He attended Idaho State University, where he served as student body president and received a bachelor's degree in business in 1967.
In 1991, Byrne ordered a worker to cut down and remove a newly installed George Greenamyer sculpture with a blowtorch.
After mediation by UO president Myles Brand, it was agreed that the damage already done to the sculpture would be repaired, and it would be reinstalled on another location on campus.
His athletic program compiled seven straight top 25 finishes in the standings of the NACDA Director's Cup.
Together, they secured several major gifts for the second and third phases of A&M's Championship Vision Capital Campaign raising over $100 million.
The cornerstone of Phase Three of the campaign was the renovation and expansion of A&M's baseball stadium Olsen Field.
The $26 million project was completed in February 2012 and made the 31-year-old facility a premier college baseball destination.
The complex boasts a full sized football field, a state-of-the-art hydraulic track which has hosted national championships, and seating for 5,000 spectators.
In the fall of 2008, the $23 million Cox-McFerrin Center for Aggie Basketball opened its doors as part of an expansion to Reed Arena.
Byrne tabbed the guaranteed revenue from the Learfield agreement to finance the department's video screen and ribbon board expansion project which included Kyle Field, Reed Arena, and a portable video screen mounted on a 53-foot trailer.
Among his many accolades, honors include the U.S. Sports Academy 2007 Carl Maddox Sports Management Award; the 2002 National Football Foundation John L. Toner Award; the 1999 Central Region National Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics (NACDA) Director of the Year; president of NACDA in 1991–92; and the National Athletic Fundraisers Association Fundraiser of the Year in 1985.
Bill is a vice president of Visa USA in San Francisco, and Greg is the current director of athletics at the University of Alabama.