Peter Byrne

HTML <h2><strong>No 32 PETER BYRNE</strong></h2>

HTML <h2><strong>6 feet 4 inch (193cm) Forward</strong></h2>

HTML <h2><strong>1968, 1972 Olympic Games</strong></h2>

HTML <p>At the age of eleven the young boy was playing Aussie Rules football in his first year at high school. After his first game had finished the Year 9 boys played and they didn’t have an umpire for their game. Being the tallest junior present, and despite never having umpired AFL before, the youngster was given a whistle and told to umpire the Year 9 game while the teacher watched from the comfort of his car. As the game progressed, players tempers frayed and finally erupted. The eleven year old was beaten up by some of the Year 9 boys because they didn’t agree with some of the umpiring decisions he made. This experience resulted in the youngster switching sports and taking up basketball. It was a life changing moment for him as basketball became the reason for him to get up in the morning to get to school early to shoot baskets before class. And it commenced a wonderful basketball career.</p>

HTML <p>Peter Lawrence Byrne was born January 29th 1948 in Melbourne, Victoria.</p>

HTML <p>He commenced playing basketball when he was aged eleven at Box Hill High School in Melbourne. At that stage in 1959 the games were played on an outside court and netball was still called “basketball”.</p>

HTML <p>Peter’s family garage man Paul Wiltshire organized for Peter to play Church of England Under13’s basketball on Saturdays. From this beginning he was selected in the Church of England representative side and was coached by the legendary Ken Watson. “Ken Watson had a very strong influence on my development,”says Peter.</p>

HTML <p>Peter went on to play in the Under 18 Church Team and was coached by another Olympian Lindsay Gaze. “Another great influence,” says Peter. He was also coached by another Church Club and Australian great Bill Wyatt. It was certainly a great opportunity for him, and for any youngster learning the sport to be coached by three greats of the game.</p>

HTML <p>Peter’s State representative career began when he played for Victoria on the Under 16(twice) and the Under 18 (twice) teams. He captained Victoria to their first Under 18 Australian title in 1965, a feat which triggered a succession of nine straight Under 18 National Titles for Victoria.</p>

HTML <p>At the age of sixteen he was picked in the Victorian State Senior team but was injured and unable to play.</p>

HTML <p>The Church Club contained many Australian representative and Olympic players and their successes provided Peter with the experience and motivation. “I made a vow to be selected for the next Australian Olympicbasketball team in 1968,” he recalls.</p>

HTML <p>Peter was primarily a rebounder and strong defender however he was very skilled in the fundamentals of the game and was an excellent all-court player. In the future hebecame an excellent “role player” in teams with great scorers such as Eddie Palubinskas and Bill Wyatt.</p>

HTML <p>After the 1968 Australian Men’s Championships in Sydney, Peter was chosen to represent Australia at the 1968 Mexico City Olympics when he was twenty years of age. </p>

HTML <p>He describes the preparation for Mexico as “very basic” and they did not have the international games or amount of training needed to ensure success.</p>

HTML <p>Peter recalls, “We had to travel to Monterrey by train as there was no money to fly. We were told the trip should take about eight hours if the train was not held up by robbers!”</p>

HTML <p>The Olympic Qualification Tournament was held in Monterrey, Mexico. The Australian Team did not win any games and Peter says, “We were left thinking what might have been.” As a result the team did not play in the Olympic Finals in Mexico City and their Olympic dream was over. Peter does recall however, “One night in Mexico City Ken Watson, Lindsay Gaze, me and a few others dressed up one of the statues that was around the Village in a jock strap and basketball singlet.”</p>

HTML <p>After the 1968 Mexico City Olympics Peter continued his career with the Melbourne Church Club winning South Eastern Conference (SEC) and Victorian State titles and with Victoria who were National Champions on many occasions and with Australia during the period between Olympic Games.</p>

HTML <p>After the Australian Championships in 1972 Peter was selected on the Australian Basketball Team for the 1972 Munich Olympic Games.</p>

HTML <p>The Australian Basketball Team travelled to Munich with great hopes and a determination to right the wrongs of the 1968 Olympics. The Munich Olympics however got off to the worst of starts with the so called “Munich Massacre” of Israeli athletes by Palestinian terrorists.</p>

HTML <p>“In Munich the whole Olympics were overshadowed by the terrorist attack on the Israeli team,” reflects Peter.</p>

HTML <p>Peter achieved a personal goal in Munich when he was chosen as a starter for the team. He did have to battle with a calf injury for much of the tournament. He also recalls and incident with the giant Italian Dino Meneghin. “At 6 feet 10 inches and at least 130kg he was one of the biggest men I had ever seen and at one stage he was running down the court telling me that he was going to kill me if I did that again.”</p>

HTML <p>In Peter’s opinion, but for a couple of close losses the Australians could have made the top eight, but their 9th position was the equal best result to that date by an Australian men’s team in Olympic competition.</p>

HTML <p>A special memory for him at the Games was being present when the USA lost the Gold medal to game to Russia in the last controversial seconds. That was a game that was to go down in history as the most controversial game in Olympic basketball competition.</p>

HTML <p>After the Munich Olympics Peter stayed on in Germany and for many years played professionally for Bayern Munich and Cologne. He coached both men and women’s teams in the German National League (Bundesliga) and coached the German Junior National Women’s team in the European Championships. He also served as Vice President of the German Coaches Association for seven years, ran coaching accreditation courses and hosted a weekly radio basketball show.</p>

HTML <p>In Germany he developed his career in computing before returning to Australia. He established his own consulting company and lives in Melbourne.</p>

HTML <p>The eleven year old who was “beaten up” by the Year 9 Aussie Rules boys at his school became a national basketball championship winning team player, dual basketball Olympian, coach and administrator. Australian Rules loss was basketball’s gain!</p>

HTML <p>Peter Byrne in his Olympic blazer arriving in Mexico City for the 1968 Olympic Games(Courtesy P. Byrne)</p>

HTML <p>Peter Byrne clowning around at the 1968 Olympic Games Village (P. Byrne)</p>

HTML <p>Peter Byrne (in white and with the long hair) rebounding for ASV Cologne against Jordon, in Jordonin 1974 (P. Byrne)</p>