View source for Jim Tyrer

{{Short description|American football player (1939–1980)}}
{{Use American English|date=August 2019}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=January 2019}}
<!--{{Refimprove|date=April 2009}}-->
{{Infobox NFL biography
| name          = Jim Tyrer
| image         = Jim Tyrer - professional football player (cropped).jpg
| image_size    = 
| alt           = 
| caption       = Tyrer with the [[Kansas City Chiefs]]
| number        = 77, 71
| position      = [[Tackle (gridiron football position)|Offensive tackle]]
| birth_date    = {{Birth date|1939|2|25}}
| birth_place   = [[Newark, Ohio]], U.S.
| death_date    = {{death date and age|1980|9|15|1939|2|25}}
| death_place   = [[Kansas City, Missouri]], U.S.
| height_ft     = 6
| height_in     = 6
| weight_lb     = 280
| high_school   = [[Newark High School (Ohio)|Newark]]
| college       = [[Ohio State Buckeyes football|Ohio State]]
| draftyear     = 1961
| draftround    = 14
| draftpick     = 188
| afldraftyear  = 1961
| afldraftround = 3
| afldraftpick  = 22
| pastteams     =
* [[History of the Kansas City Chiefs#Early years in Dallas|Dallas Texans]] / [[Kansas City Chiefs]] ([[1961 American Football League season|1961]]–{{NFL Year|1973}})
* [[Washington Commanders|Washington Redskins]] ({{NFL Year|1974}})
| highlights    =
* [[List of Super Bowl champions|Super Bowl champion]]  ([[Super Bowl IV|IV]])
* 3× [[American Football League playoffs|AFL champion]] ([[1962 American Football League Championship Game|1962]], [[1966 American Football League Championship Game|1966]], [[1969 American Football League Championship Game|1969]])
* 5× First-team [[American Football League All-League Team|All-AFL]] ([[1965 All-AFL Team|1965]]–[[1969 All-AFL Team|1969]])
* First-team [[All-Pro]] ([[1970 All-Pro Team|1970]])
* Second-team All-AFL ([[1963 All-AFL Team|1963]], [[1964 All-AFL Team|1964]])
* 8× [[American Football League All-Star game|AFL All-Star]] (1962–1966, 1968, 1969)
* 2× [[Pro Bowl]] ([[1971 Pro Bowl|1970]], [[1972 Pro Bowl|1971]])
* [[American Football League All-Time Team|AFL All-Time Team]]
* [[Kansas City Chiefs Hall of Fame]]
* First-team [[List of All-Big Ten Conference football teams|All-Big Ten]] ([[1960 All-Big Ten Conference football team|1960]])
| statleague    = AFL/NFL
| statlabel1    = Games played
| statvalue1    = 194
| statlabel2    = Games started
| statvalue2    = 180
| statlabel3    = [[Fumble]] recoveries
| statvalue3    = 2
| pfr           = T/TyreJi00 
}}

'''James Efflo Tyrer''' (February 25, 1939 – September 15, 1980) was an American professional [[American football|football]] [[offensive tackle]] widely regarded as one of the most dominant players of his era.<ref>{{Cite web |author=Gregorian |first=Vahe |date=2022-02-18 |title=Why aren't more past KC Chiefs stars (like Otis Taylor) enshrined in the Hall of Fame? |url=https://bleacherreport.com/articles/699510-kansas-city-chiefs-best-offensive-players-not-in-the-pro-football-hall-of-fame |website=Kansas City Star}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |author=Nix |first=JW |date=2011-05-03 |title=Kansas City Chiefs: Best Offensive Players Not in the Pro Football Hall of Fame |url=https://bleacherreport.com/articles/699510-kansas-city-chiefs-best-offensive-players-not-in-the-pro-football-hall-of-fa |access-date=2025-01-05 |website=Bleacher Report}}</ref> He played 14 years of professional football (1961 - 1974) after an All-American college career for [[Ohio State University]],<ref>{{Cite web |title=Jim Tyrer Stats, Height, Weight, Position, Draft, College |url=https://www.pro-football-reference.com/players/T/TyreJi00.htm |access-date=2025-01-06 |website=Pro-Football-Reference.com |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book |last=Kansas City Chiefs |url=https://archive.org/details/chiefs-1971-media-guide-kansas-city-c |title=Chiefs 1971 Media Guide (Kansas City) |date=August 1971}}</ref> competing in the [[American Football League]] (AFL) for the [[Dallas Texans (AFL)|Dallas Texans]] / [[Kansas City Chiefs]] and later in the [[National Football League]] (NFL): 13 years for Texans/Chiefs and his final year with the [[Washington Redskins]]. He was a nine-time Pro Bowl selection and a six-time first-team All-Pro.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Jim Tyrer Stats, Height, Weight, Position, Draft, College |url=https://www.pro-football-reference.com/players/T/TyreJi00.htm |access-date=2025-01-07 |website=Pro-Football-Reference.com |language=en}}</ref> Standing 6'6" tall and weighing as much as 322 pounds during his career, Tyrer was known for his size, quick footwork, intelligence, and a notably large head, which he used to impose his will on opponents.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Turney |first=John |date=2019-05-13 |title=Pro Football Journal: The NFL's Best-ever Post-WWII Tackles |url=https://nflfootballjournal.blogspot.com/2019/05/the-nfls-best-ever-post-wwii-tackles.html |access-date=2025-01-06 |website=Pro Football Journal}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Jul 23, 1973, page 12 - The Kansas City Star at Newspapers.com - Newspapers.com |url=https://www.newspapers.com/image/676261613/?fcfToken=eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJmcmVlLXZpZXctaWQiOjY3NjI2MTYxMywiaWF0IjoxNzM2MTM4NjMzLCJleHAiOjE3MzYyMjUwMzN9.ztvsmVlauN00w2FjWHJXhMFBt5Ho9b2e7_14NitQAUA |access-date=2025-01-06 |website=www.newspapers.com |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Reusse |first=Patrick |date=2020-11-15 |title=Tragedy, not Canton, became the fate of former Chiefs star lineman |url=https://www.startribune.com/tragedy-not-canton-became-the-fate-of-former-chiefs-star-lineman/573079201 |access-date=2025-01-06 |website=www.startribune.com |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Nix |first=J. W. |title=Pro Football Hall of Fame : The Best Players Not Yet Inducted at Each Position |url=https://bleacherreport.com/articles/809444-pro-football-hall-of-fame-the-best-players-not-yet-inducted-at-each-position |access-date=2025-01-06 |website=Bleacher Report |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Sep 21, 1980, page 28 - The Arizona Republic at Newspapers.com - Newspapers.com |url=https://www.newspapers.com/image/120045726/?match=1&terms=Jim%20Tyrer%20intelligence |access-date=2025-01-07 |website=www.newspapers.com |language=en}}</ref>

A cornerstone of the Chiefs' success, owner [[Lamar Hunt]] credited him for helping establish Kansas City as a major sports town.<ref>{{Cite web |date=1977-02-07 |title=Tyrer Best Dish - All 280 Pounds |url=https://www.newspapers.com/image/677196062/?fcfToken=eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJmcmVlLXZpZXctaWQiOjY3NzE5NjA2MiwiaWF0IjoxNzM2MTk0ODUxLCJleHAiOjE3MzYyODEyNTF9.8zdQPC48B8SaXThXTykDoTmVeFUGDOWCX7EvZNU6D3s |access-date=2025-01-06 |website=www.newspapers.com |language=en}}</ref> He was a Chiefs team captain four years (1967 - 1971) including the team's [[Super Bowl IV]] championship season.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Judge |first=Clark |date=2024-07-22 |title=Maybe These AFL Stars Can Gain HOF Attention That Abner Haynes Did Not |url=https://talkoffametwo.com/nfl/afl-stars-not-in-hall-of-fame |access-date=2025-01-06 |website=Talk of Fame |language=en}}</ref> Tyrer is often referenced as "the greatest player not in the [[Pro Football Hall of Fame|Hall of Fame]]," reflecting his lasting impact on the sport and much-debated omission from the Hall of Fame.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Nix |first=J. W. |date=2011-05-13 |title=Kansas City Chiefs: Best Offensive Players Not in the Pro Football Hall of Fame |url=https://bleacherreport.com/articles/699510-kansas-city-chiefs-best-offensive-players-not-in-the-pro-football-hall-of-fame |access-date=2025-01-06 |website=Bleacher Report |language=en}}</ref>

He played in a period when linemen were prohibited from using their hands for blocking, and defensive players were permitted to use the "head slap" technique—a practice later outlawed due to its brutality.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Nix |first=J. W. |title=Crazy Canton Cuts: Jim Tyrer |url=https://bleacherreport.com/articles/389389-jim-tyrer |access-date=2025-01-06 |website=Bleacher Report |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=2014-08-19 |title=NFL Rules Named After Players |url=https://www.si.com/nfl/2014/08/19/nfl-rules-and-the-players-who-inspired-them |access-date=2025-01-06 |website=SI |language=en-US}}</ref> Despite the physicality of the era and the demands of his position, Tyrer started 180 consecutive games, a then-record for the Chiefs, and every pre-season game (65) in his 13 years with the Texans/Chiefs franchise.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Official Website of the Kansas City Chiefs {{!}} Chiefs.com |url=https://www.chiefs.com/hallofhonor/players/jimtyrer |access-date=2025-01-06 |website=Kansas City Chiefs |language=en-US}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |date=1973-07-23 |title=Tyrer Says 15 is Plenty |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-kansas-city-star-tyrer-number-of-gam/95722585/ |access-date=2025-01-06 |work=The Kansas City Star |pages=12}}</ref> His 180 starts surpasses all left tackles in the Pro Football Hall of Fame as of 2024.

In the early morning hours of Sept. 15, 1980, to the shock of the sports world, Tyrer murdered his wife, Martha, and then died by suicide.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Denlinger |first=Ken |date=1980-09-20 |title=Tyrer Tragedy: No Coping With Mortality |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/sports/1980/09/21/tyrer-tragedy-no-coping-with-mortality/7113d609-12c7-4532-ad03-1eafb4e85e8d/ |newspaper=[[The Washington Post]]}}</ref> Teammate and author Michael Oriard would later describe Tyrer in the book "The End of Autumn" as "the unlikeliest suicide-murderer to those who knew him."<ref>{{Cite news |last=Socolow |first=Michael J. |date=2020-01-31 |title=Does Football Bear Responsibility for a Chiefs Legend's 1980 Murder-Suicide? |url=https://slate.com/culture/2020/01/jim-tyrer-chiefs-murder-suicide-wife-martha-cte.html |access-date=2025-01-06 |work=Slate |language=en-US |issn=1091-2339}}</ref>

Tyrer was a finalist for the Pro Football Hall of Fame at the time of the murder-suicide, his first year of eligibility. He did not advance in the selection process again for 44 years when research from Beneath the Shadow filmmaker Kevin Patrick Allen led to a tacit acknowledgement from the PFHOF senior committee that Tyrer likely suffered from brain trauma.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Gregorian |first=Vahe |date=December 3, 2024 |title=How CTE explains why former KC Chiefs great Jim Tyrer is on cusp of Hall of Fame |url=https://www.kansascity.com/sports/spt-columns-blogs/vahe-gregorian/article296499024.html}}</ref> On December 3, 2024, Tyrer reached the finalist stage for the Pro Football Hall of Fame's Class of 2025.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2024-12-03 |title=Contributor, coach, senior finalists revealed for Pro Football Hall of Fame Class of 2025 |url=https://www.nfl.com/news/contributor-coach-senior-finalists-revealed-for-pro-football-hall-of-fame-class-of-2025 |access-date=2025-01-06 |website=NFL.com |language=en-US}}</ref>

== Early life ==
Born and raised in [[Newark, Ohio]], Jim Tyrer attended Newark High School, where he excelled in track, basketball, and, most notably, football. On February 18, 1956, Tyrer’s father, Efflo Tyrer, who served as the city treasurer, suffered a fatal heart attack while attending the Central Ohio League high school basketball championship, which Newark won. The following night, 17-year-old Tyrer led his team to victory in a highly anticipated matchup against Mount Vernon High. He scored 24 points in the 68–62 triumph, later telling reporters, “Dad would have wanted me to play.” <ref>{{Cite web |title=Feb 23, 1956, page 23 - The Zanesville Signal at Newspapers.com |url=https://www.newspapers.com/image/1045120949/?match=1&terms=Efflo%20Tyrer |access-date=2025-01-07 |website=Newspapers.com |language=en}}</ref>

In 1970, Tyrer's No. 77 jersey was retired as he was inducted into the Newark High School Hall of Fame.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Mar 18, 1970, page 30 - The Newark Advocate at Newspapers.com - Newspapers.com |url=https://www.newspapers.com/image/289841092/?match=1&terms=Jim%20Tyrer%20newark%20hall%20of%20fame |access-date=2025-01-07 |website=www.newspapers.com |language=en}}</ref>

==College career==
Tyrer played [[college football]] at [[Ohio State Buckeyes football|Ohio State University]] under head coach [[Woody Hayes]], and earned [[All-America]] honors. Hayes did not have a helmet that would fit Tyrer. A regular helmet had to be split in the middle and reconnected with a wide strip in the middle. A Riddell Company representative made several flights to Columbus, Ohio to get the changes right.<ref>{{Cite web |title=The Lantern 3 February 1960 — Ohio State University Newspaper Archives |url=https://osupublicationarchives.osu.edu/?a=d&d=LTN19600203-01.2.35&srpos=1&e=-------en-20--1--txt-txIN-Jim+Tyrer+helmet------ |access-date=2025-01-07 |website=osupublicationarchives.osu.edu}}</ref>

==Professional career==
Tyrer signed with the [[American Football League]]'s [[1961 Dallas Texans season|Dallas Texans]] in [[1961 Dallas Texans season|1961]]. He played 13 years with that franchise (180 consecutive games), which became the [[Kansas City Chiefs]] in [[1963 Kansas City Chiefs season|1963]], helping set the standard for his position at left [[offensive tackle]]. His 14th and final season was with the [[1974 Washington Redskins season|Washington Redskins]] under head coach [[George Allen (American football coach)|George Allen]], who preferred veteran players. Tyrer was traded from the Chiefs in late August [[1974 Washington Redskins season|1974]] for three draft picks.<ref name=reskngt>{{cite news |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=wABOAAAAIBAJ&sjid=8osDAAAAIBAJ&pg=2896%2C3174725 |newspaper=Free Lance-Star |location=Fredericksburg, Virginia |title=Redskins get Tyrer |date=August 29, 1974 |page=29 }}</ref>

Tyrer was named AFL Offensive Lineman of the Year in [[1969 Kansas City Chiefs season|1969]]. He and [[Ed Budde]] at guard made a powerful left side. In [[Super Bowl IV]], Tyrer and Budde opened holes for Chiefs running backs against the [[1969 Minnesota Vikings season|Minnesota Vikings]]' opposing defensive linemen [[Jim Marshall (defensive end)|Jim Marshall]] and [[Alan Page]], respectively, gaining 151 yards on 42 carries (3.6 yards per attempt) and 122 net passing yards in the team's upset 23–7 victory. Pundits noted that Chiefs' running backs [[Warren McVea]] and [[Mike Garrett]], both 5'9", were "camouflaged" by Tyrer, giving them an initial advantage against opponents.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Dec 17, 1969, page 33 - The Gettysburg Times at Newspapers.com |url=https://www.newspapers.com/image/46853307/?match=1&terms=Jim%20Tyrer,%20Elvin%20Betha |access-date=2025-01-07 |website=Newspapers.com |language=en}}</ref>

Tyrer was an anchor of the Texans/Chiefs' line and was selected as ''[[Sporting News|The Sporting News']]''' [[American Football League All-League Teams|AFL All-League]] tackle eight consecutive years, from [[1962 American Football League season|1962]] through [[1969 American Football League season|1969]]. He was an [[American Football League All-Star games|AFL Western Division All-Star]] seven times, in 1962, 1963, 1964, 1965, 1966, 1968 and 1969 before also capturing a pair of All-AFC accolades in 1970–71. His efforts in the upstart league would result in his selection to the [[American Football League All-Time Team]]. Houston Oilers defensive end [[Elvin Bethea]], himself a member of the Professional Football Hall of Fame, described Tyrer as "The preeminent left tackle in all of football. All other blockers I faced in the NFL were mediocre compared to him."<ref>{{Cite web |date=2023-04-07 |title=10 best Ohio State alumni in NFL history |url=https://fansided.com/2023/04/07/ohio-state-best-alumni-nfl-history/5/ |access-date=2025-01-07 |website=FanSided |language=en-US}}</ref>

Tyrer announced his retirement in June 1975.<ref name=htepgcr>{{cite news |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=_gAyAAAAIBAJ&sjid=IeUFAAAAIBAJ&pg=4030%2C2014749 |newspaper=Lawrence Journal-World |location=Kansas |agency=Associated Press |title=Hill, Tyrer end pro grid careers |date=June 14, 1975 |page=10}}</ref> He was inducted into the Kansas City Chiefs Hall of Fame on February 25, 1977. Tyrer jokingly said he'd been told he'd never win such an honor because "they'd never be able to accumulate enough metal to match the size of my head."<ref>{{Cite news |date=1977-02-27 |title=Tyrer Hall of Honor article |url=https://www.newspapers.com/image/677196062/?clipping_id=140123513&fcfToken=eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJmcmVlLXZpZXctaWQiOjY3NzE5NjA2MiwiaWF0IjoxNzM2MjgyODQ0LCJleHAiOjE3MzYzNjkyNDR9.VCj_pyBv3pexIXcIVReSW3yUM8uIzrPtNfDlBH4HHgM |access-date=2025-01-07 |work=The Kansas City Star |pages=150}}</ref> 
[[File:Jim and Martha Tyrer Hall of Honor.png|thumb|Martha and Jim Tyrer at his induction ceremony to the Kansas City Chiefs Hall of Fame, Feb. 26, 1977.]]

==Family==
Jim and Martha Tyrer had four children: Tina, Brad, Stefanie and Jason. Tyrer's sons, Brad and Jason, went on to college football careers in the [[Big Eight Conference]]. Brad played for [[Nebraska Cornhuskers football|Nebraska]] under head coach [[Tom Osborne]] from 1982 to 1986. Jason was a defensive end for [[Kansas Jayhawks football|Kansas]] under head coach [[Glen Mason]] from 1988 to 1992. The resilience and post-tragedy successes of the children are what filmmaker Allen says drew him to create Beneath the Shadow, "It's pretty rare that you see four kids that go through something like this, and you look at them and you say, 'Wow that's motivating,'" <ref>{{Cite web |last=Pitman |first=Donna |date=2022-11-22 |title=Filmmaker examines 1980 murder-suicide involving former Chiefs player Jim Tyrer |url=https://www.kmbc.com/article/kansas-city-filmmaker-examines-murder-suicide-former-chiefs-player-jim-tyrer/42029760 |access-date=2025-01-07 |website=KMBC |language=en}}</ref>

==After football==
Following his retirement from football, Tyrer ran his own company, Pro Forma, representing professional athletes in commercial ventures. After the business failed, he transitioned to working as a manufacturer's representative, selling products on the road. He then operated two separate flea market booths in succession before buying and managing Crown Tire and Alignment, a gas station/tire store which also failed. In the last months of his life, amid unemployment, Tyrer and his wife, Martha, deeply in debt, sold Amway products.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Sep 27, 1980, page 8 - The Plain Dealer at Newspapers.com |url=https://www.newspapers.com/image/1065863613/?match=1&terms=Jim%20Tyrer,%20Pro%20Forma |access-date=2025-01-07 |website=Newspapers.com |language=en}}</ref>

== Death ==
In the pre-dawn hours of September 15, 1980, Tyrer shot and killed his wife Martha before turning the gun on himself and taking his own life.<ref name="tblfalp">{{cite news |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=3hJPAAAAIBAJ&sjid=lQIEAAAAIBAJ&pg=3050%2C4199732 |newspaper=Toledo Blade |location=Ohio |agency=Associated Press |title=Former all-pro Tyrer kills wife, then self |date=September 16, 1980 |page=23 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.sportingnews.com/blog/3rdStoneFromTheSun/160111 |title=Never Forget!|publisher=Sporting News |date=July 20, 2008 |access-date=April 21, 2009 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080830052803/http://www.sportingnews.com/blog/3rdStoneFromTheSun/160111 |archive-date=August 30, 2008 }}</ref><ref name="tdkcshck">{{cite news |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=DZYyAAAAIBAJ&sjid=Q-cFAAAAIBAJ&pg=5648%2C3587611 |newspaper=Lawrence Journal-World |agency=Associated Press |title=Tyrer death KC shocker |date=September 16, 1980|page=9}}</ref><ref>https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/2022/08/05/jim-tyrer-murder-suicide-legacy/</ref> Three of the Tyrer's four children — 17-year-old Brad, 12-year-old Stef, and 11-year-old Jason — were in the home at the time of the murder-suicide.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Sep 16, 1980, page 1 - The Times Recorder at Newspapers.com - Newspapers.com |url=https://www.newspapers.com/image/285455818/?match=1&terms=Jim%20Tyrer,%20children%20home |access-date=2025-01-07 |website=www.newspapers.com |language=en}}</ref> The afternoon before, Tyrer had attended a [[1980 Kansas City Chiefs season|Chiefs]] game at [[Arrowhead Stadium]] with son Jason.<ref name="dvand">{{cite news |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=EJYyAAAAIBAJ&sjid=Q-cFAAAAIBAJ&pg=2122%2C4074676 |newspaper=Lawrence Journal-World |location=Kansas |last=Anderson |first=Dave |author-link=Dave Anderson (sportswriter) |agency=(''New York Times'' news service) |title=Athletes' pride can be painful after sport |date=September 19, 1980 |page=15}}</ref> 

In 2021, the short documentary "A Good Man: The Jim Tyrer Story" by Kansas City filmmaker Kevin Patrick Allen was shown in select screenings, including a gathering of the Super Bowl IV champion Kansas City Chiefs and members of the Tyrer family.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Gregorian |first=Vahe |date=2020-09-13 |title=Forty years later, documentarian puts a fresh lens on the shattering Jim Tyrer story |url=https://www.kansascity.com/sports/spt-columns-blogs/vahe-gregorian/article245667200.html#storylink=cpy |website=Kansas City Star}}</ref><ref>{{cite AV media |people= |date= |title=The Lost Kansas City Chief Remembering Chiefs Great Jim Tyrer - YouTube |trans-title= |type= |language= |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0k7JRA6ZN7A |access-date=4 January 2024}}</ref> It led to a more extensive investigation into Jim and Martha Tyrer's deaths and the lives of their surviving children for a yet-to-be-released feature-length film "Beneath the Shadow." In June 2024, the Kansas City Star published an op-ed from Allen that revealed key findings strongly suggesting Tyrer suffered from [[chronic traumatic encephalopathy]] (CTE) at the time of his death. Among those findings, a specialist who examined Tyrer two days before his death. Dr. Douglas Paone told Allen, “He (Tyrer) had CTE. There’s not a doubt in my mind.” <ref>{{Cite news |last=Boren |first=Cindy |date=December 14, 2024 |title=An NFL great with a tragic past gets another chance at the Hall of Fame |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/2024/12/11/jim-tyrer-nfl-hall-fame-cte/ |newspaper=Washington Post}}</ref> Paone noted that Tyrer was having headaches, abdominal pain and a general feeling of not being himself. When Paone was unable to pinpoint the cause of Tyrer's maladies, Martha Tyrer grabbed Paone by the arm while exiting the office and said, "there's something wrong with him... he's just not the same."<ref>{{Cite web |date=2024-11-24 |title=Family of KC Chief who died of CTE feels shunned by NFL (and wants you to know this) |url=https://www.yahoo.com/news/family-kc-chief-died-cte-120000431.html?guccounter=1&guce_referrer=aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuZ29vZ2xlLmNvbS8&guce_referrer_sig=AQAAAGw1P89IBGPHWLm7KVTQya-lpH_HCQIdy99I3nsjtHPN1-ct8OE-N3eEn9yQ-Szo5feHbs_fO2RRJnqjpLEy3rpU1nYtsSPHV5BhErYpAi-j95Q3khzzGS0maC-KAYMgDXfcFaOdDaNNcQD3NmaO9Q3WZkwUTHnsvPMRJH-vBpMH |access-date=2025-01-06 |website=Yahoo News |language=en-US}}</ref> Tyrer played in an era where lineman were expected to use their head as a battering ram, and his daughter Tina has stated that the custom helmet he used for his large frame (6-7, 290 pounds) had a half-inch of cardboard lining with no suspension.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://halloffootball.substack.com/p/jim-tyrer-rethinking-hof-candidacy | title=Jim Tyrer: Rethinking HOF candidacy | date=September 28, 2024 }}</ref>

In 2024, he was named as a Seniors finalist for the [[Pro Football Hall of Fame]], marking the first time he has been considered by the full board since 1981.<ref>https://www.msn.com/en-us/sports/other/turney-here-s-how-i-see-what-just-happened-with-hall-s-seniors/ar-AA1vlij3?ocid=BingNewsSerp</ref> Tyrer is one of only two eligible players with at least six All-Pro selections to not be a member of the [[Pro Football Hall of Fame]].<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.pro-football-reference.com/leaders/all_pros_first_team_career.htm | title=NFL First-Team All-Pro Selections Career Leaders | website=[[Pro-Football-Reference.com]] }}</ref>

==See also==
* [[List of American Football League players]]
* [[List of NFL players with chronic traumatic encephalopathy#Deceased players suspected of having had CTE|Deceased players suspected of having had CTE]]

==References==
{{reflist|2}}

==External links==
* {{Footballstats |nfl=Jim-Tyrer
|cfl= |afl= |espn= |cbs= |yahoo= |fox= |si= |pfr=TyreJi00 |dbf=TYRERJIM01 |rotoworld=}}
*{{commonscatinline}}

{{Bears1961DraftPicks}}
{{Kansas City Chiefs Hall of Fame}}
{{Chiefs1961DraftPicks}}
{{1962 Dallas Texans}}
{{1966 Kansas City Chiefs}}
{{Super Bowl IV}}
{{AFL1960s}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Tyrer, Jim}}
[[Category:1939 births]]
[[Category:1980 deaths]]
[[Category:American football offensive tackles]]
[[Category:20th-century American murderers]]
[[Category:Dallas Texans (AFL) players]]
[[Category:Kansas City Chiefs players]]
[[Category:Ohio State Buckeyes football players]]
[[Category:Washington Redskins players]]
[[Category:American Football League All-Star players]]
[[Category:American Football League All-League players]]
[[Category:American Conference Pro Bowl players]]
[[Category:American Football League All-Time Team]]
[[Category:Sportspeople from Newark, Ohio]]
[[Category:Players of American football from Ohio]]
[[Category:Murder–suicides in Missouri]]
[[Category:Suicides by firearm in Missouri]]
[[Category:American Football League players]]
[[Category:1980 suicides]]