|
Getting your Trinity Audio player ready...
|
Did you know Florida A&M was the first university in the Sunshine State to win a college football national championship? Among the great players in FAMU history was Tyrone McGriff. Pictured below: McGriff (#64) and Florida A&M teammate Bobby Hawkins celebrate after the Rattlers defeated Grambling 31-7 in the 1978 Orange Blossom Classic held at the Orange Bowl. FAMU would go on to capture the first Division IAA national championship with a 35-28 victory over Massachusetts. Photo by Rick Crawford
A native of Vero Beach, McGriff was one of the most decorated players in FAMU history. He was a 3-time Division IAA All American as an offensive lineman and helped the Rattlers to a 23-1 record during his sophomore and junior years in 1977 and 1978. Although Florida A&M slipped to 7-4 his senior year in 1979, the Rattlers managed to pull off a stunning 16-13 victory over the University of Miami.
McGriff was the last player picked in the 1980 NFL Draft by the Pittsburgh Steelers—earning the title “Mr. Irrelevant”. But there was nothing irrelevant about McGriff’s football career. He made the team and played 3 seasons with the Steelers along with 3 seasons in the USFL with the Michigan Panthers and Memphis Showboats.
After his playing career, McGriff moved to Broward County and became a teacher and head football coach at Dillard High School and Fort Lauderdale High School. In 1996, he was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame. Tyrone McGriff passed away from a heart attack on December 9, 2000. He was 42 years old.
