Keith Byars Keith Alan Byars ( born October 14 , 1963 in Dayton , Ohio ) is an American sports broadcaster and former American football player in the National Football League for the Philadelphia Eagles , Miami Dolphins , New England Patriots and New York Jets . Early life . Byars attended high school at the now - defunct Roth High School in Dayton , Ohio and Trotwood Madison High School , in Trotwood , Ohio . College career . Byars was a tailback with the Ohio State Buckeyes from 1982 to 1985 , under head coach Earle Bruce . In 1984 , Byars finished second in the Heisman Trophy voting ( behind Doug Flutie ) after a season where he gained an OSU record 2 , 441 all - purpose yards , including a then - school record 1 , 764 rushing yards and 22 touchdowns . That season featured a game against Illinois ( Ohio State won this game 45 - 38 on October 13 , 1984 ) in which Byars led a comeback from a 24 - 0 deficit , rushing for 274 yards and five touchdowns , the last with 36 seconds remaining in the game . On his fourth touchdown run , going for 67 yards , he famously lost his left shoe at the Illini 40 but never broke stride . Byars was a unanimous first - team All - America selection , and voted the Big Ten Conference Most Valuable Player . His running backs coach that year was a young Jim Tressel , who would later become the Buckeyes ' head coach . Byars was a preseason favorite for the 1985 Heisman , but fractured the bone in his right foot near the little toe in preseason practice . He missed the first five games of the 1985 season , and returned too early . He reinjured the broken bone in his second game back and missed the remainder of the regular season . He attempted to return for the Citrus Bowl game on December 28 , but reinjured his foot again in the second Ohio State offensive series of the game . Many observers note that throughout the remainder of his football career Byars was never as dominant a player as he had been in 1984 . Despite losing almost his entire senior year , Byars finished his college career at Ohio State with 4 , 369 total yards , 3 , 200 rushing yards , and 50 touchdowns . His 50 touchdowns remain the second most in school history . Professional career . As a professional , he played fullback and tight end for the Philadelphia Eagles ( 1986 – 1992 ) , Miami Dolphins ( 1993 – 1996 ) , New England Patriots ( 1996 – 1997 ) , and the New York Jets ( 1998 ) . Byars was selected to the Pro Bowl in 1993 . A superb rusher , blocker , and pass receiver , Byars was a vital contributor for every team he played on . In 1988 he rushed for 517 yards , recorded 71 receptions ( ranking him 9th in the NFL ) , and scored 10 touchdowns . In the Eagles 20 - 12 loss to the Chicago Bears in the postseason , he rushed for 34 yards and caught 9 passes for 103 yards . In 1990 , he recorded 81 receptions for 819 yards , the third most receptions in the NFL , rushed for 141 yards , and even completed 4 of 4 passes for 53 yards and 4 touchdowns . In the 1996 season , Byars made his first and only championship appearance , playing with the Patriots in Super Bowl XXXI . His team lost the game 35 - 21 , but the 33 - year old Byars had a good performance in it , catching 4 passes for 42 yards and a touchdown . As a member of the New York Jets in 1998 , Byars is unfortunately best remembered for fumbling during the AFC Championship Game against the Denver Broncos ( which the Jets were winning at the time , 10 - 0 ) , which led to the Broncos scoring 23 unanswered points and winning the game . In his 13 seasons , Byars rushed for 3 , 109 yards , caught 610 passes for 5 , 661 yards , returned five kickoffs for 94 yards , and completed 6 of 13 passes for 119 yards and six touchdowns , with one interception . He also scored 54 touchdowns ( 23 rushing and 31 receiving ) . His six passing touchdowns are the third highest total by a running back in NFL history . After retirement . He is currently a television analyst for " New York Football Weekly " and " This Week in Football " on the YES Network . He also coached the Boca Raton High School varsity football team in Boca Raton , Florida from 2009 to September 2011 .