Henry Byrd

Guard, Minnesota Vikings · #68.

Player facts

Team: Minnesota Vikings
Position: Guard
Number: 68
Born: Jul 1, 1999 (age 27)
Birthplace: Nashville, TN, USA
Height: 6' 5"
Weight: 314 lbs
College: Princeton
Experience: 1 season
Status: Practice Squad

About

Henry Byrd (born July 1, 1999) is an American professional football guard for the Minnesota Vikings of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Princeton Tigers, earning all-Ivy honors in 2019, 2021, and 2022. Byrd was signed by the Denver Broncos as an undrafted free agent in 2023.

From Wikipedia’s article on Henry Byrd (American football), shared under CC BY-SA 4.0.¹

Background

Early life

Byrd grew up in Nashville, Tennessee and attended The Ensworth School. He was a three-sport athlete competing in lacrosse, football and basketball. In basketball, he played together with James Wiseman. He also was a tap dancer and competed in Dance for Athletes 1 and Dance for Athletes 2.

College

Byrd played college football from 2018 to 2022 for the Princeton Tigers, earning All-Ivy League First Team honors in 2021 and 2022 and a Second-Team All-Ivy in 2019. In 2018, he received the Donold B. Lourie Award as the top offensive freshman.. In 2022, he was named to the FCS All-American Third Team.

Family

Henry’s father, William “Big Will” Byrd, played college football for Vanderbilt. He left the program to work as the tour manager for Bruce Springsteen. He went on to have a career in show business, including playing a role in Sweet Dreams, the 1985 film about Patsy Cline, after auditioning as a prank on a casting agent. Will also had a close relationship with Dolly Parton from serving on her management team for many years. In his retirement, he played an active role as a PA announcer at Henry’s high school games, through which he became known for playing show tunes over the loud speaker during timeouts.

From Wikipedia’s article on Henry Byrd (American football), shared under CC BY-SA 4.0. Read the full article.¹