Lobo Byrd was a ‘shining light’
UNM sophomore safety died Tuesday in a car crash in Arizona
He was a Byrd who loved to fish, and he was a prize catch for the University of New Mexico football program.
The loss of Markel Byrd, Lobos coach Bob Davie said, will be sorely felt for years to come.
Byrd, a UNM sophomore safety, was killed Tuesday afternoon in a one-car crash on I-40 in Arizona just west of Gallup. He was 20.
In a phone interview Wednesday morning, Davie called Byrd “a shining light. ... He was a unique personality. “It’s just a tragic loss.” Byrd and his girlfriend, Alexus Ortiz, were headed for an overnight stay in Phoenix when, Davie was told by an Arizona Highway Patrol sergeant, a tire blew.
Byrd and Ortiz were ejected from the vehicle. Byrd died at the scene. Ortiz was taken to a nearby hospital in critical condition.
Davie said he spoke with Ortiz’s mother Wednesday morning and was told Ortiz was “doing much better.”
Byrd was planning to stay with his father in Phoenix on Tuesday night, pick up his sister there and then drive to his home in San Diego on Wednesday. Growing up in Southern California, he told the Journal in a 2014 interview, he became an avid fisherman.
Among his fishing partners was Lobo teammate Daniel Henry, another San Diegan who had been a high school teammate of Byrd’s at Horizon Christian Academy.
Henry began his college career at Weber State in Ogden, Utah, and was Byrd’s host there on a recruiting visit. Later, Henry left Weber State and played at Iowa Western Community College. When Henry came to UNM for a recruiting visit in 2014, Byrd — at the time a Lobo redshirt freshman — was Henry’s recruiting host.
“We probably been fishin over 100 times the last couple years
lol,” Henry tweeted Wednesday morning. “No fish was safe when we was on the water.
“We felt like we were the only links between SD and NM,” Henry tweeted later. “We kept each other sane. Reminding each other that (we’d) make it back home.”
Davie, after learning of Byrd’s death, flew to Phoenix on Tuesday night and spent time with the player’s father. They talked, among other things, about Byrd’s signature play as a Lobo: a tackle of Boise State’s Austin Cottrell at the UNM 4-yard line on the final play of the game — preserving a monumental 31-24 upset of the Broncos in Boise on Nov. 14.
The victory over Boise State was part of a 3-1 finish for the Lobos that culminated in the program’s first winning season and first bowl bid since 2007.
“I went up to Markel maybe the week after,” Davie recalled, “and said, ‘Markel, I have no tangible evidence to make this statement. But to me, that was the biggest tackle in Lobo football history.’
“His dad shared with me (Tuesday night) how proud Markel was for me to tell him that.”
In October, Byrd was suspended for one game for leaving classes early. Byrd got the message, David said, was reinstated and wound up having an outstanding fall semester academically.
“We disciplined him during the season and were hard on him,” Davie said. “Late in the season, he really understood, and it became crystal-clear to him what he needed to do. ... Markel had an unbelievable semester.
“(Byrd’s father) also shared how excited he was that I came up to him the day before (UNM’s appearance Saturday in the New Mexico Bowl) and said how proud I was about his academics.”
On the field, Byrd was a mercurial player who wasn’t always in the right place but had a penchant for big plays — like that memorable tackle at Boise State. He finished his sophomore season with 44 tackles, three interceptions, two tackles for loss and a quarterback sack.
The best of Byrd, Davie was sure, had yet to come.
“One of the smartest kids I ever coached,” Davie said. “... He was not afraid to state his opinion. He wouldn’t back down from anyone.”
Henry, his longtime friend and teammate, paid this tribute on Twitter:
“Every time we went on the field together, I felt like we were back in Daygo just havin fun and playin with confidence. All we would do is workout and fish and talk about how we were gonna make it to the league if we got bigger.
“I love you bro. You’ll never be forgotten.”