Tyvon Branch

Tyvon A. Branch (born December 11, 1986) is an American former professional football player who was a safety in the National Football League (NFL). He was selected by the Oakland Raiders in the fourth round of the 2008 NFL draft, and also played for the Kansas City Chiefs and Arizona Cardinals. He played college football for the Connecticut Huskies.

Early life Branch was born in Syracuse, New York. He played youth football as a member of the Sherman Park Bulldogs, winning two Pop Warner NY State championships. He was a two-sport athlete in high school playing football and running track, first at Nottingham before transferring to Cicero-North Syracuse. In football, he played running back for the Cicero Northstars. In track, Branch won the 2004 All-State Championships and was named Gatorade Track Athlete of the Year as a senior.

College career After high school graduation, Branch committed to the University of Connecticut in 2004, where he played free safety as a member of the UConn Huskies during his freshman and sophomore seasons. In his junior season in 2006, he was assigned to play cornerback.

Branch played in all 48 games during his time at UConn, playing as a member of special teams during the early phase of his college career before he was assigned to secondary postings. Branch mostly distinguished himself in kick returns earning 2nd-team all-conference accolades in his senior season. Branch and the Huskies played in two championships including the Hula Bowl.

Oakland Raiders The Oakland Raiders selected Branch in the fourth round (100th overall) of the 2008 NFL draft. The Raiders chose to draft Branch not only by his skills as a corner, but also his importance as a return specialist, due to the departure of all-time return leader Chris Carr. During his rookie season on September 14, 2008, Branch intercepted Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Damon Huard for his first career interception. Branch earned his first career start in the 2009 season opener on September 14 in a Monday night game against the San Diego Chargers, but was placed on season-ending injured reserve on November 5 with a shoulder injury.

He went on to have a breakout season for the Raiders in 2009 as the starting strong safety in all 16 games, finishing with 98 unassisted tackles and 26 assists, two forced fumbles, and a sack. He had his best game of the year in a win over the heavily favored Bengals with 12 tackles and a forced fumble. During the 2010 NFL season, he again started in all 16 games for an 8-8 team, recording 81 unassisted tackles and 23 assists.

In March 2012, the Raiders placed a franchise tag on Branch. On July 14, 2012, Branch signed a four-year, $26.6 million contract with the Raiders. On November 9, Branch was fined $15,750 for unnecessary roughness against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

Kansas City Chiefs On March 10, 2015, Branch signed a one-year contract with the Kansas City Chiefs.

Arizona Cardinals On March 9, 2016, Branch signed a two-year contract with the Arizona Cardinals worth $8 million with $5 million guaranteed until 2018. He was placed on injured reserve on October 4, 2016, with a groin injury. He was activated off injured reserve on December 2, 2016, prior to Week 13. He was placed back on injured reserve on December 13, 2016, after re-injuring his groin.

Branch entered the 2017 as the Cardinals' starting strong safety. During Thursday Night Football against the Seattle Seahawks on November 9, 2017, Branch suffered a torn ACL, ending his 2017 season.

NFL career statistics Year Team Games Tackles Interceptions Fumbles GP GS Comb Solo Ast Sack PD Int Yards TD FF FR Yards TD 2008 OAK 8 0 10 8 2 0.0 1 1 36 0 0 1 0 0 2009 OAK 16 16 124 98 26 1.0 8 0 0 0 2 0 0 0 2010 OAK 16 16 103 80 23 4.0 2 1 15 0 1 2 76 1 2011 OAK 16 16 109 80 29 1.0 4 1 0 0 0 1 0 0 2012 OAK 14 14 94 74 20 0.0 3 1 11 0 0 0 0 0 2013 OAK 2 2 5 4 1 1.0 3 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2014 OAK 3 3 30 23 7 1.0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2015 KAN 16 1 43 35 8 1.0 4 1 38 1 0 1 73 1 2016 ARI 6 5 28 25 3 0.0 4 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2017 ARI 9 9 69 54 15 0.0 6 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 Career 106 82 615 481 134 9.0 33 5 100 1 4 5 149 2

Personal life After undergoing season-ending surgery, Branch retired from football in 2017. He lives with his family in his hometown of Syracuse, New York. Upon retiring, Branch devoted time to charitable work including distributing food and clothing to families in need. He co-founded a free youth camp called Central New York (CNY) Football Academy. In 2021, Branch was inducted into the Greater Syracuse Sports Hall of Fame.