Ardent Maryland and Washington football fans are saddened to hear Frank Wycheck died suddenly this weekend.
Wycheck residing in Chattanooga, Tenn., apparently fell and hit his head in his home sometime Saturday morning, his family conveyed in a statement released this weekend. Wycheck was found Saturday afternoon. He was 52.
The former Maryland Terrapin was drafted 160th overall by the Redskins in 1993. At tight end, he caught 23 passes in the 8 games he started in his two Washington seasons (1993-94) and was released. Upset he had been released, he voiced his disapproval, and sure enough, Wycheck proved Redskins head coach Norv Turner wrong when he was claimed by the Houston Oilers.
Wycheck proceeded to play nine seasons for the Oilers/Titans, catching 482 passes for 4,958 yards for 27 touchdowns and 264 first downs. Wycheck was a Pro Bowler three consecutive seasons (1998-2000) and was All-Pro 2nd team in 2000.
Playing 137 games for the Titans, Wycheck went from being a Redskins castaway to actually setting a franchise record when in 99 consecutive games he caught at least one pass. Frank also achieved being the team receiving leader for three consecutive seasons (1999-2001).
He is best remembered for a single play in the Jan. 8, 2000 AFC wild-card game. In the closing seconds, Buffalo kicked off to the Titans’ Lorenzo Neal who handed off to Wycheck. Frank, moving to his right, suddenly threw back across the field to his left to Kevin Dyson, who ran down the left sideline for a touchdown and a 22-16 Titans victory. The play became known as the “Music City Miracle.”
After the conclusion of Wycheck’s career, he stated he believed he may have CTE (Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy), which sometimes results in those who have been exposed to concussions and repetitive forceful impacts to the head.
Wycheck’s family will reportedly agree to Wycheck’s desire to involve experts in CTE research and ongoing brain injury.
Following his NFL career, Frank was employed in sports talk radio in Nashville. He was also part of the Titans NFL game radio broadcast team through the 2016 season. He relocated to Chattanooga, moving to be closer to his family. He is survived by his two daughters and three grandchildren.