Gill Byrd
Gill Arnette Byrd (born February 20, 1961) is a former professional American football player. He was a two-time Pro Bowl cornerback in 1991 and 1992 for the San Diego Chargers (now the Los Angeles Chargers) after graduating from San Jose State University. Byrd was inducted into the Chargers Hall of Fame in 1998. He was an All-City running back and defensive back at Lowell High School (San Francisco), helping to lead the Cardinals to the city championship in his senior season of 1978.
| Illinois Fighting Illini | |||||||||
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| Position: | Defensive backs coach | ||||||||
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| Born: | February 20, 1961 San Francisco, California | ||||||||
| Height: | 5 ft 11 in (1.80 m) | ||||||||
| Weight: | 196 lb (89 kg) | ||||||||
| Career information | |||||||||
| High school: | San Francisco (CA) Lowell | ||||||||
| College: | San Jose State | ||||||||
| NFL Draft: | 1983 / Round: 1 / Pick: 22 | ||||||||
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Coaching career
Byrd began his coaching career in 2003 as a volunteer with the St. Louis Rams. He was promoted to assistant secondary coach in 2005. On February 20, 2006, Byrd was hired by the Chicago Bears. In 2007, he served as the assistant defensive backs coach after holding the position of defensive quality control coach in his first year with the team. Byrd was promoted to assistant defensive backs/safeties coach on January 16, 2008. Byrd was fired on January 19, 2013.[2] He became the Tampa Bay Buccaneers cornerbacks coach in 2014. He was fired following the 2015 NFL season. On February 7, 2017, the Buffalo Bills hired Byrd to oversee the team's defensive backs.[3] He left the job in January and he is currently coaching defensive backs at the University of Illinois.[4]
Personal life
His sons, Gill Byrd, Jr. and Jairus Byrd, played college football at New Mexico State University and the University of Oregon, respectively. Jairus was selected by the Buffalo Bills with the 42nd pick in the 2009 NFL Draft as a cornerback, but was moved to the free safety position, at which he made the Pro Bowl in 2009, 2012, and 2013.
References
- https://247sports.com/college/illinois/Article/Sources-Longtime-NFL-assistant-Gill-Byrd-to-join-Illinois-football-coaching-staff-as-a-cornerbacks-coach-115424642
- "Hoke, Phair To Return To Bears Coaching Staff". WBBM-TV. 2012-01-19. Retrieved 2012-01-19.
- http://pro32.ap.org/article/buffalo-bills-hire-gill-byrd-coach-defensive-backs
- "GILL BYRD JOINS LOVIE SMITH'S ILLINOIS STAFF". fightingillini.com. February 23, 2018. Retrieved March 10, 2018.