Tyrone K. McGriff Sr. (January 13, 1958 – December 9, 2000) was an American professional

football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kick (football), kicking a football (ball), ball to score a goal (sports), goal. Unqualified, football (word), the word ''football'' generally means the form of football t ...

player and coach. He is an inductee of the

College Football Hall of Fame The College Football Hall of Fame is a hall of fame and interactive Tourist attraction, attraction devoted to college football, college American football. The National Football Foundation (NFF) founded the Hall in 1951 to immortalize the players ...

Biography

McGriff played

college football College football is gridiron football that is played by teams of amateur Student athlete, student-athletes at universities and colleges. It was through collegiate competition that gridiron football American football in the United States, firs ...

as a

guard Guard or guards may refer to: Professional occupations * Bodyguard, who protects an individual from personal assault * Crossing guard, who stops traffic so pedestrians can cross the street * Lifeguard, who rescues people from drowning * Prison gu ...

for the

Florida A&M Rattlers The Florida A&M Rattlers represent Florida A&M University (FAMU) in college athletics. Florida A&M is a member of the Southwestern Athletic Conference and participates in NCAA Division I Football Championship Subdivision (FCS). FAMU offers men's s ...

. The team finished with records of 11–0 and 12–1 in his sophomore (1977) and junior (1978) seasons, including a victory in the

1978 NCAA Division I-AA Football Championship Game The 1978 NCAA Division I-AA Football Championship Game was a postseason college football game between the Florida A&M Rattlers football, Florida A&M Rattlers and the UMass Minutemen football, UMass Minutemen. The game was played on December 16, ...

. He was named an

All-America The All-America designation is an annual honor bestowed on outstanding athletes in the United States who are considered to be among the best athletes in their respective sport. Individuals receiving this distinction are typically added to an Al ...

n of the

NCAA College Division The NCAA College Division was a historic subdivision of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) consisting of member schools competing at a lower level of college sports. The NCAA initially divided schools into a College Division and a ...

for the 1977, 1978, and 1979 seasons. McGriff was inducted to the Florida A&M athletic hall of fame in 1989. He was inducted into the

in 1996. McGriff was " Mr. Irrelevant" of the

1980 NFL draft The 1980 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 29–30, 1980, at the New York Sh ...

, having been selected with the final pick (333rd overall). He went on to play in the

National Football League The National Football League (NFL) is a Professional gridiron football, professional American football league in the United States. Composed of 32 teams, it is divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National ...

(NFL) with the

Pittsburgh Steelers The Pittsburgh Steelers are a professional American football team based in Pittsburgh. The Steelers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC North, North division. Founded in 1933 P ...

for three seasons, and then played three seasons in the

United States Football League The United States Football League (USFL) was a professional American football league that played for three seasons, 1983 through 1985. The league played a spring/summer schedule in each of its active seasons. The 1986 season was scheduled to be ...

(USFL). He was a member of the 1983 USFL champions as a starting guard for the

Michigan Panthers The Michigan Panthers were a professional American football team based in Metro Detroit. The Panthers competed in the United States Football League (USFL) as a member of the Western Conference and Central Division. The team played its home gam ...

, for whom he also played in 1984 before playing the 1985 season with the

Memphis Showboats The Memphis Showboats were an American football franchise in the United States Football League. They entered the league in its expansion in 1984 and made the 1985 playoffs, losing in the semifinal round to the Oakland Invaders. Perhaps the ...

. After his playing career, McGriff held several coaching roles in college football, including two games as interim head coach of the

Bethune–Cookman Wildcats The Bethune–Cookman Wildcats are the athletic teams that represent Bethune–Cookman University in Daytona Beach, Florida. Bethune-Cookman is a member of the Southwestern Athletic Conference and participates in NCAA Division I Football Champio ...

in 1993. He also served as a head coach at three high schools in Florida. McGriff died in December 2000, two weeks after suffering of a heart attack. At the time of his death, he was employed as director of the Gifford Youth Activity Center in

Vero Beach, Florida Vero Beach is a city in and the county seat of Indian River County, Florida, United States. According to the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the city had a population of 16,354. Nicknamed "The Hibiscus City", Vero is situated about south ...

. He was survived by his two children, April and Tyrone McGriff Jr., and wife, Barbara Rollins McGriff.

Head coaching record

College

Notes

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:McGriff, Tyrone 1958 births 2000 deaths American football offensive guards Bethune–Cookman Wildcats football coaches Florida A&M Rattlers football coaches Florida A&M Rattlers football players Grambling State Tigers football coaches Memphis Showboats players Michigan Panthers players Pittsburgh Steelers players Tennessee State Tigers football coaches High school football coaches in Florida College Football Hall of Fame inductees Players of American football from Melbourne, Florida Sportspeople from Vero Beach, Florida Coaches of American football from Florida African-American coaches of American football 20th-century African-American sportsmen