Pirates Re-Sign WR Dontez Byrd
March 9, 2022 - Indoor Football League (IFL)
Massachusetts Pirates News Release
WORCESTER, MA - The Massachusetts Pirates have re-signed wide receiver Dontez Byrd for the 2022 season. Last year Byrd appeared in ten total games for the Champions of the Indoor Football League and started every game in the playoffs.
During the regular season, the 5'10", 180 lb. receiver from Louisville, KY had 15 receptions for 214 yards and three touchdowns. He also carried the ball four times for nine yards and had one kick return for 18 yards.
During the Pirates' current 11-game winning streak Byrd was the leading receiver in back to back games as pulled in four receptions for 75 yards and two touchdowns in Massachusetts' 68-44 win over the Arizona Rattlers at Phoenix Field at the DCU Center. He followed that up with five catches for 61 yards in the Pirates 63-57 overtime win on the road in Spokane. In that contest he also ran the ball three times for six yards.
In the postseason, his top performance was three receptions for 23 yards in the Pirates' 37-34 overtime victory over Arizona in the United Bowl.
Byrd began his pro career in 2018 as an undrafted free agent with the Atlanta Falcons where he lasted through the preseason. From Atlanta Byrd went on to the Memphis Express of the AAF, where in 2019 he had ten receptions for 131 yards and a touchdown. After a stint in the Spring League, he played in 2020 with the Seattle Dragons of the XFL with five catches for 44 yards. When the season was canceled due to the pandemic, Byrd signed with the Hamilton Tiger-Cats of the Canadian Football League, but that season was lost to the pandemic as well.
Collegiately, Byrd walked on at the University of Louisville in 2013 and earned a scholarship after his redshirt season. He played for two years with the Cardinals appearing in 23 games, mostly on special teams, and then transferred to Tennessee Tech.
With the Golden Eagles, Byrd had 74 receptions for 933 yards and seven touchdowns as a junior. In his senior season he became the first player in school history to pull in over 1,000 receiving yards with 1,003. He averaged 91.2 yards per game while scoring six touchdowns. He was also a kick return specialist and had a 100-yard kickoff return for a score against Mercer as a junior. In 2018 Byrd was selected to play in the NFLPA Collegiate Bowl.
Indoor Football League Stories from March 9, 2022
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- Pirates Re-Sign WR Dontez Byrd - Massachusetts Pirates
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