Frank Wycheck, the NFL tight end best known for throwing the lateral that started the “Music City Miracle” and launched the Tennessee Titans’ run to the franchise’s lone Super Bowl appearance, had stage III chronic traumatic encephalopathy when he died on Dec. 9, 2023, at his Chattanooga home, his family said Thursday.
Wycheck died at the age of 52 after apparently hitting his head in a fall at home. He had made clear his wishes to work with experts for CTE research and ongoing brain injury.
Researchers at Boston University’s Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy Center confirmed Wycheck had CTE stage III, with stage IV the most severe form of the neurodegenerative disease that can lead to dementia, memory loss and depression. The three-time Pro Bowl tight end played in the NFL between 1993 and 2003, starting with Washington and finishing his career with the Houston Oilers organization, which moved to Tennessee and became the Titans.
Wycheck’s family said in a statement they are grateful for this diagnosis, which they believe further highlights the concerns around CTE in contact sports like football. They want to honor his legacy with a stronger commitment to player safety and support for those affected by head injuries. His daughters said their family had challenges understanding both the physical and mental changes Wycheck was experiencing, thinking he was just missing the spotlight of his career.
“We witnessed our father becoming increasingly isolated and experiencing drastic mood swings. He became more impulsive, and often inconsistent and undependable,” Deanna Wycheck Szabo said in a statement. “Now in hindsight, I understand that he was suffering from the symptoms of CTE due to the repeated trauma his brain and body endured over 11 seasons in the NFL.”
Szabo said Wycheck loved football and his teammates. She said he fought for years after retiring to bring attention to the symptoms and struggles he knew stemmed from CTE, feeling too often ignored and helpless. Szabo said she wishes her family had been educated on CTE symptoms to know what to look for and now hope for increased intervention, education and support for NFL alumni and their families.
“Instead of believing that something was inherently wrong with him, we now know he was doing the best he could as a father and friend under circumstances beyond his control,” Szabo said.
Madison Wycheck Nowell said she worried daily about her father when he retired, whether he was eating, drinking enough water or making his appointments. She said they saw his health rapidly decline and hope this is a cautionary tale.
“My dad explained that it felt like his brain had a thick brick wall inside that stopped his will to follow through with anything, no matter what it was or who was involved,” Nowell said in her statement. “Regardless of his CTE symptoms, I will always believe that God intervened to allow him the opportunity to enjoy our weddings, his grandkids, and all other things he truly wanted to be a part of before he left us.”
Wednesday was the 25th anniversary of the Music City Miracle, a lateral from Wycheck to Kevin Dyson that led to a touchdown on the kickoff return and rallied the Titans over Buffalo in an AFC wild-card game.
That TD return ranked fourth among the NFL’s greatest plays over the league’s first 100 years.
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