Paul Mainieri, Paul Byrd joining Eli Manning in Louisiana Sports Hall of Fame
It’s been a magical year for LSU baseball. The Tigers got done what many people believed they would accomplish at the beginning of the 2023 campaign – –bringing home the national title. Plenty of their players racked up an extensive number of accolades and they dominated the 2023 MLB Draft. On Saturday, the Tigers’ baseball program got a few more things to celebrate. Former LSU baseball legends Paul Mainieri and Paul Byrd are set to be inducted into the Louisiana Sports Hall of Fame on Saturday night.
The Tigers’ baseball Twitter account shared a picture of Byrd and Mainieri with Eli Manning. All three will be inducted into the Louisiana Sports Hall of Fame on Saturday evening, as part of the 2023 class.
Check out the picture below.
The ceremony was from Thursday to Saturday this weekend.
Mainieri was the previous head baseball coach of the Tigers from 2007 all the way until 2021. There, he posted an overall record of 641-283-3. During his time there, he led LSU to five College World Series appearances–including a national championship in 2009. The Tigers also finished as the national runner-up in 2017.
This offseason, Mainieri briefly flirted with the head coaching position for the Miami Hurricanes, before removing his name from consideration for the role.
Prior to LSU, Mainieri had a successful stint as the head coach for the Notre Dame Fighting Irish. He was there from 1995-2006. His best season there came in 2002, when he led the Fighting Irish to a 50-18 overall record and a berth in the College World Series. Mainieri led Notre Dame to eight consecutive appearances in the NCAA Baseball Tournament from 1999-2006. He earned National Coach of the Year honors in 2009 and 2015.
Byrd pitched for LSU and was part of the 1991 team that brought home the national title. He earned All-American honors his senior year. He played for the Tigers from 1989-1991. Once he made it to the Major Leagues, Byrd had a 14-year career that spanned from 1995-2009. He was named an All-Star during the 1999 season when he played for the Philadelphia Phillies.
Since he retired from baseball, Byrd has won three Emmys as a broadcaster for the Atlanta Braves. He is taking the 2023 season off, as his wife Kim is battling a medical issue.
Eli Manning’s Louisiana roots were established in high school football, where he set numerous records with Isidore Newman (New Orleans, Louisiana). He set the passing yardage mark for the school (7,268 yards), but that record was actually shattered last fall by his nephew, Arch Manning.
During his college football days with Ole Miss, Manning set or tied numerous single-game, season, and career records. He finished with 10,119 passing yards (fifth on SEC career yardage list), 81 touchdown passes (third on the SEC career list), and a passer rating of 137.7 (tied for sixth on the SEC career list).
In the pros, Eli Manning went on to play 16 seasons with the New York Giants. He helped lead the Giants to two Super Bowl rings, both over the New England Patriots and won Super Bowl MVP in both appearances. He made four Pro Bowls, is a member of the Giants Ring of Honor and has his No. 10 jersey retired by the franchise. In his NFL career, Manning threw for 57,023 yards and 366 touchdowns, to 244 interceptions. He finished his career with a 117-117 record in the games he started.
Tim Verghese also contributed to this article.