Kevin Dyson

For the Australian rules footballer, see Kevin Dyson (Australian footballer).

Kevin Dyson
No. 87, 85
Position:Wide receiver
Personal information
Born: (1975-06-23) June 23, 1975 (age 49)
Logan, Utah, U.S.
Height:6 ft 1 in (1.85 m)
Weight:208 lb (94 kg)
Career information
High school:Clearfield (Clearfield, Utah)
College:Utah
NFL draft:1998 / round: 1 / pick: 16
Career history
 * Offseason and/or practice squad member only
Career highlights and awards
Career NFL statistics
Receptions:178
Receiving yards:2,325
Receiving touchdowns:18
Stats at Pro Football Reference

Kevin Tyree Dyson (born June 23, 1975) is an American former professional football player who was a wide receiver in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Utah Utes.[1] He was selected by the Tennessee Oilers 16th overall in the 1998 NFL draft.[2]

Dyson is best known for his part in two historic NFL plays – the Music City Miracle and The Tackle.[3] He and his brother Andre were the first brothers in NFL history to score touchdowns in the same game.[4]

After his football career ended, Dyson earned two master's degrees and a doctorate, and became the principal of a middle school, then a high school.[5]

Early life and college

Born in Logan, Utah,[6] Dyson graduated in 1993 from Clearfield High School in Clearfield, Utah.[4] In the fall of his senior year, he helped his team win the 1992 State 4A championship.

At the University of Utah, Dyson played on the Utah Utes football team for five seasons (1993–1997) and graduated in 1997 with a Bachelor of Science in sociology.[4][7][8] In his four seasons as a starter, Dyson caught 192 passes for 2,726 yards and 18 touchdowns.[9]

Professional football career

Pre-draft measurables
Height Weight Arm length Hand span
6 ft 1+1⁄8 in
(1.86 m) 		199 lb
(90 kg) 		34+1⁄4 in
(0.87 m) 		10+1⁄8 in
(0.26 m)
All values from NFL Combine[10]

Dyson played for the Tennessee Titans from 1998 to 2002, wearing #87.[1] In the 1999 playoffs, he was involved in two of the most memorable plays in NFL history. Dyson was the recipient of Frank Wycheck's lateral known by many as the Music City Miracle,[3] and he was tackled by Mike Jones one yard short of scoring the probable game-tying/winning touchdown as time expired in Super Bowl XXXIV,[11] in a play known as The Tackle.[12]

Dyson played for the Carolina Panthers in 2003 but saw very little action due to injury.[11] He did appear briefly in Super Bowl XXXVIII. The San Diego Chargers acquired Dyson for the 2004 season,[13] but later released him.[14] In 2005 he signed with the Washington Redskins but was cut on September 3 when teams reduced their rosters to the final 53 players.[15][16] He finished his 6 NFL seasons with 178 receptions for 2,325 yards and 18 touchdowns in 59 regular-season games.[1]

NFL career statistics

Year Team Games Receiving Rushing
GP GS Rec Yds Avg Lng TD Att Yds Avg Lng TD
1998 TEN 13 9 21 263 12.5 45 2 1 4 4.0 4 0
1999 TEN 16 16 54 658 12.2 47 4 1 3 3.0 3 0
2000 TEN 2 2 6 104 17.3 30 1 — — — — —
2001 TEN 16 16 54 825 15.3 68 7 — — — — —
2002 TEN 11 11 41 460 11.2 40 4 2 -4 -2.0 5 0
2003 CAR 1 0 2 15 7.5 9 0 — — — — —
Career 59 54 178 2,325 13.1 68 18 4 3 0.8 5 0

Coaching and education career

After retiring from football, Dyson went on to earn a Master of Education degree from Trevecca Nazarene University in 2007,[8] and followed that up with a doctorate from the same school.[5]

Dyson was a counselor and wide receiver coach at Glencliff Comprehensive High School in Nashville from 2007 to 2009. Since 2008, Dyson has been on the board of the organization Students Taking A Right Stand. He later left to serve as the receivers and backs coach for Independence High School at Thompson's Station, Tennessee as well as the athletic director, eventually ascending to head coach in 2010.[8][17] Dyson served as an assistant principal at Independence High School and as the principal of Grassland Middle School in Franklin, Tennessee.[18][19] On April 22, 2021, he was named principal at Centennial High School in Franklin.[20]

Personal life

Dyson is the older brother of NFL cornerback and former Titans teammate Andre Dyson.[21] He lived in Nashville and Salt Lake City during his football career.[4][22]

References

  1. ^ a b c "Kevin Dyson". Pro Football Reference. Retrieved May 19, 2010.
  2. ^ "1998 NFL Draft Listing". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved March 29, 2023.
  3. ^ a b Magee, Jerry (January 31, 2004). "Stuck in Music City: Dyson still fields questions on '99 postseason". San Diego Union-Tribune. Retrieved May 19, 2010.
  4. ^ a b c d "Kevin Dyson". Washington Redskins. Archived from the original on November 18, 2005.
  5. ^ a b "Sad Super Bowl icon becomes middle school principal". May 26, 2019.
  6. ^ "Kevin Dyson". NFL. Retrieved August 12, 2012.
  7. ^ "Kevin Dyson". Independence High School (Tennessee). Archived from the original on December 12, 2012. Retrieved August 12, 2012.
  8. ^ a b c "Kevin Dyson". LinkedIn.com. Retrieved August 12, 2012.
  9. ^ "Kevin Dyson College Stats".
  10. ^ "Kevin Dyson, Combine Results, WR - Utah". nflcombineresults.com. Retrieved February 12, 2023.
  11. ^ a b Lopresti, Mike (January 28, 2004). "One yard still drives Dyson". USA Today. Retrieved May 19, 2010.
  12. ^ Pedulla, Tom (January 31, 2002). "Improbable hero saved Rams in Super Bowl XXXIV". USA Today. Retrieved May 19, 2010.
  13. ^ Paris, Jay (June 13, 2004). "Chargers' Dyson aims to avoid injury bug". North County Times. Archived from the original on September 12, 2012. Retrieved May 19, 2010.
  14. ^ Trotter, Jim (September 6, 2004). "Chargers' (non) cuts a surprise". San Diego Union-Tribune. Retrieved May 19, 2010.
  15. ^ "Redskins Sign WR Kevin Dyson". Washington Redskins. June 6, 2005. Archived from the original on March 19, 2010. Retrieved May 19, 2010.
  16. ^ White, Joseph (September 4, 2005). "Dyson among players cut by Washington". The Free Lance–Star. Associated Press. Retrieved May 19, 2010.
  17. ^ "Meet Kevin Dyson". Spring Hill Fresh. December 7, 2010. Archived from the original on February 1, 2012. Retrieved August 12, 2012.
  18. ^ "Dyson resigns at Stewarts Creek, returns to Williamson County". Daily News Journal.
  19. ^ "Grassland Faculty and Staff". Archived from the original on May 6, 2019. Retrieved May 6, 2019.
  20. ^ "News / Dyson Named New Centennial High Principal". Williamson County Schools. Retrieved April 22, 2021.
  21. ^ Crouse, Karen (August 4, 2006). "Jets Corner Starts Over After Missing Star Turn". The New York Times. Retrieved May 19, 2010.
  22. ^ "Kevin Dyson". Tennessee Titans. 2001. Archived from the original on June 16, 2002.