Bobby Bryant was born on January 24,1944 and is an American former professional football player who was a cornerback who played for the Minnesota Vikings of the National Football League.
22 Facts About Bobby Bryant
1.
2.
Bobby Bryant played college football for the South Carolina Gamecocks.
3.
Baskin was both the track coach and a football assistant, but Bobby Bryant ended up playing both baseball and football, for which he would earn a letter for three years with each sport.
4.
Bobby Bryant was awarded the ACC Athlete of the Year in 1967.
5.
Bobby Bryant is the first and only athlete from South Carolina to have won the award along with the first Gamecock to have struck out 100 batters in a season.
6.
Bobby Bryant, who served as pitcher for the Gamecocks, was selected in the Major League Baseball Draft in his junior and senior seasons by the New York Yankees and the Boston Red Sox, respectively, but he decided to play with the Vikings when they drafted him.
7.
Bobby Bryant had a 77-yard punt return the season opening game against LSU.
8.
In 1979, Bobby Bryant was voted into the South Carolina athletic hall of fame.
9.
Bobby Bryant was used as both a defensive back and a returner on punts and kicks for his rookie season, and he soon became known for blowing kisses to the crowd.
10.
Bobby Bryant returned 19 kicks for 373 yards to go with ten punt returns for 49 yards.
11.
Bobby Bryant intercepted Billy Kilmer twice and returned one of the interceptions 51 yards for a touchdown.
12.
Bobby Bryant, given more playing time on the defensive part of the field, improved readily in 1969.
13.
Bobby Bryant ranked second in interceptions in the NFL next to Lem Barney and Mel Renfro.
14.
Bobby Bryant played in each game and recorded six interceptions.
15.
Bobby Bryant was named to his first Pro Bowl that year.
16.
Bobby Bryant recorded two interceptions off Pat Haden as the Vikings rolled on to make their fourth Super Bowl in franchise history, with Bryant being one of just eleven Vikings to have played in each of those Super Bowls.
17.
Bobby Bryant had his last peak with 1978, as he recorded seven interceptions.
18.
At the age of 36, Bobby Bryant played his last season in 1980.
19.
Bobby Bryant did not record an interception for his first eight games, but he closed his career out with three in his last six games played, including his last one in the season finale against the Houston Oilers, doing so against Ken Stabler.
20.
At the time of his retirement, Bobby Bryant ranked tenth all-time in interceptions, having become one of eighteen players at the time to have recorded 50 interceptions as a player.
21.
Bobby Bryant is second in interceptions as a Viking next to Paul Krause.
22.
Bobby Bryant intercepted another six passes in his 14 postseason games, including three in the Vikings Super Bowl season of 1976.