Dennis Byrd (1966–2016)

Dennis Byrd was born in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma on October 5, 1966. He played football for the University of Tulsa before the Jets drafted him in 1989. He was a defensive lineman. On November 29, 1992, he collided with a fellow teammate during a game, broke a bone in his spine, and was paralyzed mehr anzeigen from the waist down. He underwent an operation to stabilize his spine and after physical therapy was able to walk again. He wrote an autobiography entitled Rise and Walk: The Trial and Triumph of Dennis Byrd, which was adapted into a television movie in 1994. He became a motivational speaker. The Jets presented him with an award as the team's most inspirational player of 1992, and they have given the Dennis Byrd Award to the most inspirational Jet every year since. He died in a two-vehicle crash on October 15, 2016 at the age of 50. (Bowker Author Biography) weniger anzeigen