DENNIS Byrd FOOTBALL CAREER BEGAN AS A SENIOR AT MUSTANG HIGH SCHOOL IN MUSTANG, OK. WHERE HE WAS NAMED ALL-STATE DEFENSIVE END. HE LATER ENROLLED AT TULSA TO PLAY COLLEGE FOOTBALL, THERE HE STARTED ALL FOUR SEASONS FOR THE GOLDEN HURRICANE PUTTING UP 321 TACKLES AND 20 QUARTERBACK SACKS. AFTER HIS SENIOR YEAR AT TULSA, BYRD EARNED A ALL-AMERICAN MENTION BY THE COLLEGE FOOTBALL NEWS REGISTERING 108 TACKLES, 11 SACKS, AND 35 QB HURRIES

IN 1989 DRAFT THE NEW YORK JETS SELECTED BYRD WITH THE 42 PICK SECOND ROUND TO SUCCEED MARK GASTINEAU. IN 1990 BYRD SWITCHED TO DEFENSIVE TACKLE WHERE HIS WAS ABLE TO PRODUCE GETTING 7 SACKS AND WAS SWITCHED BACK TO DEFENSIVE END 1992 BUT MISSED A MOUTH DUE TO A SHOULDERINJURY. THE 1992 SEASON WOULD CHANGE HIS LIFE, AFTER RETURNING FROM THE INJURY BYRD RUSHED TO ATTEMPT A SACK ON KANSAS CITY CHIEFS QB DAVE KRIEG. KRIEG AVOIDED THE SACK ATTEMPT AND BYRD COLLIDED WITH HIS TEAMMATE WHICH LEFT HIM PARALYZED AND CAN NEVER PLAY FOOTBALL AGAIN BUT BYRD NEVER GAVE UP THE FACT THAT HE WILL WALK AGAIN. AND BYRD DID JUST THAT, IN 1993 ONE YEAR LATER AT THE MEADOWLANDS BYRD WALKED OUT ON THE FIELD AND WAS PRESENTED THE INSPIRATIONAL PLAYER AWARD NOW CALLED THE DENNIS BYRD AWARD BY JETS PRESIDENT STEVE GUTMAN. IN 2012 THE JETS RETIRED HIS NO. 90 JERSEY IN HONOR OF HIM HE PLAYED 4 SEASONS WITH THE JETS (1989-1992) DURING HIS NFL CAREER HE HAD 28 SACKS AND 1 SAFETY. BYRD HAS SPENT ALOT OF HIS TIME TRAVELING ACROSS THE COUNTRY TELLING HIS STORY AND BECAME A DEFENSIVE LINE COACH AT OWASSO HIGH SCHOOL IN OKLAHOMA THEN RETURNED TO TUSLA WHERE HE DID THE SAME FOR LINCOLN CHRISTIAN HIGH WHERE THEY NAME THE STADIUM AFTER HIM.

ON THE MORNING OF OCTOBER 15, 2016 DENNIS BYRD WAS KILLED IN A TWO CAR ACCIDENT ON OKLAHOMA STATE 88 THERE A DRIVER VEERED HIS VEHICLE IN BYRD'S LANE COLLIDING HEAD ON, DENNIS BYRD WAS PRONOUNCED DEAD AT THE SCENE, HE WAS 50 YEARS YOUNG. DENNIS BYRD WAS THIRD CHILD OF FIVE TO PARENTS DAN AND NANCY BYRD, HE LEAVES BEHIND HIS WIFE ANGELA BYRD AND FOUR CHILDREN.