Menu
In-Depth

Sooners tab nutritionist as their competitive advantage

Amid the increasing evolution of college football support staffs, SportsBusiness Journal sought out some of the unique people and positions that have been part of that growth.

A former gymnast, Tiffany Byrd now keeps track of what the Sooners eat and drink.
Photos: COURTESY OF UNIVERSITY OF OKLAHOMA

When Oklahoma’s football players enter the weight room for a 6 a.m. lift, Tiffany Byrd is there. When they step onto the practice field, Byrd is there. On game days home and road, Byrd is on the sidelines making sure the Sooners’ players are hydrated and nourished, whether it’s 90 degrees or snowing outside.

Byrd is not a football coach in the traditional sense, but she is in charge of what the athletes eat and drink. As Oklahoma’s director of sports nutrition, Byrd has as much — and often more — day-to-day contact with Oklahoma’s football players than any of the assistant coaches. A story on the official OU website even referred to her as the team’s competitive advantage.

“We’re viewed as part of the team, just like the medical team,” Byrd said. “Our coaches get it. All the coaches and athletes know who we are and what we do.”

In the three years since the NCAA lifted the cap on how often schools can feed their athletes, the role of team nutritionist and dietitian has expanded, as Byrd can attest by the hours she keeps and the staff she manages.

Under her supervision, Byrd has a team that includes one other full-time dietitian, a paid intern and 15 student aides, who prepare food and keep the shelves stocked in the football operations center with performance drinks and snacks.

Byrd, who was a collegiate gymnast, first at Alabama and later at Nebraska, also consults with the school’s caterer, Levy, on daily menus. Think feeding your family at Thanksgiving was a chore? Try 120 football players, multiple times per day.

“Think about feeding that many people who are from different backgrounds and cultures, so all of their palates are different, and you’ve got to come up with one meal everyone will eat,” Byrd said. “You’ve got food allergies, you’re cooking with large quantities, the food has to stay fresh. That’s a huge challenge.”

— Michael Smith


SBJ Morning Buzzcast: March 18, 2024

Sports Business Awards nominees unveiled; NWSL's historic opening weekend and takeaways from CFP deal

ESPN’s Jay Bilas, BTN’s Meghan McKeown, and a deep dive into AppleTV+’s The Dynasty

On this week’s Sports Media Podcast from the New York Post and Sports Business Journal, ESPN’s Jay Bilas talks all things NCAA. Big Ten Network’s Meghan McKeown shares her insight into the Caitlin Clark craze. The Boston Globe’s Chad Finn chats all things Bean Town. And SBJ’s Xavier Hunter drops in to share his findings on how the NWSL is making a social media push.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

SBJ I Factor: Nana-Yaw Asamoah

SBJ I Factor features an interview with AMB Sports and Entertainment Chief Commercial Office Nana-Yaw Asamoah. Asamoah, who moved over to AMBSE last year after 14 years at the NFL, talks with SBJ’s Ben Fischer about how his role model parents and older sisters pushed him to shrive, how the power of lifelong learning fuels successful people, and why AMBSE was an opportunity he could not pass up. Asamoah is 2021 SBJ Forty Under 40 honoree. SBJ I Factor is a monthly podcast offering interviews with sports executives who have been recipients of one of the magazine’s awards.

Shareable URL copied to clipboard!

https://www.sportsbusinessjournal.com/Journal/Issues/2017/12/04/In-Depth/OU-Byrd.aspx

Sorry, something went wrong with the copy but here is the link for you.

https://www.sportsbusinessjournal.com/Journal/Issues/2017/12/04/In-Depth/OU-Byrd.aspx

CLOSE