2023 Regular Session ENROLLED
SENATE RESOLUTION NO. 8
BY SENATORS BERNARD AND BOUDREAUX
A RESOLUTION
To commend Paul Byrd on being inducted into the 2023 class of the Louisiana Sports Hall
of Fame.
WHEREAS, the Louisiana Sports Hall of Fame in Natchitoches, Louisiana, each year
collaborates with the Louisiana Sports Writers Association in selecting a limited number of
sports figures who embody the character, skill, and talent worthy of being named to the Hall
of Fame; and
WHEREAS, the 2023 Louisiana Sports Hall of Fame Induction Class includes Paul
Byrd; and
WHEREAS, a native of Louisville, Kentucky, and a graduate of Saint Xavier High
School, Paul Byrd is a former Major League Baseball (MLB) pitcher, an Emmy
award-winning broadcaster, and a best-selling author; and
WHEREAS, Paul Byrd spent his collegiate baseball career at Louisiana State
University (LSU) from 1989 to 1991, and he helped lead the LSU baseball team to three
consecutive appearances in the NCAA Men's College World Series; and
WHEREAS, with an overall team season record of 55-18, Paul helped the LSU
baseball team win the 1991 NCAA Men's College World Series, assisting the LSU baseball
team to become the 1991 National Champions and capture LSU's first baseball national title;
and
WHEREAS, a right-handed pitcher, Paul is a two-time Academic All-SEC Player,
a team GPA leader, holds the LSU school record for victories in a single season with 17 in
1990, going 17-6 with a 3.84 Earned Run Average (ERA) in 140.2 innings, including six
complete games, while striking out 130 batters to earn Baseball America Second Team
All-America honors, and remains in the top five in both career pitching with 31 wins and
career strikeouts with 319; and
Page 1 of 3 SR NO. 8 ENROLLED
WHEREAS, Paul Byrd was drafted in the 4th round of the 1991 Major League
Baseball draft by the Cleveland Indians and he went on to a 14-year MLB pitching career,
compiling a 109-96 record with a 4.41 ERA; and
WHEREAS, Paul was sought after by numerous teams for his leadership in the
locker room, and during his baseball career, he pitched for the New York Mets, the Atlanta
Braves, the Philadelphia Phillies, the Kansas City Royals, the Los Angeles Angels, the
Cleveland Indians, and the Boston Red Sox; and
WHEREAS, during the 14 years that Paul played in the MLB, he was 15-11 pitching
for the Philadelphia Phillies in 1999; he was 7-11 in 2002 pitching for a 100-game-loss
Kansas City Royals team; and in 2007, he was 15-8 pitching for the Cleveland Indians; and
WHEREAS, Paul was named the MLB National Player of the Week for the week of
August 22, 1998, and he was a member of the National League team in the 1999 MLB All-
Star Game; and
WHEREAS, after shoulder reconstruction in 2000 and thinking he would never play
baseball again, Paul began to swing his arms and brought back the double-pump wind-up
which became his signature delivery and brand in baseball; and
WHEREAS, on certain pitches, Paul also started stepping behind the pitching rubber
to change the effective velocity of a pitch, something MLB had never seen in the history of
the game and eventually requiring a new rule to be added to the handbook; and
WHEREAS, Paul was named the 2002 Kansas City Royals Pitcher of the Year and
was awarded the Frank Gibbons-Steve Olin Good Guy Award by members of the Cleveland
chapter of the Baseball Writers Association of America in 2006; and
WHEREAS, Paul posted wins in the American League Division Series against the
New York Yankees and in the American League Championship Series against the Boston
Red Sox to help Cleveland reach the 2007 MLB World Series and Paul becoming only one
of two pitchers to beat those storied clubs in the same post season; and
WHEREAS, Paul retired from major league baseball in 2009 and has gone on to
become a best-selling author, an Emmy award-winning broadcaster for Fox Sports, a highly
sought after professional speaker, and cofounder and Board President of Byrdhouse
Ministries.
Page 2 of 3 SR NO. 8 ENROLLED
THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the Senate of the Legislature of Louisiana
does hereby commend Paul Byrd on being inducted into the 2023 class of the Louisiana
Sports Hall of Fame.
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that a copy of this Resolution be transmitted to
Paul Byrd.
PRESIDENT OF THE SENATE
Page 3 of 3