#TBT: Wheatley Reigns Among Greats
July 16, 2015
By Geoff Kimmerly
Second Half editor
Tyrone Wheatley went on to star as a running back at the University of Michigan and play 10 seasons in the National Football League, four with the New York Giants and six with the Oakland Raiders before retiring after the 2004 season.
But before Wheatley became nationally known for his rare combination of power and speed carrying the football, he was hailed as arguably the most dominant track & field athlete in MHSAA history.
As a junior at Dearborn Heights Robichaud, Wheatley became the first to win four individual events at an MHSAA Finals, finishing first in the long jump, 100 and 200-meter dashes and 110-meter hurdles at the 1990 Lower Peninsula Class B meet. His 49 points allowed Robichaud to edge Three Rivers by three to win the team title.
Class records were retired with the move to divisions in 2000, and Wheatley retains the LP Class B Final record in long jump at 23 feet, 10 3/4 inches from 1989 and the 110 hurdles meet record of 13.7 seconds set in 1991.
He won nine MHSAA Finals championships total from 1989-91, adding three more as a senior. Five athletes have won four events at an MHSAA Boys Track & Field Final, but Wheatley is one of only two to do so in a Lower Peninsula meet.
In addition to football, Wheatley earned three letters in track & field at U-M, earning an All-America honor by finishing eighth in the 110 hurdles at the 1995 NCAA Championships.
Wheatley was hired this offseason to coach running backs as an assistant to U-M head football coach Jim Harbaugh. He coached Robichaud's football team briefly after leaving the NFL before moving on to the college and pro ranks as an assistant.
Performance of the Week: Kalamazoo Loy Norrix's Jackson Lam
May 1, 2025
Jackson Lam ♦ Kalamazoo Loy Norrix
Junior ♦ Track & Field
Running on his home track Friday during the annual Don Lukens Invitational, Lam broke Loy Norrix's 57-year-old record in the 1,600 with a winning time of 4:13.32. The historic performance came at the first Lukens meet since the legendary coach's death last Sept. 15, and Lam finished nearly 15 ahead of the field. He also ran on the winning 3,200 relay.
The school record was Lam's second, as he was also part of the Norrix all-time best 3,200 relay finish as a freshman. The 1,600 time Friday bested that of Gary Harris from 1968, which was the oldest on Loy Norrix's record board, and Lam's time ranks as the fifth-fastest in the state this season regardless of division. He reached the MHSAA Finals as part of the 3,200 relay in 2023 and running the 1,600 a year ago, and he finished 12th at the Lower Peninsula Division 1 Cross Country Finals this past fall.
@mhsaasports 🏃POW: Jackson Lam #loynorrix #running #record #breaker #1600m #57years #track&field #part1 #highschoolsports #tiktalk #interview #performanceoftheweek #mistudentaid #fyp #MHSAA ♬ original sound - MHSAA
@mhsaasports 🏃POW: Jackson Lam #twix #chocolatemilk #grantfisher #hobbskessler #dog #skullemoji #laughingcrying #michigan #part2 #performanceoftheweek #mistudentaid #fyp #MHSAA ♬ Monkeys Spinning Monkeys - Kevin MacLeod & Kevin The Monkey
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Previous 2024-25 honorees
April 25: Isabelle Horvath, Bangor - Report
April 18: Presley Jones, Sterling Heights Stevenson soccer - Report
April 11: Olivia Jasniewicz, Troy soccer - Report
March 27: Katie Spicer, Fowler basketball - Report
March 21: Moses & Markus Blackwell; Warren Lincoln basketball - Report
March 13: Keyshawn Summerville, Lansing Sexton basketball - Report
March 6: Maggie Buurma, Fowlerville wrestling - Report
Feb. 28: Maren Studt, Pontiac Notre Dame Prep skiing - Report
Feb. 21: Olive Krueger, Marquette swimming - Report
Feb. 14: Hunter Lemmon, Fraser swimming - Report
Feb. 7: Aubrey Hillard, Rochester competitive cheer - Report
Jan. 31: Wyatt Spalo, Reed City wrestling - Report
Jan. 24: Olivia Flynn, Harbor Springs basketball - Report
Jan. 17: Levi Rozema, Holland Christian swimming - Report
Jan. 10: McRecco McFadden, Burton Bentley basketball - Report
Dec. 18: Nash Leonard, Bay City Western hockey - Report
Dec. 11: Blake Cosby, Dundee wrestling - Report
Dec. 4: Keaton Hendricks, Zeeland West football - Report
Nov. 29: Kate Simon, East Grand Rapids swimming - Report
Nov. 22: Ella Kokaly, Essexville Garber volleyball - Report
Nov. 15: Caroline Bryan, Grosse Pointe South swimming - Report
Nov. 8: Kaylie Livingston, Whitmore Lake cross country - Report
Oct. 25: Oliver Caldwell, Grand Rapids West Catholic tennis - Report
Oct. 18: Alex Graham, Detroit Cass Tech football - Report
Oct. 11: Victoria Garces, Midland Dow cross country - Report
Oct. 4: Asher Clark, Bay City John Glenn soccer - Report
Sept. 26: Campbell Flynn, Farmington Hills Mercy volleyball - Report
Sept. 19: TJ Hansen, Freeland cross country - Report
Sept. 12: Jordan Peters, Grayling soccer - Report
Sept. 6: Gabe Litzner, Sault Ste. Marie cross country - Report
Aug. 30: Grace Slocum, Traverse City St. Francis golf - Report
(Action photo by Graig Stacy. Headshot by RunMichigan.com.)