North Carolina State University Athletics
Byrd a Member of 2007 ACC Football Legends Class
9/19/2007 12:00:00 AM | Football
GREENSBORO, N.C. - NC State’s Dennis Byrd, a unanimous All-America defensive end for the Wolfpack’s 1967 football team, joins a contingent of 12 former standout football players who were chosen as the ACC’s 2007 ACC Football Championship Game Legends class, ACC Commissioner John Swofford announced Wednesday.
The ACC Football Legends will be honored at this year’s Dr Pepper ACC Football Championship weekend in Jacksonville, Fla., on Nov. 30-Dec. 1. The Legends will be introduced at the ACC Coaches and Awards Luncheon (12 pm) and honored at the ACC Legend’s Reception (6 pm) at the Hyatt Regency Jacksonville Riverfront Hotel on Nov. 30. They will also be honored in pre-game ceremonies prior to the Conference’s Third Annual Football Championship Game at Jacksonville’s Municipal Stadium.
In all, this year’s ACC Legend’s Class includes five consensus All-Americas, four members of the ACC’s 50th Anniversary Football Team, five former No. 1 NFL draft picks and 11 players who totaled 93 years of experience in the National Football League.
Dennis Byrd (1965-67, Lincolnton, N.C.): A dominating presence for NC State’s famed “White Shoes” defense in the mid 1960’s, he earned consensus All-America honors for the Wolfpack in 1967. The first player to earn All-ACC honors three times, he was chosen to the Atlantic Coast Conference 50-member 50th Anniversary Football Team in 2003. An outstanding pass rusher from his defensive tackle position, Byrd also earned first-team All-America honors as a junior in 1966. He was the sixth overall selection in the 1968 NFL draft, being chosen by the New England Patriots. Byrd currently lives in Elizabeth City, N.C.
2007 Dr Pepper ACC Football Championship Game Legends
Pete Mitchell, Boston College, 1991-94
Jerry Butler, Clemson, 1975-78
Clarkston Hines, Duke, 1986-89
LeRoy Butler, Florida State, 1987-89
George Morris, Georgia Tech, 1950-52
Dick Shiner, Maryland, 1961-63
Jim Kelly, Miami, 1979-82
Harris Barton, North Carolina, 1983-86
Dennis Byrd, NC State, 1965-67
Joe Palumbo, Virginia, 1949-51
Antonio Freeman, Virginia Tech, 1991-94
Norm Snead, Wake Forest, 1958-60
