Byron Braggs
Encyclopedia
Byron Charles Braggs is a former American football
defensive end
in the National Football League
who played for the Green Bay Packers
(1981–1983) and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers
(1984).
to win the "Jimmy Hitchcock
Award", named in honor of Auburn University
's All-American football player, who also was a native of Montgomery.
at the University of Alabama
in Tuscaloosa, Alabama
for the legendary coach
Paul "Bear" Bryant from 1977 to 1980. While playing for the Crimson Tide
, Braggs was twice named All-Southeastern Conference
(1979 and 1980), and All-American (1979 and 1980). Braggs played on Alabama's 1978 and 1979
National Championship teams. He had two quarterback sack
s in the 1979 Sugar Bowl
win over Penn State
.
as a defensive lineman. The head coach of the Packers' was NFL Hall of Famer
Bart Starr
. Starr attended and played football at Sidney Lanier High School in Montgomery, Alabama .
area and serves as a volunteer fire fighter.
American football
American football is a sport played between two teams of eleven with the objective of scoring points by advancing the ball into the opposing team's end zone. Known in the United States simply as football, it may also be referred to informally as gridiron football. The ball can be advanced by...
defensive end
Defensive end
Defensive end is the name of a defensive position in the sport of American and Canadian football.This position has designated the players at each end of the defensive line, but changes in formations have substantially changed how the position is played over the years...
in the National Football League
National Football League
The National Football League is the highest level of professional American football in the United States, and is considered the top professional American football league in the world. It was formed by eleven teams in 1920 as the American Professional Football Association, with the league changing...
who played for the Green Bay Packers
Green Bay Packers
The Green Bay Packers are an American football team based in Green Bay, Wisconsin. They are members of the North Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League . The Packers are the current NFL champions...
(1981–1983) and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are a professional American football franchise based in Tampa, Florida, U.S. They are currently members of the Southern Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League – they are the only team in the division not to come from the old NFC West...
(1984).
Early years
Braggs grew up in Montgomery, Alabama in the south-central part of the state. He attended and played football at George Washington Carver High School in Montgomery, Alabama graduating in 1977. Braggs was the first African AmericanAfrican American
African Americans are citizens or residents of the United States who have at least partial ancestry from any of the native populations of Sub-Saharan Africa and are the direct descendants of enslaved Africans within the boundaries of the present United States...
to win the "Jimmy Hitchcock
Jimmy Hitchcock
James Franklin Hitchcock Jr. was an American football player and Major League baseball player in the Depression Era...
Award", named in honor of Auburn University
Auburn University
Auburn University is a public university located in Auburn, Alabama, United States. With more than 25,000 students and 1,200 faculty members, it is one of the largest universities in the state. Auburn was chartered on February 7, 1856, as the East Alabama Male College, a private liberal arts...
's All-American football player, who also was a native of Montgomery.
College career
He played college footballCollege football
College football refers to American football played by teams of student athletes fielded by American universities, colleges, and military academies, or Canadian football played by teams of student athletes fielded by Canadian universities...
at the University of Alabama
University of Alabama
The University of Alabama is a public coeducational university located in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, United States....
in Tuscaloosa, Alabama
Tuscaloosa, Alabama
Tuscaloosa is a city in and the seat of Tuscaloosa County in west central Alabama . Located on the Black Warrior River, it is the fifth-largest city in Alabama, with a population of 90,468 in 2010...
for the legendary coach
Coach (sport)
In sports, a coach is an individual involved in the direction, instruction and training of the operations of a sports team or of individual sportspeople.-Staff:...
Paul "Bear" Bryant from 1977 to 1980. While playing for the Crimson Tide
Alabama Crimson Tide football
|TeamName = Alabama football |Image = Alabama Crimson Tide Logo.svg |ImageSize = 110 |Helmet = Alabama Football.png |ImageSize2 = 150 |CurrentSeason = 2011 Alabama Crimson Tide football team...
, Braggs was twice named All-Southeastern Conference
Southeastern Conference
The Southeastern Conference is an American college athletic conference that operates in the southeastern part of the United States. It is headquartered in Birmingham, Alabama...
(1979 and 1980), and All-American (1979 and 1980). Braggs played on Alabama's 1978 and 1979
1979 Alabama Crimson Tide football team
In 1979 the Alabama Crimson Tide capped off a decade of remarkable success with the seventh perfect season in program history, after 1925, 1930, 1934, 1945, 1961, and 1966 . The Tide defense recorded five shutouts and allowed only two teams to score in double digits...
National Championship teams. He had two quarterback sack
Quarterback sack
In American football and Canadian football, a sack occurs when the quarterback is tackled behind the line of scrimmage before he can throw a forward pass, or when the quarterback is tackled behind the line of scrimmage in the "pocket" and the intent of what he was going to do is unclear...
s in the 1979 Sugar Bowl
1979 Sugar Bowl
The 1979 Sugar Bowl was the 45th edition of the Sugar Bowl, which was played on January 1, 1979 in New Orleans, Louisiana at the Louisiana Superdome. The matchup featured the #1–ranked, 11–0 Penn State Nittany Lions and the #2–ranked, 10–1 Alabama Crimson Tide...
win over Penn State
Penn State Nittany Lions football
The Penn State Nittany Lions football team represents the Pennsylvania State University in the National Collegiate Athletic Association Division I Football Bowl Subdivision as a member of the Big Ten Conference. It is one of the most tradition-rich and storied college football programs in the...
.
Professional career
Braggs entered the NFL as a fifth-round draft choice of the Green Bay Packers in the 1981 NFL Draft1981 NFL Draft
The 1981 NFL Draft was the procedure by which National Football League teams selected amateur college football players. It is officially known as the NFL Annual Player Selection Meeting. The draft was held April 28–29, 1981...
as a defensive lineman. The head coach of the Packers' was NFL Hall of Famer
Pro Football Hall of Fame
The Pro Football Hall of Fame is the hall of fame of professional football in the United States with an emphasis on the National Football League . It opened in Canton, Ohio, on September 7, 1963, with 17 charter inductees...
Bart Starr
Bart Starr
Bryan Bartlett "Bart" Starr is a former professional American football player and coach. Wearing #15, he was the quarterback for the Green Bay Packers from 1956 to 1971 and head coach from 1975 to 1983, compiling a record of 52–76–3 ....
. Starr attended and played football at Sidney Lanier High School in Montgomery, Alabama .
After football
Today, Braggs lives in the metropolitan Washington, D.C.Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....
area and serves as a volunteer fire fighter.