McGriff played
college football as a
guard for the
Florida A&M Rattlers. He was inducted into the
College Football Hall of Fame in 1996. McGriff was "
Mr. Irrelevant" of the
1980 NFL draft, having been selected with the final pick (333rd overall). He went on to play in the
National Football League (NFL) with the
Pittsburgh Steelers for three seasons, and then played three seasons in the
United States Football League (USFL). He was a member of the 1983 USFL champions as a starting guard for the
Michigan Panthers, for whom he also played in 1984 before playing the 1985 season with the
Memphis Showboats. After his playing career, McGriff held several coaching roles in college football, including two games as interim head coach of the
Bethune–Cookman Wildcats in 1993. He also served as a head coach at three high schools in Florida. McGriff died in December 2000, two weeks after suffering of a heart attack. At the time of his death, he was employed as director of the Gifford Youth Activity Center in
Vero Beach, Florida. He was survived by his two children, April and Tyrone McGriff Jr., and wife, Barbara Rollins McGriff. ==Head coaching record==