Former Michigan star Tyrone Wheatley named head coach at Wayne State

Wayne State on Thursday announced Tyrone Wheatley as the 20th head coach in program history. He comes to coach the Warriors after one season coaching running backs for the Denver Broncos.

Wheatley starred as a running back at Michigan in the early 1990s. He ran for more than 1000 yards and 10 touchdowns in his sophomore, junior and senior seasons. He finished with 4688 scrimmage yards and 53 touchdowns in his college career.

After a 10-year NFL career with three teams, Wheatley eventually found his way in to coaching in 2007. He’s bounced between various college and pro jobs — including a three year stint as the head coach at FCS Morgan State — before landing the head coaching gig at Wayne State, a Division II school.

“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,” Wheatley said in a release announcing his hire.

Wheatley is also a native of Inkster, Michigan, a metro Detroit suburb.

“I am beyond excited to welcome Coach Wheatley and his family to the Wayne State community,” Wallace said in the release. “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.”

Former NFL and college head coach Doug Marrone, who Wheatley worked for with the Buffalo Bills, is also quoted in the release complimenting Wheatley.

“Wayne State got it right with the hiring of Tyrone Wheatley as the school’s head coach,” Marrone said. “He is 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 15 years and I’ve had the good fortune to have worked closely with him on a few different occasions. 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 has been a part of and implemented with great success. 

“He’s a leader of men and he’s going to be a tremendous asset to Wayne State and the Detroit community.”