Northeastern University Athletics

John R. Byrne, who has since passed away, was inducted into the Hall of Fame for his achievements in the sport of ice hockey.

A graduate of the Class of 1939, Byrne played varsity hockey from 1936-1939 and captained the team in his senior year. He was selected unanimously to the coaches All Star Team both for the 1937-38 and 1938-39 seasons. He was selected All New England both of those years and was chosen by the New England Hockey Writers as the area's most outstanding college hockey player in 1938-39. Byrne was also named on All Star teams of the Boston Traveler, Boston Herald, Boston Globe and Boston Transcript after his junior and senior years. Highlighting his stellar career, Byrne scored 14 goals in one week, four goals against Brown in a 5-4 loss, five goals against Middlebury in a 5-5 tie, and five goals against Boston College in a 9-7 win. During the 1937-38 season, he averaged 2.3 goals per game. In his junior campaign, Byrne finished 10th in New England in scoring as a defenseman and second his senior year as a left wing. In addition to his on ice exploits, Byrne earned a varsity 'N' as a member of the 1937 baseball team.

Byrne was selected for the final tryouts for the 1940 Olympic games which were to be played in Japan, but were canceled because of World War II.