Best Exit

Photo: Belmont University

If you’re going to retire after nearly four decades in any business, you might as well go out on top — or at least as close to it as you’re likely to get. Rick Byrd exited stage right after 33 years as Belmont’s men’s basketball coach (he also had short stints at Maryville College and Lincoln Memorial), and his final season included the program’s first at-large invitation to the NCAA Tournament and the first victory in the event known to many as March Madness — an 81-70 triumph over Temple in the First Four. Byrd won more than twice as many games (805) as he lost (401) and guided the Belmont program from its NAIA roots to its current status as one of the country’s most well-regarded mid-majors. DAVID BOCLAIR

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