Rick Byrd served as Belmont Head Men’s Basketball Coach from 1986-2019. In his quarter century at Belmont, Byrd has brought success and positive attention to the athletic program and university.

During his first decade as head coach, Byrd shaped its men's basketball program into a veritable NAIA powerhouse. Belmont made five NAIA national tournament appearances under Byrd's direction, including trips to the semifinals in 1995 and 1996 and a spot in the quarterfinals in 1994. They won three Tennessee Collegiate Athletic Conference championships. He coached six players who earned a total of 11 NAIA All-America honors, including Joe Behling, a first-team All-American in 1988, 1989 and 1990 and the 1989 NAIA National Player of the Year. Byrd was also named NAIA National Coach of the Year in 1995.  For his accomplishments, he was elected to the NAIA Hall of Fame in 2004.

After all the program’s successes on the NAIA level, Byrd took up another challenge as he led Belmont up to NCAA Division I level in the late 1990s. Whether on the court or in the classroom, Byrd and his players achieved much success; regarded as a respected mid-major program with a national profile. In recent years, Belmont has won eight conference championships and earned six postseason appearances - including four NCAA Tournament berths. Belmont also leads the nation with nine Academic All-Americans since 2001.

Byrd was named Hugh Durham National Coach of the Year following the 2011 season and was a member of the NCAA Men's Basketball Rules' Committee. In his final season, Byrd guided the Bruins to its first NCAA Tournament win in program history with its victory over Temple in 2019. Following Byrd's retirement, Belmont named the Curb Event Center Court after him during the 2020 season.