Byron Capers (born March 21, 1974) is a former American professional

Canadian football Canadian football () is a sport played in Canada in which two teams of 12 players each compete for territorial control of a field of play long and wide attempting to advance a pointed oval-shaped ball into the opposing team's scoring area ( ...

defensive back who played in the

Canadian Football League The Canadian Football League (CFL; french: Ligue canadienne de football—LCF) is a professional sports league in Canada. The CFL is the highest level of competition in Canadian football. The league consists of nine teams, each located in a ci ...

(CFL). He played college football at

Florida State Florida State University (FSU) is a public university, public research university in Tallahassee, Florida. It is a senior member of the State University System of Florida. Founded in 1851, it is located on the oldest continuous site of higher e ...

Early life and high school

Capers was born in

Washington, D.C. ) , image_skyline = , image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan, ...

, and grew up primarily in

Marietta, Georgia Marietta is a city in and the county seat of Cobb County, Georgia, United States. At the 2020 census, the city had a population of 60,972. The 2019 estimate was 60,867, making it one of Atlanta's largest suburbs. Marietta is the fourth larges ...

, where he attended Wheeler High School. As a senior, he was named first-team All-State and a second-team All-American by ''

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'' after making 117 tackles on defense and rushing for 1,305 yards on offense, as well as an All-American in track. Capers committed to play college football at Florida State University.

College career

Capers played four seasons for the Florida State Seminoles. As a freshman, he appeared mostly as a reserve safety and on special teams on the Seminoles 1993 national championship team. As a junior he was named second-team All- Atlantic Coast Conference. He was named first-team All-ACC in his senior season. Capers also competed on Florida State's track team and earned All-America status as a junior in the 4x100 relay.

Professional career

Capers was selected in the seventh round of the

1997 NFL Draft The 1997 NFL Draft was the procedure by which National Football League teams selected amateur college football players. It is officially known as the NFL Annual Player Selection Meeting. The draft was held April 19–20, 1997, at the Paramount T ...

by the

Philadelphia Eagles The Philadelphia Eagles are a professional American football team based in Philadelphia. The Eagles compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) East division. The team play ...

but was cut at the end training camp. He was signed by the

Kansas City Chiefs The Kansas City Chiefs are a professional American football team based in Kansas City, Missouri. The Chiefs compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) West division. The ...

to their practice squad on November 13, 1997. In 1998, Capers was signed by the

Toronto Argonauts The Toronto Argonauts (officially the Toronto Argonaut Football Club and colloquially known as the Argos) are a professional Canadian football team competing in the East Division of the Canadian Football League (CFL), based in Toronto, Ontario ...

of the

(CFL). Capers played three and a half seasons in Toronto before being traded to the

BC Lions The BC Lions are a professional Canadian football team based in Vancouver, British Columbia. The Lions compete in the West Division of the Canadian Football League (CFL), and play their home games at BC Place. The Lions played their first seas ...

in 2001. Capers was released by the Lions after three games and was signed by the

Winnipeg Blue Bombers The Winnipeg Blue Bombers are a professional Canadian football team based in Winnipeg, Manitoba. The Blue Bombers compete in the Canadian Football League (CFL) as a member club of the league's West division. They play their home games at IG Fie ...

where finished the season, recording four interceptions in seven games played. He was released by the Blue Bombers in August of the following season and was picked up by the

Ottawa Renegades The Ottawa Renegades were a Canadian Football League franchise based in Ottawa, Ontario founded in 2002, six years after the storied Ottawa Rough Riders folded. After four seasons, the Renegades franchise was suspended indefinitely by the league d ...

for the final three games of the season. Capers started the 2003 season with the Renegades before being released and was signed later in the season by the Edmonton Eskimos, where he was a member of the Grey Cup championship team but did not play in any games. He was re-signed by the Renegades in 2004.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Capers, Byron 1974 births Living people Canadian football defensive backs American players of Canadian football American football defensive backs Ottawa Renegades players Toronto Argonauts players Players of American football from Las Vegas Florida State Seminoles football players Edmonton Elks players Philadelphia Eagles players Kansas City Chiefs players Florida State Seminoles men's track and field athletes