Born and raised in Metro Detroit, Tyrone Wheatley is true to his roots. The former NFL running back and Michigan star was introduced Thursday as the new head football coach at Wayne State University, and boy is he happy to be home.
"Now I can wear my Detroit Lions, my Detroit Red Wings, my Tigers, my Pistons, I can wear it with pride, without fight," Wheatley said with a smile.
While spending last season as running backs coach of the Denver Broncos, Wheatley said he wore Red Wings gear to the facility every day. And when the Stanley-Cup winning Avalanche paid the Broncos a visit, Wheatley refused to take pictures with the Wings' longtime rival.
"I don’t know if you understand the rivalry between the Avalanche and the Red Wings. I would wear my Red Wings gear in the facility every single day. Every single day," Wheatley said. "They brought the Stanley Cup to the facility to take a picture with and asked me if I wanted to take a picture. I had my Red Wings stuff on, I said, 'No I do not want to take a picture. No, I do not. I’m a Red Wings fan.' And I’m happy to be home."
Wheatley, 51, is bringing his football life full circle. He started both his playing career and his coaching career in these parts, at Robichaud High in Dearborn Heights. He returned to the state twice as a coach, first at Eastern Michigan in 2009, then at his alma mater from 2015-16, and always felt the tug of home. Now he should be back for a while.
"As they always say, there is no place like home," Wheatley said. "No matter where I have been, I've always tried to recruit the state of Michigan and the city of Detroit."
During coaching stints with both the Bills and Jaguars, Wheatley worked under Doug Marrone. Marrone said he learned a lot about him during that time, from his "knowledge of the game" and his "attention to details" to his ability to connect with the people around him. Maybe most of all, Marrone learned this about Wheatley:
"He's a Michigan man through and through, and he's extremely proud of his home state. That's an excellent starting point for his new endeavor."
Wheatley has his work cut out for him at Wayne State, a Division II program coming off a 1-9 season. But if anyone can revive the Warriors, it's a man who knows what winners look like in Detroit.