Raiders Were Well-Grounded With FB Wheatley

The Oakland-Los Angeles had some outstanding fullbacks over the years, including Mark van Eeghen, Marv Hubbard, Hewritt Dixon, and Pete Banaszak, not to mention when the great Marcus Allen moved to fullback to make room for Bo Jackson at halfback.

But let’s not forget powerful Tyrone Wheatley.

“He’s really made our offense more varied because if you try to shut down our passing game, Tyrone can make some big runs,” quarterback Rich Gannon said of Wheatley, who played for the Raiders from 1999-2004.

The 6-foot, 230-pound Wheatley was selected with the 17th overall pick of the 1995 NFL Draft out of Michigan by the New York Giants after leading the Wolverines to a 38-31 victory over Washington in the 79th Rose Bowl by rushing for 235 yards on 15 carries and touchdowns of 88, 56 and 24 yards. He was voted Most Valuable Player in the game.

After four seasons with the Giants, during which he rushed for 1,280 yards on yards on 356 carries and scored eight touchdowns, and one year with the Miami Dolphins, Wheatley moved on to the Raiders in 1999 and came into his own.

“Not only was it just fans, but it was also fans of the superstars as well,” Wheatley recalled of his time with the Raiders. “The whole Ice Cube thing wearing the Silver and Black. They even have a documentary on it. It’s a great place to be. It is absolutely one of the greatest places to be.

"Mr. (Al) Davis always said: ‘Once a Raider, always a Raider,’ and I still believe that. As an alumnus, you feel for those guys and what they’re going through (a losing stretch) and what that organization could be, and what it stood for at one point and time. You still root for them.

"The fan base is very loyal.”

With running back Zack Crockett sidelined by a broken foot, Wheatley stepped in and rushed for 936 yards on 242 carries and eight touchdowns in his first season in Oakland, which equaled his four-year scoring output in New York. He also caught 21 passes for 196 yards and three more scores.

Then Wheatley followed with his best season as a pro in 2000, rushing for 1,046 yards on 232 carries, a 4.5-yard average, and nine touchdowns, including an 80-yard scoring run. He added 20 receptions for 156 yards and another score.

Hampered by shoulder and leg injuries, Wheatley had only one more big year with the Raiders, rushing for 678 yards and four touchdowns in 2003, before he retired after the 2004 season because of a severely torn hamstring.

However, he played a big role from 2000-02, when the Raiders went 33-15 during the regular season while winning three AFC West titles and were 7-3 in the playoffs, including a 48-21 loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in Super Bowl XXXVII to cap the 2002 season.

Two years earlier, Wheatley rushed for 111 yards and two touchdowns as the Raiders routed the Buccaneers 45-0, but he wasn’t as full strength in the Super Bowl.

Wheatley finished his six seasons in Oakland with 3,682 yards, ninth-best in Raiders history, on 914 carries, and scored 32 touchdowns. He also caught 92 passes for 682 yards and five touchdowns.

Unfortunately, Wheatley’s career ended after he sustained that acute torn hamstring injury in a game against the Denver Broncos in 2004. For his 10-year NFL career, he rushed for 4,962 yards on 1,270 carries, scored 40 touchdowns, and caught 125 passes for 900 yards and seven scores.

After retirement, Wheatley went into coaching in 2007 and became the head coach at Morgan State, and now is the head coach at Wayne State following several stints as an assistant coach with several college teams, plus the Jacksonville Jaguars, the Buffalo Bills, the Denver Broncos.

However, Wheatley is on the record saying he would love to see the Raiders bounce back.

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