Clifton Andrew "Lefty" Byers (September 6, 1905 – May 25, 2000) was an American professional basketball coach for the Akron Goodyear Wingfoots in the United States' National Basketball League (NBL). He was the NBL Coach of the Year in 1937–38.[1] During Byers' tenure, the Wingfoots transitioned from the Midwest Basketball Conference (MBC) in 1936–37 into the NBL in 1937–38 (its inaugural season). Byers led the Wingfoots to win the first-ever NBL championship in 1938.[1] The year before, the team had also won the MBC championship.[1]
| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Born | September 6, 1905 Nebraska |
| Died | May 25, 2000 (aged 94) Ohio |
| Nationality | American |
| Career information | |
| College | Kansas State (1924–1927) |
| Career history | |
| As player: | |
| 1930–1932 | Akron Firestone Non-Skids |
| As coach: | |
| 1936–1939 | Akron Goodyear Wingfoots |
| Career highlights and awards | |
| |
As a player, Byers competed in basketball,[2] track,[3] and baseball[1] for Kansas State University in the 1920s. In basketball, he was named to the All-Missouri Valley Conference first-team twice, as both a junior (1926) and as a senior (1927).[1] He then played semi-professionally for the Akron Firestone Non-Skids in 1930–31 and 1931–32 while they were an amateur industrial league team.[1]
Head coaching record
editThe below season records reflect Byers' tenure as head coach when the Akron Goodyear Wingfoots were in the NBL. In 1936–37 they were still members of the MBC and that season is not counted toward official NBL coaching records.[1]
| Regular season | G | Games coached | W | Games won | L | Games lost | W–L % | Win–loss % |
| Playoffs | PG | Playoff games | PW | Playoff wins | PL | Playoff losses | PW–L % | Playoff win–loss % |
| Team | Year | G | W | L | W–L% | Finish | PG | PW | PL | PW–L% | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Akron | 1937–38 | 18 | 13 | 5 | .722 | 2nd in Eastern | 5 | 4 | 1 | .800 | Won NBL Championship |
| Akron | 1938–39 | 28 | 14 | 14 | .500 | 2nd in Eastern | — | — | — | — | Missed Playoffs |
| Total | 46 | 27 | 19 | .587 | 5 | 4 | 1 | .800 | |||
References
edit- ^ a b c d e f g Marcus, Jeff (2003). A Biographical Directory of Professional Basketball Coaches. Lanham, Maryland: Scarecrow Press, Inc. pp. 97–98. ISBN 0-8108-4007-3.
- ^ "Lefty Byers". ProBasketballEncyclopedia.com. Retrieved November 23, 2019.
- ^ "Death Notices: Clifton "Lefty" Byers". Akron Beacon Journal. Newspapers.com. May 26, 2000. p. 24. Retrieved November 23, 2019.
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