Church on the Move in east Tulsa will be holding a memorial service for Dennis Byrd, the late University of Tulsa football player, Tuesday at 1 p.m.
Some of Byrd's long-time friends, Paul Frase and Scott Mersereau, are still trying to wrap their heads around the tragic news ofthe accident.
They both played with Byrd in the New York Jets in the late 1980s. Frase and Mersereau are in Tulsa to attend Byrd's funeral. They flew in from New York where they paid tribute to his friend on the football field at the Jets' game this weekend.
Frase says Byrd was a good friend, great teammate and a prankster. He remembers one particular moment when Byrd played a joke on him on his wedding day.
"Hurriedly was getting dressed putting on my tuxedo, and when I put on my shoes, shaving cream squirted all over the place. I looked over at Dennis Byrd, and Dennis was chuckling," says Frase, "He was the culprit of course."
He says the last time he saw Byrd was at his home in Oklahoma a few years ago. He said it was as if time never passed.
Mersereau also remembers his long-time friend in a positive light, especially after the tragic accident in 1992 where they both collided at a game. Byrd became paralyzed.
"He was worried about me and how I was taking it, and I said Dennis, look at me, I'm walking around, I'm fine look at you. He said I'm fine, I'll beat this. That was the most powerful thing that I've ever had anybody say in my whole life," says Mersereau.
After months of rehabilitation, Byrd was able to walk again. Mersereau says that speaks volumes of Byrd's persistence and faith.
Byrd leaves behind a wife and four children.
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