Demetrius Byrd
Encyclopedia
Demetrius Byrd is an American football
wide receiver
who is currently a free agent
. He was drafted by the San Diego Chargers
in the seventh round of the 2009 NFL Draft
. He played college football
at Louisiana State University
.
Byrd played just one year at the high school level
— his senior season at Miami Central High School
. He led Miami Dade in yards with 36 catches 864 yards and 10 touchdowns his first year playing high school football. He signed with Florida International University
, but opted to enroll in Pearl River Community College
instead.
Byrd started for two years at Pearl River, helping that school to back-to-back Mississippi
state junior college championships. He combined to catch 87 balls for 1,433 yards and 12 touchdowns during his career, earning first team All-American junior college honors this past season. Byrd was rated the No. 8 junior college wide receiver in America by JCGridiron.com
in 2006.
He transferred to LSU
in 2007 and became an immediate contributor to the team. The biggest moment of his short college career came on October 20, 2007, when he caught a game-winning touchdown pass from quarterback Matt Flynn with time expiring in regulation vs. rival Auburn University
.
224th overall in the seventh round of the 2009 NFL Draft. This was despite a serious car accident in Florida a week before the draft. Byrd was upgraded from critical to good and discharged from the Intensive care unit. Byrd was placed on the non-football injury/illness reserve list before the 2009 season
. On March 22, 2010, Byrd was released by the Chargers.
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...
wide receiver
Wide receiver
A wide receiver is an offensive position in American and Canadian football, and is the key player in most of the passing plays. Only players in the backfield or the ends on the line are eligible to catch a forward pass. The two players who begin play at the ends of the offensive line are eligible...
who is currently a free agent
Free agent
In professional sports, a free agent is a player whose contract with a team has expired and who is thus eligible to sign with another club or franchise....
. He was drafted by the San Diego Chargers
San Diego Chargers
The San Diego Chargers are a professional American football team based in San Diego, California. they were members of the Western Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...
in the seventh round of the 2009 NFL Draft
2009 NFL Draft
The 2009 NFL Draft was the seventy-fourth annual meeting of National Football League franchises to select newly eligible football players. The draft took place at Radio City Music Hall in New York City on April 25 and 26, 2009. The draft consisted of two rounds on the first day starting at 4:00...
. He played college football
College 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 Louisiana State University
Louisiana State University
Louisiana State University and Agricultural and Mechanical College, most often referred to as Louisiana State University, or LSU, is a public coeducational university located in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. The University was founded in 1853 in what is now known as Pineville, Louisiana, under the name...
.
Early years
Byrd played pop warner for the Miami Lakes Jaguars under head coach Buck Bailey who produced players in the NFL such as Chad Johnson, Chad Simpson, Samari Rolle, Gartrell Johnson and many moreByrd played just one year at the high school level
High school football
High school football, in North America, refers to the game of football as it is played in the United States and Canada. It ranks among the most popular interscholastic sports in both of these nations....
— his senior season at Miami Central High School
Miami Central High School
Miami Central Senior High School, commonly referred to as Central Rockets, is a secondary school located at 1781 NW 95th Street in West Little River, unincorporated Miami-Dade County, Florida, USA. The school serves most of the northern fringes of the city of Miami as well as parts of North Miami,...
. He led Miami Dade in yards with 36 catches 864 yards and 10 touchdowns his first year playing high school football. He signed with Florida International University
Florida International University
Florida International University is an American public research university in metropolitan Miami, Florida, in the United States, with its main campus in University Park...
, but opted to enroll in Pearl River Community College
Pearl River Community College
Pearl River Community College is a public community college in Poplarville, Mississippi, USA. It was founded as Pearl River County Agricultural High School in 1909, then became the first junior college in Mississippi in 1921.-History:...
instead.
College career
Mississippi
Mississippi is a U.S. state located in the Southern United States. Jackson is the state capital and largest city. The name of the state derives from the Mississippi River, which flows along its western boundary, whose name comes from the Ojibwe word misi-ziibi...
state junior college championships. He combined to catch 87 balls for 1,433 yards and 12 touchdowns during his career, earning first team All-American junior college honors this past season. Byrd was rated the No. 8 junior college wide receiver in America by JCGridiron.com
JCGridiron.com
JCGridiron.com is a web site dedicated to the recruitment of community college and junior college football players in America to four-year universities. Most articles on the site are only available by subscription, and the site includes free and premium message boards.-Special...
in 2006.
He transferred to LSU
LSU Tigers football
The LSU Tigers football team, also known as the Fighting Tigers or Bayou Bengals, represents Louisiana State University in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, United States in NCAA Division I FBS college football. Current head coach Les Miles has led the team since 2005. Since 1999 when Nick Saban took over as...
in 2007 and became an immediate contributor to the team. The biggest moment of his short college career came on October 20, 2007, when he caught a game-winning touchdown pass from quarterback Matt Flynn with time expiring in regulation vs. rival 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...
.
San Diego Chargers
On April 26, 2009, Byrd was selected by the San Diego ChargersSan Diego Chargers
The San Diego Chargers are a professional American football team based in San Diego, California. they were members of the Western Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...
224th overall in the seventh round of the 2009 NFL Draft. This was despite a serious car accident in Florida a week before the draft. Byrd was upgraded from critical to good and discharged from the Intensive care unit. Byrd was placed on the non-football injury/illness reserve list before the 2009 season
2009 NFL season
The 2009 NFL season was the 90th regular season of the National Football League.The preseason started with the Pro Football Hall of Fame Game on August 9, 2009, and the regular season began September 10. The season ended with Super Bowl XLIV, the league's championship game, on February 7, 2010 at...
. On March 22, 2010, Byrd was released by the Chargers.