http://www.nytimes.com/2016/10/16/sports/football/dennis-byrd-new-york-jets-dies.html 2016-10-16 04:06:54 Dennis Byrd, Former Jets Player, Is Killed in Car Crash in Oklahoma Byrd, 50, a former defensive lineman, had recovered after being temporarily paralyzed in a 1992 game. === Dennis Byrd, a former Jets defensive lineman who was temporarily paralyzed after a career-ending neck injury in 1992, died Saturday in a two-vehicle crash near Claremore, Okla., The Tulsa World reported. Byrd was 50. A 17-year-old boy driving a sport utility vehicle north on Oklahoma Highway 88 veered into the oncoming lane at about 11:15 a.m., striking an S.U.V. driven by Byrd, who was pronounced dead at the scene, The World reported. Against the Chiefs, on Nov. 29, 1992, “An eerie silence gripped the stadium as Jets doctors and trainers attended to Byrd for seven minutes,” according to a New York Times article about the game. “Hopes were raised when Byrd moved his left arm. A few of his teammates drifted over to talk to him and hold his hand, then slowly they began to realize just how seriously injured he was.” Less than two weeks after Byrd was injured, he underwent a seven-hour operation at Lenox Hill Hospital in Manhattan to stablize his spine. At the time, doctors thought it make two years to determine if he would be able to regain use of the lower half of his body, although they were already encouraged that Byrd had been able to flex his ankles, move some toes and make his calf muscles contract. But by the end of January 1993, Byrd had made extensive progress in a therapy program at Mount Sinai Hospital in Manhattan. Weeks later, using crutches, he appeared by himself for an emotional news conference to mark the end of his rehabiiltation program at Mount Sinai. By March, he had returned to his home in Tulsa and begun relying on only two canes to walk. Byrd was eventually able to walk again, and the story of his recovery inspired an autobiography and a television movie. No Jet has worn his No. 90 since.