Former Tennessee Titans tight end Frank Wycheck suffered from chronic traumatic encephalopathy when he died in December 2023 at the age of 52.
The three-time Pro Bowler’s family confirmed the diagnosis of CTE, a degenerative brain disease linked to repeated blows to the head, in a statement Thursday.
“Our family is grateful to learn of his confirmed CTE diagnosis in hopes to continue our father’s desire to bring awareness, increased intervention, education, and support for NFL alumni and their families related to CTE,” Wycheck’s daughter, Deanna Wycheck Szabo, said in a statement. “Our hope is that NFL alumni, who believe they are suffering from CTE, will be given the much-needed resources and guidance prior to their symptoms reaching a debilitating state. With on-going CTE research and diagnosis’, we hope future NFL alumni and families will be explicitly given an outline and plan of action in receiving care and treatment.”
Wycheck was found dead in his Chattanooga, Tenn., home on Dec. 9, 2023 after an apparent fall.
His brain was examined at Boston University’s Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy Center, which concluded that he had CTE Stage III, according to his family. Stage IV is the most severe level.
Thursday’s announcement comes one day after the 25th anniversary of Wycheck’s starring role in the “Music City Miracle,” one of the most iconic plays in NFL history. It happened during the Titans’ AFC wild-card contest against the visiting Buffalo Bills on Jan. 8, 2000.
After the Bills kicked a field goal for a 16-15 lead with 16 seconds to play, Tennessee tried some trickery. Lorenzo Neal fielded the kickoff and handed it off to Wycheck, who tossed it across the field to Kevin Dyson. Dyson sprinted for a touchdown to give the Titans a 22-16 victory.
Tennessee advanced to Super Bowl XXXIV before dropping a 23-16 decision to the St. Louis Rams on Jan. 30.
A Philadelphia native, Wycheck was selected by Washington in the sixth round of the 1993 NFL Draft and spent two seasons with the club. He joined the Houston Oilers and remained with the team through its move to Tennessee and retired as a member of the club following the 2003 season. He was inducted into the Titans’ Ring of Honor.
Wycheck had 505 catches for 5,126 yards and 28 touchdowns in 155 career games (135 starts) with Washington and the Houston/Tennessee franchise.
“My father put his body on the line throughout his career,” Wycheck Szabo said. “He loved the game and even more so loved his teammates. After retirement, he fought for years to bring light to his post-NFL journey and the fears he had around his struggles and symptoms that he knew whole-heartedly was CTE. He often felt forgotten and ignored, and that his situation was helpless.
“Reflecting back, I wish our family had been educated on the signs and symptoms of CTE. 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.”
–Field Level Media
