David Tyree is going to retire after re-signing with the Giants. Expect to see the following clip a lot more times over the next few days.
The only folks who will remember Tyree at Syracuse before he became The Catch Guy will be Syracuse fans. To everyone else, The Catch is the sole defining thing about him. And rightfully so. Take away The Catch and his pro career was remarkable unspectacular. (54 catches, 650 yards, 4 TDs). Unfortunately, his quick relegation back into mediocrity after The Catch might be just as memorable as his rapid ascension.
Syracuse fans, however, will not remember Tyree for just one play. While they won't think of him in the same breath as Marvin Harrison (pre-firearms) or Art Monk, Tyree did put together a respectable college career at SU.
Tyree compiled seasons of 333 yards, 233 yards and 559 yards. His best game was in 2002 when he hauled in 229 yards against Virginia Tech, the 2nd-best single game performance in school history. In total, he caught 68 passes for 1,214 yards and six TDs. He was also well-known for his special teams play, blocking six punts during his career.
I put him at No. 3 in the top ten Syracuse WRs of the 00's, which sounds a lot more impressive than it is. But still, Tyree was a consistent performer in orange and SU fans will remember him well.
The fame he achieved from that single Super Bowl play will propel his post-football career farther than anything else he did. He's got the motivational speaker thing down. Perhaps he can coach or even take a shot at being a sportscaster. Of course, there's a limit to where his infamy can take him. But no matter how far removed he is from The Catch, he'll always be welcome back in Syracuse. We know him better than that.