Isaac Byrd II (born November 16, 1974) is an American former professional

football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kick (football), kicking a football (ball), ball to score a goal (sports), goal. Unqualified, football (word), the word ''football'' generally means the form of football t ...

wide receiver A wide receiver (WR), also referred to as a wideout, and historically known as a split end (SE) or flanker (FL), is an eligible receiver in gridiron football. A key skill position of the offense (American football), offense, WR gets its name ...

in the

National Football League The National Football League (NFL) is a Professional gridiron football, professional American football league in the United States. Composed of 32 teams, it is divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National ...

(NFL) for the Tennessee Oilers/Titans and

Carolina Panthers The Carolina Panthers are a professional American football team based in Charlotte, North Carolina. The Panthers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC South, South division. The t ...

. He played

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at the

University of Kansas The University of Kansas (KU) is a public research university with its main campus in Lawrence, Kansas, United States. Two branch campuses are in the Kansas City metropolitan area on the Kansas side: the university's medical school and hospital ...

Biography

Isaac grew up in St. Louis. In high school, he played football, basketball and baseball. He won All-Conference, All-Metro and All-State honors in football and baseball. In basketball, he won All-Conference honors. He was also named the Missouri Player of the Year for football. After his senior year, the St. Louis Post Dispatch named Isaac the best athlete to come out of the state of Missouri. He was heavily sought after by professional baseball teams and was the 24th round draft pick of the San Diego Padres. However, Isaac decided to attend the

on a full-ride scholarship to further his career in both football and baseball and to continue his education. In college, Isaac dominated in both sports. In baseball, he played centerfield and was named Team MVP, 1st Team All-Big 12, 1st Team All-Big 12 Tournament and 2nd Team All-American. After his junior year, he was drafted by his hometown team, the St. Louis Cardinals. After a stint in the minor leagues and batting over .300, Isaac returned to college to continue his education and his football career. Playing wide receiver, Isaac was named Team MVP and 2nd Team All-Big 12. He was drafted in the sixth round of the 1997 NFL Draft by the

Kansas City Chiefs The Kansas City Chiefs are a professional American football team based in Kansas City, Missouri. The Chiefs compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) West division. Established in 1959 ...

, 31 spots after his Kansas teammate June Henley, also by the Chiefs. Following the 1997 preseason he was signed to the Chiefs practice squad. He was signed off the Chiefs practice squad by the Tennessee Oilers, later renamed the Titans. Isaac enjoyed a 6-year career in the NFL playing for the

Tennessee Titans The Tennessee Titans are a professional American football team based in Nashville, Tennessee. The Titans compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC South, South division. They play the ...

and

. His high point came when he started in

Super Bowl XXXIV Super Bowl XXXIV was an American football game played at the Georgia Dome in Atlanta, Georgia, on January 30, 2000, to determine the National Football League (NFL) champion for the 1999 season. The National Football Conference (NFC) champion ...

for the

against his hometown team, the

St. Louis Rams The St. Louis Rams were a professional American football team of the National Football League (NFL). They played in St. Louis, Missouri, from 1995 through the 2015 season, before moving back to Los Angeles, California, where the team had played ...

. He finished his career with the Carolina Panthers where he provided solid production. Isaac's older brother, Israel Byrd, played college football at Utah State and professionally for the

New Orleans Saints The New Orleans Saints are a professional American football team based in New Orleans. The Saints compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC South, South division. Since 1975, the team ...

. After retiring from the NFL, Isaac has been focusing his time and expertise in developing both the physical and mental strengths of amateur athletes. He is a published author of the book; How To: Think Like a Pro, Act Like a Pro & Play Like a Pro. In his book he introduces the 8 Principles that Bridge the Gap Between Professional & Amateur Athletes. Today Isaac travels the country as a speaker and radio host.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Byrd, Isaac 1974 births Living people Players of American football from St. Louis American football wide receivers Kansas Jayhawks football players Tennessee Titans players Carolina Panthers players Parkway Central High School alumni