Former Tennessee Titans tight end Frank Wycheck, 52, died on Saturday, Dec. 9. His family said in a statement, “At this time, it appears Wycheck fell inside his Chattanooga, TN home and hit his head on Saturday morning. He was found unresponsive that afternoon.”
Wycheck was a key part of one of the most memorable plays in NFL playoff history in January 2000. Without the play, it’s unlikely that the Titans would have reached the first Super Bowl in franchise history.
Music City Miracle
The Titans hosted the Buffalo Bills in an AFC Wild Card game following the 1999 season. Tennessee had a 12-0 lead at halftime, but Buffalo took a 16-15 lead with 16 seconds left in the fourth quarter.
With the season on the line, the Titans were facing elimination as the Bills were kicking off after taking the lead. Tennessee pulled out a trick play on the return that will forever be part of Titans history.
Titans fullback Lorenzo Neal fielded the kick at the Tennessee 25-yard line and handed the ball to Wycheck, who then threw across the field. Kevin Dyson caught the ball and scored on a 75-yard return to give the Titans the lead with three seconds left.
Wycheck said after the game, “It was like being a little kid again, drawing something up in the dirt and then going out and doing it.”
With 16 seconds remaining and the Titans down by one against the Buffalo Bills in the AFC wild card, Tennessee pulled off the Music City Miracle that would spark a playoff run ending with an appearance in Super Bowl XXXIV pic.twitter.com/31CGqEpGgU
— Tennessee Titans (@Titans) September 17, 2023
The Titans would go on to win two road games against the Indianapolis Colts and the Jacksonville Jaguars, but the dream season ended with a loss in Super Bowl XXXIV against the St. Louis Rams.
Tennessee trailed by seven and had the ball at the Rams 10-yard line with time for one more play. Quarterback Steve McNair threw a pass to Dyson, who was tackled at the 1-yard line as time expired.
Wycheck had five catches for 35 yards in his only Super Bowl appearance.
Frank Wycheck’s Career
In the sixth round of the 1993 NFL Draft, Washington selected Wycheck, who played college football at Maryland. He played two seasons with the team before moving on to the Houston Oilers for the 1995 season. Wycheck was the Oilers starting tight end when the franchise moved to Tennessee.
Wycheck had 505 receptions for 5,126 yards and 28 touchdowns, along with one memorable playoff lateral, in his 11-year career. He made the Pro Bowl three times and was named second-team All-Pro in 2000. When he retired after the 2003 season, he had the fourth-most career receptions by a tight end in NFL history.
In 2013, Wycheck was inducted into the Titans Ring of Honor and the Tennessee Sports Hall of Fame.
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