Tyvon A. Branch (born December 11, 1986) 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 ...

safety Safety is the state of being protected from harm or other danger. Safety can also refer to the control of recognized hazards in order to achieve an acceptable level of risk. Meanings The word 'safety' entered the English language in the 1 ...

. He was selected by the

Oakland Raiders The Oakland Raiders were a professional American football team based in Oakland, California, from its founding in 1960 to 1981, and again from 1995 to 2019 before Oakland Raiders relocation to Las Vegas, relocating to the Las Vegas metropolitan ...

in the fourth round of the 2008 NFL draft, and also played for 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 ...

and

Arizona Cardinals The Arizona Cardinals are a professional American football team based in the Phoenix metropolitan area. The Cardinals compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC West, West division. The ...

. He played

college football College football is gridiron football that is played by teams of amateur Student athlete, student-athletes at universities and colleges. It was through collegiate competition that gridiron football American football in the United States, firs ...

Connecticut Connecticut ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It borders Rhode Island to the east, Massachusetts to the north, New York (state), New York to the west, and Long Island Sound to the south. ...

Early life

Branch was born in Syracuse, New York. He played youth football as a member of the Sherman Park Bulldogs, winning two Pop Warner NY State championships. He was a two-sport athlete in high school playing football and running track, first at

Nottingham Nottingham ( , East Midlands English, locally ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, city and Unitary authorities of England, unitary authority area in Nottinghamshire, East Midlands, England. It is located south-east of Sheffield and nor ...

before transferring to Cicero-North Syracuse. In football, he played

running back A running back (RB) is a member of the offensive backfield in gridiron football. The primary roles of a running back are to receive American football plays#Offensive terminology, handoffs from the quarterback to Rush (American football)#Offense ...

for the Cicero Northstars. In track, Branch won the 2004 All-State Championships and was named Gatorade Track Athlete of the Year as a senior.Greater Syracuse Sports Hall Of Fame.com
Retrieved February 21, 2025.

College career

After high school graduation, Branch committed to the

University of Connecticut The University of Connecticut (UConn) is a public land-grant research university system with its main campus in Storrs, Connecticut, United States. It was founded in 1881 as the Storrs Agricultural School, named after two benefactors. In 1893, ...

in 2004, where he played free safety as a member of the UConn Huskies during his freshman and sophomore seasons. In his junior season in 2006, he was assigned to play

cornerback A cornerback (CB) is a member of the defensive backfield or secondary in gridiron football. Cornerbacks cover Wide receiver, receivers most of the time, but also blitz and defend against such Play from scrimmage, offensive running plays as sweep ...

.UConn Huskies Profile
Retrieved February 21, 2025. Branch played in all 48 games during his time at UConn, playing as a member of special teams during the early phase of his college career before he was assigned to secondary postings. Branch mostly distinguished himself in kick returns earning 2nd-team all-conference accolades in his senior season. Branch and the Huskies played in two championships including the Hula Bowl.

Professional career

Oakland Raiders

The Oakland Raiders selected Branch in the fourth round (100th overall) of the 2008 NFL draft. The Raiders chose to draft Branch not only by his skills as a corner, but also his importance as a return specialist, due to the departure of all-time return leader Chris Carr. During his rookie season on September 14, 2008, Branch intercepted

quarterback The quarterback (QB) is a position in gridiron football who are members of the offensive side of the ball and mostly line up directly behind the Lineman (football), offensive line. In modern American football, the quarterback is usually consider ...

Damon Huard for his first career interception. Branch earned his first career start in the 2009 season opener on September 14 in a Monday night game against the

San Diego Chargers The San Diego Chargers were a professional American football team in the National Football League (NFL). The Chargers played in San Diego, California from 1961 until 2016, before relocating back to the Greater Los Angeles area, where the franch ...

, but was placed on season-ending

injured reserve The injured reserve list ( IR list) is a designation used in North American professional sports leagues for athletes who suffer injuries and become unable to play. The exact name of the list varies by league; it is known as "injured reserve" in ...

on November 5 with a shoulder injury. He went on to have a breakout season for the Raiders in 2009 as the starting

strong safety Safety (S), historically known as a safetyman, is a position in gridiron football on the defense. The safeties are defensive backs who line up ten to fifteen yards from the line of scrimmage. There are two variations of the position: the free sa ...

in all 16 games, finishing with 98 unassisted tackles and 26 assists, two forced fumbles, and a sack. He had his best game of the year in a win over the heavily favored Bengals with 12 tackles and a forced fumble. During the 2010 NFL season, he again started in all 16 games for an 8-8 team, recording 81 unassisted tackles and 23 assists. In March 2012, the Raiders placed a franchise tag on Branch. On July 14, 2012, Branch signed a four-year, $26.6 million contract with the Raiders. On November 9, Branch was fined $15,750 for unnecessary roughness against the

Tampa Bay Buccaneers The Tampa Bay Buccaneers (colloquially known as the Bucs) are a professional American football team based in Tampa, Florida. The Buccaneers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC S ...

Kansas City Chiefs

On March 10, 2015, Branch signed a one-year contract with the

Arizona Cardinals

On March 9, 2016, Branch signed a two-year contract with the

worth $8 million with $5 million guaranteed until 2018. He was placed on injured reserve on October 4, 2016, with a groin injury. He was activated off injured reserve on December 2, 2016, prior to Week 13. He was placed back on injured reserve on December 13, 2016, after re-injuring his groin. Branch entered the 2017 as the Cardinals' starting strong safety. During Thursday Night Football against the

Seattle Seahawks The Seattle Seahawks are a professional American football team based in Seattle. The Seahawks compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC West, West division. The club entered the NFL a ...

on November 9, 2017, Branch suffered a torn ACL, ending his 2017 season.

NFL career statistics

Personal life

After undergoing season-ending surgery, Branch retired from football in 2017. He lives with his family in his hometown of Syracuse, New York. Upon retiring, Branch devoted time to charitable work including distributing food and clothing to families in need. He co-founded a free youth camp called Central New York (CNY) Football Academy. In 2021, Branch was inducted into the Greater Syracuse Sports Hall of Fame.

References

External links

Kansas City Chiefs bioOakland Raiders bio

Tyvon Branch profile on ESPN.com
{{DEFAULTSORT:Branch, Tyvon 1986 births Living people Players of American football from Syracuse, New York American football cornerbacks American football safeties American football return specialists UConn Huskies football players Oakland Raiders players Kansas City Chiefs players Arizona Cardinals players