'He'd be ecstatic': FAMU's Tyrone McGriff Jr. joyful about father's hall of fame nod

As the Black College Football Hall of Fame continues to grow, more Florida A&M Rattlers are being honored.

Its 14th class was announced on Dec. 8, and two former FAMU offensive linemen in Tyrone McGriff Sr. and Henry 'Killer' Lawrence were announced as 2023 inductees.

The duo follows Nate Newton in representing FAMU as the former lineman was a member of the BCFHOF's Class of 2022.

McGriff Sr. will be honored posthumously as he passed away from a heart attack at age 42 in 2000. His son, Tyrone McGriff Jr. said his father's induction was longed for to assure that he was not forgotten by voters and football fans.

"My sister (April) actually saw it first and called to tell me and it was really exciting," Tyrone Jr., who is the head football coach of Tallahassee's Leon High School said.

"We had been waiting for it. He's been a finalist for years, so we actually got to the point where we didn't think he was going to go in. It was a relief for us because you never want your family members to be forgotten.

"So, for him to get his notoriety was big for us.”

The Black College Football Hall of Fame Class of 2023 will be honored at the 14th Annual Black College Football Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony on June 10, 2023. The Induction Ceremony will take place at the College Football Hall of Fame in Atlanta, Georgia.

"That's going to be exciting with Henry Lawrence going in at the same time," Tyrone Jr. said. "Any time you can be in the building for an occasion like that is important for me and my family.

"One of the things I've been thinking about is who I need to make sure is there and is a great representation of my dad. He had a lot of close friends and a lot of people that meant a lot to him that I don't want to forget."

McGriff Sr., raised in Gifford, was a three-time Black College All-American, three-time Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SIAC) selections and helped FAMU win the 1978 Division I-AA National Championship with a pair of Black College Football national titles (1977, 1978) while coached by Rudy Hubbard.

Professionally, he had stints in the NFL and USFL then coached FAMU's offensive line following his playing career.

MORE RATTLERNEWS COVERAGE

5 years later:FAMU coach Willie Simmons looks back on his time since 2017 hire

'It's been a Rattler Resurgence':Rattler Nation proud of Willie Simmons' progression

'The future is bright':FAMU coach Willie Simmons reflects on season, rumors, offseason | Q&A

McGriff's Black College Football Hall of Fame induction may be bigger than College Football Hall of Fame nod

McGriff Sr. was one of the starting guards for the Rattlers' "The Mounties" offensive line and a a member the 1979 team that defeated the University of Miami, 16-13 inside of Doak Campbell Stadium.

For his efforts, McGriff Sr. was inducted in the FAMU Sports Hall of Fame in 1989.

Seven years later, he was inducted into the 1996 class of the College Football Hall of Fame. He was a part of the first group of small college players to get the honor.

"He'd be ecstatic right now," Tyrone Jr. said. "He loved HBCU's, so I think that this induction may mean more to him than his actual College Football Hall of Fame induction because of how much pride he had in FAMU.

"Any time you can represent your school and give them bragging rights is something that every athlete loves to strive for because you're representing something more than yourself."

McGriff Sr. was the NFL's 1980 "Mr. Irrelevant" as he was selected with the final pick in the draft by the Pittsburgh Steelers. In his first year, he made the Pro Football Writers Association's All-Rookie Team.

Post NFL, McGriff won a USFL champion with the Michigan Panthers in 1983 and played for the Memphis Showboats in 1985.

"FAMU had some of the best offensive linemen playing in the league on a consistent basis," Tyrone Jr. said. "Everybody in Gifford knew him and watched him play on TV and he acknowledged that he was playing for more than just himself ― and even when he was done playing.

"He had a larger than life personality and always gave back to his community, players that he coached, and taught me a lot about being a steward and being a servant leader."

McGriff's induction is hoped to be followed by past FAMU greats being honored on campus

As McGriff Sr. enters his third hall of fame from his college career, Tyrone Jr. is wishing for more representation of Rattlers of the past.

With FAMU football's rich history, he doesn't want legends to fall by the wayside and is looking for them all to be properly eulogized to educate prospective student-athletes and the next generations of Rattlers.

"It's not just about (McGriff Sr.)," Tyrone Jr. said. "So many great players have come from FAMU that I feel like we, as a university forget about. We've had some great football players at FAMU and the more we can recognize them at the university, the more other people will recognize them outside the university.

"It's institutional knowledge that is lost over time. All that information has to be kept in catalog appropriately and that's what we're looking at across the landscape of HBCU's.

"We got some guys like JaJuan Daily, Quinn Gray, Cainon Lamb, Jacquay Nunnally, Oteman Sampson, Algie Hendrieth ― It's so many players out there that you can go back for years."

His suggestion?

An on-campus museum to pair with the FAMU Sports Hall of Fame.

"We get a lot of outside attention and got a lot of great things going on," Tyrone Jr. said. "We know those guys that are major household names, but there's no many guys that I'd love to see FAMU start a museum of the athletic history. That'll be phenomenal.

"We have to acknowledge the fact that we were not just a great HBCU team, but a powerhouse that had Division I, Power Five quality players.

"For my dad to be considered in that is phenomenal and I know he would much rather be recognized by FAMU than to be loved by anybody else."

Gerald Thomas III covers FAMU athletics for the Tallahassee Democrat. Contact him via email at gdthomas@gannett.com or on Twitter @3peatgee.

Follow the Tallahassee Democrat on social media at Tallahassee Democrat (Facebook), TallahasseeDemocrat (Instagram), and @TDOnline (Twitter)

This article originally appeared on Tallahassee Democrat: FAMU Football: Tyrone McGriff Sr. to be inducted in BCFHOF