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Former NFL Player Dennis Byrd Killed in Car Accident – NBC Fresh York

Former NFL Player Dennis Byrd Killed in Car Accident

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Dennis Byrd, the former NFL defensive lineman whose career was ended by neck injury, was killed Saturday in a car accident. He was 51.

The Oklahoma Highway Patrol said Byrd was killed in a two-vehicle collision on Oklahoma eighty eight north of Claremore.

The Tulsa World very first reported Byrd’s death.

He starred at Mustang High School outside Oklahoma City and then at the University of Tulsa before playing for the Fresh York Jets.

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“We extend our genuine condolences to Dennis’ wifey, Angela, their children and the entire Byrd family,” said Dr. Derrick Gragg, Tulsa’s athletic director. “Dennis exemplified true determination, tremendous heart and humility across his life. He had a tremendous playing career at TU and professionally with the Fresh York Jets. He overcame fine individual adversity after a life-altering injury on the football field.

“We know that Dennis touched numerous lives and will be missed by many.”

The Oologah-Talala Emergency Medical Services said the crash happened about eleven a.m. inbetween Oologah and Claremore. It said a 17-year-old Claremore youth driving a two thousand Ford Explorer northbound on Oklahoma eighty eight veered into the oncoming lane, striking the two thousand four Hummer H2 that Byrd was driving.

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Byrd, who had returned to his home in Talala in latest years, was pronounced dead at the scene, and the 17-year-old driver and a 12-year-old passenger in Byrd’s vehicle were taken in critical condition to Saint Francis Hospital in Tulsa.

The 6-foot-5, 270-pound Byrd was a second-round draft pick of the Jets in one thousand nine hundred eighty nine and quickly became a fan beloved for his force on the field as much as his modest, soft-spoken treatment off it.

He was considered one of the NFL’s promising youthfull defensive completes during his very first three seasons, racking up twenty seven sacks – a mark that only two players in franchise history surpassed: Mark Gastineau with thirty three 1/Two from 1979-81 and John Abraham with twenty seven 1/Two from 2000-02.

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Byrd had one sack midway through his fourth season when his life was switched during a game on Nov. 29, 1992, against Kansas City.

He broke his neck after catapulting headfirst into the chest of teammate Scott Mersereau as Chiefs quarterback David Krieg stepped forward to avoid a sack. The influence broke the C-5 vertebra in Byrd’s neck, leaving him shortly paralyzed, albeit doctors were uncertain if Byrd would ever be able to walk again.

After a vigorous rehabilitation over the next several months, Byrd returned to the Meadowlands for the Jets’ opening game the following season and walked – gingerly but unaided – to midfield as an honorary captain.

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He never fully recovered from the injury, walking with some difficulty and going through continuous rehabilitation during the years since. But Byrd, a devout Christian, wrote a book in one thousand nine hundred ninety three called “Rise and Walk: The Trial and Triumph of Dennis Byrd,” which detailed how he relied on his faith and family to thrust through his injury to recover and serve an inspiration to others who went through similar situations.

Byrd’s story was later made into a made-for-TV movie, with actor-director Peter Berg playing him.

During the two thousand ten season, Byrd sent then-Jets coach Rex Ryan the No. Ninety jersey that had been ripped from his chest on the field after the collision as an inspirational bounty.

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As a guest of the team, Byrd delivered a moving speech to the Jets at their hotel the night before a 28-21 playoff victory over the Fresh England Patriots – during which the Jets had dangled Byrd’s jersey in their locker room.

Running back LaDainian Tomlinson and safety James Ihedigbo also carried out a green and white No. Ninety jersey to midfield for the coin throw before the game. Many Jets players credited Byrd’s speech for helping motivate them to the victory.

“Hearing about his story for the very first time indeed makes you understand how fortunate we are and how fragile your career is,” then-quarterback Mark Sanchez said at the time. “These moments you have on the plane, stringing up around in the locker room, having joy with guys, going to eat, playing on the field, it’s pretty special. It can end at any moment. That was just a good reminder for us of how fortunate we are.”

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No Jets player has worn No. Ninety since Byrd, and on Oct. 28, 2012, the team honored him at halftime of its game against Miami by making him the fifth player in franchise history to have his number retired.

Mersereau introduced Byrd to the crowd, telling the most touching moment of his life came when he visited Byrd in the hospital and his teammate – incapable to walk at that time – told him: “Angie and I have been worried about you.”

Flanked by wifey Angela and their four children, along with several of his former teammates, Byrd fought back tears while he was given a standing ovation by the fans at MetLife Stadium.

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“I learned to be a man in Oklahoma,” Byrd said, “and I grew to be a man in Fresh York.”

Every year, a Jets player is selected by his teammates to receive the Dennis Byrd Most Inspirational Player award.

“I indeed have loved coaching football and working with kids, talking about the lessons I’ve learned as an athlete and the journey as someone with a disability,” Byrd said in 2012. “Football has always been, for me, a cornerpost of strength and a way to accomplish things in life, whether it’s on the field or just in maintaining a quality of life. All those lessons – dedication, perseverance, teamwork – they all dovetail nicely into living a blessed life.”

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