, Byrd was responsible for the construction of Byrd Stadium in 1950 and Cole Field House in 1955, which at the time was the largest basketball arena in the Southern Conference.[28] Critics alleged that both facilities were constructed at the expense of campus libraries.[28][36] Byrd also built the University of Maryland Golf Course in 1959.[28] Byrd resigned from the post in 1953 and his tenure ended effectively on December 31.[43]

Political career Edit

Byrd resigned from the presidency in January 1954 to embark upon an unsuccessful campaign for Governor of Maryland. He narrowly beat perennial candidate George P. Mahoney in the Democratic primary by 50.64% to 49.37% and faced Republican incumbent McKeldin in the general election.[7] Byrd campaigned on his stance of separate but equal. McKeldin won comfortable majorities in Baltimore's black, Jewish, and upper-middle class white districts, while Byrd took all of the blue-collar white South and East Baltimore neighborhoods, including McKeldin's boyhood home along Eutaw Street.[44] Elsewhere in the state, however, middle-class white voters did not support Byrd.[44] Byrd lost by 54.46% to 45.54%. He went on to make unsuccessful bids for the Democratic nominations to the U.S. Senate in 1964 and the U.S. Congress in 1966.[7]

Despite his lack of success in campaigning, Byrd did receive several gubernatorial appointments: Chairman of the Maryland Tidewater Fisheries Commission, Maryland Commissioner to the Potomac River Fisheries Commission, and Chairman of the Commission on Chesapeake Bay Affairs.[7] In 1959, Governor J. Millard Tawes appointed Byrd as commissioner of tidewater fisheries.[45] When a fisheries officer killed a Virginian waterman illegally dredging, Byrd disarmed the force. The action was credited with helping to end the long-standing Potomac River Oyster Wars.[45] Following the example of other oyster-producing states, Byrd authorized fossil shell mining to produce culch, crushed shells used to form oyster beds.[45] Byrd ignored Tawes' warning to "stay away from private planting" by promoting the formation of leasing cooperatives, but his plan failed due to opposition in the Maryland General Assembly.[45]

Business career Edit

Byrd was also active in business and civic organizations.[7] In 1951, he was involved in the merger that formed the Suburban Trust Company, which in 1960 was the largest bank in Maryland outside of Baltimore City.[46] He later served as the company's vice president.[7] Byrd also did business in real estate and construction.[7] Byrd was active with service organizations.[7] In 1962, he became a member of the Loyal Order of the Moose. Byrd organized the College Park Rotary Club and served as its first president.[7] Byrd was a member of the Defense Orientation Conference Association (DOCA),[7] an organization which educates civilians on the Defense Department's programs and policies.[47]

Death Edit

Byrd died of a heart condition on October 2, 1970, at the University of Maryland Hospital in Baltimore, Maryland.[48] He is interred at Asbury United Methodist Church Cemetery in Crisfield, Maryland,[49] and his epitaph reads: "Harry Clifton 'Curley' Byrd, Educator–Statesman–Conservationist, President Emeritus, Father and Builder of the Greater Consolidated University of Maryland, Founded 1920."[8] Byrd was inducted into the University of Maryland Athletic Hall of Fame in 1982.[50]

Head coaching record Edit

Football Edit

Year Team Overall Conference Standing Bowl/playoffs
Maryland / Maryland State Aggies (Independent) (1911–1916)
1911 Maryland 2–0
1912 Maryland 6–1–1
1913 Maryland 6–3
1914 Maryland 5–3
1915 Maryland 6–3
1916 Maryland State 6–2
Maryland State / Maryland Aggies (South Atlantic Intercollegiate Athletic Association) (1917–1921)
1917 Maryland State 4–3–1 2–1–1 T–4th
1918 Maryland State 4–1–1 2–0–1 T–2nd
1919 Maryland State 5–4 4–1 2nd
1920 Maryland 7–2 4–0 2nd
1921 Maryland 3–5–1 2–2–1 T–7th
Maryland Aggies / Terrapins (South Atlantic Intercollegiate Athletic Association) (1922–1934)
1922 Maryland 4–5–1 1–2 T–11th
1923 Maryland 7–2–1 2–1 T–8th
1924 Maryland 3–3–3 1–2–1 16th
1925 Maryland 2–5–1 0–4 T–20th
1926 Maryland 5–4–1 1–3–1 17th
1927 Maryland 4–7 3–5 15th
1928 Maryland 6–3–1 2–3–1 T–14th
1929 Maryland 4–4–2 1–3–1 17th
1930 Maryland 7–5 4–2 T–6th
1931 Maryland 8–1–1 4–1–1 5th
1932 Maryland 5–6 2–4 16th
1933 Maryland 3–7 1–4 9th
1934 Maryland 7–3 3–1 T–3rd
Maryland / Maryland State: 119–82–15
Total: 119–82–15

Baseball Edit

Statistics overview
Season Team Overall Postseason
Maryland / Maryland State Aggies () (1913–1923)
1913 Maryland 13–2
1914 Maryland 10–4–1
1915 Maryland 3–6
1916 Maryland 4–11–1
1917 Maryland State 0–5
1918 Maryland State 4–6
1919 Maryland State 1–0
1920 Maryland State 18–8
1921 Maryland 13–5–2
1922 Maryland 14–9
1923 Maryland 8–16
Maryland / Maryland State: 88–73–4
Total: 88–73–4

References Edit

  1. ^ "Collection: Harry Clifton Byrd papers | Archival Collections". archives.lib.umd.edu. Retrieved 2020-09-21.
  2. ^ Kuebler, Edward J. (25 May 1935). "Desegregation of the University of Maryland". Maryland Historical Magazine 71: 42–43.
  3. ^ Svrluga, Susan (April 8, 2015). "U-Md. student government endorses demand that Byrd stadium be renamed, citing racist legacy". The Washington Post. Retrieved July 11, 2018.
  4. ^ Burris, Joe (April 9, 2015). "Student coalition seeks to get 'Byrd' off University of Maryland's stadium". The Baltimore Sun. Retrieved July 11, 2018.
  5. ^ "Working group considering name change for Byrd Stadium". 28 September 2015.
  6. ^ Wenger, Yvonne (December 11, 2015). "Byrd Stadium to become Maryland Stadium after regents vote". BaltimoreSun.com. The Baltimore Sun. Retrieved December 11, 2015.
  7. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y Harry Clifton Byrd papers, University of Maryland Libraries, retrieved July 4, 2010.
  8. ^ a b c d e f g Jason Rhodes, Somerset County, Maryland: A Brief History, pp. 111–a112, The History Press, 2007, ISBN 1-59629-273-3.
  9. ^ James Mallahan Cain, 60 Years of Journalism, p. 120, Popular Press, 1985, ISBN 0-87972-327-0.
  10. ^ a b c Paul McMullen, Maryland Basketball: Tales from Cole Field House, pp. 10–12, JHU Press, 2002, ISBN 0-8018-7221-9.
  11. ^ a b Morris Allison Bealle, Kings of American Football: The University of Maryland, 1890–1952, p. 50, Columbia Publishing Co., 1952.
  12. ^ Bealle, p. 49.
  13. ^ Bealle, pp. 50–53.
  14. ^ Ted Patterson and Edwin H. Remsberg, Football in Baltimore: History and Memorabilia, p. 41, JHU Press, 2000, ISBN 0-8018-6424-0.
  15. ^ Georgetown Football Timeline 2008-07-23 at the Wayback Machine, Hoya Saxa, retrieved March 21, 2009.
  16. ^ Morris Allison Bealle, The Georgetown Hoyas: A Story of A Rambunctious Football Team, p. 75, Columbia Pub. Co., 1947.
  17. ^ a b c d e f g David Ungrady, Tales from the Maryland Terrapins, pp. 18–20, Sports Publishing LLC, 2003, ISBN 1-58261-688-4.
  18. ^ 1911 2015-11-17 at the Wayback Machine, College Football Data Warehouse, retrieved October 9, 2011.
  19. ^ 2009 Maryland Baseball Media Guide, p. 25, University of Maryland, 2009.
  20. ^ Old Liners Need New Backfield This Season, The Evening Independent, August 30, 1935.
  21. ^ Ungrady, p. 24.
  22. ^ All-Time Coach Records by Year: Curley Byrd 2010-02-14 at the Wayback Machine, College Football Data Warehouse, retrieved July 4, 2010.
  23. ^ a b c David Scott Brown, Richard Hofstadter: an Intellectual Biography, p. 37, University of Chicago Press, 2006, ISBN 0-226-07640-7.
  24. ^ C. Fraser Smith, Lenny, Lefty, And The Chancellor: The Len Bias Tragedy And The Search For Reform In Big-Time College Basketball, p. 27, Bancroft Press, 1992, ISBN 0-9631246-0-9.
  25. ^ a b Roger J. Brugger, Maryland, A Middle Temperament: 1634–1980, p. 565, JHU Press, 1996, ISBN 0-8018-5465-2.
  26. ^ C. Fraser Smith, William Donald Schaefer: a Political Biography, p. 125, JHU Press, 1999, ISBN 0-8018-6252-3.
  27. ^ McMullen, p. 11.
  28. ^ a b c d McMullen, p. 12.
  29. ^ , Time, June 14, 1954.
  30. ^ a b c d e Theodore F. Scheckels, Maryland Politics and Political Communication, 1950–2005, pp. 150–151, Lexington Books, 2006, ISBN 0-7391-1415-8.
  31. ^ , Time, September 29, 1980.
  32. ^ Al Browning, I Remember Paul "Bear" Bryant: Personal Memoires of College Football's Most Legendary Coach, as Told by the People Who Knew Him Best, pp. 100-101, Cumberland House Publishing, ISBN 1-58182-159-X.
  33. ^ Browning, p. 205.
  34. ^ Gary King, The Forgotten Man of Oklahoma Football: Jim Tatum; "Jim Tatum was a con-man, a dictator, a tyrant and one hell of a football coach." – Buddy Burris, All-American 1946, 1947 and 1948 February 22, 2009, at the Wayback Machine, Sooner Magazine, University of Oklahoma Foundation, Inc., Spring 2008.
  35. ^ a b c d Gary King, An Autumn Remembered: Bud Wilkinson's legendary '56 Sooners, p. 38–40, University of Oklahoma Press, 2006, ISBN 0-8061-3786-X.
  36. ^ a b , Time, August 3, 1959.
  37. ^ a b c d e f , Time, January 23, 1950.
  38. ^ John Sayle Watterson, College Football: History, Spectacle, Controversy, p. 214, JHU Press, 2002, ISBN 0-8018-7114-X.
  39. ^ Watterson, p. 217.
  40. ^ Ungrady, pp. 77–78.
  41. ^ K. Adam Powell, Border Wars: The First Fifty Years of Atlantic Coast Conference Football, p. xvi, Scarecrow Press, 2004, ISBN 0-8108-4839-2.
  42. ^ Michael MacCambridge (ed.), ESPN College Football Encyclopedia: The Complete History of the Game, ESPN, 2005, ISBN 1-4013-3703-1.
  43. ^ BYRD LEAVES U. OF M. POST DECEMBER 31; Retiring President Will Get Emeritus Rank, Full Pay For '54, The Baltimore Sun, September 25, 1953.
  44. ^ a b Kenneth D. Durr, Behind the Backlash: White Working-Class Politics in Baltimore, 1940–1980, UNC Press, 2003, ISBN 0-8078-5433-6.
  45. ^ a b c d Christine Keiner, The Oyster Question: Scientists, Watermen, and the Maryland Chesapeake Bay since 1880, pp. 174–175, University of Georgia Press, 2009, ISBN 0-8203-2698-4.
  46. ^ Suburban Trust Building 2010-03-22 at the Wayback Machine, Peerless Rockville, retrieved July 4, 2010.
  47. ^ Background and History 2011-07-26 at the Wayback Machine, Defense Orientation Conference Association, retrieved July 4, 2010.
  48. ^ DR. HARRY BYRD OF U. OF MARYLAND; President, 1936-54, Dies—Guided School's Growth, The New York Times, October 4, 1970.
  49. ^ Obituary, The Daily Times
  50. ^ University of Maryland Athletic Hall of Fame: All-Time Inductees July 5, 2008, at the Wayback Machine, University of Maryland, retrieved June 12, 2009.

External links Edit

  •   Media related to Curley Byrd at Wikimedia Commons
  • Curley Byrd at Find a Grave
  • A film clip "Longines Chronoscope with Dr. Harry C. Byrd (December 21, 1951)" is available for viewing at the Internet Archive
  • Sterling Byrd collection at the University of Maryland libraries. Sterling Byrd was Curley Byrd's youngest child. Sterling Byrd's collection primarily contains documents of Curley Byrd's life and career.
Party political offices
Preceded by Democratic nominee for Governor of Maryland
1954
Succeeded by

curley, byrd, harry, clifton, curley, byrd, february, 1889, october, 1970, american, university, administrator, educator, athlete, coach, politician, byrd, began, long, association, with, university, maryland, undergraduate, 1905, eventually, rose, position, u. Harry Clifton Curley Byrd February 12 1889 October 2 1970 was an American university administrator educator athlete coach and politician Byrd began a long association with the University of Maryland as an undergraduate in 1905 and eventually rose to the position of university president from 1936 to 1954 1 Curley ByrdByrd as President of the University of MarylandBiographical detailsBorn 1889 02 12 February 12 1889Crisfield Maryland U S DiedOctober 2 1970 1970 10 02 aged 81 Baltimore Maryland U S Playing careerFootball1905 1907Maryland1908George Washington1909GeorgetownBaseball1912San Francisco SealsPosition s Quarterback football Pitcher baseball Coaching career HC unless noted Football1911 1934MarylandBaseball1913 1923MarylandAdministrative career AD unless noted 1915 1935Maryland AD 1918 1932Maryland asst president 1932 1936Maryland vice president 1936 1954Maryland president Head coaching recordOverall119 82 15 football 88 73 4 baseball Accomplishments and honorsChampionshipsFootball2 Maryland state 1913 1914 In the interim he had also served as the university s athletic director and head coach for the football and baseball teams Byrd amassed a 119 82 15 record in football from 1911 to 1934 and 88 73 4 record in baseball from 1913 to 1923 In graduate school at Georgetown University he became one of football s early users of the newly legalized forward pass and he had a brief baseball career including one season as pitcher for the San Francisco Seals Byrd resigned as university president in order to enter politics in 1954 He ran an unsuccessful campaign as the Democratic candidate for Maryland governor against Theodore McKeldin Byrd later received appointments to state offices with responsibilities in the Potomac River and Chesapeake Bay In the 1960s he made unsuccessful bids for seats in each chamber of the United States Congress Byrd was a proponent of a separate but equal status of racial segregation in his roles as both university administrator and political candidate 2 In 2015 the Student Government Association agreed to a resolution in support of changing the name of Byrd Stadium because they noted that Byrd was a racist and a segregationist who barred blacks from participating in sports and enrolling into the University until 1951 3 4 On September 28 2015 University of Maryland President Wallace Loh appointed a task force to develop viewpoints and options The University President then made a recommendation to the University System of Maryland Board of Regents the governing body of Maryland state universities to change the name to Maryland Stadium The ultimate decision on any name change rests with the Board of Regents 5 On December 11 2015 the Board of Regents voted 12 5 to remove the Byrd from the stadium s name renaming it Maryland Stadium for the time being 6 Contents 1 Early life 2 College career 3 Coaching career 4 Administrative career 5 Political career 6 Business career 7 Death 8 Head coaching record 8 1 Football 8 2 Baseball 9 References 10 External linksEarly life EditHarry Clifton Byrd was born on February 12 1889 in Crisfield Maryland He was one of six children of oysterman and county commissioner William Franklin Byrd and his wife Sallie May Byrd 7 In his youth Byrd worked in the Chesapeake Bay fishing industry where he saved most of his money to finance his college education 8 He attended Crisfield High School where he excelled on the baseball diamond and was also known as his hometown s first recreational jogger 8 A later source described how he appeared in 1905 He was tall and as the saying goes built like a whip He had a startlingly handsome face with big flashing eyes a splotch of florid red on each cheek and a mane of black curly hair He looked like Rupert of Hentzau and had all of that worthy s cold sinister resolution about everything that he did 9 College career Edit Byrd as a senior at Maryland in 1908In 1905 Byrd graduated from Crisfield High School and enrolled at the Maryland Agricultural College which is now known as the University of Maryland 8 Byrd was a star college athlete and participated in varsity football baseball and track He served as the football team captain in 1907 as the pitcher on the baseball team and set a school record 10 0 second 100 yard dash in track 10 Before leaving Crisfield Byrd s father warned him not to try to play that thing called football 11 He ignored the advice and reported for football practice where head coach Fred K Nielsen told the undersized Byrd to play with the kids and that football s a man s game 12 He was allowed however to fill in as an end on the scout team due to a shortage of players 11 After sitting out the first three games Nielsen sent Byrd in as a substitute against Navy and his play was impressive enough to earn a position on the first team After the elder Byrd read of his son s newfound stardom in the newspaper he wrote Since you re going to play football I m glad to see you re doing it well 13 During the summers and on weekends Byrd supplemented his income by continuing work as a fisherman 8 He graduated second in his class with a Bachelor of Science degree in civil engineering in 1908 7 After graduation from Maryland Byrd spent the next three years doing graduate work in law and journalism at George Washington University Georgetown University and Western Maryland College now known as McDaniel College In a time before eligibility limitations he played football at George Washington and Georgetown and ran track at Western Maryland 10 At Georgetown in 1909 he was called the first quarterback in the East to master the forward pass several years before Gus Dorais of Notre Dame did so in 1913 14 15 According to The Georgetown Hoyas A Story of A Rambunctious Football Team Dorais s end over end discus throw was an exact copy of Byrd s passing technique and the Irish got the headlines because they had a press agent and Georgetown didn t 16 Byrd also played for Maryland based semi professional baseball teams while pursuing his graduate studies 8 In 1910 the Chicago White Sox signed Byrd but he was soon traded to the San Francisco Seals 8 a semi professional Pacific Coast League baseball team for whom he pitched in 1912 7 He returned to Maryland later that year and in 1913 married Katherine Dunlop Turnbull 7 Before they divorced twenty years later the couple had three sons and a daughter Harry Sterling William and Evelyn 7 Coaching career EditSee also Maryland Terrapins football under Curley Byrd Coach Byrd on the gridiron in 1918In 1911 injuries claimed enough Maryland Agricultural football players that the team could no longer field a practice squad to scrimmage against 17 The college turned to Byrd who was serving as coach at Western High School in Georgetown and he was willing to help his alma mater with scrimmages 17 Byrd later replaced head coach Charley Donnelly who resigned mid season after accumulating a 2 4 2 record 18 Byrd led the Aggies to wins in both of their final games of the season against Western Maryland 6 0 and Gallaudet 6 2 17 In 1913 the Maryland Agricultural College hired Byrd as an instructor in English and history 7 and he was named the head coach of the track and baseball teams the latter of which he coached through 1923 19 According to author David Ungrady in Tales from the Maryland Terrapins the university initially offered Byrd 300 to coach football but he demanded 1 200 17 The two parties came to agree upon that salary for all of his coaching and teaching duties which spanned nine months of the year 17 Byrd also worked as a sportswriter for The Washington Star 7 a job he held until 1932 17 As football coach he developed a unique offensive scheme called the Byrd system which combined elements of the single wing and double wing formations 20 One of Byrd s track and football players Geary Eppley said He never yelled in practice or at a game He pointed out mistakes and explained what you did wrong He took a calm approach The strongest thing he d say was for cripes sake 17 In 1915 his duties were expanded to include those of athletic director 7 That same year he requested funds for the construction of the campus s first dedicated football stadium which was named in his honor 21 During his tenure as head football coach from 1911 to 1934 he compiled a 119 82 15 record 22 Administrative career Edit The University of Maryland campus as it appeared in 1938 before the dramatic expansion engineered by President ByrdByrd was appointed to the post of assistant university president in 1918 7 He became a proponent of unification of the Maryland Agricultural College and the Baltimore professional schools into a single public University of Maryland 7 and he was instrumental in what became the Consolidation Act of 1920 7 Byrd named the student newspaper The Diamondback in 1921 and in 1933 he was the lead advocate for the adoption of the diamondback terrapin as the university s official nickname and mascot 7 In 1932 Byrd was promoted to vice president of the university 7 In July 1935 he was named the acting president of the university 7 and was officially appointed to the presidency in February 1936 7 During his tenure the budget facilities faculty and enrollment increased significantly 7 The school budget was increased and the campus expanded largely due to Byrd s deft political maneuvering in Annapolis and Washington The school also saw a large growth in enrollment due in part to returning veterans making use of the G I Bill after World War II 23 24 From 1945 to 1948 the university budget increased from 4 8 million to 9 8 million 25 Between 1935 and 1954 student enrollment grew from 3 400 to 16 000 23 Over that same time period the value of the campus rose from 5 million to 65 million 23 Byrd however stood fast on faculty salaries He reportedly said Ph D s are a dime a dozen 25 For years Byrd refused to release the university s financial records to state legislators 26 and how exactly he secured funding for many of his projects was largely a mystery 27 According to booster Jack Heise Byrd financed a new basketball arena through the out of state tuition paid by the federal government for Maryland high school graduates who attended the university on the G I Bill The General Accounting Office calculated that the extra fees totaled more than 2 million but determined that they were within the bounds of legality 28 The thing to do with a man of such talents is not to cuss him for doing his job so well it is much wiser so long as hanging him is unlawful to give him a bigger and better one 29 H L Mencken on Byrd The Baltimore Sun Byrd was a staunch supporter of a separate but equal state university system The Princess Anne campus provided agricultural education and Morgan State College provided liberal arts education for the state s black students while the University of Maryland remained open only to white students 30 In 1951 Governor Theodore McKeldin criticized the University of Maryland as an example of wasteful state spending 30 and was especially critical of expansions to the Princess Anne campus which was geographically disconnected from the state s black population and not attracting many students to study agriculture 30 Contractors had begun projects at the college before approval from the public works board which was described as a usual practice under Byrd 30 Byrd acceded to McKeldin and secured approval from the board for both the Princess Anne expansions as well as a sizable increase to the university budget 30 In 1945 Byrd hired 32 year old Paul Bear Bryant to his first head coaching post Bryant led the Terrapins to a 6 2 1 record but the two personalities clashed 31 The tensions came to a head when Byrd reinstated a player Bryant had suspended for violating team rules 32 Bryant resigned as head coach an hour later which caused an uproar among students until he interceded to restore order 33 Two years later Byrd hired Jim Tatum as football coach The year prior at Oklahoma Tatum fielded a winning team but the athletic department ran up a huge deficit and some players were paid in violation of conference rules 34 which resulted in university president George Cross firing athletic director Jap Haskell 35 The media blamed Tatum for his termination 35 Tatum told Cross to refute Tatum s role in the matter and threatened to reveal the Oklahoma team had been paid 6 000 after the 1947 Gator Bowl 35 Cross asked Byrd to persuade Tatum not to go public and according to author Gary King in An Autumn Remembered Byrd replied Persuade hell I ll tell him to keep his damn mouth shut 35 Tatum remained as coach at Maryland from 1947 to 1955 and amassed a 73 15 4 record 36 In 1948 the National Collegiate Athletic Association passed a set of regulations called the Purity Code later renamed the Sanity Code which permitted student athletes free tuition and meals but required that part time jobs be legitimate and their pay commensurate with the work 37 Schools found to be in violation could be expelled from the NCAA 37 In 1950 seven schools called the Sinful Seven Virginia Maryland VMI Virginia Tech The Citadel Boston College and Villanova admitted they were in violation of the code 37 Time magazine asserted violators were far more widespread than those seven that had confessed 37 Maryland was the only Sinful Seven school that was also a major football power with eighty scholarship players and Byrd led them in their stand against the Sanity Code 38 University of Virginia president Colgate Darden called the code hypocritical and The Citadel s leadership refused to lie to stay in the association and requested termination of its NCAA membership 37 At the convention to decide Virginia s fate Byrd said Does Ohio State want to vote for expulsion of Virginia when Ohio State has facilities to take care of four or five as many athletes as Virginia 39 The ensuing vote fell 25 short of the needed two thirds majority to expel the Sinful Seven 37 In 1951 the football team s 10 0 season culminated in a 28 13 victory over first ranked Tennessee in the 1952 Sugar Bowl Maryland s participation however was in violation of a Southern Conference resolution passed mid season that banned participation in postseason bowl games Byrd had Maryland accept the bowl invitation despite Tatum s objections The coach thought the threatened sanctions which prevented Maryland from playing any Southern Conference games the following season would severely disadvantage his team 40 In 1952 Maryland and Clemson which had also violated the bowl game ban were sanctioned and the incident hastened the break up of the Southern Conference and formation of the Atlantic Coast Conference of which both schools were founding members 41 Dictator president athletic director football coach comptroller chief lobbyist and glamour boy supreme Curley is the most hated and most beloved man in Maryland 42 Bob Considine Curley Byrd Catches the Worm 1941 Opponents in The Baltimore Sun alleged that Byrd emphasized athletics over academics and belittled him as the only college football coach to rise to the position of university president 10 Among the campus expansions Byrd was responsible for the construction of Byrd Stadium in 1950 and Cole Field House in 1955 which at the time was the largest basketball arena in the Southern Conference 28 Critics alleged that both facilities were constructed at the expense of campus libraries 28 36 Byrd also built the University of Maryland Golf Course in 1959 28 Byrd resigned from the post in 1953 and his tenure ended effectively on December 31 43 Political career EditByrd resigned from the presidency in January 1954 to embark upon an unsuccessful campaign for Governor of Maryland He narrowly beat perennial candidate George P Mahoney in the Democratic primary by 50 64 to 49 37 and faced Republican incumbent McKeldin in the general election 7 Byrd campaigned on his stance of separate but equal McKeldin won comfortable majorities in Baltimore s black Jewish and upper middle class white districts while Byrd took all of the blue collar white South and East Baltimore neighborhoods including McKeldin s boyhood home along Eutaw Street 44 Elsewhere in the state however middle class white voters did not support Byrd 44 Byrd lost by 54 46 to 45 54 He went on to make unsuccessful bids for the Democratic nominations to the U S Senate in 1964 and the U S Congress in 1966 7 Despite his lack of success in campaigning Byrd did receive several gubernatorial appointments Chairman of the Maryland Tidewater Fisheries Commission Maryland Commissioner to the Potomac River Fisheries Commission and Chairman of the Commission on Chesapeake Bay Affairs 7 In 1959 Governor J Millard Tawes appointed Byrd as commissioner of tidewater fisheries 45 When a fisheries officer killed a Virginian waterman illegally dredging Byrd disarmed the force The action was credited with helping to end the long standing Potomac River Oyster Wars 45 Following the example of other oyster producing states Byrd authorized fossil shell mining to produce culch crushed shells used to form oyster beds 45 Byrd ignored Tawes warning to stay away from private planting by promoting the formation of leasing cooperatives but his plan failed due to opposition in the Maryland General Assembly 45 Business career EditByrd was also active in business and civic organizations 7 In 1951 he was involved in the merger that formed the Suburban Trust Company which in 1960 was the largest bank in Maryland outside of Baltimore City 46 He later served as the company s vice president 7 Byrd also did business in real estate and construction 7 Byrd was active with service organizations 7 In 1962 he became a member of the Loyal Order of the Moose Byrd organized the College Park Rotary Club and served as its first president 7 Byrd was a member of the Defense Orientation Conference Association DOCA 7 an organization which educates civilians on the Defense Department s programs and policies 47 Death EditByrd died of a heart condition on October 2 1970 at the University of Maryland Hospital in Baltimore Maryland 48 He is interred at Asbury United Methodist Church Cemetery in Crisfield Maryland 49 and his epitaph reads Harry Clifton Curley Byrd Educator Statesman Conservationist President Emeritus Father and Builder of the Greater Consolidated University of Maryland Founded 1920 8 Byrd was inducted into the University of Maryland Athletic Hall of Fame in 1982 50 Head coaching record EditFootball Edit Year Team Overall Conference Standing Bowl playoffsMaryland Maryland State Aggies Independent 1911 1916 1911 Maryland 2 01912 Maryland 6 1 11913 Maryland 6 31914 Maryland 5 31915 Maryland 6 31916 Maryland State 6 2Maryland State Maryland Aggies South Atlantic Intercollegiate Athletic Association 1917 1921 1917 Maryland State 4 3 1 2 1 1 T 4th1918 Maryland State 4 1 1 2 0 1 T 2nd1919 Maryland State 5 4 4 1 2nd1920 Maryland 7 2 4 0 2nd1921 Maryland 3 5 1 2 2 1 T 7thMaryland Aggies Terrapins South Atlantic Intercollegiate Athletic Association 1922 1934 1922 Maryland 4 5 1 1 2 T 11th1923 Maryland 7 2 1 2 1 T 8th1924 Maryland 3 3 3 1 2 1 16th1925 Maryland 2 5 1 0 4 T 20th1926 Maryland 5 4 1 1 3 1 17th1927 Maryland 4 7 3 5 15th1928 Maryland 6 3 1 2 3 1 T 14th1929 Maryland 4 4 2 1 3 1 17th1930 Maryland 7 5 4 2 T 6th1931 Maryland 8 1 1 4 1 1 5th1932 Maryland 5 6 2 4 16th1933 Maryland 3 7 1 4 9th1934 Maryland 7 3 3 1 T 3rdMaryland Maryland State 119 82 15Total 119 82 15Baseball Edit Statistics overview Season Team Overall PostseasonMaryland Maryland State Aggies 1913 1923 1913 Maryland 13 21914 Maryland 10 4 11915 Maryland 3 61916 Maryland 4 11 11917 Maryland State 0 51918 Maryland State 4 61919 Maryland State 1 01920 Maryland State 18 81921 Maryland 13 5 21922 Maryland 14 91923 Maryland 8 16Maryland Maryland State 88 73 4Total 88 73 4References Edit Collection Harry Clifton Byrd papers Archival Collections archives lib umd edu Retrieved 2020 09 21 Kuebler Edward J 25 May 1935 Desegregation of the University of Maryland Maryland Historical Magazine 71 42 43 Svrluga Susan April 8 2015 U Md student government endorses demand that Byrd stadium be renamed citing racist legacy The Washington Post Retrieved July 11 2018 Burris Joe April 9 2015 Student coalition seeks to get Byrd off University of Maryland s stadium The Baltimore Sun Retrieved July 11 2018 Working group considering name change for Byrd Stadium 28 September 2015 Wenger Yvonne December 11 2015 Byrd Stadium to become Maryland Stadium after regents vote BaltimoreSun com The Baltimore Sun Retrieved December 11 2015 a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y Harry Clifton Byrd papers University of Maryland Libraries retrieved July 4 2010 a b c d e f g Jason Rhodes Somerset County Maryland A Brief History pp 111 a112 The History Press 2007 ISBN 1 59629 273 3 James Mallahan Cain 60 Years of Journalism p 120 Popular Press 1985 ISBN 0 87972 327 0 a b c Paul McMullen Maryland Basketball Tales from Cole Field House pp 10 12 JHU Press 2002 ISBN 0 8018 7221 9 a b Morris Allison Bealle Kings of American Football The University of Maryland 1890 1952 p 50 Columbia Publishing Co 1952 Bealle p 49 Bealle pp 50 53 Ted Patterson and Edwin H Remsberg Football in Baltimore History and Memorabilia p 41 JHU Press 2000 ISBN 0 8018 6424 0 Georgetown Football Timeline Archived 2008 07 23 at the Wayback Machine Hoya Saxa retrieved March 21 2009 Morris Allison Bealle The Georgetown Hoyas A Story of A Rambunctious Football Team p 75 Columbia Pub Co 1947 a b c d e f g David Ungrady Tales from the Maryland Terrapins pp 18 20 Sports Publishing LLC 2003 ISBN 1 58261 688 4 1911 Archived 2015 11 17 at the Wayback Machine College Football Data Warehouse retrieved October 9 2011 2009 Maryland Baseball Media Guide p 25 University of Maryland 2009 Old Liners Need New Backfield This Season The Evening Independent August 30 1935 Ungrady p 24 All Time Coach Records by Year Curley Byrd Archived 2010 02 14 at the Wayback Machine College Football Data Warehouse retrieved July 4 2010 a b c David Scott Brown Richard Hofstadter an Intellectual Biography p 37 University of Chicago Press 2006 ISBN 0 226 07640 7 C Fraser Smith Lenny Lefty And The Chancellor The Len Bias Tragedy And The Search For Reform In Big Time College Basketball p 27 Bancroft Press 1992 ISBN 0 9631246 0 9 a b Roger J Brugger Maryland A Middle Temperament 1634 1980 p 565 JHU Press 1996 ISBN 0 8018 5465 2 C Fraser Smith William Donald Schaefer a Political Biography p 125 JHU Press 1999 ISBN 0 8018 6252 3 McMullen p 11 a b c d McMullen p 12 Dot Dot Dot Time June 14 1954 a b c d e Theodore F Scheckels Maryland Politics and Political Communication 1950 2005 pp 150 151 Lexington Books 2006 ISBN 0 7391 1415 8 Football s Supercoach Time September 29 1980 Al Browning I Remember Paul Bear Bryant Personal Memoires of College Football s Most Legendary Coach as Told by the People Who Knew Him Best pp 100 101 Cumberland House Publishing ISBN 1 58182 159 X Browning p 205 Gary King The Forgotten Man of Oklahoma Football Jim Tatum Jim Tatum was a con man a dictator a tyrant and one hell of a football coach Buddy Burris All American 1946 1947 and 1948 Archived February 22 2009 at the Wayback Machine Sooner Magazine University of Oklahoma Foundation Inc Spring 2008 a b c d Gary King An Autumn Remembered Bud Wilkinson s legendary 56 Sooners p 38 40 University of Oklahoma Press 2006 ISBN 0 8061 3786 X a b The Coach Time August 3 1959 a b c d e f Sport What Price Football Time January 23 1950 John Sayle Watterson College Football History Spectacle Controversy p 214 JHU Press 2002 ISBN 0 8018 7114 X Watterson p 217 Ungrady pp 77 78 K Adam Powell Border Wars The First Fifty Years of Atlantic Coast Conference Football p xvi Scarecrow Press 2004 ISBN 0 8108 4839 2 Michael MacCambridge ed ESPN College Football Encyclopedia The Complete History of the Game ESPN 2005 ISBN 1 4013 3703 1 BYRD LEAVES U OF M POST DECEMBER 31 Retiring President Will Get Emeritus Rank Full Pay For 54 The Baltimore Sun September 25 1953 a b Kenneth D Durr Behind the Backlash White Working Class Politics in Baltimore 1940 1980 UNC Press 2003 ISBN 0 8078 5433 6 a b c d Christine Keiner The Oyster Question Scientists Watermen and the Maryland Chesapeake Bay since 1880 pp 174 175 University of Georgia Press 2009 ISBN 0 8203 2698 4 Suburban Trust Building Archived 2010 03 22 at the Wayback Machine Peerless Rockville retrieved July 4 2010 Background and History Archived 2011 07 26 at the Wayback Machine Defense Orientation Conference Association retrieved July 4 2010 DR HARRY BYRD OF U OF MARYLAND President 1936 54 Dies Guided School s Growth The New York Times October 4 1970 Obituary The Daily Times University of Maryland Athletic Hall of Fame All Time Inductees Archived July 5 2008 at the Wayback Machine University of Maryland retrieved June 12 2009 External links Edit Media related to Curley Byrd at Wikimedia Commons Curley Byrd at Find a Grave A film clip Longines Chronoscope with Dr Harry C Byrd December 21 1951 is available for viewing at the Internet Archive Sterling Byrd collection at the University of Maryland libraries Sterling Byrd was Curley Byrd s youngest child Sterling Byrd s collection primarily contains documents of Curley Byrd s life and career Party political officesPreceded byWilliam Preston Lane Jr Democratic nominee for Governor of Maryland1954 Succeeded byJ Millard Tawes Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Curley Byrd amp oldid 1163483627, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,

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