A two-sport standout at Rutgers-Camden, Cetshwayo Byrd was a four-year letterman in basketball who is a member of Rutgers-Camden’s exclusive 1,000-point scoring club. His 1,300 career points rank sixth on the school’s all-time list.
Byrd also played three seasons of baseball from 1991-94 as a shortstop, first baseman and designated hitter. Despite missing his sophomore year due to injury, he was a .297 career hitter in 63 games, adding six doubles, two triples, five home runs, 35 RBIs and a .432 career slugging percentage.
Cetshwayo, who joins his sister Kamilah as a 2007 Hall of Fame inductee, was a force on the basketball court. In addition to his 1,300 career points, he collected 590 rebounds (sixth all-time) for a 13.3 rebounding average (18th). He also added 40 career blocked shots (seventh).
Byrd’s 98 games played is the second-highest total in program history, and he is third with 545 career field goals. His single-game high of 36 points against Jersey City State (Dec. 4, 1993) produced 18 field goals, tied for the third-highest single-game mark in program history.
A two-time basketball team co-captain, Byrd earned All-New Jersey Athletic Conference Honorable Mention as a junior. That accomplishment set the stage for a huge finish to his collegiate career.
During his senior year in 1993-94, Byrd was honored as both the basketball team’s MVP and the Samuel Strauss Award as the club’s Most Dedicated Player. As the team captain, he averaged 17.3 points and 7.5 rebounds that season, when he earned All-NJAC Second Team honors. He capped the school year by hitting .333 with 27 RBIs and three home runs in 31 baseball games. Those back-to-back banner seasons helped him earn Rutgers-Camden’s honor as the 1993-94 Male Athlete of the Year.
A 1994 graduate of Rutgers-Camden with a BA in Sociology, Byrd is a Special Education teacher and a coach at Pennsauken High School. He serves as an assistant varsity football coach at Pennsauken, has been named as the Indians’ new head varsity basketball coach and also is the junior varsity baseball coach.
