Dennis Byrd, a two-time First Team All-American from NC State who is a member of the 2010 College Football Hall of Fame Class that will be inducted this December, died Friday, July 23. He was 63 and had suffered a heart attack earlier this month while undergoing back surgery.

Byrd, who played defensive tackle from 1964-67 for Wolfpack and coach Earle Edwards, was the first player in Atlantic Coast Conference history to be named a three-time All-ACC selection, and he was the first NC State player ever to garner consensus All-American honors.

As a member of the Wolfpack’s famed “White Shoes” defense, he led NC State to a share of the 1965 ACC title en route to earning the school’s first-ever post-season appearance, defeating Georgia in the 1967 Liberty Bowl.

Drafted as the sixth overall pick in the 1968 NFL Draft, Byrd played only two seasons with the Boston Patriots due to a nagging knee injury sustained in the latter part of his senior season at NC State. He then embarked on a 30-year teaching and coaching career at the high school level and retired in 2001.

Byrd was named an ACC Football Legend and inducted into the NC State Sports Hall of Fame in 2007. He is also the only defensive player to have his jersey retired at his alma mater. Byrd, who resided in Elizabeth City, N.C., is survived by his wife Kimberly and four children.

NFF