Number: | 61, 68 |
Position: | Guard |
Height Ft: | 6 |
Height In: | 2 |
Weight Lb: | 220 |
Birth Date: | 13 January 1958 |
Birth Place: | Vero Beach, Florida, U.S. |
Death Place: | Melbourne, Florida, U.S. |
Draftyear: | 1980 |
Draftround: | 12 |
Draftpick: | 333 |
High School: | Vero Beach |
College: | Florida A&M |
Teams: | |
Pastcoaching: |
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Highlights: |
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Statlabel1: | Games played |
Statvalue1: | 36 |
Statlabel2: | Games started |
Statvalue2: | 10 |
Pfr: | McGrTy20 |
Collegehof: | 1971 |
Tyrone K. McGriff Sr. (January 13, 1958 – December 9, 2000) was an American gridiron football player and coach. He is an inductee of the College Football Hall of Fame.
McGriff played college football as a guard for the Florida A&M Rattlers. 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. He was named an All-American of the NCAA College Division for the 1977, 1978, and 1979 seasons. McGriff was inducted to the Florida A&M athletic hall of fame in 1989.[1] He was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 1996.[2] McGriff was "Mr. Irrelevant" of the 1980 NFL draft, having been selected with the final pick (333rd overall). He went on to play in the National Football League (NFL) with the Pittsburgh Steelers for three seasons, and then played three seasons in the United States Football League (USFL). He was a member of the 1983 USFL champions as a starting guard for the Michigan Panthers, for whom he also played in 1984 before playing the 1985 season with the Memphis Showboats.
After his playing career, McGriff held several coaching roles in college football, including two games as interim head coach of the Bethune–Cookman Wildcats 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.[3] At the time of his death, he was employed as director of the Gifford Youth Activity Center in Vero Beach, Florida. He was survived by his two children, April and Tyrone McGriff Jr., and wife, Barbara Rollins McGriff.