BYU Alumni Series: Tim McTyer

CougarNation continues with it's Alumni Series. This time we catch up with Tim McTyer who was part of the shut down corners with teammate Omarr Morgan. McTyer went on to play several years in the NFL with the Eagles and Browns.

Coming from Los Angeles what did you know about BYU before you committed? Who recruited you and what made you decide to play for the Cougars?

DeWayne Walker recruited me, all I knew about BYU, was that it was in Utah, cold and rich in tradition, among other things such as Ty Detmer, Steve Young etc. I came to BYU because of the school tradition, the honesty, the distance away from home, the people, the city, a good education, peace, Coach Walker, Lavelle, Sark, Football, the TV schedule and to BEAT UTAH!

What was your first visit to Provo like?

Very peaceful, fun, exciting and cold.

Tell us what it is like playing for BYU against Utah in the Holy War, what do you hear on the field and what are the emotions like?

The BYU Utah game is crazy. great atmosphere, bragging rights are all on the line. the only thing you hear on the field is crowd reactions big plays, blown plays like a dropped pass, big hits and trash talk. other than that the crowd is loudest at the beginning of the game.

What was your most memorable game and why?

The SDSU game, I had a 60 yard INT for a TD on ESPN, and one of the recruiters from SDSU, told me I was too small in high school & JC , and I remember seeing him standing on the sideline as I ran by, with his hands on his hips mad. Also SDSU had a RB from a JC I played against and they beat us pretty bad two years in a row. They also had a WR that I watched as a 10th grader in the Los Angeles City playoffs, they beat my high school team and he ran all over us, but I didn't get to play. So I got a chance to play against him finally at BYU.

What made the 96' team so good?

Chemistry from the loses we took as Juniors, Myself, James Dye, Chad Lewis, Steve Sarkisian, Shay Muirbrook, Dennis Simmons, Larry Moore,Itula Mili etc. We had a solid Junior Class, and in 95 we had some key losses UCLA, UTAH both at home. When we added more pieces to our offense and defense such as Ronney Jenkins, Brian McKenzie, Omarr Morgan, Henry Bloomfield, Chris Ellison,we became a TEAM with all phases of the game, in 96 we had a running game, a passing game, special teams, defense and lock down corners vital to any defense. Most of all we had respect for one another and we all pushed each other to be better. Everything was competitive, who was going to get the first TD, biggest hit, first sack etc. We wanted to party and celebrate and have fun, we played with emotion and pride.

For you, what is a better feeling, laying a big hit or an INT? Why?

Depends on the situation, but for me a big hit could set up the INT for later but, I wanted the big hit, i wanted to hear that oooooohhhh, and I wanted to let guys know not to come to my side period! No run, No pass!

What is the best prank you saw or were a part of while at BYU?

I think one year they shaved the freshman's hair, but I only heard about it, so I didn't actually see any that I could remember hmmmm. I guess that's a good thing.

What are you up today?

A lot of school and coaching.

What would like to say to CougarNation before we end?

Go BYU!! Thanks for Everything, BEAT utah!!