The controversial Pro Football Hall of Fame candidacy of Jim Tyrer ended Thursday when the former Chiefs lineman, who killed his wife and then himself back in 1980, fell short of the required votes to be honored in Canton, Ohio.
After disappearing from Hall of Fame consideration for more than 40 years, Tyrer’s name was brought back for consideration amid evidence suggesting he might have suffered from football-related head trauma decades before the idea became a regular part of the public discourse.
Tyrer’s children had supported his candidacy, and, in a recent ESPN story, his son Brad said he and his siblings knew the man who committed the horrific act “wasn’t our dad.”
Brad Tyrer said he and his siblings were “very disappointed” their father didn’t get into the Hall of Fame but were thankful for the people who helped bring his name back into consideration.
Tyrer had been among 182 former players initially nominated for senior consideration, and he made it through a series of cutdowns before the Senior Committee selected him as one of three player finalists. Along with one coach and one contributor candidate, Tyrer was among five men vying for three spots.
The others were Mike Holmgren, who led the Packers to a Super Bowl win and coached 17 seasons in the league; former Packers wide receiver Sterling Sharpe; Maxie Baughan, a nine-time Pro Bowl linebacker in the 1960s; and Ralph Hay, who has been called the founding father of the NFL.
Sharpe was selected, but no third candidate received enough votes.
Tyrer was a dominant force for the Chiefs in the American Football League in the ’60s and after the merger with the NFL in 1970. As a left tackle protecting future Hall of Famer Len Dawson, Tyrer played in 180 consecutive games and started every game of his 11 seasons in Kansas City. He made nine Pro Bowls, was named to the AFL’s All-Time Team and is in the Chiefs’ Hall of Fame.
Tyrer had seemed like a sure bet to reach Canton, but that all changed after the shocking news in September 1980 that he killed his wife and then turned the gun on himself.
The Hall’s bylaws are unequivocal that voters are supposed to consider only on-field performance when judging a candidate’s merit, but it became clear then — and now — that some voters weren’t comfortable selecting Tyrer because of the murder-suicide.
“It wasn’t like we were waiting on this to bring us closure or anything,” Brad Tyrer told ESPN, acknowledging the voters were in a “tough” situation. “But we just feel more in terms of right and wrong, it’s the right thing to do because, based upon the current rules, he really should be in there.”
Said his brother, Jason: “I’m disappointed because I thought he deserved it. … It seems like [some voters] didn’t follow the rules of how you’re supposed to look only at on-field and not off-field issues.”
