A chat with former NFL executive Kevin Byrne
Celebrity connection. Former NFL executive Kevin Byrne reflects on a trailblazing career while enjoying retirement on Hilton Head Island.
Story by Bailey Gilliam + Photos provided by the Baltimore Ravens
Meeting someone who worked in the NFL is rare, but it’s even more exceptional to meet someone honored with the Pro Football Hall of Fame’s Award of Excellence and an NFL press box bearing his name. Yet Kevin Byrne, who achieved all this, is now a regular person living the good life on Hilton Head Island — playing pickleball, golf and enjoying island life with his wife, Sally.
Byrne’s legendary career in public relations took him through Hall of Fame-level coaches and players, two Super Bowl-winning Baltimore Ravens teams and a NCAA basketball champion — Marquette University’s 1977 squad led by Al McGuire. Byrne also spent five years working alongside Bill Belichick, arguably the greatest NFL coach of all time, and played racquetball with Jim Brown, often considered the best NFL player ever.
Byrne’s stories about others could fill volumes, but the spotlight turned toward him recently. A year ago he was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame with an award of excellence, and just two months ago the Baltimore Ravens honored him by naming the press box at M&T Bank Stadium in his name. We sat down with Byrne to hear about his remarkable 41-year career with the Browns and Ravens, his impact on the NFL and the “firsts” that defined his journey.
The youngest PR director in NFL history
Byrne’s career in sports PR began modestly, calling in scores from his all-boys Catholic school in Cleveland to local TV stations to help pay tuition. His passion for sports led him to Marquette University, where he majored in broadcast journalism. In college Byrne wore many hats: sports editor of the newspaper, sports director of the campus radio station, Division I wrestler and more. These experiences set him up for success, landing him his first serious gig as sports information director at the University of Missouri St. Louis. But his alma mater called three years later, and Byrne returned to Marquette, this time working with legendary basketball coach Al McGuire. He was part of McGuire’s staff when the team clinched the NCAA Championship in 1977.
But it wasn’t long before the NFL came knocking. Byrne was just 26 years old when the St. Louis Football Cardinals offered him its PR director position. “I was very fortunate at a young age,” Byrne recalls. “But I [left] because it was a bad franchise at the time, which I didn’t know.” A brief stint as director of public affairs at Trans World Airlines followed, until opportunity knocked. Byrne received a call from the Cleveland Browns’ owner — his hometown team — offering him a dream job.
The NFL’s first marketing department
Working for the Browns was more than just a job for Byrne — it was a chance to innovate. “Art Modell (the Browns’ owner) always gave me responsibility beyond my original skill set,” Byrne recalls. Modell’s mentorship encouraged Byrne to be creative. “We had the very first marketing department in the NFL,” Byrne says. “We produced our own preseason games on television. We created our own TV shows during the week and in the offseason.” These practices, now standard across the NFL, were groundbreaking at the time.
Byrne also took pride in connecting the team to the community. “In PR you’re a conduit to the community,” he says. “The NFL is unique because it’s one of the few things that culturally guarantees an audience. It brings together everyone — from kids to grandparents, to those struggling to make ends meet, to CEOs and politicians. Everyone roots for the common cause. I always thought it was so cool to be involved in something that unites people.”
A tough transition
Byrne’s connection to Cleveland made Art Modell’s decision to move the Browns, renamed the Ravens, to Baltimore in 1996 especially tough. “The first challenge we had in Baltimore was the hurt left behind by the Browns’ departure,” Byrne explains. The Colts, Baltimore’s original NFL team, had famously left the city in the middle of the night during a snowstorm in 1984 to move to Indianapolis. “We had to overcome the perception that we did to Cleveland what the Colts did to Baltimore.”
Byrne and the team worked hard to prove themselves. “We needed to show Baltimore that we weren’t the same ownership that abandoned them. We’re good people who work hard and will bring you a winner.” Byrne sent players out into the community, organized appearances and got team members to talk on local radio and television. “We wanted to be a part of the fabric of Baltimore, and I think we succeeded,” Byrne smiles. “There’s some magic there now.”
Dealing with major crises
Throughout his career Byrne navigated some significant PR crises. One of the most challenging involved linebacker Ray Lewis, who was accused of double murder. “It was the first time I saw how being Black in America meant not getting a fair shake,” Byrne recalls. Lewis was eventually acquitted and went on to become a Hall of Fame player, but the experience left a lasting impact on Byrne. Another crisis involved running back Ray Rice, who was caught on video punching his fiancée in an elevator. “We didn’t handle it as well as we should have,” Byrne admits. The team initially stood by Rice, but when the video surfaced six months later, everything changed. “We realized immediately that he couldn’t be on our team anymore.”
Byrne reflects on how the situation was mishandled: “We should have focused more on Janaye (Rice’s fiancée) as the victim, rather than Ray. That was our biggest mistake.” Rice’s NFL career ended, and he now works with high school football teams and speaks about the impact of his actions. “There’s some irony in the fact that he and Janaye now have two kids, and their oldest daughter is named Raven,” Byrne adds.
Play like a Raven
Among Byrne’s many contributions to the Ravens was helping to create the team’s enduring slogan: “Play like a Raven.” The phrase was originally coined by the team’s general manager to describe players who embodied toughness and resilience. “We wanted things to be organic and simple,” Byrne explains. “So we ran with it — ‘Play Like a Raven’ became more than just a slogan. It became part of the team’s identity.”
From community outreach to Super Bowl victories, Byrne was always in the thick of the action. “We weren’t quite on the field or in the huddle, but we were tangential to it all,” he says. “To be in the locker room after winning a championship or in the draft room hearing the reasons behind player selections — that’s pretty cool.”
Memorable interactions
Over the years Byrne met some of the most famous names in sports and entertainment. “I had dinner with Lucille Ball and her husband,” Byrne recalls. “Lucy couldn’t have been friendlier, asking me all sorts of questions.” Byrne also had the chance to meet one of his childhood heroes, Muhammad Ali. “Ali was in the late stages of Parkinson’s when he visited the Ravens, and everyone wanted their picture taken with him,” Byrne says. “He didn’t speak much, and I told him he helped stop the war that killed my brother Pat, a Marine who died in Vietnam. Ali smiled, placed his hand on my knee, and said, ‘My man.’ That’s a moment I’ll never forget.”
Retirement and Hilton Head life
In 2020 Byrne moved to Hilton Head Island, having vacationed here for years with close friends. “My wife, Sally, and I tell each other often that we live in paradise. We can’t imagine a better place,” Byrne says. The couple embraced the island’s outdoor lifestyle, staying active every day. “We play pickleball three or four times a week, golf on the days we don’t play pickleball and bike all around the island.”
Despite his retirement, Byrne remains deeply connected to football. “I still watch every Ravens game,” he admits. “And I get upset when we lose. I remember kicking over a footstool after a loss and telling my wife, ‘I couldn’t do that when I was with the team because someone would write about it!’” His heart, it seems, still beats for the Ravens. “Even though I’m not there anymore, my emotions are still tied to the game.”
Reflections on a legendary career
As Byrne reflects on his remarkable career, he considers himself lucky. “Competing is a joy. You build strong relationships when you’re having fun and competing at the same time,” he says. “To have been involved in public competition for most of my life, franchise against franchise — it was a fantastic way to make a living.”
Byrne and his wife are enjoying life on Hilton Head, grateful for the community they’ve found. “We’re truly blessed to be here,” he says. “And looking back on my career, I realize how special it all was. I wouldn’t trade a moment of it.”
