Year Inducted – 1998

Spent 16 years on the Akron sandlots as a coach, manager, and general manager who some years fulfilled all three duties for two or three different age level teams in the same season. Byron’s career began in 1975 with St. Sebastian CYO and GABF 13-14 year old teams, and in 1981 he assumed managership of the Hoban Merchants (15-16), which he then expanded to include Akron Knights-Omnicor (17-18), Don Smith Hoban Erectors (15-16), and Akron Omnicor in the AA league in 1983. His calm, wise leadership in developing a “feeder” system for AA ball paid off in 1985 and 1988 when his Omnicor teams won AA championships. His youth teams won 11 various league titles. He posted the best managing record of all AA teams in the 1980’s and he was awarded the Frank Garcia Award in 1986 for helping keep the AA League alive with administrative work and by bringing in extra financial support from his sponsors.