Israel Byrd

Israel Fabian Byrd (born February 1, 1971 in St. Louis, Missouri) is an American athlete who played cornerback in the NFL, NFL Europe, and AFL leagues and is currently coaching football at the collegiate level.

In the NFL, he played for the New Orleans Saints (1993-1996) and Tennessee Titans (1999) and was allocated to the Scottish Claymores (1995 and 1997) and Berlin Thunder (1999) in the NFL Europe league. Upon recovering from injuries, he continued to play American football as a defensive specialist in the AFL league with the Tampa Bay Storm (2000) and the Detroit Fury (2001). After retiring from professional football, Byrd decided to complete his Bachelor’s degree in Business and Interdisciplinary Studies at Utah State University and later developed and implemented business ventures.

During his college career, he excelled in football and track and field at Utah State University in Logan, Utah and Allan Hancock College in Santa Monica, California.

Biography

Under the influence of his grandfather, Yusuf Ledbetter, and uncle, Weldon Ledbetter, who played for the Oklahoma Sooners (1979-1981), the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, and the USFL for the New Jersey Generals, Byrd would master his athletic abilities to achieve numerous awards, honors, and achievements as a youth. His grandfather was well known in St. Louis as a co-founder of the first St. Louis junior league football team, the Colts. Throughout the 1960’s, Yusuf coached the Colts to win league championships. As a result, Israel and his younger brother Isaac Byrd II, a top wide receiver in the NFL, grew up competing and challenging other athletes, further enhancing their athletic abilities. As they grew older, Israel, the oldest, took the initiative to organize the best players in their community to play football games against other leagues. This pass time would become legendary in St. Louis and set the pace for their development as the leading athletes in several sports from the St. Louis area.

High School Years

As a result of his hard work, Byrd gained the opportunity to attend one of the top high schools in the St. Louis area, Parkway Central High School. Parkway Central’s leading football program, under coaches Bob Trowbridge and Dennis Hugo, and state of the art athletic facilities gave him the tools he needed to lay the foundation for his future. He would develop into a record-breaking athlete in football as a defensive back, in track and field 100m, 200m, 400m, and Relay races, and in basketball as a shooting guard. In all of these sports he earned team, conference, and state-wide honors with the opportunity to attend college as a student athlete.

College Years

In 1989, his football dreams took form when he attended Allan Hancock Junior College and excelled in football as a defensive back in addition to track and field. He accomplished All CVC Conference records and lettered in two sports while earning his associates degree. After playing 2 seasons at Allan Hancock Junior College, he was highly sought after by several NCAA Division 1-A college football coaches.

In 1991, he chose to transfer to Utah State University and became the Division 1 football team captain. His athletic prowess made him one of the leading defensive backs in the Big West Conference with All Big West Conference honors in football and track and field as well as lettering in the two sports. In 1993, Byrd put off graduation from Utah State University to sign a contract with the NFL.

Professional Football Career

Byrd developed as a defensive back and strategist with the New Orleans Saints, under the guidance of Coaches Jim Mora, Jim Haslett, and Jim Mora, Jr. from 1993 to 1996. Unfortunately, an injury kept him off of the field in 1996 and he was placed on injured reserve. After intense therapy, he was allocated to play for NFL Europe in 1995 and 1997 for the Scottish Claymores and for the Berlin Thunder in 1999. In 1999, the Tennessee Titans signed Byrd to another NFL contract and allocated him to the Berlin Thunder. He returned to the United States from NFL Europe as a member of the Tennessee Titans roster, where he joined his brother – Wide Receiver Isaac Byrd, who would rise to become a starting wide receiver for the Titans and accomplish a goal that many professional football players never reach -- playing against their hometown, the St. Louis Rams, in Super Bowl XXXIV in Atlanta,GA.

Another serious injury in 1999 placed Byrd on injured reserve and forced him to weigh his health alongside his NFL dreams. This, however, did not deter him from developing other skills on the football field because he would continue to play football in the AFL with the Tampa Bay Storm in 2000 and the Detroit Fury in 2001.

Coaching career

Upon retirement from professional football, Byrd’s love for the game proved to be unending as he found a new passion and his true calling – coaching football. He coached defense briefly at his high school, Parkway Central High School, and two of his cornerbacks and a safety earned All Conference/All State honors along with football scholarships to Division 1-A football programs. He also coached defensive backs at Cisco Jr. College in Cisco, Texas, while helping develop the program’s defensive backfield and recruiting and evaluating talent.

In his current position as Assistant Secondary Coach at Washington University in St. Louis, he helped the Bears achieve a 7-3 overall record in 2007, overcoming a hurdle of five straight-seasons with a 6-4 mark. His defensive strategies led the UAA in pass efficiency defense (44th in nation) and scoring defense. Byrd’s defensive secondary finished 6th in the nation with 19 interceptions and 24th in the nation in turnover margin. Under his tutelage, cornerback Brandon Brown (first team), Safety Tim Machan (first team), Safety Tommy Bowden (second team), and cornerback Evan Mayer (honorable mention) all earned All UAA honors. Brown finished 1st in the conference in passes defended (11) and second in interceptions (4). Machan led the UAA and was (2nd) in Division 3 football with (7 interceptions). Machan also brought back (7) interceptions for 171 yards, shattering the WU single-season record of 132 yards. Machan was also named (second-team) All South Region in Division 3 football. Overall, the Bears ranked 2nd in their conference in total defense.

Byrd has also participated in youth football camps. In the summer of 2007, he was a guest coach at the University of Colorado and worked closely with Defensive Coordinator Ron Collins and Defensive Secondary Coach Gregg Brown to develop and motivate youth athletes. His team of youth athletes won the high school 7 on 7 competition championship title and he received coaching honors from the University of Colorado Football Program. After the accomplishments of his defensive secondary, he was asked to speak on Man-to-Man Teaching Progression and Pattern Reading at the Nike Coach of the Year Clinic in St. Louis, Missouri.

Currently, Israel is rising within the NCAA football coaching ranks and continues to pursue his dream of coaching in the NFL.

References

*Brown, Rick, “Storm Defeat Kats, 40-30”, The Ledger, June 18, 2000.

*Eisenbath, Mike, “No Fantasy; Hard Work Making Dreams Come True for Isaac Byrd”, St. Louis Post-Dispatch, November 26, 1992.

*Israel Byrd Player Profile. ArmchairGM, Accessed at www.armchairgm.com/Israel_Byrd

*Israel Byrd Player News. ArenaFan Online, Accessed at www.arenafan.com/players/?page=players&player=2508

*Kuharsky, Paul, “Five Titans to NFL Europe”, The Tennessean, February 23, 1999.

*“Transactions”, The New York Times, May 9, 1993.

*“Transactions”, The New York Times, August 20, 1996.

*Nike Coach of the Year Football Clinic, St. Louis, Missouri, Accessed at www.nikecoyfootball.com/c-76-.aspx-90k.

*Thomas, Jim, “A Cut Above; 3 Area Players Who Weren’t Drafted Score Breakthrough, Make NFL Rosters”, St. Louis Post-Dispatch, August 29, 1994.

*Thomas, Jim, “Payton Hearing Footsteps, But They’re a Long Way Off”, St. Louis Post-Dispatch, August 1, 1993.