Tennessee Titans helmet sits on the field with a (89) sticker in honor of former NFL player and broadcaster Frank Wycheck before an NFL football game between the Tennessee Titans and the Houston Texans, Sunday, Dec. 17, 2023, in Nashville, Tenn. Wycheck, died last week. (AP Photo/George Walker IV)
Former Music City Miracle tight end Frank Wycheck, a member of the Tennessee Titans
Frank Wycheck, a former tight end for the Tennessee Titans who shared a memorable moment in the team’s history, passed away. 52 was his age.
According to a family statement, Wycheck was found unconscious on Saturday afternoon after he fell and hit his head at his Chattanooga home.
A key player in the Music City Miracle, an AFC wild-card game against the Buffalo Bills on January 8, 2000, was Wycheck, a Titans player from 1995 to 2003. With 16 seconds remaining, the Titans were down one point to the Buffalo Bills when Lorenzo Neal fielded a short, high kickoff. Wycheck then passed the ball across the field to Kevin Dyson, who ran 75 yards for the touchdown that gave the Titans a 22-16 victory.
Frank had universal affection. We always had nothing but positive things to say about Frank. “Hearing the news earlier this morning was shocking and depressing,” said Derrick Mason, a former wide receiver for the Titans. “Frank was one of those guys that you had a good time with if you saw him at an event after he retired. Among the guys I wanted to see was him. There was a certain quality about Frank that captivated you.
Washington selected Philadelphia native Wycheck in the sixth round of the 1993 draft, and he spent two seasons there. Wycheck attended Maryland. He became one of the most productive and well-liked players on the team as soon as he joined the Titans in 1995. With 155 games played, 505 receptions, 5,126 yards, and 28 touchdowns during his career, he retired in 2003.
In the Titans’ 1999 Super Bowl matchup with the St. Louis Rams, the three-time Pro Bowler caught five passes for 35 yards. In 2000, he tied his career high with 70 receptions for 636 yards and four touchdowns, earning him a spot on the All-Pro second team.
Wycheck, who had multiple concussions, retired at the age of 32 and went on to work as the color analyst for the Titans radio broadcasts. In addition, he co-hosted the well-liked morning sports talk program “The Wake Up Zone” on WGFX-FM 104.5.
“I accomplished all of my goals and then some,” Wycheck declared during his news conference announcing his retirement. “I am really proud of myself and could not ask for more from a guy who was not even supposed to be in a training camp, let alone where I ended up. It is been an incredibly amazing journey.
