Byron Braggs
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Montgomery, Alabama, U.S.
| No. 73, 71 | |||||||||
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| Position | Defensive end | ||||||||
| Personal information | |||||||||
| Born | October 10, 1959 Montgomery, Alabama, U.S. | ||||||||
| Listed height | 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) | ||||||||
| Listed weight | 290 lb (132 kg) | ||||||||
| Career information | |||||||||
| High school | Carver (Montgomery) | ||||||||
| College | Alabama | ||||||||
| NFL draft | 1981: 5th round, 117th overall pick | ||||||||
| Career history | |||||||||
| Awards and highlights | |||||||||
| Career NFL statistics | |||||||||
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Byron Charles Braggs (born October 10, 1959) is an American former professional football player who was a defensive end in the National Football League (NFL) for the Green Bay Packers (1981–1983) and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers (1984). He played college football for the Alabama Crimson Tide.
Braggs grew up in Montgomery, Alabama, in the south-central part of the state. He attended and played football at George Washington Carver High School in Montgomery, graduating in 1977. Braggs was the first African American to win the "Jimmy Hitchcock Award", named in honor of Auburn University's All-American football player, who also was a native of Montgomery.
College career
Braggs attended and played college football at the University of Alabama in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, for the legendary coach Paul "Bear" Bryant from 1977 to 1980. While playing for the Crimson Tide, Braggs was twice named All-Southeastern Conference (1979 and 1980), and All-American (1979 and 1980). Braggs played on Alabama's 1978 and 1979 National Championship teams. He had two quarterback sacks in the 1979 Sugar Bowl win over Penn State. Braggs experienced a heat stroke after an Alabama football practice in which he passed out and his body temperature reached 105 degrees, an incident which is credited with changing Alabama's practices regarding the provision of water. Braggs earned a B.A. degree in Broadcast and Film Communications (1982), and a M.A. degree in Education (1989).[1]