Eastern Washington University Athletics

Coached Eastern to the 1977 NAIA Wrestling championship to go along with a runner-up finish in 1976 when he was selected as NAIA National Coach of the Year. He also earned Inland Northwest Coach of the Year honors as selected by the Spokane Sportswriters and Broadcasters (SWABS) -- just one of four Eastern coaches to earn that honor since the award began in 1948. He was tournament director in 1977 when Eastern hosted the NAIA Championships and won it by scoring 90.75 points to edge runner-up Grand Valley with 89. Byrnes coached wrestlers Lanny Davidson and Mike Reed, who won five national titles between them and each were selected as the NAIA Tournament's outstanding wrestler (Davidson in 1975 and Reed in 1977). The 1977 Eastern wrestling team was inducted into the Eastern Athletics Hall of Fame in 2007. A 1965 graduate of Eastern, Byrnes played football for the Savages in 1963 and 1964. He was a first team All-Evergreen Conference linebacker in 1964. Prior to returning to Eastern to coach, Byrnes coached football and wrestling at Hoquiam and Quincy high schools, as well as Central Washington University. Byrnes left EWU in 1977 to become Director of Health, Physical Education and Athletics for the Bellingham School District in Northwest Washington. He retired from the Bellingham School District in 1999, completing 31 years in education.