Summary
Dennis Wayne Byrd (August 31, 1946 – July 22, 2010) was an American football defensive end who played in the American Football League (AFL) one season for the Boston Patriots. He played college football for the NC State Wolfpack, where he was named first-team All-ACC in each of his three years of varsity competition and was a consensus All-American as a senior in 1967. He is regarded as one of the most dominant defensive tackles in the Atlantic Coast Conference history.
| No. 78 | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Position: | Defensive end | ||
| Personal information | |||
| Born: | August 31, 1946 Pleasant Garden, North Carolina, U.S. | ||
| Died: | July 22, 2010 (aged 63) Charlotte, North Carolina, U.S. | ||
| Height: | 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) | ||
| Weight: | 260 lb (118 kg) | ||
| Career information | |||
| High school: | Lincolnton (Lincolnton, North Carolina) | ||
| College: | NC State (1964–1967) | ||
| NFL draft: | 1968 / Round: 1 / Pick: 6 | ||
| Career history | |||
| Career highlights and awards | |||
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| Career AFL statistics | |||
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| Player stats at NFL.com · PFR | |||
College Football Hall of Fame | |||
College career edit
Byrd made several first-team All-American lists as a junior in 1966 and was a consensus All-American in 1967 as a senior. He was the first player from NC State to receive that honor and was the first three-time All-ACC player in conference history.
Professional career edit
Byrd was drafted sixth overall in the first round of the 1968 NFL/AFL draft by the Boston Patriots. Byrd started all 14 games for the 1968 Patriots team, but he was never able to fully recover from a knee injury he suffered in his senior year at NC State and only played one year in the NFL.[1]
Coaching career edit
After leaving the NFL, Byrd became the high school football coach at West Lincoln High School in Lincolnton, North Carolina, and later was an assistant high school football coach at Northeastern High School in Elizabeth City, North Carolina. He retired from teaching and coaching in 2004.[citation needed]
Honors edit
In 2001, Byrd became the first defensive player at NC State to have his jersey number (77) retired. He was selected to the ACC 50th Anniversary Football Team in 2003. Byrd was inducted into the North Carolina Sports Hall of Fame in 2007 and was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 2010. In 2014, he was inducted into the NC State Athletic Hall of Fame.
References edit
- ^ Dennis Byrd Stats. Pro-Football-Reference. Retrieved October 3, 2021.