Tyrone Wheatley tribute from WH
that is a great clip, I would plus 10 you if I could. I can't help but think Denard has that kind of game breaking speed, and look forward to seeing huge runs this year!
unreal combination of power and speed
The 88 yard run against Washington was always my favorite. He split the two safeties like they were stuck in cement.
That's awesome. I was only six his last season at Michigan, so I don't remember much about him other than what I can get from YouTube. Thanks!
about this guy... He was such a really fast wrecking ball. Always been a favorite of mine, and not just because of the jersey number.
Holy shit I am happy for that education by the Historian. I only had little idea how dangerous Wheatley was in space. And it was also a lesson in the effectiveness of great blocking. Great blocking + dangerous in space = WIN.
...Wheatley got a lot of pub. I remember both Tom Lemming and SuperPrep talking about him as a BIG-time track star and running back prospect.
It was a shame that he wasted his prime years in the NFL playing for a coach that openly hated him...
Tyrone Wheatley is perhaps THE reason why I became a UofM fan. My dad snagged tickets to UofM vs. Northwestern in 1991. We made the trek to Ann Arbor for my first college football game. Needless to say, when your first college game is at Michigan Stadium, and you see a team clobber Northwestern like they did that day, you tend to remember it.
Wheatley went for 140+ yards and 2 TDs that day. As I recall, Northwestern didn't even cross the 50 yard line until late in the 3rd. Just a dominating day. We sat right next to the tunnel and I gave the players high 5s when they went in after the game. Shaking hands with Wheatley and Grbac was just surreal. Even though I moved out of state a few months later, I followed Wheatley's career closely and he was always my favorite.
Hopefully Tyrone will be lured back to Ann Arbor from Syracuse one day to be our RB coach.
And (IME) he hadn't bulked up quite so much (possibly due to always breaking down) I still think he would have had a great NFL career. He had a good one, but never quite lived up to the obviously deserved hype of his college career. He was amazing when he was at Michigan, possibly Michigan's best back ever if he had just been more durable. That Rose Bowl game was simply put: sick.
He had a good one, but never quite lived up to the obviously deserved hype of his college career.
As I remember it, Reeves and Wheatley openly hated each other. Reeves wanted Rashan Salaam and was mad that the Giants' brass wouldn't go along. Wheatley, being young, wasn't exactly enthused about playing for Reeves behind Rodney Hampton (and didn't they have H. Walker for a bit?).
Once he got to Oakland, Wheatley had grown up a bit and he was playing for a guy that worshipped raw speed, so it was a much better fit and he put up good numbers.
tyrone wheatley: beast of a man. I have several fond memories of Wheatley. among my favorite Wolverines of all time.
There's also an Anthony Thomas tribute. Not as good as Wheatly IMO, but still a great back who I almost never hear mentioned around here.
I remembered Wheatley from when I was a kid, but I did not remember how fast that dude was. What a blazer! Would love to see him and Denard in a race...woooooo!
He was like our very own version of Bo Jackson as far as the rare size/speed combination. I love ATrain, Chris Perry, and Mike Hart...but I don't think we've had anyone as good as Wheatley since he left.
I think many forget just how good, or should I say special, he was. Too many recall the bigger back from the NFL that dealt with injuries. I remember this lightning fast guy that refused to go down. If only Hopkins had Wheatley's top acceleration. (I really like Hopkins after watching several of his games down here in Texas.)
Please scroll down a little. It's in mgolicious or whatever the heck that thing is.
Not many ever had that combination of speed and power.Leroy Hoard had the power but was a couple steps slower. As was the A Train .Tony Boles and Allen Jefferson didn't have quite the power