Tyrone Christopher Hughes (born January 14, 1970) is a former

American football American football (referred to simply as football in the United States and Canada), also known as gridiron, is a team sport played by two teams of eleven players on a rectangular field with goalposts at each end. The offense, the team wit ...

cornerback A cornerback (CB) is a member of the defensive backfield or secondary in gridiron football. Cornerbacks cover receivers most of the time, but also blitz and defend against such offensive running plays as sweeps and reverses. They create turnove ...

in the

National Football League The National Football League (NFL) is a professional American football league that consists of 32 teams, divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National Football Conference (NFC). The NFL is one of the ma ...

for the

New Orleans Saints The New Orleans Saints are a professional American football team based in New Orleans. The Saints compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) South division. Since 1975, the te ...

Chicago Bears The Chicago Bears are a professional American football team based in Chicago. The Bears compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) North division. The Bears have won nine ...

, and

Dallas Cowboys The Dallas Cowboys are a professional American football team based in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex. The Cowboys compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) East divis ...

. He played college football at the

University of Nebraska A university () is an institution of higher (or tertiary) education and research which awards academic degrees in several academic disciplines. ''University'' is derived from the Latin phrase ''universitas magistrorum et scholarium'', which ...

Early years

Hughes attended and graduated from St. Augustine High School in New Orleans, where he played football,

baseball Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each, taking turns batting and fielding. The game occurs over the course of several plays, with each play generally beginning when a player on the fielding ...

basketball Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular court, compete with the primary objective of shooting a basketball (approximately in diameter) through the defender's h ...

and ran track. He played as a

until his senior season, when he was switched to offense and was named the Louisiana Offensive Player of the Year and the Athlete of the Year. He had 62 carries for 845 yards, 20 receptions for 601 yards and 22 touchdowns from his wingback position. He averaged 40.4 yards on kickoff returns and 14 yards on punt returns.

College career

Hughes accepted a football scholarship from the

. As a freshman, he appeared in 11 games and played as a backup split end in a run-oriented offense. He registered 5 receptions for 72 yards and 2 touchdowns, 12 carries for 13 yards. He ranked fourth in the

Big Eight Conference The Big Eight Conference was a National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA)-affiliated Division I-A college athletic association that sponsored football. It was formed in January 1907 as the Missouri Valley Intercollegiate Athletic Associat ...

in punt returns (15), second in return yards (227) and first in punt return average (15.1). As a sophomore, he posted 10 carries for 113 yards and one touchdown, 17 carries for 59 yards, while leading the conference in kickoff return yards (523). He ranked second in the conference and 16th in the

NCAA The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) is a nonprofit organization that regulates student athletics among about 1,100 schools in the United States, Canada, and Puerto Rico. It also organizes the athletic programs of colleges and ...

in punt returns at 12.4. He was seventh in the conference in all-purpose yards with 92 yards a game. He led the conference, ranked third in the

and set a school single-season record with a 29.1-yard average on 18 kickoff returns. Against

Kansas State University Kansas State University (KSU, Kansas State, or K-State) is a public land-grant research university with its main campus in Manhattan, Kansas, United States. It was opened as the state's land-grant college in 1863 and was the first public insti ...

, he set a school single-game record with 3 returns for 1,515 yards, including a 99-yarder for a touchdown and tied the

single-game record with 247 total kick returns yards. As a junior, he opened the season as a starter at split end, but suffered a broken wrist in the eighth game against the

University of Colorado Boulder The University of Colorado Boulder (CU Boulder, CU, or Colorado) is a public research university in Boulder, Colorado. Founded in 1876, five months before Colorado became a state, it is the flagship university of the University of Colorado s ...

. The injury forced him to switch to cornerback for the final 4 games. He tallied 12 receptions for 208 yards and 2 touchdowns, while ranking third in the conference in kickoff returns (16) and second in return yards (338). As a senior, he started 4 games at split end, while seeing time at

and

free safety Safety is a position in gridiron football on the defense. The safeties are defensive backs who line up ten to fifteen yards from the line of scrimmage. There are two variations of the position: the free safety and the strong safety. Their dutie ...

. He had 4 receptions for 58 yards. He was the team's top returner averaging 21.9 yards on kickoffs and 10.4 yards on punts. He ranked second in the conference in kickoff returns (19) and first in return yards (424). He became the first Nebraska player in 26 years to play offense (split end) and defense (cornerback) in the same game (against the

University of Missouri The University of Missouri (Mizzou, MU, or Missouri) is a public land-grant research university in Columbia, Missouri. It is Missouri's largest university and the flagship of the four-campus University of Missouri System. MU was founded ...

), when he was designated the spy safety for

quarterback The quarterback (commonly abbreviated "QB"), colloquially known as the "signal caller", is a position in gridiron football. Quarterbacks are members of the offensive platoon and mostly line up directly behind the offensive line. In modern Ame ...

Charlie Ward Charlie Ward Jr. (born October 12, 1970) is a former American professional basketball player. Ward was an exceptional football player as well, winning the Heisman Trophy, Davey O'Brien Award, and College Football National Championship while quart ...

in the

1993 Orange Bowl The 1993 Orange Bowl was a college football bowl game played on January 1, 1993. This 59th edition to the Orange Bowl featured the Nebraska Cornhuskers, and the Florida State Seminoles. Nebraska came into the game ranked number 11 at 9–2. Flori ...

. Hughes was a

special teams In American football, the specific role that a player takes on the field is referred to as their "position". Under the modern rules of American football, both teams are allowed 11 players on the field at one time and have "unlimited free substitu ...

standout, leading the

in kickoff returns in each of his last three years and his team in each of his four seasons. He finished as the school's record-holder in kickoff returns and second all-time in career punt returns. He finished his college career with 31 receptions for 451 yards, 33 carries for 81 yards, 5 receiving

touchdown A touchdown (abbreviated as TD) is a scoring play in gridiron football. Whether running, passing, returning a kickoff or punt, or recovering a turnover, a team scores a touchdown by advancing the ball into the opponent's end zone. In Americ ...

s, a 12.3-yard average on 68 punt returns, a 23.4-yard average and a touchdown on 65 kickoff returns. In 2000, he was named to the Nebraska Cornhuskers All-Century team. He ran track for one season as a senior, running the leg of the

4 × 100 metres relay The 4 × 100 metres relay or sprint relay is an athletics track event run in lanes over one lap of the track with four runners completing 100 metres each. The first runners must begin in the same stagger as for the individ ...

en route to a second-place finish in the

Professional career

New Orleans Saints

Hughes was selected by the

in the fifth round (137th overall) of the

1993 NFL Draft The 1993 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 25–26, 1993, at the Marriot M ...

, with the intention of playing him at

. As a rookie, he played mostly on

and only saw time on defense until the season finale, when he was forced into action because of injuries. He had four special teams tackles in the season. In the fifth game against the

Los Angeles Rams The Los Angeles Rams are a professional American football team based in the Greater Los Angeles, Los Angeles metropolitan area. The Rams compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC Wes ...

, he returned a punt 74 yards for a touchdown and his 128 total punt return yards were third-most in Saints history. Against the

Minnesota Vikings The Minnesota Vikings are a professional American football team based in Minneapolis. They compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the National Football Conference (NFC) North division. Founded in 1960 as an expansio ...

, he returned a kickoff 99 yards for a touchdown to tie the game, that the Saints won 17-14. Against 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 ...

, he set a club record with an 83-yard punt return. He led the league in punt return yards (503) and punt return average (13.6), while being ranked second in kickoff returns with a 25.1-yard average. His 503 punt return yards broke the team record of 436 yards set by Jeff Groth in 1986. He was the first player in franchise history to return 2 punts for touchdowns in a season and a career. He became the fourth rookie in franchise history to earn

Pro Bowl The National Football League All-Star Game (1939–1942), Pro Bowl (1951–2022), or Pro Bowl Games (starting in 2023) is an annual event held by the National Football League (NFL) featuring the league's star players. The format has changed thro ...

recognition. He also received NFL All-rookie honors as a returner. In 1994, the Saints continued the process of trying to convert him into a

under the tutelage of the secondary assistant coach Jim L. Mora, with mixed results. It proved to be his best season, as he started in 4 games at right cornerback and one as part of a 6 defensive back set. He recorded 36 tackles (31 solo), 2 interceptions, 7 passes defensed, 2 fumble recoveries and 2 fumbles returned for touchdowns. Against the Atlanta Falcons, he set a team record with 8 kickoff returns (196 yards). On October 23, in a win against the

, he set the

NFL The National Football League (NFL) is a professional American football league that consists of 32 teams, divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National Football Conference (NFC). The NFL is one of the maj ...

record for most kickoff return yards in a single-game (304) and the most combined kickoff/punt return yards in a game (347). He had 2 kickoff returns for touchdowns that same game which tied another league record and set a club record. He also made his first start at right cornerback in place of an injured Carl Lee and made the first interception of his career. He tied two

records for most kickoff returns (63 yards) and kickoff return yards (1,556). He was sixth in the NFC with a 24.7-yard kickoff return average. In 1995, he played in all 16 games, primarily in the

dime defense In American football, the dime defense is a defensive alignment that uses six defensive backs. It is usually employed in obvious passing situations. The formation usually consists of six defensive backs, usually two safeties, and four cornerback ...

, posting 18 tackles, 2 interceptions and 5 passes defensed. He finished third in the NFC in kickoff returns (24.5-yard average), eighth in the conference in punt returns (9.4-yard average). His 66 total kickoff returns and 1,617 kickoff return yards, broke the

and Saints records of 63 and 1,556 he established the previous season. His 1,879 total kickoff and punt return yards, fell 51 yards short of the

's single-season mark of 1,930 held by Brian Mitchell (1994). He tallied 94 combined kickoff and punt returns, which tied him for third-most in league history. In 1996, he was able to set the

record for kickoff return yards in a season (1,791) and combined kickoff and punt return yards in a season (1,943). He led the league in number of kickoff returns and return yards from 1994 to 1996. Hughes left as the franchise career record holder for kickoff return yards (5,717), punt return yards (1,060) and

returns (5). He also finished with 67 tackles, 4 interceptions and 4 fumble recoveries. In 2015, he was inducted into the

New Orleans Saints Hall of Fame The New Orleans Saints are a professional American football team based in New Orleans. The Saints compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) South division. Since 1975, the tea ...

Chicago Bears

On April 11, 1997, he signed a lucrative

free agent In professional sports, a free agent is a player who is eligible to sign with other clubs or franchises; i.e., not under contract to any specific team. The term is also used in reference to a player who is under contract at present but who is a ...

contract with the

. He struggled on

and couldn't find a way to contribute on defense or offense, with the Bears trying him also at wide receiver. He was declared inactive for the last two games of the season. He was released on April 24, 1998.

Baltimore Ravens

On July 30, 1998, he was signed as a

by the

Baltimore Ravens The Baltimore Ravens are a professional American football team based in Baltimore, Maryland. The Ravens compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the American Football Conference (AFC) North division. The team plays it ...

. He was released on August 25.

Dallas Cowboys

On December 4, 1998, he was signed as a

by the

, who had their top returners injured and needed help for their remaining games and playoff push. He posted 11 kickoff returns for 274 yards (24.9 avg.) and 10 punt returns for 93 yards (9.3 avg.). He was not re-signed after the season.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Hughes, Tyrone 1970 births Living people Players of American football from New Orleans St. Augustine High School (New Orleans) alumni American football return specialists Nebraska Cornhuskers football players Nebraska Cornhuskers men's track and field athletes New Orleans Saints players Chicago Bears players Dallas Cowboys players National Conference Pro Bowl players