*EDITOR’S NOTE- This story orginally ran in 2012 as a part of the Class of 2012 Troy Sports Hall of Fame ceremony.* After playing his last football game for Troy State over 44 years ago, Sim Byrd’s name still lines the program’s record books. One of the greatest players ever to play at Troy, Byrd ranks among the leaders in many of the program’s all-time passing records. Byrd quarterbacked the Red Wave from 1966 to 1968. Troy State compiled a 24-8 record with Byrd at the helm of the offense, but the crowning achievement was the school’s first national championship in 1968. Byrd set then single-season records for passing yards, completions and pass attempts during the national championship season and was rewarded with first team NAIA All-America honors after leading the nation in passing and punting. Byrd led a record-setting aerial attack that led Troy State to the 1968 NAIA National Championship, as Troy State went 11-1 and defeated Texas A&I, 43-35, at Montgomery’s Cramton Bowl in the title game. “Our offense was unique,” said former Troy State wide receiver Danny Grant. “Coach Atkins’ system relied on the quarterback and the ability to look at the defense and make the right call (on what play to run).” In the national championship game, Byrd threw for five touchdowns and completed 25-of-44 passes en route to Most Valuable Back honors. In the national semifinals, Byrd led Troy State to a 63-10 victory over Williamette (Ore.) and tossed six touchdowns and rushed for another on the ground. Besides Byrd’s pinpoint accuracy that he displayed as a passer, Grant says the most memorable thing about his former teammate was his competitive drive. “We were playing in Ozark against Delta State, and it was a close ball game and back then a tie was better than a loss,” Grant said. “Coach Atkins called a timeout to set up a field goal, but Sim yelled back ‘We came here to win coach, not to tie.” The Trojans defeated Delta State 35-23 that night, as Byrd threw for 325 yards and three touchdowns. Byrd passed for 3,569 yards in 1968 and threw 41 touchdowns, 26 of those touchdowns were caught by Grant and Bobby Enslen, as the duo combined to record 1,972 receiving yards in the 1968 campaign. “If you see the numbers he put up and the numbers that our receivers put up, he was incomparable to anyone else in the country,” Grant said.
Byrd’s passing total in 1968 still ranks as the third-most in Troy history, behind former Trojan Levi Brown and current Troy signal caller, Corey Robinson. In 1967, Byrd led Troy State to its first-ever Alabama Collegiate Championship. Troy State finished the season 8-2, as Byrd passed for 2,457 yards and threw 22 touchdowns. A member of the Alabama Sports Hall of Fame and the NAIA Hall of Fame, Byrd enters 2013 as Troy’s all-time leader with 79 career touchdown passes. He also enters the 2013 season second in total offensive yards and third in passing yards, completions, attempts, passing yards per game and passing efficiency. Byrd is one of just four players in school history to lead the team in passing yards and total offense in three straight seasons joining fellow Hall of Fame inductee Mike Turk, Brock Nutter and Corey Robinson.
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Byrd now serves as the President of the Control States Division at Republic National Distributing Company. He and his wife, Mary John, reside in Montgomery. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------A celebration of life ceremony was held in Trojan Arena for Troy University Sports Hall of Fame quarterback Sim Byrd on April 10. Byrd passed on Nov. 18 at 75-years-old.
