Gill Arnette Byrd,http://www.pro-football-reference.com/players/B/ByrdGi00.htm (born February 20, 1961 in San Francisco, California

California

California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...

) is a former professional American football

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...

 player. He was a two time Pro Bowl

Pro Bowl

In professional American football, the Pro Bowl is the all-star game of the National Football League . Since the merger with the rival American Football League in 1970, it has been officially called the AFC–NFC Pro Bowl, matching the top players in the American Football Conference against those...

 cornerback

Cornerback

A cornerback is a member of the defensive backfield or secondary in American and Canadian football. Cornerbacks cover receivers, to defend against pass offenses and make tackles. Other members of the defensive backfield include the safeties and occasionally linebackers. The cornerback position...

 in 1991 and 1992 for 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...

 after graduating from San Jose State University

San José State University

San Jose State University is a public university located in San Jose, California, United States...

. He was inducted into the Chargers Hall of Fame in 1998. He was an All-City running back and defensive back at Lowell High School (San Francisco)

Lowell High School (San Francisco)

Lowell High School is a public magnet school in San Francisco, California. The school opened in 1856 as the Union Grammar School and attained its current name in 1896. Lowell moved to its current location in the Merced Manor neighborhood in 1962....

, helping to lead the Cardinal to the city championship in his senior season of 1978.

Coaching career

Byrd began his coaching career in 2003 as a volunteer with the St. Louis Rams

St. Louis Rams

The St. Louis Rams are a professional American football team based in St. Louis, Missouri. They are currently members of the West Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League . The Rams have won three NFL Championships .The Rams began playing in 1936 in Cleveland,...

. He was promoted to assistant secondary coach in 2005. Byrd is now in his fifth season with the Chicago Bears

Chicago Bears

The Chicago Bears are a professional American football team based in Chicago, Illinois. They are members of the North Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League...

, being hired on February 20, 2006. He's currently working as the Bears assistant defensive backs/safeties coach. In 2007, he served as the assistant defensive backs coach after holding the position of defensive quality control coach in his first year with the team. He was promoted to his current role on January 16, 2008.

Personal

His sons, Gill Byrd, Jr. and Jairus Byrd

Jairus Byrd

-2009 season:Byrd was drafted by the Buffalo Bills in the second round of the 2009 NFL Draft. After spending the first couple of games as a backup Byrd started his first career game at free safety against the Miami Dolphins due to injuries to both the Bills starting safeties Donte Whitner and...

, played college football at New Mexico State University

New Mexico State University

New Mexico State University at Las Cruces , is a major land-grant university in Las Cruces, New Mexico, United States...

 and the University of Oregon

Oregon Ducks

The Oregon Ducks refers to the sports teams of the University of Oregon, located in Eugene, Oregon. The Oregon Ducks are part of the Pacific-12 Conference in the Division 1 of the NCAA. With seventeen varsity teams, the Oregon Ducks are best known for their football team and Track and Field...

, respectively. Jairus was selected by the Buffalo Bills

Buffalo Bills

The Buffalo Bills are a professional football team based in Buffalo, New York. They are currently members of the East Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...

 with the 42nd pick in the 2009 NFL Draft

NFL Draft

The National Football League Draft is an annual event in which the National Football League teams select eligible college football players and it is their most common source of player recruitment. The basic design of the draft is each team is given a position in the drafting order in reverse order...

 as a cornerback, but has since been moved to the free safety position, at which he enjoyed a Pro Bowl

Pro Bowl

In professional American football, the Pro Bowl is the all-star game of the National Football League . Since the merger with the rival American Football League in 1970, it has been officially called the AFC–NFC Pro Bowl, matching the top players in the American Football Conference against those...

 season in 2009.

Trivia

Byrd wore #22 in high school and with the Chargers, and it proved to be a lucky number. San Diego chose him with the 22nd pick of the 1983 NFL Draft

NFL Draft

The National Football League Draft is an annual event in which the National Football League teams select eligible college football players and it is their most common source of player recruitment. The basic design of the draft is each team is given a position in the drafting order in reverse order...

.