Editing Ricky Byrdsong (section)

==Early life==
Byrdsong grew up in [[Atlanta, Georgia]], raised by his mother with his younger sister Marcia. He attended [[Douglass High School (Atlanta)|Frederick Douglass High School]]. Besides basketball, Byrdsong played the saxophone in the band, sang with the chorus and appeared in school plays. After graduation in 1974, Byrdsong accepted a basketball scholarship to [[Pratt Community College]] in [[Pratt, Kansas]].<ref name="auto">{{Cite web|url=https://www.chicagotribune.com/news/ct-xpm-1999-07-04-9907040235-story.html|title=BYRDSONG TURNED LIFE LESSONS INTO A KINDER WAY OF LIVING|first=Neil Milbert, Tribune Staff|last=Writer|website=chicagotribune.com|date=4 July 1999 }}</ref>

Byrdsong then played his final two seasons of college basketball for [[Iowa State University]] in [[Ames, Iowa]] under Coach [[Lynn Nance]] from 1976–1978. He was named team captain, but played sparingly for the Cyclones averaging 0.9 points and 0.9 rebounds in his career. After graduating from Pratt, Byrdsong had been offered scholarships from many schools, before choosing Iowa State. He said, "Then I went there and I never played. I probably was the only non-playing captain in Iowa State history. Total all my minutes in two years and it might equal two games."<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.sports-reference.com/cbb/players/ricky-byrdsong-2.html|title=Ricky Byrdsong College Stats|website=College Basketball at Sports-Reference.com}}</ref><ref name="auto"/>

However, after he graduated from Iowa State, Coach Nance asked Brydsong to consider coaching and then asked him to stay with the Cyclones as a graduate assistant. He accepted the advice and began his coaching career in 1978.<ref name="auto"/>