Tyrone Wheatley facts for kids

Tyrone Anthony Wheatley Sr. (born January 19, 1972) is an American college football coach and a former professional football player. He is currently the head football coach for Wayne State University, a job he started in 2023. Before that, he was a running backs coach for the Denver Broncos in the National Football League (NFL). He played as a running back for 10 seasons in the NFL.

In high school, Tyrone Wheatley was named Michigan's best athlete in both football and track and field. He went to the University of Michigan. There, he earned top honors in both football and track. He is one of Michigan's all-time best rushers in many ways. He also holds several records in Big Ten football. He was named to All-Big Ten teams four times in football and track. He helped his teams win seven Big Ten championships.

After college, the New York Giants picked Wheatley in the first round of the 1995 NFL draft. He was later traded to the Miami Dolphins, but he left before the 1999 season. He then joined the Oakland Raiders. He led the Raiders in rushing three times. He also finished among the NFL's top ten players in rushing touchdowns twice. During his NFL career (1995–2004), he gained over 6,500 total yards as a running back and kickoff returner.

After retiring from the NFL, Wheatley went back to his hometown. He coached at his old high school, Hamilton J. Robichaud High School. He has also coached running backs for several college teams. These include the Ohio Northern Polar Bears, the Eastern Michigan Eagles, the Syracuse Orange, and the Michigan Wolverines. He also coached for NFL teams like the Buffalo Bills and the Jacksonville Jaguars.

Early Life and Challenges

Tyrone Wheatley was born in Inkster, Michigan. His father passed away when Tyrone was two years old. His stepfather died when he was 13. This left Tyrone, his sister, and his younger half-brother, Leslie Mongo. Tyrone's mother faced difficulties, and he and his sister moved in with an aunt. Tyrone took on a big role in caring for his younger siblings and cousins.

He started playing sports at a young age. He ran track competitively as an eight-year-old. He was very disciplined. Because of his family situation, he became a leader early on. He made sure his younger siblings knew they could always count on him. When he played in the NFL, he moved his youngest brother, Leslie, to New Jersey for school. This helped Leslie avoid problems in their hometown. Leslie later became a great athlete in high school. He went on to play college football at Utah State.

School Sports Achievements

High School Star

The Silverdome hosted the MHSAA state football championships from 1976 to 2004.

Wheatley went to Hamilton J. Robichaud High School in Dearborn Heights, Michigan. He became a nine-time state champion in Michigan. He won seven individual titles in track and field. He also won one team title in track and field and one in football. He is one of the highest-scoring football players in Michigan high school history. He led his high school to a state football championship. He played eight different positions and was named Michigan Football Player of the Year. In the 1990 state championship game, he ran for 165 yards and a touchdown. His team won 21–7. That season, his team had a 12–1 record and won their only state football championship. Many people say he was the greatest football player in Michigan High School history.

In track and field, he won the Michigan High School Track and Cross Country Athlete of the Year award in 1991. He won seven individual state championships in Class B. He won the long jump, 100 meters, and 110 meter hurdles in both his junior and senior years. He also won the 200 meters as a junior. In his junior year, he led his school to the state Class B track championship. He was the first person to win four individual track and field state titles in the same year in Michigan history. His long jump record from 1991 (24 feet, 7 inches) was retired. His 100-meter time (10.59 seconds, 1990) still ranks high in state history. His 110-meter hurdles time (13.87 seconds, 1991) also ranked high. He was an All-American in track. He also played basketball and could slam dunk. He even claimed to have dunked from the foul line, like famous players Julius Erving and Michael Jordan.

College Days at Michigan

Wheatley earned the 1993 Rose Bowl MVP.

Tyrone Wheatley chose to stay in Michigan and attend the University of Michigan on a sports scholarship. He played running back for the football team for four years. He also ran on the track team for three years. He was highly honored in both sports. He earned first-team All-Big Ten honors on teams that won championships in both football and track. He also earned All-American honors in track. In football, he set many school records. In track, he achieved some of the fastest times in school history. His coaches said he was always on time, in good shape, and played even when injured. He was known for putting his team first.

Wheatley wore #6 for the Michigan Wolverines football team from 1991 to 1994. By the end of the 2007 season, he was third in Michigan football history in career points. He was second in career touchdowns with 47 rushing touchdowns, six receiving touchdowns, and one kickoff return for a touchdown. His 47 rushing touchdowns ranked among the top in Big Ten history. In 1992, he was the Big Ten rushing and scoring champion. He won the Big Ten Offensive Player of the Year Award that season. He was named the MVP of the 1993 Rose Bowl. In that game, he ran for 235 yards on 15 carries, including long touchdown runs.

He ranks fifth on Michigan's career rushing yards list with 4,178 yards. His 7.3 yards per carry in 1992 is a Michigan single-season record. He was a three-time All-Big Ten selection. As a freshman in 1991, he set a Michigan freshman record for yards per attempt. In his sophomore year (1992), he became a first-team All-Big Ten player. He rushed for 1,357 yards and 13 touchdowns. He also had 3 receiving touchdowns and a kickoff return touchdown. By the end of his junior year, he had the most touchdowns by a running back in Michigan history. He finished 8th in the 1993 Heisman Trophy race. He stayed at Michigan for another year to try and get his degree.

In college track, Wheatley earned varsity letters from 1993–1995. In 1994, he was the Big Ten outdoor 110 metre hurdles champion. He was also part of the men's indoor track and field team that won the indoor Big Ten team championship. He placed eighth at the 1995 NCAA outdoor championships in the 110-meter hurdles, earning him All-American honors. He had some of the fastest times in Michigan history for the 60m, 100m, and 110m hurdles.

College Statistics

Playing in the NFL

New York Giants Years (1995–1998)

The New York Giants picked Wheatley in the first round of the 1995 NFL draft. He signed a five-year contract with the team. The Giants saw Wheatley as their future star running back. However, Wheatley was not used much and started only eight games in four seasons with the Giants. He also returned kickoffs for the team. In 1996, he led the team in total yards gained, but he had some fumbles.

There were some challenges for Wheatley with the Giants. He had an injury early in his rookie training camp. He also sometimes had trouble focusing in meetings and practices. In 1997, the Giants made the playoffs. Wheatley led the team in carries that season. He had his first 100-yard game on October 12, running for 102 yards. An ankle injury made him miss the last two regular season games and a playoff game.

By 1998, Wheatley was the longest-serving running back on the Giants. He was sometimes inactive for games. He felt he was treated unfairly in New York. His teammates generally liked him and saw his great talent. However, he also had physical problems and was injured during parts of training camps. After the 1998 season, Wheatley was traded to the Miami Dolphins.

Oakland Raiders Success (1999–2004)

As a Raider, Wheatley had five 100-yard rushing games in home wins at the Oakland Coliseum (left) and two in losses against the Seattle Seahawks at the Kingdome (center) and Husky Stadium (right).

The Dolphins released Wheatley after only one week of training camp. The Oakland Raiders then signed him on August 4, 1999. He joined the Raiders to help their running game.

In Oakland, Wheatley found much greater success. He rushed for over 1,000 yards in a season. He led the Raiders in rushing three times. He also played in three straight playoffs, including one Super Bowl. He finished in the top-10 in the NFL for rushing touchdowns twice. He is the seventh leading rusher in Oakland Raider history with 3,682 yards. Seven of his eight career 100-yard rushing games happened while he was a Raider.

Jon Gruden Era (1999–2001)

Jon Gruden's west coast offense brought out the best in veterans like Wheatley.

Wheatley quickly showed his potential with the Raiders. He had both the power to run inside and the speed to run outside. He became very popular in Oakland. His coach, Jon Gruden, even joked with him.

In 1999, Wheatley was the Raiders' top rusher. He had multiple 100-yard games that season. The team worked well together, and many veteran players had their best seasons with Wheatley. For example, quarterback Rich Gannon made his first four Pro Bowl appearances with Wheatley on the team.

Wheatley had the best season of his career in 2000. The Raiders went 12–4 and reached the AFC Championship game. Wheatley rushed for 1,046 yards and 9 touchdowns. He also caught 20 passes for 156 yards. He had a career-high three 100-yard rushing games that season. In the playoffs, Wheatley had his career-high of 56 rushing yards and his only playoff touchdown.

In 2001, the Raiders' offense focused more on passing. Wheatley started only three games and had fewer catches. The team still went 10–6 and made the playoffs. Wheatley had 88 carries and tied for the team lead in rushing touchdowns with 6.

Bill Callahan Era (2002–2003)

Under new coach Bill Callahan, the 2002 Raiders relied more on other running backs. Wheatley had more carries than in 2001 but did not start any games. He played in three playoff games, including Super Bowl XXXVII against his former coach Gruden. In the Super Bowl, Wheatley had one catch for seven yards. Even though the Raiders lost the Super Bowl, Tyrone Wheatley was re-signed.

In 2003, Wheatley became the Raiders' leading rusher again. He was the sixth player to lead the Raiders in rushing three times. The 2003 Raiders finished with a 4–12 record. Wheatley's only 100-yard rushing game that season came on November 16.

Norv Turner Era (2004)

Wheatley's performance in 2003 was enough for the Raiders to keep him for the 2004 season with new coach Norv Turner. The 2004 Raiders used several different runners. Wheatley had his final 100-yard rushing game on September 26, running for 102 yards. Wheatley's playing career ended in week 12 of the season, on November 28, 2004, due to a hamstring injury.

NFL Career Statistics

Becoming a Coach

After his NFL career, Wheatley could not fully recover from his hamstring injury. He retired from playing and went back to Ann Arbor, Michigan. In 2005, he volunteered as a track coach at the University of Michigan. He also finished his bachelor's degree in sport management. In November 2006, he was hired as the track coach at his high school, Robichaud High School. After leading the track team to a conference title, he also became the football coach. To prepare, he worked with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers as a coaching intern in 2006.

As a football coach in 2007, Wheatley's team started with a 6–1 record. They made the state playoffs for the first time in 13 years. This was a big improvement from the previous year when the team went 0–9. His team finished with a 9–2 record.

In 2008, he joined the coaching staff for Team Michigan in a new football league. He was supposed to be the running backs coach, but the league never started. He also interned with the Pittsburgh Steelers during their training camp in 2008. Later that year, he became an assistant coach at Ohio Northern University, coaching running backs. After that, he was hired as a running backs coach at Eastern Michigan University for the 2009 season.

In February 2010, he became a coach at Syracuse University. In 2013, he moved to the Buffalo Bills, which was his first NFL coaching job. In 2015, Tyrone returned to his college alma mater, the University of Michigan. He coached the running backs there under new head coach Jim Harbaugh.

In January 2017, the Jacksonville Jaguars hired Wheatley as their running backs coach. He rejoined Doug Marrone, who became the Jaguars' head coach. Wheatley and other coaches were let go by the Jaguars after the 2018 season. On February 6, 2019, Wheatley was named head coach of Morgan State Bears football.

After the 2021 season, Wheatley went back to the NFL. He became the running backs coach for the new Denver Broncos head coach, Nathaniel Hackett. On January 26, 2023, Wheatley was named head football coach at Wayne State University in Detroit.

Personal Life

Tyrone Wheatley and his wife, Kimberly, have three sons and two daughters. Their first child, Tyrone Jr. (known as TJ), was born in 1997. In 2012, Wheatley was chosen to be part of the Michigan Sports Hall of Fame.

On February 4, 2015, Tyrone Jr. signed to play football for his father's old college, Michigan. Before Michigan hired Jim Harbaugh as coach and his father as a staff member, TJ was considering other big schools. On December 11, 2016, Tyrone's son, Terius, committed to play football for the Virginia Tech Hokies.

Head Coaching Record

College

See also

• Lists of Michigan Wolverines football rushing leaders