Former New York Jets pass rusher Dennis Byrd tragically passes away in a two-car accident in Oklahoma on Saturday night.
If you’re a diehard fan of the New York Jets, you certainly know who Dennis Byrd is. This would be the case even if you weren’t around in the early 1990s.Byrd, who’s most famous for walking again after one singular play that saw him become paralyzed, tragically died on Saturday night in a two-car accident in Oklahoma.
According to Mike Averill of Tulsa World, a 17-year-old driver veered over into the other lane into oncoming traffic and struck Byrd’s vehicle. The accident claimed Byrd’s life and sent two others to the hospital.
During a game against the Kansas City Chiefs on Nov. 29, 1992, Byrd collided with teammate Scot Mersereau. It paralyzed Byrd by fracturing his vertebra. However, Byrd made medical history by learning to walk again, despite the bleak doctor’s diagnosis.
Byrd’s No. 90 was retired by the Jets in 2012. He was 50 years old.
