Read more: Syracuse, Orange, Doug Marrone, Tyrone Wheatley, College, NCAA Football
SYRACUSE -- Former University of Michigan standout Tyrone Wheatley is joining Syracuse University head football coach Doug Marrone’s staff as the running backs coach. A three-time All-Big Ten running back, Wheatley enjoyed a 10-year career in the National Football League, playing for the New York Giants and the Oakland Raiders. Wheatley joins the Orange after serving as the running backs coach at Eastern Michigan University in 2009.Wheatley brings five years of coaching experience to the Orange, including four in football and one in track & field. The 17th overall pick in the 1995 NFL draft by the New York Giants, Wheatley played for Giants (1995-98) and the Oakland Raiders (1999-2004).
At Eastern Michigan, Wheatley mentored the running backs, served as the recruiting coordinator and was responsible for EMU’s high school football camps. Wheatley began his football collegiate coaching career as at Ohio Northern University in a coaching internship sponsored by the NFL in 2008. He was also the head football and boys track coach at Dearborn Heights Robichaud H.S. in 2006 and 2007. He began his coaching career the sprints and hurdles for the Michigan track & field program in 2005-06.
Wheatley was a Minority Coaching Fellow with the Pittsburgh Steelers in 2008 and with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in 2006. In May 2008, he served as an evaluator at the Rising Stars Football Camp at the University of Southern California. Wheatley assisted with the formation of Team Michigan in the All-American Football League in 2007 and coached the running backs in 2007 and 2008. In addition, Wheatley owned and operated B.L.A.S.T., a company that was designed to work with athletes on balance, speed and training techniques, from 2006 through 2008.
The Inkster, Mich. Native, was named the 1992 Big Ten Player of the Year and earned the 1994 Rose Bowl and the 1994 Hall of Fame Bowl Most Valuable Player awards. A three-time All-Big Ten selection (1992, 1993 and 1994), Wheatley was also an All-Big Ten honoree in track and field from 1993-95. Wheatley ranks fourth on the Michigan career rushing yards record list (4,178 yards on 688 carries) and is second in career rushing touchdowns (47). Wheatley holds the Michigan single-season yards per carry record (7.34 in 1992) and averaged a school-record 15.7 yards per carry in the 1993 Rose Bowl win against Washington. His 20 100-yard rushing games is third in Michigan history. Wheatley gained 4,688 career rushing and receiving yards, which ranks fourth on the Michigan record list.
Wheatley earned his bachelor’s degree in kinesiology from Michigan in 2008. He and his wife, Kimberly, have three sons and two daughters.
Courtesy: SU Athletics
