Middle Tennessee State legendary track and field coach Dean Hayes and former Blue Raider football star Kevin Byard were recognized for their induction into the Conference USA Hall of Fame during Tuesday's home game against Kennesaw State.

Byard, currently with the Chicago Bears, is MTSU's first athlete to be inducted and is also the first football defensive player to be inducted.

He was surprised at news of the induction, which came in July.

"I didn't really know what to expect at first," said Byard on Tuesday. "I got the call from (MTSU athletic director Chris Massaro). I was actually in the airport about to catch a flight. I was shocked, but definitely honored. You just think about the memories I have had here, the relationships I have been able to develop and build.

"To be going into the Conference USA Hall of Fame as a defensive player, being the first one, that was definitely something that surprised me as well. I'm just very happy to be going into the hall of fame."

Byard, who signed with Chicago in March after spending the previous eight seasons with Tennessee (2016-23) and Philadelphia (2023), is one of the best to have played at MTSU and Conference USA.

As a Blue Raider he had 312 career tackles (five for loss), 19 interceptions (four returned for touchdowns), 36 pass deflections, five forced fumbles, a fumble recovery, a blocked kick and a kick return for a touchdown.

Hayes, who was in his 57th year at MTSU (63rd overall) when he died in January 2022, led the Raider programs to 20 NCAA top 25 finishes.

Out of his 51 conference titles, four came in Conference USA (three women's titles, one men's title). He was named CUSA Coach of the Year three times and 33 overall, including the Ohio Valley Conference and Sun Belt Conference.

Byard, whose name will be on the MTSU athletic program's Student Athlete Performance Center weight room, said he used to joke with Hayes about running track for the Blue Raiders.

Hayes, for whom MTSU's track and field and soccer stadium is named, was a coach for the United States Olympic team in the 1988 games in Seoul, Korea.

"I just remember him being a man of character," Byard said of Hayes. "I would spend a lot of time (in the athletic offices) and I would always walk past Dean Hayes' office. Sometimes I would go in and speak to him and sometimes we would run into each other in the hallway. He was a good man, obviously a person everyone respected."

This article originally appeared on Murfreesboro Daily News Journal: MTSU football's Kevin Byard, track coach Dean Hayes honored by CUSA