John Byrd is receiving his first chance to serve as a head men's basketball coach at the collegiate level -- and he hopes to make the most of the opportunity this winter. Byrd, a familiar presence in the Roadrunner Athletic Center, has been named Interim Head Coach of the Roadrunner Men's Basketball team, effective immediately.
He takes over for former RCSJ Coach Brandon Williams, who recently stepped away from the post after two seasons.
"I'm excited for this opportunity -- I had paid my dues for many years and hoped to have a chance to show what I could do as a head coach," said Byrd.
Byrd was Associate Head Coach for the RCSJ Men's program, and he made several key contributions the past two seasons. He played a role in helping the Runners make their first Region 19 playoff appearance in 6 years. He led the program's recruiting efforts and implemented personalized player development for NJCAA athletes. He also supported all players in achieving academic success at RCSJ.
"i'm thankful to Coach Williams for giving me a a lot of responsibility, so I already know all of our returning players as well as the incoming recruits," said Byrd. "I'll just need to put in place some other areas for our program, and hopefully we'll be ready for the new season."
In addition, Coach Byrd has a wealth of experience at many levels in basketball operations throughout his career. He served as an Assistant Men's Coach at Georgian Court University for five seasons under Head Coach Terrence Stewart prior to his time at RCSJ. Byrd previously served as a volunteer assistant coach at Goldey-Beacom College and later was an assistant coach at both Chichester High School and Strath Haven High for several seasons. He was formerly a player at Goldey-Beacom from 2003 to 2005 and before that at Chichester High.
Byrd has also served as Founder and Director of the BYRD Elite Basketball program in South Jersey since 2017.
Byrd earned his B.A. in Business Administration from Goldey-Beacom and his MBA in Athletic Administration & Sports Management from Southern New Hampshire University.
If interested in joining the 2025-26 team as a player, please contact Coach John Byrd at Athletics@RCSJ.edu.