National Football Foundation

The National Football Foundation (NFF) & College Hall of Fame saluted the thousands of student-athletes who have played football at the nation’s military academies over the years by honoring one representative of each branch as a co-recipient of the 2015 NFF Distinguished American Award.

Raised in Pacifica, Calif., Bill Byrne traveled coast-to-coast in 1983 to enroll in the Naval Academy Prep School in Newport, R.I., before making his way to the U.S. Naval Academy in Annapolis, Md., the following year. He starred as a quarterback for the Midshipmen, leading the team in passing each season from 1984-86. 

Just one of three quarterbacks in Navy history to throw for more than 1,000 yards in three different seasons, Byrne holds the school record for career touchdown passes (29) and ranks second in school history in career completions (381), single-game passing yards (399) and career passing yards (4,582). A co-captain of the 1986 Midshipmen, he also holds the school record for single-game completions (37). Byrne graduated with a B.S. in political science in 1987. He also received a M.A. in national resource strategy from the Industrial College of the Armed Forces in 2004. 

Byrne’s sea assignments have included gunnery officer and main propulsion assistant aboard the USS Cook, anti-submarine warfare officer aboard the USS Lake Champlain, weapons officer and combat systems officer aboard the USS Vincennes and executive officer aboard the USS Leyte Gulf. He also commanded the USS Halyburton and USS Cape St. George. His assignments on land have included aide/flag lieutenant to the Commander of the Naval Forces, Marianas in Guam, and several Pentagon tours including resource sponsor for the Director, Surface Warfare, warfare analyst for the Director, Warfare Integration and division chief for Antiterrorism/Force Protection Programs in the Operations Directorate of the Joint Staff. 

Byrne’s recent tours include chief of staff for the Commander, U.S. 3rd Fleet and the commandant of midshipmen at the U.S. Naval Academy. He was promoted to Rear Admiral in April 2015 and his decorations include the Defense Superior Service Medal, the Legion of Merit, the Meritorious Service Medal, the Navy Commendation and Achievement Medals and various unit and service awards. He assumed command of U.S. Naval Forces in Korea on Aug. 5, 2015. 

“I think the most valuable lesson I learned was adaptability, to think on my feet and make adjustments on the fly,” Adm. Byrne wrote upon learning he would be accepting the 2015 NFF Distinguished American Award. “Because nothing ever goes perfectly in life, or in combat, and even the best battle plans rarely survive first contact with the enemy. Playing football, and especially playing quarterback, taught me to recognize what the defense was giving me and, if necessary, change the play by calling an audible at the line of scrimmage.”