Random Athlete Of The Day- David Tyree

David Tyree played wide receiver primarily for the New York Giants from 2003 to 2009.

Before Tyree made the NFL, he was a standout receiver and special teams player for my beloved Syracuse Orange, racking up 1,214 receiving yards and six blocked punts in his collegiate career.

He was then drafted by the New York Giants in the sixth round (pick #211) of the 2003 NFL Draft. He was a backup throughout his career, accumulating only 650 receiving yards in his career, but he completely changed in legacy in the 4^th quarter of Super Bowl XLII as a member of the Giants.

(AP Photo)

When the 4^th quarter began, the New England Patriots were leading the Giants 7-3. But four minutes into the quarter, Giants QB Eli Manning connected with Tyree for a five-yard touchdown. However, the Patriots responded when QB Tom Brady threw a touchdown pass to Randy Moss with 2:42 to go to give New England a 14-10 lead.

It looked like the Patriots would go on to win, and go down in history as the first team ever to finish a season 19-0. Manning was able to pick up two first downs to bring the Giants near Patriots territory, but with 1:15 left in the game, the Giants faced a huge third down. It looked like Manning would get sacked, which would have put the Giants in a fourth-and-long situation with the game on the line. But somehow, Manning was able to escape the pressure and sling the ball 32 yards downfield, where Tyree made arguably the greatest play in the history of the Super Bowl. Tyree caught the ball off of his helmet with Patriots safety Rodney Harrison draped all over him. Once the catch was made, Harrison attempted to knock the ball out of Tyree’s hands, but Tyree held on, giving the Giants a first down inside the Patriots’ 25-yard line. The Giants scored with 35 seconds left to secure one of the greatest upsets in sports history.

Many players have caught incredible passes in the Super Bowl (Santonio Holmes and Mario Manningham come to mind, and that’s just from the Super Bowls since Tyree). However, the David vs. Goliath aspect of that game as well as Tyree’s relative obscurity will cement Tyree’s catch in football fans’ minds. Tyree never played another snap for the Giants, but he will be a hero in New York for a long time.

-Hollenberg