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 a quarter-century ago, 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 previously 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 from 1993 to 2003, spending two years with the Washington Redskins before finishing his career with the Houston Oilers organization, which moved to Tennessee after the 1996 season and became the Titans ahead of the 1999 season, which culminated with their run to Super Bowl XXXIV in Atlanta.
Wycheck’s family released a statement saying they are grateful for this diagnosis, which they believe further highlights the concerns around CTE in contact sports such as 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 the 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.”