Tyrone Crawford

Tyrone Crawford was born on November 22, 1989, in Windsor, Ontario.

Gifted athletically, Crawford struggled at times to keep up academically. He learned from a young age that to succeed, he would have to work harder than most people. Crawford attended Catholic Central High School where he played football, basketball, and competed in track and field events, achieving gold medals in shot put and discus at the OFSAA championship games. During his high school days, he was the recipient of multiple awards, including the Royal Arcanum Outstanding Athlete Award. He was given the nickname of “Ten Men” by his teammates, as they saw him as the best of any ten men on the field or court.

In 2008 Crawford began his college football career at Bakersfield College, a junior college located in California, as he didn’t have the required classes to qualify for a Division I university in the United States. He took advantage of the opportunity as a time to learn, with Bakersfield coach Jeff Chudy saying “His humility enabled him to grow faster, because he took it all in”. After two years of success at that school, he moved on to Boise State University. As a defensive end, he registered 76 tackles across 2010 and 2011, 27 tackles-for-loss, and 13.5 sacks. In 2012 Crawford joined the NFL, as the 3rd round pick (81st overall) of the Dallas Cowboys, eventually taking on the number 98 jersey. His skills were put to use as a defensive end/defensive tackle. Since the start of his professional career, Crawford has played through multiple injuries, including a torn rotator cuff. In 2015 he signed a multimillion dollar contract to stay on with the Dallas Cowboys.

Crawford may be far from his home town these days, but he still maintains a connection with the city he grew up in. He has been a mentor and advocate with Windsor’s Finest Football Academy since 2014, a football camp for youth between the ages of 7 and 19. He has been joined by other professional football players, including his cousin Daryl Townsend of the Montreal Alouettes, and his younger brother Tarrence. When speaking to AM800 Sports radio in early 2018, Crawford said “First thing that comes to my mind when I’m heading back to Windsor or when I’m missing Windsor, is the people… I definitely miss the food, the pizza is amazing and then just the atmosphere, there’s nothing like being home.”

Sources:

Dallas Cowboys.“Deep Blue: From the Edge: The Tyrone Crawford Story / Dallas Cowboys 2018”Online video. YouTube. YouTube, 3 September 2018. Web. Accessed 3 December 2018.

Tyrone Crawford. In Wikipedia. Accessed 3 December 2018.

Varley, Kristylee. “Tyrone Crawford Looking Forward to a Spring Trip Home”. AM800 CKLW. 5 February 2018. Web. Accessed 3 December 2018.

Windsor’s Finest Football Academy Facebook page. Accessed 3 December 2018.