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GILL BYRD, FORMER CHARGERS STAR, NAMED EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OF PLAYER PROGRAMS AND COMMUNITY AFFAIRS FOR PACKERS
posted 03/02/99
Gill Byrd, a 10-year NFL defensive back for the San Diego Chargers as a player and an active community leader off the field throughout his playing career, has been named executive director of player programs and community affairs for the Green Bay Packers, Executive Vice President/General Manager Ron Wolf announced today.
In his role, a new position in the Packers organization, the 38-year-old San Francisco native will focus his efforts on four primary areas from the players' perspective - family assistance, continuing education, financial education and career internships, Wolf said.
From the club standpoint, the Players Programs department functions as the hub for a wide range of programs designed to meet the needs of the players and their families in today's National Football League, providing a framework of assistance within which players and their immediate family members can address the pressures created by daily life and complicated by the demands of playing professional football.
In addition to directing the organization's efforts in those areas, Byrd will assist with coaching during training camp on a limited basis, Wolf said.
A first-round draft selection by the Chargers out of San Jose State in 1983 (the 22nd player chosen), he ranked third among NFL interception leaders with 42 thefts at the time of his retirement from pro football.
Byrd, who still holds the Chargers' career interception record, led NFL cornerbacks in interceptions three consecutive years (1989-91) and the Chargers for four years in a row. A respected team leader and a highly durable performer, he started 146 of a possible 149 games over his 10-year career, earning election to the Pro Bowl in 1991 and 1992 and being named to four all-pro teams.
Throughout his playing career, Byrd was extensively involved in community affairs - with emphasis on efforts to help San Diego's young people. In the process, he was involved in a "Hire-a-Youth" program as chairman, assisting youths in finding jobs; on the board of "Pros for Kids," a national group of athletes against pornography; and active in the local SHARE food distribution program as well as in counseling juvenile hall youth.
Byrd, who has a degree in finance from San Jose State, also was a dedicated contributor to the Bates Street Community Resource Center, which offers personal and career counseling for adults and youth, in a high-crime area of San Diego; and established a donation program based on interceptions, with funds benefiting Neighborhood House, a San Diego-based family care organization.
Nominated as San Diego's "NFL Man of the Year" candidate in 1988-89, Byrd later was voted the l992 recipient of the "Bart Starr Award " by his fellow players. The Starr Award is presented annually to a person who exemplifies outstanding character and all-around leadership as a player "in the home, on the field and in the community."
Since closing out his playing career - he spent his final, 1993 season on injured reserve following a knee injury suffered during the first week of training camp - Byrd has continued to volunteer his time, speaking to Christian and youth groups.
Inducted in the Chargers' Hall of Fame last November - he is the 25th member, Byrd has stayed close to football as host of a weekly, one-hour, television show following Chargers games since 1993. He also has served as a color commentator on San Diego State football broadcasts.
Gill and his wife, Marilyn, have two sons, Gill, II, 14, and Jairus, 12. They also have owned and operated a hair boutique in San Diego, "Hair Studio 22," a name derived in part from Gill's jersey number as a player, 22.
Byrd, who assumed his new duties March 1, says that one of his greatest rewards in life to date has come as head coach of his sons' Pop Warner football team the past two years. "That was exciting," he said. "I got to coach both my sons, and we were 10-and-3 last year and 'Lettuce Bowl' champions."
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