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 Former Wildcats coach killed
Posted: Tuesday July 06, 1999 04:19 PM
SKOKIE, Ill. (AP) -- Ricky Byrdsong, who took Northwestern to only its second postseason basketball appearance in school history, died early Saturday after being shot near his home. He was 43. Byrdsong's death may have been the result of a hate crime, police said. It was among several shootings that occurred late Friday in Chicago and its suburbs. Byrdsong, who was black, was shot in the back Friday night as he walked with his children about a block from their home in this northeastern Chicago suburb. He died a few hours after undergoing surgery at Evanston Hospital. Byrdsong's children were not hurt. "We all wonder when the gratuitous violence is going to stop," Northwestern athletic director Rick Taylor said, fighting back tears. "If anything good can come out of this, maybe Chicago and the country can get together and put an end to this. I hope he's remembered for the one simple pure thing that he was, and that was that he was a flat-out good man." Byrdsong's death was among a series of shootings that police believe to be the work of one man. Six Orthodox Jews walking home from Sabbath services in a north Chicago neighborhood only a few blocks from Byrdsong's home were wounded by gunfire. Police suspect the same person took shots at but missed two Asian-Americans some time later. "It's a shock," said Evan Eschmeyer, who played for Byrdsong for two years and was drafted by the New Jersey Nets on Wednesday. "It's times like this you realize how small a part of life basketball is. He knew that." Byrdsong compiled an 87-165 record as coach, including 34-78 in four seasons at Northwestern. He was fired with seven games left in the 1996-97 season, effective at the end of the year. In 1993-94, his first season at Northwestern, the Wildcats went 15-14 for their first winning season in 11 years and just the second in 25 years. They were invited to the NIT for the school's second postseason appearance, losing to Xavier in the second round. That season was a strange one, and marked Byrdsong forever as "that coach who wandered into the stands." At Minnesota, Byrdsong left the bench and told assistant Paul Swanson to take over. He then walked into the stands, chatting with fans and exchanging high-fives. An usher had to ask him to leave when he sat down in an aisle, and the crowd chanted, "Byrdsong's nuts!" as he left. He took a 12-day, four-game leave of absence, consulting doctors about his physical and mental health. When he returned, for a home game against Indiana, he was greeted with a standing ovation. "He was a fair coach," Eschmeyer said. "The first thing you think of when you hear something like this is what a great person he was, what a smart person he was. He had his priorities in the right place and he was one of the smartest people I've ever met." Byrdsong never managed to match his first-year success. He had to replace four senior starters his second season, and his team was further depleted by injuries and player defections. Two members of his 1994-95 team, Kenneth Dion Lee and Dewey Williams, were later convicted in a point-shaving scandal and sentenced to a month in federal prison. Government prosecutors said Byrdsong didn't know about the point-shaving scheme. After playing at Iowa State, Byrdsong began his career there as an assistant. Over the next 10 years, he did stints at Arizona, Eastern Illinois and Western Michigan before being hired in 1988 as coach at Detroit Mercy. "For him to be the victim of an apparent hate crime is unbelievable," Arizona coach Lute Olson said. "Ricky never had an unkind word or a thought for anyone. I don't think there was a person who met Ricky who did not like and respect him. He was a man you couldn't help but admire." Byrdsong is survived by his wife, Sherialyn, and three children. Funeral arrangements were pending.
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