CarrSports Assists Wayne State University in naming Tyrone Wheatley as Head Football Coach
CarrSports Assists Wayne State University in naming Tyrone Wheatley Head Football Coach
DETROIT – Wayne State University Interim Director of Athletics Erika Wallace has selected Tyrone Wheatley as the next football head coach for the Warriors. He will become the 20th head coach in program history, which enters its 106th year and 105th playing season (due to COVID in 2020).
“I am beyond excited to welcome Coach Wheatley and his family to the Wayne State community,” stated Wallace. “Coach Wheatley has a passion for developing the student-athlete not only on the field, but off. His ability to mentor men, develop talent, and recruit will elevate our football program. I’m looking forward to watching his leadership as he guides our Warrior student-athletes into a new era.
“I would be remiss if I didn’t thank CarrSports Consulting for its professionalism and guidance throughout the search process as well as the search committee which consisted of staff, coaches, faculty and football alumni,” remarked Wallace.
“First of all I would like to thank Wayne State University, President M. Roy Wilson and athletic director Erika Wallace for the opportunity to lead a great university and its football team,” commented Wheatley.
“Throughout the interview process, Mrs. Wallace showed that Wayne State was well prepared and very detailed in what they wanted in the football program and the direction of the athletic department. This made me really excited about the job. I am looking forward to coming home, as they always say there is no place like home. No matter where I have been, I’ve always tried to recruit the state of Michigan and the city of Detroit. I am pleased, honored and blessed to be back home and to coach at Wayne State University.”
Wheatley is a 16-year coaching veteran, including five years in the National Football League. He most recently served as the running backs coach for the Denver Broncos.
Prior to joining the Broncos, Wheatley served as Morgan State’s head coach for three seasons from 2019-21. During his tenure, he led the program to five wins despite the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference’s cancelation of the 2020 fall football season (COVID-19).
Overseeing Jacksonville’s running back room from 2017-18, Wheatley helped orchestrate a rushing attack that averaged 124.6 rushing yards per game over his two seasons. In 2018, the Jaguars posted the NFL’s best rushing attack (141.4 YPG) and tallied the second-most rushing touchdowns (18) that year.
Before Jacksonville, Wheatley spent the 2015-16 collegiate seasons coaching running backs for his alma mater, the University of Michigan. Wheatley was part of a coaching staff that guided the team to consecutive 10-3 seasons and back-to-back appearances in a bowl game.
In his first season at Michigan, the Wolverines rushing attack collected over 2,000 yards on the ground with 27 touchdowns. The following year, Michigan rushed for 212.9 yards per game and registered 304 rushes for 2,768 yards (4.8 avg.) with 41 scores.
Wheatley’s first stint in the NFL came as running backs coach for Buffalo from 2013-14. In his first season with the team in 2013, the Bills produced the league’s second ranked rushing attack (144.2 YPG) and had two rushers (C.J. Spiller & Fred Jackson) who each collected over 850 yards rushing while combining for 11 rushing scores.
Preceding his time in the NFL, Wheatley spent five seasons coaching running backs in the collegiate ranks. He spent the 2008 season at Ohio Northern before spending one season (2009) at Eastern Michigan and three years (2010-12) at Syracuse.
Wheatley began his coaching career at Robichaud High School where he served as head football coach for the Bulldogs in 2007. That season, Robichaud went 9-2 in the regular season and was a perfect 6-0 in league play.
He earned three consecutive All-Big Ten accolades (1992-93-94) after graduating from Dearborn Heights Robichaud High School.
As a sophomore in 1992, Wheatley won the Big Ten’s Offensive Player of the Year award and concluded that season with a 235-yard game in the Rose Bowl earning him the game’s MVP award. He rushed for 1,357 yards and 13 touchdowns, while adding three receiving TD’s and one on a kickoff return.
Wheatley would surpass the 1,000-yard rushing plateau each of his finals two seasons garnering 1,129 yards and 1,144 yards, respectively. He completed his Wolverine career with 4,187 rushing yards, 510 receiving yards and 53 total touchdowns.
In addition, he had a standout track and field career for the Maize and Blue winning three letters (1993-95). Wheatley earned an All-America citation for his eighth-place finish in the 110-meter hurdles at the 1995 NCAA Championships. He won the Big Ten’s Outdoor title in the 110-meter hurdles in 1994. Wheatley still owns top-10 times in Michigan history in the 100-meter dash (8th / 10.46) and 110-meter hurdles (5th / 13.77).
He was a first round draft selection by the New York Giants in 1995 (17th overall) and concluded his 10-year professional career by spending the last six seasons with the Oakland Raiders. Between the two organizations, Wheatley rushed for 4,962 yards and 40 touchdowns, while adding 900 receiving yards and 705 kickoff return yards. He played in the 2003 Super Bowl as a member of the Oakland Raiders.
Wheatley earned his bachelor’s degree in Kinesiology in 2008 from Michigan. He and his wife Kimberly have five children: Tyrone, Jr., Terius, Tyrique, Tiana and Tamari. Tyrone Jr. is currently a member of the Cleveland Browns organization as an offensive tackle, while Terius played running back at Virginia Tech in 2018 and 2019, before finishing his collegiate career in 2021 at Morgan State playing for his father.
The Inkster native was inducted into the Michigan Sports Hall of Fame in 2013. He was also selected as the top Michigan High School athlete of all-time by State Champs in 2017.
What They Are Saying About Tyrone Wheatley
Fred Jackson (former Michigan running backs coach) – I’ve coached a lot of great players, the difference was Tyrone was always searching for ways to get better on the football field, and off the field as well. He didn’t just want to be great. Tyrone was always chasing greatness. He was always trying to put himself in a position to be a better player. I knew he would be a fantastic coach.”
Doug Marrone (former Buffalo Bills and Jacksonville Jaguars head coach) — “Wayne State got it right with the hiring of Tyrone Wheatley as the school’s head coach. He’s a Michigan man through and through, and he’s extremely proud of his home state and that’s an excellent starting point for his new endeavor. I’ve known Tyrone for close to 30 years and I’ve had the good fortune to have worked closely with him on a few different occasions and I’ve seen the attention to details and I’ve seen how he interacts with people and that’s an excellent combination. Then you combine his knowledge of the game with the varied and multiple offenses that he’s overseen and implemented with great success. He’s a leader and he’s a very strong person and he’s going to be a tremendous asset to Wayne State and the Detroit community.”
Tyrone Wheatley Coaching Experience | |||||||||||
Year | Team | Position | |||||||||
2008 | Ohio Northern University | Running Backs Coach | |||||||||
2009 | Eastern Michigan University | Running Backs Coach | |||||||||
2010-2012 | Syracuse University | Running Backs Coach | |||||||||
2013-2014 | Buffalo Bills | Running Backs Coach | |||||||||
2015-2016 | University of Michigan | Running Backs Coach | |||||||||
2017-2018 | Jacksonville Jaguars | Running Backs Coach | |||||||||
2019-2021 | Morgan State University | Head Coach | |||||||||
2022 | Denver Broncos | Running Backs Coach | |||||||||
2023 | Wayne State University | Head Coach |
About CarrSports Consulting, LLC
Founded in 1997, CarrSports Consulting, LLC is recognized as a standard of excellence in executive search and management consulting services to intercollegiate athletics. CarrSports is well-respected and known for integrity, expertise and creativity. Our unique record of achievement includes the successful completion of over 130 leadership searches and 70 intensely-focused management consulting projects conducted from coast to coast, providing our clients with outstanding service and best options for meaningful solutions.
CarrSports remains dedicated to its deliberate, yet cutting-edge approach to excellence through professional objectivity, practical application and innovation. We are committed to diversity, equity and inclusion.
Furman names Drew Ingraham Senior Associate AD for External Affairs
Furman names Drew Ingraham Senior Associate AD for External Affairs
GREENVILLE, SC. – Drew Ingraham has been named Furman’s new senior associate athletics director for external affairs, it was announced today by director of athletics Jason Donnelly.
Ingraham, who emerged from a field of high caliber candidates developed through the assistance of Carr Sports Consulting, comes to Furman following four years at Texas Tech University, where he served as associate athletics director for marketing, communications, and creative services.
“Furman Athletics is excited to introduce Drew Ingraham as our new senior associate athletics director for external affairs,” said Donnelly. “Drew brings a wealth of knowledge, experience with several collegiate athletics programs, and a vital skill set that will support the continued growth of our department. We are excited to hire a candidate of Drew’s caliber and appreciate the commitment of the university to continue to grow the Furman Athletics brand by investing in revenue generation, increased fan engagement, and a first class student-athlete experience.”
“I am truly grateful and honored for the opportunity to join Furman,” said Ingraham. “I would like to thank Jason and the staff at Furman for the opportunity to lead such a talented external team. I look forward to contributing to the enhanced growth of the Furman Athletics brand locally, regionally and nationally.”
A key member of the director of athletics’ executive leadership team, the senior associate athletics director for external affairs will assist the department in providing strong vision, leadership, management, coordination, and oversight of athletics external operations. These responsibilities will include oversight of athletics revenue generation, marketing, communications, promotions, game day experience, athletics ticket sales, corporate sponsorships, licensing, and branding with a focus on Greenville, Upstate South Carolina, and national growth and recognition.
A large of part of Ingraham’s role will be to build upon the success of Furman Athletics during the past few years. Athletics has demonstrated remarkable growth in external affairs with its Furman Family culture, connection to the community, and emphasis on engagement with students, faculty, staff, alumni, and fans.
During the past year, Furman Football experienced a 60 percent increase in pre-COVID attendance due to significant changes in the game day experience and facility upgrades at Paladin Stadium. Athletics has focused its strategy on being “Greenville’s Team” by returning men’s and women’s basketball games to downtown Greenville at the Bon Secours Wellness Arena for its “Weekends at the Well” series. Furman has increased corporate partnerships though Van Wagner Sports Properties and strategic partnerships throughout the Upstate with partners such as ESPN Upstate Radio, which broadcasts all Furman Football and Men’s Basketball via FM Radio. Furman Athletics, along with the Southern Conference, will also co-host the NCAA Basketball Tournament in Greenville in 2022, 2023, and 2026.
At Texas Tech Ingraham oversaw three operations within the Red Raider athletics department — communications, promotions & fan engagement, and recently created creative services — with a combined staff of 16 full-time employees.
He coordinated the planning and execution of Red Raider football and men’s basketball game day, as well as year-round promotional efforts for all 17 programs.
Ingraham directed marketing efforts in football that generated $16.7M in revenue for the 2018 & ’19 seasons and constructed and implemented marketing/ticket sales plans that added 8,837 new season ticket accounts over those two campaigns.
In 2020 he designed the implementation and education plans for Texas Tech’s transition to mobile ticketing.
For basketball, Ingraham led marketing and outreach that netted a 12 percent increase in student attendance and 16 percent increase in overall attendance for Red Raider hoops during the 2018-19 season, and a 2019-20 basketball campaign that averaged 14,057 fans. For the 2021-22 season, Texas Tech netted a program record 8,150 season ticket holders.
He also crafted marketing and sales strategies that played a vital role in a four-year, season ticket sellout for Red Raider baseball.
A member of Texas Tech’s senior athletics team, as well as the department’s “Beyond Verified” committee overseeing Name, Image, and Likeness (NIL), Ingraham has played a central role in the tremendous growth in Texas Tech’s social media accounts that recently topped 1.3 million combined followers, including the fifth highest TikTok college athletics account in the nation with over 100,000 followers.
Through his social media initiatives, the Red Raiders netted over eight million interactions and almost 30 million video views across Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook.
In addition, he managed Texas Tech’s Athletics strategic fundraising relationship with CaringCent College Athletics.
Prior to his tenure at Texas Tech, Ingraham served as associate athletics director of marketing & fan engagement at the University of New Mexico from 2014-17, where he was heavily involved in all aspects of ticket sales, marketing, and social media strategy development and execution.
He spent over six years (2007-13) as associate athletics director for marketing & operations at Montana State University, in Bozeman, his hometown.
He began his collegiate administrative career as an external athletics marketing manager at Colorado College in 2005.
Ingraham majored in English and secondary education at Boston College, from which he earned his bachelor’s degree in 2001. He added a Master of Science in physical education/sports administration from Springfield (Mass.) College in 2004, and is a 2017 graduate of the Sports Management Institute.
About CarrSports Consulting, LLC
Founded in 1997, CarrSports Consulting, LLC is recognized as a standard of excellence in executive search and management consulting services to intercollegiate athletics. CarrSports is well-respected and known for integrity, expertise and creativity. Our unique record of achievement includes the successful completion of over 130 leadership searches and 70 intensely-focused management consulting projects conducted from coast to coast, providing our clients with outstanding service and best options for meaningful solutions.
CarrSports remains dedicated to its deliberate, yet cutting-edge approach to excellence through professional objectivity, practical application and innovation. We are committed to diversity, equity and inclusion.