Jacksonville Jaguars | |||||||||||||||
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Personal information | |||||||||||||||
Date of birth: | January 19, 1972 | ||||||||||||||
Place of birth: | Inkster, Michigan | ||||||||||||||
Height: | 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) | ||||||||||||||
Weight: | 235 lb (107 kg) | ||||||||||||||
Career information | |||||||||||||||
High school: | Dearborn Heights (MI) Robichaud | ||||||||||||||
College: | Michigan | ||||||||||||||
NFL Draft: | 1995 / Round: 1 / Pick: 17 | ||||||||||||||
Career history | |||||||||||||||
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As coach: | |||||||||||||||
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Career highlights and awards | |||||||||||||||
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Career NFL statistics | |||||||||||||||
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Rushing attempts: | 1,270 |
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Rushing yards: | 4,962 |
Rushing touchdowns: | 40 |
Receiving yards: | 900 |
Receiving touchdowns: | 7 |
Kickoff return yards: | 705 |
Player stats at NFL.com |
Tyrone Anthony Wheatley, Sr. (born January 19, 1972) is the running backs coach of the NFL's Jacksonville Jaguars and a former professional American football player who played 10 seasons in the National Football League (NFL) and was one of the most successful high school and collegiate athletes in Metropolitan Detroit history. In high school, he was a member of state-champion teams in both track and field and football, and he was named Michigan's track and field athlete of the year and football athlete of the year in the same academic year. He earned All-America track honors in both high school and college. Following his graduation as one of Michigan's best high school athletes, he attended the University of Michigan on an athletic scholarship and earned first-team All-Big Ten Conference honors on Big Ten Champion football and track teams. He ranks among the Wolverines' all-time rushing leaders in numerous categories, and his name appears in several places in the Big Ten football record book. He was named to All-Big Ten teams in football and track and field a total of four times, and he earned portions of seven Big Ten championships (two team awards for football, one team award for indoor track, one award for 110 meter hurdles, and three awards for individual football statistical performances).
Following his graduation from the University of Michigan, Wheatley was selected by the New York Giants of the NFL in the first round of the 1995 NFL Draft. As a running back for the Giants, he was the team's all-purpose yards leader in 1996 and their leading ballcarrier in 1997. Despite his success on the field, he developed a reputation for indolence. He was traded to the Miami Dolphins, but cut before the 1999 season began. He signed with the Oakland Raiders and flourished, leading the team in rushing three times and twice finishing among the NFL's top ten players in rushing touchdowns. During his NFL career (1995–2004), he totaled over 6,500 all-purpose yards as a running back and kickoff returner.