Keith Byars

Infobox NFLretired

---

caption=Byars in Tikrit, Iraq, signing autographs during a
February 2006 troop visit.
position=Running Back
number=42, 41
birthdate=birth date and age|1963|10|14
Dayton, Ohio
debutyear=1986
finalyear=1998
draftyear=1986
draftround=1
draftpick=10
college=Ohio State
teams=
* Philadelphia Eagles (1986-1992)
* Miami Dolphins (1993-1996)
* New England Patriots (1996-1997)
* New York Jets (1998)
stat1label=Receptions
stat1value=610
stat2label=Receiving Yards
stat2value=5,661
stat3label=Total Touchdowns
stat3value=54
nfl=BYA276861
highlights=
* 1x Pro Bowl selection (1993)
HOF=

Keith Alan Byars (born October 14, 1963 in Dayton, Ohio) is a sports broadcaster and former American football player.

College career

Byars was a tailback with the Ohio State Buckeyes from 1982 to 1985.

In 1984, he was runner-up for the Heisman Trophy (to Doug Flutie) after a season where he gained an OSU record 2,441 all-purpose yards, including a then-school record 1,764 rushing yards and 22 touchdowns. He was a unanimous first-team All-America selection, and voted the Big Ten Conference Most Valuable Player.

1984 featured a game against Illinois in which Byars led a comeback from a 24-0 deficit, rushing for 274 yards and five touchdowns, the last with 36 seconds remaining in the game. On his fourth touchdown run, going for 67 yards, he famously lost his left shoe at the Illini 40 but never broke stride.

Byars was a preseason favorite for the 1985 Heisman, but fractured the bone in his right foot near the little toe in preseason practice. He missed the first five games of the 1985 season, and returned too early. He reinjured the broken bone in his second game back and missed the remainder of the regular season. He attempted to return for the Citrus Bowl game on December 28, but reinjured his foot again in the second Ohio State offensive series of the game. Many observers note that throughout the remainder of his football career Byars was never as dominant a player as he had been in 1984.

Despite losing almost his entire senior year, Byars finished his college career at Ohio State with 4,369 total yards, 3,200 rushing yards, and 50 touchdowns. His 50 touchdowns remain the second most in school history.

NFL career

As a professional, he played fullback and tight end for the Philadelphia Eagles (1986-1992), Miami Dolphins (1993-1996), New England Patriots (1996-1997), and the New York Jets (1998). Byars was selected to the Pro Bowl in 1993.

A superb rusher, blocker, and pass receiver, Byars was a vital contributor for every team he played on. In 1988 he rushed for 517 yards, recorded 71 receptions (ranking him 9th in the NFL), and scored 10 touchdowns. In the Eagles 20-12 loss to the Chicago Bears in the postseason, he rushed for 34 yards and caught 9 passes for 103 yards. In 1990, he recorded 81 receptions for 819 yards, the third most receptions in the NFL, rushed for 141 yards, and even completed 4 of 4 passes for 53 yards and 4 touchdowns. In the 1996 season, Byars made his first and only championship appearance, playing with the Patriots in Super Bowl XXXI. His team lost the game 35-21, but the 33-year old Byars had a good performance in it, catching 4 passes for 42 yards and a touchdown.

In his 13 seasons, Byars rushed for 3,109 yards, caught 610 passes for 5,661 yards, returned 5 kickoffs for 94 yards, and completed 6 of 13 passes for 119 yards and 6 touchdowns, with 1 interception. He also scored 54 touchdowns (23 rushing and 31 receiving)

After Retirement

He is currently a television analyst for "New York Football Weekly" and "This Week in Football" on the YES Network.

He also coaches for the Boca Raton Highschool JV football team. in Boca Raton FL

External links

* [http://www.yesnetwork.com/announcers/bio2.asp?talent_id=24 Biography] from the YES Network website
* [http://www.philadelphiaeagles.com/news/whereAreTheyNowDetail.jsp?id=16550 Where Are They Now: RB Keith Byars] , an October 2004 article from the Philadelphia Eagles website
* [http://ohiostatebuckeyes.collegesports.com/sports/m-footbl/archive/greats/osu-m-footbl-byars.html College football career summary] from the Ohio State University website