Kevin Byrne, who made arduous jump from Cleveland to Baltimore, among Awards of Excellence honorees

Steve Doerschuk, The Repository
·2 min read
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Ravens quarterback Joe Flacco speaks with Kevin Byrne, the team's senior vice president for public and community relations, after a game vs. the Browns, Sunday, Dec. 28, 2014, in Baltimore.
Ravens quarterback Joe Flacco speaks with Kevin Byrne, the team's senior vice president for public and community relations, after a game vs. the Browns, Sunday, Dec. 28, 2014, in Baltimore.
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CANTON − Public relations executive Kevin Byrne, a survivor of the Cleveland Browns' 1996 move to Baltimore, is among seven people receiving 2023 Awards of Excellence recognition from the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

The awards program began with a Class of 2022. The 2023 winners are assistant coaches, trainers, equipment managers, film/video directors and public relations personnel who have "impacted their clubs and the game of professional football," according to Hall of Fame President Jim Porter.

Byrne was in a particularly tough spot when the Browns moved after the '95 season. He was a lifelong Browns fan who was a successful wrestler at Lakewood St. Edward High School en route to joining the local NFL team in 1981.

Baltimore Ravens executive vice president Kevin Byrne stands on the field before a game against the Browns, Sunday, Dec. 22, 2019, in Cleveland.
Baltimore Ravens executive vice president Kevin Byrne stands on the field before a game against the Browns, Sunday, Dec. 22, 2019, in Cleveland.

He was media relations director when Bill Belichick coached the Browns and became one of the most influential voices with the Baltimore Ravens. He is known for training staffs which were of great help to media members.

After the move, the three Baltimore faces most recognizable to Cleveland media belonged to Art Modell, Ozzie Newsome and Byrne. Byrne was the only one of those three who grew up on the Browns.

Assistant coaches Tom Moore, Dante Scarnecchia and Sherman Lewis were tapped for Awards of Excellence.

Colts quarterback Peyton Manning, right, talks with former Colts coach Tom Moore before a game against the Jacksonville Jaguars, Sunday, Nov. 13, 2011, in Indianapolis.
Colts quarterback Peyton Manning, right, talks with former Colts coach Tom Moore before a game against the Jacksonville Jaguars, Sunday, Nov. 13, 2011, in Indianapolis.

Moore is still working, at age 84, on the offensive staff of the Buccaneers. He first coached in the NFL with the 1977 Steelers.

Scarnecchia was offensive line coach for six of Belichick's Super Bowl winners in New England.

Lewis grew his NFL career in San Francisco under Bill Walsh and was offensive coordinator for Mike Holmgren in Seattle.

Other 2023 Awards of Excellence recipients

  • Trainers − J. Lindsy McLean, Bob Reese, Lamar “Bubba” Tyer

  • Equipment managers − William “Buck” Buchanan, Bob Noel, Bill Simmons

  • Film/video directors − Mike Dougherty, Mickey Dukich, Thom Fermstad, Henry Kunttu, Al Treml

  • Public relations − Greg Aiello, Budd Thalman

The Hall of Fame will recognize the 17 recipients in Canton with an evening reception June 28 and an awards luncheon June 29. Hall of Famer Dan Fouts will be master of ceremonies, as he was last year.

This article originally appeared on The Repository: Tom Moore, Dante Scarnecchia win Hall of Fame Awards of Excellence