54 Days 'till Kickoff - #54 (Retired) - Art Byrd

It's now 54 days until kickoff of Catamount football at the Raymond James Stadium, home of the University of South Florida Bulls on August 30th in in Tampa, FL. 

To help pass those long summer days until football season starts, and hopefully get the Catamount faithful more excited about the upcoming season, we'll continue the 100 day football countdown each day until kickoff day.


#54 is Retired - 54 was the first number to be retired in Western Carolina's athletic history

             Art Byrd

 

Years:  1946-49

Art Byrd was Western Carolina's first football All American Selection in 1949 when he helped lead the Catamounts to the North State Conference Championship, the school's first football title. He was a two way player as an offensive and defensive lineman who amazingly was in on every play of every game in the 1948 season. 

According to his head coach, Tom Young, Byrd "epitomized the spirit of those fine football teams that put us on the map." Byrd was a catalyst of three winning records in his four seasons (1946-49). 

His jersey and number - 54 - was the first to be retired in Western Carolina's athletic history. 

Byrd was inducted into the first class of the Western Carolina Athletic Hall of Fame in 1990