Tuesday, July 8, 2025

Making the Case for Butch Byrd

by Jeffrey J. Miller 

Butch Byrd

The Buffalo Bills won back-to-back championships in 1964 and ’65, and made it to a third championship game in 1966. The universally recognized strength of that outstanding AFL-era team was its defense, which at one point went 17 straight games (16 regular season and one post-season) without giving up a rushing touchdown—a record that stands to this very day.  Yet for how great that team and its defense was, only one player from that period has been deemed worthy of enshrinement in the Pro Football Hall of Fame.  That player was guard Billy Shaw, who, though arguably one of the greatest guards of all time, played his entire career on the OFFENSIVE side of the ball.

It says here that there are several players from that team deserving consideration by the Hall of Fame selectors.  Linebacker Mike Stratton, for instance, played in six AFL All-Star games, was selected First-Team All-AFL three times, won two AFL championships, and delivered the most famous tackle in AFL history when he dusted San Diego’s Keith Lincoln for “The Hit Heard ‘Round The World in the 1964 Title Game.  Defensive end Ron McDole is the NFL’s all-time leader in interceptions among defensive linemen with 12, and ranks third all-time in blocked kicks with 21.  And don't get me started on Big Ses ...

This article, however, will focus on the career and credentials of defensive back George “Butch” Byrd, who was a cornerstone of the Bills' defense for seven seasons from 1964 through 1970. 

The Bills selected Byrd out of Boston University in the fourth round of the 1964 college draft.  A two-way star at BU, Byrd led the Terriers in rushing in both his junior and senior years and was an All-East selection in 1963.  The Dallas Cowboys of the NFL selected him in the seventh round, but Butch signed with Buffalo because the Cowboys had already chosen Mel Renfro in the first round, and he realized his chances at a starting job were better with the Bills.

            It turned out to be a good move for both Byrd and the Bills, as the six-foot, 211-pounder made an immediate impact, winning the starting right corner position in his first training camp and holding it down for the next seven seasons as the final piece of the Bills' championship puzzle.  He recorded his first interception in just his third game as a pro, picking off Tobin Rote of the Chargers and racing 75 yards for a score.  In all, Byrd intercepted seven passes during his rookie season, setting a Bills record and earning an invitation to the AFL All-Star Game, the first of five in his career.  Along the way he gained a reputation as not only one of the best, but also one of the most aggressive defensive backs in the league.  He was also very durable, missing only one start during his time in Buffalo.  He'd go on to rack up a team-record 40 career interceptions (five of which he returned for scores, also a club record) and appear in three AFL title games with the Bills (1964, ’65 and ’66).  

Byrd returning an interception during the 1965 AFL Title Game, 
December 26, 1965.

    In fact, he seemed to come up biggest in the big games, recording an interception in both the 1964 and 1965 championships.  His 74-yard punt return in the 1965 Title Game set an AFL post-season mark that stood until the AFL-NFL merger.

Byrd returns an interception of Joe Namath 53 yards for a score,
 versus New York Jets, September 29, 1968. 

Byrd was also a pioneer in race relations among AFL players.  “My roommate was Mike Stratton,” he recalled.  “Mike and I were the first mixed couple. That honor usually goes to Gale Sayers and Bryan Piccolo, but I believe we were ahead of them.  I think Mike and I were the first white and black ballplayers to room together, and that was controversial.  There were some ballplayers on our team that didn’t like it.  Ballplayers came from all parts of the country, and they brought with them their own baggage.  I really can’t tell you why or how it happened—he thought it was a good idea or I thought it was a good idea—I can’t even remember who raised the subject.  Maybe we just found ourselves in the same room by accident, and decided to keep it that way.”  The two remained close friends until Stratton’s passing in March 2020.  

The Bills traded Byrd to the Denver Broncos prior to the 1971 season, but he played just one season for the Broncos before calling it a career. 

            Byrd is one of the most decorated members of the AFL-era Bills, beginning with being named to the All-Time AFL Team (second squad) by the Pro Football Hall of Fame Selection Committee in 1970.  He received the Ralph C. Wilson, Jr. Distinguished Service Award for “service to the Bills’ organization and the Western New York community during his career” in 1994.  He was honored with induction into the Greater Buffalo Sports Hall of Fame in 2008.  He and his cornermate from the Bills glory days—Booker Edgerson—were corecipients of the team’s the Kent Hull Hard Working Man Award in 2010.

        He was enshrined in Boston University’s Athletic Hall of Fame in 1980. 

 Career Highlights:

2-time AFL Champion

5 AFL All Star Games

3-time First Team All-AFL

1-time Second Team All-AFL

40 career regular season interceptions (remains a Buffalo record)

5 interceptions returned for touchdowns (a Buffalo record)

4 fumble recoveries

2 career post-season interceptions

2 punts returned for touchdowns (1 regular season, 1 post-season)

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