Frank John Wycheck (October 14, 1971 – December 9, 2023) was an American professional football player who was a tight end in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Maryland Terrapins. As a professional, Wycheck played 11 seasons for the Washington Redskins and the Tennessee Titans, where he threw the lateral pass in the Music City Miracle. He had also spent time as a professional wrestler. Wycheck was the color commentator on the Tennessee Titans Radio Network from 2005 to 2016, and from 2004 to 2017, Wycheck co-hosted a morning sports radio show on Nashville radio station WGFX.
Early life
Wycheck was born on October 14, 1971, in Philadelphia to Theodore (a Philadelphia police officer) and Marie Wycheck, Wycheck attended Archbishop Ryan High School in Northeast Philadelphia and the University of Maryland, College Park.
College football
As a freshman at Maryland, Wycheck led the Atlantic Coast Conference in receptions with 58 for 509 yards, including a school record 14 catches in a game against Virginia Tech. As a sophomore, Wycheck led the team with 45 receptions, made second-team All-ACC, and set the conference record for most receptions ever by a player in their first two seasons. As a result, Wycheck's playing time and receptions declined significantly.
Additionally, prior to the 1992 season, he contracted mononucleosis during spring practice and had a pulled groin that caused him to miss several preseason practice days. Starting out as a receiver, injuries to other Maryland running backs forced Duffner to play Wycheck at running back, including a 162-yard performance in Maryland's 53–23 win over the Clemson Tigers in the season finale.
"I feel like I really never got into the flow of the offense," Wycheck said after the season. "The last three games were great, but I'm a tight end type more than a running back."
Professional career
Washington Redskins
Wycheck was drafted in sixth round (160th overall) of the 1993 NFL draft by the Washington Redskins. With the arrival of new coach Norv Turner in 1994, the Redskins made a failed attempt to switch Wycheck to fullback. Later that same season, Wycheck was suspended for the final four games of the season by the league after testing positive for anabolic steroids. Wycheck was released by the Redskins in 1995.
Houston/Tennessee Oilers/Titans
In 1995, Wycheck was signed by the Houston Oilers. Following the 1996 season, the team relocated to Tennessee and became the Tennessee Oilers. They rebranded to the Tennessee Titans after the 1998 season.
Wycheck made the Pro Bowl in 1998, 1999, and 2000. The Titans would go on to make the Super Bowl that year, but would lose by a touchdown. Wycheck continued to play for the Titans before retiring after the 2003 season, having two concussions in a month that year.
In his 11-year career, Wycheck had 505 receptions for 5,126 yards and 28 touchdowns, and became one of six tight ends to surpass 500 receptions in NFL history. Wycheck led the Titans in receiving for three consecutive seasons (1999–2001). twice tying the franchise record previously held jointly by Tim Wilson (1979) and Jackie Harris (also in the 1999 playoffs). Wycheck also went 5-for-6 passing the ball in his career (all on trick plays), resulting in 148 yards, two touchdowns, and a perfect 158.3 passer rating. Wycheck, with the help of Jeff Jarrett, delivered a guitar shot to James Storm after the "Tennessee Cowboy" spat beer in the former Tennessee Titan's face. At Slammiversary, he teamed with Jerry Lynn to defeat Storm and Ron Killings in a tag match. Wycheck won the match with a Cradle piledriver, Lynn's finishing move. Beginning with the 2005 season, Wycheck assumed color commentary duties on the Titans Radio Network.
Before the 2017 Titans preseason, it was announced that Wycheck would step down from being color commentator due to lingering head issues sustained during his football career. His absence was supposed to be temporary, but replacement Dave McGinnis returned for the 2018 season and subsequent seasons. In a corresponding move, Wycheck also left The Wake Up Zone morning show in 2017.
Personal life and death
In 1995, Wycheck married Cherryn Krol. They had two children: Deanna (born 1991) and Madison (born 1997), before divorcing in 2009. Wycheck estimated that he had as many as 25 concussions during his playing career. A post-mortem study found that his brain suffered from chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE).