David Tyree
 David Tyree re-enacting his famous catch at the Giants' Super Bowl XLII championship celebration in New York City. | |||||||||
| Career information | |||||||||
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| College: | Syracuse | ||||||||
| NFL draft: | 2003 / round: 6 / pick: 211 | ||||||||
| Career history | |||||||||
| Career highlights and awards | |||||||||
| Career NFL statistics as of 2009 | |||||||||
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David Mikel Tyree (born January 3, 1980, in Livingston, New Jersey) is a retired American football wide receiver and special teams player. He was drafted by the New York Giants in the sixth round of the 2003 NFL Draft. He played college football at Syracuse University.
Tyree has also played for the Baltimore Ravens. He earned a Pro Bowl selection in 2005 as a special teams player.
He is best known for his helmet catch on the Giants' final drive of Super Bowl XLII in the last few minutes of the fourth quarter, that was instrumental to the Giants' final-minute touchdown and a 17–14 victory over the previously undefeated New England Patriots. During the play, Eli Manning avoided being sacked and threw a deep pass over the middle of the field which Tyree caught and pinned to the top of his helmet during his jump. He managed to keep control of the ball on his way to the ground while being tackled by safety Rodney Harrison. Tyree never made a catch for the rest of his career.
Early years
Tyree played high school football and was a three year varsity letterman at Montclair High School in Montclair, New Jersey, where he was selected as a Blue Chip Illustrated All-American.[1]
College career
Over Tyree's career at Syracuse, he ranked 13th on the career receiving record list with 1,214 yards, including 229 yards against Virginia Tech in 2002. He also developed a reputation for being an excellent special teams player, amassing six blocked punts.[2]
Professional career
New York Giants
Tyree was primarily a backup for the Giants, never amassing more than 19 catches in a single season. However, he was known as an exceptional special teamer, and he earned a Pro Bowl selection in 2005 as a special teams player.
During the 2007 season, Tyree amassed 4 receptions for 35 yards with no touchdowns, however his utilization in Super Bowl XLII was perhaps his most relevant contribution.[3]
Tyree made two key plays in Super Bowl XLII. First he caught a five-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Eli Manning, Tyree's first of the season, that gave the Giants a 10-7 lead late in the game.[4] Later, on a 3rd-and-5 with 1:15 remaining and trailing 14-10, Manning eluded a sack and threw 32 yards downfield toward Tyree. In Manning's words, the ball "floated" high.[5]
Tyree leaped and caught the ball fully extended, bringing it down against his helmet with his right hand, while the New England Patriots' Rodney Harrison pulled violently downward on that arm, simultaneously wrenching Tyree arching backwards towards the turf. Tyree, who managed to get a second hand on the ball during the descent, seemingly kept the ball only inches from the turf, thereafter struggling successfully for possession while Harrison tried to steal the ball away from him on the ground.[4][6] "I told you. He's a gamer," Eli commented to his brother, Peyton, regarding Tyree, after the game.[7] ESPN Sportscenter designated it the greatest play in Super Bowl history the following day. It was later voted for the 2008 ESPY award for Play of the Year. The pass moved the Giants to the Patriots' 24-yard line. Four plays and 24 seconds later, Manning threw a 13-yard touchdown pass to Plaxico Burress for the winning touchdown. The final score of Super Bowl XLII was Giants 17, Patriots 14.[8] Tyree dedicated this catch, which remains the last catch he has made in an NFL game, to his mother, Thelma, who died of a heart attack that year.
In 2008, Tyree was placed on injured reserve for a knee injury suffered during training camp after being on the physically-unable-to-perform list most of the season. Tyree was released during the final cuts on September 5, 2009.[9]
Baltimore Ravens
Tyree was signed by the Baltimore Ravens on October 13, 2009 after working out with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
Retirement
Tyree signed a 1-day contract with the New York Giants to announce his retirement from the NFL as a Giant on July 29, 2010.[10]
Personal
Tyree is married to Leilah, and they have four children: two sons— Teyon and Josiah, and twin daughters— Sophia and Hannah. They reside in Wayne, New Jersey. He is a devout Christian. He has made appearances at the 2008 and 2009 Christian concert "BattleCry".[11]
See also
References
- ^ "NFL Players: David Tyree". Retrieved 2008-02-05.
- ^ "David Tyree Profile". Retrieved 2008-02-05.
- ^ http://www.nfl.com/players/davidtyree/profile?id=TYR159366
- ^ a b Youngmisuk, Ohm (2008-02-04). "David Tyree catches on in Super way". Daily News. New York. Retrieved 2008-02-05.
- ^ [Post-game mic recording Fox News Eli Manning and Peyton Manning.]
- ^ "Name the Eli Manning-David Tyree pass". Archived from the original on 2008-02-09. Retrieved 2008-02-05.
- ^ {Fox & Friends microphone session.}
- ^ "'Supernatural' catch by Tyree a play for the ages". Retrieved 2008-02-05.
- ^ http://www.nfl.com/news/story?id=09000d5d81267676&template=without-video-with-comments&confirm=true
- ^ Youngmisuk, Ohm (29 July 2010). "David Tyree to retire as a Giant". Retrieved 29 July 2010.
- ^ "Moving forward, Giants GM Jerry Reese has put SBXLII in his rearview mirror". Retrieved 2008-02-23.
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External links
- 1980 births
- Living people
- People from Montclair, New Jersey
- People from Essex County, New Jersey
- Players of American football from New Jersey
- African American players of American football
- National Conference Pro Bowl players
- American Christians
- American football wide receivers
- Syracuse Orange football players
- New York Giants players
- Baltimore Ravens players