Nathaniel Byrd, lawyer and basketball star whose high school team was featured in documentary, dies at 76

Growing up, Nathaniel "Nate" Byrd excelled in athletics. A terrific swimmer, he became a lifeguard as a teenager and found success on the baseball diamond as well.

But his passion was basketball. A point guard on the John Marshall High School basketball team, Mr. Byrd led the team to their Evanston SuperSectional finals win against New Trier High School in 1965.

"He was like the conductor of the team," teammate Richard Bradshaw said. "He was quite instrumental in the success that we had in '65."

That game, and an identical matchup the next year, was featured in the documentary "GameChangers." The film brought players together 50 years later to remember those two games between the all-white New Trier teams and the all-Black John Marshall teams.

"The culture that we lived in is somewhat similar to, if not almost identical to, the times that we're living in now. There was a lot of racial and cultural tension going on ... in the mid-'60s, as it is today," Bradshaw said. "It's almost like the more things change, the more they stay the same."

Mr. Byrd, a Chicago attorney, died Jan. 2 from heart failure. He was 76.

Bradshaw was Mr. Byrd's high school teammate and lifelong friend. The two grew up a few houses away from each other, bonding over their love of basketball and becoming "best friends" in high school. They reconnected in the early 1970s when Bradshaw returned to Chicago after serving in the Army and stayed in touch for the rest of Mr. Byrd's life.

"Nate was a born leader. He had a mind of his own. He was very compelling in his thoughts and in his demeanor," Bradshaw said.

While Mr. Byrd was proud of his basketball abilities, these came secondary to his connection to the church, Bradshaw said. He said Mr. Byrd's faith brought him comfort in the last days.

"He had made his peace with God, so he was not concerned about the future, after his passing, and that really made me feel good to know that," Bradshaw said.

Mr. Byrd was the fifth of 11 children. Harriette Dawson, the seventh-oldest, said the Byrd family went to church every Sunday.

“You go to church on Sunday, but what you really want to do is be about that life through the week. That’s the real character of a person,” said Dawson, 71. “Nate really tried to exemplify that. That was what we learned from my parents.”

Mr. Byrd was born in Demopolis, Alabama, in 1947. His parents moved the family to Chicago six years later, settling on the West Side.

“He was a true big brother, supporting me no matter what I was doing," said Sharon Gates, the second-youngest sibling.

Mr. Byrd completed an undergraduate degree at Lincoln University, then earned a law degree at the University of North Carolina. Gates said their father had dreamed of becoming a lawyer, so it meant a lot to see his son realize that dream.

“It gives us joy because my dad marched with Martin Luther King,” Gates said. “He fought for civil rights, and to impart that on my brother, who also fought for the rights of others as a defense attorney, was very symbolic for me.”

Mr. Byrd brought the same prowess he displayed on the court to his work as an attorney. Over 40 years practicing family law, real estate law and some criminal defense, he helped members of his community navigate the legal process.

His career spoke to a broader interest in promoting social justice, Dawson said. He always tried to do as much good as he could — from serving as a legal advocate for wards of the state early in his career to helping people expunge charges from their records to teaching Sunday school classes.

“I love the fact that he really tried to treat people fairly,” Dawson said. “We agreed on the same kind of thing, the importance of being concerned about those in our community.”

Mr. Byrd kept up his love for sports past high school. He went on to play on Lincoln University’s team as an undergraduate, including on the 1966-67 squad, which still holds the school record for regular season and total wins.

Mr. Byrd lived on the South Side near his church for much of his later life. He returned to the West Side a few years ago to be closer to his daughter, who became his caretaker.

“What I'm going to miss most is his laugh. He lights up a room when he walks in because this spirit is larger than the room,” Gates said. “You hear it in his voice. You see it in his eyes and his smile — you know you are loved.”

Mr. Byrd, who never married, is survived by his two daughters and seven siblings. Services have been held.