Mississippi coaching legend Bob Tyler passes away

MERIDIAN, Miss. (WTOK) - News 11 can confirm the reports that coaching legend, Bob Tyler, passed away early Sunday morning. Tyler was 91 years old.

Tyler was the head football coach at Meridian High from 1965-1967, leading the team to back-to-back Big Eight state titles in 66′ and 67′. The 66′ team also won the first State Championship in school history after an undefeated season.

While at Meridian High, Tyler was named the Big Eight coach of the year those 1966-67′ seasons. He also became the first coach in school history to coach Black student-athletes.

After his time at Meridian, Tyler went on to become an assistant coach at Ole Miss from 1968-1970, overlapping with Archie Manning’s time on the team.

After a becoming a wide receivers coach at Alabama, he became Mississippi State’s head football coach and Athletic Director from 1973-1978. While at Mississippi State, Tyler led the team to their first Bowl appearance in nine seasons.

Tyler also became the head coach at North Texas State in 1981, coaching the team for one season before coming back to Mississippi to coach in the junior college and high school ranks in the mid 80′s.

Tyler was inducted into the Mississippi Sports Hall of Fame in 2022.

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