Editor’s note: In the final 50 days before Chip Kelly and the Ducks return to the field to defend their status as Pac-12 Champions, the Emerald sports desk will take a look back at one Oregon alum each day whose jersey number corresponds to the amount of days left before the season opener against Arkansas State.
For three years Jairus Byrd was a constant threat in Oregon’s secondary. Byrd was a second-team Freshman All-American in 2006 and garnered conference honors as a sophomore after his Pac-10-best seven picks earned him an All-Pac-10 honorable mention nod. In his final season as a Duck, Byrd started all 13 games en route to a first-team All-Pac-10 selection. Byrd was also the Ducks’s defensive MVP in the 2008 Holliday Bowl.
With Oregon trailing 17-14 at the time, Byrd snagged an interception inside the five-yard line and returned it to near midfield. Oregon’s offense would find itself in the second half and go on to win 42-31. Byrd would skip his senior season and declare for the NFL draft where he was picked up in the second round by Buffalo. Byrd would have a stellar rookie season and finish the year with the AFC lead in interceptions. Byrd was named to the AFC Pro Bowl roster as well as the NFL’s all-rookie team in 2009, but didn’t play in the postseason showcase due to injury.