Laurie Byrd

Last updated

Laurie Byrd is a basketball coach and former basketball player from Flint, Michigan. She is sister to the professional boxer Chris Byrd.

Contents

College

A graduate of Hamady High School in Flint, Michigan, Byrd joined the Eastern Michigan Hurons women's basketball team, which had just begun play the year before. During her collegiate career from 1978 through 1982, she led the team in both scoring and assists. [1] Her 1,899 points was the EMU basketball scoring record (men and women) until surpassed in December, 2011, by Tavelyn James. [2] In January, 2011, she became the fourth basketball player and the first women's basketball player to have her jersey retired by Eastern Michigan, joining George Gervin, Grant Long, and Kennedy McIntosh. [3]

Professional

From 1984 through 1999, Byrd played professional basketball in Spain, [4] Italy, Switzerland, and Sweden. [5] She also played for the Detroit Dazzlers of the Liberty Basketball Association (leading scoring in the league's first game), [6] the Atlanta Glory (1996–1997 [7] ) and the San Jose Lasers (1997–1998 [7] ) of the American Basketball League (ABL) as well as the Kentucky Marauders and the Chicago Spirits of the Women's American Basketball Association. [8] In 1998, at age 38, Byrd was the oldest player in the ABL. [9] In 1999 and 2000 she was on the training camp roster for the Detroit Shock of the Women's National Basketball Association. [7] [10]

Coaching career

From 1999 through 2002 she was an assistant coach for the University of Detroit Titans. [8] From 2003 to 2005 she was an assistant coach for the Detroit Shock, who won a WNBA Championship in 2003. [11] In 2007, she was the director of player personnel for the Houston Comets and in 2008 she became an assistant coach for the Comets. In 2009 and 2010 she was an assistant coach with the New York Liberty, and in 2011 she was an assistant coach for the Washington Mystics [4]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Detroit Shock</span> Womens basketball team

The Detroit Shock were a Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA) team based in Auburn Hills, Michigan. They were the 2003, 2006, and 2008 WNBA champions.

Charlotte Smith is a retired American professional women's basketball player for the Charlotte Sting, Washington Mystics and Indiana Fever in the WNBA, and for the Colorado Xplosion and San Jose Lasers in the ABL. She is currently the women's basketball head coach at Elon University.

Teresa Edwards is an American former women's basketball player and four time Olympic gold medalist.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Swin Cash</span> American basketball player

Swintayla Marie "Swin" Cash Canal is an American former professional basketball player who played professionally for 15 seasons in the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA). She currently serves as vice president of basketball operations and team development for the New Orleans Pelicans. A prolific scorer and rebounder, as well as a capable ball handler and defender, she helped lead the University of Connecticut women's basketball team to national titles in 2000 and 2002. In her second WNBA season, she led the Detroit Shock to their first ever WNBA title. In 2015, she was named a studio analyst for MSG Networks covering the New York Knicks pre-games and post-games as well as the weekly coaches show. In 2017, Cash was named the Director of franchise development for the New York Liberty. Cash was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame on September 9, 2022.

Sheri Lynette Sam is an American professional women's basketball coach and player who played in the WNBA. She was born and raised in Lafayette, Louisiana as the youngest of eight siblings, and where she was a standout at Acadiana High School. She graduated from Vanderbilt University in 1996. She was an assistant coach at Eastern Illinois University.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jennifer Azzi</span> American basketball player and coach

Jennifer Lynn Azzi is an American former basketball coach, most recently the head coach of the women's team at the University of San Francisco. Azzi is also a former collegiate and professional basketball player, as well as an Olympic and FIBA world champion. Azzi was inducted into the Women's Basketball Hall of Fame in 2009.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Katie Feenstra-Mattera</span> American basketball player and coach

Katharen Ruth Mattera is an American college basketball coach and former player for the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Katie Smith</span> American basketball player and coach (born 1974)

Katie Smith is lead assistant coach for the Minnesota Lynx of the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA). She is the former head coach of the New York Liberty.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kara Braxton</span> American basketball player

Kara Liana Braxton is an American professional basketball player who last played for the New York Liberty of the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA).

Kristin Lynne Haynie is an American former basketball player in the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA) and current assistant coach at Michigan State University.

Crystal LaTresa Robinson is an American basketball coach and former player, who is currently an assistant coach for the Phoenix Mercury. She grew up in Atoka, Oklahoma, and first garnered national recognition during her collegiate career at Southeastern Oklahoma State University. Professionally, Robinson played for the Colorado Xplosion of the ABL before playing in the WNBA for the New York Liberty and Washington Mystics.

Flint Northern High School was a public secondary school located in Flint, Michigan. The original building "#1" was built in 1928 and demolished in the 1980s, after being the home of the Flint Academy. It was one of the high schools in the Flint Community Schools district along with Flint Northwestern High School and Flint Southwestern Academy. It was closed in 2013 and reopened as Northern Academy. The Flint school board finally closed the school completely in 2014.

Tonya LaRay Edwards is an American retired professional basketball player born in Flint, Michigan, currently an assistant coach of the Chicago Sky in the WNBA. She was previously head coach of the Alcorn State Lady Braves basketball team.

Kedra Holland-Corn is an American professional women's basketball player with the Detroit Shock of the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA). After attending the University of Georgia, she played for the Sacramento Monarchs and Houston Comets.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Coquese Washington</span> American basketball player and coach

Coquese Makebra Washington is a former collegiate and professional basketball player and former associate head coach at Notre Dame. She is currently the head basketball coach for the Rutgers University Scarlet Knights women's basketball team. Washington holds a law degree and was the first president of the WNBA Players Association, holding that position from 1999 to 2001. She played high school basketball at Flint Central High School and collegiate basketball at the University of Notre Dame.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Plenette Pierson</span>

Plenette Michelle Pierson is a retired American professional basketball player who last played for the Minnesota Lynx of the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA). In the 2007 season, Pierson won the first ever Sixth Woman of the Year Award given in the WNBA. Pierson is currently an assistant coach at Texas Tech.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Taj McWilliams-Franklin</span> American basketball player

Taj McWilliams-Franklin is a former American professional women's basketball player.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">History of Michigan Wolverines football in the early years</span> Aspect of history

The History of Michigan Wolverines football in the early years covers the history of the University of Michigan Wolverines football program from its formation in the 1870s through the hiring of Fielding H. Yost prior to the 1901 season. Michigan was independent of any conference until 1896 when it became one of the founding members of the Western Conference. The team played its home games at the Washtenaw County Fairgrounds from 1883 to 1892 and then at Regents Field starting in 1893.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2013 in Michigan</span>

Events from the year 2013 in Michigan.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2012 in Michigan</span> Calendar year

Events from the year 2012 in Michigan.

References

  1. ↑ Messink, Bison Collins (2011-01-20), "Laurie Byrd becomes first Eastern Michigan women's basketball player to have her jersey retired", AnnArbor.com , retrieved 2012-01-28
  2. ↑ Rezler, Rich (2011-12-11), "Tavelyn James sets Eastern Michigan scoring record during 77–64 win against Michigan", AnnArbor.com , retrieved 2012-01-28
  3. ↑ "Eastern Michigan to retire Laurie Byrd's No. 4 basketball jersey", AnnArbor.com , 2011-01-20, retrieved 2012-01-28
  4. 1 2 "Laurie Byrd added to coaching staff", Washington Post , 2011-02-03, retrieved 2012-01-28
  5. ↑ Biggers, Adam (2011-01-31), "Flying high: Flint's Laurie Byrd will join elite company at Eastern Michigan University", The Flint Journal , retrieved 2012-01-28
  6. ↑ "Women cage pros debut", Ludington Daily News, p. 7, 1991-02-19, retrieved 2012-01-28, Laurie Byrd scored 25 points to lead six players in double figures as the Detroit Dazzlers beat the Liberty Basketball Association All-Stars 104-87 in the league's first-ever game.
  7. 1 2 3 "Guard Laurie Byrd added to Detroit Shock roster", Toledo Blade , 2000-05-09, retrieved 2012-01-28
  8. 1 2 Laurie Byrd, Women's National Basketball Association, archived from the original on 2012-01-17, retrieved 2012-01-28
  9. ↑ Berlet, Bruce (1998-02-23), "Blizzrd sent off course; Lasers take charge, win playoff series", Hartford Courant , p. C1, As little-used San Jose Lasers guard Laurie Byrd, the oldest player in the ABL at 38, dribbled out the final seconds, Carolyn Jones and Shanda Berry stood staring.
  10. ↑ "Shock Notebook: Bolton-Holifield glad to be back", The Detroit News , 1999-07-05, retrieved 2012-01-28
  11. ↑ Woodyard, Eric (2011-07-27), "The Washington Mystics add Laurie Byrd of Flint to their coaching staff", The Flint Journal , retrieved 2012-01-28
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.